October Newsletter - The Vision of Christ-Centered Yoga Reflections
Published 5 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader!
Last Sunday, my pastor challenged us to write a letter about God’s faithfulness. He was preaching on the topic of “euangelion,” the Greek word for “Good News.”
I don’t want to bore you with all the ways God has been faithful to me personally. I could write pages! But I think it would be more meaningfully shared face-to-face, allowing communication between all parties to the conversation.
So I will confine my thoughts here to my vision for this Christ-centered yoga business, which God has so faithfully brought to this point. I do see Christ-centered yoga as a wonderful way to share the Gospel “Good News” of Jesus Christ.
Don’t you think it has become increasingly difficult to discuss Jesus in our modern world? People put up denominational barriers, even among Christians, not to mention the obstacles that exist between people of other faiths, and the growing number of people who do not have any spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, I believe the reputation of Christianity, at least in the West, has suffered much harm in recent decades, and many people now have a very negative view of Christians.
In a Christ-centered class, the students are there to receive the Gospel “Good News” of Jesus, along with the physical benefits of a yoga practice. Although these students are usually Christians already, we still need to be encouraged to live our lives in ways that reflect the light of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if the words of the classic song were true, and “...they will know we are Christians by our love…?” If this were true, wouldn’t our reputation be different?
This is my true motivation for doing what I do! God has been so faithful in bringing this dream to reality with my Christ-centered yoga classes. Here are some upcoming ways I am attempting to expand this vision:
Christ-Centered Yoga for Beginners Course:
As you may know, I recently completed a four-week course to introduce Christians over 50 to the practice of yoga. The course is designed for brand-new students who want to learn traditional yoga from a mat, not for more experienced students or those who prefer to practice from a chair. The premier launch of the course has now closed, but I plan on offering it again soon. If you know anyone who could benefit from beginning a Christ-centered yoga practice (and I know you do!), please encourage them to sign up for the waitlist HERE.
A New In-Person Chair Yoga Class
God has been exceedingly faithful in opening up a long-awaited and prayed-for opportunity to bring Christ-centered yoga to a new church community in my hometown of Loveland, Colorado. I’ll be starting a new chair yoga class at the First United Methodist Church, starting October 8th! Please pray that God will bless this adventure, so that these new students may experience the presence of the Holy Spirit along with the benefits of yoga and community.
Yes, this is happening soon! I have been dreaming about how to make Christ-centered yoga both accessible and affordable to more people, and this is it. I’ll be revealing more practical details in the next newsletter, but here is the reasoning behind this decision.
If you do not live in Loveland, Colorado, you still signed up for this newsletter for a reason! Perhaps you are already a yoga practitioner, but want to learn more about yoga taught through a Christ-centered lens. Are you new to yoga and interested in learning about Christ-centered yoga in a chair? Have you searched for a Christ-centered yoga class near you and been unable to find one? Or maybe yoga classes are too expensive, or just inconvenient, and you are looking for another option. For all of these reasons and more, an online membership may be what you have been looking for.
But aren’t most online memberships just access to recorded videos? Yes, many are. This is called a video library, and they have some great advantages over finding video classes on YouTube. They provide an organized way to find the exact recorded classes you are looking for, without all the scrolling, advertisements, and distractions.
However, I want to provide much more than just a video library. I want to create a true online community, a loving community of Christian believers. The vision includes building a video library, but this community will be based on live classes and other online gatherings where we can practice, pray, support, encourage, and share our lives in Christ.
I pray especially for Christians who feel lonely and isolated in their homes, and I know this is true for many of us. While an online community may not be the perfect or complete answer to this problem, I believe a Christian online community, with the added benefits of Christ-centered chair and mat yoga, can be of enormous help!
Please stay tuned for all of the “nitty-gritty details” coming soon. If you have any ideas or thoughts to share about what you would like to see in this membership, I would love to hear them. Just reply to this email and let me know.
I truly value your feedback, and I’m so grateful for you! Thanks, as always, for subscribing and reading.
Yours,
Susan
Yoga Teacher, Owner of Christ-Centered Yoga Reflections LLC
