My personal empowerment story

I arrived at her house one afternoon without really knowing who she was or what I was getting myself into. All I knew is that I desperately needed help: I couldn’t function properly anymore. My health was really poor. My nervous system was like a maraca: always shaking. I felt like I was losing my mind. Rather than me being in control of my emotions, my emotions were fully dominating me. And I was so disconnected from myself - my body, mind, heart and soul - that I was more like a zombie than a human being. It wasn’t until I met her and started studying with her that I began to understand what was behind all of that and thus, I started making positive changes in my Self and my life.

From a very young age I went through all kinds of abuse, from physical and emotional, to mental and sexual. That made me grow up not only in fear and with a little less than low self esteem, but also full of self-judgments, self-pity, self-comparison, self-pride and self-rejection. I was full of guilt and shame, anger and pain - many times self inflicted but still, I grew up angry and full of pain.

I also grew up believing that I was completely worthless, that I had to protect and defend myself from every single person I came across, that it was embarrassing being a woman, and that being a woman meant being weak. I could not see or find any quality within myself. And I could not express any feeling, emotion, thought or idea.

A simple toolkit to reconnect with myself

I was hopeless and helpless until I met Bhuvaneswari Devi (Ana-Karyn) 10 years ago. I started attending her classes and practising the simple yet powerful tools and techniques that she shares with all of her students. Going to her classes and listening to her teachings gave me a great deal of understanding about myself, my thought patterns, my actions and reactions, and my feelings and emotions. She always managed - and still does - to shed some light over me, so my darkness, my ignorance, my misconceptions and misbeliefs started becoming clear and realistic.

Practising breathing techniques, yoga exercises, meditation, self study, a daily healing fire, and different creative expressions was all part of the toolkit she offered in her classes, which at first posed what seemed to be a huge challenge, but with time, commitment, perseverance, and patience started becoming like a habit, part of a daily routine. Those disciplines – the classes, the teachings, the different tools and techniques - became my best allies and have helped me reconnect and rediscover myself and the many gifts that have lain dormant within me. They have also given me the inner strength, the self-confidence, and the power to look at myself with full acceptance, kindness, love and compassion.

Living in the here and now

With Ana-Karyn’s love and support, her teachings, her many tools and techniques combined with a little effort from my part, my life has taken a 180-degree turn. I can now live in the here and now, connected with myself and turning my life over to that Higher Divine Power that is always guiding and protecting me. I can now look at my flaws, weaknesses and mistakes with honesty and integrity then humbly make the necessary changes. I can now tap into that inner creative power within me and express myself in several different ways. Whenever my negative tendencies try to come back, I can now stay positive, focusing on my divine-given gifts, one at a time, and opening the door for them to fully flourish.

I now live a balanced, fulfilled, blessed, happy life. And, above all, I now find it a joy, a blessing and a privilege to be a woman. With all gratitude and humbleness I can now say that I am, as every woman is, the light of God, the love and joy of God, and the beauty and grace of God.

In gratitude and love,
Luz Vargas-Kmita
Sat Nam

Women’s Empowerment Day takes place on October 29 from 9 to 5 pm at 22 Hillcrest in Wakefield. Rides are available from Ottawa. Cost is $15 and includes lunch. For more information and to register, email info@bioenergetics.ca or call 613 231 11 62

A note on the mandala pictured above: It was created by Luz last May and is named "ISSA, What every woman has inside" ie the beauty, love and grace of all creation…