detox

There is a saying in yoga: where breath goes, prana... (life force or energy) flows

We are the PINNACLE of God’s creation... His Divine. “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). He choose US. After he formed us from DUST on the ground, he breathed His very breath into us! His very SPIRIT.... We were the only living creatures He did this for. Gave US His very Breath. Job 33:4 says “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Breath... the very basic necessity for life! We breath in. We breath out. It just happens. We take it for granted almost every second of every day, but when we lose it, we sure take notice!

Slow, long exhales get rid of carbon dioxide waste making space for plenty of clean, fresh oxygen for our brains and muscles. More blood cells get the new, oxygen-rich air instead of the same old stale stuff. 75 % of toxins are eliminated through the lungs, through the breath! THINK ABOUT THAT.... the other 25% comes from sweat, urine, and....!!! There are books and products and doctors and fads all for the purpose of “detoxification”...

Really all we need to do to detox is simply breath in His goodness and mercy. Exhale our junk. The rest will just come naturally! Where the breath (given by the almighty!) goes, prana (zest for life!) flows.

Spiritual Calories

So I have started this new fitness challenge at my gym.  Part of the challenge involves tracking calories and workouts.  EVERY step and EVERY bite is supposed to get logged into a website... not really my thing.  I know how to eat.  I know what is sound nutrition and what is junk.  I know that if I move my body more, and eat less I will be healthier all around.
If I go through McDonald's drive thru for that yummy breakfast, eat it fast, then hide the evidence so no one will see my gluttony, I am a fool. It is really not going to be hidden when it shows up on my bum!
Not really brain science, right?   When I am eating wholesome, it shows.  My skin looks better.  I have energy and self confidence.  When I am eating junk,  I lack energy and feel depressed.   We spend so much time (and money) TRYING to get the magic formula for quick weight loss, but really it's simple... Eat Wholesome.  Move more. (and always give yourself a little grace!)

Well, the same is true with our spiritual lives... if we fill our time with empty spiritual calories and give no attention to spiritual fitness, it will show.  We must feed our souls with His Word.  Devour the Bible.  Take out the junk.  Replace it with goodness.  Wholesome nourishment.  In Rev. 10 an apocalyptic angel told St. John to take a book and eat it... Seriously... he tells him to eat a book.... "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth."  This is a metaphor for the Word of God....  "Get this book into your gut; get the words of this book moving through your blood stream; chew on these words and swallow them so they can be (Eugene Paterson, Eat This Book)"  ... METABOLIZED!  The angel tells John to get the words off the printed page and get them out there... sharing them!!!  Shout them,  sing them,  pray them, and most importantly.... LIVE THEM!   Like with a fitness goal, an intention isn't enough... there has to be an ACTION behind the INTENTION... aka: commitment.    James 2:17 tells us that faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is DEAD!
  If we truly are feeding our souls with His Holy Word.. if we are DEVOURING His word... it will show in our life.... in goodness, faithfulness, love, joy, peace, faithfulness, self control, patience, kindness.

WAKE up!!!

Ephesians 5:11-16

The Message (MSG)

^11-16" Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!"

How can we do this?  What will it take for us to expose our shams and WAKE UP???  Psalm 37:5 tells us that if we commit EVERYTHING to the Lord, and trust him, he will make us radiate like the dawn, the justice of our cause shine like the noonday sun!!!

Simply whisper his name.  Jesus.

Today I am choosing JOY

Feeling a case of the "grumpies" today.  Just feel irritated and frustrated. No particular reason except maybe I could blame hormones, 4 boys and a dog.   But from this moment on today, I am CHOOSING joy.

I am CHOOSING to (1 Peter 3:8-12, The Message Bible)

"Be agreeable.

Be sympathetic.

Be loving.

Be compassionate.

Be humble.

No exceptions.  No retaliation.  No sharp-tongued sarcasm.  Instead, bless-that's "my" job, to bless.  I'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.  Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, heres what you do:  say nothing evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all your worth.  God looks on with His approval.  Listening, and responding well to what He asks"

Today I am choosing joy.
   

Carry the Zen with you....

Laying in bed last night I was thinking about why Holy Yoga has had such an impact on my life and I realized...it's not the Yoga.
Traditional yoga IS so calming.  It does shift your vision and creates peace within.  Clearly, it empowers people to live better lives, respect the environment and honor their bodies.  Our lives are so busy.  The mind becomes like a cyclone of busy thoughts spinning around...  our kids, to-do lists, career, money, heartbreak, grocery lists, undone chores,  fear about our own health & the health of those we love...the list goes on and on!  And when we sit in lotus, hands at heart center, at the end of a great yoga practice, we are calm.  Ready to go in peace.  The cyclone of our brain is now quiet and the thoughts are still.  The problem is that all the gunk is still there, it has just fallen to the bottom of our hearts, laying there in waiting for the next slight breeze of life to blow.
 

HOLY yoga isn't really about the yoga.  It's not about warrior ones and down dogs.  It is about connecting to Christ.  Emptying our hearts and minds of all the gunk that is us, and filling it with the peace that is HIM!  So the peace we feel is genuine. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"  Phil 4:7  A peace that surpasses understanding.  Peace amidst the storm. 

Walk peacefully...

Spending a week at the beach had me meditating on the vast presence of the Holy Creator.  As the sea shells washed up in their special uniqueness, I was reminded of the creativity of our Lord.  Like the seashells, we are all different and beautiful...!  Our bodies are only temporary!  No amount of striving, (even an Olympic athlete's training) can keep gravity the inevitable effects of aging at bay.  Instead of being anxious about our imperfections and weaknesses,  let's focus on the LASTING abundant life and peace found only in Him.  Living in Him, we grow stronger and more abundantly alive INWARDLY!!
As we radiate His Light, a youthful glow will surround us always!

Psalm 139:14

The Message (MSG)

^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

Holy Yoga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFozp50dlcg