I was packing for my recent trip and developing quite a mound of personal items.  It became rather apparent that flying standby would require taking a lot less items!  I wasn’t going to be able to handle those extra tops, dresses and toiletries and it was forcing me to pair-down to the “must have only’s” in order to achieve carry on.  I sat on the edges of the tiny suitcase, managed to barely zip it up, and I was free to take off and enjoy!
Life can be the same.  What items are you carrying around with you that might be too hard to handle?  God has equipped us to carry things in our own backpack of life and things of which we either need to release control over or ask for the help of others to pack for us! He has us covered either way.
 Corinthians 8:13-20 The Message (MSG)“So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even…”
In that same vein, I have done some soul searching and determined that offering 3 classes a week is more than I can handle.  Starting this week we will be moving to one class offering a week:  Wednesday at noon.  I know this won’t work for everyone’s schedule, and I’m sorry for this.  But, I pray that God will work out details in your work and life activities such that you can continue to come to class and enjoy retreats and workshops.  More to come on that later.
For now, I’m packing my bags on Monday at 8am and Thursday evenings at 7m.  Join us this week for our first week of one class a week:  Wednesday at 12pm!

When is it appropriate to fall into deep sleep?  Have you seen the movie “Overcomer” yet?  Without giving it away, it’s a beautiful story about the power of God’s redemption and relational reconciliation.  I very much enjoy financially supporting faith-based movies and wish I didn’t agree with the rotten tomatoes 4/5 critics giving it a green splat.  When the guy next to us snored LOUDLY  through much of the movie, I couldn’t blame him.  My friend and I both agreed that it certainly made sense as to why his counterpart was seated a few rows back. 
I’ve heard people say that they love the final pose of a yoga class, the corpse pose, because they can fall asleep.

In Frogpose yoga class this pose signals our practice has come to an end, but it’s not an invitation to go to sleep.  On the contrary, corpse pose is an active pose.  It’s at this critical time where we can apply all that we’ve learned about God’s word and truth in class, and let it quietly and gently saturate our minds.  It’s a literal dying to self and awakening of the mind to further meditate on how God wants to use this new information in our bodies.  This deep rest of our face, torso, arms and legs, hands and feet, allows our brainwaves to move into the state of creativity, spiritual awakening and peak performance.

Ephesians 4:22-24: that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
 
Try a FROGpose class on Facebook Live or better yet, come to the studio, and learn what a dying to self looks like for you.  We  focus on bible verses, listen to Christian music and pray in community as we move through physical postures into corpse pose. 

​Have you ever walked into a free Christian yoga class?  If you have, then you know: you don't know what you're going to get.  

One of my students who stumbled onto our ministry told me that she was skeptical for 3 entire Frog Pose Christian yoga classes before she knew we were true to our mission.   She said that because the classes were being held in Boulder she was certain that, at any moment, we would throw in some other form of new age theories or spirituality.  To her surprise she was relieved that FROG Pose Christian yoga references ONLY Biblical truths. 

Rest assured that when you walk into a FROG Pose yoga class you will not only come away with a heightened sense of physical well being but the confidence that you haven't compromised your Christian faith.  We are prayerful that each class will offer an insight towards healthier living and that a healing within your body happens in each 60 minutes class. We thank you for your financial support as we continue offering free yoga classes in hopes of reaching more of our local community's craving for something more than just a free yoga class.

At FROG Pose, no one is turned away due to financial restraints or differences in spiritual thought.  All are welcome! We hold out hope that Christians and non believers alike will strut into a class and feel that they have found their tribe. To call frog pose yoga home and a regular place to practice yoga is the goal.

This week we focus on our walk with God and how God guides our coming and going. Step into a donation-based Christian yoga class Monday at 8am, Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 7pm!

Psalm 56:13: For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. 

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

FROG Pose Yoga is hosting the Sole to Soul Women’s Weekend, a women’s yoga retreat hosted in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This three-day yoga retreat connects women back to nature and to other Christian women who like to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Whether you’ve been doing yoga for a long time, you’re new to the practice, or you just want a weekend getaway, Sole to Soul women’s yoga retreat is the perfect excuse to get outside and visit the mountains this spring.





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We intentionally chose to host the Sole to Soul Women’s Weekend at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge because of their message to “Relax, Escape & Enjoy.” The perfect setting for a three-day yoga retreat, Beaver Run Resort is up against the mountains to capture the spirit of Colorado in springtime. Whether you’ve never been to the Rocky Mountains or you’ve made it part of your get away routine, join us for Sole to Soul to relax, escape and enjoy this pure Breckenridge experience.
What will you get out of this weekend yoga retreat? Relaxation, a clear mind, and access to a Christian yoga practice through the following schedule of events:

• Friday:
  • Check-in 5pm-6pm
  • Intro, Worship, Yoga Short Flow, Dinner, Dance Party
• Saturday:  
  • Yoga, Teaching from the Word, Alignment Instruction - Therapeutic Fun, Interaction/Game/Artistic Expression
  • Lunch
  • Worship, Break Out Session, Free time, Evening Worship
  • Art Therapy, Yin/Restorative Flow with Candlelight​
• Sunday:
  • Farewell Flow, Communion, Closing Prayer
  • Check-out 11am

Self care might be more of a buzzword now than ever, but taking care of your body, mind and spirit through yoga enables you to deal with the stresses of everyday life in a healthier way. Combining Christianity and yoga allows faith-fueled women to access the benefits of yoga while feeling comfortable and uncompromising with their religion. FROG Pose Yoga believes in making yoga accessible to all, including Christian women who may not otherwise feel free to practice.

If you’re feeling the need to escape to the Rocky Mountains for a long weekend, our Sole to Soul women’s yoga retreat guides you towards self care and community! Join us at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge for fellowship, fun, and physical rejuvenation with this amazing group of Christian women, May 3-5.
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Comment with any questions, or register now to save your space. Early Bird pricing ends March 31!

This morning I woke to the peaceful, snow covered, sun glistening, crispness of the Rocky Mountains.   I wanted to take a break from yoga and escape to the mountains.  I arrived to Aspen, the ski capital of the Americas.  What a blessing! 
Half way into my drive yesterday I would be telling you a different story. I encountered evidence of the recent snow avalanches, a rock slide, a boulder in a lane, dueling snow plows over Vail pass and falling snow blindness; not to mention slick conditions.  Upon arrival, I had to peel my fingers off the steering wheel in order to cut the engine.  

God guarded me again!  He kept watch over me and my trusty AWD Ford Freestyle.  As always, God does what He says he will and one of his wonderful character attributes is that He guards.  Psalm 91:11 says for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Join us in class this week as we focus on God's protection of us from harm or danger.  We will focus on God's word from the Bible, breath and movement on our yoga mats .  We practice on Monday 8am, Wednesday noon and Thursday 7pm.  2900 Valmont Unit F1 (in the backside of the Zarlengo Plaza).

Some of you have inquired as to the frequency of how much yoga "should" be practiced.   To which I would reply "should's" aren't as important as paying attention to what are your spiritual, physical and emotional needs.  Knowing when you need a break is important.  In an interview with Baron Baptiste, the one who wrote the book on Power Yoga, and from which a Frog Pose Power Stretching class is closely modeled after, he says " I try to do something (yoga) twice a day, sometimes it's just a little bit. The place that my life happens to be will determine its intensity—anything from restorative to high intensity vinyasa (a method of yoga in which movements form a flowing sequence in coordination with your breath). I try to be true to myself each day and see what I'm moved to do. I don't have a mold or external blueprint that I follow, but in general I'm pulled toward vinyasa, heat-based movement moving energy through my body."  1


For me, I'm going to get out and enjoy the fresh powdery white stuff and God's creation, thanking Him in advance for watching over me as I drive back down the hill tomorrow.
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1-Yoga Journal 8/28/07

There's nothing like taking time off with girlfriends to get in a good laugh or two.  For me, laughing is my reset button.  Lately I've found myself laughing a lot in thrift stores: we've been seen blowing a ram's horn at Arc, practicing the Shake and Weight in Goodwill and most recently beckoning Mom into a Palm Springs thrift store to rescue me out of the two sizes too small dress!  Ha!
 
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.  Laughter triggers the release of endorphins.  These are the body's natural feel-good chemicals, which promote an overall sense of well-being and temporary pain relief.  You worried about catching the flu or has pain gotcha down?
 
There's a time for everything.  In Genesis Abraham and Sarah had a good chuckle when God told them they would be having a baby at 100.  In Ecclesiastes we learn there's a time to weep and a time to laugh.  
 
Maybe you don't have access to a gal pal nor a second hand store but you can try this exercise by yourself at anytime.  At F.R.O.G. Pose, we use our God given breath, physical postures and focus on God's word to lift our spirits.  You don't need to be in front of a mirror but it can help conjure up a good belly laugh.  Set your intention on Psalm 121: 1-2 -  I lift my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

1. Inhale deeply as you turn up the corners of your lips to form a smile on your face.
2. Open your hands and spread wide to the webbing of each finger with fingers pointing upward.  Prepare to clap your hands such that you touch all the acupressure points on the entire hands.
3. Clap your hands three times with the rhythm of long... short, short.  With each clap, exhale and exclaim "God is Very Good".  Repeat once.
4. Inhale
5. Lift arms and face towards heaven and say "YAY!" with a FULL exhale.
6. Repeat 3 times.
7. Place your left hand over your heart and your right hand over your belly.  Make a good hearty audible laugh.

 
Laughter is how we can see and hear happiness.  Come make your joy visible and audible as we take a deeper look at God's sense of humor as noted in the bible.  We will do some laughter therapy and stretching on our mats this week:  Monday 8am, Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 7pm.  2900 Valmont Unit F1, Boulder.

There's nothing like a federal holiday to get me excited about half priced furniture sales and wishing I worked for a bank or the government!  What's now called President's Day was once Washington's Birthday.  We now lump all the president's birthdays into one day, to celebrate them all, past and present.  I suppose it's worth celebrating because after all, these men of authority, who are leading the free world, deserve a birthday party too.
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If the sentiment is "not my president" or "I voted for the other guy", I don't feel like I want to celebrate at all!  What does the Bible say about our leaders and how God orders life?   The apostle Paul wrote in the book of Hebrews to "have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be no benefit."  

I can find joy knowing that God rises up leaders and princes and principalities for his good and that they are going to be accountable to God. Yes, it's good news that God's my true authority.  So, bake a cake or buy a couch today in honor of ALL of our presidents with the confidence that God's highest in rank.   

Join us in class this week as we look at God's supremacy as the authority of our lives.  Tomorrow at 8am, Wednesday at noon, and Thursday at 7pm.  Our new location is 2900 Valmont #F1 (around back, in Jade Martial Arts).





PS -  Mark your calendars for the Sole to Soul Women's Weekend "Rise up, Beautiful!". May 3-5,  Breckenridge CO.  I am thrilled to have the honor and privilege of teaching alongside the amazing Lorie Corrado and Denise Stemple.   We are planning a REALLY special schedule of events that you won't want to miss!  We are praying for you and that God's going to do amazing things in those few days.  

Since cancelling cable I've become rather fond of Netflix.  I'm watching a series called Tidying Up and have learned a fascinating approach to ridding my tiny condo of accumulated personal possessions: only hold onto items that "spark joy" in me. Going along with my 2019 word of the year, joyful, this resonates with me.

I started with my clothes. Half way through making the pile of unwanted and discarded items, it occurred to me that I am grateful I don't serve a God that rids himself of me if I'm no longer sparking joy in Him!  I am not only wanted by Him, with all of my rips, stains and moth holes, but He loves me deeply and promises to never leave me.  He finds beauty in me no matter how I look or perform.
What a relief!  My worth has nothing to do with my ability to spark joy in the eyes of God.  He made me perfect just by going to the cross at Calvary. 
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Join us this week as we learn about true beauty and the way God always sees us.  Tomorrow at 8am, Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 7pm.  Jade Martial Arts, Boulder. 

In His Light