Diary of a Holy Yogi

Okay, I’m not exactly holy, but I was recently reminded that the Holy Spirit lives within me – has taken up residence in my body – and that my job in my “wonderful, spirit-filled life” (Charles Stanley) is to connect with that Spirit at all times and give off the light it emanates.

Thus starts the journey into my Holy Yoga immersion, one which has been waiting for me for over five years. Here’s the scoop of my journey and why I’m doing this.

I am a born again Christian for almost 10 years now and just after my conversion, I began practicing yoga at local yoga studios. My favorite yoga style has been Anusara yoga, which has transformed my life in many ways and has given me a place to expand my heart and body. It’s a really fun, uplifting practice and I am always amazed at what I am capable of doing when my body is warmed up and encouraged to move. If you happen to live in the Phoenix area, the best place (in my humble opinion) to practice Anusara Yoga is at Yoga Village.

In 2003, I became certified to teach yoga and have been teaching at a variety of places since. It was suggested to me shortly after my teaching began that I consider teaching "Christian" yoga. I read some books about it, but at the time I just didn't feel ready to teach Christian Yoga. So for several years, I pondered, considered, mulled-over and prayed about teaching Christian yoga. I was having trouble finding a class to try (that would fit into my schedule) and finally a door opened up for me to attend a Holy Yoga class. I loved how scripture opened, was weaved through and ended the class and from my first class I was hooked. That was it; I decided it was time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.)

Here's why I love my I-Pod: I was able to look that up in about 1 minute from my (free) Holy Bible application!

Now I am really fascinated by philosophy and yoga philosophy is very interesting to me; however, my desire is to be a light for Jesus, so my spiritual focus has been primarily a Christian one - even though I have read and enjoy a lot of non- Christian literature. Here's the short of it: I made the decision to combine my love for the Lord Jesus with my love for yoga and so I made my decision to get certified to teach Holy Yoga. I began praying, preparing and making space in my life about three months ago.

Because I have been teaching for seven years, I am taking the 20 hour course, which will prepare me to lead a Holy Yoga class. But did I stop there? No...I also committed to a 13 month Masters Program with Holy Yoga - as if my plate wasn't already full. And believe me, it was. But when the Spirit leads, you follow, so I know that Grace and Wisdom will get me through. Anyone care to pray for me? Thanks!

To begin with, I ordered the required reading so far: "Holy Yoga" by Brooke Boon; "Hatha Yoga Illustrated", by Brooke Boon and Martin Kirk; "Prayer of Heart and Body" by Thomas Ryan; "The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life" by Charles Stanley, "Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality" edited by Thomas Ryan, and one of my favorites, "Eat This Book" by Eugene H. Peterson. Believe it or not, today is the second day of my training! I'm going to need a Jodi Picoult book soon. I can't believe how prolific she is. One of my favorites: "Plain Truth". If you are interested in any of these books, you can find them HERE.

My Diary/Journal begins with the beginning and we began with a study of the Holy Spirit. This is a month-long study, so by the end of this segment, I should have a good understanding of what the Bible is saying about the Holy Spirit. I don't want to regurgitate everything I am learning, but share my thoughts and feelings about what I'm learning. This may result in some discussion with those who are on the same journey or path and I think that's a good thing. Also, I am required to journal for the duration of my Holy Yoga studies, so there you go!

One of the questions that came up is: "Is the Holy Spirit a He or a She?" The Bible clearly calls the Holy Spirit He, just like it states God is a He and a Father and Jesus was a Man, so it's very masculine in language, but it is also feminine as Wisdom is described as She in the Bible. There are many references to the feminine in the Bible, so I can see where this question arises. Personally, I am not concerned about whether or not God is masculine or feminine because I am quite certain God does not have a gender. We write "he" all the time in the English language when we really mean he or she and I just don't have a problem with that. We do know that God is mysterious, so I am content to understand that about God and not worry about this issue; although it is an issue with some people.

I have wondered that if holy means sacred, saintly, godly, spiritually pure and the Holy Spirit lives in me, then why is it I still curse from time to time? I have decided that it's a habit I formed a long time ago and that sometimes it just slips out! I am quite aware when I have cursed and what the Holy Spirit does is remind me that it's wrong to use such language and that it's crude and not very holy, so I continue to repent and try to do better next time. I am sure anyone on a spiritual path goes through the same stuff, right Anyone?

Now here's one that bothers me...when people put the word "holy" in front of a word like "crap". Really? I mean it just doesn't make any sense, but then a lot of the world doesn't make sense. Yoga for me is about checking in with reality and seeing how it can be aligned with holiness.

For now, I am delighted to be going deeper in my faith and being able to have a great workout at the same time. Some people might wonder if Holy Yoga is all spiritual. It is, but my teacher Alisa kicks my behind every time, so it's not for someone who doesn't enjoy moving.

By the way, if you don't know anything about me, my name is Lisa Kneller. I am happily married for over 23 years, have two fantastic kids, teach yoga, am a production assistant for two-time Emmy Award winning TV Personality and Celebrity craft expert Terri O. I also minister to teens through Teen Community Bible Study.

New Year, New Life

Along with everyone else, I am trying to incorporate new changes into my life for a healthier spirit, mind and body. At first I was going to give up alcohol, bread, all refined sugar and anything with fat in it. As I began to deny myself the first week of my newfound life, I started to feel miserable. I was craving many of those things I was used to eating. Thank God I talked to the fitness director at one of my yoga teaching venues. She told me to give up one thing at a time or I would most definitely feel miserable. So...instead of incorporating too many changes at once, I decided to cut out alcohol and refined sugar the month of January. I allow myself some dark chocolate covered almonds when I have the urge to eat something decadent. I don't really have a hard time giving up sweets because my craving is more in the bread and cheese line, but it does help to really put a halt on most sugar because as we know, it is void of any nutrition and stores as fat.

The point of giving something up is that you begin to lose your craving for it, so you will start to eat/drink less of that thing. After a month or so, it just doesn't taste as good as you thought it did. At the same time, it helps to increase your physical activity and drink more water so your body can shed some of the pounds you are planning to lose.

I love stories about people who have lost weight. They are inspiring to me. It's all about your will and discipline, but it is very beneficial to have someone supporting you emotionally while you're attempting to make changes. Here's a story about one lad who lost over 127 pounds just by cutting back, moving more and making the necessary changes for dropping weight. He doesn't even look like the same person now. I think once you see results from your lifestyle change, you are motivated to keep it up because you just feel better and life gets more fun.

If you are trying to lose weight, I want to encourage you to incorporate small, reasonable changes that you can stick with. For me, I can give up the alcohol as long as I can have a sandwich when I'm hungry. Your body needs to feel satisfied before you can forget about food and wine for a while. And remember, you are not alone! There are many of us out there who want to improve our health and we all do it best one baby step at a time.

Blessings to you for great health and good luck with all your 2010 goals!

The Beauty of Beets

I had my first beet at the age of 48 when my husband and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary. These beets weren't ordinary. They were roasted, tossed with a little olive oil and salt and sprinkled with crumbles of blue cheese. I couldn't get over the simple, sweet and interesting taste of these beets not to mention the color they brought to my plate. How satisfying!

Beets have many health benefits which is why my husband has taken to drinking beet juice on a regular basis. To learn more about the benefits of beets, click here.

Here's how I prepare my beets at home:

I do peel my beets first - oops! The previous website says not to, but I do it because it's easier. So...I wash and peel my beets. I have a wonderful vegetable peeler from Cutco Cutlery that I bought from a friend. Then I place them in a shallow pyrex dish, add about a cup of water and then roast at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. I remove them, drain them, let them cool, slice them and then toss in some olive oil and salt and - you guessed it - sprinkle them with blue cheese crumbles. Sometimes I eat my beets just like this and sometimes I add them to a bountiful salad. Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator and I do try to finish off every bit.

So...if you haven't tried beets lately, give it a go!

Diet is Cure for Cancer

Interesting article on how a plant based diet can prevent, reverse or even cure cancer:


Read Here

Become Savvy! Naturally!

This is a website after my own heart and mind! If you want great information about health, vitality and living organically, this is the place to visit. Check out all the great information available for FREE on this website!

http://www.naturallysavvy.com

Holy Yoga!

Wow! I have been to a lot of yoga classes, but this one is amazing! If you are interested in fitness but don't want to go to a regular yoga studio, this could be for you. Holy Yoga is a hatha yoga class with a Christian message. That's it! A simple message from the Holy Bible that is woven through a class that will make you feel refreshed and renewed. This is a gift from God.

Holy Yoga offers classes around the country at a variety of churches and to find one near you, click on www.holyyoga.net and see if there's one in your area. If there isn't one near you, keep reading.

There is a need for Holy Yoga teachers. Many people are searching for stress relief, a new routine and spiritual guidance. Biblical scripture offers what we need to connect to God, Christ and ourselves. Since the body is the temple, Holy Yoga seeks to help you care for your temple while dwelling in the presence of God. This is truly a body/mind/spirit practice. Some people aren't comfortable learning about the Eastern philosophical roots and practices of yoga. At Holy Yoga, you can be certain that your mind and heart will be focused on the Lord. With an increasing awareness of the body, we can prevent disease, reduce stress and allow the Holy Spirit to shine from our being. If you are fitness minded or have been practicing yoga, you might want to consider teaching as a way to share the word of God and be more fulfilled.

My experience of Holy Yoga so far has been with an amazing yoga and fitness instructor, Alisa Keeton. Alisa's love for Jesus is evident in her teaching and serving.

Go ahead! Check out Holy Yoga and give it a try.

5 Reasons to Try Yoga

If you are one of those people who hasn't tried yoga but has thought about trying it for a while, go ahead! Give it a try. Ask yourself, "What is holding me back?". I will tackle the reasons people hold back in another entry, but here I want to encourage you to give it a go and get into a class as soon as possible!

1) Yoga reduces stress. How often do you stop, deepen the breath and take note of how your body feels - particularly the tension that builds up in your neck and shoulders? Ever notice your blood boiling after a rough day at work? Practicing yoga temporarily moves your thoughts of the day into your body and the moment at hand, greatly reducing anxiety and stress from the day. You may experience stress on a daily basis, but with a regular yoga practice, you can find the balance that allows you to enjoy your week instead of only looking forward to the weekend.

2) Yoga teaches you self-control. A friend of mine recently had a water leak under her house and had to endure what I would call "House Surgery" to repair the leak. As you can imagine, her house was torn apart and all kinds of issues have to be resolved now - including placing new tile and repairing walls, etc. She reminded me that her practice of yoga - especially the breathing - helped her tremendously. Through the practice of calming down with the breath and placing events in proper perspective, we are able to swim through the current of life a bit more easily.

3) Yoga is really fun! When was the last time you did a headstand? How about a handstand? Balancing poses are challenging and rewarding because they remind you that at the core of your being exists a powerful source of energy - playful energy! When you are doing a handstand, you are thinking of nothing else except concentrating on keeping your arms strong and your body upside down. What makes this practice so thoroughly enjoyable is that a person can do these things at any age. I did my first handstand after 25 years at the age of 43! Now at 51, I am able to hold it for a full minute!

4) Yoga makes you stronger AND more flexible. Many people think that yoga is mainly stretching and provides only flexibility. I'm here to tell you that you have to use muscular energy in yoga and that tones the arms, legs and core of your body. In yoga, we contract muscles while stretching them so instead of having bulky muscles, they are toned, but long. Elongating the muscles while hugging them in provides the balance of strength and flexibility which offers the most effective blood flow and balance of body weight.

5) Yoga makes you think. Because yoga includes a study of the self, you are asked to inquire about how you think. You are encouraged to get clear on reality by becoming aware of your own thoughts. One truth posed by the great sage Patanjali is that we are often in error in our thinking. We make assumptions and neglect to clarify information so that we have a complete picture of reality. Hatha yoga gives us a good start by getting us to notice what we think about during class. We are taught that we can change our limiting thoughts about ourselves and become more of the person we are capable of becoming.

The practice of yoga clearly has health benefits that relate to mind, body and spirit. If you are looking for a change in workout and want to delve deeper into a relationship with yourself, I highly recommend you give it a try.

You may or may not notice that I am following one of my favorite yoginis - Brenda Bryan. Check out her blog at http://poserepose.blogspot.com/