The Feast of Heaven and Earth, East and West
Photo by Michael Pohl on unsplash
by guest writer Melissa Schultz
My journey with yoga has been long and layered—part of a larger spiritual arc that began in childhood with a Christian foundation, unraveled through deconstruction and exploration, and ultimately circled back to my roots with new clarity and depth. It wasn’t yoga per se that called to me, but India. Through marriage and adoption, Indian culture became part of the vibrant fabric of my family life, and with it came Eastern spiritual and philosophical traditions.
I was raised Catholic in the suburbs of Minneapolis and attended Catholic school during a time I affectionately call the Kumbaya Catholic era: folk guitars at Mass, felt banners, and a focus on God’s love rather than strict tradition and rules. At the same time, my mother had a powerful spiritual awakening and converted to evangelical Pentecostalism. The contrasts between sacraments and altar calls, between reverent ritual and charismatic praise, left me spiritually stretched—sometimes confused, and definitely resentful. Yet through those turbulent formative years and into adulthood, I never doubted the existence of God. Even when family life was fractured or adult responsibilities weighed me down, I had a deep, intuitive sense that God was real, that He was looking out for me, and that these trying experiences served a higher purpose.
In my twenties, God blessed me with extraordinary opportunities to explore the world— studying, working and traveling through Europe and Asia, immersing myself in new cultures, languages and ways of thinking. While in graduate school in Illinois, I met the man who would become my husband—a generous soul from India, who would become my personal Gateway of India. Visiting his homeland for the first time was like stepping into a sensory kaleidoscope: the bold colors, the incense and spice, the sacred cows and cacophonous street life. A year spent in Indonesia had already whetted my appetite for Asia, but India didn’t just offer a taste—she laid out a full banquet of rich cultural practices laden with spice and soul. I was captivated and savored every delight she offered.
By then, I had already developed an appetite for natural living—vegetarianism, permaculture, herbalism, and holistic health. These threads were already woven seamlessly into India's ancient wisdom traditions. It wasn’t long before I discovered Ayurveda and Yoga—not as trendy practices, but as profound systems of integrated knowledge that spoke to an inner knowing and engaged my intellect. The more I learned, the more I could see God’s magnificent design in creation—so elegantly and harmoniously articulated in Indian thought. Sāṃkhya, Yoga’s theoretical framework, with its finely ordered interplay of principles and elements offered a metaphysical map of creation, while Yoga charted a practical guide to liberation through meditation.
When my husband and I moved to Rochester, Minnesota just before the turn of the millennium, yoga was still far from mainstream, especially in the rural Midwest. I sought out the only yoga teacher in town, a devoted practitioner trained in the Himalayan tradition. Many years of gymnastics had cultivated a natural flexibility and an affinity for the movement of yogasana. Still, it was the philosophy that truly engaged me.
For two decades, my connection to Christianity was faint—almost forgotten. But God never quit searching for me patiently waiting until I was ready and willing. He was using my connection to India to draw me back to him. My son, adopted from India, revealed a strong spiritual sensibility
from a young age. In response, I found myself—somewhat reluctantly—attending a local Catholic church to help guide him in his religious formation.
Returning to church as an adult allowed me to revisit the tenets of my early faith with mature eyes. As a child, my understanding had been shaped by a watered-down catechism and anxious warnings about the End Times. But as I began to explore the Christian tradition, its breadth and depth began to reveal themselves. I discovered that the Christian path was alive with contemplative wisdom, mystical theology, deep devotion, and a lineage of saints, thinkers, and seekers—Catholic and Protestant, charismatic and contemplative, traditional and revolutionary.
With renewed faith, I could see my life’s trajectory with greater clarity and purpose. My years of seeking, exploring and studying Eastern traditions hadn’t drawn me away from Christ—they had laid groundwork, the stepping stones that led me back to Him. God wasn’t dismissing these pursuits that had informed me—He was affirming them, expanding my understanding, and directing them toward a ministry of healing—physical, emotional and spiritual.
Formed at the meeting place of Heaven and Earth, East and West, I came to taste the fullness of the feast—and with it, the call to live and share its healing.
Melissa Schultz is a Holistic Health Practitioner trained in acupuncture, Chinese medicinals, yoga, Ayurveda, and spiritual direction. She delights in exploring the meeting place of Christian mysticism and global medicine. With a heart devoted to Christ and a mind open to the world’s wisdom traditions, Melissa weaves together God’s promise of restoration, modern research, and the insights of traditional Asian healing systems to guide those seeking spiritual growth, mental clarity, and a healthier body. Grounded in Christ’s principles of transformation, healing, joy, and abundance, she believes in the boundless possibilities that emerge when faith, surrender, grace, and knowledge meet. You can learn more about her at melissaschultz.nccaomdiplomates.com/about-me.
Blog Post Title One
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Two
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.