The Really Bad Virus Strains

Okay, so this was the week that most kids had off from school for winter break and I've heard case after case from my friends about how their whole family has been coming down with this HORRIBLE flu. And it's not just the achy, feverish, coughing flu......this one has the stomach bug attached to it and it's BRUTAL.

I had a moment of clarity this week and it was just a flash that made so much sense, that I haven't been able to ignore it. I may have been dreaming when it occurred or was just on the brink of sleep, but it was so vivid, so here goes.

Ever since there has been a significant increase in global warming, it seems like everything in our environment has been thrown out of whack. Everything from the weather, to the seasons, to the bug infestations, etc. If you haven't watched "An Inconvenient Truth", watch it and your eyes will be forever opened.

I guess as I'm considering the impact global warming has had on the environment, I had the flash of clarity that perhaps it's also affecting the virus strains that have been going around as well, encouraging mutations of the usual strains. Perhaps instead of dying off after the holiday rush (when it seems everyone gets the stomach flu), perhaps the strain goes dormant for a while and mutates into something more brutal than when it hit during the holidays. Maybe it has something to do with the more mild winter weather we've been having. I know the flu virus thrives in the cold, but maybe this strain is different and mutated so it does well or better in the milder weather. How horrible would it be to be getting a stomach flu (especially this stomach flu)year round that usually strikes when it's cold??? Normal occurrence for the stomach flu is November through May when people spend most of their time indoors and the virus spreads easily on hard surfaces from person to person.

What happens if global warming is helping this an other infectious diseases mutate into something we can no longer contain or control??? What then?

Global warming is more than sea levels rising, hurricanes getting stronger, glaciers melting and seasons being thrown out of whack. It's increasing the prevalence of infectious diseases and making them worse than we've ever seen. And what do diseases have the potential to do........wipe out species of living organisms.....that can easily include the human species as well.

Not only are infectious diseases a problem because of global warming, but also consider the number of food allergies and environmental allergies that have cropped up in the past 15 to 20 years or so. I have my own theories on food allergies in terms of how our food industry is run in the U.S., but I'm sure global warming has it's hand in on that as well since pollution levels have gone up.

It may be too late to reverse all the damage that's been done, but it doesn't hurt to get into the habit of recycling, composting, using renewable materials and being all around more conscious of the impact we have on the earth. If everyone took the time and made the effort to do their part to cut back on the wasteful consumption that seems to have become the American way of life, the earth would thank us.

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

Growth

At times we find ourselves
Standing amidst a storm of chaos and uncertainty
Wondering if we shall weather its force.

Unsure of our own abilities
In this new and unfamiliar situation,
We can either retreat to the relative safety of our comfort zone
Or we can learn to adapt and survive.
Finding the gift within the struggle.

It helps to know that these new and unsettling challenges
Would not be bestowed upon us
Unless we were ready to meet them head on
And grow from the experience into more intelligent, capable and divine beings.


~ Kristen Luther ~

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 ~

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 ~

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~

A Patient Practice

I am a pranyama away from being a yoga instructor. A dream that was realized over the summer and has been taking shape into reality ever since. My first class will be on Tuesday at 11:00am. It's a new class listing at the gym, so not very many people know about it yet, which is such a relief to me since I am just starting out.

It hasn't taken me very long to arrive at this place. In fact, it's been surprisingly speedy and everything has been happening in my favor......even when I was asked to start teaching a yoga class right after I got my online and workshop certification. I was scared. I hadn't even practiced on anyone yet. I wasn't confident enough to get up in front of a room full of people seeking my guidance in the practice of yoga. Then I found out that I needed to be CPR certified to teach. That bought me some time to practice on my friends and put together a few different sequences. I've had time to prepare and this has made all the difference in my level of confidence as a teacher.

Around that same time, I felt pressure to have a deeper practice, a more flexible body, the ability to perform asanas that my body clearly wasn't ready for. As a result, I seemed to have a different minor injury every week. If it wasn't my low back from doing camel, it was my knee from attempting mermaid pose, if not that, my hamstrings were tight. One day in class, I just lost it. Frustration had pushed me to tears and thankfully, my instructor, Nina helped me to see the lessons my body was teaching me. I needed to slow down and listen to my body and honor what it needed in that moment. My body needed me to be gentle and patient with it, I needed to deepen my breathing in order to open and release the tension and stress I'd been under that had been contributing to my injuries. I needed to learn to modify my practice instead of pushing myself to be the most flexible and agile person in class. Yoga is not a competition. It's a turning inward to tune into what your body needs in that moment.

With these realizations in the forefront of my consciousness, my practice is back on track and I often feel stronger with every Chaturanga Dandasana. The frustration and the sadness that came with it have evaporated and I'm eagerly welcoming the adventure of being a yoga instructor and sharing the peace and practice of yoga with those who wish to learn and bring that same peace and tranquility into their lives as I have received in mine.

Until next time.......

Thanks for reading.

Kristen