Bridge Pose

Bridge

Step By Step

• Lie flat on back; bend knees and set feet parallel on mat as close to sitting bones as possible, hips width apart.

• Arms placed by the side palms facing down.

• Inhale and, pressing your inner feet and arms actively into the floor and lift hips.

• Lift buttocks until the thighs are about parallel to the floor. Knees should be directly over the heels.

• Lift chin slightly away from sternum and shoulders wrap around the spine as they press into the mat as the sides go long.

Benefits

• Stretches the chest, neck and spine.

• Calms the brain and helps alleviate stress and mild depression.

• Stimulates abdominal organs, lungs and thyroid.

• Rejuvenates tired legs.

• Improves digestion.

• Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause.

• Relieves menstrual discomfort when done supported.

• Reduces anxiety, fatigue, backache, headache and insomnia.

• Therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and sinusitis.

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

Boat Pose

Step By Step

• Sit on the mat with legs out straight.
• Press hands on the mat a little behind the hips, shoulders back and wrap around the spine, fingers pointing towards the feet and arms strengthen.
• Lift up through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly.
• Bend knees to a 45 degree angle lifting feet off of the floor; feet are active.
• Come onto sits bone.
• Stretch arms out along side the legs parallel each other and the floor, palms in and stretch through the fingers. You can also reach over your head to the heavens in praise.
• Extend legs out straight, pointing toes and if possible rise above eye level. Take the pose to your level. If you wish to straighten the legs go for it.
• You can also toe lock your big toes with your peace sign fingers and extend the legs to wide V or straight.

Benefits

• Strengthens the abdomen, hip flexors and spine.
• Stimulates the kidneys, thyroid, prostate glands and intestines.
• Helps relieve stress.
• Improves digestion.

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

Christian Yoga Teacher Training: Food, Glorious Food!

Proper nutrition is key for our trainees’ energy levels

Since we have gotten such a positive response from you on our peek into the world of our teacher trainees, we thought you might like to see what our students eat while they are here for the 15-day intensive Christian yoga retreat.

Light and Nutritious Food for a Health Transformation

Let’s face it, how many of us think about the fuel we put into the bodies God gave us? Most Americans grab processed, unhealthy “food” and wonder why they feel tired, sick, and unhappy.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
–3 John 1:2, New International Version

One of the things we believe at Yahweh Yoga is that eating a whole-food, unprocessed plant-based diet is important to good health. And since most of trainees enroll in our program to jump-start a personal change (as well as a professional one) we wanted our students to experience the best food possible so they could experience for themselves how good a clean diet can feel.

Chef-prepared Vegan and Raw Selections

Does the idea of a plant-based diet scare you a little? Don’t worry, many people feel that way at first, but we find that this reaction is typically a reaction to the unfamiliarity of vegan and raw food more than anything else.

So we decided that if our students are willing to go outside their comfort zone, we should give them food worthy of the effort they are making. We hired Chefs Julia and Starlyn from Whole Foods who have kept our students fueled for rigorous yoga and intensive learning sessions — all while introducing how beautiful and delicious healthy food can be.

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Are you wondering if Yahweh Yoga’s Christian Yoga teacher training is the right step to start your professional, personal, and spiritual transformation? Please see our Teacher Training FAQ for more information, or contact us to speak with us personally.

DeAnna Discusses Self-Discipline and Health

Suggestions to make the new decade your healthiest

We know that being fit and losing weight are typically high on most people’s goals for the New Year. The big question is not “Do you want to lose weight?” but rather, “How do you nurture self-discipline and willpower?”

As God is our witness, we all know that praying to Him for strength, wisdom and obedience on the subject of health is very important and foundational to achieving our goals.

The flipside of this, however, is that God gives each of us the gift of choice. At every moment we have the gift of saying yes or no to every last thing in our life: healthy eating vs. dishonest eating; a loving nature vs. a critical spirit; a fit, strong body vs. a weak, ill vessel.

The key is having the discipline to make the choice that God wants us to.

Based on my own walk with the Lord and my own struggle to regain my health, I have found that the following three activities help keep me healthy and Christ-centered:

Go to a quiet place to pray, rest and listen to God daily.

Scripture says in several places that Jesus routinely went to the mountain where he had a quiet place to rest, pray, and listen for the Father.

To really affect change in our lives and transform it by “the renewing of our minds,” (which then leads to the renewing of body and spirit), I find that several times a day, even if just for five minutes, I need to stop my mind, go within, breathe and remember my goals and pray for strength to overcome temptations.

This regular practice helps me become the observer of my thoughts and choose which ones are honest before I place my belief and actions behind them.

Engage in activities that force you to exercise discipline

Of course, my favorite way to do this is through a yoga class. When you come to a yoga class three times a week, it focuses you and keeps you aware of your health goals; this is crucial to your success. We must remain conscious of what we are doing.

Remember to begin very slowly so that you don’t get too sore. Starting out in “boot camps” and exercise that is too harsh to begin a new lifestyle is a formula for failure. You will get sore when you begin exercising, but if you don’t overdo you can take a nice hot bath and perhaps an ibuprofen and you will be fine to continue. Just don’t quit! Just remember, you’re sore if you do nothing, your sore if you’re an athlete. So which way do you choose to be sore?

With God’s support, make a point to exercise for an hour five to six times per week (I suggest combining yoga three times per week and walking at first; you will be taking steps toward purifying your mind, body and spirit. You will begin to see victory over the enemy who would seek to destroy you and the plans God has for you. Plus, you will feel and look awesome!

Read and reflect on what the Bible says about discipline and health

Proverbs 8:32 (The Message)
So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure. But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.

Proverbs 12:1 (The Message)
If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it— how shortsighted to refuse correction!

Proverbs 13:18(The Message)
Refuse discipline and end up homeless; embrace correction and live an honored life.

3 John 1:2 (King James Version)
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

The rest is up to you

The formula for being healthy and fit mind, body and spirit is pure and simple, eat well, exercise, spend time quietly alone to regroup with God (several times a day), and keep pressing on toward the prize our Savior has for you. Being healthy is VERY important to God. Once you get this, then it’s like anything else you choose to be obedient about and the rewards are truly outstanding.

Let’s all pray for each other to have the quiet time, discipline and heart for a serious upgrade and transformation of our lives this decade. Happy 2010!

Love,
DeAnna

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DeAnna Smothers, co-founder of Yahweh Yoga, has been practicing Christ-Centered Yoga for over 25 years. Do you seek answers about Christian Yoga or health? Please email DeAnna with your questions.

8 Steps to Unleashing your Inner Athlete After Age 60

I have realized this year that God places the deep desires of our heart in our hearts for a reason, so we will know his purpose for us. If we take the time to be still and listen to what’s in our hearts I believe God meets us there. Scripture says that Jesus went to a quiet place where He rested and prayed every single day. So I figure if the desire of my heart to be the athlete within me then that must be God’s will for me because that’s where he talks to me, in my heart.

My heart tells me there are many of you who want authentic health and fitness and to make the shift to the athlete within you. So from my heart to yours, here are eight steps to unleash your inner athlete after age 60 (though it will work anytime):

Healthy Step #1: Acknowledge the importance of health

Fully acknowledge to yourself that being authentically healthy is in fact a deep desire of your heart, begin to pursue your dream to become an athlete. Stay focused and mindful that this is your truth. Don’t get lazy - remember what Scripture says about sluggards.

Healthy Step #2: Don’t bite off more than you can chew

When starting the shift to a healthy lifestyle, start out very slowly. For example, take a Rest & Restore class twice per week to begin opening up your body, and begin walking 1/2 hour six days per week.

The point is to get your lifestyle to accommodate regular exercise and not getting so sore that it is a deterrent to continuing. After you do this for a month, you will know where to take it. Just know that you might be a little sore, and this is okay. The journey can be fairly gentle and still allow the athlete within you to appear.

Healthy Step #3: Pay attention to what you eat

All healthy, physically fit people watch what they eat. If you want to see what our food system is really like now and what you are actually putting in your mouth you may want to rent Food, Inc. and Food Matters on DVD. Then you will understand why we need to eat organic fresh foods.

Healthy Step #4: Kiss extra fat goodbye

An athlete is lean and excess fat needs to go. You can get rid of it by eating 80% raw organic fruits and vegetables, vegetable juices daily. The shift to quality food is important for weight loss and muscle strength. Almost all health thought leaders I read say that ALL of our food now needs to be organic, most of our diet (80%/day) should consist of fresh raw organic fruits and vegetables, no processed foods, no colas, no white food like sugar, pasta & bread, very minor coffee (no more than 2 cups per day), use agave and Yakon Syrup for sweetening and then very little.

Scripture says not to be gluttons or to eat too much sugar for a reason…it makes us tired, overweight and diseased. We all also know we should have small portions at our meals. Most everyone has heard the studies that say high calorie intake = fatter, shorter life span.

Healthy Step #5: Make healthy friends

If you don’t have friends who exercise regularly add a couple to your list. For example, a lot of people enjoy coming to our yoga studio with a friend or two to enjoy their workouts together. Don’t throw your old friends out if they choose not to be healthy, just make sure you have a couple friends who enjoy the same kinds of foods and exercises and hang with them too.

Healthy Step #6: Keep God front-and-center

Keep intimacy with God because spiritual health is the most important part of physical health. This is why I LOVE Christian yoga. You get so much done in one hour, relax, peace out, draw close to God, listen to great Christian and secular music, stretch and exercise every one of your muscles, sweat some and leave invigorated! What’s not to like? This is just me but I think everyone in the world should practice Christian yoga two to three times per week. It keeps you centered and clear and maintains awareness of your spiritual nature. It brings clarity, purpose and joy.

Healthy Step #7: Don’t guess on your health level

I encourage you to take a blood panel test to find out where all your vitamin, thyroid and hormone levels are. Sometimes we feel tired because we don’t have the right vitamins in our bodies…you can’t get it all with food. After you receive the results of your Blood Panel Test, supplement where needed with excellent clean supplements, I recommend www.lef.org for the cleanest most reasonably priced supplements.

Healthy Step #8: Smile!

Have fun and enjoy your new lifestyle!

Please let me know your progress!

I hope this has been of service to you. Drop me a post and let me know.

Here’s to becoming the athlete within us,
DeAnna

DeAnna Smothers: Becoming an athlete at 60

Athlete - A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports (www.thefreedictionary.com)

Last Tuesday evening while I was teaching a peaceful yet sweaty yoga class at our studio it hit me…at 65 years of age I have become an athlete! I asked myself “How did THIS happen?” I used to be a blobby, overweight, out-of-shape woman at 59!  I looked around and saw that I am kicking the butts of some people who are half my age and able to do every single thing I’m asking them to do.

Age is just a number

But before we go into how this happened, I would like to say that if I can become an athlete in my 60’s, anyone can regardless of their age or current fitness levels. I know you hear people who have accomplished desired goals say this about different things all the time… and now I know why…because they really mean it!:-) If I can become an athlete, anyone can.

Like most of us, becoming fit and healthy was a dream of mine. I wanted to acquire traits such as strength, agility, and endurance necessary for physical exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Think about it: Why would we want to be less than our best, period? Scripture says in 2 Cor. “Run the race in order to win. Win to get the prize”. What kind of a life plan is it to say “You know, I think I’ll just be 1/2 my best all my life”.

Where I fell short…and the wake-up call that made me pay attention

I’ve been thinking about and dreaming about being authentically healthy in mind, body and soul for years, wanting it, seeking it, falling short because I didn’t have the stick-to-iveness. I needed the proper motivation, but what was it? I needed to just do it instead of only thinking about it all the time.

I would love to say that my deep love for God and my perfection as a Christian is what did that job, but that would not be truthful. I would love to say that I did it to honor Him and be obedient to what Scripture instructs us to do, to take care of our temples mind, body and soul. But that would be an overstatement. I got here because a li’l bout with breast cancer got my attention loud and clear. (My cancer was gone after five months of natural cancer therapies…but that’s a story for another time.)

How you can make the shift in your life

My point here is that I had to be stopped dead in my tracks to have enough motivation to realize my dream of becoming a healthy fit athlete. Hopefully, you will be smarter than I and do it because you want to can and should.

It’s not rocket science, the formula is clear…eat right, exercise regularly (always include yoga in your exercise routine) and most importantly, take time to be still and peaceful long enough each day to commune with and hear God so you can be lead by Him in all you do. Very simple steps, really. But how do you actually make the shift to that lifestyle?

I wrote “8 Steps to Unleashing your Inner Athlete After Age 60” to help you with your motivation to make “the shift” once and for all to a healthy lifestyle. It is great fun and so rewarding! It outshines all the old stuff, trust me on this one.

Real Men Do Christian Yoga

A Top Gun Embraces Christian Yoga

Rich Baumann seldom shies away from a hard workout.

Retired as an Air Force fighter pilot, Rich is accustomed to physical fitness. He maintains a solid gym schedule, working out 3-4 times a week to target different muscle groups.

Yet something was missing from this 47-year old Top Gun’s physical conditioning: balance and flexibility. Rich discovered Christian Yoga 21 months ago through his girlfriend, Yahweh Yoga teacher Judi Morgan, and now considers it the bedrock of his workout regime.

“I have come to love yoga,” says Rich. “It is a great physical workout that I look forward to every week.”

Why Christian Yoga?

Rich has taken yoga classes at other studios and settings, but finds that practicing at Yahweh Yoga gives his workout a bonus.

“As a Christian man, I find a Christian setting to be the perfect complement to yoga,” Rich says. “God encourages us and expects us to take care of our physical bodies. I also love the fellowship of the other students as we practice Christ-based yoga together.”

Rich’s Favorite Classes

Of all the classes offered at Yahweh Yoga, Rich finds that Courtney’s Faithful Flow and Praise Power are the most challenging. “Those classes totally take it out of me!” Rich says. “DeAnna also does great core work in her Gentle Flow Journey class.”

Words for Other Men

For other men who may be interested in Christian Yoga, but are unsure if it is right for them, Rich offers this perspective: “You can begin at whatever level makes you comfortable, and progress from there-you can always find a class that challenges your abilities so that you will continue to grow.”

What about concerns that Christian Yoga classes are mostly for women? Rich dismisses those notions. “Real men do yoga,” he says. “I have so much fun, I keep wanting to come back every week.”