…the rest of us… …who have waited… and waited… far longer than we wanted or was comfortable. …who have mourned and are still mourning… and may never stop mourning because letting go of the grief feels like a betrayal of all we’ve lost. …who are struggling… with depression, anxiety, chronic pain and terminal illness… or maybe… just life. …who feel unseen… unheard… misunderstood… forgotten… by others… by God. …who have prayed all the prayers and have simply run out of prayers… whose prayers have been reduced to silence.
…if you feel lost, invisible or engulfed by pain… these prayers are for you.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Isaiah 9:2 ESV
As we journey through Advent, we are reminded again that it is typically described as a season of waiting. Even more so, as a season of waiting in darkness. Our first week we lit a candle of Hope. Last week we lit another candle, a candle of Peace. This week we light another candle to push back the darkness… the candle of Joy.
Not sure about you, but joy in seasons of darkness can seem not merely impossible, but unreasonable. Is it even reasonable to seek joy in the midst of great pain?
…the rest of us… …who have waited… and waited… far longer than we wanted or was comfortable. …who have mourned and are still mourning… and may never stop mourning because letting go of the grief feels like a betrayal of all we’ve lost. …who are struggling… with depression, anxiety, chronic pain and terminal illness… or maybe… just life. …who feel unseen… unheard… misunderstood… forgotten… by others… by God. …who have prayed all the prayers and have simply run out of prayers… whose prayers have been reduced to silence.
…if you feel lost, invisible or engulfed by pain… these prayers are for you.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Isaiah 9:2 ESV
As we journey through Advent, we are reminded that it is typically described as a season of waiting. Even more so, as a season of waiting in darkness. Last week we lit a candle of Hope. This week we light another candle… two candles now pushing back the darkness. A candle of Peace.
But where is peace in the darkness?
Peace is really hard to come by in the midst of dark seasons in our journey. Especially when we strive against the disorienting uncertainty of darkness. In my darkest places, striving might’ve been an understatement. I was fighting back… swinging punches into the darkness as if my life depended on it… but never hitting a thing. At the end of that fighting… that wrestling… came pure exhaustion… but then, surprisingly, peace. Settling in like a blanket of snow that comes silently falling through the night. I awakened to the blinding white of winter, shut my eyes, and waited… and, somewhere in the midst of that winter season, found my breath again. It was there… waiting for me all along… waiting for me to stop long enough to find it once more.
…the rest of us… …who have waited… and waited… far longer than we wanted or was comfortable. …who have mourned and are still mourning… and may never stop mourning because letting go of the grief feels like a betrayal of all we’ve lost. …who are struggling… with depression, anxiety, chronic pain and terminal illness… or maybe… just life. …who feel unseen… unheard… misunderstood… forgotten… by others… by God. …who have prayed all the prayers and have simply run out of prayers… whose prayers have been reduced to silence.
…if you feel lost, invisible or engulfed by pain… these prayers are for you.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Isaiah 9:2 ESV
Advent is typically described as a season of waiting. Even more so, as a season of waiting in darkness. The first week of Advent, a single candle is lit… a single candle pushing back the vast, encompassing darkness. This candle represents hope.
In seasons of darkness, silence and waiting, hope doesn’t come easy or cheap. Hope is costly. Hope stands when it feels like sinking. Hope reaches when it would rather withdraw. Hope keeps moving forward… even into the most mundane acts of ‘normalcy’… whatever that is. Hope keeps on hoping, even when all seems hopeless.
Grounding practices have become “popular” of late, but it is for good reason. When we stop and feel the ground beneath us, it is a practice that puts us squarely in the present moment. For any time we might experience worry or anxiety, this is a valuable body-based resource that we can tap into in any moment. This practice works to bring the presence of God into our awareness where wholeness and healing can begin.
What does it feel like to root yourself in Christ’s great love for you? Spend some more time rooting down into the foundation of His love for you as you listen to Tree by Justin Rizzo:
May you be blessed as you root down into his love for you!
If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining me at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the newly launched RREC Certificate Training Program — a year-long exploration that includes a 3-day retreat and a 4-day training at my private home studio, Rooted & Reaching Lakeside on Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio. Sign up HERE to be among the first to know about retreat, workshop, trainings and other gatherings focused on living a fully embodied, whole hearted life!
Blessings of artistry, creativity, worship & BEaUty, Jody Shine Brightly!
Jody Thomae is the author of several Bible studies including O My Soul, Jesus in My Practice and Voices of Wisdom in the Body. Jody has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997 and is a lecturer on creativity, embodiment, and spirituality with Healing Care Ministries. She is an embodied spiritual director and hosts retreats through her ministry Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care. She is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a doctorate in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience with a focus on embodiment and trauma-informed care at Western Theological Seminary. Her passion is for the person of Jesus Christ to be made more real through the revelation of creativity, embodiment and worship. Enjoy other Bible studies here. If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining Jody at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the RREC Christian Embodiment Training. Sign up here to be notified of retreats, trainings and workshops geared towards creativity, embodiment and spirituality.
All her books are available through Amazon. Contact Jody at jodythomae@gmail.com for pricing on bulk amounts for your creative ministry team or group study. Enjoy a creative spiritual journey through her devotional CD, Song of the Beloved, available through most music outlets including YouTube and Spotify.
In O My Soul, we bring the psalmist’s cry to our practices of movement, breath and stillness. This cry of the various writers of the Psalms is a specific cry — one that includes the phrase “my soul.” Over and over throughout the Psalms we hear the cry of “my soul” — we will explore 44 of those in this book. Like my previous release Jesus In My Practice, each passage is explored through a brief summary and explanation of its context, relevant cultural notes, thoughts to ruminate as you consider the psalm, ideas for your practice of mindful movement, a short breath prayer and poem, and songs to accompany your movement practice, if desired. Also includes white space and journal prompts to write about your experience with the material.
This is a great resource for anyone who is interested in bringing their bodies to their study and experience of scripture. It can be used individually or in groups and is also a useful resource for teachers of movement, dance, meditation and breathwork, as well as somatic workers and body-based therapists. Available in hardback and softcover editions.
Check out this and all my other resources on Amazon today! All my resources are designed as explorations of discovery… of scripture… of our BEaUtiful embodied selves… of all we were created to be! Come explore what it means to live a whole-hearted, fully-embodied life… the kardia καρδία life!
Jody Thomae is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a doctorate in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience at Western Theological Seminary. Her passion is for the person of Jesus Christ to be made more real through the revelation of creativity, embodiment and worship. Find individual examples of her Bible studies at www.jodythomae.com. She is an embodied spiritual director and hosts retreats through her ministry Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care. Sign up here to be notified of retreats, trainings and workshops geared towards creativity, embodiment and spirituality.
Is there a desire in your spirit to live to live a deeper, richer, fully-embodied, whole-hearted life? In the Ancient Greek, καρδία (kardia) is translated “heart,” and in scripture, it is almost always used figuratively. It means the seat and center of all physical and spiritual life, and according to the Thayer Greek Lexicon, it is “the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors.” Note it is physical and spiritual… together… as one. Its meaning holds a sense of the whole person—mind, body, heart, soul, spirit.
At Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care, we explore this καρδία (kardia) life through a series of 3-day retreats and a yearly 4-day retreat-like training, hosted and led by Jody Thomae, author and teacher on creativity, spirituality and embodiment, at her private home studio, Rooted & Reaching Lakeside, at Pleasant Hill Lake near the Mohican Forest in beautiful North Central Ohio.
Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care REtreats revolve around a variety of themes and are designed as an opportunity for you to withdrawal from the demands of daily life and set aside sacred time for rest and reflection, prayer and worship, movement and mindfulness, creativity and exploration. Together we journey with sacred rhythms—again and again—in Christ-centered community, spending time in embodied prayer, mindful creativity, adapted Christ-centered yoga practice, Biblical teaching and exploration, and worshipful movement. CLICK HERE to find out more information, including dates, costs, etc.
Resources geared towards those who want to explore how to live a more whole-hearted, fully-embodied life…
Voices of Wisdom in the Body: a Christ-Centered & Bible-Based Exploration of Energy As the title suggests, this is a Christ-centered and Bible-based exploration of energy through the lens of the body’s voices of wisdom. This Bible study and guide encourages the reader to listen to the voices of wisdom within our wonderfully created bodies. When we tune into the energy of our bodies, they speak to us with a wisdom. Tight shoulders, knotted guts, broken hearts, wringing hands, tired feet… all tell us of the stress, worry and tension we are carrying. Lightness, freedom, flexibility, resiliency, health, well-being and vibrancy tell us a different story. I invite you to join us in this exploration and discussion of the wisdom our body has been speaking and revealing all along.
8.5 x 11″ Workbook (textbook) format includes Bible studies, body-based prayers, affirmations, songs suggestions for reflection and movement, somatic explorations for engaging the body, as well as white space for reflection and journaling. This work has gone through an extensive peer review in deep conversation with an amazing group of Christ-centered body-based therapists and Christian leaders. The book is available in two formats: the original Voices of Wisdom in the Body is geared towards body-based teachers, therapists and bodyworkers and includes guided meditations, yoga nidra, EFT tapping, body-focused Enneagram activations and more! The Voices of Wisdom in the Body (Group Study GuideEdition) was created to use alongside Voices of Wisdom in a class or group Bible study or for individual client and student use and does not include the extensive review of energy nor the meditations and scripts in the back of the book.
In a devotional format with white space and prompts for journaling, this book asks: What can we learn from the questions Jesus asked as he and his friends journeyed the dry, arid lands surrounding Jerusalem? What does it look like to explore the teachings of Jesus to live a richer, fuller, more embodied life of grace, in harmony with others? A life that does not seek to cause harm to others? A life lived from a place of love rather than judgment? More pointedly: How can we bring these questions of Jesus to our “mats” — our studios, our meditation rooms, our sacred spaces — in our own practices of movement and meditation? And how do those questions inform our lives?
Each question of Jesus is explored through a brief summary and explanation of its context, relevant cultural notes, thoughts to ruminate as you consider the question, ideas for your practice of mindful movement, a short breath prayer and poem, and songs to accompany your movement practice, if desired. The book is written in a seeker-sensitive style for people of all religions and belief systems to enjoy.
This excerpt from Advent: Allowing Christ to Rest in Us by the Carmelite Sisters was a part of our morning liturgy today. Consider the embodiment of Christ in Mary and inyou as you meditate on this piece:
The one thing that God did ask of Mary was the gift of her humanity. God asked her to give him her body and soul unconditionally and to give him her daily life. Outwardly her life would not differ from the life she would have led if she had not been chosen to be the Bride of the Spirit and the Mother of God.
During Advent Christ rested in Mary – still, silent, helpless, and utterly dependent. In Jesus, the Creator trusted himself to his very own creature. He trusted to her what was most important to him – the expression of his love for the Father. He was mute: her voice was his voice. He was still: her footsteps were his journeys. He was blind: her eyes were his seeing. His hands were folded: her hands did the work of his hands. His life was her life. His heartbeat was the beating of her heart.
This is how Christ came in history. It is the same today as he comes to each one of us. For as surely as he rested in Mary, so he rests in you and in me. From the moment when the Christ-life is conceived in us, our life is intended for one thing – the expression of his love – his love for God and for the world.
Our words are to be the words that he wants to speak. We must go wherever he wants to go. And we must look at whatever he wants to see. Our life must be the living of his life, our love the very loving of his heart.
And the Word became flesh and blood and made his home with us.
Jody Thomae is the author of several Bible studies including O My Soul, Jesus in My Practice and Voices of Wisdom in the Body. Jody has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997 and is a lecturer on creativity, embodiment, and spirituality with Healing Care Ministries. She is an embodied spiritual director and hosts retreats through her ministry Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care. She is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a doctorate in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience with a focus on embodiment and trauma-informed care at Western Theological Seminary. Her passion is for the person of Jesus Christ to be made more real through the revelation of creativity, embodiment and worship. Enjoy other Bible studies here. If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining Jody at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the RREC Christian Embodiment Training. Sign up here to be notified of retreats, trainings and workshops geared towards creativity, embodiment and spirituality.
All her books are available through Amazon. Contact Jody at jodythomae@gmail.com for pricing on bulk amounts for your creative ministry team or group study. Enjoy a creative spiritual journey through her devotional CD, Song of the Beloved, available through most music outlets including YouTube a
What is an “embodied spirituality” and what does it mean to embody your spiritual experience? How do we bring our bodies to our prayer, worship and other spiritual practices? There are many great resources I want to share with you that explore these questions.
I recommend these books…
Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Questions of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat by Jody Thomae. On Amazon.
Voices of Wisdom in the Body: a Christ-Centered & Bible-Based Exploration of Energy by Jody Thomae. On Amazon. Also available in a Group Study Edition.
Embodied Prayer: Towards a Wholeness of Body, Mind & Soul by Celeste Snowber Schroeder. You can preview the book here.
I love this short and sweet video called Flowing Grace from Paul Denniston of Grief Yoga. Whether your holiday season is busy and chaotic or filled with the pain of loss and grief, take a moment to flow in grace…
Click here for a longer chair practice that combines movement, breath and sound to connect to love, peace and grace. It is a quiet, simple practice that focuses on letting go of the negative in order to be filled with peace and contentment. If you are struggling this holiday season, I recommend exploring more of Paul’s resources on his website or on Facebook.Continue reading
I’ve recently discovered the Abide app. You can listen to daily scripture meditations, as well as meditations geared towards anxiety, anger, addiction, depression, fear and grief. There are meditations on blessing and forgiveness and even ones to help you drift off to sleep. Moreover, many of these Bible-based meditations are very embodied in nature, encouraging body-oriented relaxation and simple breath prayers like….
We all need times of rest and replenishment in order to live whole-hearted and fully-embodied lives. However, in our crazy, hectic, fast-paced society, it is really difficult to make time or space for rest. Even when we are utterly exhausted we keep pushing: one more task… one more errand… one more project… one more phone call… one more appointment… one more fill in the blank . Our bodies cry out to stop, to slow down, to breathe, and yet, we keep right on pushing through. And, worse, if something goes wrong (which *news flash* it’s bound to), it’s even more difficult to rest, because we are driven to fix things, to solve problems and to make them go away. Continue reading
Join Morgan Day Cecil for a short embodied prayer inspired by Fr. Thomas Ryan, recorded at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia. The choir singing in the background is so BEaUtiful!
Mala prayer beads are very popular these days, not only among those who do yoga, but as a fashion trend. After I purchased my first mala, I began to research prayer beads and ropes from other religious traditions and eventually tore my mala apart to reconstruct it with Christian symbolism instead. Prayer beads or ropes are used across many spiritual traditions to help one pray. Traditional malas are used by Hindus and contain 108 beads. Rosaries are used within the Catholic tradition and contain 50 beads. Chotki are used within the Orthodox Christian tradition and contain 33, 50, 100, 150 or more prayer beads (or often knots instead of beads).
Selah prayer beads are my own original, Christ-centered design for contemplative prayer beads. The word Selah is taken from the Book of Psalms. Hebrew scholars believe it is a musical term indicating a place of pause, reflection or a place to take a breath. Selah prayer necklaces are constructed with 100 beads, 10 of which are called Selah beads. These beads are meant to serve as stopping points, places for you to pause and reflect as you pray your way around the circular design of the necklace.
Hello Fellow Worshipers! Found this recipe for play-dough with essential oils at One Essential Community and thought I would share it with you. You can find full instructions with photos and essential oil blend ideas.
Playdough is a wonderful way to use the embodied sense of touch during prayer and meditation time. Add essential oils and we include the sense of smell. You can add the following scriptures to embody your prayer, meditation and Bible study time:Continue reading
Introducing Vibeke Kiiskila, founder of Unity Dance Center and host of Worship Dance TV. I had the wonderful pleasure of spending some time talking with her about my journey in worship dance, embodied prayer and creative ministry. You can listen into our conversation here:
Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher.
William Wordsworth
Believe one who knows: you will find something greater in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters. Saint Bernard de Clairvaux
Whenever I have found myself stuck in the ways I relate to things, I return to nature. It is my principal teacher, and I try to open my whole being to what it has to say.
Wynn Bullock
Today I would like to introduce you to an embodied spiritual practice called CaraMayan. CaraMayan is a way of moving to the Bible for exercise, fitness, worship and prayer. It is a Christian alternative to Yoga and Tai Chi based on dance and pilates movement. It was created by my friend Mary Jones, founder of the International Christian Dance Fellowship. I’ve had the privilege of meeting and spending time with Mary, and it was an honor to sit under her teaching and fellowship over a meal. She is truly a treasure in the kingdom of God!!
Not sure if anyone’s coined the term “Physio Divina”, but perhaps today is the day we do! In Lectio Divina (sacred reading) we read a passage of scripture several times to savor its meaning. In CaraMayan we experience the same type of meditation, except through physical movement. May you be blessed as you put this into practice.
My husband might suggest to you that I’m addicted to the BBC series Call the Midwife, and, perhaps he’s correct. I recently viewed a powerful episode that dealt with the issue of trauma, and more specifically how we “treat” those who’ve been affected by trauma, particularly in our early response to trauma. In my mind, it conjured thoughts of sterile emergency rooms and even more sterile conversations with those required to gather evidence… of not-so-well-meaning statements of “should’ve-known-better” judgement and “if-I-were-you” advice… of well-meaning friends who try so very hard, but still fail in their offerings…Continue reading
Today I would like to introduce you to an embodied spiritual practice called 
Nurturing the Creative Spirit Within 