God Shots

Have you been thinking about a person and then run into them at the store? Or have you slipped your hand into your jeans pocket to find a twenty dollar bill, at the perfect moment that you’re a little short on cash? How about finding a lost book in the spot that you swear you had already looked and then reading just the right passage to make a difference in the direction of your day?

Are these random events or is this synchronicity? The answer really depends on how you view your inner and outer experiences. It is much easier though, to tap into the synchronicity in life, when you are connected to your source.

Synchronicity is defined as the occurrence of two or more events that appear to be meaningfully related but not causally related. Synchronicity holds that such events are “meaningful coincidences”. This concept has been around for 95 years, since Carl Jung first defined it.

 Whatever its cause, the appeal of synchronicity runs deep. “People love mysterious things, and synchronicity is like magic happening to them,” says Carolyn North, author of Synchronicity: The Anatomy of Coincidence “It gives us a sense of hope, a sense that something bigger is happening out there than what we can see, which is especially important in times like this when there are so many reasons for despair.”

Here is a recent touching example of synchronicity, that a student sent Ashton, (her yoga teacher and friend):

“There’s these crazy moments when things align and you know there’s something greater than you. Tonight my boyfriend and I broke up for good. The reason I started going to yoga was to get skinny to keep up with him. January of last year, I went through 10 studios, 8 Groupons, 40 lbs, 4 sizes and during those adventures I found HYU, the best place that’s ever happened to me.I got on Facebook to distract myself with news feed and Karin had a post on the top of it about the 21 Day Habit, saying “Life is Good.” The year that my dad died he said that like once a week and that saying is huge with in my family because of him.The sense of peace knowing I had found that special place I always looked for, and little “God shots” like seeing Karin’s post make me know this hard stuff just had to lead to something so much greater. Thank you for being on this journey, motivating me, drying my tears and being just this beacon of sun in my life.” Krystle

Take a moment to think about your own life, and where and when serendipity occurs. Begin to know that these are real insights that can lead you to manifest the life you desire. I love when I am in the flow of life and I’m aware enough to experience this magical dance with the Universe. So the next time you’re thinking about a friend and the phone rings and they’re on the line, you’ll know the Universe just sent you a little wink or as Krystle wrote, a “God shot” and be open to the possibilities in that moment, follow your heart wherever it takes you.

Karin xx

Ten Times Fold

Me, my sister Linda and her daughter Jenni

My sister passed away two days ago. It was just a little over a year since she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Weird how it seems like yesterday that she called to tell me.

I didn’t know I would cry this much, I guess you can’t run out of tears. I haven’t cried this much since my parents passed within six months of each other, nine years ago. You don’t realize the depths of your sorrow, deep into your gut, until the finality of a life is right there… She’s gone.

I had just finished teaching class, when my brother-in-law called me with the news. I felt so overcome with guilt. “I should have been there, I should have called her, I didn’t get to say goodbye, I didn’t get to tell her I loved her,  I’m sorry, Please forgive me…. I was with grief, unable to speak, I hung up and collapsed in a pile of tears. I felt a hug from one of my teachers, comforting me with her own wisdom acquired from her father’s recent passing. She listened, I cried and when we finally let go, we were both dripping wet in tears and sweat.

My sister said from the beginning she wasn’t going to fight, that she didn’t have the energy, that she was too scared and too old.  I did my best to convince her otherwise, even getting angry at one point but she was set. She said she had seen enough women her age go through treatment, be sick the entire time and end up dying anyway. She wanted to enjoy whatever time she had left.

I was so upset with her because I thought she was giving up too easy, it seemed selfish. I asked her,  “What about your husband and your daughter? They need you…”  I also thought to myself, “and what about me? I need you.”  It was this same selfish type of thinking on my part that caused her to always take a backseat to life and I was the one trying to guilt her into it. I was wrong, so wrong… But this time was different. She stood her ground. Honestly I didn’t realize until now what a valiant and courageous decision it was.

My sister was a supermom who always put herself last. She took care of her kids and her kids friends. Later on she focused on her grand kids, all her friends and neighbors, really at the expense of herself.

Reality was, that she finally made a decision to put herself first on the day she decided she would not go through treatment. For the first time in a long time that she would focus on her own happiness. In the past year she did some things and visited some places that she really loved. And when her body finally gave up, she wasn’t scared anymore and she let go graciously and with dignity.

I really do know better than to think to know what is best for another person?  Why would I think, I knew what was right for her? I regret not supporting her decision to live what time she had left on her own terms. It’s just the way I see the world… to never, ever give up, to keep going, to have faith.

The next morning I received a text from the teacher who comforted me. After lovingly listening to me yesterday as I beat myself up, she knew from her own experience it was the wrong road to go down.

 “Karin I had a dream this morning that I wanted to share with you. I dreamed that my dad was alive and my mom was gone instead and that was more heartbreaking on so many levels. Sometimes we can focus on what we should have done to those who should have had more love who are gone, we forget to realize how much love was given to us by others who are still here. I realized instead of focusing on missing my dad and what I could have done, the answer was to spread more love to people who have helped me feel that love I wanted to share myself. I would feel infinitely more guilty if I do not reciprocate the love my mom has given me while she is still here. So please instead of feeling any guilt we must learn a lesson and let go, remember you have so much love in your life and the answer is just to love ten times fold, not feel sorry.”

She text me later to say she never has insightful dreams, she’s usually being chased or on an adventure somewhere and that she thought she dreamed it so she could tell me.

We are all here to help each other, only a few months ago  I listened and comforted her using the wisdom I received from my parents passing.

In the depths of our sadness does come our evolution. There is a new angel in heaven and a wiser soul on earth. Thank you Linda for the lesson of love… Thank you for always caring for me and my family, for the phone calls, the simple gifts and simple life. Please know I love you so much and always will…

The lesson to learn is to love right now… ten times fold.

Karin xx

P.S. Thank you to everyone who called, messaged and spoke

to me with kindness and prayers. I am grateful for your friendship.

5 WAYS YOGA ENLIVENS OUR FRIENDSHIPS

Spending time with friends brings great happiness but what role does our yoga practice play in enjoying and even creating friendships naturally?

“You are, or will become, the average of the five people you associate with the most.” – Brian Carruthers

Yoga reminds us that to have a friend we have to be one.

The first person that we see in the mirror is our self.

“Hi there friend!”

Yoga gives us the opportunity to get to know ourselves again. We can fall in love with ourselves over and over again each time we step on the mat, in a love affair that never ends. As we “re-remember” how awesome we are, we become our own best friend and this feeling naturally flows off the mat and into our life as we easily look forward to getting to know and encourage our friends at a deeper level too.

Yoga gives us the gift of self acceptance.

This is a very necessary gift because most of the time we are seeing our self  “at our worst,” having just rolled out of bed, messy hair, still sleepy or dragging ourselves in after a trying and tiring day at work, to save our sanity!
If we can find acceptance in this capacity, we can accept others too!
As we grow more comfortable in our own skin while on our mat, it becomes just as easy to accept our friends as they are too, without judging them or trying to change them, simply enjoying their presence.
How beautiful it is, to be in the company of those who love us for who we are.

Yoga reminds us that there is more to us than what we see in the mirror.

The mirror in the yoga room is a powerful tool for transformation. It is a “metaphysical mirror.”
Looking at our self in the mirror can be uncomfortable at first, but worth every minute of it. Over time we begin to like and then to love our own reflection.
As we love our self more and more, the light from within, our true Self, begins to shine through. This is our Spirit, this is who we really are; a soul, immortal and eternal.

The realization that our body is simply the container for our soul and not who we really are, makes it easy to look past the reflection of others and to even interact with them at a much deeper level.

Our yoga practice gives us an opportunity not to speak, but to simply listen, for an hour.

By being silent and not speaking for an hour a day, we begin to hear the small still voice inside us. This still voice that begins as a quiet whisper can become like bullhorn to get our attention and it is a guide to all of our hearts desires.
By finding the stillness within we become better listeners in our friendships.
We begin to be fully present in our friendships; not feeling the need to interrupt, to look away or to get distracted. Ultimately this creates a bond of comfort and care by being there for our friends in their time of need.

Our yoga practice inspires us to live our yoga off the mat.

At the end of each class the teacher says Namaste’ and we respond in the same way.
Namaste’ is an ancient Sanskrit blessing. We are sent out into the world to live in a way that is a blessing to others.
To be able to see the Divine in our self first and then through our practice to be beautifully reminded to look for and see the Divine in our friends is the ultimate gift of our practice.

“I honor the place in you where the Universe resides,
I honor the place in you
of Love, of Truth, of Light and of Peace.
And when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
there is only One of us.”

“If you don’t see God in all, then you can’t see God at all.”~ Yogi Bhajan

What are your thoughts on how yoga helps to build friendships?

I’d love to hear from you!

Karin xx

photo credit Ariel Leckband * all rights reserved