My Journey: Love, Life & Connection |
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Once upon a time, I crossed an ocean to move to a foreign land.
It was September 1999, and I was only 21 years old. I thought flying away from Spain would resolve my inner turmoil. I was on a search, not yet understanding that the work I would need to do to find peace was within, not without. I met my soulmate Eduard in New York City. I was really lost, and he encouraged me to find myself. In my searching, I realized that the career I had prepared for (hotel management) didn't fulfill me, and never could. On top of that, I was weighed down by emotional baggage from childhood and had trouble valuing myself. My life began to shift when I found yoga thanks to my friend Maika, who literally pushed me past my preconceived notions and into my first yoga class in the Ashtanga style. I was amazed at how good I felt after. Back then, yoga was only a physical exercise for me. I had never been flexible, not even as a child. At 22, I was very far from being able to touch my toes, but because I began going to class at least three times a week, I witnessed the progress. Little by little, my body was becoming more flexible, and I learned how to breathe. Sometime later I found Ranjitha. Her yoga classes included meditation, breathing techniques, dharma and asanas. I had discovered a whole new world! She introduced me to the most beautiful realms of yoga. I started feeling a deep transformation within. Not only was my body more flexible, but also my view of the world was shifting. Ranjitha encouraged me to enter a teacher's training program. I didn't know then that yoga would put me on a lifelong spiritual path. In 2003, I got my teacher certification. Yoga allowed me to go deep into a world I never knew existed but that always had been there – within me. I began peeling off layers, conditioning and self-blockages, and I discovered that the peace, love and contentment I sought had always been there. I became aware that whatever I had had to face in my life up to that point had been there for me as a blessing, something I could transcend and look for the true light within. I started teaching Vinyasa yoga, always including breathing techniques and meditation in my classes. As we evolve in life, so does our yoga practice. I eventually got certified to teach Therapeutic yoga, Gentle and Yin. Those practices allow me to teach some dharma during class. While people hold the poses, I talk about spirituality, life and ways to connect with our higher self. I have found that people need this; there are many ways and places to exercise, but what they yearn for are ways to transcend their physical and emotional pain. In fact, yoga can be practiced all day long. As you move through your day, be mindful and fully present. The mind will test you by either trying to bring you to the past or to the future, but you have the option to choose not to engage. Then, thoughts lose power and do not leave an imprint on your consciousness. Use your mind for your work, math and daily life, but do not engage with the mind in its psychological manifestation, the one that is full of judgments, conditioning and worries. In 2016, I tried my first sound healing session with Tibetan Singing Bowls. I was blown away! They helped me to continue along the path that had begun with yoga. They helped me regain my confidence and my voice. Sound healing has enabled me to speak up, share my truth and believe in myself. Even though insecurities sometimes knock at the door, and I am still working on letting go of fear, the road is so much smoother and joy springs out from within. Sound healing has given me the strength to promise myself that from now on, even when what I label as adversity hits me, I will take it as a stepping stone toward what lies ahead. I now see challenges as opportunities to grow and to recognize that which I truly am. I became a sound healing practitioner in 2017. I now offer individual and group sound healing sessions. In 2019, I studied Chinese foot reflexology and crystal therapy, two very powerful practices that help people immensely. As they say, learning is never done! In 2021, in a pursuit to deepen my knowledge and the services I offer to my clients, I became certified by The Acutonics Institute of Integrative Medicine to integrate the use of tuning forks as part of my practice. I also completed virtual training on cacao ceremonies in 2021. I later traveled to Guatemala to learn more about cacao and Mayan Cosmology in 2023. I am forever grateful for the healers, masters and teachers I have met along my journey. Without them, I couldn't have looked in the right direction, and I would still be stuck in the past, with lots of anxiety. The real teachers have shown me how to find the answers within; we have all we need inside ourselves. When you open up to life, you start attracting the right people: like-minded souls who are on the same journey. You attract inspiring souls that guide you and encourage you along the way. At the same time, the people that are not meant to be next to you, that don't belong to that "new you," start disappearing from your life, very gracefully, almost like magic. I am now in my 40s, and there is no other age I would rather be. I have never in my life felt so radiant, and full of life and joy. Stories of the past keep coming to the light, parts that my mind blocked, but my subconscious and energetic body did not. I am not afraid anymore. It is as if things come to the surface for me to acknowledge them and let them out; my true self is free and has always been free. From our wounds, beautiful flowers can emerge. Rumi says: "The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” May you all find the peace, love, and light that you are. OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI. OM PEACE, PEACE, PEACE. With love, Judit |
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."