Communion with God

Super long post because I’m feeling all the feels this week 🚨

For the month of May, the studio leaned into an intention of “Surrender”. I had an opportunity to digest, study, and share what and how surrender shows up in my life. I’m continually fascinated with how, when you choose an intention, the word, phrase or mantra is illuminated all around you! The Bible scripture Romans 12:12 in The Passion Translation is resonating in my Spirit this week…

The ultimate act surrender in my life is communion with the great creator of this universe. I thought it would be important to define “Commune”: to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings. My daily communion practice is usually: awaken, allow gratitude to fill my lips and heart for another day, read my Bible devotion, and spend a few moments communing with God aka prayer. There is such an intense and sweet feeling of knowing that the Creator of this universe cares for me and knows the number of hairs on my head! I talk with Him and He speaks softly to my tender heart.

When I’m in constant communion with God, my days are brighter, my outlook on life is healthier and my heart is softer towards other humans with whom I’m traversing this life.

But…when I heard about the shooting this week. My day grew darker. My heart was broken (again….) and I began down this spiral of WHY?!? God can you help me find a reason why?! What is happening to the people in this world!!? These are CHILDREN! Anger, frustration, sadness and hopefulness filled my space. Then I prayed. Not only for my emotional state, but for the parents and community in Uvalde, for my children and their teachers as they went back to school the next day like nothing happened, for the federal and state leaders of this country, for those that are heartbroken, lonely and without hope, for those that may be experiencing mental illness, for those that have hate rooted deep in their hearts. Pouring out my heart to God allowed me a sense of peace and allowed me to let go everything I was internalizing.

After prayer, a call to action. Unfortunately, change won’t come the top down. I feel as though change will be a grassroots effort. So in prayer, I asked what can we tangibly do to support a sense of community?

1. Love on our community of teachers. At @charlottefamilyyoga we have consistently had days and months where our local teachers could attend in studio or virtual classes for free (usually Thursdays when both owners were on the schedule).

2. Send support to Uvalde. We are a small business JUST making it over the financial hurdle of going through a global pandemic. But we have resources, so let’s send them. I immediately reached out to my business partner and said, let’s share this healing practice of yoga, mindfulness and meditation. She immediately agreed and we set up a way for the community to give in addition to a donation of $500 of mats and props from Charlotte Family Yoga and Yoga Girls Tribe.

3. Create and record a workshop for educators and teachers to learn how to share the practice of yoga and mindfulness in their classrooms, without upsetting parents because we used the word “yoga”. New workshop coming in August 💜💜

4. Continue to pray. Prayer works. Prayer is my lifeline. Continue to surrender my thoughts and plans for His glory.

I feel a little more hopeful, putting my feet to the fire, stepping in with action, and surrendering to what is, what was, and what will be. Allowing myself time to grieve, but also remembering that God is still God. Communion with him during perilous times keeps me hopeful that one day, a change will come. Praying for you, as you pray for me 💜