Shannon Kaiser, travel writer, self-help author and speaker shares tips and her transformational expierence learned in Jamaica in a lecture speech.
The Awakened & Aligned Podcast with Shannon Kaiser
BE OF SERVICE Transformational tips on loving life learned in Jamaica
Share tips about happiness, because on Monday, I've been invited to KATU in morning news to share tips with viewers about happiness. So all week I've been preparing this speech, and I was like, right, I'm gonna share with the Toastmaster group. However, every time I prepared that speech, I had this like gnawing inside of my belly, kind of like a pole, like silly putty, you know, when you feel anxious, and there's like a little voice in your head that says, that's not right, it's not right. And every time I would practice, it would say, talk about your experience from last week. And so, last night, late last night, I woke up and I said, I have to share with them my experience from Jamaica. Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica again as a travel rider, I feel very blessed. And I went to cover the Caribbean yoga conference. It was a very wonderful experience. How many of you guys practice yoga, or have ever tried it? Yeah, that's okay. Yoga has been a huge part of my life over the past couple years. And I felt very honored to go and write about yoga. I thought that I was going just to write about my experience and share with my viewers, my readers. But little did I know that this experience had nothing to do with me writing in my job. My experience in Jamaica was the biggest aha moment of my whole entire life. Here I was in Montego Bay, thinking that I was just gonna practice yoga, you know? And it was like the clouds had parted and the sky, like the spotlight from heaven came down. I was like, aha, have you guys ever had an aha moment? It's kind of like where you're standing in a place and you realize everything in your life is connected and it all comes to finally, and you're in the right place at the right time. That was my week last week. Well, yoga has really transformed my life. By practicing here in Oregon, I've learned to be more compassionate. I've learned to be more of a patient, human being. I don't have road rage anymore. This is like a whole new Shannon. I'm much more kind and would you believe that I actually don't judge people anymore? Because I realized that we are all one. Yoga, yoga, and exercise has taught me that. And it wasn't really apparent until I went to Jamaica. Here I am in Jamaica, talking to teachers, interviewing yogis from all around the world. And it was very clear to me that there was no coincidence that the first ever Caribbean yoga conference was in Jamaica, because the culture in itself is all about oneness, one love. Bob Marley's from Jamaica and he sings about one love and let's get together and feel all right. And everywhere you go, no matter where you are on the island, you feel connected to another person. And that became very apparent to me when I had the opportunity to go out into the community. Part of the Yoga Caribbean conference was really grounded in service. And how can you be of a better service to the world by giving of yourself? And I realized that that's a part of you that's been missing. I've been wanting to give my time, my energy, my money to things that are bigger than myself. And it wasn't clear until I stepped into the orphanage and helped teach little children in Jamaica, yoga. So 15 of us imagined from the conference, just yogis from all around the world, people from London, Brazil were coming in and there's these little orphan children and they're kind of hiding. Skinny children behind, like skinny trees, right? And they're kind of like capillary scoops. Trying to get, it's like the merging of the junior high dance. It's like the man, the boys and the girls coming together knowing that we should dance, but we're not really sure what's going on. I think we're supposed to do this. So I went up to the little girl, I said hi, my name's Shannon. And she looked up at me and she goes, I'm Rose. She grabbed my hand and we walked to the circle and she held on so tight that it was like, I had a new best friend. She's never wanted to let go. Most beautiful part was the very first exercise that we did. So we were to get down like this, there's all the volunteers with the children and we got down, this is a yoga pose and she got on my back. So there's like her back on my back and she's like up to here, a little bit teeny little nine-year-old. Such joy in her eyes, such authentic beauty. And I cut, she climbed on my back and then the volunteers were supposed to bend over. So her back was up. The amount of energy that came out of her, the joy, it was like pure abundant laughter of this little tiny girl, it roared. (laughing) I can't do it justice. She was so infectious. Her energy in the laughter that was spreading through the whole entire orphanage village. She was laughing more than any other child. And I was like, I'm bringing her this joy. And so she was laughing. Now on top of her laughing, I laughed more. So I'm bouncing and she was laughing even more 'cause it was like a little ride. And it was in that moment that tears rolled down my face. Because they were tears of extraordinary peace and tears of happiness. Because I, just being me, just being present, could provide this for a little girl. I don't need a book. I don't need Facebook. I don't need all these presentations and these things that I'm trying to build a business here. I don't need all that to make a difference. This experience taught me how important it is to be there for other people and let them be them. Just be there. Look at them, listen to them. Let them feel heard and present. That's all I needed to do for this little girl. And she provided with me more joy than anything I could have ever thought. Here I thought it was coming in to help her, right? Teach her about yoga. She gave me the greatest gift of all. Learning the power of being present. Being in the moment and really connecting with other people. And in order to do that, just listen and be with them. And I thought that she really taught me a valuable lesson too 'cause at the end, we were kind of doing a couple of things. We were just running around. And she said, "See that little boy over there?" I said, "Yeah." I didn't know where she was going with it. She said, "He makes fun of me. He's really mean to me." He said, "Oh, no." And she goes, "But guess what?" I said, "Well, what?" She said, "She looks up at me." And she says, "I'm nice to him anyways." And she said, "I think it's nice to be nice to everyone." I was like, "Oh my God, this little girl's a little angel. Here she is." Teaching us, teaching an American, how important it is to be nice to your enemies. So the Jamaican experience really transforms me. Last week, I came back a new person. All of my relationships are deeper. I'm more authentic in everything I do. And it all started with just going and being present for someone else. Postmaster, thank you. (audience applauds) (laughs) [BLANK_AUDIO]