Big Announcement: I’m the New Leader of The Yoga Abbey, an Online Christian Yoga Membership!
Big News… I am extremely humbled and honored to be the new leader of The Yoga Abbey! It’s an online yoga membership for Christ-centered yoga, meditation, and contemplative prayer.
This story has been unfolding for months now and I am so thrilled to finally share this news with you.
Below, I tell you all about God’s timing, true friendship, and how stepping out in faith landed me the role of leader in The Yoga Abbey. Plus, I’ll tell you all about the monthly membership and offer a special invitation for my Getting Still community!
How I Came to Lead a Christian Yoga Membership, and What I Learned in the Process
Last spring during a silent retreat, I heard the still small voice of God.
I came into the retreat wrestling with God, questioning my new calling and purpose since retiring as a homeschool mom. Teaching yoga had been a great part-time job while the kids were growing up. However, I was not sure if or how I could make teaching yoga my full-time gig.
I asked God what He had for me in this next season and wondered what would be my “best yes” for the Glory of God.
I confessed my love for teaching Christ-centered yoga but promised that I would happily lay yoga aside if He would only show me clearly what was next.
During my time on retreat, I sought God’s counsel through a rhythm of reading and silence. It was through these two things that He spoke to me. Let me explain.
While reading in Luke I was struck by a promise from God. I heard Mary, a virgin newly pregnant with baby Jesus, sing. “From now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.”
Her cousin Elizabeth, miraculously pregnant in her advanced age, proclaims, “Look what the Lord has done for me!” (Luke 1:25, Luke 1:48-49) I felt God was highlighting this promise to me in his Word. The Spirit whispered this promise in my heart, “God is doing this for you.”
God Was Not Confused
During mealtimes, I sat quietly and awkwardly amongst the other retreatants, not sure exactly where to look. My eyes landed frequently on an icon of Jesus hanging in the cafeteria. I felt the power of his gaze upon me.
His eyes were steady and his love secure. He seemed to be gently confronting me. While I was uncertain about what my future held, He assured me that He was not confused.
I pondered these things in my journal and returned home on Sunday. Though I felt seen and known by God, I still had no answers and was not sure what any of this meant.
God’s Invitation: The Yoga Abbey
One day later, my dear friend and colleague, Caroline Williams, called me. She shared her feelings of overwhelm with the balance of motherhood and business ownership. I listened as she struggled with the gut-wrenching decision to close her online yoga membership down.
My heart sank as I listened. The Yoga Abbey was my home. I had been part of this community since the beginning. I worked alongside Caroline in leading monthly classes, hosting retreats together, and teaching in our 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training. I didn’t want to see this community go away. Instead, I wanted to preserve it and see it continue to grow.
This began a long eight-month conversation where Caroline and I talked and prayed about what it would look like for me to take over ownership of this community. As I listened, I recognized The Yoga Abbey as Caroline’s first “baby” and heard her lament that she did not have more to give. I sensed God’s inviting me to “hold” The Yoga Abbey for Caroline.
Here is a video where I share more about this invitation. I share how God has woven this story together through our shared journey with Jesus, yoga, and motherhood.
I am happy to say that last month, I officially took over leadership of The Yoga Abbey. I am now the owner of an online yoga membership and Christian yoga teacher training!
What is The Yoga Abbey? Unpacking Our Online Yoga Membership
You may be asking, “What is The Yoga Abbey?”
An Abbey, in the traditional sense, is a building that houses a monastic community and is headed by an abbot or abbess.
The Yoga Abbey is an online community inspired by this ancient Christian tradition. We are a diverse and ecumenical community of Christians practicing yoga as a spiritual discipline. Our goal is to help others draw into a deeper relationship with God and embody Love through the practices of yoga. meditation, and contemplative prayer.
You could say that I am now an “abbess” of this online sanctuary dedicated to helping you cultivate a faith-filled embodied life. We help you walk with Jesus in wholeness – body, mind, and spirit. Members in The Yoga Abbey get monthly a content bundle including:
- 4 new Christ-centered yoga videos ranging from 15-60 minutes so you don’t have to rush to the gym or feel guilty because you only have 20 minutes to spare.
- 2 new guided meditation practices, Lectio Divinas (sacred scripture reading), creative contemplations (and more) so you no longer have to find the words when you pray.
- 2 new playlists to listen to while you practice or while
- 1 new devotional to marinate your heart and mind on the monthly theme.
- Instant access to our library including hundreds of yoga, meditation, and other spiritual direction practices are ready to view in our library when you need them.
The Yoga Abbey is a beautifully rich ecumenical community where many voices are heard and questions are encouraged. People feel welcome to come just as they are.
The Yoga Abbey Also Offers a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training for Christians
One of the things that I am most excited about in The Yoga Abbey is hosting our 200 hour yoga teacher training program. You may be wondering “What is a 200-hour Yoga Teacher training?”
A 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) is a foundational certification program for serious students of yoga and those who are curious about teaching. This training is recognized worldwide and is often accredited by organizations like the Yoga Alliance (although not all 200-hour programs pursue accreditation).
The program serves as an introduction to the essentials of yoga practice, philosophy, and teaching techniques. It provides participants with the skills and knowledge to go deeper in their yoga practice and to teach yoga classes safely and effectively.
What is Christian Yoga Teacher Training?
A Christian Yoga Teacher Training is a specialized yoga training that teaches about yoga from a Christian perspective.
The purpose of a Christian Yoga Teacher training is to equip serious students and future teachers to experience the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of traditional yoga techniques while staying centered on Christ.
These programs allow believers to practice and teach yoga as a form of worship and a new way to embody their prayers.
Any Christ-centered Yoga Teacher Training will generally teach about yoga as a way to embody faith and connect more deeply with God through holistic worship on a yoga mat.
Being a freelance yoga teacher trainer since 2016, I have had the privilege of working with several Christ-centered yoga teacher trainings and each has its own emphasis and charm. I can honestly say:
The Yoga Abbey’s Christ-centered yoga teacher training curriculum is by far my favorite!
I could be biased as someone who helped Caroline craft the core curriculum for this training at a monastery back in 2019!
The Yoga Abbey’s Christian Yoga training teaches more than just how to lead a yoga class. It helps you discover what it means to be an embodied follower of Jesus. With roots in contemplative practices and an emphasis on spiritual formation, this yoga training explores what it means to embody love and cultivate a more spirit-filled life.
Some things that set The Yoga Abbey training apart:
- Deep emphasis on personal growth and spiritual formation
- Christ-centered approach from anatomy to posture to sequencing
- LIVE interactions with teachers and other students
- Emphasis on Christian traditions of meditation and contemplative prayer
- Study of traditional yogic philosophy through the lens of Christ
- 100% online. Join us from anywhere in the world!
I am passionate about equipping Christians to practice and teach traditional yoga practiced from Christian perspective. I appreciate that The Yoga Abbey draws deeply from the Christian traditions of meditation and contemplative prayer. We’re not afraid to explore yogic philosophies and teachings, searching for the fingerprints of God throughout.
I have found that The Yoga Abbey’s teacher training program is a journey of God-discovery and self-discovery. It is an excavation of Biblical truths about what it means to know and be known by God in our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.
Our next Yoga Teacher Training kicks off in January 2025. To learn more, download your free info packet and set up a discovery call today.
Join the Yoga Abbey for Free for 7 Days
I’m thrilled to be the new leader of The Yoga Abbey and in awe of God’s faithfulness throughout this experience so far. Whether you are new to Christ-centered yoga, a seasoned practitioner, or a hopeful Christian yoga teacher…I’d love for you to join us in the online yoga membership.
Get 7 days FREE when you join the Yoga Abbey today! Use the code 1Week at checkout.
