YOGA. The Devil made me do it!
My love for yoga and the practice grounds me in a world/society that constantly tests our foundation. Being on my mat practicing yoga makes me feel at peace and gives my mind a rest and allows me to turn inward so I can hear what my heart truly wants and needs. Yoga has brought such an awareness to my consciousness off the mat and now my actions are more unconditional versus conditional as they have been in the past. My teachers of Yoga inspired me to realize my life’s purpose and passion that I’m currently living. Yoga and meditation have taught me to control the mind waves, that endless chatter we tend to have with ourselves. It has enabled me to express my creativity through writing, and by starting my own business Seeking Santosha. I devote my practice to my personal spiritual beliefs that I have formed from a mixture of religions. Yoga is not a religion but it has become my religion. I do the best I can with my own personal moral imperative. And, even though I’m only one person, my contribution to our universal family as a whole is for the benefit of not only myself but for everyone. Yoga has helped me to be my truest self. Yoga has taught me how to love myself and not look for love from others to fill the void.
Some people do yoga for the right reasons and some people do yoga for the wrong reasons. It’s true. I know all kinds of yogis. And the people who don’t do THE YOGA, are sitting back and judging the ones that do!
Yes, it’s true and quite shocking that the Vatican’s former chief exorcist believes “yoga and Harry Potter are tools of the devil.” When I heard this I laughed out loud (lol), almost pissing myself and then I said out loud “Are you f-ing kidding me?” W T F and O M G !!!
86-year-old Father Gabriele Amorth said “Practicing yoga is Satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter and those seemingly innocuous Potter books convince kids to believe in black magic. In Harry Potter the Devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells and curses. As for yoga, it leads to Hinduism and all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation.”
Amorth made the hell-raising shocking remarks at a film festival in the Italian city of Umbria, where he was invited to introduce a movie about exorcism called “The Rite,” which stars Anthony Hopkins, the Telegraph of London reported. “Satan is always hidden and what he most wants is for us not to believe in his existence,” he said. “He studies every one of us and our tendencies towards good and evil, and then he offers temptations.” Science can’t explain evil, added Amorth, who claims to have performed 50,000 exorcisms before retiring in 2000. He is both founder and honorary president for life of the International Association of Exorcists. No surprise, Amorth’s favorite movie is “The Exorcist.” While the Jesuit’s remarks might strike many as the ravings of a man possessed, Pope Benedict once warned of “subtle seductions” in the Potter books that “dissolve Christianity in the soul.” The Pope has also warned that yoga “can degenerate into a cult of the body.”
So, how does one live daily in this world and make all the right decisions free from the judgement of others and from our own judgement? We have to follow the leadership of our own hearts and stop listening to outside voices and influences such as those of the Vatican, advertisers, intuitions and media. What does your heart say? Listen to your own intuition.
As a yogi, I’m not hiding behind a big institution but I’m forging my own path. I guess being led by the devil isn’t so bad. The biggest thing I’ve learned from my yoga practice is how to stand tall on my own. It’s a jungle out there and I literally just had a home/wellness space built for me in Nicaragua in the jungle. All by myself. A single women empowered by yoga and my own strength and intuition. Following my own path and purpose. What could be so wrong about that?
One of my personal favorite Yoga teachers Will Blunderfield believes “A big part of my growth as a yogi came from the realization that I used to be wayyyy too nice. Yoga is NOT about being a nice person: yoga is about being who you really are.”
Embracing my own darkness and stepping out of my own shadow into the light that my soul is casting is how I can fulfill my own dreams, not the dreams of others. This is my life. Without casting shadows, we can never step out into our own bright light. First we should all accept the fact that we are all human. Humans are not perfect. Recognizing our faults is a tool to rebuild. When something is in ruins, it can lead to a beautiful transformation if you are open to change. Maybe the devil is our own darkness and inability to stand on our own? How can you ever step out of the shadows if you do not know and come from the depths? Read my first few blogs. I have not always lived in this space. I literally had to build myself up from a broken soul. Even on my weakest days I get a little bit stronger. It does not happen over night but as soon as you take the first step out into your own light, the healing begins.
yo·gi (per Heidi Parker) noun /ˈyōgē/ yogis, plural 1.) A person who practices yoga. 2.) There are all types of yogis. (The “good,” the “doing the best I can” and the “naughty”)
Which one are you, which yogi do you relate most with?
The good, the “doing the best I can,” or the naughty?
Stay tuned for my next blog. It is sure to make you laugh. Until then, I’m heading to yoga and I’m happy that the Devil made me do it!
-Join us in Nicaragua for a yoga surf retreat, I promise your life will never be the same afterwards. Jan. 21 - 27.
THANK YOUs...
My teachers of yoga....
Julia McCabe I training under Julia for my 200 hr. Yoga Alliance Certifications
Will Blunderfield his words inspired me and I signed up for my yoga teacher training with Julia.