Approaching a New Year

As the new year approaches we are encouraged to think about ourselves. Our accomplishments, failures, goals, resolutions etc....as I thought about these things, I was lead to the following excerpt from one of my favorite books...

Enjoy it, and may everyday of the next year bring some form of joy into your life.

Prelude to a New Dream

There are thousands of agreements you have made with yourself, with your dream of life, with God, with society, with your parents, with your spouse, with your children. But the most important agreements are the ones you made with yourself. In these agreements you tell yourself who you are, what you feel, what you believe, and how to behave. The result is what you call your personality. In these agreements you say, "This is what I am. This is what I believe. I can do certain things and some things I cannot do. This is reality; that is fantasy, this is possible, that is impossible."

One single agreement is not such a problem but we have many agreements that make us suffer, that make us fail in life. If you want to live a life of joy and fulfillment, you have to find the courage to break those agreements that are fear-based and claim your personal power. The agreements that come from fear require us to expend a lot of energy, but the agreements that come from love help us to conserve energy and even gain extra energy.

-The Four Agreements

by Don Miguel Ruiz

Moving On

What do we do when the people we love repeatedly will not respect us and consider our feelings? Do we move on? Respect and consideration are so important in a relationship and if we aren't getting either...why stay?

Having enough love for ourselves to know when we are not being treated as we would like to be treated, and having the courage to ask for what we need is not an easy task. However once the courage and willingness has been made there is a feeling of peace. Knowing that we deserve more and standing up for ourselves is empowering.

So, I believe we must honor who we are and express ourselves, if another person cannot or will not provide what we need in the relationship then we move on simply out of incompatibility.
Letting go can be very challenging and some of us cling to the idea that, somehow in the future things may be different. But it isn't good for either person if we put your lives on hold based on someone's "potential" to change. We can only change ourselves and if that is not an option then we have no other choice but to let the other go with love to live their best lives...even though it may be painful to do so.

Pause...Reflect...

In reflection of my last entry....

Is it possible that unconditional love is reserved only for children from their parents? I think this is definitely where we see the best examples of unconditional love, but I also believe it is intended as a gift for everyone.

This is where romantic love and genuine, true LOVE get confused...I am a firm believer of honoring ourselves and setting necessary boundaries in relationships with people. And when two people cannot do this in a relationship it doesn't mean they can no longer love each other. In fact, continuing to love each other but letting the other go and live their best life is the essence of unconditional love.

This I believe, is a tremendously difficult task to master and one which may take many more than our mere 100 years, to achieve.

A Little Insight into the Madness

Life seems so short to me lately. I have had big questions in my head that keep going round and round such as; "Why are we here?" "What's it all for?" "Could this really be all there is?" "How can life just continue like this; one life born, one life dies...another fast food chain opens..........?!"

No wonder people are trying to avoid their life and feelings as much as possible with alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, shopping, sex, relationships, etc...etc... I mean really, a person could literally loose their mind contemplating these questions for too long.

But what a tragedy, believing these temporary fixes are what life and living is all about...how easily we turn our heads or forget that in "reality" these things also have the power to make our lives miserable and in some cases actually kill us.

So, if these experiences are not what life is all about, WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

Some say love....but maybe more accurately it's unconditional love. A HUGE topic that honestly I have very little comprehension of. However, this may be the answer to inner peace and a joyful content life. What comes to mind for me when I hear unconditional love is; letting go of expectations, limitations, demands, control, knowing, judgement, all of it and accepting each and everything for the way it is in the present moment.

And then this comes to mind...Holy crap! How in the heck am I going to do that? It will take more than one lifetime to make just a start at that.

So, back to the original thought and question I go...Life seems so short to me lately and could this really be all there is to it? Keep trying, and trying, and trying and hopefully before I die I will have a closer understanding to what unconditional love is? Really?! I hope there is way more to it than that...

The Circle Complete.

Craig told us that it was very important for us to teach our first yoga class as soon as we got the opportunity. He said putting it all together and delivering it to a room full of students would complete the training circle and that is when all of the benefits from the training would start to flow out of each one of us...

Well I taught my first class last week and am happy to say it went well, even better than I thought it would. I have been embraced into the studio here in Tempe, AZ. Everyone has been very supportive and welcoming. I had the opportunity to take a class in Scottsdale, AZ as well and I have to say the Bikram Yoga community there was just as welcoming to me as a new teacher, as my home studio.

I feel as though a whole new world is opening up around me; it's a bit overwhelming, and so exciting!

If I had the opportunity, I would tell Craig "thank you"..."thank you for encouraging us to complete the circle, of my own, I may or may not have had the follow through. I am so grateful for the extra push".