After the Eclipse . . .

Now that we've "eclipsed," make plans to "power up" with yoga on Saturday! We'll explore when someone or something is metaphorically the moon getting in front of your sun . . . 9:45-10:45, August 26, $15 or $30 if you'd also like to Zumba and Line Dance! Proceeds benefit Palmetto Health Baptist Breast Center through the 27th Walk for Life Mammo Team. 

Here's more details:

This yoga fun is inspired by a good book! Nobody can "eat" or "steal" your joy when you stand tall and b-r-e-a-t-h-e!!!

A Sequence to Save!

I love attending Kelly Branning's class at Pink Lotus Yoga Center on Monday mornings!  She offered these poses this past Monday, and I wanted to remember them to share with others:

begin in Down Dog

inhale and extend the "tail of the dog" and

exhale and pull the knee to chest (cheetah) ~ repeat a couple times then

plant the foot for a warrior one 

"eagle" your arms and

maintaining eagle arms, "humble" the warrior ~ move from humble to warrior and back again!

wrap the sequence by flying in balancing half moon!!!  Repeat the fun on the opposite side.

I enjoyed it and wanted to remember.  Thank you, Kelly!

Inch by Inch

"Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna make this garden grow!
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground."
~John Denver

Children Sermon on the "Parable of the Weeds" -- Matthew 13:40-41

In the the "Parable of the Sower" last Sunday, we talked about being fertile soil~allowing God's love to grow in our hearts.  As "fertile soil," we share kindness and help others, creating the opportunity for flowers to BLOOM.  This week we think about all the weeds that grow in and amongst us.  Do we take a hoe or rake to the weeds?  No, we may dig up the plants we want to keep . . . Do we apply "weed killer?"  No, we may kill more than we intend . . .

Everybody say it with me:  "My business is ENOUGH business to keep me BUSY!"  God doesn't want us focusing on what other people are doing wrong.  He wants us to take a good look inside and check in on the business of which we have control . . . Are we making choices to be the love God wants to see shared in the world?  Maybe the song should be sung like this:

Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna help God's garden grow!
I don't need a rake or a hoe, just a piece of fertile ground. [that's me]
Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna help God's garden grow!
Be-cause He loves us so
We'll share His love all around.

Let's pray about it:  Dear God, Thank for the chance to work in your garden.  Please help us to focus on our business and not the weeds.  Help us to share your love and the be the children you've designed us to be in the world!  In your name we pray and ALL God's children say:  AMEN!!

Yoga with Summer Campers

I appreciated the opportunity to yoga with Camp T.A.L.K. today!  Looking forward to further adventures together.  Thank you, again, for including me in your programming!

We began our fun with breathing and balancing!

Then we hopped on an airplane and traveled to various destinations.

We rode our bicycles on the beach and "pedaled laughed!"  If the above video does not play, click on this link:  https://youtu.be/Ho4yZpWzlow

One place we explored had many trees!

Our last travel was by "magic carpet" . . . 

One camper said he was "relaxed and calm" at the end of our practice.  YAY for YOGA!!!

J is for James

It tickles your brain and heart to explore the Book of James after having fun with the Book of Galatians!  We enjoyed ideas from Beth Moore's James: Mercy Triumphs, The Bare Bones Bible and the Life Application Bible commentary to investigate.  We concluded that balance is best!  Our deeds and works are a response to the free gift of salvation, the gift of abundant life now.

Here's the link for giving attention to the health of your hands, wrists, and forearms: https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-therapy-hands-wrists-and-forearms

We warmed up with seated sun salutations:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbhTmAygygs

The lyrics of the "Lord of the Dance" are:  http://celtic-lyrics.com/lyrics/309.html  You can complete five seated sun salutations while you sing!

Next week we'll explore K is for Katie!  Here's a little about this AMAZING missionary and her work in the world:  https://amazima.org/about-us/katies-story

Come breathe and balance, s-t-r-e-t-c-h and strengthen your brains, body and heart with zipaDeeBee!!  It's good to the bone . . .

G is for Galatians

The Bare Bones Bible Handbook:  10 Minutes to Understanding Each Book of the Bible by Jim George explains the book of Galatians as St. Paul writing in AD 49 "to defend justification by faith alone.  The gifts of salvation and God's love are given to you purely by God's grace."

In our yoga fun this week, we added movement to the Fruits of the Spirit:  Galatians 5:22-23 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymNuBZXCK20

We strengthened our knees with these postures:

wall sit:  builds strength in the muscles of the legs and feet, teaches healthy alignment, stabilizes the knee and ankle joints

triangle:  stretches the hamstrings, calves, and inner thighs, engages and strengthens the quadriceps, improves mobility of the hip sockets

warrior 2:  strengthens the muscles of the feet and knees, stabilizes the knee and ankle joints, opens the inner thighs and hips

warrior 1:  strengthens the muscles of the feet and knees, stabilizes the knee and ankle joints, stretches the hip flexors and calf muscles

tree:  strengthens the muscles of the feet, ankles, knees, and legs, stretches the inner thigh muscles, teaches the thigh to rotate in the hip socket

thread the needle:  stretches the gluteus maximus and outer hip muscles, increases mobility of the hip sockets, rotates the thighs externally, reduces strain on the knees

We also moved and breathed The Lord's Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvq-s6mGTuo and the 23rd Psalm:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHpd5TEpFnc

And like the story of Noah's Ark, it's only THE BEGINNING . . . join us next week for "H is for HAPPY!"

zipaDEE--TIME for Yoga, January 18 & 19

Thank you for taking the TIME to yoga at Pisgah and Cedar Grove!  I appreciate your willingness to try new ideas and venture into a variety of topics!  This week we tackled the book of Ecclesiastes.  I thought it was neat how this connected to our It’s Good to be Queen series this summer.  I appreciate how Solomon figures it out:  “life without God is a long and fruitless search for enjoyment, meaning, and fulfillment.” (Bare Bones Bible Handbook, p. 99)  Some folks, like the prophet Jonah, never “get” God’s message, but Solomon did.  The book of Ecclesiastes is his effort to “spare readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience" and acknowledge "that contentment and joy are only found in God.” (Bare Bones Bible Handbook, p. 99-100)

On p. 102 of the Bare Bones Bible Handbook, Jim George elaborates “All is Vanity” --

V -- vanity of godless living

A -- accumulating wealth

N -- not heeding God’s authority

I -- ignoring God’s timing

T -- trusting the wisdom of man

Y -- yearning for pleasure

Cedar Grove yogis, I had the book with me the whole time. . . [sigh]  . . . Pisgah yogis, I forgot to show you the “V” [giggle] from Global Family Yoga’s ABCs:

When we practice yoga we (1) breathe, (2) warm-up, (3) work standing, (4) balance, (5) work on the floor, and (5) REST!  Wednesday’s class had more “up” and “down” and for Thursday I reworked the order of the verses we explored in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 to align more with our traditional flow of practice:  

https://sites.google.com/site/zipadeebee/resources/yogapractice/ecclesiates3

The head and neck posture I couldn’t remember, Cedar Grove Yogis, was owl twist:  

(picture from Jason Crandell's New Twists on Twist, September 7, 2012)

We usually have the arm reaching down behind the back, like a “second spine.”

The book we read during “legs up the wall” time:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11045882-just-a-second

I found a audio on youtube of the poem by French Catholic priest, Michel Quoist, “Lord, I Have Time”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ygxHzDv6Ko

Namaste, Yogi Friends!

See you again on February 1 & 2!!! I think it's appropriate we'll be exploring "FLAWED vs. FLAWLESS" next since I made so many mistakes this week???!!! :-)