Yoga and Prayer: Psalm 107

Tonight I had a few lady friends over to do yoga with me. We lit some candles and prayed and moved together. It was very relaxing and I felt so grateful to be able to do it. Afterwards we spontaneously decided to do dinner. The husbands joined us and we had a great time talking casually about a vast variety of topics (just for an idea of what we covered: we went from talking about the Lord’s Supper, to the resurrection, to politics, to abortion, to blogging and much more). It was a wonderfully relaxed and comfortable time with friends, filled with good conversation and plenty of laughter. Thank you, Jesus, for friends like these.

So, here’s what we did for yoga and prayer this week:

I began by reading part of Psalm 107 from The Message:

“Oh, thank God – he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas.”

Grab ankle’s and on your inhale push your chest and stomach forward arching your back, and on your exhale round your back and push all the air out of your chest and stomach – do at least 10 of these

Grab knees and make large circles with your chest – inhaling as you push your chest forward and to the left and exhaling as your chest rounds back and to the right – do at least 10 and then go the other direction doing at least 10 circles the other way

Gentle neck rolls

Then I read some more from Psalm 107:

“Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live. So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.”

Cat cow pose

Downward facing dog

Child’s pose

Downward facing dog

Low lung both sides

Downward facing dog

Plank

Sphinx

Downward facing dog

Child’s pose

Hero’s pose

Psalms 107:

“Some of you set sail in big ships; you put to sea to do business in faraway ports. Out at sea you saw God in action, saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean: With a word he called up the wind - an ocean storm, towering waves! You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out; your hearts were stuck in your throats. You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk, you didn’t know which end was up. Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time. He quieted the wind down to a whisper, put a muzzle on all the big waves. And you were so glad when the storm died down, and he led you safely back to harbor. So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. Lift high your praises when the people assemble, shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!”

Twists

Forward bend

Tailor pose

Wide legged forward bend

Bridge pose

Knees to chest and twists

Savasana

Psalms 107:

“Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water, arid earth into springs of water, Brought in the hungry and settled them there; they moved in – what a great place to live! They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards, they reaped a bountiful harvest. He blessed them and they prospered greatly; their herds of cattle never decreased. But abuse and evil and trouble declined as he heaped scorn on princes and sent them away. He gave the poor a safe place to live, treated their clans like well-cared-for sheep.”

Pranayama – Alternate nostril breathing

Peace be with you.

Rejoicing in the journey - Bethany