Gentle Yoga

I went to a class today called "Gentle Yoga". The instructor softly guided us through strenuous and challenging poses, but the idea was to slowly coax our muscles and joints move and stretch. I really liked the approach, and I drove home thinking about the word "gentleness".

Gentleness is a character quality I have always admired and sought to embrace.

My high school best friend/college roomie/matron of honor taught me many things. One of the things she taught me was that I could remember the nine fruits of the Spirit by remembering that the first three had one syllable, the second three had two, and the third three had three. Love - joy - peace - patience - kindness - goodness - gentleness - faithfulness - and self -control. More than just character qualities, I believe these are gifts God gives us.

I feel like I have a knack for, and certainly a longing to be gentle with people, especially with children. As the instructor today was taking us through strenuous poses today in a very slow, deliberate, manner, I thought about the wisdom in guiding and leading others in a gentle manner. Suggestions rather than demands when possible. The belief that children and even big people want to do the right thing, they just need a nudge in that direction and an example to follow.