Speaking Your Truth

Have you ever felt unsettled or uncomfortable about a new relationship or a pending job or commitment but were not able to put your finger on why? If you are like me, you may have gone ahead with your plans because you felt unable to justify doing otherwise. What I have learned is that my gut feeling about people and situations always turns out to be right. Unfortunately in the past I often suffered for months (or even years) before making a change. It was as if I had to collect a certain amount of empiracal data (in the form of suffering) to feel like I was justified in stopping the situation.

Neale Donald Walsch, author of the Conversations with God series and Happier Than God points out how important it is to "speak your truth as soon as you know it." I have really taken this to heart. Now as soon as I get that unsettled feeling that something is just not right I act. It may be as simple as saying to the parties involved, "I am not sure why but this is just not feeling right for me." There is so much freedom (and suffering prevention) from this!

The applications are endless ... If you feel weird about something a friend said to you, you can say, "Something is bothering me about our conversation. Can we talk about it?" instead of ruminating on it interally. If you are thinking of bringing someone into your home or business and you get a sense of unease, you can say, "I am not feeling right about the situation. Let's take a step back." In these situations, when you do what is right for you, it benefits everyone involved.

So this month, practice saving energy by trusting your gut and speaking your truth.

Visit http://www.livingroomyoga.biz/ to find a yoga class or holistic workshop to meet your needs.

Mantra: I speak my truth as soon as I am aware of it.

Namaste,

Stacy

Yoga Increases Sensitivity

I take pride in being a very productive, efficient person. But some days - like today - I just can't seem to "do" anything. It was my Sunday to put the cookies out at church so I had to show up. Everyone seemed surreally cheerful - the music hit my ears like bombs going off - I just needed to get out of there. I asked Lois if she could put the cookies out and I fled to the quietude of my home.

Yesterday I attended a workshop on Natural Remedies for Sleep at Living Room Yoga. The presenters husband, Rusty, made a comment that the more yoga one does the more sensitive one becomes. That is sure the case with me. I joke that I have become such a delicate flower, especially for sounds. It is even difficult for me to talk on the telephone - it actually hurts my ears.

My sensitivity to sounds is only rivaled by my aversion to parties and large groups of people. Barbara, a fellow teacher, attended a party that I was supposed to attend last weekend. She said she had to force herself to go because of her own aversion to parties and that she talked with another person who said the same thing. It turned out she was very glad to get to see people like whom she had not seen in a long time but it was still hard to push herself into that situation. Another of my teachers, Laura, admits that mingling for her is akin to torture. She feels exhausted afterwards. This actually is comforting to me because at times I feel like a freak for this.

I wonder why yoga has this affect on people? Do any of you have any thoughts on this?