Keep Your Heart Open and Amazing Things are Bound to Happen

            Someone very dear to me once told me “Keep your heart open and amazing things are bound to happen.” It’s all starting to make sense now.

            I have always kept the mindset of living life to the fullest and living in the moment but now I realize I was focusing so much on living that I was letting life pass me by. Beginning my yoga practice just a few months ago, I feel my life changing. The words of one of my instructors have stuck in my head, “just be,” he told us. It brought me back to my study abroad trip to Australia where numerous times I had repeated ‘I wish this never had to end’ or ‘I don’t ever want to leave’! I was so wrapped up in the thought of it being over that I wasn’t fully enjoying what was in that moment.

            For a couple of years now I have been practicing a physically active life but have been struggling with the healthy eating. My emotions have stuck a roadblock in that category numerous times. I just wanted to feel in control but couldn’t quite figure out how. Other aspects of my life started to seem out of my control. It was hard to stay on track and remain grounded. My yoga practice has brought me to a place of being open. Struggles in the past have left me closed off and with weight on my shoulders but with each day I feel the load lightening. I never considered myself a spiritual person but it’s becoming apparent to me that being open to feeling and awareness brings upon something indescribable. Ridding one’s life of negativity, judgment, and stress is so important to truly enjoying it. You can’t let go until you allow yourself to be open.

            Living in the moment, truly, really, living in the moment and allowing oneself to just be requires openness. Be open to others and what they have to teach you, regardless of what it may be. A good or bad interaction will have a lesson embedded for you. Be open to the environment and your surroundings, it will help you develop awareness. Take a moment to feel the sun or take a deep breathe of air. Be open to adventure and try new things. Change is not always a bad thing. Just imagine what you would do if failure wasn’t an option. Accept what you cannot change but recognize what you can. Be open to learning and knowledge, it can only help you grow. Most important, be open to love. Not just from others but from yourself. Accepting yourself will only help you want to take care of yourself.

            Being open to all of the light life has to offer has led me on a path towards happiness. No path in life is without bumps but keeping my heart and mind open will maintain my personal strength that I have and am developing each day. This new journey is just beginning but I believe it’s only a matter of time.