Wellness and Spirituality:
Midvale offers a variety of ways to connect our whole person in our life of faith.
Yoga with Marie Nordeng - waiver form for first time attendees
30-minute Gentle Chair Yoga - Thursday afternoons at 1:00pm
Yoga postures, stretching, and strengthening will be done in a chair for part of the class, and for other parts we will use our chair as a balancing aid for standing postures. $60 for a 10-class pass ($6 per class) or $8 for “drop-in” classes. Register here
45-minute "Gentle-ish" Slow Flow - Tuesday mornings at 10:00am
Gentle-ish yoga entails sitting on the floor, lying on our backs, coming to hands and knees, and coming into balancing and standing postures. While we do strengthen and stretch our bodies, we come into postures in a softer way, and we don't change back and forth between standing and floor postures with any kind of frequency. Modifications made as needed.
$80 for a 10-class pass ($8 per class) or $10 for “drop-in” classes. Register here
60-min Mixed Beginner/Intermediate Slow Flow - Thursday evenings at 6:00pm
A Slow Flow class allows us to hold postures a little longer than your average class, while still finding movement. Note that "slow" is often mistaken as "easy." These classes can definitely be challenging....but in a way that allows you to approach each posture at your own level, while finding a beautiful balance between calm-centering and strengthening. $100 for a 10-class pass ($10 per class) or $12 for “drop-in” classes.
Spiritual Direction with Rev. Tim Dean - interest form
What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction is the art and practice of conversation and prayerful listening carried out in the context of a trusting relationship. A spiritual director is a faith companion who listens to you with an ear for discerning the Spirit’s movement in your life. God/Spirit is the true Guide and Director, while the human spiritual director is like a companion or midwife, assisting you in noticing and responding to the stirrings of Divine Grace. Spiritual direction may also be referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual companionship. I have been serving as an ELCA pastor for nearly 30 years. In 2021, I pivoted away from congregational ministry to begin spiritual guidance ministry, and in 2022, my family and I joined Midvale Lutheran Church. In December 2023, I graduated from the Spiritual Guidance Program of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, an ecumenical and interfaith organization based in Washington, DC. I welcome and wholeheartedly affirm the gifts, relationships and callings of LGBTQIA+ people. My own spiritual journey has been formed through pastoral ministry, reading, nature, racial justice ministry, music and silence. If you are interested in seeking spiritual guidance or learning more about this practice of prayerful listening, please fill out this interest form. This is a confidential form that will only be seen by me.
Blessings of grace and abundant life,
Rev. Tim Dean (he/his)
Zoom Meditation Group with Rev. George Bauman
Meets on Thursdays from 11am-12pm on Zoom. Contact the church office at info@midvalelutheran.org to receive the Zoom link.
Reiki with Marie Nordeng - waiver form for first time attendees
The ministry of Reiki – “laying on of hands” with Marie Nordeng – What is this?
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by the “laying on of hands.” While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not tied to any particular religion, and is used across the world by people of many different understandings.
Christian Reiki practitioners are able to relate Reiki to the Christian practice of the “laying on of hands” that Jesus himself practiced, to bring wholeness and well-being. Jesus commissioned his disciples to do this as part of their mission (Matthew 10:5-15) and further promised his disciples that they would be able to do what He did and more, through his Spirit. (John 14:11-13) This spiritual and mystical dimension of faith is sometimes neglected in our Western Christian tradition which tends to focus more on the intellectual aspects of belief.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy.” So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.” Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion or spirituality rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.
Marie is offering sessions on location at Midvale as scheduling is available. Please find more detailed information on her website and contact her through the church office at 608-238-7119 or info@midvalelutheran.org if you’d like to schedule a session.