Well, as I’ve chronicled many times, I live a life of busyness.  It’s getting better as I say no more often, but still busy nonetheless.  At any given moment, there is a wide range of thoughts flowing haphazardly through my mind.  During Lent, I have been more intentional with my reading and praying, but meditating is still a difficult task because there are so many thoughts I have to rein in.  So I started doing hot yoga, and I. love. it.

What in the world is hot yoga, you say?  It’s a form of yoga done in a 105 degree room.  It’s not a steamy room–it’s simply hot.   Like walking outside on a hot Mississippi summer day (which I can’t wait to do!! Go away snow and below 60 degree weather!).  I thought that would be the dealbreaker just because how often do we volunteer to do anything in that kind of heat, but nope…  I think the heat kept me focused on what I was doing and on clearing my mind.  I was even able to pray while holding poses.  The physical side of things is a challenge as well.  Of course, my flexibility is pretty much non-existent so I look forward to increasing that. What’s funny, though, is that because I grew up pretty clumsy, catching myself from falling at least once a day, my balance is pretty impressive. 🙂

The classes I take are 90 minutes each, and it doesn’t feel like that much time lapses at all.  And I’ve been able to channel the experience into moments where I’ve needed peace, for my thoughts to be still.  I still have a long way to go, though, lol.  Just Sunday night I had to just work for a couple of hours because I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing in order to go to sleep.  I was up until 4 am, but at least I was being productive until I could rest.

I’m reading The Purpose Driven Life over these 40 days of Lent (I’m determined to complete it this go round!), and this was written specifically for me:

When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry.  When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation.  If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate!  You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses.  The more you meditate on God’s Word, the less you will have to worry about.

And here’s a verse for you:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, BELIEVE that you have received it, and it will be yours. – Mark 11: 22-24