Flatirons Community Church Live Stream

Yoga, It does a body good!

Hi, it's Joyce from the YMCA of Laurel Highlands.
It was a cold and rainy weekend, you know normal for late April here in Western Pennsylvania.  I had nothing special planned so I signed up for a Yoga Certification program online.  I would be spending 16 hours in two days with people from across the country learning about Yoga.
I have already been certified to teach Yoga through SilverSneakers and YogaFit, but I needed to get recertified in order to move forward in my practice and become a better teacher.
There were 17 women and one instructor signed into a Zoom meeting at 9:00 on Saturday morning.  Some of these women were instructors like myself and some had taken yoga classes and had hopes of becoming an instructor.  Now there were a few who had no idea what yoga was but wanted to learn something new.  (I say, good for them.)

Just in case there are a few of you that don't know what Yoga is, let me give you a quick rundown.  Yoga is an ancient practice that originated 5,000 years ago in what is now known as India.  

It was brought to the USA in 1893 during the Chicago World’s Fair.  Physical yoga became popular in the 1930s using poses and breathing to create a flow style that is used today.  History lesson over.

In 2010 researchers from The University of Maryland determine that yoga equals or surpasses standard exercise in improving balance, decreasing anxiety, improving mood and sleep, decreasing pain, lowering cholesterol and improving quality of life.  It will also aid in prevention of osteoporosis by making bones grow stronger.

Now some people will say that Yoga is Non-Christian.  Originally, yes, it was! The word “yoga” means to yoke or join together.  It connects your breath with your action.  Some yoga teaches Chakras, which are energy centers within your body.  Others teach Yamas, Niyamas, Asanas, and or Pranayamas.  People can spend many years and thousands of dollars to get enlightened. 

The kind of yoga I teach at the YMCA is Fitness Yoga.  I call it Christian Yoga so people will know before they come into class that I will not be focusing on any philosophy that is against their relationship with God.  I use the poses to strengthen, invigorate, improve balance, flexibility, and relieve stress.  I also teach YogaStretch, which is a Yoga Class that is taught in, beside, and behind a chair.  There is no floorwork in this class.  Participants wear their shoes but still get the benefits of a yoga class.

Most peoples’ favorite part of a Yoga Class is Savanasa, meditation and relaxation.  I like to end my class with a time of breathing exercises, self - massage and visualization to quiet their bodies and their minds.  Did you know that we average 60,000 thoughts per day?  Sometimes it’s nice to just turn off our minds and focus on our breath.  If this sounds nice to you, join me at the YMCA or any other facility that offers Yoga taught by a trained instructor.  It could change your life or at least help you to relax for 60 minutes.

Corona Virus 2020

The world changed as we know it on March 16,2020.  Businesses closes their doors and a dark cloud of fear spread over the United States.  The villain was called the Corona Virus!
Somehow this nasty virus had slipped through the cracks of security and was now intent on destroying our country.  We were told that it will kill our older, weaker, sickly population.  We were ordered to stay home to protect ourselves and our loved ones.  We were only allowed out if it was absolutely necessary.  Many hurried to grocery stores to stock up on milk, bread, and toilet paper.  Oh yes, toilet paper!  It was to become as precious as gold.
Schools closed!  Preschools, Elementary, Middle School,  High Schools and Colleges.  Teachers and Parents had to learn how to teach online.  School lunch programs had to figure out how to feed kids that depended on them for their breakfast and lunch.  Students were isolated from their classmates and friends.
 

Families found themselves together more often than ever before.  For some, this was wonderful but for others it was a living nightmare.  Struggling marriages were falling apart at the seams, tearful children were getting on each others last nerve, and to top that paychecks stopped coming.  Let's not even start talking about unemployment and stimulus checks.

In the beginning we thought that all would be back to normal in a couple of weeks.  Well 2 weeks turned into 8 weeks and we are just now starting to breathe the fresh air of freedom.  Freedom to get out and meet with our friends and family (with 6 feet of Social Distance between us and masks on!)

We have 3 phases here in Pennsylvania: The Red Phase is where we were.  The Yellow Phase is where we are and the Green Phase is where we want to be.

I think we will all be changed by this.  We will all have a "New Normal."  For some it will mean appreciating their home, job and family more.  Some may feel the need to get out and explore, not put things off because who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Some may hoard and save things just in case this happens again.  I hope that we will be kinder and gentler to each other when we all come together again.  I'm looking forward to long hugs and longer conversations.