Sometimes words just aren’t enough… There are times when my words fail me, where my words fall short of the worship I long to express to my God. The same holds true as I seek to communicate God’s message of grace, hope and love to others. Words alone do not suffice to explain the glory of God and his abundant, transforming love for his children. Psalm 103:1 (NLY) says: “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.” Let all that I am ~ not just my mind, not just my body, not just my soul, but all that I am ~ praise the Lord! —Jody Thomae, in God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist in You

When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment in Luke 10, he says to “Love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” That is a love that is fully-embodied and whole-hearted! And I personally long to live a life like that!

Unfortunately, many of us scurry or slug our way through life, completely unaware of the state of our being and entirely disconnected from these temples we call bodies and these hearts that long for connection to God and others. Yet…

What would it look like to live a 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.

Welcome to Rooted & Reaching where together we seek a fully-embodied, whole-hearted life that is:

ROOTED in Christ’s love
           & REACHING out to others in love.

About Jody…

Jody Thomae is an ordained minister; worship leader; teacher of embodied prayer, creative worship and spirituality; and the author of Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Questions of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat, as well as two books in the Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Spirit Within series: God’s Creative Gift–Unleashing the Artist in You and The Creator’s Healing Power–Restoring the Broken to Beautiful. Her passion is to portray the message of Christ’s desperate and unfailing love for His people to help sustain the hearts of the broken and weary. She is particularly interested in the reclamation of the body in the healing of trauma and other wounding events. With over two decades of experience in in both ministry and body-oriented work, Jody began combining faith and fitness together in 2013, As a Certified Spiritual Director she is on the spiritual direction teaching faculty with Healing Care Ministries, teaching about embodiment and creativity in the spiritual life. She graduated from Ashland Theological Seminary with a degree in spiritual formation. Her life verse is Isaiah 50:4.

Jody is a Director/Ambassador for YogaFaith, a Relax and Renew® certified Restorative Yoga Teacher, a Trauma Sensitive YogaFaith teacher/trainer, and a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and the Christian Yoga Association. STUDENTS of ALL shapes, sizes and abilities are welcomed and encouraged to reach their full potential through this BEaUtiful thing called yoga and embodiment.

You can discover more about her writing and creative ministry at www.jodythomae.com. You can read more about her journey as a CHRISTian yogi here. She’d love to connect on Facebook and Instagram, and please feel free to reach out to her at yogafaithjody@gmail.com.

About YogaFaith…

YogaFaith is a Christian Yoga Association school that trains professional and knowledgeable yoga instructors with both virtual and in-person studies that center on Christ and the Word of God, while still honoring the roots and traditions of yoga. We at Yoga Faith want to intimately connect people to Christ: mind, body, spirit and soul… on and off the mat! As a YogaFaith Director, Jody is happy to talk to you about YogaFaith’s offerings. She hosts a Trauma Sensitive YogaFaith training each year at her private lakeside home studio. Feel free to visit YogaFaith to see what these kingdom-builders are up to. #JesusFirstYogaSecond 

Discover More…

• FREE RESOURCE! Message Jody at yogafaithjody@gmail.com and receive a 7-part study on postures of prayer & praise!

• Stay informed on retreats and other offerings! If you’d like to be notified of future offerings please sign up for the Rooted & Reaching email list.

• EXPLORE with JODY: Jody’s book Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Questions of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat helps you learn to embody your faith and study of scripture. Find it on Amazon!

• Take advantage of ideas and articles Jody has gathered for you here. Lots of free resources such as embodied prayers, breath work practices, and ideas for encountering God in more active and creative ways.

• Read about Jody’s experience as a Christian yogi here.