I went to a yoga class tonight. Now, I've done yoga before when I went to Bally's gym. Our apartment gym offers yoga classes Tuesday and Thursday nights for free (what a deal!). When I saw my doctor this past week she gave me a prescription to relax an hour a day. To take some time out and focus on me and make myself a priority (she was telling me how as women we tend to be pretty hard on ourselves and put almost everything else above ourselves to the point of harm). So tonight I did that. I studied for about two hours and then went down to yoga class.
This was a different kind of yoga class. I don't know what kind I did at Bally's (I just call it "normal"). It's called Kundalini I think? In this one there is a much bigger focus on meditation, breathing, and spirituality (secular spirituality.) Here are two of the new techniques I learned:
"Breath of Fire": pretty much you hyperventilate. Seriously. You blow puffs of air really fast and rely on your body to naturally inhale again before you're spewing the air back out. While doing big fast arm circles or rocking like a rocking chair on your stomach.
"Third Eye": Now, I've looked in the mirror and I know I only have two. It's just what you're supposed to focus on while you do the breathing and physical exercise. Almost like a focusing point when you're balancing.
Most of the spirituality stuff didn't bother me too much. So much of it had so much truth to it, yet the focus was completely off. Like I said, there was chanting. I have no clue what we were supposed to be pronouncing but the translation went something like, "I acknowledge the divine that is within me and is me." I couldn't help but think "Hi Jesus!" Of course we have a divinity within us once we've asked Christ into our heart! During some of the chanting/singing along with the music (which for me seemed like worship in church, except there were only 3 of us in the class) the line that they were singing while we held our hands over our heart was "I look for the light in me." And in my head I'm screaming "I've found it!" The teacher even described the light as the unconditional love that we are able to feel and give to others. Gah! Another song had the line that they repeated of: "I am peace and peace is within me." Really? I know I'm not peace. I am violent and hurtful and selfish. I only have peace through the One who is the Prince of Peace! I couldn't help but thinking of Jesus saying that to me. "My peace I give you."
The only thing that I could not remedy to Jesus was when the blatantly said: "No one is going to save you or me. Only you and me can save ourselves." Again, in my head I acknowledged the One person that DID save me and saved them too!
The crazy thing? It was the most time I'd spent with Jesus in a really long time. For an hour I was able to meditate on him, what he did for me, and what he still is doing in my life. During that hour of mediation I got to pray for the three women around me. I prayed that they'd find the spiritual fulfillment that they were looking for in the One that could fulfill it. It broke my heart to see how bad they wanted it. At the end a girl was crying because of all the emotion involved (probably not to mention endorphins.)
I'm going to continue to pray for those women. And I'll probably keep going to the class. Who knows what opportunities I may have? Plus, I get to spend time with my God! Complete fixation!
Not to mention it was an awesome work out. I can already tell I am going to be sore!
We've been singing a new song at church and it came to my head tonight. The chorus goes:
"Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, you are higher than any other!
Our God is healer
Awesome in Power
Our God, Our God"
It is such a comfort to remember that!
