One of my favorite songs is "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin.
"There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say, "it is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
Victory is won
He is risen from the dead
I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles wings
Before my God, fall on my knees 
And rise
I will rise"

If we can find that peace and that anchor in all aspects of our lives, wouldn't the world be even more incredible than it is?
In the midst of life: a Wife, a 15 year old, business owner, church goer, stuff doer, I need to always return my focus to that anchor.
And for me it is Jesus, the living Son of God.
Once I refocus, other things can, and do for the most part, fall into place and peace can be found.

I am in the process of this refocusing.
​March 1st, 2019 was the last day the studio was open. It was not easy to say goodbye, but with prayer and discernment I was able to do so.  I am now refocusing what Hesed Yoga will be, and there are lots of things on the way. Good things, and I hope you can be a part of them.

Are you searching? Are you looking for your anchor? 
Take time right now:
    Sit.
      Breathe.
        Focus.
30 seconds is a good start.
If you haven't got 30 seconds then lets do what the old saying tells us:  "Pray for an hour a day. If your too busy to pray one hour, pray two."
There is truth in that. Believe it my friends. The more time you take to find your anchor the calmer the waters become.
​Or maybe the more steady you become in rough waters...…..

It will show in your life once you find your anchor.  Take the time. Find the peace and then live it in your life.

Take a listen to the song "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin. 
It's available on most listening apps. 

It Is Well,
Tim +

 And so we continue... We continue this journey of life looking for our meaning. But what is that really? 
Each of our journeys is different, just like us. We are all different.  We might be journeying towards the same goal, but we approach it in different ways and even directions.  
Does the journey lead to meaning or does it just lead? Possibly lead us to life...……
HMMM.  
Do we need meaning to live life or can we just be, and be happy where we are? Are we filling our lives with meaning-less stuff, goals, wants? And if so, maybe its time to step back and re-evaluate our lives. To take stock of what we have and learn that it might be time to let go, to let go of excess and pare down to the essentials of life.
Then, and only then do I believe we can find the meaning for our lives.

And so we continue.

While we continue to re-evaluate and boil it down to the essentials, think about this:
1) What do I need vs what do I think I need or even want?
2) What can I do without that I have?
3) Where should my focus turn?
4) Where is meaning in my life already?

I challenge you (and myself) to look at these questions and begin to make changes. Maybe #4 is an easy answer and all we need to do is to focus or even re-focus on that.

So my friends, continue as we all do. Continue to be the loving, healthy people under all the "stuff" of life. Dig yourself out.
There is your meaning.... to be.... and to be YOU!

Blessing to you on this journey called life.
Tim +

The more and more that I read and teach about health and wellness in context of the spiritual life, the more and more I am just amazed at the beauty of our body and soul.
​I am blessed to be able to help others discover this as well in many different settings.  At my studio in yoga classes and at my church teaching health and spirituality classes. 
​For me, to separate the body from the soul, just doesn't work.  How can this creation, this gift from God, be separated into two "things?"  We must connect, learn to reconnect, the body and soul for us to become the healthy, whole being that God created.  God did not create a body and then think, "OH lets add......" nor did God create a soul and think "I should find a container to house it."  God created a body and breathed into it the spirit and gave it life....all at the same time.
​"We are embodied spirits, enspirited flesh." This quote is from Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP in his book 'Fasting Rediscovered.' 

Wow, just wow!!!  What a journey I am on right now.  A few years back I would have never thought that I would be a small business owner.
Well, its going on 5 years since I became an LLC and it will be 3 years since I opened a physical location for my yoga. I guess I am doing something right.

I have grown and learned (and forgotten) a lot of stuff in this time.  And I think I can safely say the number one thing that has made a difference is to not push and push and push to get what you want.  Make steps towards your goal, your passion in life, but DON'T FORCE IT!!!  It will come if you are faithful to who you are and to what calls you to do what you love. It will come if you respect those around you and show love and compassion to those you are working with/for.  It will come because those people will see that you truly and honestly care.  
I have had several opportunities come my way by just sitting and breathing and doing good in my business and my life.  The more you can love what you do and the people that come to you, the more you will grow.
I was contacted today about an opportunity that had been on my mind already and I had talked to a person a while back about it.  And today a different person messaged me out of the blue about something similar and it just made my day.  I hope that I can be a part of this thing and help others become the healthy, whole, happy, blessed people of God that we should be.
“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NRSV
This is where the name Hesed comes from.  Hesed translates to Mercy (justice) and Loving Kindness.  I hope and I pray that I live this in my life and in my business.
So,
Don’t force it:
Just sit there…..and Breathe……
 

I have had several people ask about yoga mats. So I feel I need to help you all make some decisions.
There are several good mats out there for you to choose from. They range in price from $8- over $100. When choosing a mat you must decide how often you will use it, price range you can afford and any ethical decisions about what the ...mat is made from.
I personally use a Manduka and love it. I have now had it for 2 years and it gets used 5 days a week, 3-4 hours a day. It hardly shows signs of wear.
A few other clients have Gaiam, LuLu Lemon and Jade. Another brand that I looked at was Prana.
If I was to suggest in order my preference it would be: Manduka, Jade, and then Prana for the top quality mats. Past that I would look at Gaiam. Ethically for me I would stay away from LuLu Lemon. But that choice is up to you.
Please go online and research each company. Read reviews and make a wise choice. If yoga is going to become a consistant part of your life, make sure you are going to love your mat.
If you would like to talk further about this, please feel free to contact me.

I am not being paid to promote any specific brand of yoga mat.  I am just presenting information about mats that I have used or that my yoga friends have used.  This is all personal insight and not influenced by any company.