You’re in the right place if…
· you've been wondering about yoga and it's benefits to you as a Christian.
· you desire careful alignment AND encouragement from the Word of God.
· you want to connect with and honor your body, exploring your limits from a place of grace.
· you're ready to take time to move and breathe and meditate.
· you're seeking an integrated life where you worship the Lord with heart, soul, mind & strength.
· you long for community that “gets” you and is not afraid to explore the cracks and crevices of the soul.
If you resonate with any of these statements, welcome!
You've found home.
You belong here.
Click image below to view library of classes and get started!
Science proves that regular practice of yoga has profound physical and psychological benefits.
Including:
*reducing the stress response
*improving depression, anxiety and PTSD
*reducing inflammation
*aiding sleep and digestion
*enhancing neurological function
*cardiovascular health
*and MANY others.
- For more information, check out Eddie Sterns book "One Simple Thing: A new Look at the Science of Yoga and How it Can Transform Your Life."
How you can access these benefits:
Unlimited access to:
- Practice library with classes for brand new beginners to intermediate practitioners
Unlimited access to:
- Practice library with classes for brand new beginners to intermediate practitioners
AS WELL AS +
- access to all live (Los Angeles time) online classes and workshops
Unlimited access to:
- Practice library with classes for brand new beginners to intermediate practitioners
AS WELL AS +
- access to all live (Los Angeles time) online classes and workshops
PLUS ++
- Monthly 45 minute virtual one-on-one session
Can Christians even practice yoga?
That was my question too, until I reluctantly took my first Christian Yoga class back in 2007 and instantly fell in love!
To move with breath, draw in, get centered and integrate all the parts of me in the context of connecting with the Holy Spirit, worshiping Jesus and meditation on scripture was the BOMB. It IS the bomb.
I suspect I’m not the only one that finds it hard to sit still and just be quiet and listen.
Yet if I’m moving and breathing, holding, softening, and opening up, something happens. My mind gets quiet. My heart opens. My spirit gets sensitive and I begin to hear.
What can this Aussie girl with an American accent offer you?
A lifetime of learning how to be active in spite of back, knee, foot, shoulder and chest pain. Some caused by congenital structural issues, others by overuse, and then there's the gymnastics and mountain biking injuries...
I can offer you the lessons of a journey of faith that has gone from the mountaintops to the valleys, and a heart that went hard and was softened through the work of the spirit on my yoga mat.
Testimonials...
"I’m hooked! As a physical therapist, I more than appreciate Gina’s careful and thorough instructions; tending to the small, inner details of the yoga poses and movements that keep us safe and optimize the benefits of the practice. She graciously and beautifully leads the flow, respecting the unique differences of our shapes, gender, ages and fitness levels. Her instruction is far superior to others I’ve experienced in the past.
As a Christian, I LOVE the integration of movement, scripturally based meditation and a worshipful music selection that creates the experience for me to breathe God’s truths deep into my heart. Gina is highly skilled, yet authentically and humorously admits her challenges and struggles, both physically and spiritually, creating an atmosphere that is welcoming, encouraging and hopeful."
- Barbie Thomas, MPT
"Gina's classes have helped me to improve my core strength and balance. She has a great way of relating what you should be experiencing through the different positions and has a calming voice. Her use of scripture allows me to find a quiet time to be closer to our awesome God!"
- Jim Schurtz, Financial Advisor
"Whether popping in to Gina’s restorative yoga sessions or the 30 minute flow practices, I have gotten pain relief and relaxation from all classes I have participated in. She’s always looking to help her students find alternatives to certain poses and she continuously challenges her students to find what fits their needs and bodies. Her easygoing sessions offer moments of calm, reflection and the occasional giggle in fun of finding your balance!"
- Milia Weiss, Teacher
"After hitting an intense physical challenge, my body told me it was looking for less intensity. I turned to Gina's gentle yoga classes and it was just what I needed in between my pilates workouts and walking. She puts the body through a range of restful and restorative poses and breathing techniques set to thoughtful meditation. Combine that with Gina's soothing accent and knowledgeable instruction and I leave feeling relaxed and refreshed. Gina is sensitive to injuries and encourages working at your own comfort level."
- Danielle Slawsby, Wellness Advocate
“Gina’s ability to integrate body, mind and spirit in her yoga classes has been so helpful to me. She has a way of bringing scripture to life as she shares a message to reflect on. Her constant direction as she guides us gently through the poses is so appreciated. By the end of class, I always feel a sense of overall peace.”
- Denise Seyarto, Tax Professional
"Gina is the Desert Father NINJA of Holy Yoga. She integrates spiritual formation with her years of experience in exercise physiology with cutting-edge neuroscience. I've been her guinea pig since 1993 and people say I don't look a day over 59 (but I was born in 1960). In my unbiased opinion - Gina is simply the best! If you don't believe me take one of her classes and experience her genius."
- Dr. Gary B. Reinecke, Ministry Coach and Trainer
If you made it this far and you really want the full story, then read on. . .
I’ve been active all my life. The youngest of 3 kids with 2 older brothers, my goal in life was to keep up with the boys. I was a gymnast, and if there was a ball and bat involved – I was in!
All that said, there were issues.
So. Many. Issues.
Back pain. Neck pain. Knee pain. Foot pain. Sleep issues. Breathing issues.
From the time I hit double digits, I was being treated for one ailment or another.
I desired to help others live a healthy and active life and studied Exercise Science with an emphasis in Rehabilitation at Victoria University of Technology in Australia. Shortly after graduating I met and married my American husband and moved to the States. The two became four and we moved to California after living in the Arizona desert for 15 years.
Christ became my Lord and Savior when I was 15 years old and from that time on, I knew that there was a way that He would use me to bring physical, emotional and spiritual healing to the world. Connecting with God through prayer and worship, seeing him work through healing and teaching, and using the Word for edification and encouragement has always set my soul on fire!
These things along with a fascination with the human mind and body led me to a curiosity about yoga, but I was plagued with the question....
Can Christians even practice yoga?
I get it, that was my question too.
Until I took my first Christian Yoga class back in 2007 and fell in love!
To worship my Creator with heart, soul, mind and strength on my mat was the most incredible and liberating discovery. To move with breath, draw in, get centered and integrate all the parts of me in the context of connecting with the Holy Spirit and meditation on scripture was the BOMB. It IS the bomb.
I suspect I’m not the only one that finds it hard to sit still and just be quiet and listen.
Yet if I’m moving and breathing, holding, softening, and opening up, something happens. My mind gets quiet. My heart opens. My spirit gets sensitive and I begin to hear.
Shortly after that first delicious taste, life got busy. We moved to California. Kids’ activities and needs ruled the days.
I longed to get back to the spiritual discipline of Christian yoga.
I tried various classes, but did not feel safe, and found myself muscling through more sweaty, striving workouts.
These experiences weren't nurturing or mindful, they were simply movement that put me in positions where I was triggering more pain.
I didn’t need more of that in my life. I was doing plenty of workouts – boot camps, mountain biking, running, hiking, resistance training and as life got particularly stressful I would work out more intensely until finally my body broke down.
In using my physicality to attempt to be strong spiritually and emotionally, I created a host of problems.
Working out was a good outlet that burned off a lot of steam, kept me healthy and sane, but in the striving to be strong, the stress and angst was being imprinted in my body, mind and spirit. And then my body said “stop!”
Boot camps were out of the question, yet I loved the community and support in this environment. Not one more push-up without days of chest pain akin to a heart attack. Not one more lunge without shooting pain through my pubic bone. Not one more pull-up without days of a burning and aching neck. I was so sad, but the price was too great and I needed to find something different.
Surely I could find yoga that was taught in such a way that alignment principles and limitations were honored and I would be able to learn and grow while gently exploring my boundaries, couldn’t I?
Was it possible to find teachers more concerned about the quality of the practice, rather than running the class through a series of shapes and making sure we broke a sweat and our muscles cried for mercy?
I found myself in a secular studio, falling in love with these yogis that led me in practices that tapped into my love of anatomy and alignment. They encouraged me to open my heart and pay attention to what was going on inside and operate from a place of grace. I learned how to become an observer of my thoughts. As I grappled and struggled with my tight, bound up physical body, I saw that this mirrored my spiritual condition of an angry, guarded and hardened heart.
I begged Jesus to come and open my heart to Him again.
I met the Holy Spirit on the mat.
Rather than pushing the world away in order to keep my head up and be strong, I was learning to soften into what is, and in turn offer that to the Lord and let it be enough.
It has been a long and winding road. Over the years there have been several mountain-biking injuries that intensified the process of discovery and healing (my mantra, learned in a yoga class, is now “go slower than you want to go!”), there has been grief that cracked my armor, allowing the compassion, grace and love of God to seep in and soften and shine light on the dark corners of my heart.
There have been many physical therapy sessions where the truth of what I have held in my body has been revealed and I have wrestled with doubts and fears over whether I was even physically capable of getting certified as a Holy Yoga instructor. With her healing hands, wise words and endless encouragement my Physical Therapist helped me to see that the point is that we teach what we have learned.
My journey is my offering and I teach what I have learned.
My prayer is that somehow the Lord would use it to bless you and release you in all your fullness to impact the world for Him.