Stretching Your Faith ― Practicing Postures of Prayer to Create Peace, Balance and Freedom

Our worlds can be so loud, noisy, hectic and completely overwhelming. We barely have time to sit down to pee, let alone find time to be still and alone with the Lord. This is exactly how the enemy would love to keep you, overwhelmed and frazzled with no room for distractions and interruptions, definitely no time for God and all that He has to communicate to you! Have you ever had time to be still? You may laugh at the very word. ?Still, what does that mean?” There is nothing the enemy would love more than for you to be so overwhelmed and busy that you cannot find time to be still or more importantly, be quiet enough to hear God’s still small voice. After all, B.U.S.Y, you know stands for Buried Under satan’s Yoke. When did you last read that God shouted anything? I cannot find anywhere in the word of God that He yelled when trying to speak to His people. The Lord and His spirit always speak gently, a whisper, usually in a ?still small voice.” The problem today is that we cannot hear Him. The single most dangerous thing to the god of this world, is that we hear from our God. As children of God the most important thing in our lives is to hear from The Lord. You must take time to be still and listen, it’s too important not to. God will bless the rest of your day more abundantly when you seek Him first more than had you not spent the precious time with Him at all. Are you able to hear God’s still small voice among the chaos of today’s loud world? Because you were created to hear from your Creator. Have you ever experienced such intimate and distraction-free worship? You were created for worship. When was the last time you completely surrendered your all and your will? Are you ready to deepen your walk with Christ, hear from Him and have hidden mysteries, treasures and wonders revealed to you? He is try-ing to communicate to His children. He has things He needs you to hear and know. You have places to go, things to do and people to meet! Maybe you are ready to encounter God for the very first time, or long for a fresh encounter with the Living Waters? Would you like to get healthy and whole once and for all? Are you willing to be transformed from the inside out? Awesome! I was hoping you would say yes! I want to share how your life can be truly transformed by the Living Christ and the amazing gift of yoga. Do not be afraid of the word yoga, it simply means to be united, or to yoke. It is not our business how others use yoga or what they set their hearts and minds to while practicing yoga. Here, we set our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ and nobody should be able to judge how others worship. I believe God created everything in the Heavens and on the Earth. Therefore, I believe God created our body, how we move and physical activity that includes stretching our body. Release anything that is connected with the word yoga, except for what it truly means, to unite or yoke. The combination of your faith, and literally stretching your faith, can heal your body, your mind, your spirit, marriage, relationships, business, ministry and so much more. You can be made whole by practicing the principles throughout these pages. Every area of your life can be healed, redeemed, restored and made new! I began my yoga journey about 20 years ago as a means to prevent injury while professionally dancing. Throughout my dance career, yoga not only helped me to maintain my flexibility and strength with no injury, I soon discovered that it was a physical activity like no other. When I attended yoga classes, often an instructor would incorporate a philosophy such as self enlighten-ment or tell students to honor ?the source” within us. I would always think, ?Yes the Source is within me, it is Christ alone, not me, but Him!” God always whispered to me to keep my heart and mind on Him. My yoga practice began to be Christ centered, but in a silent way. I longed to share what He was working in my heart, body and spirit with others.

MICHELLE THIELEN is an activist, author, professional speaker, life coach and the founder of YogaFaith, an internationally recognized and accredited Christian Yoga Alliance school. She has not only trained thousands of students and instructors in yoga, but empowers those that attend her worldwide trainings and conferences to live a purpose-driven life out loud! rough her own struggles of losing everything, depression, and battling addictions, Michelle shares with others the message of hope, and how our greatest mess can become our most profound message: ?If we don’t allow our battles to help others, then we waste the glory of the victory.” Her humanitarian efforts continue to reach several continents as she educates poverty-stricken communities in holistic living, purpose, empowerment and productivity. Her life's mission is to abolish modern-day slavery in this generation. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Michelle has always loved movement. At the age of five, she began with ballet slippers, which evolved into every kind of dance form. Eventually, she became a professional dancer and choreographer in numerous venues, including professional athletic teams such as the NBA and WNBA. She originally discovered yoga through dance, as she implemented its methods primarily for injury prevention, but then fell in love with the numerous benefits of the practice. It has been more than 20 years since Michelle first discovered yoga. Throughout her studies and practice of various styles, her love of yoga, its community, and thousands of transformational testimonies gave her a passion for sharing the gift with others. Before falling in love with yoga, she fell in love with design. With a degree in Architecture and Design, Michelle worked for almost 20 years in the granite industry, helping others build their dreams. One day God said, ?It is time to build the dreams I gave you.” Michelle’s mission is to share the wonderful benefits of yoga and the healing power of Jesus Christ to a lost and hurting world. She believes it begins from within. If each one of us receives healing and wholeness we can then empower and ignite others to receive the same, creating a wildfire of revival throughout the globe. For several years, Michelle has been an active ambassador and advocate with Shared Hope International, an organization that is changing laws and battling the root issues of human trafficking. She has also traveled with the A21 Campaign, an organization founded by Australian pastor Christine Caine, to help in the rescue efforts of today’s slaves. Michelle’s life mission is to abolish modern-day slavery, human trafficking and actualize justice in her generation. She offers donation-based classes so all people can enjoy yoga and community, and her prayer is that people will connect to Christ ? on or off a yoga mat. All class donations go directly to international rescue and restoration efforts. Students, friends, and partners have sent the ministry of YogaFaith to many third world countries over the years to teach YogaFaith to young children. Michelle has seen the healing power of Jesus work in their lives. She knows they can be saved and restored. She looks forward to sharing yoga and Jesus, the hope for all humanity, to bring about true and lasting transformation in the lives of thousands more survivors, but also in your life. In 2004, Michelle was deeply depressed and would not be here today without the redemptive power of Christ. She is grateful that God, and her mother, saved her from taking her own life. She knows now that she would have killed the wrong girl. ?One day I woke up and decided to choose life, and I have never looked back,” she says. She enjoys sharing her hope in God with others who are battling despair, discouragement, and depression. There is hope! It is not always easy but it is always worth it! God has blessed Michelle with the desires of her heart, including her soulmate and best friend, Derek Thielen.