Writing and yoga

Over the past several months, I took part in Lore Wilbert’s Writing Mentorship course. If you don’t know Lore, well, me neither — at least not in person. But thanks to years of blog stalking, I’ve come to know her as a gorgeous writer: intentional, challenging, and smart as a whip. Our faith looks different in some ways, but I so respect the way she grapples with life and with God. In a world of “Christian influencers” where everyone is eager to spout off opinions on this or that, Lore balances both a weighty theology and a light-footed grace. She makes me want to know God more — which is to say, she makes me want to press further into mystery.

As a writer, I am learning that deadlines and accountability are my friends; this mentorship was a catalyst for writing more than I have written in years. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing some of these pieces here on my blog, so be sure to check back.

In the meantime, one of the essays I wrote as a part of Lore’s course has found a home at Fathom Magazine, one of my favorite online spaces. Yay! It went live today. Here’s an excerpt, and here’s a link to the full piece.

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I open the door and the heat hits me like a solid wall. At 105 degrees, the air has morphed into a physical presence, thick and palpable, yet I willingly enter the room. I am early. I want to get a good spot, because the only thing worse than being strangled by heat is being strangled by heat and unable to follow the instructor. Not that I necessarily need a visual.

The sequence is always the same, 26 poses in unchanging order. Some might consider the repetition monotonous, but these days, I find the predictability a comforting liturgy. This flow has served as consistency when life has been anything but. I have been coming to this yoga studio for ten months now, ever since I left my home for the last time and drove south. Ever since the day everything fell apart. (Continue reading…)

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If you’re interested in Lore’s Writing Mentorship course, she’s planning on hosting another round in the fall. I can’t recommend it highly enough; she crafts the entire thing with such care, and I grew as a writer and a human. Follow her online and watch for the application!