{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":0.16,"endTime":3.8,"body":"Hey, everybody. Welcome to Restoring the Soul. I am talking"},{"startTime":3.88,"endTime":7.448,"body":"today with an old friend that I recently connected with,"},{"startTime":7.504,"endTime":11.352,"body":"Meredith Phipps. Hi. Welcome to the podcast. Hi. It's good"},{"startTime":11.376,"endTime":15.032,"body":"to be here. Very good to be here. You are not in North Carolina."},{"startTime":15.096,"endTime":18.552,"body":"You're in Texas, Is that correct? We are in Texas currently,"},{"startTime":18.656,"endTime":22.312,"body":"yes. Well, thanks for getting on the podcast. We had the joy"},{"startTime":22.376,"endTime":25.554,"body":"for me of after probably 10 years"},{"startTime":25.752,"endTime":29.294,"body":"reconnecting over a phone call, and as I was learning"},{"startTime":29.342,"endTime":32.958,"body":"about what you're doing and how your life"},{"startTime":33.014,"endTime":36.67,"body":"has developed and the ministry and the"},{"startTime":36.71,"endTime":40.462,"body":"vocation that you've been given around yoga, I wanted to have"},{"startTime":40.486,"endTime":44.286,"body":"you on the podcast. So you ready to jump in? I'm ready to jump"},{"startTime":44.318,"endTime":47.838,"body":"in. Always. Cool. I'd love to hear your"},{"startTime":47.894,"endTime":51.662,"body":"story of how you got into yoga and what it is that"},{"startTime":51.686,"endTime":55.03,"body":"you do today. But I also just want to say at the outset"},{"startTime":55.37,"endTime":59.202,"body":"that for many Christians, the word yoga elicits"},{"startTime":59.266,"endTime":62.978,"body":"a lot of strong responses. I know of many"},{"startTime":63.034,"endTime":66.834,"body":"Christians from the left and the right and the center who practice"},{"startTime":66.882,"endTime":70.546,"body":"yoga. And I know of Christians who I dearly love and respect"},{"startTime":70.618,"endTime":74.162,"body":"who have heard the word yoga and they believe that it's demonic,"},{"startTime":74.306,"endTime":77.858,"body":"that you can't possibly be a Christian and do it. And"},{"startTime":77.914,"endTime":81.36,"body":"so your heart behind this, as you talked about it,"},{"startTime":83.02,"endTime":86.804,"body":"was both beautiful in your passion"},{"startTime":86.852,"endTime":90.692,"body":"for this, but also how you integrate your faith. You have"},{"startTime":90.716,"endTime":94.484,"body":"a master's in yoga therapy, and yet"},{"startTime":94.572,"endTime":97.6,"body":"you've also been in ministry for many, many years."},{"startTime":98.54,"endTime":102.276,"body":"And what I loved is that you brought"},{"startTime":102.468,"endTime":106.148,"body":"significant and substantial science to this conversation,"},{"startTime":106.244,"endTime":109.742,"body":"but also a depth of. Of theology"},{"startTime":109.886,"endTime":113.726,"body":"and biblical background. Not that you walk around trying to proof text this, but"},{"startTime":113.798,"endTime":117.31,"body":"one more thing. At the outset, I'm a little biased in this"},{"startTime":117.35,"endTime":121.006,"body":"conversation. Number one, because I really love you and your husband"},{"startTime":121.038,"endTime":124.59,"body":"Jason and have so much respect for you. But"},{"startTime":124.63,"endTime":128.446,"body":"secondly, about a year and a half ago, my wife Julianne"},{"startTime":128.478,"endTime":131.93,"body":"gave me a membership to a local yoga club and I went to some,"},{"startTime":132.63,"endTime":136.432,"body":"like, experimental classes. And after I used up the four packages, I"},{"startTime":136.456,"endTime":139.984,"body":"got a membership for a whole year. So over the last"},{"startTime":140.152,"endTime":143.84,"body":"10 months, I've done about 101, not about, but exactly. The app"},{"startTime":143.88,"endTime":147.568,"body":"tells me exactly 101 yoga classes, and it's been life changing."},{"startTime":147.744,"endTime":151.52,"body":"Wonderful. Bessel Van der Kolk and Dan Allender, secular"},{"startTime":151.6,"endTime":155.216,"body":"and Christian trauma experts, both talk"},{"startTime":155.288,"endTime":158.592,"body":"in some of their most recent books that yoga is one of the top things"},{"startTime":158.616,"endTime":162.174,"body":"you can do to heal from trauma. So that's the introduction"},{"startTime":162.312,"endTime":166.002,"body":"with all the caveat. But do jump in and tell me a little bit of"},{"startTime":166.026,"endTime":169.186,"body":"your story, how you got here and what you do."},{"startTime":169.338,"endTime":172.994,"body":"Sure. Well,"},{"startTime":173.162,"endTime":176.69,"body":"how I got here. And I want to say as well on the outset that"},{"startTime":176.73,"endTime":180.146,"body":"I deeply respect each individual walking with"},{"startTime":180.218,"endTime":183.89,"body":"Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to take them"},{"startTime":183.93,"endTime":187.07,"body":"through that journey of what they should and should not be a part of."},{"startTime":187.45,"endTime":191.242,"body":"So I believe that's a deeply personal thing between God and"},{"startTime":191.266,"endTime":194.682,"body":"each believer. And that is really where it started for me. I grew up in"},{"startTime":194.706,"endTime":198.298,"body":"a very, very spiritual background, both very dark and"},{"startTime":198.354,"endTime":202.186,"body":"light. A lot of Christianity, a lot of walking"},{"startTime":202.218,"endTime":205.93,"body":"with God and a lot of spiritual darkness just where"},{"startTime":205.97,"endTime":209.722,"body":"I lived, not in my family, but just in the"},{"startTime":209.746,"endTime":213.322,"body":"location that I grew up. So while we were in"},{"startTime":213.346,"endTime":216.842,"body":"counseling with you all, I was going to a local gym that had just"},{"startTime":216.866,"endTime":220.692,"body":"a. A regular yoga class. There was really no spiritual component"},{"startTime":220.756,"endTime":224.196,"body":"to that class, but what I found was that that"},{"startTime":224.268,"endTime":228.036,"body":"practice, just two or three times a week, was where God was meeting"},{"startTime":228.108,"endTime":231.652,"body":"me in profound healing in my"},{"startTime":231.676,"endTime":235.204,"body":"life. I remember we would get to the end of class."},{"startTime":235.292,"endTime":238.82,"body":"There's a practice called Shavasana, where you're literally just"},{"startTime":238.86,"endTime":242.644,"body":"resting in stillness. It's probably the only time in my"},{"startTime":242.652,"endTime":246.442,"body":"life that I was still, still, ever. And I would just weep."},{"startTime":246.506,"endTime":249.114,"body":"I didn't care if I was in the gym. I didn't care who was around."},{"startTime":249.202,"endTime":252.746,"body":"It was just this profound moment between myself and God."},{"startTime":252.938,"endTime":256.714,"body":"And the practice of moving my body"},{"startTime":256.802,"endTime":259.99,"body":"in this way and being able to create this"},{"startTime":260.29,"endTime":264.026,"body":"new relationship with my body in the middle"},{"startTime":264.058,"endTime":267.03,"body":"of healing from PTSD and from a lot of other"},{"startTime":267.73,"endTime":270.63,"body":"troubles that were going on in my life was"},{"startTime":271.07,"endTime":274.39,"body":"phenomenal. And I really launched me forward"},{"startTime":274.51,"endTime":277.91,"body":"in what God was able to do. And I really"},{"startTime":277.95,"endTime":281.05,"body":"noticed specifically that that gave"},{"startTime":281.47,"endTime":285.222,"body":"God the space and time to be"},{"startTime":285.246,"endTime":288.87,"body":"able to minister to me in a way that I hadn't had"},{"startTime":288.91,"endTime":292.742,"body":"never experienced before. So from that, you"},{"startTime":292.766,"endTime":296.598,"body":"know, fast forwarding several years, of course I wanted to be able to bring"},{"startTime":296.654,"endTime":299.93,"body":"this to other people. I'm a military spouse."},{"startTime":300.76,"endTime":304.34,"body":"I loved the idea of being able to bring this to other military spouses."},{"startTime":306.2,"endTime":309.936,"body":"It's a life that comes with its own challenges. And so"},{"startTime":310.008,"endTime":313.66,"body":"I immediately got my 200 hour"},{"startTime":313.96,"endTime":317.52,"body":"with yoga alliance teaching certificate and began to"},{"startTime":317.56,"endTime":321.072,"body":"teach. And from that moment, I immediately was"},{"startTime":321.176,"endTime":324.416,"body":"attracted to, in that training, something called yoga"},{"startTime":324.448,"endTime":327.866,"body":"therapy. Yoga therapy is a complementary"},{"startTime":327.898,"endTime":331.626,"body":"healthcare practice. It's an emerging healthcare practice. It's"},{"startTime":331.658,"endTime":334.97,"body":"bound by hipaa. And it is the idea of taking the"},{"startTime":335.01,"endTime":337.71,"body":"practices, the embodiment practices"},{"startTime":338.61,"endTime":342.09,"body":"of yoga and applying them to our"},{"startTime":342.21,"endTime":345.834,"body":"holistically, to every medical,"},{"startTime":346.002,"endTime":349.578,"body":"physical, emotional, spiritual and emotional condition"},{"startTime":349.674,"endTime":353.306,"body":"that we encounter, building support and inner"},{"startTime":353.338,"endTime":357.094,"body":"resource there. And again, just the idea of changing that relationship with"},{"startTime":357.102,"endTime":360.662,"body":"our body. So that's how I got interested in"},{"startTime":360.686,"endTime":364.39,"body":"yoga therapy. When we moved to Washington, D.C. i found a program that"},{"startTime":364.43,"endTime":368.102,"body":"had a master's of science in yoga therapy. It was a clinical"},{"startTime":368.166,"endTime":371.382,"body":"program. And for me, I'm a why"},{"startTime":371.566,"endTime":375.222,"body":"girl. I need to know the why behind things. I love pulling on"},{"startTime":375.246,"endTime":378.742,"body":"those threads. And so being able to partake in a"},{"startTime":378.766,"endTime":382.13,"body":"clinical practice, that really dove into"},{"startTime":382.83,"endTime":386.14,"body":"the. The science behind it. And I'll tell you"},{"startTime":386.18,"endTime":389.612,"body":"why. It's not demystifying for"},{"startTime":389.636,"endTime":393.292,"body":"me what the practice is actually"},{"startTime":393.396,"endTime":397.18,"body":"doing in our bodies. What it did for me was"},{"startTime":397.3,"endTime":400.748,"body":"open my eyes to God's creation, open my"},{"startTime":400.804,"endTime":404.556,"body":"eyes to. To what he has already designed within"},{"startTime":404.628,"endTime":408.46,"body":"us and how he can use that. And it's just so phenomenal. The"},{"startTime":408.5,"endTime":411.612,"body":"more I learn and the more I dig, the more it draws me back to"},{"startTime":411.636,"endTime":415.338,"body":"His Word, the more it draws me back to His Majesty. It's like the,"},{"startTime":415.384,"endTime":418.85,"body":"like, the end chapters of Job where he's going through"},{"startTime":419.23,"endTime":422.742,"body":"all of these things that he's done, raised the"},{"startTime":422.766,"endTime":426.23,"body":"mountains, you know, tamed Leviathan. I mean,"},{"startTime":426.27,"endTime":429.766,"body":"just that's what it's like for me, diving into the"},{"startTime":429.838,"endTime":433.622,"body":"scientific side and the neurology behind this, the mechanisms"},{"startTime":433.686,"endTime":437.366,"body":"behind what we've seen. I see it all over God's Word,"},{"startTime":437.398,"endTime":441.206,"body":"and it just drives me. So that's"},{"startTime":441.238,"endTime":445.006,"body":"where I am today. Yeah. Thank you for all of that. I love how you're"},{"startTime":445.038,"endTime":448.878,"body":"talking about the fearfully and wonderfully madeness. You didn't"},{"startTime":448.894,"endTime":452.43,"body":"use that word, but out of Psalm139, of course, that is"},{"startTime":452.55,"endTime":456.254,"body":"a reference to our bodies, that as David is saying those words,"},{"startTime":456.382,"endTime":460.094,"body":"there's something that's so amazing and wondrous. I could spend"},{"startTime":460.222,"endTime":463.85,"body":"a lifetime thinking about this, experiencing it."},{"startTime":465.19,"endTime":468.904,"body":"There's a couple directions I want to go. One is back to this idea"},{"startTime":468.952,"endTime":472.152,"body":"of how the word yoga itself can elicit"},{"startTime":472.296,"endTime":476.088,"body":"discomfort in Christians. And then how you talked"},{"startTime":476.104,"endTime":479.8,"body":"about that your study is in a clinical application of that"},{"startTime":479.84,"endTime":483.512,"body":"as it relates to all kinds of medical issues. And I've noticed that."},{"startTime":483.696,"endTime":487.544,"body":"I've noticed a handful of online individuals that"},{"startTime":487.552,"endTime":491.272,"body":"are offering programs and even some apps that are out there that"},{"startTime":491.296,"endTime":494.968,"body":"are essentially taking yoga practice that is"},{"startTime":495.024,"endTime":498.584,"body":"all the same poses, but they're calling it a stretching program,"},{"startTime":498.752,"endTime":502.372,"body":"and people are doing it. And so part of yoga is"},{"startTime":502.396,"endTime":506.02,"body":"stretching and movement and flexibility. But then there's also things like"},{"startTime":506.06,"endTime":509.636,"body":"presence and rest and compassionate"},{"startTime":509.668,"endTime":513.22,"body":"acceptance and all those things. But it's fascinating to me because some"},{"startTime":513.26,"endTime":517.092,"body":"people, they think, well, they're Sanskrit words, or"},{"startTime":517.116,"endTime":520.692,"body":"you're praying to gods that are not Jesus. And things like"},{"startTime":520.716,"endTime":524.308,"body":"that. So will you address some of that tension"},{"startTime":524.404,"endTime":527.84,"body":"and then maybe in that talk about what it is that you do"},{"startTime":528.21,"endTime":531.93,"body":"and how you're interacting with people on a regular basis with yoga and then"},{"startTime":531.97,"endTime":534.99,"body":"some of the impact that you're seeing? Sure, absolutely."},{"startTime":535.57,"endTime":539.402,"body":"For me, as a believer, and especially with that background of growing up with so"},{"startTime":539.426,"endTime":542.986,"body":"much new age in our culture,"},{"startTime":543.178,"endTime":547.002,"body":"in the state that I grew up, it"},{"startTime":547.026,"endTime":550.682,"body":"was important for me to really understand what was behind what I was"},{"startTime":550.706,"endTime":554.282,"body":"practicing. I was seeing the difference in my own life. I was seeing the"},{"startTime":554.306,"endTime":558.042,"body":"difference in my body every time I was on the mat."},{"startTime":558.106,"endTime":561.942,"body":"It was a deep and profound meeting between myself and God. There was no"},{"startTime":561.966,"endTime":565.702,"body":"one else sharing that space. And so, again, being"},{"startTime":565.726,"endTime":569.462,"body":"a Y girl, I really, I really wanted to know what was behind a lot"},{"startTime":569.486,"endTime":573.174,"body":"of that. So, again, with deep"},{"startTime":573.222,"endTime":576.566,"body":"respect for where each individual is, we've all had some different"},{"startTime":576.638,"endTime":580.422,"body":"experiences with yoga, whether we understand, whether we've just kind"},{"startTime":580.446,"endTime":583.85,"body":"of heard a few things. If you Google yoga and Christianity,"},{"startTime":584.27,"endTime":587.524,"body":"hands down, you're going to see a lot of it's evil, it's, it's horrible,"},{"startTime":587.572,"endTime":590.852,"body":"it's. I, I actually"},{"startTime":590.956,"endTime":593.68,"body":"appreciated being able to dive into the history."},{"startTime":595.34,"endTime":598.852,"body":"Yoga does predate Hinduism by about 1500 years. The"},{"startTime":598.876,"endTime":602.628,"body":"earliest, the earliest evidence that we have of yoga"},{"startTime":602.644,"endTime":606.452,"body":"existing, it actually was in northern India, which"},{"startTime":606.476,"endTime":610.164,"body":"is a monotheistic practice. When you go down towards"},{"startTime":610.212,"endTime":613.96,"body":"southern India, that's where you get more of the multiple"},{"startTime":615.12,"endTime":618.82,"body":"deities. And so yoga, even"},{"startTime":619.52,"endTime":623.32,"body":"the practice is much more, as you mentioned, more than just"},{"startTime":623.36,"endTime":626.22,"body":"the physical practices, breath practices,"},{"startTime":627.44,"endTime":631.032,"body":"the mindfulness, the meditation that goes, that goes along with"},{"startTime":631.056,"endTime":634.904,"body":"it. The practices themselves. The more that I have studied"},{"startTime":634.952,"endTime":638.42,"body":"and the more that I dive into this really are,"},{"startTime":640.17,"endTime":643.922,"body":"really are very, I"},{"startTime":643.946,"endTime":647.522,"body":"could almost say individualistic for religious"},{"startTime":647.586,"endTime":650.802,"body":"purposes. So, for instance, the"},{"startTime":650.906,"endTime":654.61,"body":"practice of being prostrate before God, I"},{"startTime":654.65,"endTime":657.97,"body":"cannot call any of my prostrate yoga postures"},{"startTime":658.13,"endTime":661.51,"body":"anything other than being prostrate before God."},{"startTime":662.17,"endTime":665.89,"body":"I would no more say that I could not kneel before my"},{"startTime":665.93,"endTime":668.74,"body":"God because it's a yoga posture."},{"startTime":669.64,"endTime":673.328,"body":"Then I would say, you know, I can't. Well, I can't kneel because"},{"startTime":673.464,"endTime":676.816,"body":"somebody who is Islamic kneels and prays to Allah. And I don't pray to Allah."},{"startTime":676.848,"endTime":680.464,"body":"It's. It's really taking that"},{"startTime":680.552,"endTime":684.032,"body":"extreme. And I'm not discounting"},{"startTime":684.096,"endTime":687.744,"body":"that. Some people have absolutely taken"},{"startTime":687.912,"endTime":691.568,"body":"the yoga practices and cultures have taken yoga practices and"},{"startTime":691.624,"endTime":695.372,"body":"used it within their own religious practices. And"},{"startTime":695.396,"endTime":699.02,"body":"so that's where it gets really sticky. There's a really great"},{"startTime":699.14,"endTime":702.188,"body":"study that has been done over several years by two"},{"startTime":702.244,"endTime":705.916,"body":"Harvard psychologists, and they began to study"},{"startTime":705.988,"endTime":709.468,"body":"the practice and change of trait behaviors"},{"startTime":709.564,"endTime":713.4,"body":"through meditation. And of course they went to India and they went to"},{"startTime":714.02,"endTime":717.58,"body":"yogis who were meditating. They also went to Buddhist monks, they"},{"startTime":717.62,"endTime":721.348,"body":"also went to Christian monasteries everywhere. Because these"},{"startTime":721.404,"endTime":725.06,"body":"practices they were recognizing were that the same and"},{"startTime":725.1,"endTime":728.82,"body":"were creating some of those same changes. So for"},{"startTime":728.86,"endTime":732.692,"body":"me, the reason that I dove so"},{"startTime":732.716,"endTime":736.372,"body":"deeply into that mechanics, the more that I began to unravel it,"},{"startTime":736.476,"endTime":740.116,"body":"my prayer was constantly, God, show me what is yours and"},{"startTime":740.188,"endTime":743.812,"body":"what is not. You know, every good and"},{"startTime":743.836,"endTime":747.654,"body":"perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights. And that, that verse"},{"startTime":747.702,"endTime":751.19,"body":"kept resonating with me. And I thought these practices are making a"},{"startTime":751.23,"endTime":754.982,"body":"difference. They're, they're being used within our bodies"},{"startTime":755.046,"endTime":758.838,"body":"that God created and having good effect. I think that's"},{"startTime":758.854,"endTime":762.422,"body":"why I want to go back to for myself in this practice. It's very"},{"startTime":762.446,"endTime":766.15,"body":"important to me that as I move forward"},{"startTime":766.19,"endTime":769.75,"body":"with anyone, whether I'm working with a believer or a non believer, that I"},{"startTime":769.79,"endTime":773.602,"body":"know the origin of the practice that I'm offering, that"},{"startTime":773.626,"endTime":777.25,"body":"I know what mechanisms it's were"},{"startTime":777.29,"endTime":780.834,"body":"actually why I'm, what purpose I'm using it for. Am I"},{"startTime":780.842,"endTime":784.082,"body":"activating the sympathetic nervous system? Am I activating the"},{"startTime":784.106,"endTime":787.922,"body":"parasympathetic nervous system? Am I, you know, are we creating a change in"},{"startTime":787.946,"endTime":791.15,"body":"the insula and, you know, whatever that is."},{"startTime":792.09,"endTime":795.51,"body":"We used a good example when we were talking on the phone of Om."},{"startTime":796.33,"endTime":800.126,"body":"I don't use the word Om myself,"},{"startTime":800.258,"endTime":803.846,"body":"but that formation of"},{"startTime":803.918,"endTime":807.75,"body":"Om, which can also be found when you chant amen"},{"startTime":807.83,"endTime":811.174,"body":"in a certain way or shalom in a certain way,"},{"startTime":811.342,"endTime":814.566,"body":"does have an effect not only on the vagus nerve,"},{"startTime":814.678,"endTime":818.374,"body":"but the megahertz, just the frequency."},{"startTime":818.502,"endTime":821.85,"body":"We've seen changes on a cellular"},{"startTime":822.35,"endTime":825.974,"body":"basis in our bodies can change cellular design, can change"},{"startTime":826.062,"endTime":829.574,"body":"the function of our bodies and certainly tone the"},{"startTime":829.582,"endTime":833.234,"body":"vagus nerve, which is very. Working with trauma"},{"startTime":833.282,"endTime":837.01,"body":"survivors. So Meredith, I love how you're talking"},{"startTime":837.17,"endTime":840.93,"body":"as a trauma informed person who's doing and"},{"startTime":840.97,"endTime":844.482,"body":"teaching yoga. And I know that's part of how you describe yourself as trauma"},{"startTime":844.546,"endTime":848.13,"body":"informed yoga therapist. And trauma is where I've seen"},{"startTime":848.17,"endTime":851.97,"body":"this impact myself and others so greatly. Talk a little bit about the"},{"startTime":852.01,"endTime":855.81,"body":"nature of the work that you actually do. You're talking about working with"},{"startTime":855.85,"endTime":859.602,"body":"believers and unbelievers and you're obviously coming alongside people"},{"startTime":859.706,"endTime":862.65,"body":"and training and, or educating them. Yes."},{"startTime":863.79,"endTime":867.382,"body":"So trauma recovery is my wheelhouse. I've worked with"},{"startTime":867.406,"endTime":871.046,"body":"trauma survivors even before I had my yoga"},{"startTime":871.078,"endTime":874.886,"body":"therapy certification. I"},{"startTime":874.958,"endTime":878.342,"body":"found certainly again in my own experience, just the"},{"startTime":878.366,"endTime":881.862,"body":"profound change of what happens when we can change our"},{"startTime":881.886,"endTime":885.51,"body":"relationship with our body. I purposefully"},{"startTime":885.59,"endTime":889.366,"body":"work with, or I specifically work with those who are recovering"},{"startTime":889.398,"endTime":892.726,"body":"from trauma. But I found that that crosses over quite a bit to"},{"startTime":892.798,"endTime":896.55,"body":"aging, to progressive illness,"},{"startTime":897.29,"endTime":901.026,"body":"to many areas where we feel either disconnected"},{"startTime":901.058,"endTime":904.722,"body":"from our body or we have felt betrayed by our body,"},{"startTime":904.826,"endTime":908.19,"body":"or our body no longer feels safe or"},{"startTime":908.49,"endTime":912.19,"body":"even recognizable to ourselves. So"},{"startTime":912.89,"endTime":916.562,"body":"very similarly, in all of these cases, it's"},{"startTime":916.626,"endTime":920.328,"body":"reforging our relationship with our body. And"},{"startTime":920.464,"endTime":924.232,"body":"what really draws me to this work, I typically work one on"},{"startTime":924.256,"endTime":928.06,"body":"one with people. And in any of these conditions,"},{"startTime":928.64,"endTime":931.96,"body":"and especially trauma, where it feels unsafe to be in the"},{"startTime":932.0,"endTime":935.368,"body":"body, what has been beautiful is to watch God"},{"startTime":935.464,"endTime":939.08,"body":"change the relationship that we have. I think of our bodies"},{"startTime":939.16,"endTime":942.952,"body":"as one of the most intimate places that we"},{"startTime":942.976,"endTime":946.312,"body":"can be with God. No one else can know our"},{"startTime":946.336,"endTime":950.05,"body":"thoughts, no one else can know the inside of our bodies"},{"startTime":950.13,"endTime":953.922,"body":"as well as our Creator, who knit us together and knows how it"},{"startTime":953.946,"endTime":957.138,"body":"works and operates. Aside from our"},{"startTime":957.194,"endTime":960.61,"body":"Creator, we are probably the next"},{"startTime":960.73,"endTime":964.562,"body":"best understanding knowledge of our"},{"startTime":964.586,"endTime":968.242,"body":"own bodies, Right? So imagine our bodies as"},{"startTime":968.266,"endTime":971.81,"body":"God's temple. Imagine meeting God in our"},{"startTime":971.85,"endTime":975.39,"body":"body in that intimate and quiet place in our body."},{"startTime":976.33,"endTime":979.39,"body":"In all of these cases, especially in"},{"startTime":980.01,"endTime":983.81,"body":"trauma recovery, there's several steps to that, and it certainly can"},{"startTime":983.85,"endTime":987.394,"body":"take time. Our body and our brain is designed to protect"},{"startTime":987.442,"endTime":990.162,"body":"us. It's designed to"},{"startTime":990.266,"endTime":993.91,"body":"specifically weed out anything that is negative."},{"startTime":994.41,"endTime":998.098,"body":"I'm sure most of us have experienced that negative loop where you see"},{"startTime":998.154,"endTime":1002.002,"body":"something that is horrible, maybe you spilled your"},{"startTime":1002.026,"endTime":1005.202,"body":"coffee that morning and that just got the day out wrong. And then all of"},{"startTime":1005.226,"endTime":1008.782,"body":"a sudden you start to notice every neg thing. Our brains are"},{"startTime":1008.806,"endTime":1012.59,"body":"literally designed for that. So it can take several steps to actually reverse"},{"startTime":1012.67,"endTime":1016.318,"body":"that. Sometimes it takes a little longer than others."},{"startTime":1016.374,"endTime":1020.062,"body":"And certainly when we're dealing with trauma recovery, that can take quite a"},{"startTime":1020.086,"endTime":1023.79,"body":"while. But the beautiful thing is discovering those"},{"startTime":1023.83,"endTime":1027.502,"body":"steps in God's word, discovering those steps that are already"},{"startTime":1027.606,"endTime":1031.17,"body":"knit literally into our physical bodies,"},{"startTime":1031.59,"endTime":1034.558,"body":"that have been created to reverse this"},{"startTime":1034.614,"endTime":1037.822,"body":"relationship and reforge this beautiful,"},{"startTime":1037.886,"endTime":1041.399,"body":"intimate place to be with God inside ourselves."},{"startTime":1042.299,"endTime":1046.019,"body":"I've often said on this podcast and in my writing and"},{"startTime":1046.059,"endTime":1049.651,"body":"teaching that it's hard to practice the presence of God if we"},{"startTime":1049.675,"endTime":1053.011,"body":"can't practice the presence of ourself, if we can't be connected to"},{"startTime":1053.035,"endTime":1056.659,"body":"ourselves. And so I can just testify that yoga has been"},{"startTime":1056.779,"endTime":1060.483,"body":"a wonderful way for me over the last 12 months to reconnect"},{"startTime":1060.531,"endTime":1064.291,"body":"with parts of myself that I've been disconnected from, especially parts of my"},{"startTime":1064.315,"endTime":1067.918,"body":"body. And even to the point where"},{"startTime":1068.054,"endTime":1071.326,"body":"I find, as you started out, the top of the program, saying there's"},{"startTime":1071.358,"endTime":1075.07,"body":"certain postures and places on the mat. I"},{"startTime":1075.11,"endTime":1078.65,"body":"find myself where it feels like a space just opens up"},{"startTime":1078.95,"endTime":1082.718,"body":"for experiencing the presence of God within. Like,"},{"startTime":1082.774,"endTime":1086.57,"body":"wow, something just expanded. And then there's even one or two"},{"startTime":1087.35,"endTime":1091.102,"body":"postures or movements that will sometimes bring"},{"startTime":1091.126,"endTime":1094.854,"body":"up a sense of vulnerability or a sense of anxiety. And so"},{"startTime":1094.862,"endTime":1098.086,"body":"that's a chance for me toward the end of the class to sit with that"},{"startTime":1098.158,"endTime":1101.846,"body":"and just let God hold me or to reassure"},{"startTime":1101.878,"endTime":1105.318,"body":"me that healing is coming or that he's at work in me."},{"startTime":1105.454,"endTime":1109.174,"body":"And so it's really beautiful. I wish"},{"startTime":1109.222,"endTime":1112.79,"body":"we had more time on this particular podcast to"},{"startTime":1112.83,"endTime":1116.582,"body":"dig deeper. But how can people work with you if they're listening to"},{"startTime":1116.606,"endTime":1119.766,"body":"this and saying, I just want to have a conversation with her. Are you available"},{"startTime":1119.838,"endTime":1123.614,"body":"for one on one appointments or is it just face to face classes?"},{"startTime":1123.742,"endTime":1125.37,"body":"Do you do yoga online?"},{"startTime":1127.59,"endTime":1131.182,"body":"Excuse me? Yes, actually I work"},{"startTime":1131.366,"endTime":1134.814,"body":"telehealth as well. So I have clients via"},{"startTime":1134.862,"endTime":1138.462,"body":"telehealth and I do see people. I have a website that you can contact me"},{"startTime":1138.486,"endTime":1141.87,"body":"through. I am seeing clients one on one in"},{"startTime":1141.91,"endTime":1145.614,"body":"Texas, near Fort Cavazos. But I do a fair amount"},{"startTime":1145.662,"endTime":1148.35,"body":"of work via"},{"startTime":1148.69,"endTime":1152.522,"body":"telehealth. And we actually have just begun a"},{"startTime":1152.546,"endTime":1156.33,"body":"new nonprofit for those who have barriers"},{"startTime":1156.41,"endTime":1159.93,"body":"to complementary health care, who are experiencing trauma, who"},{"startTime":1160.05,"endTime":1163.594,"body":"are wanting to recover from trauma. It's called Empowered"},{"startTime":1163.642,"endTime":1167.466,"body":"Wellness Group. Myself and a few of our graduates from"},{"startTime":1167.538,"endTime":1171.11,"body":"our grad program have begun this"},{"startTime":1171.97,"endTime":1175.562,"body":"wonderful. And have volunteered our time with this wonderful program so that we"},{"startTime":1175.586,"endTime":1179.164,"body":"can. You can find the link on my website"},{"startTime":1179.332,"endTime":1183.004,"body":"in Resources, and through that website, you can apply"},{"startTime":1183.052,"endTime":1186.764,"body":"for that care. If, for instance, you're. You're. Maybe you're seeing a"},{"startTime":1186.772,"endTime":1190.044,"body":"counselor and your insurance covers that, but it doesn't cover the embodiment"},{"startTime":1190.092,"endTime":1193.852,"body":"practice. And these embodiment practices really do. I mean,"},{"startTime":1193.876,"endTime":1197.452,"body":"they're right in line with the Body keeps the score with"},{"startTime":1197.476,"endTime":1201.292,"body":"Peter Levine's work, with our somatic practices. I mean, we're"},{"startTime":1201.356,"endTime":1204.08,"body":"seeing the difference now in Western medicine."},{"startTime":1204.8,"endTime":1208.504,"body":"And I can't remember if it was Peter Levine or Van der Kolk who said"},{"startTime":1208.512,"endTime":1211.752,"body":"it, but one of them had mentioned the body was involved in the"},{"startTime":1211.776,"endTime":1215.58,"body":"trauma. Why would we not include the body in the healing?"},{"startTime":1216.08,"endTime":1219.784,"body":"And that has been, I mean, really that profound,"},{"startTime":1219.912,"endTime":1223.752,"body":"using that movement, just that attention. I think you said"},{"startTime":1223.776,"endTime":1227.4,"body":"it in your new book. The excerpt that you sent out was wonderful,"},{"startTime":1227.48,"endTime":1230.62,"body":"experiencing that presence of God in our bodies."},{"startTime":1231.39,"endTime":1234.614,"body":"And it's just I would love to be able to come alongside"},{"startTime":1234.742,"endTime":1238.47,"body":"anyone who is interested and help them to"},{"startTime":1238.51,"endTime":1242.23,"body":"reforge that relationship slowly but surely. So what is"},{"startTime":1242.27,"endTime":1245.654,"body":"that website? It is essentiayoga"},{"startTime":1245.702,"endTime":1249.382,"body":"therapy.com It's E S S E N"},{"startTime":1249.486,"endTime":1251.926,"body":"T I a yoga"},{"startTime":1251.958,"endTime":1255.686,"body":"therapy.com and Essendia yoga Therapy"},{"startTime":1255.718,"endTime":1259.388,"body":"is is my practice. Yeah, Essentia like the word essence or"},{"startTime":1259.444,"endTime":1261.916,"body":"essential. Essentia yoga"},{"startTime":1261.948,"endTime":1265.708,"body":"therapy.com incredible. And then you're also on"},{"startTime":1265.764,"endTime":1269.42,"body":"Instagram under Meredith Phipps. That's where, that's where I one of the places I"},{"startTime":1269.46,"endTime":1272.86,"body":"reconnected with you. Well, I'm delighted to reconnect with you. I'm delighted that our"},{"startTime":1272.9,"endTime":1276.46,"body":"listeners will have a chance to check out your resources and"},{"startTime":1276.5,"endTime":1280.3,"body":"hopefully this will either reinforce for someone that they're on the right"},{"startTime":1280.34,"endTime":1284.182,"body":"track with yoga or maybe somebody who would benefit from"},{"startTime":1284.206,"endTime":1287.798,"body":"it, who's been curious but a little hesitant that they can step into"},{"startTime":1287.854,"endTime":1291.35,"body":"this and experience some of the"},{"startTime":1291.39,"endTime":1294.49,"body":"healing and the benefits that I have through this practice."},{"startTime":1294.91,"endTime":1298.534,"body":"So Merry Christmas to you and blessed Advent for the"},{"startTime":1298.542,"endTime":1301.91,"body":"remainder of Advent. But it's so great to talk with you and thanks for your"},{"startTime":1301.95,"endTime":1304.99,"body":"time today. You as well. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate it."}]}