I have tried to write numerous times over the last two years. Our family Bible verse is: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 To those of you reading this, I hope that you know that my words are coming from a place of love. Not from condemnation or malice. I enjoy sharing how God continues to mold and shape me, thanks for reading! A few years ago I wrote a blog post titled “Does Downward Dog dishonor God?” I tried to address the question “Should Christians practice yoga?” Over the last few years my desire to know God has grown so much that last year I finally disciplined myself to read the Bible in its entirety. Even before I began reading my Bible something had just continued to feel off over the last several years when I would practice and teach yoga. I would have loved to have stumbled across a blog post like this back when I was looking into teaching Christian yoga. The only reason I ever felt … [Read more...]
Does Downward Dog Dishonor God?
Hi. My name is Tamara. I am a Christian and I am a registered yoga teacher. This is a topic that I have never really spoke about with anyone in depth. I have felt the judgment from other Christians because I teach and "practice" yoga. There have been several times over the last few years that I have struggled trying to figure out if what I was doing was dishonoring God. A few pastors have even brought the topic to their congregation and also to their blogs to much mixed reviews. Check out what Pastor Mark Driscoll has to say on the subject. His post starts out by saying: "There is nothing wrong with stretching, exercising, or regulating one’s stress through breathing. But when the tenets of yoga are included, it’s by definition a worship act to spirit beings other than the God of the Bible. By way of analogy, there is nothing inherently wrong with intimacy, sex, and pleasure. But when the tenets of adultery are included, it’s a sinfully idolatrous worship act. A faithful … [Read more...]
Losing The Baby Weight: Pregnancy & Exercise
Follow my blog with Bloglovin This week starts the first post in the Losing the Baby Weight series. Like I mentioned last week it has been difficult for me to start writing about this because there are so many different variables that come into play with how quickly a mama recovers after having a baby. Here are the topics for the next 4 weeks: Wednesday, June 12: Pregnancy & Exercise Wednesday, June 19: What To Expect After You Deliver Wednesday, June 26: The First Six Weeks Wednesday, July 3: Nutrition As a personal trainer and yoga instructor I felt confident in my ability to answer my clients questions regarding exercise and pregnancy. Then I became pregnant. Welcome unwanted advice and opinions from strangers. It might be because I taught yoga and bootcamp classes up until I delivered but I heard my share of comments that were pretty judgmental about how active I was while pregnant with Caden. I have learned that you will never please everyone. Being a good … [Read more...]
The Girl Behind The Blog: Part 6
The following post is part of The Girl Behind The Blog series that details my story of illness and recovery starting in March of 2007. I believe that God created me for a reason and each experience I have can draw me closer to HIM and be used to encourage others. This post and those that follow in the series detail a pivotal moment in my life that changed me forever. If you are just joining the story you can read the previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part and Part 5. Here it is my final installment in this series, for now anyway. Like I mentioned in my post yesterday I could still write about this FOREVER! At a later date I may revisit this topic again or write a book, who knows :). Sharing my story this past month has caused me to relive all the emotions that overwhelmed and consumed my mind and body, it has been extremely therapeutic and well worth the time the energy. Thank you for those who read and encouraged me to continue sharing. Once diagnosed with … [Read more...]
