Welcome to Part 3 of the Christian Yoga for When You Need A Shake Up video series!
This series is inspired by the book 40 Days of Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole. This video draws from Day 29 of the book where we are challenged to fast intimidation and let go of fear.
Balancing Poses are great to do when you’re feeling fearful, anxious, overwhelmed, so we're incorporating a lot of them into this practice! The physical act of balancing forces your mind to focus...if you give in to the million thoughts swirling around in there, you’ll fall. And here’s how we strip fear of its power, we remind ourselves that it’s ok if we fall. It’s ok if we fall. Because it’s not perfection it’s after, it’s Jesus. Falling on our yoga mats doesn’t mean we’re an embarrassment or a failure.
The key to balancing is fluidity...the more rigid you are, the harder it will be to maintain balance. So we’re going to embrace more movement than usual in this practice – micro movement, subtle movement, movement that helps you connect with where your body is in space, helps you notice where you’re holding tension and where you can release.
We’ll move slowly and carefully, like we're moving through water, making space to actually listen to the Holy Spirit instead of just charging in guns blazing.
In her book 40 Days of Decrease, Alicia writes, “During the trials, Jesus’ words were manipulated, His faith doubted, and His character slandered...Jesus knew that man was neither the author nor the director of His life. He was certain that His future did not rest in the frail, fickle, fragile hands of human favor. Consequently, Jesus had no fear for Pilate to exploit. Jesus did not fear death. Jesus did not fear suffering. He possessed an authority that could neither be bought nor beaten: an interior authority that others could misrepresent but never intimidate.”
We explore this thought deeper in our practice and embrace the following prayer as we move:
“When you realize fear is being used to intimidate you, pause and verbalize this simple prayer: Jesus, you have already embraced everything that I fear. I renounce fear’s hold on me. By God’s grace I share Your victory. Will fear vaporize as you say ‘amen’? That would be lovely. But even more powerful is the fact that the cycle of awareness, resistance, and prayer decreases your vulnerability to intimidation by strengthening your will with Truth.”
