Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Snell.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
This journey began as I was in the midst of battling depression. Although I was going and serving in my church faithfully, it felt like nothing in my life was going right. One day, I tried a yoga class. All I could think was, Lord I need something because every night I was crying myself to sleep. It was only me and the instructor. She was very nice. I was naive when I began the session, and extremely cocky. This should be so easy. Boy, was I wrong?! I nearly passed out halfway through.
However, I kept coming back. That summer session changed my life. Each time I went, I began saying the Lord’s prayer in my head. I would think of lyrics to songs I had sung in church. As the weeks passed, I noticed not only was my body getting stronger, but I was more at peace. So, I began studying yoga on my own and enrolled in a certification class. I had no intention of teaching yoga to others. I just wanted to continue what I had started. While studying, I kept thinking what if I could focus on scripture while holding each pose. That blossomed into putting scripture with a specific pose in such a way that body was physically interpreting the verse. No sooner had I finished the thought, God gave me the title to my book, One Minute to Amazen: A Christian Guide to Yoga. From there I began diving into scripture and looking for poses that were easily accessible to most people and could be held for a few minutes so that a person could meditate on the verse.
Once I finished my certification, I put the finishing touches on my book and gave a rough draft to my Pastor. I respect his relationship with God and the example he provides for our church family and community. I was also concerned because I never saw yoga paired with scripture like this before. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy. About a week after I gave Pastor Garmon my rough draft, we crossed paths right before bible study. Although he had just come out of his study, focused and about to enter the sanctuary, he caught a glimpse of me and came over. I will never forget that evening. He showered me with praise at how I had encapsulated meditation, yoga, and our faith. He was so impressed and proud. I felt like a little kid getting praise from a parent. He agreed to write the forward for my book and endorse. Within a couple of months, my book was available on Amazon. I was a published author.
From there, things began to slowly fall into place. Our First Lady asked me to lead a session at our Women’s Retreat at the King and Prince Resort. Then my sorority sister asked me to lead a session at her interdenominational Virtuous Pearl Women’s Retreat. I have lead sessions at these retreats for the past couple of years. But, I wanted to reach more people.
I knew God had used yoga to help me focus on His Word so that my spirit, soul, and mind could heal. I wanted to share this with others because I know I am not alone in how I was feeling. I started an account on Instagram, with the help of one of my students. Then I created a business Facebook page. Last year, I started my YouTube channel so people could get a taste of the book and see how to get in and out of poses. I launched an online store where I sell original inspirational phrases are printed on shirts and novelty items.
This year has been truly transformational. After discussions, meetings, and prayer, Pastor Garmon agreed to open the church on Saturdays and allow me to lead Divinely Inspired Yoga sessions. Initially, classes were once a month. In these sessions, I begin with the foundational verse from Psalm 104:34 followed by a declaration I created to set the tone and mood for the class. Then, class officially begins. I provide a key verse with some supporting scripture throughout the practice. I share my own fears, struggles, challenges, etc. We laugh. We exhale. We shed the masks that hide our true selves. In doing so, we see our true selves and learn to see ourselves as God sees us. We begin to love and accept who we are, flaws and all. We find inspiration and support as we see ourselves in each other. By the end of class, we feel refreshed, renewed, and relaxed. Sometimes, we forget the very thing that was bothering us at the beginning.
The response has been so positive and overwhelming that participants literally stopped Pastor after service as well as emailed and called, to propose increasing the frequency of the class. So, after more meetings and prayer, Divinely Inspired Yoga will now be offered twice a month, the second and fourth Saturdays, at Word of Faith Love Center in East Point GA. Attendance grows with each session. People are bringing family members, coworkers, and friends. I am stopped by other members in church telling me that they are hearing great things about the class. I am seeing people who had been stressed or feeling defeated now walking with a sense of peace and calmness that is unmistakable. I know it is all because God is using me to spread His Word in a new and different way. I’m excited to see where God is going to take this ministry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was just talking about this today. The black church, in particular, does not talk about problems. We tend to say a cliche, Let Go and let God. Just pray about it. Leave it at the altar. It will all work out. It is well.
But after the cliche, there are no strategies given to help a person. So many of us remain broken and hurt. We become good at playing church.
The first hurdle is to get people to really be transparent about what they are dealing with. If you do not admit there is a problem you will not seek help. And we have to stop minimizing or making people who seek help feel like in some way they have less faith or less of a relationship with God. God uses people as a means to solve problems. We need to seek and offer help when we are in trouble or see someone in trouble. The second challenge is getting the church to be accepting of yoga. Yoga is still seen as part of Eastern religion that is not in line with Christianity. This could not be further from the truth. Yoga is simply a physical practice which can be incorporated with meditation and faith. It is up to the individual where the mind will focus. Finally, people will tell me they can’t do yoga because they are not flexible. My response is “That is why you go”! I mean, you go to the doctor when you are sick so you can get healthy, or at least better. So come to yoga so you can become more flexible.
I would tell anyone beginning in ministry, have a core group that you keep close. These are the people who will reignite the fire when you begin to doubt or experience a setback. They will speak like because they believe in you, your purpose, your ministry, and most importantly in God. Make time to rest on a regular basis. It is important to be disciplined and work hard, but you need to decompress. Take the time that does not involve the ministry or business. You must be able t reset so that you can be productive and effective with whatever you are doing. It’s okay if your road does not look like others or takes longer. Your journey may be inspiring someone else to pursue the gift God has given them and isn’t that what really matters?
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I am a Christian author and yoga teacher. I am known for saying AmaZen! You are AmaZen. I am AmaZen.
I intentionally create an experience where we will get closer to God through His Word while doing yoga. I believe God gave us yoga as a way to naturally heal and restore our bodies so they are at optimal levels to do what He has called each of us to do. While practicing yoga, we learn to quiet the noise of this world and listen for God’s direction and revelation. We also learn to listen to this temple called our body and love it and honor it as a way of showing our gratitude to God for blessing us with life. We are not in competition with others. Their bodies are not ours so there is no reason to compare.
I find it an honor and privilege that people not only enjoy my classes and book but that they have truly experienced growth in their physical and spiritual life. I am humbled that they bring others with them to class as well as tell others about their positive experience. I hold back tears of joy each time I see them walk in for a class or when they are wearing one of my designs. I can barely sleep the night before class because I am so excited and nervous.
What sets me apart from other yoga teachers is that I am not looking to be a part of a trend or fad. My classes are designed so everyone who attends feels successful in flowing through the poses and wants to continue their practice and journey. I respect that by a certain age, we have so many responsibilities that going to a traditional hour-long class may not be feasible. We are busy with so many responsibilities and demands on our time, that honestly, we just want five minutes of peace. For Christians, we want just a moment to reconnect with God and feel His peace in the midst of it all. When you come to my class or read my book, that is what you experience.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
FitOn – fitness app
Serenity – a meditation app
Instagram
MeWe – authors’ app
For Podcasts – Roland Martin, D.L. Hughley, and Chris Hayes
Pricing:
- Available for private group sessions- subject to size and location
- Individual private sessions – $30 to $50 an hour
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Monthly classes offered at Crossfit West Cobb in Mableton, GA $40 per month.
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Biweekly donation classes at Word of Faith Love Center, East Point, GA.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 6783290966
- Email: ksnell08@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/therealkimllc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/focusonhim
- Other: www.therealkimllc.storenvy.com
Image Credit:
Kimberly Snell, Creative Craig Photography
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