SoulWorks Yoga & Wellness

“Is yoga a religion?” 😬

This question comes up often - especially here in the Bible Belt of the Midwest. And, as someone who’s struggled to find her place in both religion AND spirituality, I really get it. 💜

If you’ve ever felt unsure or even a little conflicted about trying yoga because of your faith, you’re not alone. Pinky swear. 🤙

So let’s examine:

Moving your body, focusing your breath, and sitting in stillness is not the same thing as practicing a religion.

Yes, yoga has roots in Hinduism. 🙏
That’s part of its history.

But YOUR intention matters. You can step on your mat and pray. Reflect. Breathe. Be present with God in a quiet, intentional way - and, just like I learned in Alanon years ago, God is one of your own understanding. 🙌

Or you can leave God out of it and simply take care of your body and mind. 🤗

Yoga can actually support your life and your faith with practices that help you feel more grounded, clear, connected to something greater than yourself. ✨

You don’t have to choose between your beliefs and your wellbeing. You get to be and bring your whole self to the mat. 🥰

If you’ve been curious, give yourself permission to explore yoga with an open mind and decide what it means for you.

And I’d love to answer any questions you have that help you feel confident in your practice and your spirituality. You’re not alone - none of us are! 🫶

Its the first day of spring, and it felt like summertime 😍🌱☀️🎉 what a way to start it off!
As we head towards April I'll be making a few final calls for the last remaining spaces at Blooms & Bonfires! We've got just 3 spaces left; 1 single camping space, and the shared (*or single substitute) king suite.
I am sooo incredibly excited for this retreat, I've literally started packing already (don't look in our guest bedroom!), and we've got an amazing group already! If you're looking for a weekend away with a welcoming, friendly, loving group of women... here's your sign!
Featuring pics from past SoulWorks retreats 🤟🏼

Forage and harvest responsibly (and carefully!) friends... be certain before you ingest it 😝

Most of these end up in the compost pile or the yard waste bin without a second glance. But some of the most stubborn garden w**ds are also some of the most useful — nutritious, flavorful, and already thriving without a single input from you.

They've been growing for free while you spent money trying to kill them.

🌿 Nine w**ds worth eating before you pull them:

- Garlic mustard — an aggressive invasive you should absolutely pull, but the peppery leaves and mild garlic-flavored roots are worth eating first. Pulling it is doing your local ecosystem a favor, and dinner is the reward
- Stinging nettle — gloves required for harvest, but once blanched the sting disappears and you're left with iron-rich greens that taste like deep mineral spinach
- Curly dock — young leaves have a sharp lemony bite and hold up well cooked. The taproots tell you this plant wasn't planning to leave anyway
- Dandelion — every part is usable. Leaves for bitter salad greens, roots roasted for tea, flowers for fritters. One of the first things up in spring, and right now the earliest leaves are already pushing through
- Henbit — a tiny mint-family w**d that blankets bare soil in early spring, with mild slightly sweet leaves and purple flowers you can toss into salads
- Purple dead nettle — often mistaken for henbit, but the purple-tinged tops are milder and slightly nutty. Good raw or steeped as tea
- Sheep sorrel — small arrow-shaped leaves with a clean tangy bite that works anywhere you'd use lemon juice or vinegar as a finishing flavor
- Burdock — the deep taproots that make it so hard to pull are the same ones prized in Japanese cooking. Earthy, starchy, and worth the dig
- Creeping Charlie — a lawn w**d most people battle for years, but the small round leaves have a mild bitterness that works in pesto, tea, or mixed spring greens

One thing worth knowing — if you spray your lawn or garden with herbicides, none of these are safe to eat. The plants that survive chemical treatment absorb and hold those compounds. Only harvest from areas you know are untreated.

The best harvest is sometimes the one you almost threw away 🌱