Jessie Chamberlain is a 225-RHY instructor and one of my newest Instagram girlfriends. From posting some of the most challenging poses I've ever seen, to brightening my day with pics of her beautiful daughter, she and I have just clicked over the mass expanse of this Internet world. Her heart pours out through the screen, and she has been an inspiration to me in my own Holy Yoga practice. So, of course, I was thrilled when she agreed to write a guest post for me about how connecting with Jesus on her mat has changed her.
Enjoy.
xoxo,
Ashley Danielle
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I never really understood yoga, or why people did it.
Until I found Jesus in my practice.
People are searching.
We are built with a giant, gaping hole inside of us that's meant to be filled with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, too many people don't realize that Jesus is the only one who can satisfy that emptiness. For me, I didn't love yoga until I loved Jesus. I mean, I've always "loved Jesus", I grew up in a very morally-correct house and aimed to do the right things as I grew into adulthood. But loving Jesus was never real for me until around the same time I started my practice. I don't attribute yoga to being my answer. I think yoga was just more of a tool, in assisting me to set time aside to get to my know my Heavenly Father.
Growing up, my life was like the movies.
My best friend in the whole world lived just across the street from me- I remember everyday at 3:15I would sneak through my neighbors yard and climb this particular tree. It was the spot. The hideaway place that nobody knew about. I would wait there sitting high up on my very own branch, waiting to see my friend running towards the tree. She would swing her backpack behind the large trunk and start scaling the tree. We did this everyday, It was special for us. It's where we shared secrets, and spied on our neighbors. We didn't HAVE to meet there, but we did. Because for us, it worked.
It was special.
I think for me, and many others, Holy Yoga facilitates this special "hideaway" place for us to connect with the Father. Sure, there are numerous places to meet with Him, but there's just something so sweet about finding Him there on my mat. Now, I'm not saying that my mat is a magic carpet. I don't settle down into a posture on my mat and immediately the heavens open. It's just a real-life-space for me to find intimacy with God. Because we all live these lives that are real, with real interruptions, real messes and real pain.
It's not always about the yoga.
Sometimes it's just meeting Him daily in our special hideaway spot.
-Jessie