Sometimes Suffering is NECESSARY

So, I really, really have decided to start blogging again. After so much back and forth, I think that it's about time for me to actually start following through with writing my blog. I have been doing a lot of 'internal' work, so to speak. I think that in trying times, going inward is sometimes one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. I am still looking for a nursing job. It has been very frustrating to put out so many resumes and applications and hear nothing back from anyone. I have come to notice that with all the rejection, it has been my ego getting hurt. I have learned that sometimes suffering is necessary in order for growth to occur. I am also learning that the universe has some sort of a plan for me. I'm not one hundred percent sure of what it is, but I have to trust that in the end things will work out as they should. I hope to eventually be able to reach out to a great number of people who need my help. I believe that we all have so much to give to the world. I sometimes ask myself, 'how can I be of service to the world?' A lot of times the answer is that I can serve by practicing as an RN, but there is that voice inside of me that is telling me that I have a much greater destiny than that. I'm not saying that being a nurse is a small feat, far from it, but I believe I am getting a message from the universe that is leading me on a different path. I am not sure where this path will lead, but I believe I will end up loving whatever it is that I end up doing for a living.

7 Rules of Life

Last week at one of my yoga classes, my instructor read us something called "7 Rules of Life." So, here are the 7 Rules of Life. 1. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 2. What others think of you is none of your business. 3. Time heals almost everything, give it time. 4. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 5. Stop thinking too much, it's alright not to know the answers. They will come to you when you least expect it. 6. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you. 7. Smile. You don't own all the problems in the world. ~ Whisper of the Heart Let me know which one rings true with you. :) Namaste

Expect Less

I know that it's been a while since I've written, but I've decided to pick up the writing again. I'll update you on what's been going on. I became an RN in June of this year after graduating from nursing school. I had two interviews for positions at the hospital in which I was working as a tech for the two and a half years I was in school. A week after the interviews, I was told that I got neither of the jobs. I was in shock. I said to myself, "I worked me a** off. Don't I deserve the job?" Well, the world doesn't always work out the way we think it should. I still have not found a job. I am still working as a tech at the hospital. And yes, I am still bitter at times. I am trying my hardest to stay positive about the future, because the great divine has a plan for me. I'm not sure what that plan is, but today I heard a little voice in my head telling me that I should start blogging again. So, here I am. Letting you know that I am back. As a message for people going through hard times, because in our own ways, we are. Stay strong, and stay positive as best as you can. Live with less expectations than you currently have. There are so many times that we let ourselves down. I'm not saying that you shouldn't stay positive about things, but I'm saying that because I was expecting to get that job, I fell into a deep depression. I'm still working on that. Key word, I am working on it. So I will leave you with a quote:

Every day is a new beginning, take a deep breath and start again.

Anonymous

Breathe and Respond

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?_r=4&pagewanted=2&smid=fb-share
Before you read this post, please read the article above.
Maybe some yogis would beg to differ about what the article has to say, which talks about risk of injury in the yoga practice. But from experience, this article is bluntly honest. At least 8 months ago I injured my hip from practicing seated forward bend. My hip popped out of the socket three times. Every once in a while, the pain in my hip comes back. This was and is a difficult lesson to learn for some (including myself). When your insructor tells you to listen to what your body is telling you, please listen to your body. If you are feeling pain in a pose, adjust yourself in a more comfortable and SAFE manner. There is no reason to be impatient with your body. Yoga is about reliquishing the ego. Yoga is not about being the most flexible in the class, it is about bringing your attention within. And in the asanas, it means becoming present to the way your body feels in a pose. There should be no pain in yoga. Listen to your body, it's the only body you have, no returns, no exchanges. So, during your next yoga class, instead of looking at what the person next to you is doing, look within yourself. The practice is about you, not the others around you. The asanas are connected with the mind, with mindfullness, with your inner peace and eventually with the people around you. But start from the basics. Let go of the ego, listen and respond to your body.

Namaste

BE YOU

People need to stop being like everyone else. I seriously dislike when people try to be like others. Why do people try to so hard to compete, to outdo, to be above the rest. Why not just be ourselves and leave it at that. Just because there's the latest fashion out in the world, it does not mean that we need to follow the crowd. Crowd-followers, stop what you are doing! Be your own person! Don't do things because you think you have to. Otherwise, what the heck are you living for? You don't live to impress other people, you live to make yourself happy. I live to be happy. So should we all. That does not say that I am encouraging you to go out and do terrible things because they make you happy. All I am saying is that we all need to learn to go out into the world and be the person you want to be. Not the person your parents want you to be, or the billboards, or the TV, or your friends, or boyfriend. Be who you are, and be comfortable with it. You are who you are. Follow the mantra "So Hum," Meaning "I am that." And seriously, that is all there is. There is no mask. There is you, and that is the person that people love.

The Lives We Lead are Our Own

I've been in a state of loss recently. That doesn't make any sense. But I'll just go on. I've been wondering why I have been letting so many people sway my decisions from one choice to the next. Instead of standing my ground, I tend to let people persuade me otherwise. Why is this? Isn't it said that only we ourselves can trully make us happy? We are our own future, therefore, shouldn't we trust in ourselves and the choices we make? I'm constantly worrying about what other people will think about a decision that I am making about my life. Why did I decide to go into nursing? Because my Dad persuaded me to. I'm not saying that I am regretting my decision, not in the slightest? But, honestly, when will I grow up and start thinking for myself? The time is now. In a biography about Steig Larsson, author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," called "The Steig Larsson Story," John-Henri Holmberg says, "The idea that someone else should make decisions for you, or prevent you from making your own, was immoral in Steig's judgement." This biography is presented in a book that I am reading right now called "The Tattooed Girl." This particular part of the book struck a cord with me. I am constantly worrying about what others think. Well, I'm not going to disgree with Steig Larsson's judgment on that one. Steig Larsson is probably one of the most inspiring figures I have stumbled upon thus far. His views have altered my thought process a bit, have inspired me to think more deeply and to feel more fully. The power of books are inumerable. I will stand strong for my actions, feelings, and views.

Presence

Wow, it has been a while since I've written a post on this blog. Perhaps because I've been busy as well as a bit lazy. I haven't practiced Yoga in about 2 weeks besides a good bedtime stretch. Maybe it's because I feel so burnt out from a long semester full of difficult classes and stress. I have been reading. Not much, but it is some. So, you may be asking yourself, why am I writing today if I haven't been practicing my Yoga? Well, Yoga isn't always about the physical aspect. I want to remind everyone, especially myself, that it is so important and so helpful to stay in the present moment throughout the day. Enjoy life, experience joy, sorrow, pleasure, pain, all without the suffering. We agonize over things that have not happen and may never happen at all. Each and every one of us can recognize this within ourselves.
Namaste