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
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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 ~
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 ~
Faceted
We are each brilliantly cut gemstones in our own right;
Each facet shining brightly colored light
On who we truly are.....
Our gifts and our talents
Our strengths and our weaknesses
Our victories and our challenges
Each cut shapes us.
While some cuts may be tricky
And potentially damaging;
It’s those cuts that show our truest strength and beauty
From every angle
And from every facet
It’s those cuts that make us shine
More brilliantly today than we did yesterday
And tomorrow more brilliantly than today.
~ Kristen Luther ~
Each facet shining brightly colored light
On who we truly are.....
Our gifts and our talents
Our strengths and our weaknesses
Our victories and our challenges
Each cut shapes us.
While some cuts may be tricky
And potentially damaging;
It’s those cuts that show our truest strength and beauty
From every angle
And from every facet
It’s those cuts that make us shine
More brilliantly today than we did yesterday
And tomorrow more brilliantly than today.
~ Kristen Luther ~
Universal Truth
Listen to and open yourself to the Universe.
Surrender to its will.
Let go of the need to control the order and outcome of your life,
and just enjoy the ride.
When we move with the current instead of against it,
possibilities present themselves
that we would’ve otherwise missed
because of fear and mistrust.
Allow the unexpected
and everyday will yield a new surprise;
the gift of a more joyful existence.
~Kristen Luther~
Surrender to its will.
Let go of the need to control the order and outcome of your life,
and just enjoy the ride.
When we move with the current instead of against it,
possibilities present themselves
that we would’ve otherwise missed
because of fear and mistrust.
Allow the unexpected
and everyday will yield a new surprise;
the gift of a more joyful existence.
~Kristen Luther~
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Meaning of Life
Yes, let's start this blog off with a controversial subject. We all question our existence, why it is that we were put here on this earth; this paradise turned chaotic mess. What is each individuals sole purpose in life?
Most religious traditions would have you believe that we were put here for the sole purpose of procreation. Obviously, as mankind is coming into a new state of consciousness, these statements feel more and more like half truths. I myself believe we are here for many reasons, most important of which is to follow your dreams....and in doing so, be happy.
In this day in age, most teens and college grads go out into the world thinking that the ONLY way to be happy is to have huge amounts of money so they can do all the things they want to do that actually do bring them joy. The problem is that they take a job that may afford them the lifestyle, but they are miserable because what they are doing for a career doesn't speak to their heart and by ignoring that, one goes through life feeling empty and unfulfilled.
We are all born with innate talents and gifts that we are meant to take out into the world and share with mankind as way of expanding our consciousness and that of our fellow man. Somewhere along the way, we get mixed messages about life and our priorities. Our parents, our teachers, our pastors, our peers all contribute to the confusion and chatter in our mind, feeding us false belief after false belief. Pretty soon, we have been conditioned to believe what all the masses believe as well. We loose sight of our dreams and our joys. Our energy is sapped by all those who live a miserable existence and before we know it, we are just as miserable as everyone else.
The main reason for all the misery and feelings of powerlessness are fed by the media who's sole purpose is to report on all the horrid things taking place on a daily basis. Is it any wonder that we all feel like our planet is going to hell in a hand basket? Imagine the difference it would make in the lives of everyone on earth if all the media did was report on the good news.
Another source for the conditioning into mediocrity comes mainly from those closest to us, our parents......those two wonderful people who raised us from infancy to adulthood; whose opinion and authority we would rarely question. The problem with that of course is that parents are often operating based upon what their parents taught them and what their parents taught them before and so on. Beliefs can be hereditary! Imagine if you just stopped for a moment and thought about all the "beliefs" you grew up with and questioned them for a moment to sense check if they really ARE true or if you just believe them because it's what a trusted person told you.
You would be surprised at how many things are just beliefs you have accepted based upon someone else's opinion. How does this relate to following your dream? Simple. Here's a hypothetical. If a child loves to dance and has a natural talent for it, but the child's parent makes any sort of negative criticism about the dancing, the child may put that natural talent up on a shelf based upon their parent's opinion regardless of how much the child LOVES to dance. The child goes through life with low self esteem and doesn't feel like anything they do is good enough. The love of dancing has been long forgotten and the child feels lost and dissatisfied in all her endeavors. If confronted by the idea of dancing again, she may feel that familiar anxious joy she once felt, but may not recognize it for what it is and avoid it vs. pursue it. Thus continuing the cycle of living in mediocrity.
So, how does one overcome false beliefs brought about in childhood, inadvertently passed down through one's parents? Well, that's tricky. First of all, one must recognize their lack of happiness and truly want to change things. Change begins with AWARENESS. With awareness comes insight and introspection, thus opening oneself up to the possibility that they have been living under false pretenses all along and therefore need to go back through their life and reassess their belief system. Once this happens, amazing changes begin to unfold. One can feel confident knowing they finally have a mind of their own and have broken free of the droning herd. They can feel free to pursue what they truly love doing, knowing they are adding value to the world and thus understanding the meaning of THEIR life.
There are several wonderful films that illustrate what I am talking about. The most recent one being, At Sachem Farm with Minnie Driver and Rufus Sewell. The film itself is not new, but I just found it and loved it. The message was a good one to ponder. Another great film that is more recent is The Peaceful Warrior with Nick Nolte. GREAT flick. This movie really makes you think.
If you are looking for other movies that will makes you question things, check out What the BLEEP do we know??? and The Secret. When I first watched The Secret, I didn't know what to expect, but it changed my life for the better.
"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life."
—Leo Buscaglia
Thanks for reading!
Kristen
Most religious traditions would have you believe that we were put here for the sole purpose of procreation. Obviously, as mankind is coming into a new state of consciousness, these statements feel more and more like half truths. I myself believe we are here for many reasons, most important of which is to follow your dreams....and in doing so, be happy.
In this day in age, most teens and college grads go out into the world thinking that the ONLY way to be happy is to have huge amounts of money so they can do all the things they want to do that actually do bring them joy. The problem is that they take a job that may afford them the lifestyle, but they are miserable because what they are doing for a career doesn't speak to their heart and by ignoring that, one goes through life feeling empty and unfulfilled.
We are all born with innate talents and gifts that we are meant to take out into the world and share with mankind as way of expanding our consciousness and that of our fellow man. Somewhere along the way, we get mixed messages about life and our priorities. Our parents, our teachers, our pastors, our peers all contribute to the confusion and chatter in our mind, feeding us false belief after false belief. Pretty soon, we have been conditioned to believe what all the masses believe as well. We loose sight of our dreams and our joys. Our energy is sapped by all those who live a miserable existence and before we know it, we are just as miserable as everyone else.
The main reason for all the misery and feelings of powerlessness are fed by the media who's sole purpose is to report on all the horrid things taking place on a daily basis. Is it any wonder that we all feel like our planet is going to hell in a hand basket? Imagine the difference it would make in the lives of everyone on earth if all the media did was report on the good news.
Another source for the conditioning into mediocrity comes mainly from those closest to us, our parents......those two wonderful people who raised us from infancy to adulthood; whose opinion and authority we would rarely question. The problem with that of course is that parents are often operating based upon what their parents taught them and what their parents taught them before and so on. Beliefs can be hereditary! Imagine if you just stopped for a moment and thought about all the "beliefs" you grew up with and questioned them for a moment to sense check if they really ARE true or if you just believe them because it's what a trusted person told you.
You would be surprised at how many things are just beliefs you have accepted based upon someone else's opinion. How does this relate to following your dream? Simple. Here's a hypothetical. If a child loves to dance and has a natural talent for it, but the child's parent makes any sort of negative criticism about the dancing, the child may put that natural talent up on a shelf based upon their parent's opinion regardless of how much the child LOVES to dance. The child goes through life with low self esteem and doesn't feel like anything they do is good enough. The love of dancing has been long forgotten and the child feels lost and dissatisfied in all her endeavors. If confronted by the idea of dancing again, she may feel that familiar anxious joy she once felt, but may not recognize it for what it is and avoid it vs. pursue it. Thus continuing the cycle of living in mediocrity.
So, how does one overcome false beliefs brought about in childhood, inadvertently passed down through one's parents? Well, that's tricky. First of all, one must recognize their lack of happiness and truly want to change things. Change begins with AWARENESS. With awareness comes insight and introspection, thus opening oneself up to the possibility that they have been living under false pretenses all along and therefore need to go back through their life and reassess their belief system. Once this happens, amazing changes begin to unfold. One can feel confident knowing they finally have a mind of their own and have broken free of the droning herd. They can feel free to pursue what they truly love doing, knowing they are adding value to the world and thus understanding the meaning of THEIR life.
There are several wonderful films that illustrate what I am talking about. The most recent one being, At Sachem Farm with Minnie Driver and Rufus Sewell. The film itself is not new, but I just found it and loved it. The message was a good one to ponder. Another great film that is more recent is The Peaceful Warrior with Nick Nolte. GREAT flick. This movie really makes you think.
If you are looking for other movies that will makes you question things, check out What the BLEEP do we know??? and The Secret. When I first watched The Secret, I didn't know what to expect, but it changed my life for the better.
"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life."
—Leo Buscaglia
Thanks for reading!
Kristen
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