What’s Your Word for 2017?

It’s almost New Year’s Eve.

Nearly 2017.

Ready to start this new year?

One of the best ways to get clarity is to choose a word, ONE word to focus on, to dive into.

ONE word to be your theme for the year.

In 2016, I chose receive.

I’ve spent the last 12 months really exploring what receive means to me. Some of the questions that I asked were:

• How do I allow myself to receive?
• Where am I limiting that?
• How do I experience opening up to receiving in my body, mind...

This inquiry taught me a lot about myself. About where I hold back, where I get stuck, where I feel afraid.

Through a deeper relationship with this word, receive, it's helped me open up more, relax more and allow myself to feel safe, comfortable and happy to let in all the abundance, happiness, opportunities and change that has come my way this year.

And now it’s time for me to choose a new word!

Here are 3 Ways to Help You Tune into Your Word for 2017

1.     Ask

Get quiet and simply ask. What is my word for 2017? Is there something I could benefit from focusing on?

Here is a list of some of the words my students have chosen in the past: bold, trust, faith, love, dream. balance, speak, mindfulness, pause, deliberate.

2.     Use A Book

If you’ve asked and nothing has come to you, you can always try this cool trick.

Grab a book, any book, off the shelf and close your eyes. Think about your word for the year and then randomly open the book. See where your eye lands and what it reveals.

3.     Meditate on it

Once a word comes to you, try it on. Settle into the energy of that word.

• How does it feel?
• Is there an opportunity for learning and growth?
• Is this where you need to go in 2017?

If the answers feel affirming then you’re on the right track. Don’t be dismayed if you feel scared. That’s often a pre-requisite to change.

My husband often tells me that if he feels afraid, he knows he’s onto something!

Have fun with this and share your word with me! Simply type it in below.

If you’re ready to dive in more, download my free vision worksheet to really jump start your year! Click HERE

Here’s to an amazing, wonderful 2017! 

Stay Inspired! Get my latest blog in your inbox, FREE!

Manifest Your Holiday Miracle

The other morning I turned the page for my new lesson in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) and here is what it said; “I am entitled to miracles.”

I smiled.

First because I love that idea, and second because it felt so timely, given that Christmas and Chanukah are right around the corner.

I’ve always been fascinated with miracles, magic and what seemed like “other-worldly stuff.” To me, miracles were the foray of Gods, of holy people, of wonder. They weren’t something that a mere mortal such as myself could perform.

Until I learned more - that we, you and I, co-create our world with God.

One thing that I really appreciate about A Course in Miracles it that it’s like a handbook for how to do that. In fact, on page 3 it details 50 principles to describe a miracle!

Here Are my Top 10 Definitions of a Miracle

1.     There is no order of difficulty in miracles.

One is not "harder" or "bigger" than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal.

2.     Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love.

The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.

3.     Prayer is the medium of miracles.

It is a means of communication of the created with the Creator. Through prayer love is received, and through miracles love is expressed.

4.     Miracles are both beginnings and endings, and so they alter the temporal order. 

They are always affirmation of rebirth, which seem to go back but really go forward. They undo the past in the present, and thus release the future.

5.     Miracles are teaching devices for demonstrating it it as blessed to give as to receive.

They simultaneously increase the strength of the giver and supply strength to the receiver.

6.     A miracle is a service.

It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor's worth simultaneously.

7.     Miracles reawaken the awareness that the spirit, not the body, is the altar of truth.

This is the recognition that leads to the healing power of the miracle.

8.     Miracles are natural signs of forgiveness.

Through miracles you accept God's forgiveness by extending it to others.

9.     The miracle acknowledges everyone as your brother and mine.

It is a way of perceiving the universal mark of God.

10.  The miracle is a learning device that lessens the need for time.

It establishes an out-of-pattern time interval not under the usual laws of time. In this sense it is timeless.

As we head into the holidays, think about Jesus as an example of one who recognized his own divinity.

Why not embrace your own ability to manifest miracles?

Be love, share love and open up to the wonderment of life this season.

Use prayer to set intention and visualize perfect healing, manifestation or whatever it is that your life needs.

You can do this – it is your nature and right. And as we are taught in ACIM, “Miracles are natural. When they do not occur, something has gone wrong."

So get to work!

Don’t forget to let me know how it goes – share your miracles with me.

Leave a comment below.

Feeling the love? Join our growing tribe today!

PS - If you’re interested, here’s a link to see all 50.

5 Tips for A Stress-Free Holiday Season

We’re entering into the vortex of holiday. The next 5 weeks will be a blur of excitement… and stress.

Many of us look forward to the holidays as a time for family, fun, sharing and giving. But the holidays are THE most stressful time of year.

So in the midst of decorating, shopping, cooking and partying, be sure to take extra special care of YOU.

Here are my top 5 ways to stay sane and enjoy this most wonderful time of year.

1.    Start Your Day

How you start your day is critical. 

For years my husband would say, “How you start your day is how you live your day.” 

He and I always start with meditation. Why? Because it offers a moment of silence, of unity and a way to ground and center myself before I jump into the chaos of life.

Give yourself the gift of silence in the morning. 

If you’re not ready for that, listen to a guided meditation. I have many on my website. Feel free to download some today. Click Here

2.     Schedule Timeouts

Timeouts aren’t just for toddlers anymore. Timeouts are for adults, especially Mommies and Daddies who need a little down time, relaxation and rest.

But the key is to schedule them.

I know this sounds counter intuitive – but if they aren’t scheduled, life will intercede. Here are the steps to making your timeouts a reality:

• Ask yourself: What time during the day is good for even a 20-minute time to chill? Around lunch time? During that 3pm drag? A half hour before bedtime?
   
• Now think about what day or days of the week this could work.
  Maybe Wednesdays the kids don’t need to get picked up until 4 so you could have an hour to put your feet up and read a magazine. Or Friday is a half day at work, you could do something in the afternoon...

SCHEDULE these breaks into your life.

Think of them as catnaps OR take an entire afternoon and get a massage, relax in the hot tub or simply unwind on a nature walk.

3.     Delegate / Ask for Help

Even when we look forward to the holidays, they can easily feel overwhelming.

Because in addition to the regular schedule – job, children, family, chores, school – there’s the added decorating, gift buying, socializing…

How can you manage it all?

• Make a list of all the new chores and obligations/invitations that the holidays bring.
   
• Prioritize the list. What can other people do?
   
• Enlist help from friends and family members including children – regardless of age. They love to assist and it’s fun for them to be involved.

I know a woman who confessed to being such a control freak she wouldn’t let anyone help her put the lights on the Christmas tree.

Know yourself and decide what the MUSTS are for you, then give away the other tasks. (Even if it means they don’t get done absolutely perfectly.)  

4.     Stick to the Budget

I know this one isn’t romantic but it’s a vital anti-stress tool.

Overspending for the holidays can fell good for a fleeting moment but ultimately it adds undue pressure and stress.

To avoid this, make yourself a budget.

How much available cash do you have for gifts?

Be realistic.

Once you identify that, allocate a certain amount per person. If you have specific presents in mind, subtract those costs from your budget and then get creative with the rest.

There’s always enough money for everything you need to get.

5.     Exercise

I recently finished an article that cited research about the incredible benefits to your brain of cardio exercise like running. It helps create new brain cells (wahoo!) It also benefits mitochondria which provides energy to the cells.

If you aren’t in the habit of exercising, the holidays are the perfect time to start.

You'll feel better in mind, body and spirit. It will lower your stress level and keep your neurons strong and healthy regardless of how much eggnog you imbibe!

Enjoy these next few weeks with friends and family. But be sure to take the best care of YOU!

Let me know how it goes – share your self care plan with me and leave a comment below!

And don't forget to sign up and get my FREE blog and other tools every week in your inbox!

4 Ways to Choose Love in the Face of Uncertainty

Life is filled with the unknown. Whether it’s a presidential election, a storm prediction, a doctor’s appointment or the stock market.

In fact, life essentially is uncertainty in action.

Think about it.

Whenever you try something new – a dance class, a restaurant, lunch with a new friend, a job opportunity – there’s risk. Simply because it is new, unknown or uncertain.

So, how do we, as students of spirituality learn to embrace that which is unknown and not fall into fear?

Especially when that fear is palpable and permeates everything.

This is one of the major challenges we face, walking into uncertainty or fear without leaving us cold hearted, apathetic or checked out.

Here are 4 ways to help you.

1. Live In The World But Not of The World

My teacher, Ma Jaya used to say this all the time.

But what does it mean?

I define it as being an active participant in the world, showing up to make a difference, willingly and voluntarily. And working at not having any expectations.

It’s also the recognition that we are here in a body, in this time and space, but it isn’t all there is.

There is a vast reality far larger than we can even imagine – Source, God, One-Ness, Brahmin, Dreaming…

Remembering that this earthly plain is not all there is helps create energetic distance so you don’t get sucked into the drama, the chaos of this world that circles all the time.

Instead, be in the world as a speaker of truth, a messenger of love and choose not to get pulled into the craziness that is ever present.

I often think of the novelist Tom Robbins. In his book, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, he wrote, “and the world situation is, desperate as usual.”

I read this when I was in my early 20s and it stopped my daily news addiction. Unfortunately, it seems even more appropriate today!

2. Choose Love

We always have a choice to stay in the vibration of love or come from a place of fear.

What will you choose?

I recently read about a church in Indiana that was defaced with graffiti that said, “Heil Trump” and another of a tilted swastika. Instead of immediately painting over it, the minister opted to leave it.

As she said, “we believe that symbols are what you make of them. And if we decide to look at these symbols as hate and be angry and frustrated, we’re focusing on the wrong issue. And so we’ve decided to leave them up as symbols of hope, whereas if anybody in the surrounding area — or even country — sees these and knows that we were targeted because we’re inclusive and they need a safe space, then they know that Saint David’s is a safe space.”

Clearly Rev. Kelsey Hutto is choosing love.

3. Nothing Real Can Be Threatened

This is a line from the Introduction to A Course In Miracles. The whole text reads, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God."

I find this line especially helpful when I have fallen into fear.

When we experience fear, it’s always coming from our ego selves, the place where we feel separate and alone.

In those instances, I will often repeat this line over and over to myself like a mantra. It brings me back to what I know, that I am safe, that the world is protected and everything else is unreal.

As ACIM reminds us, there is only love or a call for love.

When we are in fear, our soul/God/Source/One-ness is giving us a call for love, to remember who we truly are, that we are not our egos, not the fear, that we are a part of God and love.

4. Do Your Spiritual Work – Strengthen Your Inner Compass

The best way to stay in a higher vibration is to have a daily practice.

What is yours?

Prayer, meditation, yoga, ecstatic dance?

It is imperative to take some time each day to connect in to God/Source/Love. Fill yourself back up, recline in the infinite bliss that is your refuge and sanctuary.

Make time everyday.

This is THE most important time of your day. Do this for your inner growth, your sanity and your ability to show up exactly how you want to – with love, compassion and light.

It is always in times of darkness when the light is needed the most.

Be that beacon and shine bright. 

What will you do? Leave a comment below!

Want more tools? Sign up for my FREE weekly email!

3 Ways to Unleash Your Roar

For years I romanticized about being a martial artist. It was cool, powerful, magic. 

I loved the idea of defending myself with only my body as a weapon, hurtling through the air like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan.

I finally got my wish in 2001 and signed up for Tae Kwon Do with my seven year-old daughter.

Slowly I learned kicks, blocks and forms.

Studying Tae Kwon Do reminded me of embarking on a new foreign language, one that was mental AND physical. It required me to use muscle memory, especially for the forms, which I loved.

But I also had to fight.

One day I was paired with a gentle man, the father of two boys and a friend of mine. We bowed to one another and before I knew it, his padded fist landed a blow directly at my nose!

My head flew back as I recoiled in shock. The splintering static of pain shot through my face. His punch though had an effect. I rebounded and aggressively fought back.

Minutes later we were done.

I sat down, panting and watched the next round but as I did, the tears welled up behind my eyes and a gush of emotions wrenched through my body.

It took everything I had not to lose it. I kept taking deep breaths until my emotions were in check.

After practice, I asked, what happened?

All my life I’d been conditioned to be a peacemaker, to make no waves. I’d never been encouraged to fight, defend myself or even be assertive.

When Mike hit me, it activated that old victim place and I didn’t know how to respond. It brought me back to being twenty.

I'd been in Barcelona for spring break. My friend and I had impulsively decided to walk to the Joan Miró museum. We soon found ourselves in a semi-deserted park, a gang of teens following us. The next thing I knew, their leader was brandishing a knife. “Give me your money.” I shook my head and acted like I didn’t have any.

Then he grabbed me, his blade cut at my neck. I froze, peed my pants and sent a pleading look to the gardener hoping he’d save me. Instead, he watched impassively and did nothing.

My girl friend, however, screamed. Loud.

One of the gang member’s lunged at my thin cotton satchel. It ripped open and everything spilled onto the grass – my passport, money, key…

Sparring with Mike had forced a difference response. Fight. He pushed me to defend myself and through that I discovered how to access the place of power within me.

Last week I was at a retreat and one of the women shared an experience of watching her son at his Tae Kwon Do rank test. She observed the kids, all of whom had perfect form, did the kicks exactly right. But only some of them were able to break a board. 

I knew exactly what she was talking about. 

I told her about the Korean master who trained my instructors. He would say, “You have to go to crazy.”

In other words, you have to be willing to be all in, to hold nothing back, to fight as if your life is on the line.

And the only way to do that is to access that power within.

We all have it but in most of us, especially women, it can lay dormant.

Here are 3 Ways You Can Access that Power Within:

1.  Shout it Out

One of the ways Tae Kwon Do helped me was by yelling. They call it a “kihap.”

Whenever you hit, punch, kick, you make this guttural cry.

Try it. Exhale hard from your abdomen and shout.

Let it go – all of it- the tension, fear, anxiety, anger…

It feels amazing.

2.  Say No

So many times as women, we’re conditioned to play nice, be soft, small or docile. When you find yourself in a situation that feels uncomfortable in ANY way, say no.

~No, I don’t want you to come to my house.

~No, please stop texting me.

~No, I am not interested.

3. Listen Within

We always know what to do, say or how to act. We just don’t always listen.

I was always looking for approval, for conformation because I didn’t trust myself. Sound familiar?

And yet, I do know and I always have known. Just like you.

It’s time to trust yourself and YOUR knowing. When you feel unclear, check inside of you and ask for the answer. Pray for guidance, insight, clarity. It will always be given to you.

Don’t feel like you have to run out and sign up for martial arts to connect to your own inner strength and power. It’s an internal river wide and strong that’s available to you at any given moment. All you have to do is choose to connect with it.

Step into that power! Shine that gorgeous love bright and strong into the world.

I want to hear you roar!

Tell me what that's like for you! Leave me a comment right here!

Ready for more transformational tools and guidance?

Sign up for my FREE emails!

Move into Your New Life with Joy & Ease

In my blog a few weeks ago, I laid out the 3 steps for manifesting your vision – dreaming it, writing it out, speaking it into existence and allowing it to occur. (if you missed it, click here.)

As it begins to come to fruition, something curious happens.

Instead of being elated, you may feel scared, unsure or totally unsettled.

This is the moment when we can self-sabotage.

It’s kind of ironic – to move toward creating exactly what you want only to be scared of it.

The first part (see above) was focused on manifesting externally – the new job, the healthy body, the intimate relationship.

Now you have to make the internal shifts in order to fully step in and maintain this new space and way of being. It’s time to up-level both within and without.

Here are 4 tips to help you actually live your dreams:

1.     The Upper Limit Challenge

Gay Hendricks wrote about this concept in The Big Leap. In a nutshell, it’s when we get something we want – like a promotion, dream house, retirement- and then sabotage another area of our lives – pick a fight with the spouse, get sick. Because we can't take too much good.

Upper limit issues can also manifest in that sudden fear you feel after you landed your first $10k client or sold your initial $2M property and your stomach drops. Immediately the internal critic starts: “This is never gonna happen again. I can’t hold onto this, I’m gonna lose it all…”

That voice is a signal to you that you’ve hit the unconscious ceiling – your upper limit of success, of what you believe you deserve.

When this occurs, allow yourself to recognize it. Gently move to a place where you can open up and allow even more happiness, money, abundance, and love into your life. Use your spiritual practice to ground and support you. Additionally, ask yourself:

• Is there someone I have to forgive?
• Does an old belief need to get released?

We must release the old in order to make room for the new.

2.     Give Yourself Time

When we push into the new and get what we've asked for, the expectation is that now everything is perfect.

It’s the fairy tale / happily ever after syndrome.

But the beginning is never the end!

Think about it.

You’ve just expanded yourself. Of course it feels strange and uncomfortable. It's natural to feel vulnerable or weird. Be patient with yourself as you settle into this new state.

Remember, it takes time to learn how to swim in this bigger pond! To navigate the ins and outs of the terrain and make friends with the new inhabitants. To learn how to live your fairy tale.

3.     Expand Into The And

When we feel afraid because something is new or unfamiliar, we immediately want to contract back to what is safe.

Instead, see if you can allow yourself to stay open to possibility, networking opportunities, and new connections.

If you find yourself feeling small or wanting to run back to your old job, home, or neighborhood, recognize it for what it is, a normal response.

Instead of judging, honor your process and nourish yourself in ways that feed you – take a bath, go for a walk, have dinner with friends. Relax.

Then schedule something new at least once a week to help you expand and reach out.

4.     Hold the Tension

The transition between moving from the old situation into the new is fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. Because these are feelings we typically never want to experience, we often push them away resulting in sabotaging behavior.

Instead, see if you can be okay not knowing everything, not having solved every challenge.

For in that space of the unknown lies the alchemy, the magic of total transformation.

It's there waiting for you. Waiting for you to fully step into this higher vibration, this new exciting, thrilling life that you’ve dreamed, visioned, and manifested.

Now it’s time to genuinely and wholeheartedly embrace it and live it.

You are SO up for this. Go for it!

Let me know how I can support you by leaving a comment below.

AND be sure to get ALL of my transformational tools! Sign up TODAY!

Embrace These Days of Awe

We are in the midst of the Days of Awe as they are known to all of our Jewish brothers and sisters. This 10-day period commences with Rosh Hashanah and ends on Yom Kippur.

This is the Jewish New Year and as such is a deep time of reflection, a turning within, as we shed the old year and turn to look at the new.

One of the main themes of the Days of Awe is the idea of atonement.

Apart from the name of a well-known book and film, what does this actually mean?

In the Jewish tradition, atonement is an act of reconciliation, the desire to make amends or reparations for a wrong-doing. This is a time to forgive and ask for forgiveness.

Jews believe that God has a book in which s/he is writing down all your good and bad deeds. This is done during the Days of Awe, so if you are willing to seek forgiveness, God may look favorably upon you.

In Christianity, we also see this word, atonement.

It largely refers to the idea of reconciliation with God. In the Christian concept, man has sinned (think Adam and Eve) and it was Jesus who sacrificed (and was resurrected) that atoned for the sins of the world. This act cleaned the slate and made everything right again with God.

But it is the definition found in A Course in Miracles that I most resonate with.

Here, atonement means to undo erroneous thinking.

This is because we have forgotten who we really are. We falsely believe that we are separate – a body and an ego - and not spirit. We think that we are distinct and apart from God. But the truth is that we are all spirit. Our true relationship is – that we are not separate from God. In other words, at-one-ment.

“You are the work of God, and His work is wholly loveable and wholly loving. This is how a man must think of himself in his heart, because this is what he is.” (ACIM, p.9)

Embrace this idea and see yourself as inherently loveable AND loving.

Atonement is the act of forgiving - both oneself and others. As it says in A Course in Miracles, “the forgiven are the means of atonement.” We forgive ourselves because we have forgotten who we truly are and we forgive all of our brothers and sisters for the same reason.

Have fun with this! Embrace these Days of Awe. Seek to forgive and start your new year fresh and free. And always remember your true nature, divine, perfect and at-one with God.

Let me know how it goes! Feel free to leave a comment below.

Stay Inspired! Get my weekly blog and other tools in your inbox, FREE!

5 Tips for Manifesting the Life of Your Dreams

We all have dreams and plans for how we want our life to be.

I'm sure you’ve laid in bed and fantasized about sailing the Caribbean, being married to your ideal partner, living in a ski in/ski out house on the mountain... having a passionate, full life.

Right?

So the question then is ~ How do you take that dream and manifest it?

Turns out, it’s actually really simple.

Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

In only 3 steps you can take your life from dull and mediocre to inspiring and fulfilling.

Ready?

1. Vision / Intention

The first step is to get really, really clear about exactly what you want. Many of us kind of know what we want but haven’t spent the time to actually flesh it out.

Ask yourself:

• What’s my dream life?
• How do I want my life to be?
  • Think about this from every aspect of your life, like:
    • Job/career
    • Money
    • Relationship
    • Family
    • Fun time
    • Vacation
    • Spirituality
    • Creativity
    • Health
    • Recreation
    • Exercise
       
• How do I want to feel?
  • Now think about how you want to feel once you've achieved your ideal lifestyle. Maybe emotions such as: exhilarated, inspired, satisfied… This is a KEY piece because you don't want to be a millionaire who's always stressed about finance, do you?

2. Repetition / Attention

Once you’ve allowed yourself to vision, be sure to write it all down in vivid detail.

Write it as if everything has already happened.

Here’s an example of how to get started:

“I am so grateful that I live in this amazing 2 bedroom apartment overlooking the Hudson River, that I run my successful health and wellness business that provides me with $10,000 /month in revenue for the twenty hours a week I work, that I have highly skilled support, that I share my life with (name) and our relationship is deep and fulfilling, that I feel so excited every day when I wake up…”

Put your written vision statement in a place (maybe next to your bed) where you can read it both in the morning and at night before you go to sleep.

Do this every day.

Be sure to read your vision with passion.

3. Relax and Enjoy

Once you put your intention and vision out in the Universe, get ready to enjoy the ride!

Because here’s the thing: we co-create our world with Source, God, One-ness, the Universe. And that means everything will unfold – we just can’t exactly control when or how.

For many of us recovering control freaks, this can feel scary.

The other two steps (1 & 2) are easy. They’re do-able tasks that can be completed.

This third step involves a leap of faith.

Put your dream out there, focus on it with your attention but try not to get uptight about it. Instead, see if you can allow yourself to enjoy the journey and watch the mystery unfold.

It’s magical.

If you follow these 3 simple steps, you can manifest your deepest dreams and desires and truly transform your life.

Are you ready?

Share your dreams with me!

Leave a comment below with ONE thing you want for yourself. That way, I can help hold the space for you!

Stay inspired and motivated.
Get my weekly blogs and other tools in YOUR inbox, FREE!

The Magical Breath

Did you know that the breath is the single best way to connect your mind, body, and spirit?

Cool or what?

In the ancient tradition of yoga, there is a practice called pranayama.

Prana is a Sanskrit word that means life force.

Yogi Bhajan said “Prana is the most powerful and most creative thing God ever created, because out of prana came life.”

Prana is evidenced every moment by the breath.

Think about it. Whenever there’s a scene in a movie where a person looks possibly dead, what’s checked? Someone leans over the still body to see if she is still breathing.

Life force is inextricably linked to the breath.

The Sanskrit word yama means to control or restrain. It is also the negative form of ayama, to extend or stretch.

Thus, pranayama is the control of life force and the ability to consciously extend and manipulate the breath.  And practicing Pranayama is the doing of conscious breathing exercises. (I’ll send you a new one each month. This is September’s.)

If your goal is to lead a conscious life, you have to embrace the breath.

Here is what you can expect when you do these breathing exercises:

1. Feel Radiantly Healthy 

Every cell, organ, gland, tissue and muscle in your body needs oxygen. This is why we are all encouraged to do cardio- exercise.

Breathing does this too.

When we regularly oxygenate our systems, we help them run at their potential. Then they can more easily fight off illness and help us reduce and even eliminate stress.

Imagine living with increased vitality! That would mean having an abundant amount of energy.

Doesn't that sound great?

2. Control Your Mind

Your mind essentially regulates what you think, feel, perceive and experience.

Have you ever had a moment when you were really panicked about something? You're heart was beating wildly in your chest, your mind flying around, unable to concentrate because the anxiety and tension had you in its grip?

The fastest way to come out of this is a nice deep breath.

That inhalation brings you back to the moment, helps you ground and center, and physically calms down the body.

Ancient Yogis have taught us that the mind is directly linked to prana (life force). So, if we control the prana, through increased awareness of the breath, we can control our minds.

This is how much power lies with the breath.

3. Make What Is Unconscious Conscious

Breathing with awareness helps us wake up.

Not just our physical bodies by energizing and oxygenating them, not just our minds by waking them from a stupor but it helps us tap into true awareness.

Breathing allows you to come fully into the moment and be 100% present.

The breath is the link between the mind, body and spirit and allows us to access and integrate all with mindfulness, presence and joy.

Become fully aware of your breathing today and enjoy better health, peace of mind, increased clarity and joy.

How is the breathing going for you? Leave a comment below. I'd love to know!

Want more like this? Sign up today, it's FREE!

Access Your Power Now

Letting go of old, limiting beliefs gives you power. It frees you up to be exactly who you want to be and live your truth, your light and love.

I was reminded again this morning.

While I was meditating, the words that came were, “as we release our samsara, we make room in our lives for the things we truly want.”

Samsara is a Sanskrit word that describes the cycle of life- from birth to death. This includes all the actions of our lives, the karma we accrue and bring forward into the next incarnation, etc.

I think about samsara, too, as the bodily goo that gets attached to us once we take form and become human. It’s the stuff- the emotions, relationships, duties, obligations, beliefs- that ground us in a physical form and ego.

As we release the bonds – the limitations – we impose on ourselves, it frees us to move into our spirit selves and become truly who we are.

Here are a few tools to help you release that which you no longer want:

1.  The Breath

Breathing is the most powerful tool in our repertoire. It has the ability to physically regulate our bodies, instantly reduce anxiety or tension as well as the ability to bring us directly into the moment.

In the moment, you are free. There is no judgment, no suffering, no past, no future.

The breath is the way we connect to the universal truth, to God, to source.

Use this tool for it will change your life.

To support you on your journey, each month I’ll send out a new breathing exercise for you to try.

Use it and see how your life unfolds. The breath helps you open up to your own inner knowing, to awareness.

2. Meditation & Prayer

These two go hand in hand for one is the asking and the other the receiving. Meditation is your time to relax and allow yourself to float in the river of love. It is the time to commune with your God and yourself in a place of refuge.

If you haven’t already downloaded some of my guided meditations, I invite you to access the kit now. Here

3.  Psychotherapy/Coaching

Elizabeth Lesser, the founder of The Omega Institute, and author of Cracked Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, talks about the importance of therapy.

She writes about her own process of seeing how old patterns of behavior were keeping her stuck. She says, “What I learned in the safe and sacred room of my therapist’s office was that the same energy I was exerting to keep things from being revealed could be used for a far more exciting and rewarding struggle: to return my soul to my body, to return myself to myself. After that, anything would be possible.”

In essence, we have to heal ourselves, our egos and childhood wounds in order to open ourselves up to truly be vessels for truth, for God’s work, for love. To let the samsara go.

If you’re ready to release that which no longer serves you and claim your life, take advantage of my special Fall coaching special. It’s happening right now. Learn more

This is the work we are here to do – remember who we are.

It’s scary but it’s the journey of a life time and will awaken you to truly be the hero you are.

I'm here to help you every step along the way. Join me today!

3 Ways to Tackle Uncertainty

I had a revelation the other day.

It was about transformation.

Our souls yearn to evolve and change, to up-level, to reach our goals and manifest our visions.

Right?

So we go for it and jump into the trenches. We start working and making things happen.

And then they do.

I experienced this last week. I realized that for the majority of this year, 2016, I have focused on closing my old life and making this transition across the country.

My life change has not only involved a physical move but also closing my coaching practice in Florida and transitioning clients, saying goodbye to friends (and family) I’ve had for over a decade, letting go of routines and habits, releasing an entire lifestyle and everything that was familiar.

And here’s the trick, the one I am now face-to face with: to make something new and not re-create the old.

But to do this we must face uncertainty.

We all HATE uncertainty.

It’s the unknown, the great mystery, the void. And yet it is also the space of manifestation.

So, how do we weather this place? How do we stay true and focused even in fear?

Faith.

Faith has been defined as believing in something that isn’t there.

I see faith and trust as two sides of the same coin. It’s extending ourselves, putting YOU out there regardless.

So another way to look at this faith / uncertainty challenge is to think about it as: trust versus mistrust.

Erik Erikson created a theory that all humans experience stages of psychosocial development that span a life time. The first one of these is hope. This is the stage from birth to the age of two and encompasses the idea of trust versus mistrust.

Erikson believed that at each of these developmental stages, we pass a milestone and make a choice. This is the first one. Is the world trustworthy? Am I safe here or is the world a scary, unsafe place?

I hit against this – the uncertainty/faith or trust versus mistrust place last week when I realized that now- now that I am officially settled in- it was time to begin living in a new way. I successfully cleared away, finished and completed everything and now I was face to face with new.

Even though I was getting EXACTLY what I wanted, I felt scared.

Scared of the uncertainty, of the unknown. My husband reminded me that the remedy to this is faith and that got me thinking that uncertainty/faith is really the same as trust versus mistrust.

If you experienced any early trauma, you may struggle with this too. The scars – both physical and psychological- often create a lens through which to see the world and the people in it. We either view them as unsafe, not trustworthy or the world as safe, happy.

When you find yourself feeling uncomfortable about a shift in your life, about facing uncertainty ask: Am I seeing the world as a safe place or an unsafe place?

For me, growing up, the world felt incredibly unsafe. It was only through doing a lot of inner work that I came to the realization that I could change this. Now I choose to believe that the world is a safe place.

But every time we push against our limits and want to expand who we are, we can easily fall back into old patterns and fears. Just like I did last week.

So if you find yourself in a space like this, here are 3 tips to help you:

1.     Remember that God loves you, and that you are divinely protected.

I often use the Louise Hay affirmation: “I am safe in the Universe and all of life loves and supports me.” If I’m feeling especially vulnerable, I’ll keep repeating it over and over again.

2.     Keep holding on to your goal, vision, purpose.

Read it out loud every day. Speak your life into existence with emotion and mean it! I do this at the end of my meditation time but also when I go jogging. I run around saying my affirmations and vision! It’s so empowering.

3.     Love the infant you.

Often when we face uncertainty, that little inner child who felt unsafe all those years ago comes out. Hold that part of you. Nurture her and let her know that you got her. She’s safe and protected now.

Keep moving towards your heart and soul’s desires and make them manifest. Use these 3 tools to stay on this path. And remember that there is always help – you are never alone.

Where are you in manifesting your life and visions?

Share your journey with me. I’d love to hear how I can support you in this magnificent adventure!

Leave a comment below the blog!

Stay Inspired! Get my blogs and other tools in your inbox, FREE!

Yes You Can!

Ready to make that shift in your life?

A new job, relationship or home?

Once you decide, things start to fall in place, a To-Do list or path becomes clear.

And yet, as you move closer to the actual shift, the change itself, new resistance and difficulties arise.

Here’s the trick: Don’t Quit!

The first time I heard about this was from Harv Eker.

He explained how you have to be willing to keep going towards your goals despite the obstacles. Often, there are a few and it’s only after you’ve attempted for the third time that you break through.

Sound familiar?

I experienced this exact thing when we made our move last month.

On the day the truck was at my house loading our belongings, I went to run a quick errand with my kids to pick up a piece of jewelry I’d designed and ordered. The pendant was a symbol of my “new” life so I was eager to get it prior to the actual transition.

About twenty minutes into the hour-long ride up I-95, we hit standstill traffic. There was a huge collision and the police were re-routing everyone off the highway. It took another two hours for us to get there.

Did I quit? No. Because I knew that this is how change is.

The next day we flew to Seattle. We had three checked bags, two carry-ons, three back packs, and our puppy dog. Since we had so much stuff and were arriving late at night, I reserved a rental car at the terminal.

Once we retrieved our luggage and piled it onto a metal cart, we followed the signs to the rental car area. This lead us out to the curb where over a hundred people were queued up, waiting for a shuttle bus to the rental car building.

Sometimes nothing feels easy.

And this is because of our egos.

When we are on the cusp of shifting, part of us gets scared – what if this change is bad? What if it hurts? What if it’s a mistake?

Despite the fact that it’s exactly what you want, your ego doesn’t really want to change – it always seeks to stay the same.

So it kicks up resistance when you least expect it, and obstacles get in the way.

The trick is to keep going anyway. Just like I did at the Seattle airport.

I took a deep breath, got on line and wheeled that buggy to the bus. Just as my husband boarded with the dog, and I was unloading our bags wondering how the he** I was going to manage it all, an airport supervisor showed up. He stopped everyone else from getting on and loaded my bags for me!

Thank you, God!

So the next time you feel like the change isn’t ever going to happen. That you’ll never get there, know that you will.

Remember that it always takes more effort than you think. It may even take three tries! Love yourself enough to know that you can do it and that you will succeed!

You’re so close!

Share where you are on YOUR path! Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear!

Stay in the Know! Get My Free Blog and other Tools Weekly.

5 Ways to Foster Resilience

Last month a former student visited my husband at the K-8 school we founded in 2004. He came to catch up, say hi and share that he was moving to Chicago for college.

I call Shawn an angel boy and here's why.

When he first showed up eight years ago, he was a scrawny 4th grader who couldn’t read. He also seemed hyperactive and had discipline issues at his previous school.

His adopted mother met with us and essentially begged us to “take care of her son.”

She was already on hospice and knew she had only a few more weeks to live. She was determined to find him a place where he could be loved.

Shortly after Shawn started school, his mother died and his adult sister – a biological daughter- took him in. Most days an elderly man that Shawn referred to as Dad, picked him up. About a year into school, we learned that this man was dying of cancer, too.

How unfair for Shawn, I remember thinking, to be adopted and then lose both of those parents.

But nothing seemed to phase him.

Shawn came to school every day to learn. He worked hard, easily made friends and showed a compassion and empathy for the younger children that was clearly beyond his years. They all loved him. 

He kept growing too, getting taller and lankier. In the five years he was with us, he learned how to read, write, did countless oral presentations, conquered math and science, built his self-confidence and graduated.

He went on to a rough high school.

But instead of partying or getting into drugs, he played football and focused on his course work. That perseverance earned him a scholarship to college where I know he will soar. All because he wants to.

He came back, he told my husband, to say thank you.

What is it that allows people to overcome so much adversity and thrive?

Why do some people, who are handed everything, sink into addiction, and others, who can’t seem to get a break, thrive?

I look at Shawn as one of those thrivers. That’s why I call him an angel child.

It’s like every awful thing that’s happened to him doesn’t touch the core of who he is. As if from an early age he simply knew that he was more than a family, more than a body, that he was here with a divine purpose.

He humbles and awes me.

Recently I heard of another woman who overcame tremendous adversity, Amy Purdy. Have you heard her Ted Talk?  

She became ill with bacterial meningitis that caused her to go into a coma. She lost her spleen, kidneys and legs below the knees. Yet she went on to be a top performing athlete and was recently on Dancing With The Stars.

How can we foster resiliency to better weather adversity and life challenges?

Here are 5 Ways

1.  Keep Your Eye On The Prize

In other words, vision what you want.

Set you intentions and goals and be relentless in your pursuit of them, not letting anything stop you. For Amy Purdy, that was snowboarding. Even lying in her hospital bed, she saw herself up on the slopes, felt the wind on her face and was relentless in that vision.

2.  Persevere

Once you see your vision with absolute clarity, take action and don’t give up. It’s about fostering that spirit of determination, a willingness to do whatever it takes to get your goal.

Ask yourself, what’s the next thing I have to do?

3. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

When you stay focused on an intention or goal, let that be the overriding thought. If little things frustrate or obstruct you, simply move around them, knowing that you have a bigger plan. Don’t spend any time and energy concerned about the rejection letter, a missed tackle or a wipe out on the slopes.

4. Reframe

This is all about how we look at life.

Did you get fired because someone hates you or because it was time for you to move on and get a better paying job?

When we can look at the circumstances of our lives and feel like they are happening for us instead of to us, we move from feeling like a victim into being empowered.

Another way to think about this is how my teacher Ma Jaya used to say it. “If you don’t consume the world the world consumes you.”

5. Connect To The Eternal Part Of You

An important component to fostering resilience is to remember that you are a soul having a human experience.

In this place, it’s easier not to take the world so seriously, to not experience the pain so intensely. This is earth school.

The easiest way to connect to this part of yourself is through having a spiritual practice and doing meditation. Other ways are through yoga or doing service work.  Where can you volunteer or help?

Nurturing resiliency in ourselves is a key to not just surviving in this world but thriving. It’s time for you to claim your life. Step into what it is you came here to do. Life’s waiting for you.

Can you relate?

Share ONE challenge you've overcome in your life and leave a comment below!

Not Getting This Blog in Your Inbox? Sign Up Today!

Skydiving - A Lesson In Trust

About a month ago, I finally went skydiving!

I’d been flirting with the idea for 30 years but it just never happened.

And then I got scared.

Around the winter holidays, my daughter started bugging us to go skydiving as a family.

I reluctantly agreed and we scheduled to go in January. Our reservation repeatedly got canceled due to bad weather. My daughter returned to college and I was off the hook!

As the months ticked by, I began to realize that I had to face this fear.

Could I jump out of an airplane and be present instead of feeling paralyzed?

By May, I was ready. My daughter came home again and this time, the weather cooperated.

It was a beautiful spring morning. We got to the airport hangar and began filling out pages of liability forms. I voluntarily signed my life away. Then they strapped me into a tandem harness and we all crawled into the plane.

I was determined to be fully present.

My instructor was knowledgeable and super easy going which helped me relax even more.

The plane took off and flew over the Indian River Lagoon, Sebastian Inlet and the central east coast of Florida. As I took in the gorgeous panorama, I realized that I had nothing to do. I was simply along for the ride. My only job was to enjoy.

I was the first one out of the plane.

I jumped and screamed until I remembered that it didn’t feel like I was falling. I stopped shouting and inhaled comfortably thorough my nose. I relaxed and lengthened my body into a “banana” as my instructor had told me. He tapped my shoulder and I opened my arms.

I looked up and around. The wind pummeled my face and body as we continued our free fall.

Before I new it, the parachute opened and we were floating in silence. “Welcome to my office,” I heard from behind me. I smiled. It was an exquisite view.

“I’m just going to loosen these straps around your arms.”

“No!” Even though the straps were cutting into me, I immediately feared I’d fall out.

“It’s okay,” he replied, his voice even and calm as he pulled the tabs.

Nothing happened and my chest and arms were much more comfortable.

Then he said he was going to do it for my legs.

Again I panicked. “I’m fine.” I replied, not caring that the straps were practically cutting off my circulation.

“I’m supposed to,” he answered.

My instinct was to pivot around, grab him and hold on. I was afraid that somehow the straps would fail and I’d plummet to the ground.

Again, nothing happened except that my legs felt so much better.

After floating a bit longer, he offered to let me hold on to the parachute handles.

“That’s okay,” I said. Again afraid something would go wrong.

Soon he was instructing me on how to land and the entire experience was over.

I’d done it.

Later, while talking about our respective jumps with my family, I realized that I was still scared. And what came up was my lack of trust.

• Trusting that the harness would support me.
• Trusting that the instructor really knew what he’s doing.
• Trusting that I was really safe in the Universe.
• Trusting that I wouldn’t die.

I’ve come a long way with my relationship with trust. I used to trust no one. I couldn’t even relax and let go while I meditated.

Now I trust people, situations, and God but certain things still trigger me. And that’s when I realize I have more work to do.

How can I really believe that I am safe?

When I reflect back on my life, I have always been provided for and protected. And skydiving was exactly the same. Nothing happened. I was perfectly safe and comfortable.

So really, it’s just an old mind habit.

If you feel it come up for you try these great reminders:

1. Breathe

Inhale and come into the present moment.

After I jumped out of the plane and was initially frozen, I came back to awareness and realized I was not even experiencing a dropping sensation. Then I could breathe, relax and enjoy.

2. Use an Affirmation

One of my all time favorites is from Louise Hay. “I am safe in the Universe and all of life loves and supports me.” This was all I had to say to myself as my straps got loosened, right?

3. Keep Pushing Through the Fear

For decades I wouldn’t even try skydiving because I was scared something bad might happen. But for years, I lived so close to the airport in Sebastian that I could hear parachutes opening above me all day long. And they were safe. So I finally just had to walk myself through the irrational belief.

You are always bigger than your fear.

One of the reminders on my vision board is this: Be brave! I pass those words on to you.

Whatever it is that feels like it’s holding you back, it’s really just you. Jump in and do it anyway. And let me know how it goes! Tell me ONE thing you’ll do to push through your fear! Leave me a comment below! I’ll see you there.  

Stay Inspired! Get my weekly tips, blogs and other tools, FREE!

Love: The Antidote to Tragedy

I know I’m not alone in feeling despondent about the tragic and brutal murder of 49 innocent people on Sunday morning in Orlando.

For two days I was in denial about it. I just didn’t want to feel it, believe it was real, that someone could voluntarily harm innocent people right here in my own back yard.

And yet daily, the news is filled with stories like this - of violence in every country, and city, affecting all walks of life.

So how, as sensitive, loving people, do we face tragedy and not shy away, give up or become hostile?

Love.

Every day I pray for peace. I pray that our world will shift from a paradigm of fear and lack to one of unlimited abundance and unconditional love.

I know I’m not alone. I know that most of us want that too.

We, the silent majority, want a life of peace.

We not only accept but embrace each other for our differences. We celebrate diversity – in all its varied forms- as part of the glorious manifestation of life.

And yet when tragedy hits, it’s easy to become scared, silent, stay at home, hunker down.

But how can love win if we all hide?

Instead, each one of us has an obligation to act in love.

What can we do?

1.  Stand Up

Many cities have already organized marches and other events. Check out what’s happening in your area both civically and at local places of faith. See how you can get involved.

Where I am, there is an interfaith service and candle light vigil. I currently live 90 miles from Orlando so my community has been hit hard.

2. Speak Up

We need to fight for sane, common sense gun laws. How many innocent lives must be lost before we, as a country, finally say enough?

Sign a petition, or even better, call your local representative.

Tell him or her that it’s time we end this cycle of violence, time to terminate loop holes that allow people who are mentally unstable or are known to have associated with terrorist groups to legally purchase semi-automatic weapons.

You have more power than you realize. And believe it or not, politicians actually work for you. Let them know that this needs to stop NOW.

3. Lead by Example

Many of us who are parents wonder how to explain hatred and violence. Lately it feels like life just gets more insane. But then I have to remind myself of other times, when life was filled with uncertainty and chaos.

Embody love, tolerance and acceptance.

How can you show your compassion and kindness today?

Children learn best through example. So instead of despairing or saying, "that’s the way it is and we can’t do anything," take a stand. Bring your kids to a march, a vigil or let them know that you are calling on congress to make changes.

Be empowered and your children will too. This way, love will win.

4. Pray

I invite you to join me to pray for peace not only in your country but across the world.

May all sentient beings be free from suffering, and have adequate food, clothing, shelter and habitat. May we shift from a paradigm of fear and lack to one of love, abundance, acceptance and sustainability.

Envision the world as whole and healed. All of life is thriving in a safe, loving and pollution free world.

Here is a link to help you take action.

Let me know what you're planning on doing. Leave a comment below and share how love WILL win!

Join our community where love thrives.