Saturday 19 October 2013

H.O.P.E

The word pain can have so many different meanings, so many different manifestations - physical pain, emotional pain, empathetic pain... yet its imagery is so strong, and just the word elicits such a sensory perception from you doesn't it? That alone proves to me the incredible power it can have over us. Why do we feel pain of any kind? I believe it is a signal. A warning. Our bodies are so much more intelligent than we often give them credit for and genuinely only want to do right by us. So if we knock back a couple of panadols or nurofens or continue to run through that twinge in our knee we are dulling our own intelligence. We are quieting that signal that there is something amiss. Pain happens when something needs to shift or change. When there is a blockage, be it emotional or physical (although personally I believe the two go hand in hand and our physical body has a direct correlation with our emotional body), and our energies are no longer flowing with ease. 

And if we suppress that pain or dull it with painkillers it gets stuck, and the longer it stays stuck the longer it takes to release and the more resistance it puts up to let go! As we are taught in yoga, we hold onto trauma in our physical cells and our muscles and ligaments can often become tight and heavy with past hurts and negative experiences we have not fully released. Our cells remember EVERYTHING. Gosh we are smart! It blows my mind! And these physical responses show us that we are REAL, that we are ALIVE, and not just walking zombies!


This year I feel like I have had a higher than usual amount of physical injuries and alot of them have been to do with my lower body - hips, pelvis, knees, feet. It has been incredibly frustrating and I have often questioned whether what I am doing in my life at the moment is right as I once again hobble to the chiropractor. I am feeling quite stable and all areas of my life seem to be flowing with ease at the moment so it puzzled me for a while to continually be presented with this physical pain. Speaking to Mum last night she gave me some interesting food for thought - that most of the time, we hold onto our pain and trauma in our bodies until we feel safe and supported enough to release it, when we feel we are surrounded by people to help us, and when we feel confident that we are strong enough to confront and move through it.


Because for whatever reason at the time of physical or emotional injury we couldn't fully incorporate all  that we were experiencing and so went into coping mechanisms and stored it away until we were calm once again. I know that you all know this- we witness it with our friends, family, and loved ones all the time but do we offer the same support and nurturing to ourselves? 


If you feel a pain, it is your signal to be still for a while. To tune back into you and nourish yourself with kind loving thoughts and words. Remind your body and spirit how incredible it is and give it the time and gentleness it is asking for. We don't need to be up and go all the time, and we certainly can't put a time frame on healing - we are all such unique and diverse people each with our own story. And most definitely I need to heed my own advice - we all feel pressure to make the most out of every moment ;)

But what I am finding and being guided to over the last few days is that if I dive into this pain and make a commitment to confronting and releasing it, I will have released it for life and I can make room for lightness and clarity. We always emerge out the other side, sometimes it just takes a while =)




Sunday 1 September 2013

Let the Sunshine In!

HAPPY SPRING TIME EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
Is it just me or does it feel like the air is clearer, colours more vibrant, and life just more awesome???? Today is the first official day of Spring but I've been watching it slowly creep in for the last few weeks =) and it is soooooooo welcome!

Today I just wanted to get things done, to move my body, to clean and spruce, and spend time in the sunshine - It sounds so cliche when I think about it as the term 'Spring Clean' is way overused... but I wasn't following what I thought I should be doing, I genuinely had the instinct to move and become light again! 


Way way way back in Pagan times we followed the natural cycles of the Earth and modelled our lifestyles around the seasons. We honoured and worshipped the comings and goings of the waters, winds, moons, and suns and acknowledged the effect they have on ourselves as well as the animals and plants around us. 

So it is inbuilt in our genes to want to emerge out of winter hibernation and spread our arms wide once more to welcome the warm sun again - but somehow along the way we have lost touch with that.
Air conditioning, heating, fluorescent lighting, climate change - all of this has distanced us from our surroundings. 
It is always important to make time to get in Nature, to spend time outdoors breathing and just being, but at these pivotal seasonal changes it is even more important. We need to remind our bodies to reset, to shed what we no longer need, and find a lightness in our thoughts and energies once more. 
Hey, if we all lived in forest dwellings I'm sure our bodies would go through this change naturally and instinctively but I live in the Inner West of Sydney and as much as I lurrrrve tree houses it is not quite conducive to my life and career at this point to live in one soooo... it is up to us to give ourselves a gentle nudge in the right direction =)

What reminds you of Spring? Rebirth, bloom, a smile, fresh crisp fruits and vegetables, walking... take a few moments to muse on what you personally resonate with. And when you go about your day, incorporate some time where you are utilising or enjoying one of these Spring motifs. Actively seek the sun and tune back into your natural rhythms and instincts. 


This morning I started the day with a guided meditation (I recently did the 21 day meditation challenge with Deepak Chopra and this was from Day 12). At the moment this particular meditation is FREEEEEE so I wanted to share it with you and I encourage you to jump on and do it NOW before it ceases to be freeeeeee anymore! 

They explore the idea of the word Dynamism -  that our individual energetic imprints are a FORCE. That we get to choose the essence that we send rippling out into the world around us. We have this incredible POWER in all of us! That we can affect others, ourselves and the world so greatly with only our energetic imprint - Wow. So today on this day of blossoming and blooming, make the commitment to gently notice what the energy you choose to bring to people and situations is. And from there, find a centre of compassion to give out to the world and yourself.

http://www.chopra.com/ccl-meditation/21dmc/free-stream.html?utm_source=RegisteredPromoAug31&utm_medium=FreeMeditationBody&utm_campaign=PromoAug31


Much love and light to all!


Tuesday 9 July 2013

Saucha

Saucha who???? Saucha what you say????

I'll leave you hanging on that for a little, while I start at the beginning of this story =)

As I went to bed last night I asked the angels for a sign, a message, whatever really, to be shown to me in my dreams as I slept. What resulted were some pretty crazy dreams which I have not yet deciphered... hehe... however I do vividly remember teaching people about the word 'Saucha' in one of these dreams. 

So when I woke up I grabbed my copy of Patanjali's yoga sutras off the shelf and leafed through to find the sutra in which he talks about Saucha. For those of you who didn't just finish their yoga teacher training... hehehe... saucha is one of the 'niyamas'. The niyamas are apart of the eight limbs of yoga and are the way we relate to ourselves in this world. (If you are interested I definitely encourage you to do a smart google on these niyamas and also yamas -the way we relate to others and the world).

Saucha can be simplestly translated as cleanliness, so I'm looking down at myself thinking cleanliness, cleanliness... what the hell kind of a message are my dreams telling me here? Is there some odour I emit that people are not telling me about? I then got distracted and went about the rest of my day (after the obligatory shower of course).

Come midday I decide to clean the bathroom and organise my room, which is nothing really new as I tend to go on cleaning binges every now and again.


That morning I had also drawn an Angel Card which hadn't really made sense to me at the time:

"What parts of my life do I need to focus on more closely right now? Thankyou for helping me hear your answers and giving me the courage to make healthy changes in my life."
Now I'm all for healthy changes but once again I didn't really grasp the full message of this card at the time...

In the afternoon I took a walk to the park and did a beautiful angel meditation that was all about surprise surprise CLEANSING AND CLEARING! Once again I had chosen this meditation completely at random without knowing what it was about prior. 


So when I finally sat down this arvo to fully research the term Saucha I realised that intuitively I had been observing this niyama all day!

Cleansing and clearing. De-cluttering. Removing everything which no longer serves you to make room for the new, bright, and light =)

Although the literal translation means cleanliness, it also means PURITY of our inner and outer body to our thoughts and actions. 

"Purity really means to live with clarity and single-pointedness. We are to remember to choose with clarity our intention. That's what saucha is really all about." - Judith Hanson Lasater. 





Every now and again the winds change and we learn new things and then need to integrate these into our bodies and spirit. But if we are chock full of old crap we have been carrying around for years there is no room for the new fresh vibrant stuff. Releasing and clearing is so important because it allows us the space to find ourselves. Room to search and explore and uncover. When our physical surroundings are clear our mental state also reflects that clarity. But much more than that, we are able to see truth and thus purity in ourselves and others with that clarity. 


Upon my google travels today I also stumbled upon these articles on an astrology website about the energies that have been felt at the beginning of July. If astrology resonates with you, check it out =)

http://www.mysticmamma.com/recent-solar-flare-activity-july-1-3rd-and-its-effects/

http://www.mysticmamma.com/new-moon-in-cancer-july-8th-2013/


Today let your inner body be bright and make the changes in your life so that your outer and inner bodies have space, buoyancy, freedom, and light!


Namaste x


Tuesday 25 June 2013

What is your intention?

I have just returned home from a trip overseas where I undertook my first yoga teacher training. It was such an incredible, mind-expanding experience out in the lush green and isolated mountains of Spain, that as I travelled home I wondered whether I would be able to incorporate and integrate everything I had learnt and experienced about myself into my everyday life in the 'real world' with its habits, hustle and bustle, and multi-tasking...

As I sat at a cafe with two of my closest friends yesterday morning and listened to them talk about setting intentions, creating a life of awareness and freedom for ourselves I got so emotional as I realised that I am already surrounded by people who support and nurture all the ideals that I want to create in my life. Of course I will be able to continue my journey of self-discovery and nourishment back in Sydney because I have chosen such an inspirational group of people who are nearest and dearest to me.


No matter where you are in the world, whether you are by yourself or in a city of millions, make the choice to only include people who encourage you to be the brightest version of yourself. Don't let anyone dim your light. Why shouldn't you shine as brightly as possible? Really though, why not? What's stopping you?


And as I did my practice that afternoon I kept musing on the thoughts of intentions... At the beginning of a yoga class we often set an intention for our practice. It may be to fly free, to find balance, to surrender, to energise...

Let's look at carrying that idea into our everyday life. Waking up and acknowledging that today is a NEW day, and so setting an intention that encourages you to create peace in your heart. Intention brings about awareness. When we become aware, we notice our habitual thinking, our habitual movements, our habitual physicalities. And from there we are able to make a choice. To step outside, view life with a certain detachment, and then find contentment in all that is around us. Even if your intention is to take a 30min walk outside, or laugh at least 5 times today, by following that you are taking ownership of your life and your right to find happiness.
When we are aware, we make decisions based on the now. We are present, in the moment-  which lets face it, doesn't happen as often in this day and age!!!

I think one of the biggest changes in my lifestyle while I was away was that I was focusing on ONE task. That was no small task by any means, but I was in a group of strong bright women and we were all committed to this one goal and in that we had a community of support and our energies unified. I know we had the benefit of isolation and removal from our usual lives but can we find that focus in everyday life when we return from our time away? Can we rise to that challenge?

If I set my intention to be present, to live for this very moment, not for what may come before or after, that could help right?

So my intention for today is simply to be here. To trust that life is unfolding as it should be and commit to the now. With every fibre of my being I want to release the need to achieve a certain number of things by dinner time in order to feel self-worth and instead my self-worth to come from who I am RIGHT NOW =)


Intention Creates Awareness.

Let's be aware. Because once we are aware of our own movements on this earth, we can start to connect to others and become aware of how our thoughts and choices AFFECT this earth.

Love and Light to All!


P.S. I want to add as a footnote that I started writing this blog yesterday when I was in a space of peace, clarity, and contentment. Today however I awoke to emotions washing all around and through me, taking me on a seesaw through my day. I stuck to my intention and let those feelings be, let them move through me knowing that I was still ok and on the right path. And amazingly enough, by this afternoon my path has crossed with so many people who lit that fire within me once more and I have been given little green lights by these conversations to help me follow my goals! I love it when we unknowingly create opportunities for ourselves to actually 'walk our talk' right??? Haha





Saturday 23 March 2013

Life is... good?

It is at times when life is hard and tumultuous that we search for meaning. I notice that I tend to journal as a cathartic experience and as a way to re-inspire and nurture my inner being again, and don't get me wrong, I think that is extremely useful and an amazing tool... but what about when life is good? We document our rollercoaster moments and our searches for meaning but do we sit down and just word vomit when life is amazing?

For the last week I have been itching to get back into writing and have had a lot of things come up that I could use to work through on this blog but when I sat down today to start I found that those issues had passed over and today I felt... good! Which confused me... what should I write about? Go back a few days to the tests and trials of the past few weeks? So I messaged my love saying "Life is good, waiting for inspiration about what to write about..." And to which he so eloquently replied that perhaps I had already answered my own question of what to write about...
Goodness! Why can't I simply be inspired by the goodness in life? I am always searching for meaning, to be better, brighter, the fullest version of myself - but what if I'm there right now? Do you tell the people you are around how good your life is? How beautiful they are and how inspiring the opportunities are in your life at the moment? Your immediate response to that question may be that you are not inspired and feel stuck but I guarantee you that there are still moments of beauty surrounding you. It doesn't have to be large. I just ate a fantastic slice of raw vegan hazelnut cake. That, my friends, was a thing of beauty and I am so grateful to be able to nourish and nurture my good good self with that treat =)

What if we had a whole day of smiling? What if every single person we met was genuine and warm and honest? You know what, I think we would freak out. There is a certain disbelief when life is working out for us... Certainly it can't last, can it? Well, honestly, probably not, but I think that is the best part! Because if life did 'work' all the time then we wouldn't have any appreciation. We wouldn't continue striving and learning. Yes, we would be 'happy', but there wouldn't really be any reason for us to progress from baby to child to adolescent to adult to elderly!
So my question to you is: Do you take notice of and document the good stuff as well as the bad? Do you thank for moments of joy in your life? Do you share yourself with others when you are full and bright or only ask for help and lean on them in moments of trial?

We are always being offered opportunities to learn and to share ourselves with others. But we very rarely share our whole selves. And I think that means sharing the dark AND the light. Acknowledging and accepting when life is tough, yes, but also acknowledging and accepting when life is AWESOME. That you have created that awesomeness in your life and trusting that as long as you believe you are worth it, you will continue to create a full and vibrant life. It will come and go, but it will always be there for you to access, as you deserve happiness. You deserve every single great moment. You deserve every great person. You deserve greatness.

How are you today? Share it, journal it, let the world see the whole version of you. And make sure you also share the GOOD! Call your family, friends, cat, whatever, and love them! Really take notice of all the things in your life that bring you peace and joy and note them down so you have tools to help you as you go along life's many pitfalls.

Wishing you much love and light =)





Thursday 14 February 2013

I LOVE. I AM LOVED.


I LOVE. I AM LOVED.

Repeat this to yourself many many times until you feel a shift. An awareness. An opening and warming in the centre of your chest.
This is one of the most profound meditations I have ever been introduced to. It is the essence of all that is. Love. When we love ourselves, we are open to being loved by others. We in turn share our love with all we encounter. Our world becomes a place of joy, discovery, amazement, and wonder as our heart spaces brighten and open to the lightness of life.

Today, celebrate your self-love. Celebrate your brightness. Get intimate with who you are. With all that you truly encompass. Lather your body in luxurious oils and moisturisers. Wear your favourite colour. Smile at yourself everytime you pass your reflection.


Nourish your heart chakra. In this time on Earth, we have spent many years closing off our hearts. To others and more so, to ourselves. To preserve, to keep ourselves safe in times of struggle and hardship. Because we are vulnerable, and we are susceptible to darkness as well as light in these times. But now is the time to emerge. To learn about our heart chakra again and realise we are safe and supported. And it starts with us. We support our own hearts and give ourselves permission to trust and love. This is something I have been learning quite strongly for the past year and I am constantly amazed by what the words ‘soften’ and ‘surrender’ can do for my being. I feel my thoughts quieten, I feel my body release, and I feel a sense of calm settle over my being. I am re-aligning and moving back from my headspace into my heartspace.
(Wow – just as I wrote that paragraph I felt a little nudge on my thigh and turned to discover a little cherub of a girl with her hand on my leg, smiling up at me with the most joyful eyes! What a treasure to be shown the true expression of unconditional love at this very moment!)

I want to share with you some writings from a chapter on the heart chakra in Caroline Myss’ Anatomy of the Spirit. Her words are inspirational and struck a true chord with me so I hope they resonate with you also:

The fourth chakra is the central powerhouse of the human energy system. The middle chakra, it mediates between the body and the spirit and determines their health and strength. Fourth chakra energy is emotional in nature and helps propel our emotional development. This chakra embodies the spiritual lesson that teaches us how to act out of love and compassion and recognize that the most powerful energy we have is love. More than any chakra, the fourth represents our capacity to “let go and let God”. With its energy we accept our personal emotional challenges as extensions of a Divine plan, which has at its intent our conscious evolution. By releasing our emotional pain, by letting go of our need to know why things have happened as they have, we reach a state of tranquility. In order to achieve that inner peace, however, we have to embrace the healing energy of forgiveness and release our lesser need for human, self-determined justice.
The fourth chakra is the power centre of the human energy system because Love Is Divine Power. While intelligence or “mental energy” is generally considered superior to emotional energy, actually emotional energy is the true motivator of the human body and spirit. Love in its purest form – unconditional love – is the substance of the Divine, with its endless capacity to forgive us and respond to our prayers. Our own hearts are designed to express beauty, compassion, forgiveness, and love. It is against our spiritual nature to act otherwise.
We are not born fluent in love but spend our life learning about it. Its energy is pure power. We are as attracted to love as we are intimidated by it. We are motivated by love, controlled by it, inspired by it, healed by it, and destroyed by it. Love is the fuel of our physical and spiritual bodies. Each of life’s challenges is a lesson in some aspect of love. How we respond to these challenges is recorded within our cell tissues: we live within the biological consequences of our own biographical choices.


Wow.
And so on this day I open my heart to you and honour the divine light in you as well as in myself =)

Namaste.


Sunday 3 February 2013

Rainy day = soul searching apparently...

We are constantly being given opportunities. Opportunities to make choices. To learn and grow. Even when life may seem stagnant it is constantly ebbing and flowing. And so in the spirit of moving forward...
I ask to have the strength to always show my true self to the world - yucky or beautifully shiny, empty or full.
I ask to have the courage to truly express myself and all my parts in technicolour. The black, white, and grey, as well as the vivid fuchsias and aquamarines.

I believe in fairies - that we all have wings =)
I believe in psychics and the supernatural - that we all should ask for guidance and keep an open mind about our own potential.
I believe in many things that seem weird to others and I know others believe in many things that seem weird to me.
I believe in a greater good, a power that guides us and encourages us into the light.
I believe in karma.
I believe that our thoughts are the most powerful tools we have. They truly are superpowers and we can use them to create our ultimate paradise or darkness. 
I believe that we create our own abundance and that the term 'power' has gained a negative connotation unjustly. We are all powerful beyond measure and need to stop giving that away to others to control.
I believe that there is good in everyone.
I believe that man, plant, animal, rock, spirit all share this planet EQUALLY and so we all need to acknowledge each others place in this world with reverence.
I believe that we have been blessed with such an amazing vessel to move through our journey on Earth and that we must choose a lifestyle that nurtures this vessel and treats it with the respect it deserves.
I believe it starts with surrendering and moves through to acceptance.
I believe that asking for help is sometimes the hardest thing you have to do... but once you admit that, it flies to you with ease and speed.
I believe in me and I believe in you.


And for a bit of inspiration check out this gallery of work by photographer Kirsty Mitchell from the UK. Her story is amazing and the shots are breathtaking!
Enjoy x
http://www.kirstymitchellphotography.com/gallery.php?album=5

Monday 21 January 2013

Embrace Everything



Embrace Everything.

Last night in yoga our wonderfully inspired and courageous teacher invited us to try something new in our life and embrace everything. Initially this started in our practice but it extends much further off the mat...
So often we are told to just "let it go". If you feel angry/frustrated/basically any negative emotion - we are encouraged to shake it off, remind ourselves of what we can be grateful for and try to just be present in this very moment. And I do believe that is a wonderful goal to achieve that feeling of just being present in your breath and body for that very moment... However if it means we are merely squishing all those negative chitter chatters into the corner of our brains, or bodies for that matter, then is it really productive? 

I guess we have to be honest with ourselves. If we are feeling totally zen and rose coloured glasses then we are lucky to be in the space where we can simply let go and be and enjoy that ride =) But if we are having a cranky pants day as Mum calls it, (and let's face it we all have one at least once a week) then maybe the most loving thing we can do for ourselves is to embrace it. To embrace all our past hurts, to embrace all our past loves, to embrace all our mistakes, to embrace all our achievements. Let's be clear that there is definitely a clear distinction between "embracing" and "sitting in our own crap". We can move from our frustrations to a place of pity and self-loathing or we can move from our frustrations into a place of acceptance by allowing ourselves to feel it, cry, run, whatever and eventually release it. 

Because that is how we move into our own power. 

I have really been relishing my yoga practice of late and I think it is because it is constantly reminding me of how powerful I can be in my own body and mind if I let myself go there. I am at a point in my life where I am starting again from the ground up and  building foundations from new once more- it's scary! By using my physical strength I am able to ground myself and also gain confidence that I can keep moving forward. When life feels rocky I don't uproot and sway frail-like in the wind, I step strongly onto my feet, feel those ups and downs in my body and remind myself that I am strong enough to go through it all.

This also ties hand in hand with a thought I had the other day about goal-setting. At the beginning of every year, I like to read over my previous years goals/intentions/affirmations and then write a new set for the coming year. Many people do this, and also many people feel like it is a load of fluff. Whatever floats your boat =) 
While reading and writing I realised that each goal was a little path of my year's journey. A life goals list should not be a bullet point list that you can tick off week by week. Because those goals that we feel most proud of achieving are the ones with the best back-stories! I could see a thread running between almost every intention I had written and how they all came together to teach me the valuable life lessons I needed to learn last year, and also a few that were still ongoing. I could see how an intention I had written that seemed quite simple at face value actually came up several times over the year so I had the opportunity to really truly embrace that lesson in my body and step forward past it even brighter than before. The Universe served me opportunities that helped me find the confidence in myself to work through what I needed to ultimately embody that intention. Very often, those opportunities may have seemed tough and maybe even unfair but they certainly made me start walking my own talk! 
If you are open to it, I invite you to write out a list of intentions for your 2013 and as your are doing it be kind and gentle to yourself. Don't write "to lose 10kg" if you are just going to berate yourself everytime you eat a cookie =) Instead embrace that you are a fluid being and word it more in a positive and accepting way such as "to see myself as a strong, healthy, fit, and sexy individual". Choose goals that invite you to learn more about yourself and discover all your sides. Take a chance on you!


Followers