Why Keola®?
"When I launched Keola® in 2008 and started teaching physical fitness that included God, I thought yoga was just an exercise. In fact, I called it Christian yoga, because I didn't want anyone to walk into class surprised by, well... Jesus. I shared Him and the Word freely, so I wanted people walking in to know they would be hearing Christian things. I also wanted to clearly define the type of movement participants could expect. It wasn't until later that I realized two things. One, some Christians get very prickly about yoga, and two, the exercise part of yoga isn't even yoga. I'm grateful for that time buffer, because it might have made me neglect starting this. Today, Keola® offers a great solution to people in each camp of the controversial divide and the exercise itself has evolved encompassing a much broader and richer scope of healthy modalities that support more needs of the human body and mind than a regular yoga class. It's a beautiful gift I'm very happy I didn't miss out on!"
~Alli B, Keola® creator
WHAT KIND OF MOVEMENT CAN I EXPECT?
You Cannot Heal a Body that Thinks It's Under Constant Threat
We believe God wants to nurture you in your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in a way that aligns with your best and His Son. We believe Jesus is who He claimed, the Savior - a Restorer, so the restored foundation we help build includes faith in Him and (because God is amazing and loves us so much) our blended training with faith actually enhances the benefits of the physical training we do in alignment with the science (insert mind blown emoji here). It's counterproductive to take an exercise class for stress relief but feel on guard when you are in it, so that's why transparency matters to us. Everyone is welcome, yet we know that some people feel uncomfortable about faith, and some feel uncomfortable about yoga. We empathize with both of those positions, honor people's freedom of choice, and hope to create a different experience. The goal is for you to feel safe exactly where you are and receive all the holistic benefits associated with the movement we share, including movement that is often associated with yoga (though not excluded to or original to it), as well as have opportunity to grow in your faith or, if you're curious or even slightly skeptical, hear about the Amazing Goodness of Jesus from people who love God and people, understand there are confusing situations and representations that have contributed to a misunderstanding of Christianity, and desire to grow more in walking out truth and love with everyone around them... Peppered with lots of grace! Because we know we aren't perfect, but we also know God loves and forgives us. That is our power to do the same and what is highlighted in every wellness tool we share.
That's part of the name Keola®, it embodies an adventurous, positive, life-giving spirit that isn't afraid to take risks, try on what we know right now, be misunderstood but love and forgive anyway, and live every day to the fullest potential. We truly hope our classes and communities inspire and empower others to do the same. Nothing is forced, but it is boldly and shamelessly shared, because we believe in and have personally experienced its inherent power to provide peace and surety of a safe today and fearless forever future. Classes have included atheists, Buddhists, New Agers, people of differing sexual orientations, and more.
Whoever you are and whatever you believe, you will be loved and treated with the dignity you deserve. Part of healthy living is being able to be entrenched in a world where differing opinions are loud and rampant, then being able to come to your own confident conclusions. A healthy community is going to have conflict and differing, possibly very strong (which isn't wrong) opinions, too. Ask questions. Build relationships. Don't be afraid to share who you are. Differences are respected. Disrespect isn't. Restorative solutions and clarifications will always be addressed first, but we aren't afraid to remove someone from the community.
We hope you find the love, connection, safety, and progressive healing you've been looking for here. We believe Jesus can and wants to heal a body and mind that's been living in constant threat mode. We've seen Him do it!
"I am the way, the truth, and the life." ~Jesus (John 14:6 KJV)
P.S. Just in case you didn't know, Keola® is a trademarked exercise containing intellectual property that makes it what it is... you know, those things creatively blended in that help us focus on and grow in the Lord. You can bring this unique format to others. This training is online and available to you right now.
"Always wrested with Yoga and appreciate the alternative. You speak Life and you have helped out this weary soul-Thank you!" - Shelby
