This is part of a two-part piece – read the second story here.
Over the past year, I’ve experienced a complete transformation. I left a corporate job in finance and a 6 year relationship; all to pursue my dream life as a yoga instructor and wellness entrepreneur, leading retreats and speaking around the world.
I’ve made the move across the country, from New York to LA, to share my work and passion for healing and collaboration. My passion has been to guide teachers and healers in the same practices that helped me crack my own “shell” and to help others get over their neurosis, fears, and self-sabotage.
This is precisely why I am pursuing Immense Grace, a 6-month Kundalini training my teacher Guru Jagat created to empower and ignite women. The kickoff weekend in the Sequoias was spent with nearly 50 amazing women and it was an experience more powerful than anything I have ever been part of. Each morning began at 4am for sadhana, daily morning practice, followed by many hours in powerful kundalini kriya.
The nature around us seemed as if it noticed our presence and rejoiced in it. The world’s oldest tree, of 2200 years, kept us company as we meditated. After our weekend Kundalini marathon, rain began to grace the beautiful Sequoias, which had, until then, been in severe drought.
I had stayed within the limits of my comfort zone until the final night of our retreat, a ceremony in which each woman dressed up in her favorite gown and made an offering to the altar along with a special dance or song to the tribe who watched us in awe and jubilation.
I had never been so petrified to express myself in my entire life!
I knew I would have to step outside of my boundaries and allow myself to be free. We all came together to celebrate: to dance, sing, and express ourselves in the most vulnerable, confident, and elegant way that we knew how. At the end of the ceremony, I felt completely cracked open, supported, and fully liberated.
It is time for us all to uplift and empower each other so we can step into the radiance that is our birthright. When we step into our radiance with confidence, our power to inspire and ignite each other and everyone around us is magnified. This, we absolutely must remember.
I so deeply would like for you to remember this:
It’s ok to desire prosperity and beauty as a spiritual teacher, in fact, it is your dharma.
Your future you, and everyone whom you come into contact with, will cherish this elevated you, too.
Photo Credit: Natasha Garoosi, WTF Digital