Q & A with Jody Thomae

1. Tell us briefly what brought you to yoga, and specifically Christian Yoga.

 I grew up moving, dancing and enjoying fitness classes. I started teaching fitness and mind-body classes in the late 1990’s. In addition to teaching fitness, I also led a worship dance ministry through my church on the local college campus. But I didn’t begin bringing worshipful movement into my yoga classes until 2014. It seemed such a natural weaving together of faith and fitness. Somewhere in that discovery process, I also googled “Christian yoga” and found there was a growing number of people combining faith into mindful movement practices. So glad to have connected to so many of those people and look forward to connecting with many more.

1. What brought you to Christ? Were you raised in a Christian home? Would you like to share some (or all) of your testimony?

I was raised in a Christian home. I have very early memories of liminal space with “Wonder & Mystery” that I later understood as encounters with the Living God. I have always considered my faith walk as a journey with no “arrival” until I meet him face-to-face. I have many mountain-top highs in that journey, but also some valley lows. I think my faith in God and relationship with Christ has grown with much more depth in those valley low seasons. While they were hard and I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy, I wouldn’t trade them for the world. The journey–no matter how hard or arduous–has always been worth it. And Jesus has been my constant companion and friend. I am nothing without him.

1. What was your journey like to becoming a yoga teacher?

As a fitness instructor (who grew up dancing), I always incorporated stretching and flexibility exercises in my classes. Over time, and as I aged, I taught less and less high impact and more mind-body, including Pilates and yoga. My first yoga training was “Yoga for Personal Trainers.” Over time, I took less fitness trainings and more yoga trainings until I taught exclusively mind-body classes. In another vein, in seminary I was also studying the effect of trauma on the body/soul and the right-brained tools (including movement) that help heal those wounding experiences. That seminary learning spilled over into my yoga training through trauma sensitive yoga and the many somatic tools we have for healing. Our bodies weren’t simply wired for survival but for “thrival”–thriving in communion with God and (literally) moving in community with others.

1. You’re still in school, working on a PhD, correct? Tell us about that and what you plan to do with it!

Yes, I am currently attending Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, working on a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation and Relational Neuroscience. I see this degree as a culmination of my work in yoga therapy AND in spiritual formation. In addition to my work as a yoga therapist specializing in trauma, I am a spiritual director and ordained minister. This program has a strong emphasis on embodiment and the effects of trauma on the heart/mind/soul/body. My work in this program is encouraging me to write more about trauma and the redemptive healing that comes through Christ Jesus as we embody our spiritual journey.  

1. You’re an author! Tell us about the books you’ve written (Maybe the title and then a short paragraph on each?) 

God’s Creative Gift: Unleashing the Artist in You and The Creator’s Healing Power: Restoring the Broken to Beautiful are both part of the “Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Spirit” series. They are in-depth, interactive bible studies designed to nurture the creativity, artistry, worship and beauty that is already within us as sons and daughters of the Living, Moving, Breathing God.

Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Question of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat and O My Soul: Bringing the Psalmist’s Cry to My Movement, My Meditation & My Matare both written as resources for those who love to move mindfully and worshipfully with God. Includes breath prayers, poem prayers, song lists, journaling space, and suggestions for movements to explore. Great for teachers and practitioners alike.

Voices of Wisdom in the Body: a Christ-Centered & Bible-Based Exploration of Energy is both a textbook and workbook about our God-created energy centers that moves beyond the chakra system to a system that encourages one to listen to the voices of wisdom within these wonderfully-woven bodies of ours. It also includes scripts and meditations.

Finally, The Rocks Cry Out: a Christian Guide to Stones, Gems & Crystals is a short little resource book with symbolic meanings and scriptures for those of us who like the beautiful variety of rocks God has created for us. It also includes a section on praying with prayer beads.

You can find out more about my books and read excerpts from them at jodythomae.com.

1. You also do retreats. Tell us about those.

I offer 2-3 retreats and a trauma-informed embodiment training each year at my private, lakeside studio in North Central Ohio. These retreats are limited to no more than 8-10 people with a variety of themes based on material from my Bible studies. I love to encourage people to move more deeply in the fully embodied, whole hearted life. These are always powerful times in God’s transforming presence, as we heal our relationship with our bodies and step into the Divine Dance with the Prime Mover of our souls. You can find out more about those at fullyembodied.com.

1. You’re clearly creative. Do you have a creative process? Where does your creativity come from? 

God definitely created me with a strong right-brained leaning, but also with a deep desire for the left-brained knowledge and understanding. For most of my major undertakings, God has been the impetus. I sense a Divine Spark that is not of my own making or conjuring. I am often hit with a stirring that seems to be a calling forth of a gift or “talent” (Matt. 25) that was entrusted to me. I trust God for the inspiration as well as the timing of when HE wants to develop the idea. 

1. When you’re not teaching, writing, or leading a retreat, you also make malas. Tell us about prayer beads. (I was raised Baptist, but much of my family is Roman Catholic. I remember the first time I heard of prayer beads; I saw them and thought instantly of the rosary…..I was hoping to get some basic info here on prayer beads for those of us who grew up with something like a rosary or are new to prayer beads altogether).

Yes, this is my crafty time! I received a Hindu mala from a friend and eventually tore it apart and restrung it with Christ-centered symbolism. In that process, I researched Catholic rosaries, Orthodox chotkis, and Anglican prayer beads and found a long tradition of Christian prayer beads within these veins. Prayer beads (or sometimes ropes with knots) are used to help one focus in prayer and meditation. You can use the combination of beads to help you stay focused on your prayers. For example, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” or “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner” are great prayers for sets or sections of three beads. Using those prayers in a sacred rhythm can help one quiet racing thoughts and center on Christ. Also, sometimes just having something in the hand helps ground and center you. 

1. What does 2025 look like for you and those you serve? (i.e. books, retreats, classes, chances for people to connect with you).

With increased reading and writing for my doctoral studies, I have pulled back a little, but continue to offer public classes in my community, as well as two retreats and one training. I would love to connect with folks interested in attending these in-person options. I’ll soon be launching an online version of the embodiment training to allow more folks to train in the basic knowledge without waiting for a spot to open up at the in-person training which builds on the online material. I also serve as a spiritual director for Christian Yoga Teachers (CYT) and look forward to attending the CYT Revival in March to connect with teachers across the globe. I’ve met some incredible people there and can’t wait to meet others. 

1. Do you have any pets at home? Do they do yoga?

Kobe is my sweet little cavapoo who does lots of down dog/up dog combos throughout the day — especially when I’m trying to get him out the door for a walk.  

1. What’s a social/biblical cause close to your heart, and why?

I love opening the word of God to others–getting them in their Bibles to study and see what it says from both a left-brained and right-brained perspective. Understanding it first from an informative standpoint, so that it can then be experienced as the personal and transformative Word of God. Simply reading scripture will seldom engrain it deep within–it must be experienced and embodied to make a difference in this world.

1. What’s your favorite type of cookie?

Oh that’s a toughy! Ginger molasses or my best friend Kim’s chocolate chip definitely rise to the top. 

1. What is your favorite place to go on a road trip with your family and/or friends?

My daughter and son-in-law live in Montana and we travel to Big Sky ski resort as a family every year, so it’s at the top of the list of my favorite places. Riding the gondola to the top of Lone Peak at an elevation over 11,000 feet is like standing at the top of the world (with my hubby and kids to boot). It’s incredibly awe-inspiring. God’s artistry is WONDER-FULL!!

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