Choose LOVE, not fear

For about the last four years I have had the personal mantra, "Choose LOVE, not fear."  This mantra came to me from my personal guru and husband early in our relationship.  In fact, this mantra is what made me take the daring leap of loving him and ultimately marrying him.  What's more, this shift of choosing LOVE, not fear has lead me to experience more joy, LOVE and satisfaction than I have felt in a long time.

LOVE sounds innocent but it can cause all your fears to become blatantly clear.  Four years ago, I was faced with the choice of allowing myself to become vulnerable enough to open my heart, let down my guard and LOVE or choosing to turn my back on LOVE out of fear of getting hurt. 

The reason I had so much fear about LOVE was because of the pain I felt when I lost my father to pancreatic cancer at the age of 8.  At the time, I didn't know that most little girls' fathers would be there to protect them from boys when they were a teenager, cheer for them at track meets, watch them graduate from law school, and dance with them on their wedding day.  All I knew was that I LOVE my dad, I missed him and I would never see him again.  As a result, I took from the experience that people you LOVE will leave and that when they leave it will hurt.  Therefore, by the time I started dating, I believe I had unconsciously made a deal with myself to never allow myself to be hurt again. So, out of fear, I protected myself from LOVING another person.

That "worked" for a very long time.  But, when I met my husband, my unconscious decision to choose fear became apparent when I found that as my LOVE for him grew, my desire to leave the relationship also grew.  He noticed this and confronted me about it.  At that point, I was presented with the opportunity to make a conscious decision to choose LOVE.  Choosing LOVE meant letting down my guard and allowing myself to be vulnerable enough to share my true self and fully give LOVE to another person.  My decision to choose LOVE in my relationship with my husband has led me to experience more LOVE and joy every day.

After making this decision in my romantic life, I have tried to look at other areas in my life where I can choose LOVE, not fear.  These opportunities arose in areas of my career and relationships with friends and family.  For example, whenever I consider teaching yoga at a new location I am faced with fear of rejection from the owners of the studio or the yoga students but rather than allowing that fear to stop me from sharing my LOVE for yoga with others, I choose to focus on my desire to share my LOVE and allow that desire for LOVE to be the impulse for my act of expansion rather than allowing my fear of rejection to restrain me.  Its not always easy, but it's definitely rewarding. 

Where are you holding yourself back out of fear?  Do you feel a calling to expand your business but you are waiting because of fear?  Are you staying at your job because you are afraid to try something new?  Are you afraid to get into a relationship because you are afraid you will be hurt?  Are you rushing into a relationship because you are afraid to be alone?  All these questions invite you to make the conscious decision of choosing LOVE. 

Each time you have an idea or you are faced with a decision, you are given an opportunity to decide to act out of LOVE.  In order to do this, you must look to the underlying motivation behind your two choices and choose what you would do from LOVE.

I read a beautiful message on Facebook about LOVE and fear today from Celebrating The New Man - Zorba the Buddha.  The message defined fear as the absence of LOVE, just as darkness is the absence of light.  Therefore, the best way to overcome fear is to LOVE, just as the best way to get rid of darkness is to bring light.  So as you are faced with more and more opportunities to consciously choose LOVE, remember that each time you choose LOVE, it becomes easier to choose LOVE again.  It also results in fear naturally devolving away so that all that remains is the cleansing light of LOVE.

See LOVE.  Choose LOVE.    Be LOVE!

What Yoga Means to Me

If you asked 100 people to explain why they do yoga you would probably get 100 different answers. Some do it to get a good stretch, some do it to lose weight and others do it to relieve stress. That is the beauty of yoga--there is a yoga class for everyone! And often it's the same class.

If you asked me why I started doing yoga, I would say all of the above (increased flexibility, weight-loss, stress-reduction). But, if you asked me why I chose to teach yoga, you would get a very different answer.

After practicing yoga for some time, it became more than a physical practice for me. It is now a philosophy and a way of life that focuses on having my spiritual, mental, and physical actions in proper alignment. Yoga has helped me walk a path to a more healthy, balanced and peaceful life. I decided to start teaching yoga so I could be a part of helping others improve their lives as well.

I love exposing people to yoga for the first time. In doing this, however, I come across two common misconceptions: (1) you need to be flexible to do yoga and (2) yoga conflicts with religion, such as Christianity. While there are definitely some yoga classes that are made for super-flexible people and there are yoga classes that are very focused on the Hindu religion, that is not true of all yoga classes. It is certainly not true for my class. My yoga philosophy does not require a person to come into class flexible or to compromise their religious beliefs. Instead, I believe yoga is designed to help improve flexibility and complement your religious or spiritual practices.

Yoga is about being the best YOU you can be. It is about reaching your full potential mentally, physically, and spiritually. Each person is made differently. Each person has their own physical injuries, limitations, and gifts and yoga can help you heal your injuries and fully realize your physical strength and/or flexibility while respecting your limitations. This is why yoga teachers offer modifications and encourage students to listen to their bodies. Yoga class is not about being the most flexible or getting into the most advanced pose. It is about loving your body, focusing the mind, and getting in touch with your Source.

Yoga is about deepening your spiritual practice, regardless of your religious beliefs. Yoga opens the body, which might be thought of as the vessel through which the divine works in our lives. Regardless of whether you worship God, Jesus, Buddah, Allah or Krishna, the goal is the same. The goal is to make a connection with the invisible force that created us and connects us. Because of this, yoga is an excellent preparation for meditation or prayer.

I hope my yoga classes bring my students the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga so that they can experience a more fulfilling life.

Namaste,

Ronda Jyoti Litwin
www.yogawithronda.com
Yoag w/ Ronda on Facebook