None…

Aswell let everyone you know come and share their experiences with us…

A question I would like to see the answers for….Many of us here have come full circle in our lives by letting go of our “ego” thoughts and ways…Why do you think that everything seems to fall into place, and allign with your life after connecting with your trueself; and letting go of the wall you created for yourself??

love and peace to all
keep spreading your happiness
yolanda
Yolanda

When I finished my University degree, I entered what has been termed “the quarter life crisis”. I went from being an ‘A’ student, popular with my peers to being a coffee shop employee. My ego took a huge hit and I didn’t know how to identify myself anymore.
So, I decided to go after my childhood dream of becoming an actress but my desire to succeed had hardly anything to do with my love for acting and everything to do with a desperate need to prove myself, and my place in the world. I needed external approval and validation so badly and all I got was rejection, hitting up against brick wall after brick wall.
Through this unstable time, I took up Bikram Yoga because I heard it would help me get the long, lean look sought after by female actresses. My agent had told me I would never get a lead role because “the anorexic look” was in, and I didn’t have it. My sense of self and self-esteem were taking a proper beating.
Meanwhile, from Bikram Yoga I went on to discover other more meditative styles of yoga like, Ashtanga, Hatha and Kundalini. On the mat, I discovered a connection with myself that I had never experienced before. A Self emerged that was untouched by external influences. One day, after 2 years of practicing yoga regularly, I woke up from my final relaxation with a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I quit acting. Not because I was bitter but because I no longer needed Casting Directors and Agents to confirm my place in the world. I knew I belonged because I experienced God within me.
Once awakened to this new consciousness, all suffering seemed so obviously self-inflicted. I saw people suffering all around me and felt a compelling drive to help them find this deep and freeing connection with the Self. I wanted to help raise the consciousness of the planet. That’s when I decided to become a yoga teacher and open a yoga studio.
This is the part of the story that gives me chills to this day: As soon as I set the intention to open a studio, the Universe started to provide. Where I was met with brick walls on my ego-driven path, doors were swinging wide open at every turn on my new path.
The synchronicity was astounding. I didn’t have to look for investment money; it found me in the form of a very kind and intelligent mentor and business partner. Two yoga studios closed down in the exact neighborhood I wanted to open mine and both owners came on board as mentors, offering up their client bases for free. The perfect location manifested itself on a walk one afternoon as I let my gut feeling guide me. The list goes on and on.
Since November 2007, I am the proud owner of HappyTree Yoga Studio in the heart of Downtown Montreal and I couldn’t be happier or surrounded by more wonderful and inspiring people. My heart is full and my faith is stronger than ever that we will overcome our collective state of dis-ease and enter into the most beautiful age the world has ever known.

I will make a very long story as short as possible, and be very honest and to the point. For various emotional reasons, and essentially to numb my pain I become a suicidal, alcoholic, drug addict. When I was at my lowest point a couple of events were pivotal in me making a conscious decision to change directions and try to salvage my life, I reasoned, “at this point, it’s worth a try, my life can’t get any worse.” So I embarked on a radical 180 degree pendulum swing in the opposite direction. I began eating a very strict macrobiotic diet. A difficult withdrawal and detoxification period ensued but once this passed I began feeling better and better with each passing week. As well as an organic natural foods diet I was devoted to a regular regime of exercise: aerobics, weight training, jogging, yoga, meditation and chanting. The books I was consulting promoted a lifestyle in harmony with nature, and all living beings, and taught how to achieve healthy loving relationships - all this is the key to ours and our planet’s healthy future.

Looking back it’s hard to imagine how much suffering I was in back in the mid 1980’s, as this is so far from my current state of heart and mind. I did manage to turn my life around, and I guess I can be proud of myself. Now as a teacher of yoga, cooking, massage and therapy I am helping others my life improvements and transformation.

Love and blessings,

Karen Heaven Claffey

The challenge of my life has always been to step into divinity; to fully express the natural love, wisdom and joy the emanates from my being.

I say challenge because joy is not always welcome, love is sometimes refused and wisdom is often scoffed at. The past few years, I’ve done my best to hide them; protect them. But this kept me hunched over my light– preventing it from shining brightly and fully.

The past few years have been been quite disappointing. After returning from England with a Masters in marketings Communications, I was called to take care of two sick parents and find a job quickly before my student loans had my hide. It felt so strange to come back from living my dream to being smacked with a increasingly scary and consuming exsistence.

It seemed bizarre and stifling. I couldn’t find a job in my small hometown that matched a MA in Marketing. So I settled; taking a job at my old high school coaching basketball, serving as a dorm parent and working in the alum office. I was grateful, but it felt like a far cry from what I had imagined for myself.

Weeks at home became months and high school broke for the summer. The salary they offered didn’t pay my bills, so there was no reason to stay and I had forgotten to dream. Life demanded action right now! There’s no time for pondering moving to California or thinking about London, you have student loans, a car that needs gas and, a mother who wants you out of the house. (Not in a bad way– even baby chicks are pushed out the nest to fly!!)

So, I eventually moved to a suburb of Washington, DC with a college friend. Despite the MA it took six months to find a job, and the job was still quite below what expectations I had for myself, or what I was capable of. Eventually they fired me.

And every other job I’ve had since then has been like that. Only, I’ve learned to sense my impending disappointment. When something that doesn’t line up with my sense of integrity or personal goals, I get antsy self sabotage or just quit. It seemed strange to be stuck in a cycle of jobs that constantly grate against your inner values, no matter how service oriented they seemed. I’ve worked at non profits, schools, mental health community integration programs, and development disability day programs. They all left me empty and pained. There is so much more than viewing each other from a space of limitation and pity. We all are so much more than that. In each job I’ve always felt there is so much more to do and give. Whenever I began to give, to do more, I was always blocked stifled or… fired ;). Oddly enough I never gave up giving though.

Light emerged in the form of yoga. My practice began at a gym in England and always stayed with me. I took teacher training, and began teaching around Washington, DC. The light within me found a window, and I could no longer hide it.

Teaching yoga opened up other avenues of expression. I connected deeply with a holistic health counselor who changed the way I view food, and studied Mahatama Reiki. Recently I was guided to establish an online business combining astrology, yoga and reiki to assist others in stepping completely into their divinity. The website is http://www.Jeannetteastrosoul.com.

I have soooo much more work to do!! And there is so much to learn!! But for the first time since I’ve been back to the United States I don’t feel like I’m hiding my light. I’m letting it shine and encouraging others to do the same.

Thanks for the forum to share!! Hope this fed someone!

Infinite Blessings
Jeannette Jackson
Your Cosmic Doula
http://www.Jeannetteastrosoul.com