Just before Kim's Tuesday morning class got underway, she played a familiar tune that everyone seemed to recognize but nobody could place.  When she revealed that it was from the movie 'Indecent Proposal', there seemed to be a collective groan from those in class.  This began a conversation about why this movie triggered so many of us in class that morning.  Usually when we feel triggered, it's our essence recognizing part of ourselves in another person, usually a part that we don't want to recognize or connect with.  For those who haven't seen it, Demi Moore is in a 'happy relationship but accepts one million dollars to spend one night with a stranger. 

Most people feel triggered by the term 'prostitute' for obvious reasons but there are many ways that people create this dynamic in their own relationships.  Any time we do something that's against our intuitive nature because of some reason that we hold as 'more important', we are acting from the prostitute archetype, which EVERYONE possesses in varying amounts.   If you're thinking to yourself... "I am not a prostitute!"... check in with that. We've all done it.  If you've ever worked a job that you didn't enjoy because you needed to pay your bills, that's a prime example.  We often feel that a temporary 'sacrifice' will somehow serve the 'end' that we hold in such high regard.   If your actions don't resonate or feel 'good' to you, then they will never build into something that does.  You will likely find yourself caught in a cycle of constant sacrifice that often leads to resentment... and this is not a happy place to be.  So how do we act in a way that allows us to feel fulfilled and act in alignment with our journey through life? 

Yogic philosophy talks about being present in every moment we live, whether we're on our mat practicing or out living our lives.  By paying attention to how we feel in each moment, we can get out of our thinking mind and make decisions based on our heart or our essence... which will never lie.  Our hearts tell us how we intuitively feel about our options while our mind will rationalize what we 'should' do based on projected ideas about the past or future.  By living in the moment we can consciously chose to act in a way that serves our spirit.  Sometimes these decisions are hard and will not be well received by those around us.    This is the moment that we have the choice to live authentically according to our souls journey, or to act from the prostitute archetype by putting something or someone 'more important' ahead of what resonates with us.  I know, it's not flashy, and there are no trophies for acting in accordance with our essence, but it's what living our yoga is all about.