Aelea – Wander to Wonder

NOURISHED

When I sat down to write this blog post about NOURISH: A Holy Yoga Class + Zero Waste Brunch I was immediately overwhelmed with my own personal work that happened on my yoga mat in preparation for the yoga portion of the class. I spent a solid hour (and took over the google doc titled Nourish Blog) and used it as a personal time to journal; to write about my own unravelling and seeking Nourishment on my mat the week leading up the event, the unwinding of my own story that led me to place of surrender and tears on my yoga mat while the playlist for the class moved me to worship. The writing was therapeutic, as always, and helped me process the moments on the mat that went to form the experience I brought to those who attended Nourish. I’ve already told you all about the beginnings [...]

Aelea 2019-06-12T00:10:34+00:00

NOURISH

There are people in your life who are encouragers. They are the ones who want to see you flourish, who support you with ideas and help when you need it and who are there to come alongside you the days you don’t know what to do next and tell you it’s okay, that you’ve got this and that you can keep going. There are a few people in my life that are encouragers and I honestly can’t imagine life without them. The first is my friend Ashley. A co-worker-turned-biggest-cheerleader, if Ashley has an idea for a yoga event, she shares it with me and allows me to springboard ideas off of her. She has continually encouraged me even before I took my yoga teacher training, nudging me to apply to teach workshops and calling out the good and beautiful things in the work I am doing when I seem [...]

Aelea 2019-05-19T20:33:50+00:00

My Theme for 2019

Instead of goals for the year I’ve chosen a theme. I’ve been doing this since at least 2014 and it has been such a beautiful way to set an intention for my year. I write the word out in gold calligraphy and frame it on my desk so I see it often— a constant reminder of the kind of person I aspire to be and where I want to focus during the year. I find the theme, appearing as a common word, has a way of finding you. It’s one thing to sit and think of a word— to reflect on the year past and see what theme would be of benefit to you in the coming year. It’s another to let it come to you— to hit you while you’re talking with a new friend about yoga, God, energy and connection at Starbucks on a frigid Thursday night.2 When it [...]

Aelea 2019-01-03T00:02:39+00:00

When Your Heart Is Full

Do you ever get that feeling like your heart is full-- there’s a smile on your face that just won’t fade and your heart actually feels like it has expanded? This past weekend gave me this feeling and it leaves me searching for the words to say to appropriately describe the goodness of the moments I’ve experienced. When it comes down to it, all I can really say is, ‘God is good’. There are three things in particular that are giving this full-heart feeling right now and I want to share the profound simplicity of them with you today. 1- Feeling Known. Feeling truly known is something I desired for so long without really being able to put my finger on what it was. I’m generally known as the unicorn who loves cats who is always passionate about something different that I am actively pursuing. This generalized statement isn’t [...]

Aelea 2018-12-16T23:45:09+00:00

Hope + Heart

You are invited to HOPE + HEART: a Christmas Holy Yoga Experience! Since completing my yoga teacher training with Holy Yoga I knew I wanted to do Christmas yoga flow. I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to begin using my training-- hosting an event that would truly be an expression of my own experience with Holy Yoga. The event will open with a sharing of information on Holy Yoga and what 'Christian yoga' is. Then we will move into a few moments of prayer and meditation practicing Lectio Divina, an ancient method of praying scripture. The yoga portion of our class will be a heart-opening slow flow practice to the sounds of inspiring Christmas and worship music that will remind you of the hope of the Christmas season. During a slow flow class, we hold poses for longer periods of time to learn the flow and build muscle memory [...]

Aelea 2018-11-30T03:47:14+00:00

Yoga Teacher, Gospel Preacher

"You're a yoga teacher, gospel preacher." Those were the words spoken to us during our 'graduation' on our final night of immersion week as part of our 225 hour Holy Yoga teacher certification. Before that declaration was a stream of words spoken by one of our leaders that only God knew would reach the depths of each of our hearts as the words articulated the truths we most needed to hear, the encouragement to stay the path once returning home, and the confidence to stand in the truth of who we are even when we so often forget. Each member of my small group had a different divinely inspired word spoke over them and mine was just as special and unique as each of the others... Seen. Adored. Kind. Sweet. A few other words were spoken then came the one... accepted. The very first night at Bible with the creator [...]

Aelea 2018-11-30T03:26:02+00:00

FEATURED: Prairie Love Festival 2018

I am so excited to be leading a Speakeasy Workshop at Prairie Love Festival this year! When I first became a life coach, I knew I wanted the opportunity to work with people in both 1:1 coaching situations, but also in group sessions where I allowed a group the space to sit, reflect, and be challenged by questions that help them reframe their current ideas or dive deep into what truths they are holding close that may, or may not be, serving them. When I finished my training, I dreamed of one day leading a workshop at Prairie Love Festival. Prairie Love Festival has become my little safe space to reconnect with myself, to move my body and rest my mind, and to recharge after what always happens to be a busy summer. Prairie Love Festival brings out some amazingly talented yoga instructors and other wonderful teachers who are [...]

Aelea 2018-09-02T02:24:05+00:00

Move Mountains

If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains. This thought came streaming through my mind as I watched the mountains grow bigger and bigger before my eyes. Travelling through the Canadian Rockies was a first for me, and as I sat in the back seat on our way to the coast, I took in their grandiose nature. I had never really thought about how I felt about mountains. When I lived in Half Moon Bay for five months in 2012, I didn’t put much thought into the mountains so daringly placed on the coastline I called “home” for the duration of my fellowship. It was just mountains and ocean side by side. Perhaps that’s why the mountains never made me feel… the expansive ocean on one side kept me feeling free. The Rockies, however, are mountains on either side of [...]

Aelea 2018-09-02T01:41:50+00:00

My Thoughts on Yoga + Jesus

When you say the universe, I hear Jesus. When you say the divine within, I hear the Holy Spirit. When you say you are equipped with everything you need, that you are meant to be in this moment, that this is exactly where you need to be, I hear that with God nothing is impossible, that we are all called to bloom where we are planted, that no matter where I am, I can live out a purpose bigger than I am. Yoga has become a somewhat controversial topic in the realms of spirituality-- especially for Christians. For years I’ve been hearing about how ‘Christians shouldn’t do yoga’ and while the list of things Christians should or shouldn’t do could go on and on and on (and can vary, depending who you talk to!), the state of our heart is at the root of what we should or shouldn’t do. [...]

Aelea 2018-08-01T17:57:39+00:00

Comparison Is The Thief of Joy

I had a moment recently where I needed to stop and check-in with myself. Amidst new and exciting opportunities, pursuing personal projects, work and living life, I found myself unconsciously being caught up in comparison. As something I actively work on reformatting my brain to steer clear from, I’m met with mixed emotions; how did I not realize sooner that it was comparison at the root of my discomfort and anxiety? How can I be more gentle with myself when I slip into this old habit that we are conditioned to believe is a necessary part of life? How can I set myself up for success so it doesn’t happen again? And what immediate action do I need to do now? I started where I always feel called when I have an idea spinning endlessly in my brain-- to my words. I began to write. I opened a page, wrote [...]

Aelea 2018-07-23T15:12:49+00:00

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