Christian Yoginis Lift Their Hearts to the Lord in Camel Pose

Get your strength on with Camel Pose!

Camel Pose has these benefits:

• Stretches the entire front of the body & deep into hip flexor, ankles, thighs, groin, abdomen, chest and throat.
• Strengthens the back muscles and legs.
• Improves posture.
• Stimulates the organs of the abdomen, digestion and circulation.
• Increases spine flexibility.
• Great for your thyroid.

Camel Pose Step-by-Step:

Step one: Kneel on the floor with knees hips with apart and thighs perpendicular to the floor. Shins press firmly into the mat toes tucked or feet flat with toes active and pinky toes pressed into the mat.
Step two: Inner spiral thighs, firm buttocks but don’t harden.
Step three: Hands rest on the back of the pelvis.
Step four: Base of the palms on the tops of the buttocks, fingers pointing down. Use hands to lengthen down through the tail bone. Then lightly from the tailbone towards the pubis. Heart lifts and opens.
Step five: One arm at a time, extend up through the body and then draw hand to low back or to the heel.
Step six: Heart lifts and head drops back.
Step seven: Maintain a relatively neutral position, neither flexed nor extended or allow the head to drop back.

Note One should be able to swallow comfortably.
***
This is an excerpt from our guide to self-care, Christian Yoga: Restoration for Body and Soul.

Warrior Three: Fly, Baby, Fly

Get strong and energized with the Warrior Three pose

Benefits of Warrior Three:

• Strengthens the feet, ankles, legs, shoulders and back muscles.
• Tones the abdomen.
• Increases muscular endurance, circulation, stamina and lung capacity.
• Increases stamina and lung capacity.
• Stretches the hips and groin.
• Improves balance and posture.

Warrior Three Step-by-Step:

Step one: From Standing Forward Bend balance on one leg and draw other leg straight back and torso parallel to the floor. Toes are faced down.
Step two: Front foot is firmly planted on the mat; leg is straight and spirals out. Toes griping the mat.
Step three: Back foot is flexed and leg has inner spiral. Hips are parallel to the mat.
Step four: Core is tight.
Step five: Extend arms out straight in front, palms facing each other and fingers alive. Create a line from the tips of the fingers through the flexed foot that is parallel to the mat.

Note – Arms can also be interlaced reaching behind you, at waist, or in airplane with palms facing down

***
This is an excerpt from our guide to self-care, Christian Yoga: Restoration for Body and Soul.

Christian Yoga for the New Year: Try the Bow Pose

The Bow Pose stretches the entire front of the body

The benefits of the Bow Pose are:

• Stretches the ankles, things, groin, abdomen, chest, throat and deep hip flexors.
• Strengthens the back muscles.
• Improves posture.
• Stimulates the organs, abdomen and neck.

Step one: Lie on belly, chin to mat and arms down by the side with palms facing up.

Step two: Bend at the knees bringing heels as close to the buttocks as possible, wrap shoulders around the spine and reach back with hands taking hold of the ankles or upper feet.

Step three: Draw knees towards each other and maintain hips width apart for duration of pose.

Step four: Spread the toes and press feet into the hands.

Step five: Inhale and strongly lift the heels away from the buttocks and, at the same time, lift the thighs away from the mat. Upper torso and head lift.

Step six: Knees are magnetized together, upper thighs and heels continue to lift, shoulder blades press against the back and heart opens. Shoulders drop away from the ears and gaze forward.

Step seven: Breathe into the back of the torso.

***
This is an excerpt from our guide to self-care, Christian Yoga: Restoration for Body and Soul.

NEW! 15-Day Hands-on Christian Yoga RYT Program

Yahweh Yoga is pleased to announce our new 250-hour Christian Yoga RYT teacher training program (Yoga Alliance accredited).

This 250-hour gold-standard program offers yoga teacher training from a Christ-centered perspective with rigor and quality better than that found in most secular programs.

We developed this program in response to requests from our students

Our students prefer the prestigious Registered Yoga Teacher [RYT] designation - even if they do not plan to teach in secular studios - because the RYT is the defining credential worldwide that identifies a yoga teacher as a well-trained professional. So we designed a gold standard program that combines 70 hours of online learning with an intensive 180-contact hour, 15-day in-person classroom experience taught by E-RYTs.

How it works

There are two parts to the Yahweh Yoga RYT program, the online 70-hour portion and the 15-day, 180-contact hour learning experience.

Online portion

Our online class runs 70 days (an hour a day of study), to allow working students the ability to complete the material while still attending to the needs of their families and their jobs. After completion of the online portion, you then come to Arizona for the 180-contact hour, Yoga Alliance accredited classroom experience.

We believe that having online instruction prior to meeting face-to-face offers you the most in-depth education possible. You have time to get to know your classmates, learn terms, and understand concepts that will be needed in your live classroom learning.

180-contact hour portion

In order to meet Yoga Alliance educational standards, you will receive 180-contact hours of instruction over a 15-day period. This means 12-hour days (7 am to 7 pm)–but don’t worry. We have carefully structured your hands-on classroom experience to be both challenging and do-able. For example, we follow active yoga instruction with non-physical academics such as healthy living, anatomy, and Christian philosophy.

Every class day features a fully catered healthy lunch and dinner from Whole Foods. We have fun lunch-and-learn sessions that cover everything from raw food preparation to lectures on the yoga industry. You will be nourished physically, mentally, and spiritually throughout the course.

Highest Educational Quality

Yahweh Yoga is the most highly accredited Christian Yoga teacher training school in the world. Our online classes were designed by a team of Educational Technology PhD candidates from Arizona State University and our live portion is led by E-RYT Christian Yoga experts.

Program Features

When you become a Yahweh Yoga teacher training student, you enjoy fellowship with other health-minded Christians. You receive regular interaction with your teachers and other students and enjoy in-depth learning about Christian Yoga Philosophy, postures, anatomy, physiology, marketing, eating and healthy living, teacher training, and more!

We provide all your learning materials including textbooks, instructional DVDs, and other materials. You will need to have a computer with a reliable internet connection, a yoga mat, and a desire to deepen your faith and yoga knowledge.

Program Cost

Our 250-hour Christian Yoga RYT program costs $3,200. Tuition includes lunch and dinner for each day of the course and all texts and learning materials. Financing terms are available.

We admit students on a first-come, first-served basis. To find a class, please see our 2009-2010 schedule. If you have additional questions on the Yahweh Yoga program, please see our FAQ.

RosaLee Rundvall: Wanting to help Christians get healthy

One month ago, RosaLee Rundvall graduated from the Yahweh Yoga Online Teacher Training Program. We caught up with RosaLee and asked her to share her thoughts on Christian Yoga, health, and her plans for the future.

Why did you decide to get your CCYT designation?

I had started with another yoga program but I was very uncomfortable with some of the contents of the course so I withdrew from it. Soon after that Yahweh Yoga offered their on line training and I jumped at the opportunity. It was wonderful to be able to learn yoga with other like minded Christian women. I want to be able to help other Christians become healthier people and having the CCYT opens up more opportunities to bring yoga to Christians who may have never tried yoga before.

As a new Christian Yoga teacher, what are your plans starting out?

I don’t have it all sorted out yet but I hope to teach in churches or community centers and maybe someday open my own studio.

What was your favorite part of the Yahweh Yoga teacher training experience?

My favorite part of the training was being with a tribe of women who share the same values and beliefs and to grow with them in our training. They are all such wonderful women and I treasure the friendships and love that I experienced from all of them.

What benefits do you receive by practicing Christian Yoga?

Christian Yoga gives me health, strength, balance, peace and a time in my day to spend time with God and worship him. It always makes my day better when I practice Christian Yoga.

What has practicing Christian Yoga meant to your relationship with God?

Christian Yoga has helped me to draw closer to God in my daily life. It gives me time to just focus on God and praise and thank Him for giving me a healthy body and the ability to do yoga.

Has Christian Yoga helped your health? If so, how?

Christian Yoga has helped me become stronger, healthier, and brings balance to my life. It helps not only physically but spiritually, mentally and emotionally as well.
How has Christian Yoga helped your personality “off the mat?”
I think it has given me more peace and calmness for my everyday living. I feel more at ease with trusting that God will take me where he wants me to go.

How has Christian Yoga helped you help others?

I am able to help others become healthier people and to give them support and encouragement as they move forward with their yoga practice. I enjoyed my training very much and I get excited to share what I learned with others.

And finally, what would you say to someone who is thinking about pursuing their Christian Yoga teacher training education?

I would let them know that Yahweh Yoga was a great experience for me and that the knowledge, support and encouragement from the instructors was so amazing. I would tell them that it’s hard work but so worth going through it. It’s a wonderful way to stay healthy and get closer to God. I am so thankful that God directed my path to Yahweh Yoga.