Tina Yoga Inspiration

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permissions to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Written by Marianne Williamson as used in Nelson Mandela’s Inaugural Speech, 1994

And a Meadow Lark Sang

"The child whispered, "God, speak to me"

And a meadowlark sang.

The child did not hear.

So the child yelled"God speak to me!"

And the thunder folled across the shky

But the child did not listen.

The child looked around and said,

"God let me see you" and a star shone brightly

But the child did not notice.

And the child shouted

"God show me a miracle!"

And a life was born but the child did not know.

So the child cried out in despair,

"Touch me God and let me know you are here!"

Whereapon God reached down and touch the child.

But the child brushed the butterfly away

and walked away unknowingly."

Ravindra Kumar Karnani

The Carpenter's House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor
of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Author Unknown