 Every day we are given a new opportunity to face life's challenges in a more graceful way. Every day we get tested to see if we have understood the lessons. Be aware, and know that there is always a different way to handle a difficult situation. Learn from the mistakes from the past and choose to move forward.
Watch how you react to people and circumstances and see how many times your emotions are clouding your judgement and blinding your vision. Not everything is black or white; there are a million shades of grey in between. The way you were raised and your personality might come full force when someone challenges you. Ask yourself: Why am I reacting this way? Let's find new ways to see life. Every day provides a new opportunity to become a better being: happy, joyful and content. Our old beliefs make us stiff like steel; let's be flexible like bamboo. For your own sake's happiness, challenge your old beliefs and be free. Forgive yourself, love yourself tons, and start living your life with joy. Life is a precious gift. Are you living it?
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 Even amid chaos,
there is still goodness in the world. There are dreams to be fulfilled, exciting moments to be lived, new careers to be pursued, enchanting places to visit, fascinating people to meet, and many new adventures to unfold. I am looking forward to what life has for me, I keep my eyes and heart open, so when the new opportunities come I do not miss them. I have already missed too much in the past, when I chose to see only misery. Let's be open to life, keep the eyes open, a gift might be right in front of you. Do not miss it!  Ego comes and knocks at your door:
he comes disguised as fear, he comes disguised as judgement, he comes disguised as pride, he comes disguised as anger, he comes disguised as self-pity. You open the door... Sometimes you recognize him, and you shut the door asking him to leave. Sometimes you welcome him, but knowing who he is, you keep some distance from him. Sometimes he sneaks in through the back door, and then he is with you day and night, not allowing you to be happy and free. Be alert! He is a sneaky one!  Are you playing the exciting game of life or feeling stuck and struggling in life?
Most people consider life a battle, but it is not a battle, it is a game, it is a dance. Sometimes we become too serious in the roles we play in this lifetime, forgetting to flow and play with life. Life is a dance: two steps forward, two steps backwards, two steps right, two steps left. During a dance, it doesn't matter if you move forward or back, it is just part of the dance, and it is fun. If while dancing, you become obsessed with perfection, you might lose the rhythm and not enjoy it. If you let go and move fluidly through the music, joy and happiness are there. If you worry too much about how you look when you dance and how others view you and what they might say, you will again miss the fun. So just move as if today is your last day, no need to be perfect; perfection does not exist. What do others think of your moves? Not your problem, only theirs. Smile, do what you love, for you. When you are happy, everyone around you will feel your vibration, and in turn, they will find their path. You start with you. Let's dance; let's live and have fun. Every day is a gift.  Do you see beauty or misery around you?
Do you see the rose or the thorn? Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty? Watch where you put your attention, as that is the seed that will grow within you. Life offers us infinite possibilities, open your eyes to the miracles. Each minute is a precious gift, each hour a blessing, each day an opportunity to grow wiser and happier. Water the seeds of love, joy, and peace; and grow into a beautiful flower, which fragrance will uplift the world. It is time to change the way we live our lives. It is time to focus on what matters. Do you see beauty or misery around you? Let's keep our vibration high so that we can go through challenging times gracefully; Cheering each other up, blossoming into better human beings. Judit  Usually, I'm not particularly eager to sail as I get dizzy, and I am afraid of rough waters. The experience in the Mekong river was a completely different one. The water was utterly still, and the boat was barely moving. We spent about 3 hours sailing that day, and it felt like 5 minutes. A feeling of absolute peace and calmness enveloped me during that ride. Being in nature, in a country where the energy of its people is so peaceful and the stillness of the water brought me deep within.
At that moment, nothing else existed in my world, no problems, no responsibilities, no deadlines, no pain, only NOTHINGNESS. Emptiness equals peace, and absolute peace and stillness is what I felt. This week, in a moment of mind turbulence; I reminded myself to be and to reconnect to how I felt on that boat. The human mind is capable of creating so much beauty, but at the same time, so much misery. But we have the power to choose to what we give attention and power. Water the seeds of love, light and joy, so they bloom into a beautiful flower. There is no need to water the weeds; just let them be. And use any tools you have to keep centered and at peace. What do you do to reconnect to the peace within?  When we are dishonest with ourselves, we only choose to see what we want to see, but we ignore what causes us pain. This may provide short-term happiness or relief, but in the long run, it can cause so much trouble. Being honest with ourselves can sometimes be painful as it means we need to either speak up or change a situation. In general, we dread change; therefore, most of the time, we choose not to want to see reality as it is. But it's a necessary component to long-term happiness and success in our lives. Take time to look within, and see what is not working, and be honest. If you need to change a situation, do it if you need to speak to someone, do it.
Often we excuse ourselves from action with a lie, saying we don't feel like doing it. But action is what can make us move in the direction that we need, and yes it requires work, but it is worth it. This past year for me has been one of taking many steps, in my personal and work life. I can tell you that this process has been exhausting, and there have been moments when I felt so overwhelmed, but I would do it again, as I have never in my life before felt so true to myself. It feels so good to have nothing to hide, it feels so good, to be honest with ourselves and others. Others deserve to hear our truth. To make a move towards our freedom and happiness, it takes courage, are you ready? Stop telling yourselves the lie that now it is not the time. You will always find excuses; the mind is too quick to find reasons not to do it. It is about time that you reclaim your life and become who you are supposed to be. Go for it.  This picture is from 2011 at Mount Kailash, Tibet. Little did I know then that one day I would end up leaning towards Tibetan practices of wellbeing. I could not imagine then where life would direct me; not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined all that was to come. There is always a greater plan for us, but we get caught up in day-to-day struggles, and we forget to look at the bigger picture. The possibilities are endless, and only when we let go and allow life to flow will everything unfold with ease, and we can tap into our greatest potential.
I truly believe our lives are tailored to us, and everything we go through leads us somewhere more beautiful. Maybe during that sacred trip to Tibet, a seed within me was planted. I felt a deep connection to the Tibetan people and culture; I was mesmerized by the grandeur of the Himalayas, the vastness and sacredness of the land. The spiritual atmosphere in Tibet captivated me. Another life-changing gift to me from Tibet are Tibetan Singing Bowls, and more gifts keep coming to me without me even looking for them. The practice of the Five Tibetan Rites has been given to me just recently. I have deeply connected to it, I am practicing it daily, and I am offering it now, to you. I am fascinated by other practices from the Tibetan tradition and currently learning more about them. I’m not sure what is in store for me over the next 10 to 20 years, but I am undoubtedly enjoying what is here right now. So much gratitude!  When I am providing a sound healing session I am fully present in the moment. I connect with the source, the Universe, the divine within. It is almost an out-of-body experience, fully knowing and acknowledging that there is so much more than what the senses perceive as reality. I enter a space of unconditional love, peace, and joy. As I give to others, I receive too.
Mantras and prayers for love, healing, and light pass through me as I play the Tibetan singing bowls. My intention as the vibration of the bowls expands through the room is for it to touch every single soul. If my mind wanders outside of that beautiful moment which is the present, I bring myself back fully to what I am doing. As time passes, this practice is bringing me deeper within, to realms that had been foreign to me. I am so grateful that this has come into my life — so grateful.  Meet Sara, my Italian soul sister and owner of Agriturismo Alberelli (where I will run Journey to the heart retreat.) The pictures that I am sharing in this post are from this summer. On that day, Sara and her husband took us on a 1-hour hike to the beach. Sara and I connected right away, we could be our true selves, no need to impress anyone or to pretend to be someone we are not. We chatted non stop, the conversation flowed so organically, I felt I had known her forever.
For most of my life, I have tried really hard to fit in groups of people I didn't naturally belong to, and that can be a very exhausting endeavour. Most of the time, I was feeling tired and exhausted, but I knew I would find my tribe. Some time ago, I put the intention and asked the Universe for like-minded souls to appear in my life, and the beautiful souls that have shown up are beyond this world, and all from different countries! I am beyond grateful for each one of them. A smile comes to my face when I think of them, as they are like a torch of light in my life. We all have our tribes, and we all should be able to shine our light out, we deserve the best of the best! If you feel lost, that is ok too! There was a time when I felt lost also and lonely, and it is all part of the process until the right people show up. For the new crowd to show up, maybe you need to let go of some people, perhaps you need to put the intention out in the Universe of what you would like to manifest. What has worked for me too is being my authentic self, that works like a magnet! And will bring the right people next to you. Going back to the day that these pictures were taken; I really enjoyed the walk through the woods to get to the beach, we even had to climb a tall fence! If you are coming on the retreat, do not worry, the gate will be open! Or we will take another path ;) When we got to the shore, we went swimming and then we enjoyed a lovely dinner in a local restaurant that offered home-cooked meals. Can't wait to take that walk again! And to spend some time with Sara! Who by the way, is a fantastic cook herself!  Stop shrinking to fit places you've outgrown. When you have outgrown a place, a situation, you have two choices: shrink yourself and remain or be yourself and move on with grace. It is fascinating to me how we outgrow what we once thought we couldn't live without, and then we fall in love with something that was not part of our plans at all. Sometimes what we think we need is not what is best for us, so life surprises us with gifts here and there, giving us clues to which direction to go. Don't be afraid, take the leap of faith and keep walking. Let life lead you. Taking a leap of faith and throwing yourself into the unknown can be very rewarding. This past year has been like this for me, and what I can confirm is that when you let go of what doesn't serve your purpose anymore, life rewards you with the most beautiful gifts. I feel like a carterpillar, going through the process to become a butterfly.
 I used to think that I was not creative; I used to think only a few were fortunate to receive the gift of creativity. How wrong I was. We are all born with it; we shall create the right environment, so it all comes out. First, we need to find what brings a smile to our faces, what inspires us, what fulfils our lives, what ignites the fire within us. Then we need to make sure that we keep the light going, by surrounding ourselves by people who will support our life journey. As the fire keeps burning, the transformation happens, ideas flow, and we blossom.
It is inevitable, and part of the process, that sometimes we feel stuck. And not always when we want it, the ideas come, only when the soil is ready. In the past, I used to plan when to sit and prepare a workshop; now I know that it doesn't work this way. When an idea comes, no matter where I am or what time it is, I take a pen, and I start writing. Sometimes I am already in bed; sometimes, I am outside on a walk, sometimes I am driving and need to pull over and start writing notes. Creative ideas come whenever I find stillness within me, when I disconnect from the mind dialogue, and not necessarily when I am sitting at my desk. May you find what inspires and brings you bliss so you can share your beautiful creations with the world.  “Like a wild flower; she spent her days, allowing herself to grow, not many knew of her struggle, but eventually all; knew of her light." - Nikki Rowe
Wild flowers grow everywhere, can emerge under a rock, or in places you least expect it. If you plant seeds they grow and spread very fast, taking over any surface. We need to learn so much from wild flowers, learn to be like them. To grow under any circumstance, even in detrimental soil or rocks. To shine brightly and show our beautiful colors no matter the circumstances. Every adversity we face, it is an opportunity to blossom into a better version of ourselves. Bloom with ferocity and light! The urban dictionary gives the following definition for wildflower: A free spirit. Uncultivated by the mainstream. Independent thinker. Bravely growing wild and free in a world plagued by conformity. I want to grow like a wildflower. We love wild flowers so much that, some years back, we started spreading seeds of different varieties in our yard. It is so beautiful to see them grow, spread and bloom! Each one is unique, each one is a precious gift from mother earth. Some people see them as weeds, spreading without control. We let them blossom. We let them be. You can only love them. Wild and free. Judit  On Saturday, I was sitting outside, working on my newsletter when all of a sudden all the beads from my blessed sandalwood bracelet spilled out everywhere; some landed on the floor, some on the table. In the past, I would have been very upset and sad. That is how I felt the first time a mala broke, as I didn't know what I will share with you now.
In the yogic tradition, a broken mala is said to symbolize the breaking of a cycle of suffering, a spiritual breakthrough, and a release of karma or other negative traits. It is viewed as a good sign of progression along one's yogic path and the perfect time to reflect on your blessings and your inner journey. It is time to move on and let the beads go because you have learned something. New lessons are ready to come your way in this university of life. When a mala breaks you are not supposed to fix it. You are supposed to gather its broken pieces and you can place the beads on your altar or you can bury them under a tree. The ego is so attached to material things, that is why we have so much trouble letting go. Yet all is transient. This is another reminder that all that we perceive is transient. Without the intrusiveness of the personal mind, life is observed to be unfolding in a harmonious way, as it is supposed to. Next time a mala breaks, celebrate it! And of course, you can always get a new one. Many blessings. Judit. |
