Yoga + Chef cooking for me + worshipping with other Sisters in Christ

I’m there!

On my way up to the yoga retreat at Idyllwild, I thought a lot about Purify.  My heart says, it’s full, no more purifying for me. But I had no idea how God was going to bless me through this 3 day retreat. We did yoga facing looking out from floor to ceiling glass windows, which gave a panoramic view of the snow capped mountains. We were ”completely” spoiled by the delicious food made by Michelle, owner of Flavorful! our ears were blessed to hear music by singer and song writter, Lyndi Hoenegger. The most rewarding above and beyond the yoga + food was meeting sisters in Christ who has a heart to draw us closer to God.

During our time at the retreat, there were a few sharing sessions where the Holy Yoga Instructors shared, gave testimonies and challenged us to think about our defenses and how that blocks our ability to receive. Furthermore, we were encouraged toward allowing God to purify our motives, minds when it comes to self image. There was so much that I received out of the weekend, but here are the highlights.

SELF IMAGE

For me, my weak spot, my hair. My family has a history of thin hair, so growing up, I braced myself for the day that I’ll be bald. I can’t imagine feeling beautiful when I’m bald. Yet, God spoke into my heart that if I can’t love who He’s made me to be, then I am dishonoring him. In Genesis, He says, “we are made in his image”, and if we are made in the image of God, whatever shape, size or bald, we are “LOVED” and “BEAUTIFUL” because we are HIS. It was so reassuring to hear those words in the midst of a huge FEAR for the loss of hair.

In a separate session, Lyndi shared with us about Eve. Eve was God’s creation of women and how beautiful she must have been. While in paradise being so close to the Creator, she still doubted God’s goodness. Tempted by the serpent, she went against God’s command to not eat of the fruit from the tree of knowlege. Made in the image of God, aren’t we all like Eves? How easily we doubt the goodness of God and we try to chase the image of what the world tells us is beautiful.

photo taken by Jenn http://gibellydesigns.com

What would life be like, if we chose daily to believe that we are beautifully and wonderfully made? That we possess in us, a part of Eve. In the passage Psalm 139: 14 it says, “I praise  you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that well.” What if God sees me beautiful, even if I was bald. During this weekend, I felt that God took away my fears about my hair and replaced it with LOVE and AFFIRMATION that He sees me as His beautiful daugher. I want to live daily in that truth!

HOLY YOGA

I always loved yoga because it gave me time to reflect and just be. Doing Holy Yoga with christian music is amazing because the whole pracetice if focused on worship through mind, body and spirit. Check out some photos from our yoga sessions.

FOOD

My new found LOVE is Kale. The week after I came home from retreat, all I ate for the week was organic fresh baby kale with roasted beets. I went straight for the local farmers market and picked up the simple ingredients. So here it is everyone!

Kale – wash, i take away the stems/ Beets (red or golden) – sauteed/ Dressing – a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, honey, pepper & salt.

Meet the Chef Michelle of Flavorful! Michelle was the mastermind behind this delicious Kale Beets Salad Receipe.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is my passion. When you put together worship and photography, I’m in heaven. It was so great being able to photograph some women in Catalyst sessions – photography sessions that captures someone in the moment and celebrating who they are. AND i was able to take pictures of everyone doing yoga and having a great time. Here are some highlights from a Catalyst and group photos.

Lastly, the talented team that created the Holy Yoga Retreats.

For more information about Holy Yoga or attending a Selah Retreat Event, go to www.holyyogala.com or www.holyyogaoc.com for more information. If you live in Los Angeles area, contact Holy Yoga Instructor, Joan Jahng and if you live in the Orange County area, Tasha Anderson or Brooke Thompson can answer your questions.

For our last Holy Yoga Selah retreat, we made some yummy sugar scrubs and bath salts for our guests to take home and enjoy.  They are so easy to make, yet so indulgent to use. Have fun experimenting with different sugars, base oils, & essential oils.  And quality does count since the skin is the body’s largest organ. Use organic sugars & base oils, and high quality essential oils.

We LOVE doTerra oils which are organic & therapeutic grade.

Basic Sugar Scrub Recipe
two parts sugar
turbinado sugar is nice-but white sugar is just fine.
one part oil
almond, olive, & grapeseed are good choices
essential oils

for our Purify Sugar Scrub Recipe
doTerra essential oils of Lemon & Peppermint

* next week we will share our salt bath soak recipe.

Written by Guest Blogger: Tasha Anderson www.breathinginhim.com

I’m a planner, I like to map things out and plan it ahead of time. However, as much as I can plan my events, I cannot stop my family from getting sick! Much like Valentines day, my husband is sick and cannot come on the trip with us. It’s Thursday and Eman has a small cough. This morning, I  called into Big Bear to see if I can reschedule. Luckily they are flexible.

All that is to say, “man can plan his ways, but it’s God that directs the path.” Remembering that God ultimately knows all things. It’s important to hold things loosely when we make plans because sometimes things don’t turn out the way we envision. Life has been different since putting God in the center of how I see circumstances. I no longer focus on myself, my needs, my wants, rather as my mentor says, “put others first.”

STEP 2: Be really excited when he’s surprised

STEP 3: The Best Valentine’s Day EVER 2013

So step 1-3 was my plan, but as we all know, plans don’t always pan out. Hair done. Check. Nails done. Check. Cute dress. Got it, check. My husband would be so surprised to see my dressed up in my best all beautied up! I picked out a restaurant, Nik & Stef’s in Downtown LA, an inexpensive Happy Hour to start off our date. Then we would be off to see Backbeat, story about how the Beatles got together as a band. Our Valentines date would be  perfect… To top it off, I would surprise him with a night at a beautiful hotel in Downtown LA with a view. Everything was working out perfectly in my mind, my anticipation ran high.

4 days before Valentines day, I’m sick. My son gets sick. My husband gets sick.

Back to the drawing board… don’t book the hotel, probably no dinner and we’d be lucky if we could watch the show. Then came the day of celebration, my husband had to miss the show.

When things don’t go my way, I’m not in good spirits and the glass half full girl, starts getting a little negative! But thankfully, my amazing husband was still being cheerful, playful and trying to comfort me by telling me to make another date of it. It also helped to turn my focus on God and be honest with my feelings (though they were not good feelings). I prayed and let it go.

So, on actual V-day, we went to our favorite local restaurant Scardinos for dinner, which our table for 2 turned into 3 because babysitting fell through, so we had our son with us. It was not the Valentines day I expected, but I’m grateful for my husband, my best friend and the rock of my life. His kindness is one of the reasons I love him. That night at dinner, he showed a little act of kindness to someone else, and it made our Valentines Day memorable.

My Valentine’s Day card from my husband, he wrote,

“To a beautiful and amazing wife, I love you.”

And in returned at dinner, I let him know “I’m so glad that I’m married to you.”

Thank you God for blessing me with the gift of my husband…. humbling me to remember that my plans are not always the best plans.

These are words I think of when I think of Tasha. I was blessed to have a chance to take pictures of Tasha in a Catalyst session and was invited to participate in a Holy Yoga Session at Saddleback Church, Lake Forrest.

CATALYST SESSION- As I was photographing Tasha, it was like watching someone do a dance. The yoga poses come so naturally to her, with such strength, control and calmness. I had to stop and ask Tasha, “How long have you been doing this?” It’s so wonderful that God has given her such an amazing ability to lead yoga students into their practice of yoga and into a place of worshipping God, all at the same time.  Here are some photos from the session that will make you want to learn from her!

YOGA SESSIONS WITH TASHA-

I’ve done yoga before and to me, it was always strange to do yoga with music where I don’t understand the lyrics. But in Holy Yoga, I can enjoy Christian music that focuses on Jesus. Tasha leads us through each yoga pose and surrounding the time of practice and meditation on the Word of God. Each breathe, each move and every moment during the practice was worship. The practice ends with a light shoulder massage from the instructor, ending with a great sense of relaxation. It was such a treat to be in Tasha’s class and experience God through fitness, prayer and  meditation. If you live in the OC and have never done Holy Yoga before, you must stop by one of Tasha’s classes. Below is her schedule of classes. I felt blessed being there!

Tuesday-Holy Yoga Flow Level 1-2
9:30am-10:45am

Do you think fairy tale wedding day, honeymoon, romance when you think of marriage? Or do you think living life together with another person who has as many flaws, distrust, brokenness as you?

Broken person + Diamond Ring+ Broken person = Happiness?

God’s formula -

Broken person + Christ redeeming sin + Broken person = Joy in marriage

So this morning, SEEK! I’m so fortunate that after attending a MOM’s CAFE (a version of the Moms of Preschooler’s program- MOPS) at Journey South Bay Church, located in Redondo Beach, CA, I met a wonderful woman Susan who is now mentoring me. She had no idea what she signed up for when she agreed, but I’m sure she is finding out now that I’m a MESS! I needed more sanity in many areas of my life ranging from setting priorities, marriage, parenting, personal growth and focusing on Jesus. But our first meeting was about marriage. She gave a great handout with many many words on it. It was overwelming, but when you disect that it’s saying, there is so many treasures in it.

Well, to start, God has a lot to say about marriage and little did I know, there are tons of passages on it. I took some time and cut and pasted a bunch. I hope this will be helpful for many women who have the same questions as I do about marriage. I will be digging to the Word, what will I find???

The BIBLICAL MODEL FOR MARRIAGE

Genesis 1:27-28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Malachi 2:14

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

Matthew 19:3-6

New International Version (NIV)

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^{[a] 5} and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’^[b]? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Mark 10:6-9

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’^{[a] 7} ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^{[b] 8} and the two will become one flesh.’^[c] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

1 Corinthians 7:2-5

New International Version (NIV)

² But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. ³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

1 Corinthians 7:10-16

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

¹² To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. ¹⁶ How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

1 Corinthians 7:27-40

New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

³² I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

³⁶ If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong^[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷ But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸ So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.^[b]

³⁹ A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. ⁴⁰ In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Ephesians 5:21-33

New International Version (NIV)

Instructions for Christian Households

²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Colossians 3:18-19

New International Version (NIV)

Instructions for Christian Households

¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Titus 2:4-5

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Hebrews 13:4

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

1 Peter 3:1-9

New International Version (NIV)

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

⁷ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

In the last 2 weeks as I’m struggling to see photography as a career, God brought into my life a new idea (through the advice of an amazing Holy Yoga instructor, Joan Jahng) that I should take pictures of women doing Holy Yoga. Holy Yoga is an amazing practice and ministry centered around Christ. Through listening to Christian music, meditating on scripture and doing yoga poses with the focus on the Lord, you can both get the exercise your body needs, but also feed the soul that hungers to be filled with God’s truth and healing.

So it started, a SPARK! Catalyst a photo session for women who wants to have pictures taken of them doing yoga and also at the same time express themselves in their own unique way. This photo session celebrates God’s creation through beautiful yoga form and poses, but that’s not all, you also get to express yourself in the way God has crafted and made you.

As I’ve been shooting Catalyst sessions, I felt that the Holy Spirit reminding me that it’s a struggle for women to see themselves as beautiful and wonderfully made by the Lord when in front of the camera. It’s so easy to let the devil take away our sense of self worth when you are put in front of the camera. In response to God’s leading, I felt that before each session, it’s important to pray and ask God for help. God’s word and prayer will give each women encouragement and the strength to face the camera with FREEDOM, BEAUTY and and to BELEIVE that God sees us beautiful in his sight.

I’m so grateful! Ministry and passion, coming together for HIS PURPOSE and GLORY. It’s a privilege to be able to serve, encourage and bless my photography clients with the gift of prayer and God’s word. God’s beauty that surpasses words, Brooke in love with the Lord.

The question asked of me at the end of this study after seeing how Jesus loved and walked with his disciples, cared for the lost, widow, poor, healed the sick and finally dying for humanity, the question was the same question he asked his first disciples.

Do you want to follow me (Jesus)?

Will you walk with me (Jesus)?

My response, yes!

Little did I know that saying yes means a life of surrendering to God’s will (as Jesus did), giving up my dreams, in exchange for his dreams for me, and a narrow path that many will travel, but few will stay on. Since that day from Mark study, I’ve been faithful, then not so faithful, then coming back to ASK AGAIN of JESUS. SHOW ME! IF I SEEK, WILL I FIND? WHAT WILL I FIND?

So, if anyone is reading this, I would ask you to join me in asking. I have a gazillion questions! How does Jesus meet all my desires, that I shall thirst no more? When my husband and I don’t agree, how do I find trust and respect to hear each other out? What do I do with pain that life brings? Why am I always stressed? Why does God answer some prayers and not other? How do I parent my child so that he will know Jesus? If I choose to put Jesus first in all that I do, will he really meet the desires of my heart?

So, Project SEEK FIRST THE KINDGOM, which came fromt his passage in Matthew 6:25-33. I want to seek and I will share what I find.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Tips for parents preparing their child for a photo session

1. Babies are great after a nap! Make sure your child is well rested before a photo session

2. Make sure baby is well fed before the session so baby is in good spirits

3.  Allow your child to be himself/herself. When I take pictures, i encourage parents to sing, dance, clap and enjoy making their baby smile. If the baby is tired or not in me mood, take a break. Genuine smiles make a great photo!

Check out some photos from a baby session recently.

The city of Hermosa Beach yearly would build a sand hill by the boardwalk at the end of Pier Ave (pass the Strand). Free to the public, you can bring your kids and their boogie boards or round saucers for a great day of sledding. Kids who are ready for an adventure would surf down the slope, while others dove onto their boogie boards head first down the hill.

Location: Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach (near the boardwalk)