After ... what?

It took me nearly eight months to settle on a name for my blog, which will also double for the title of my yoga ministry and business. With the help of friends and family, we came up with at least five names that fit fairly well. Yet, I still didn't feel the 'aha!' moment happen though. I decided to wait instead of rush into naming anything. To me, it is a huge decision. What word or words will describe my ministry, my blog? I couldn't decide. I finally had that moment in the car a few months ago.

My husband is an INXS fan from back in the day. Me, being soooooo much younger then his own 35 years of age (just kidding, honey), I am not as big of a fan. However, about 3-4 years ago there was a one-hit-wonder reality show that played on TV. I truly do not even remember the title, but an American Idol-type feel to it; the gist was for the band INXS to find a new lead singer from the loads of talent vying for the position. This would allow the band to regroup, and more importantly, heal from the tragic loss of their own lead singer. Jonathan definitely enjoyed the show a bit more then I did, but I was gripped by several of the soloists on the show. Each week they would perform for the audience, which would then vote and eliminate player after player until only one was crowned the new lead vocalist of INXS. We were elated when our favorite singer did in fact win the title and went on to tour and release a new album with the original INXS band members. The CD ... so-so. A few great songs on there, and a few not-so-great songs on there. However, one of the greats goes by the title "Afterglow".

I never thought about the word "afterglow" before this song. It's not a oft-used word in the English language, is it? I mean ... when was the last time you heard it used in an actual sentence? Yeah, me neither. But it grabbed a hold of me somehow. I liked the sound of it. And I LOVED the song.

One day when I was driving one of my two weekly trips from Colorado Springs to Denver, Christ brought this word to my attention once again. It had been years since I'd heard the "Afterglow" song, the CD now just one of hundreds in our CD tower. I asked Him what He wanted to say about it. All I kept hearing was, "afterglow ... afterglow ... afterglow." What did it mean?

I came home, popped the CD into the player and got lost in the song once again. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. It has an ethereal feel to it. It's stunning. I then looked up the actual word in the English dictionary.

Afterglow:

1. The glow remaining after a light (Capital "L" anyone??) has gone, as after the sunset.

"OOOOhhhhh, cooooooool .... keep reading," I thought to myself.

2. The pleasant feeling one has after an enjoyable experience.

Oh my. This was it. This was the title, the name, the definition of what I wanted for my yoga; but more then that, this word describes so much of what I want FROM my time of yoga (which, remember, simply means "to yoke, or union").

The next leg of my "afterglow" journey took me to the Exhaustive concordance, a MONSTER of a book, yes? I love that book! I fell in love with it when I began my studies in Holy Yoga. I use it almost daily now. I looked up the word "glow" (which wasn't in there since my concordance uses the King James version of the Bible ... ugh. I eventually found a word similar to "glow" though.) My search ended at Exodus 34:29. The New Living Translation reads, "His face (Moses') glowed because he had spoken to God face-to-face."

Yes. This is it. The afterglow. It's real. It's true. It's my desire for my own life, for the lives of the Saints of God. It's what I want to help facilitate in each of my classes, and through my life.

As I've settled on this word, I see it evident in nearly anything God and his beauty and light touch. Few examples:

Last week brought one of the hardest days of my illness, emotionally that is. That evening I had my Monday night yoga class--my favorite of all my classes I get to teach. The mood in there is so serene, so holy, if you will. I love that class and look forward to it all day. Except this Monday, I was so raw, I didn't know if I could do it. My playlist for the class was outstanding, filled with songs of passion and honesty; scores and melodies that move the soul ... my favorite music for yoga. Tears filled my eyes several times as I called out the movements to my students: "Open the heart space, soften the hips forward, melt your shoulders away from the ears" ... things of that nature.

After the class was over, once I was alone, I felt it. The afterglow of being with God. It came tied in a bow of brokenness but it was there.

I felt the glow this weekend, too. In a different way. We hosted some of the best friends over to the house for our weekly Spiritual Direction group. This group laughs, studies, prays, eats, sings, sits in silence, discusses, (and more) in a way that reveals Christ in no other church setting I have ever been in. I love these people. I truly love them. And after they emptied our little home in Colorado Springs, I felt it again ... the afterglow.

There are a million ways to feel it, aren't there? For me, it comes after time with my God, during and after a yoga session, after time with friends, in the arms of my lover Jonathan, after hysterical laughter, or gut-wrenching sobs, in music, in beauty. It's there, because God is there.

The Afterglow.

You must hear the song, though. Go look it up on itunes or something. Here is a taste:

Touch me and I will follow,
In your afterglow.
Heal me from all this sorrow ...
I will find my way
When I see your eyes,
Now I'm living,
In your afterglow.