I often have been asked by many people if I practice yoga, and what kind of yoga I practice. I have decided to use this blog space from now on to discuss the various aspects of my practice, and to discuss how mala beads have entered my own practice as a regular part of my daily affirmations.
Reading ‘Dying to Be Me’ by Anita Moorjani
This month marked the 16th year since my Mother passed away at the age of 49 from cancer. A dear friend and local Reiki practitioner suggested that I read Dying to Be Me. This book clearly and eloquently describes the author’s struggle with terminal cancer. She articulates how her fears and anxieties of life, eventually led to her illness and her near death experience (NDE). It is an inspiring story of recovery, self-healing, and awakening. This page turning read describes Anita’s altered perspective on life when she returned from her NDE and how her changed perspective rapidly healed her body and removed all cancer from her body within 6 weeks. In discovering her own magnificence, accepting the course of her life path, and realizing and becoming her true self, Anita is a living example the power of perspective in healing our spiritual, emotional, and physical body. Moreover, this is a must read for anyone that has fears, for the author takes us into a realm without fear, full of universal and unconditional love.
My Challenge this Month: Trust in the Flow of Life
Dying to Be Me made me see my life from a very different perspective. I felt resonance with the author’s fears and with her life story. For a long time, I personally lived in the future. Planning for the future, worrying that things would not go as planned, and gripping on to how and where my life was going to go. For many years I have been unable to trust that everything that has happened in my life was all for a reason. Instead, I thought that somehow worrying and over-planning would help. However, worrying and anxieties have not helped, and instead often nothing goes according to plan and somehow a different path opens up. A path that was never expected and one that may even serve us in ways that we have never anticipated. This month I am challenging myself to recognize the root of anxieties when they arise and to maintain confidence and trust that everything that is happening is intended to be. My desire to take on this challenge emerged after reading Anita Moorjani’s book and realizing how I had never accepted my Mother’s illness or death from cancer. Reading this book made me less afraid and more accepting of the experience as part of my life’s journey. It has helped me be here, be present, and stay relaxed. In order to remember my goal and to curb anxious thoughts at the onset, I am wearing a custom mala that I made for this intention made from aquamarine. I chose aquamarine because it is a soothing stone and is believed to help calm the soul while aiding in the release of anxieties. I chose a silver lotus, because the lotus is a symbol of the human experience in Buddhism.
Dying to be Me is an excellent book for anyone struggling with loss, struggling with illness, or struggling with fear.