More thoughts on fear

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." Marie Curie

     I'm a yoga teacher. I'm dismayed, repeatedly, when someone says they were afraid to come to their first yoga class. So I'm contemplating that fear...
     Fear of the unknown. There are folks here, just like you, practicing and learning. We don't bite, criticize, or twist up like pretzels.
     Fear of not knowing how. We're all learning, in ALL areas of life. No one, especially me, your instructor, expects you to be great the first time. We do ourselves a huge disservice by letting fear of being a beginner stop us. Also, I have small classes and I'm trained to assist, even those who have practiced a long time.
     Fear of embarrassment. A great thing about yoga is that there's no competition and no comparison, and that's a great practice to take off the mat into the world as well.
     Fear you won't like it. OK, no problem. One class does not a life-long commitment make. At least you tried. Though I would suggest you try more than one teacher and more than one style of class!
     All the regular students in my classes will tell you how glad they are that they've stuck with it, and how a yoga practice has enhanced their well-being. Overcoming the fear was SO worth it!
     You may note that the few fears I've listed here can hold us back from a lot more joy in life than just a yoga practice. What's holding you back?
     BE bold!
         Leta

Trying New Things

     I just returned from a long weekend on Table Rock Lake with great friends. I LOVE being near and IN the water. I love to swim. It doesn't even matter if the water temperature is on the chilly side.
     I had the chance for the first time to go out in a kayak. I'm not fond of canoeing, and I've heard scary tales of folks getting stuck in an overturned kayak and drowning. But I did it anyway. It was heaven! Peaceful, easy, an awesome way to hang out in nature and in the water.
     At the opposite end of the spectrum, I had the chance to drive a jetski. Everything about me is built for endurance, not speed, so the experience was, at the same time, terrifying and exhilarating. My friend on the other jetski was pointing out sites to me, but all I could see was her wake and trying to stay in it so my jetski wouldn't bounce on waves. Despite hanging on for dear life, I loved this adventure, too. I'm proud to say that I got the thing up to 30 mph.
     My fears in both instances were totally goofy. Really, the worst that could have happened is that I had fallen in the water.
     Maybe those fears that are holding you back are goofy, too. Start (or keep on) trying new things, and more and more fears simply fall away. It feels great!
     Boldly going where I've not gone before,
                     Leta

Good Question!

     From the pen of Cynthia James, some powerful and interesting questions to ponder:
Are you treating yourself the way you want to be treated?
Are you honoring and respecting yourself and asking others to do the same?
Are you caring for your body temple and presenting your best self every time that you leave your house?
Are you being the love that you desire?
What would your life be like if you loved yourself so deeply that the world had no choice but to love you back?
     Hmmmmm....
     Have a great week!
            Leta

"We have rain!"

     Our area has been blessed with rain over the past couple of days.
     I was reminded of the words of Gregg Braden and an unnamed Tibetan monk that "the feeling is the prayer," and when we pray asking for something, it means we don't have it, and we are reinforcing that belief. Jesus said to pray, BELIEVING, that what you seek already exists. So all the past week, I've been chanting to myself, "We have rain." I've also been adding the imaginative aspects of how things smell when it rains, the squishy feeling of the soaked ground, the glorious beauty of rain droplets on our bald cypress tree. This morning when I stepped outside, all those imagined things were a reality. We have rain!
    Just a reminder (to myself as well as my readers) that this practice applies to more than rain!
        Happy Holiday Weekend!
             Leta

Domestic Goddess

     Today is Monday, which usually includes for me a couple loads of laundry and a trip to the grocery store. Everyone does those two activities at some point during the week. How do you see them? Drudgery? "Have to"? "I hate doing laundry"?
     There was a time in my life wherein I had so much back pain that I couldn't do the laundry. I was on bed rest, so that I couldn't leave the house. I was ecstatic when I had healed enough to do laundry and shop for groceries again.
     One of my special talents is being able to see alternatives. So in this instance, I have applied the term "domestic goddess" to those rather mundane chores of the household. It makes me smile and feel better, and to me, it adds additional value to me completing those tasks.
     Can you come up with a nickname for yourself doing your less-enjoyable tasks? Please share it!
Love from a DG,
     Leta

Beauty

     As I look out my woman cave office window this morning, I see beauty. Iris and peonies blooming. Green grass (we got rain!!!). Trees. Greenery with flowers to come.
     We see beauty because it is a part of us. We are beautiful and beloved creations of Spirit.
     This is Mother's Day. I appreciate the beautiful gestures of all those who have nurtured me. My own mother left the planet about 35 years ago. She was a very beautiful woman.
     I encourage you today to see the beauty in yourself, your mother, and all the feminine influences in your life, including our loving earth mother, Gaia. We are so blessed.
     I am grateful to BE a mom!
          Love to all,
             Leta

"We will not regret the past nor nor wish to shut the door on it."

     This blog title is one of the Promises of Recovery from the AA Big Book.
     I was given the assignment in my Self Mastery Project group to write my "Once Upon a Time" story. This fits well with the title--my story is where I came from and what's shaped me, and I've released the trauma of it, yet I appreciate the person I've come to be. I wouldn't be who I am without it!
     So here's what I wrote: Once upon a time a princess was born into a family of chaos--Mom, Dad, Arlie (age 16), Ken (age 14). Mom, Dad and Arlie adored her. Ken spent his whole life crazy jealous of her, and spent his first four years with her being as abusive as possible. Eventually the physical abuse stopped (I bit him!), but the verbal and emotional abuse continued. My family's most consistent behavior was substance abuse--food, cigarettes, alcohol. Food = love, and I became a food addict. My grandma (Mom's mother) died suddenly of a heart attack when I was four years old, and I lived in terror that my mom would die. I was fat all my school years, and bullied and teased because of it. My way to excel was good grades-- valedictorian, then college and MBA degrees. Mom and Dad had a "we live in the same house, but really can't stand each other" relationship, insanely passive aggressive. Mom died of cancer when I left home. Yes, there is a connection--I was her last reason to live. THAT was a big load of baggage to release! Weight and food issues have been part of my whole life. My spiritual journey began in earnest in 1988 with a 12-step program and Unity Church. From the bottom I hit in 1987, my life has improved by quantum leaps, and I love my life, all of it!
     Thanking Spirit continuously for excellent life guidance!
             Leta