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“Just because yoga originated in India does not mean we must become Hindu in order to practice it.”by T.K.V. Desikachar The Heart of Yoga
Wholly Yoga’s mission is to make the physical mental and spiritual benefits of yoga practice affordable and accessible to people, who have previously been under served in the yoga community. This includes urban kids and families, spiritual searchers, and people of Christian faith. Wholly Yoga embraces the belief that we are meant to live and experience life as whole beings bringing together all aspects of our being physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual to find wholeness and health.
This site will keep you up-to-date with what is happening with Wholly Yoga, to provide tips and resources to enhance a yoga practice and offer additional insight and information about beyond the physical practice. While here you can sign up for a newsletter, join the online community, download yoga sequences for home practice and read news about what is happening in the yoga community.
I hope that you will find this information helpful and I look forward to your feedback to help improve this resource as we proceed.
Wholly Yoga
What is Wholly Yoga?
Wholly Yoga is an authentic hatha yoga practice in the style of Holy Yoga. Wholly Yoga is not a Christian alternative to yoga. Wholly Yoga uses the traditional yoga postures (English translations and traditional Sanskrit names are used) to enable participants to experience a mind, body and spirit connection through focusing breath, physical yoga postures and meditation. Wholly Yoga believes that we are meant to live and experience life as whole beings bringing together all aspects of our being physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual to find wholeness and health.
Like Holy Yoga, WhollyYoga is a bhakti (devotion) yoga practice that seeks to connect to God through practices of devotion. At Wholly Yoga focus on following Jesus teaching as we seek to connect to God by expressing our devotion (love) to God with all of who we are.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
30 You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’
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When we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we express that God is the central focus of our lives and pursue a spiritual connection with God. God alone is the focus of our worship, admiration, devotion and affection (Deuteronomy 5:7-8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
7 Do not worship any god except me. 8 ; . Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth.
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
21 . Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's wife or husband, house, land, slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else.
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
20 ; ; ; . Do not tell lies about others.
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
19 ; ; ; ; . Do not steal.
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
19 ; ; ; ; . Do not steal.
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English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Worry 25 I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds? 27 Can worry make you live longer? f live longer: Or “grow taller.” 28 Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes. 29 But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth g Solomon with all his wealth: The Jewish people thought that Solomon was the richest person who had ever lived. wasn't as well clothed as one of them. 30 God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith? 31 Don't worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. 34 Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.
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When God is in the center of life we can rest. (Matthew 11:28-30
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
28 . If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 . Take the yoke j yoke: Yokes were put on the necks of animals, so that they could pull a plow or wagon. A yoke was a symbol of obedience and hard work. I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.
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He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
17 God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.
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Wholly Yoga is also a karma (selfless action) yoga practice seeking to serve others selflessly
‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
31 . The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”
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Loving others as we have been loved includes acting on what God has done, through Christ, by serving others.
So Wholly Yoga is donation based (donation – the act of giving) making it available to anyone desiring to practice yoga. It is our desire to expose yoga to groups and individuals (youth, students, and those economically challenged) who may not be able to afford to practice yoga elsewhere. There is a suggested donation of $5 for each Wholly Yoga session.
Wholly Yoga is a spiritual practice (Sadhana, 1 Timothy 4:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8-9 As the saying goes, “Exercise is good for your body, but religion helps you in every way. It promises life now and forever.” These words are worthwhile and should not be forgotten.
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Wholly Yoga classes are located Mosaic Life Church and an initiative of Grand Rapids Dreams.
