The Way I Choose To See It

So many of us wander through life unaware of our potential and becoming victims of circumstance. We just let life happen to us instead of taking an active role. Or perhaps we live too much in our past, reliving old hurts and disappointments.

Whatever reason we have for NOT being joyful every second of our life is silly really. Of course, things happen that anger or disappoint us, but how we deal with that is truly up to us as individuals. We can either let our emotions take us for a freaky roller coaster ride, or we can take a moment to step back and reassess the situation from a new perspective. Maybe the moment is too intense, in which case, it's best to walk away and collect oneself and take a few breaths. Once calm has been restored, what can be learned from that moment? What wisdom can be extracted from the experience that helps to mold new perspectives going forward? What was just learned about oneself from that experience?

Many people choose to wallow in anger, disappointment, guilt, shame, etc. That's not empowering! One falls victim to their experiences and emotions when they wallow in those states of mind. If people could simply learn to step back and look at the bigger picture and learn to transform those dis-empowering feelings into something more useful, like wisdom, insight and understanding, there would be so much more happiness in their lives. A simple shift in perspective with regard to "bad" experiences helps to let things go so one can move past that experience and in doing so removes that heavy burden that gets carried around on one's proverbial shoulders.

The wisdom one gains as they come out of those experiences literally transforms them into new people. Yes, they look the same from the outside. However, inside a profound transformation has occurred that has forever changed them; so much so that they will never again be the person they were before they experienced that transformation and insight about themselves and their life.

This is a beautiful thing! I liken it to the way a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. This metaphor is certainly an overused one, but it's always fitting.

What areas of your life need to be re-looked at? What emotions do you carry around that hold you back from being the person you want to be? How can a change of perspective benefit the relationships your have in your life? What beliefs were you raised with that may now come into question about life, people, religion, money, etc.?

Contemplating these things will no doubt open up a can of worms. And using this metaphor is also fitting, since things get messy when one really takes the time to reassess everything about their life. It's always messy at first, but the empowerment brought about by clarity is well worth it.

Until next time.....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Validation

When I set out to become a yoga instructor, it wasn't about the money.....it never has been. Yoga as a practice is so gratifying that to even accept money to teach others almost seems wrong to me. But we can't deny the need to make a living, so why not get paid to do what you love?

For me, my whole reason for teaching yoga is to help others and bring them to a place of peace and awareness first within themselves and then have it naturally radiate out from there into the world around them.

The first time I experienced the profound joy of yoga I was working in Corporate America and decided to take a class on my lunch break. I had no idea what I was doing, but the sensations in my body afterwards had me hooked! I was a jellyfish on muscle relaxers. Not even my boss could get under my skin after that class. The only word to describe my state of being was BLISS. However, it took many more years to develop an awareness of myself and truly see that there is much more to yoga than just stretching.

Almost 10 years passed before my wisdom and insight showed me that to teach others about the benefits of yoga would bring me a wealth of joy and peace unmatched by all the money in the world.

One of my students came to me after class about 10 days ago and told me how his life and physical abilities have changed for the better since he's started taking yoga and how his whole outlook has also changed as well. He's been taking my class almost exclusively since I began teaching in October after his friends dragged him to a class. His admission about the benefits he's received from taking my yoga class validated my whole reason for teaching yoga in the first place. I can't even describe how good that feels to know that I've helped at least one person so far.

I love my job!

Yoga + Awareness = LOVE

Until next time.....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Broken, Yet Whole

We have moments in our lives
That change us forever,
Shattering beliefs and ideals;
And visions of how we expect our life to play out.

In that moment, we are broken, yet whole
Knowing that as we pick up the pieces
And reassemble them, into perhaps a more colorful mosaic
Life becomes new, a rebirthing has taken place.
And life takes on a different perspective.

How we choose to perceive this new life makes all the difference.


~ Kristen Luther ~

An Awakening?

I had the pleasure of meeting up with my friend Lissy this weekend before she had to be at a baby shower for another of her dear friends. We got our iced teas, sat down and caught up before taking a walk around downtown Katonah to reap the benefits of the amazing and unseasonably warm weather. We stopped in on a few shops, many of which I'd never seen before. Katonah has experienced a lot of turnover, but there are a few shops that thankfully have stayed the course. The first shop we visited catered mostly to trendy older women who like to wear the very bold prints. The clothing wasn't exactly my speed, but there was a very cute book that Lissy and I began to thumb through and read passages called, If Women Ran The World, Shit Would Get Done. Knowing how the economy must be affecting the Katonah businesses, I decided to purchase the book as my contribution and to show my support. Did I need the book....absolutely not.....but the shop needed my support....and I was happy to give it.

Next, Lissy and I ventured into a shop that has been in business for about 20 years, called Offerings. They have the most wonderful artisan created goods there from pottery, to jewelry and a host of carved wood pieces. The shop is very ecclectic and looks like it caters more to the "organic" crowd, which I am proud to say I am a part of. While in the shop, I asked the owner how things have been for her with the economy being the way it is. She said things have been pretty bad and that many of the shops in Katonah are going to go under. I purchased a pair of earrings to show my support(and who knows, that may be the $20 that makes all the difference for her), I wished her the very best of luck and Lissy and I continued our walk around Katonah discussing life and what good may be coming out of the current economic "crisis".

We theorized that probably the best thing that could come out of this recession is having more people in the world who have stepped back to reassess their lives and their true purpose after having been laid off or lost thier business. Usually what happens when people experience a crisis such as losing a job, they start to ask the typical questions, "why?, how could this happen?, what is my purpose?". When a person asks these questions, they begin to question the universe which is the root of all organized religion and belief system on the planet. Ultimately, people begin to open up to the mystery and possibilities the universe holds for us and thus brings an awakening in human consciousness.

So, the recession has created much stress and hardship for many people, but if we just look at the silver lining and the opportunity to truly explore the possibilities instead of wallowing in fear and angst, the earth would be filled with enlightened and awakened people who can appreciate the lessons in life and reasons for why things happen the way they do. In my opinion, let the lay offs continue, let the businesses fail. The more people there are in a crisis, the more opportunity there is for a true awakening in human consciousness and perhaps a better chance for world peace in the future.

Until next time......

Thanks for reading!

Kristen