My recent favorite yoga studio and teacher inspire creativity for my spirit and balance for my body.

The teacher I enjoy most is a woman with long dark curly hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin. She has a tenderness to her and an enthusiasm for yoga unlike any I've encountered before. Her playful style is infectious so naturally, when she speaks in the class, her words truly land. They land in my heart and vibrate my spirit because the knowledge she shares about the body and how to relate with it, wakes me up.

One thing I've caught her say at the end of class when we are closing is this 'It is the combination of fortune and will that brought us here today to share this space and do something good for our body and our Self. Let us be thankful to these two things that have made it possible'.

These may not be her words verbatim, but it's the gist of what I hear and how I receive it.

Now isn't this something we can say about just about anything?

What I mean is that life can be viewed as a series of moments where we see, hear, interpret, and then choose to accept or reject.

I write about this perfect combo of fortune and will because the thought is intriguing and makes me want to explore its meaning in more depth.

So let's see…Fortune + Will = What? A certain result, a desired outcome, an invigorating yoga class or maybe just an experience that feels important for both body, mind, and spirit.

Ah yes, yoga means union of body, mind and spirit. As far as I am concerned this is not only an experience, it is THE experience worth living for. I don't mean THE ONLY experience worth living for. What I do mean is that bringing these parts into union is what helps us to experience feeling a sense of wholeness.

So wait, I think I've got it now...Fortune + Will = Feeling Whole and why is this such a big deal?

Well, because this is what we are all longing for regardless of whether or not we are aware of it.

We humans all seek to feel complete so that we can divert the itch in us all that tells us:

'you are not enough', 'there is something missing', 'you need this to be happy', 'do something and you will feel worthy', 'your life only has meaning if you do, succeed, and others notice and accept it'

I am sorry to tell you this, but that itch inside of us which I like to refer to as the inner critic, is wrong. The inner critic wants you to believe that life is about striving to be perfect, to have more, to look better, to be liked by everyone or else...you are nothing and life has no meaning.

The sooner you begin to realize that this itch inside of you is merely an old part of you which is attached to the wounded child inside of you rather then the adult you who has the power to heal those wounds, the better you will choose to live your life.

Not for any one thing or endeavor, but because life is meant to be lived feeling gratitude, peace, joy, and curiosity - the sum of these being LOVE.

I've got one more for you...Fortune + Will = Living Life to its Fullest.

For me, Fortune does not mean cash money. It means Luck with a whole of lot of Belief and Gratitude. Another way I say Fortune is Blessed.

And Will means Energy, Motivation, and Choice. I have to Will myself to Believe. I have to Will myself to do.

Will is what gets me in the morning:

'Today, I Will make this a great day. I Will choose to be grateful. I will choose to be happy with what IS rather than how my brain tells me it 'should' be'.

Speaking of Fortune and Will...I have to admit that this is a recent theme in my life for another reason outside of yoga class. For at least 15 years, I have wanted to visit Greece. Why?

1. I love Greek food and culture

2. I like the way Greek people look (I am a sucker for dark hair and light eyes..green or blue)

3. I am an island girl at heart

4. The beach and me..we are one

5. The idea of going to Greece has always sounded romantic

This year I Willed this Dream to Come True. I was Fortunate enough to go to Greece for 2 weeks and island hop to some of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. I took in the views, the culture, the food, the people, the beaches, the sun, and so so much beauty. The big plus is that I got to experience all of this with my dream guy.

And so...Fortune + Will = The Experience of a Lifetime

The things I learned about Greece that I didn't already know:

1. The lamb gyro we eat here in America, does not exist there. They eat only pork or chicken gyros.

2. Veal is a common dish on the menu.

3. Greece is full of feral cats everywhere. I took 122 pictures of cats for the 2020 cat calendar I Will to create.

4. Toilet paper is not allowed to be flushed down the toilets. Even in the larger cities like Athens.

5. Gelato is big there.

6. Many Greek people have beautiful blue eyes.

7. The evil eye is everywhere which they use as a symbol for protection and positive energy.

8. Souvlaki refers to shish kabob.

9. Cigarette smoking is still in style.

10. Coffee is served with the grounds in the cup.

11. The Mediterranean Sea remains to be my favorite water to swim in.

12. The people of Greece are warm, friendly, and somewhat intense which the Latina in my loved.

In what ways can the combination of Fortune and Will help you to Live and Feel the way that you truly want?

Make 3 wishes now, write them down, and then Will yourself to make these dreams happen!

Fortune is in the heart of the Beholder.

The Combination of Fortune and Will