God, Yoga and a Wild Mama: I Quit Church and Maybe Broke the Law

When I tell you I quit church this summer, you might start worrying for my soul.  Please don’t. God knows exactly where I am.  He said hello just this morning. Taltree Arboretum offers free heavenly amazing outdoor yoga to their members twice a week during the summer.  It is beautiful yoga taught by Suzanne Chick, a Valparaiso yoga instructor and it is free to Taltree Arboretum members.  (Although I just learned Suzanne does not get paid by Taltree to be there....she should, I will be calling them directly or finding them on Facebook and paying for my classes happily!) 
So Saturday yoga has been my religion this summer, and God showed up to love on me in a gorgeous way.  

I was admiring and envying the figures of the twentysomething set ahead of me in class and feeling Ugly Jealous. I felt like a dowdy older mother and hated it. I was also struggling to hold yoga poses which I know should be easier for me with all my yoga background.  I was feeling Less Than. I said something like, 

“Lord, help me to be grateful for my body and what it can do, and to appreciate these young girls enjoying their youth without envying them. Thank you for this breathtaking place to just breathe, and move and Be. Give me your Love, let me be at Peace.” 

Moments later I opened my eyes from an elbow down dog yoga position and there was a most brilliant emerald green dragonfly perched on my mat.  The green dragonfly sparkled and shone and a smile broke out on my face so big, SO BIG!  I love these 'God Nods’ as I call them.  LOVE THEM!  

The rest of the class was heavenly and as my pal Whitney and I left we chattered with other women and Suzanne Chick and just had a delightful stroll to the car.  Whitney drove so I asked her to roll back the top, as her VW has a full roof sunroof: FABULOUS!  If you read my post on Death and Rolling Down Hills you know I sometimes feel uptight, old, like somebody’s mother.  Oh, wait....

Whitney laughed as the roof slid open and talked about how her first car had a sunroof and they would all take turns standing up while flying down the highway.



Standing up through the sunroof?

I am somebody’s mother.  I am an older mother at that.  

I need to be cautious and set a good example.

I am sweaty and tired from exercise.  

I have long legs so it might be uncomfortable to---

---oh forget it, get this woman 

through a SUNROOF!

It was awesome.  It was exhilarating.  It was terrible and reckless and my kids better not do it.  We took turns.  It was awesome.  It was awesome. It was foolish, I know and awesome.  

“Are you going to tell John?” Whitney asked.

“Oh yes, I am going to blog about this for sure.  Just not the mph.  Right?"

I’m checking out another church tomorrow. You who may worry for my soul, Jesus is still allllll mine. And I have still been attending church here and there.  I pray often.  I might have opened my bible just last week.  But  on THIS morning, I assure you, God was at Yoga.  He says “Hi!” and that he loves me.  
Oh, He loves you too, no matter who you are or what you have done or do or will do.  GO outside today.  Breathe Deeply, and Live Your Love Out Loud!

How do you all let loose?  What ways does God ‘nod’ to you?  How and where do you feel loved like I did today?  I sure would enjoy chatting with you in the comments, to hear your thoughts.

p.s. Thank you Whitney Hibbitts, for being a woman who loves me, tolerates me, challenges me and dares me simply by living YOUR life out loud!  WHOOOOO!  

Now let’s ‘go for a drive’.