Do you ever notice how being in nature gives us space to ponder life’s most important lessons?

I’ve been to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon twice in my life. Both times I was in awe of the hue of the brilliant blue water, but it wasn’t until my second visit, after surviving a heart attack at 31 years old, that looking out over the deepest lake in the USA (one of the top ten deepest in the world) made me realize how so many things in life that seem like a disaster at the time can lead to something beautiful.

The violent eruption that occurred over 7,700 years ago, causing the top of the 12,000 ft tall Mount Mazama to collapse, gave us Crater Lake – a wonder that draws visitors from all over the world due to its pristine, clear blue water.

This summer will mark 14 years since a blood clot in my coronary artery set me on a completely different path in life. I went from being a stressed-out, overworked Human Resources professional who spent most of my waking hours at work, to a thriving health and wellness entrepreneur who takes time every day to enjoy the best things in life – like dancing in the kitchen while cooking a nourishing meal, sharing my love of yoga with others, walking a tree-lined path with my husband and two dogs or reading a book with a cat curled up in my lap.

My heart attack woke me up to the fact that I wasn’t living my best life. I was climbing the corporate ladder in a job that no longer inspired me. Even though I was building the balance in my bank account, my work did nothing to fill my soul.

My near-death experience was a blessing that urged me to look within, and start listening to and following my heart. My heart attack was the best thing that could have happened to me. Anything less extreme wouldn’t have gotten my attention.

The experiences in life that seem like setbacks, or even complete disasters, lead to transformation – as long as you can reframe them as a gift, find the lesson and view them something that happened for you, rather than to you.

When completing advanced yoga teacher training at Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica, I learned about a concept called the Cycle of Awareness from Don Stapleton.

According to this cycle, we can be going along in life in our current way of being when something happens that interrupts the balance and disrupts the flow. Whatever that event is, whether it’s a divorce, health scare, job change, or birth of a child, we are thrown into a state of chaos and confusion.

We might flounder for a while in chaos, where we have no idea what to do. Next comes the fertile void. We may bounce back and forth between those two states of being; some days feeling completely lost, and other days finding peace with the change.

The fertile void is where the magic happens. As we start to tap into our inner resources, we evolve, eventually transforming into a new way of being. The cycle is complete, at least for a period of time until the next thing comes along that interrupts the balance and starts the process all over again.

It’s through these so-called ‘disasters’ that we can experience the most profound transformation.

I’m glad that my heart sent me a message that I could not ignore. My life has changed for the better. And, I’m happy that volcano erupted all of those years ago to give us Crater Lake, one of the most beautiful places on Earth.