Time on your mat invites you to stretch not only your body, but your emotional, mental, and spiritual self as well. Let yoga serve as an exploration, so that God can use to move you ever closer to that lovely state of balance where you feel alive and awakened, energized yet relaxed, refreshed and rejoicing, peaceful and loved… all in the same moment!
Being physically flexible is not just about being able to get into into pretzel like positions as in yoga. Actually, flexibility is the ability to move muscles and joints through their complete range of motion. Increasing flexibility improves and stretches your range of motion, thus enhancing daily life in a multitude of ways. Flexing and stretching improves circulation by increasing blood flow and nourishing muscle tissue. Frequent flexing and stretching helps reduce tightness in muscles and allows you to maintain better posture. Flexing and stretching also relieves tension, enhances coordination and balance, increases energy levels, aids in pain relief and improves your sense of well being. Flexing and stretching can also be an attitude that invests and transforms the mind. Flexible minded persons are able to take advantage of opportunities, flourishing and growing in the process. It challenges us to leave our comfort zones and offers us new ways of experiencing God, ourselves, and the world.
Researchers at the University of California, at Berkley, introduced an amoeba into a perfect, stress free environment (the amoeba is a single-celled organism that lives in marine environments). The temperature, moisture level and food supply were all perfect for the amoebas survival. The amoeba needed to make no adjustments to improve its life. One would think that the amoeba simply lived the good life, right? Unfortunately for the amoeba, it died. The saying “you’re either green and growing or ripe and rotting” is quite true here. The amoeba needed challenge in order to multiply and grow. Without challenge in life, it could not survive.
In the Bible, God used example after example of men and women who left their comfort zones and were able to accomplish amazing things. Moses, David, Joshua, Ruth, Debra, Paul, Mary and Jesus are just a few! Think about their lives and the way they allowed themselves to be flexible before God.
Some people say the moment you leave your comfort zone is when life really begins. I don’t know about you, but I call that faith!
…” I came that you may have life and live it more abundantly”-
John 10:10
HALLELUYAH!