Poetic Movement, Praise, and Worship

We placed chairs in front of our sacred exercise mats this morning to use as a prop for both support and challenge in the embodied Stretch, Strengthen & Relax class I am blessed to teach. However, I had no idea how much we would dive in for a deeper opening of the body and deeper layers of challenge for body, mind, and spirit.

The chair is now my new favorite class prop! :-)

Unexpectedly, we spent the majority of class time on our feet, moving in and out of positions that lengthened and strengthened us. When the ladies in class got the invitation to actually sit on the chair, well, they received it with fullness, dropping their bottoms to the seat and scooting forward to the edge while resting their shoulders on the back of the chair with arms dangling or doing whatever they wanted them to do.

It was surrender at its finest. I loved seeing it, and I loved feeling it in my own body, soul, and spirit.

"I look like I just passed out," said the class host after I sent her a picture of her surrender moment.

As we rested our heads on the back of the chair as though getting our hair washed, we also connected with that massage-like feeling along the occipital bone, the back/lower part of the skull. Whew, this time was divine!

Feeling Open & Free

My body has been feeling so open today as a result of the chair work. In turn, so does my spirit. It's wonderful how the physical body works in harmony with our spirit. When aligned, God's Spirit can be felt in expansive ways, within and around us.

This has been my personal experience, time and time again. I drove home from class this morning, thanking God for this "dream work" I get to do—on the mat! I also thank those who help make it happen, week after week, because without them, there is no 'me' there guiding embodied movement. 

Authentic Worship

Before class, I enjoyed this 10-minute soul-stirring recording on Grace Mantle (on YouTube), which I encourage you to listen to! It first reflects on Psalm 103:1, "...a divine reminder of what it truly means to worship God with every fiber of our being," says the voice of the video's powerful speaker.

"In this moment," (referring to Psalm 103:1), the speaker continues, "David wasn't speaking to others. He was speaking directly to his own soul. He recognized that his outward praise wasn't enough—not deep enough, not full enough, so he called his soul to attention, to rise higher, to praise more fully. David knew that authentic worship doesn't start with lips or hands. It starts deep within. Real worship is raw, real, and radical. It's not just a ritual. It's a personal, soul-level outcome of love and gratitude..."

During the prayer, the speaker offers heartfelt gratitude to God, including "for waking me up today, for the breath in my lungs, for the strength in my body. Thank you for the beautiful, simple gift of life..." he prays. "And what can I offer you in return? My wealth? My works? None of that compares. All I can truly give you is my heart, my devotion, and my praise. I surrender my life to you again today..."

Raw-some Praise

Moving my body on my sacred exercise mat, and even adding a chair to this embodied experience (as in class this morning), opens me up to deeply praising God in a "raw, real, and radical" way. I love it, and highlights of my raw-some, intimate connection with God are on the pages of Rhyming with God: Poetic Prayers & Reflections.

Perhaps you'll pick up a copy as a tool (like the chair tool this morning) to also move deeper into your realness and rawness with our Amazing Creator!

In praise & worship,

Penny

xoxoxo

"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:" Psalm 103:1-2