This is the final part of a four part interview with yoga expert, Laurette Willis.
If you have not read the previous three posts, you’ll be greatly benefited by reading them first.
- In part one: The Simple Way This Yoga Instructor Finally Found Peace, we learned that Laurette Willis was heavily involved with yoga and the New Age for 22 years. It was a life of chaos and confusion until she turned to Christ.
- In part two: “Christian Yoga Is An Oxymoron,” Willis shares the foundational reasons that yoga does not belong in the Christian church. It is not just exercise, but “a discipline of death.”
- In part three: “Yoga Is the Missionary Arm of Hinduism,” Willis reveals that Hindus use yoga as an evangelistic tool, Hindus have a faux trinity, and yoga has spiritual consequences.
Now we will learn from Laurette Willis a rewarding way to get needed exercise without compromising our spirituality.
Save The Date.
Have you ever had something so exciting happen that you remember the exact time, down to the minute? That happened to Laurette Willis.
She shares, “In 2001, February 25th, 2001, at 10:35 in the morning, I remember exactly, the Lord gave me PraiseMoves as the Christian alternative to yoga.” But she did not embrace the idea right away.
“I debated it, I prayed about it, I fasted — because I did’t want to have anything to do with yoga.” If you have read her experience with yoga, you will know why it was hard for her to accept. Read about her experiences with yoga here.
“Calling it the Christian alternative to yoga for someone who’s avoided conflict [she laughs] and confrontation most of her life — to call it something like that was like, ‘Oh, Lord…please, can we call it anything else?'”
But she felt the Lord impress it very strongly on her heart that PraiseMoves should be called the Christian alternative to yoga. This was in part due to the fact that she sensed in her spirit that “a time would come, and that time is now, when people would be so deceived that they would think that yoga was just exercise.”
So she responded to God’s call with a “Yes, Sir! I’ll go ahead and do it. I trust You. I trust You, Lord.”
What Is Praise Moves?
PraiseMoves is an exercise program that addresses the whole body. Willis shares, “The foundation Scripture for PraiseMoves is I Corinthians 6:20: you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body….”
“It’s about health and fitness for spirit, soul, and body because you are a whole person,” Willis shares. “You’re not just from the neck up or from the heart up. We’re a whole person and that’s what we want to address: spirit, soul, and body.”
“PraiseMoves is…the Christian alternative to yoga. And I’m always careful to let people know: it’s not Christian yoga. I call that an oxymoron or a contradiction in terms. It’s like someone saying they’re a Christian Buddhist or a Christian Hindu — there’s no such thing.” If you have not read why Willis says “Christian Yoga Is An Oxymoron,” you can do so now.
There we learn about three fundamental elements of yoga: poses, meditation, and breathing. We’ll now see how Willis contrasts PraiseMoves with yoga in these three areas.
Postures, Not Poses.
“Words are important,” shares Willis. So she is careful to not call her PraiseMove stretches poses. “The poses in yoga are actually offerings to the 330 million Hindu gods.”
Instead, PraiseMoves has “postures.”
“We have stretching, strengthening postures that are linked to Scripture. Each one of our 150 postures has a Scripture ascribed to it that we meditate upon or speak out loud while doing these stretching, strengthening postures.”
Willis shares about the angel posture, “So when we’re standing and one foot is forward, a lunging posture, left foot forward, knee over the ankle, your back leg heel toward the floor, so you have kind of a nice lunging motion there. It’s called a lunge in gym class. That’s all it is. But at the same time what we are doing is reaching up and we have our arms up so that our upper arms are on either side of our ears and your shoulders are relaxed but your reaching up and forward. And this is called the angel posture.”
But is more than just physical exercise, shares Willis, “wonderful as [exercise] is because we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).”
But then she directs us to the very next verse which reads, “and do not be conformed to this world…but be transformed…by the renewing of your mind. How do we renew our mind?” she asks. “I believe it is [by meditating] on the word of the living God.”
“So, Mischelle, the one thing I like to say to people is that the exercise in PraiseMoves is the witty invention that gets you more into the word of God and more of the Word of God into you.”
And in the angel pose, “you’re meditating upon or speaking out loud Scripture from Psalm 91:11, ‘He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you safe in all your ways.’ So in this way you’re not only building strength and flexibility in your body, but your also being transformed by renewing of your mind on the word of the living God.”
Meditating on God’s Word.
Willis continually stresses that PraiseMoves in not just about exercise, but about renewing the mind through meditating on Scripture. And this meditation, she warns, is a different kind of meditation than practiced in yoga.
Meditation in yoga has another purpose, says Willis. “The meditation is not upon God’s Word. Yoga calls for an emptying of the mind.”
In PraiseMove, “we don’t talk about emptying your mind. We talk about filling your mind with the word of the Living God.”
When you fill your mind with the word of God through PraiseMoves, says Willis, “I believe that you’re deepening in your relationship with the Lord.” She has heard many testimonies in PraiseMoves classes where the Lord has used His word to reveal His truth to those present.
Willis suggests that speaking God’s word aloud while doing PraiseMoves has additional benefits. “Dr. Caroline Leaf who wrote the book, ‘Switch on Your Brain,’” says that your brain is wired to your voice. “You respond more to that which you say, than what anyone else says. So if you’re speaking Scriptures out of your mouth…you’re more apt to believe those things.”
For those who say, “‘Oh, I’ve never been good at reciting Scriptures. I can’t do PraiseMoves.’ I promise you, brother or sister, when you do PraiseMoves and you’re saying that word out of your mouth while your moving to it as well, it becomes a part of you.” Willis continues, “And remember, every word, that you speak of the Lord, His word, His will, His way, will not return void. I promise. It will change you. If you let it.”
Willis shares that her main goal with PraiseMoves is to get people into the word of God and the word of God into people.
“We’re pretty transparent,” she shares. “Our modus operandi is to get the word of God into you in whatever way we can. You know, people come for the exercise, Mischelle, but they are filled with the word, they speak the word, they hear the word. It changes their prayer life. Because when you know what God’s will is, through His word, it changes the way you pray. Instead of saying, ‘Oh! God help me. I don’t know what to do.’ You start to say, ‘It’s not by might, it’s not by power, but by your spirit says the Lord. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ And you’re starting to speak the word and (are) living more in accordance with it.”
Diaphragmatic Breathing.
The breathing techniques in PraiseMoves also differ from the breathing techniques in yoga. “What we have in yoga is the pranayama,” shares Willis, “which is the manipulation of life force energy.”
With pranayama you hear things such as “bring up the energy from the earth. Bring it up. Breathe in the universal energy through the top of your head. Reach up your hands and send out the energy through your fingertips. Bring in the positive energy. Let out the negative.”
Pranayama is part of the discipline of death which prepares your body for reincarnation. It brings nothing but chaos and confusion, claims Willis.
Willis shares that the diaphragmatic breathing in PraiseMoves is similar to the breathing that orators and singers use to improve the sound quality and projection of the voice. It also promotes health and wellness.
“PraiseMoves include gentle, deep diaphragmatic breathing, enhancing relaxation and flexibility,” Willis shares on her website PraiseMoves.com. “During PraiseMoves, the changes in body position combined with gentle, deep breathing stimulate circulation, helping nourish all body parts, and removing built up toxins.”
Physical Benefits.
In all labor there is profit, and exercising with PraiseMoves is no different. The following potential physical benefits are listed on PraiseMoves website [1]:
- Improved flexibility
- Help with weight loss
- Strengthened muscles
- Improved posture
- Alleviated pain
- Increase in overall sense of well-being
- Stress relief
- Increased recovery from injuries
- Improved coordination and agility
- Healthier tissues
- Reduced risk of injury
- Potentially lowered risk of Osteoporosis
- Potentially improved internal organ function
- Increased bone density
- Eased symptoms of menopause.
- Burned calories: 150-600 depending on certain factors
Certified Instructors.
“We have close to 300 certified PraiseMove Instructors around the world,” shares Willis. ” Many Christian yoga people [feel] they have to be registered yoga certified.”
Sometimes people ask, “‘Now are you registered with the yoga this and that?'” Willis is adamant, “No! That would be stupid. No. If we’re anti-yoga we’re not doing that. We have other certifications that we do. Not that.”
“Even if it’s fitness yoga, I want you to know that the trainers…even in sports yoga, they [evenetually] start bringing in the Hindu texts. They just can’t get away from it. It’s in the names of the poses. It’s in the flow. That spiritual aspect, you just can’t get away from it,” she shares.
PraiseMoves has a certification program of their own. “We have training live, around the country, in Canada, and also online,” says Willis.
If you are looking to join a class in your area with a certified PraiesMoves instructor, you can find one at the PraiseMoves website. Click the appropriate link below to find a class now:
Or perhaps you are interested in becoming a certified PraiseMoves instructor. You can Learn more here.
Downloadable Videos.
There are other ways to get involved with PraiseMoves besides taking a class by a certified instructor. PraiseMoves has a store of its own with all kinds of resources available, including videos that can be downloaded for immediate use.
Available Routines.
Here are a few of the resources and PraiseMoves routines available online. You can order directly from any of the following links if you see a routine that works for you. Some of the video routines listed here are available for immediate download as well.
Praise Moves: The Christian Alternative to Yoga.
Power Praise Moves: High-Energy Workouts for Whole-Person Fitness, which is an advanced version of Praise Moves. 
PraiseMoves Gold, which is downloadable for instant access. It is for seniors and those with limited mobility. 
40 Days to Fit and Fabulous with PraiseMoves, which includes a book and a DVD.
PraiseMoves Flow, which is downloadable for instant access.
PraiseMoves for Kids, which is downloadable for instant access. 
PraiseMoves Alphabetics, which is downloadable for instant access. 
Willis shares, “We also have Mira, which is our Christian alternative to Zumba. It’s Christian fitness with a Latin beat.” You can learn more at MiraDance.com
“And we also now have PraiseWaves, which is PraiseMoves in the water.” Learn more here.
And soon, Willis shares, PraiseMoves will be introducing, PraiseKicks, a Christian version of kickboxing.
“And on a secular note,” adds Willis, “we also have PowerMovesKids.com, that’s a secular program that I wrote by the grace of God, to bring this program into public schools. And instead of meditating on Scriptures, they speak aloud character building quotes that actually lead back to Scripture truth in some way, shape, or form. It’s character building education and fitness together. Pre K through 8th grade, any teacher can do it. It’s very popular in public schools in the US and Canada, and Homeschool and Christian Schools use it also and combine it with our Children’s Praise Move DVD. So they get the character building with the Christian elements.” PowerMoves Kids is endorsed by the US department of Education, says Willis.
Concluding Thoughts.
Willis shares that her purpose for providing the information in this four part interview is not to awaken people’s awareness for the need to exercise, but more so to warn them to stay away from yoga. “You don’t have to do PraiseMoves,” she says. “This is not a commercial for PraiseMoves. This is a clarion call to wake up and find out for yourself [about the dangers of yoga]. If you’re like, ‘Oh, this lady is crazy,’ find out for yourself. Go to TruthAboutYoga.net, download that free eBook, look at the webinar.”
Another way to learn more about the dangers of yoga is to read all four parts of this interview and share the information with as many people as possible. Here are links to access the first three portions of this four part interview.
The Simple Way This Yoga Instructor Finally Found Peace
“Christian Yoga Is An Oxymoron”
“Yoga Is The Missionary Arm of Hinduism”
During the interview, Laurette shared with me, “I am so grateful that you would even ask me to be a part of what you are doing. I think it’s awesome what you are doing, getting that good word out about health and fitness.” But, it is I who am thankful for the time Laurette gave to provide this useful information. Thank you, Laurette.
Laurette Willis did not solicit ReformedHealth to share, nor did she pay us to promote her products.
ReformedHealth.net has shared this interview in conjunction with a series in our Biblical Health Study, titled Living Under God’s Design: 7 Biblical Principles. The principle we have been covering is #4 Healthy Blood Through Environment. The topic under discussion is exercise, because we are “Created to Move.”
If you want to learn more about exercise from a biblical perspective, here is the introduction to the topic: Did God Create Us for Work (Exercise) or Is It Part of The Curse?
Some links on this page are affiliate links. See ReformedHealth’s affiliate policy here.
Next: How to Put Together a Simple, Excellent Exercise Regime
Return to: Biblical Health Study
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[1] PraiseMoves.com
Disclaimer:
Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
Copyright:
© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
All Rights Reserved