In honor of International Women’s Day, we’ve invited three strong and vibrant women to share their thoughts on one of our go-to mindfulness quotes this year from @Beautyesque: “Everything is a catalyst for growth and evolution if you choose to go deep and see the lessons, triggers and blessings at the same loving frequency.” Do you have a go-to quote that inspires you and keeps you warm at night? Send it our way and get featured!
It’s almost springtime which means all of the stuff that’s been underground and trapped near the root is finally coming to bloom. The growth of the flower that has been slowly brewing beneath the surface is poking its head out and ready to say hello to the world. For the rest of us, growth is a bit more complicated and doesn’t always look as pretty as a bud or dewy leaf. Sometimes growth is ugly and scary and actually feels a lot like suffering … ugh!
But this year, my intention is to see the growth possible in every situations including the wonderful and brutal lessons that I learn the hard way like getting so burned out that I get Shingles, oversleep and miss one of my teaching gigs. Or like when I did some great networking – really clicking with fellow-yogi gals – at an event but then they never responded to my follow-up emails. Am I not cool or something? But there is growth there! And it’s not about me “taking a hint” that I might not be cool – I’ll make up my own mind about that. It’s about me saying, “why does it bother me that they didn’t respond, what am I attaching to that and how can let go of that old pattern of thinking that their non-response is a verdict on my life.” And why the hell am I not focusing on the four other people who did respond back? These are the things I can make choices about.
I am choosing to see the underlying triggers and patterns (overdoing it, assigning value to how others react to me) waiting to be broken and loving them just as I love the hugs from my client after a break-through session. It’s my choice and I hope you join me and choose it too. See why these ladies agree.
1. Melitta Johnson (Yoga Instructor, Mental Health Wellness Advocate and Mother): “Everything is a catalyst for growth and evolution.” That’s deep and it’s true if you are open to the experiences that life offers. Today, I live life without regret, using every experience as an opportunity for growth. However, there was a time in my life where I felt like I didn’t have much control over the things that occurred, which made me feel vulnerable about what was to come in the future and the blessings that would manifest as a result of the lessons. I was closed off to new experiences due to fear. People died. Dreams chattered. Life withered away.
But then the season changed. The storm passed, it seemed. I began to see the light. Purpose came from the people that died and the dreams that shattered. Life didn’t wither away. Life marched on better than ever, but not because things were on the up and up, but because I chose to take life’s experience with me and pack them in my toolbox to create the blessings of love, kindness and happiness for myself and for others. I’m heading into the unknown future with all of these lessons and a full toolbox that will just keep getting bigger. That’s Evolution.
When I made the conscious decision to recommit my life to yoga, I didn’t fully understand what that commitment meant. In the past, I’d start practicing and then I’d stop practicing for various reasons. This time around around, I began my practice and kept going, full steam ahead. I practice daily, but my daily practice isn’t always 1-2 hours long. It varies. At times I practice for 2 hours and other times I practice for 10 minutes. The key is daily mindful movement … daily growth.
About a year ago, I started to capture my yoga back and share via social media. Every time I look back at a photo, it’s so amazing to see the subtle ways I’ve grown without even being aware. I recently looked back at a photo from January 2017 while I was in Ardha Navasana (half-boat pose) and I remember thinking about how much I struggled to lift my legs and smile as my abs were shaking profusely. I remember trying desperately to straighten my knees, but it didn’t happen that day and how it felt like a defeat.
Fast forward a year to January 2018, I sat gently on the 
moist grass, slowly raised my feet into the air (with bent knees first) and then straightened my knees – I did it! Navasana! This “win” didn’t occur overnight but bit-by-bit with steady moments of growth. It is my daily dedicated yoga practice – sometimes easy, sometimes hard – that made the difference. While there is still much room for improvement, I will celebrate progress and evolution as it occurs and find the treasures in the shaking abs, bent knees and everything in between.
Melitta Johnson is a RYS-200 Yoga Instructor, Wellness Advocate and Founder of the Elgin Foundation for Mental Health Wellness. She lives in Carson, California with her three children and husband. Follow her on Instragram @beewellwithmel or learn more about her in her ROOT Hero Story.
2. Kat McGee (Yoga Instructor, Life Coach): “Everything is a catalyst for growth and evolution.” When I read this what comes to mind immediately is the Bodhisattva Prayer – the prayer of the awakening being which says: “May everything that’s happening now serve the awakening of my heart and mind”. I appreciate the simplicity of this thought and it also directs me towards the reality that sometimes we need some support to embrace an idea like this.
Logically we can know things to be true and yet, in the heat of the human fire, it may not feel readily accessible. We may even read something like this and if we are feeling really raw think, “Yeah, well fuck you positive, pearly thought about seeing this life crushing situation from the frequency of love.” (Insert laughter because yes, that is how it can feel). This is why the Bodhisattva Prayer comes to mind; it’s a request for support when our highest awareness isn’t so readily available.
Just this past holiday between the week of Christmas and New Years, my partner and I separated and I made a major move, with literally all of my belongings, by myself on Christmas day while sleeping at a friends guest space, still working with my own clients and traveling over the holidays.
Even though I made the right decision, all of the human fears, emotions and intense levels of stress were there. And even though I felt equipped and empowered to do what I needed to do, I was still fully broken-hearted and having to honestly hold those feelings.
During that and many other challenging times, the view point of Truth was there but the frequency of unconditional love wasn’t always available, nor realistic as it often isn’t when we are mourning loss. But the gentle request of the Boddhisattva prayer: “May everything that’s happening now serve the awakening of my heart and mind”, the supportive frequency of that request that says, even though I can’t see it in this instance, I genuinely want to see and love and fully awaken; that allowed me to remain in the frequency of peace, until I was on the other side of the challenge enough to return to the frequency of love.
Kat McGee is reputed as one of the most progressive yoga teachers and coaches on the West Coast. Formally trained while living in India under the guidance of Swami Vishveketu and currently serving as a Lululemon Ambassador, she has over 1000 hours of training and is an ERYT-500 Instructor. Kat’s approach to yogic arts is physically stimulating and ultimately heart centered. Catch her at Soulspace in Malibu or follow her on Instagram @katmcgeeyoga.
3. Ariana Proehl (Practicing Yogi): Everything is a catalyst for growth and evolution. This makes me think about one of Oprah’s gems about remembering that things aren’t happening to you, but rather for you. Whether it’s a glory moment or a struggle moment.
Now I can’t honestly say that I always approach things with the same loving frequency. I can be judgmental, and I’m the worst judge against myself. I compare myself to others a lot, where they are in life vs. where I am. That turns into a lot of “shoulds”. I “should” be doing this by now. I “should” be making this much by now. And it’s easy to spiral into shaming myself for being who I am and where I am in this moment. Often it’s those really low moments where I can either just give all the way in to the ‘Little Hater’ voice in my head, or I can choose to trust and keep going.
I guess that’s what the low moments can be good for and that’s what I strive to focus on when I could just give up and wallow in the shallow (hmmm, wallow and shallow are surprisingly close in spelling). Those low moments have forced me to dig deep when maybe I didn’t want to, or didn’t think there was anything else to give or to gain or places to grow. And then I get to realize that I’m stronger than I was giving myself credit for, or way less concerned about those comparisons than my ego would have me think. And the shame gets a little less powerful, bit by bit, and it becomes easier to see that the universe isn’t conspiring against me, it’s conspiring for me.
Ariana Proehl is a media professional, producer and conversation starter. Check her out at www.arianaproehl.com. 
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