Have you ever made a choice?  Have you ever thought about and fretted over the future?  We all have! We make big and small decisions on a daily basis.  Sometimes we bog down in the process and feel paralyzed. I heard a dear sweet friend bemoan the fact that she doesn’t know if her house will sell and the uncertainty of her future is causing anxiety.  I get it, I truly feel her pain because we have ALL been there!!

Well friends, I have heard and read things lately that have caused me to look at the future in a different way.  The choices we make, big or small, sometimes have a HUGE impact on our lives. The decision-making process can shut us down, create a state of fear or we can embrace the gift of choice and trust that we will do the right thing.

Think about this…….. You get to make a choice!  Women in third world countries often have no voice, no choices to make, no future to plan.  And here in our own back yard we have women who have to make the choice to stay with an abuser or be homeless.  I know, hard things to think about but I want you to celebrate the fact that you get the glorious, often messy phenomime of CHOICES!  

Carla, Donna Levin, Susie Chung, Kris Sanders and I recently went to a luncheon that raised awareness and money for The Center for Transforming Lives.  We heard heartbreaking stories of women who had to make choices that impacted their future. They walked away from pain and suffering to the uncertainty of living in a homeless shelter.  They are now in the process of choosing to put their lives back together. They are looking forward to possibilities!!!

As I sat at the table with my friends and sisters, I was so thankful that they chose to spend the afternoon with me.  I am proud of them for opening their hearts and wallets to those that are less fortunate. I am honored to know that we as a studio stand for more than just a place to practice yoga or workout.   Every time we choose to go to class, to surround ourselves with positivity, to let Carla love on us, we choose to take a better version of ourselves off the mat, out of the studio and into the world of real people and honest possibilities.  We give ourselves the tools to be a better wife, husband, mother, father, friend, employee and person because we have done some selflove – caring for body, mind and spirit. We made a choice!!

Life is a wonderful journey for some and a painful existence for others.  Recently deceased musical artist and rapper Nipsy Hussle is the best example I can think of for a positive example of choices, for doing the next right thing.  He decided to walk away from a gang lifestyle, became rich and famous and then chose to give back to his troubled community. Let’s honor his life by making choices that help others, celebrate the unknown future and never, ever, fail to be kind to one another!

I choose to end this blog with the Kundalini blessing that we typically use to close a practice:

May the long-time sun shine upon you, All love surround you, And the pure light within you, Guide your way on.

Grace and Peace,

Zella Marie