Month: February 2018

Mindful Meditation

 

Meditation St Paul Karenrhoyt
Sunset with Cypress

Mindful Meditation

The word meditation has kind of a bad reputation. Maybe it was left over from the 60s scene. Some of you may imagine a spaced out person curled up like a pretzel on a cushion. (Cue incense, religious chanting, and oversized tunics.) While you can have all of those things if you want….. maybe you can begin to think of it in terms of being aware of your own mind. It could also be considered a spiritual discipline.

New evidence even points to health benefits! There are definitely positive changes for your body, mind, and spirit associated with medication.

Spiritual
While it’s not quite synonymous with prayer, it’s a close cousin. Scriptures talk about meditation as a way of getting our mind untangled from the world. It also implies thinking and repeating a prayer or an attribute of God. (Powerful, Loving, Protector) It could be that meditation is when you repeat a peaceful phrase or a reassuring word over and over in your mind. I tend to think of it like this: Prayer is when I talk to God and ask Him for something. Meditation is when I get still in silence and allow God to talk to me.

Mind
Mind chatter is always with us. Technology today has us thinking, checking, reading, and listening to something nonstop. Not only that, but our thoughts can go back into the past, and forward into the future. It can lead to worry and anxiety. If your brain is so busy that you’re having a hard time de-stressing, being mindful can be a cure. It brings you into your life right now with peace and serenity.

Body
When stressful events occur, our body takes a hit. The brain sends out chemicals in response to stressful or busy thoughts. Our blood pressure rises, and our heart rate gets faster as a result of the fight or flight syndrome. Over time, we get addicted to those chemicals. You may have remember situations where you need to calm down your mind, but your body is holding tension.  Relaxing isnt’s always easly.

I’ve been a closet meditator for years. In public circles I referred to it as my “quiet time” where getting alone with my Creator helped me find peace and wisdom to navigate the rocky waves of life.

I’m coming out. The newest research proves that spending a few mindful minutes a day, can increase the size and shape of your prefrontal cortex. If that’s too much information, think of it as mental push ups. You know, like exercise for the “thinker” that is running your life. (you)

The spiritual benefits are instant as you rest in the presence of freedom from fear. Your mind begins to form a new habit: that of slowing down thoughts. The bonus for your body is that it can feel the peace and relaxation. Life can be fun again.

Join me in a meditation practice on Mondays at 10:30 AM.
We meet at:
St Paul UMC
1442 S. Quaker Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74120
North on Quaker off of 15th st.
Parking and enter glass door on the North.
Walk south toward the dining hall.
If we’ve started, that’s ok. grab a mat and a blanket and settle right in.
Yoga starts at 11:00 AM

Do Yoga with Me

yoga karenrhoyt st paul
osage forest of peace

Do Yoga With Me

I kind of came into yoga through the back door. Mind you, I discovered the benefits of stretching many moons ago. During the 80s, the aerobics craze had me warming up and cooling down from my high impact class.  We piled in the floor and stretched before working out at Fitness For Her, where I managed the club and taught aerobics. Later, when menopause and health issues came up, I used long periods of stretching with classical music in the background as a way to zone out. It was one way to manage my mind’s stress and body’s aches.
The first time I attempted to do “real” yoga, I got a VHS tape from the library. It didn’t go well. My friend and I had on sweat pants and tank tops. We had just finished Billy Banks Tae Bo stood in my den. Yoga would be our cool down. The taped rolled and our instructor filled the screen reaching his arms up into Waving Palm Tree pose –  wearing a speedo. I’ll leave you with that mental image for a few seconds. Needless to say, the first few minutes were spent in absolute jaw dropping shock.  As he kept moving to the music – something close to yodeling backed up a marching band – we looked at each other and burst out laughing so hard that the only thing to do was turn it OFF.

Home Made Yoga
Fast forward 5 years and add in satellite tv. I was couch surfing one sleepless, hot flashy night and clicked to a group of men and women lying down in a forest clearing. They were stretching slowly on mats under the peaceful protection of tall whispering pine trees. The only instruction was softly spoken – breath in and relax your knees to the right side of your mat. now exhale. I was magnetically drawn down to the carpet in my den. Closing my eyes I obeyed the easy to follow instruction. The next hour was pure heaven. I was hooked!

I mentioned it to a few of my friends, thinking they might join me on my blissful adventures in movement. With raised eyebrows, they spouted  phrases about how it didn’t seem to fit in a church, or Christian environment. I went underground, finding gentle music and movement in the privacy of home, or outdoors on my back patio. My body gained strength, my mind found peace, and my spirit was at rest.
Yep – in private, I was a full blown yogini. When taking long walks, I would stretch into warrior series. When waking up, I saluted the sun. Curling into child’s pose helped me ease into sleep.

When Nothing Else Will Do
During my battle with liver cancer, I ran away to my cousin Julie’s home in Arizona. There, I found my first Kundalini yoga class. Naomi Rose crowded a dozen people into the church fellowship hall. I moved some major muscles, and a lot of tension, out of my body that month. A year later, post transplant, I went back for a another month of daily yoga at Seven Centers Yoga Arts. The unlimited pass let me take advantage of every type of class available. I lunged, stood, leaned, stretch, restored, and even slept there, day after healing day.

Well, of course I went back. This time, I came away with my 200 RYT training. After a full Ayurvedic immersion school, I was a certified yoga instructor. I like to think of myself as a leader, because we are all learning together. Like teaching high school business or language arts, I find that my students are forever enriching my life with new things.

Do Yoga With Me
We do yoga together in a couple of places in the Tulsa area. I would love for you to join us! We are all sizes, shapes, and have different ability levels. 

You can bring an offering that is easy on your budget, and helps a yogini buy the things she loves…. like hot tea, yoga workshops, books, darkest dark chocolate, and anything related to personal development that enriches my life – and hence the lives of those in my circle.

Use the provided mats, chairs, blankets, and blocks or feel free to bring your own.
Meet us here:
Monday’s -Yoga starts at 11:00 AM (meditation is at 10:30 am)

Thursday’s – 5:30 PM

St Paul UMC
1442 S. Quaker Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74120
North on Quaker off of 15th st.
Parking and enter glass door on the North.
Walk south toward the dining hall.
If we’ve started, that’s ok. grab a mat and a blanket and settle right in.
Wednesdays at 5:30
Anytime Fitness in Prattville
3802 S 113th West. Ave
Sand Springs, OK 74063
No membership required.