The Church is made up of Christians from a myriad of different professions, and yet their ordinary tales of God at work rarely get told. In this series, we bring you stories of faith from the frontline
I’m Ennette Lainchbury, a Christian yoga teacher based in Nottingham. I run my own yoga business, called Imago Dei Wellbeing and Yoga. I teach in local studios and create video content for an online library of more than 300 classes.
A typical week involves planning classes, designing pose sequences, creating content and staying in touch with clients. A yoga class has a flow to it: you begin by warming up the body, move towards a peak pose and then gradually cool down. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to teach in ways that are meaningful and beneficial for the people in front of me.
Like many small business owners, there is also plenty of administration, marketing and networking involved. I send a weekly email to members with the theme for the week, a song recommendation and reflections to encourage mindful living.
The greatest joy in my work is hearing from people whose lives have been touched through my classes. I love receiving messages from people who have encountered God in a fresh way or discovered a deeper connection between their faith and their physical wellbeing.
One of the biggest challenges is dealing with misunderstandings about Christian yoga. Because the work is so personal, criticism can be difficult. I seek to respond with grace and continue speaking about the goodness of God.
For me, faith and yoga are deeply connected. Being a follower of Jesus shapes everything I do. When I first experienced yoga, I was struck by its emphasis on breathing. Throughout scripture, breath is closely linked with God’s presence and life-giving Spirit. The Holy Spirit is described as breath or wind, and believers are encouraged to keep in step with the Spirit. I began to see yoga as a practice that could help me become more attentive to God.
In my classes, I often encourage gratitude and wonder at the gift of our bodies. I help people appreciate how breathing can calm the nervous system and create a sense of peace. I also weave biblical wisdom into sessions, drawing connections between physical postures and spiritual truths. My hope is that people experience an integration of mind, body and soul that turns their attention towards God in worship.
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