This is a space for people of all religions and spiritual paths.
Yoga has been a tool to build strength, mental clarity and balance my soul. I also practice Meditation and I am a Reiki practitioner.
While I have done Yoga for over 15 years, due to travel and life, my practice has not been steady. However, I take my yoga mat or buy one and do yoga when I can’t find a practice that fits my needs or there is no yoga available. I do follow a yoga teacher online, the only one so far that fits the needs of my practice.
Why Yoga?
I am not intending on being a Yogi, however some of the philosophies of Yoga ring true with my life.
In my experience, the best part of Yoga is the ability to feel and to free energy. Mindfulness, with all the hype about it. is just to be present in that very moment and it has always been an intricate part of doing yoga for centuries. Yoga improves flexibility and balance. It decreases anxiety, stress and has allowed me to be physically and mentally healthier.
“Be still, Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity” LAO TZU
In Buddhism, enlightenment is reached through wisdom and compassion. Interestingly Buddhism as well as yoga, acknowledges that there is suffering and that freedom from suffering is possible. These philosophies believe that compassion is a vehicle for liberation from suffering.
Buddhism and Yoga hold the belief of KARUNA, which is the practice of compassion. Compassion is sharing in suffering and caring for another one but not feeling with another. This idea allows us to be of better help to others instead of being drained by feeling so much pain for others.
Yoga has been the best practice that fits my life purpose. It is my way to channel my supercharged energy reducing stress and helping me to increase my focus. Yoga has allowed me to be still putting me in a mindful state.
Meditation has enhanced my yoga practice by being fully focused on the present moment MIRACLE WORKER!
Meditation is a key link to reach that state of being, the alignment between body-mind, and soul. We are all capable and competent to reach this state of being, all of us can do it because it is a quality given to living beings. In some instances, we can connect to that flow from an external source but the inside -I call it my spirit soul- is what links one to that spiritual state. An external source can be being mindful at a temple or praying with force. When we reach that state of being we can feel more emotional -don’t confuse this emotional state with being sad because it is not. It is the emotion of deep joy -not an outburst of emotion- created by consciously connecting to that cosmos or higher power. A deep emotional awareness can also be triggered by nature, beauty, music, etc. This is a reminder that we feel a deep intensity of connection, a reminder that we are all interconnected by love and creation.
Multicultural religious and spiritual beliefs
I was born Catholic, raised around Buddhists and Jews with Moslems friends, and having lived in Egypt make me a religious mutt. In consequence, I incorporate different religious beliefs that ring true to my spiritual path. Faith is my own belief in a higher power. I believe we all have the same higher power -or whatever you want to call it- and the road we take towards our faith is very intimate and personal.
Mother Mary to me is the symbol of unconditional love and healing power. In my world, Mother Mary embodies the desire to develop our inner “Christ.” I grow closer and safer by praying to her. Mother Mary embodies the natural ability for love and compassion to ourselves and to others.
I do yoga as much as I can while traveling. I highlight on my page some ashrams, yoga instructors, and places that I feel were the best for me.
SPIRITUALITY
Spirituality for me is not linked to organized religion but it can be triggered by one’s own belief system. It is a state or way of knowing that you are completely in touch with yourself being part of a whole. That whole can be called Abraham, Buddha, Moses, Muhammad, God, Allah, Jesus, or anything and anyone that can trigger that unspoiled connection. My spirituality has no form of organized religion because the relationship itself is intimate; between this connection and my whole self.
In my experience, spirituality is an awareness that comes from the inside. At times an outside event can trigger that soul spirit within me. It is not a mental state; it is a fusion of a heightened state of mind, body, and soulfully aligned. I can make the analogy of reaching that state of being connected, like when tuning in a radio station and reaching that perfect radio wave that connects you with the clear channel to listen to. Reaching spiritual alignment is what links mind, body, and spirit that brings me in a flow where there is no sense o time and space.
