Nadie Necesita Saberlo (Nobody needs to know)

My goddess

Athena. She was a slip of a woman with wild, wiry tight blonde girls and the subtle curves befitting a sculpture of the goddess for which she'd been. named. She worked with me at the family practice clinic every Tuesday, an RN, though she only worked part time. I suspected we might share a connection when I noticed an Om bracelet adorning her wrist.

"Nice bracelet, I have one just like it that I got in Jaipur." I said, as we sat at a table chugging coffee one morning before a shift.

"What brought you to India?" she asked.

"A few things, actually. My divorce, for starters. Then following my two passions: medicine and yoga."

"Oh really? I'm an instructor!"

"You're kidding!"

"Fierce Grace studios-you should come sometime! I'll change your life."

"I'm an instructor too, actually. I've been looking for a place to practice here, and I definitely need my life changed."

She roped me into a pinky promise.

"It's a date." she said, wrinkling her nose with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

Awake Me by Rosie Carney

Sunlight streamed through the windows so bright I nearly had to reach for my shades. The sounds from the city streets were immediately muffled until they distanced and died the further in we walked.

"Come see my studio," Athena said, taking my hand.

The atmosphere of her sacred space was unadulterated Zen. Sheer panels of orchid and wisteria gauze draped the raised area where her yoga mat lie unrolled and ready for class to start. I also noted the silk strands hanging from the rafters and secured to the walls. I knew for certain that I wanted to learn how they were used as well. She invited me to lie back on my yoga mat and close my eyes. She sat at the crown of my head, cross legged, and placed her hands on my forehead.

"Dear friend, I thank you for coming into this sacred space with me.

I am honored by your presence.

I offer you this blessing of love and peace.

May you find what you need in this room."

"What do you need, friend? What is that you seek?" She asked softly.

I opened my mouth to speak, and my breath got stuck for a brief moment. Tears streamed down either side of my eyes. No one had asked me what I wanted in so long. I'd scarcely given it thought-I'd spent so long pursuing knowledge and trying to make my mark on this world, I'd somehow bypassed the process of healing my spirit. I still struggled with feelings of inadequacy from being orphaned, cheated on, and having a body I didn't appreciate for so long. I wasn't sure how she'd cracked me open with just two simple questions.

"I want to love myself without conditions." I eked out. "I want to only do what serves my well being."

"You've come to the right place," she said, in a voice that glistened just like a phrase muttered in the afterglow of lovemaking. "I hope you're ready to release your inner goddess."

And with that, the change began.