5 Ways to Prevent Burnout

January 17, 2020 // by Alana Roach// Leave a Comment

It’s so easy to make up excuses when it comes to self-care. You could spend your whole day thinking about your desire to take it easy, or the need for a break, but you keep putting it off, putting everything and everyone else first. The next thing you know it, you’re running on empty, tired and run down. You feel like you’ve been here before… well… because you have.

What’s the pattern here? Where are you negotiating with your self about your true needs? Are you allowing others to run your day, job, schedule?

There’s always a way to find time to tend to the self. We need to put our self first or we will inevitably face burn out.

I have encountered burn out more times than I am willing to admit along my path. I get better at recognizing the signs now. The journey is always coming home to the self with love and care.

Some signs you may be on the verge of burn-out.

Irritability
Anxiousness
Poor sleep
Lack of concentration, motivation, and inspiration
Sadness
Feelings of overwhelm
Body imbalances (Aches, injuries, anything that starts to flare up and effects your physical health. As always, consult your doctor if there is a concern!)

There is always something to learn from your moments of imbalance.

“If you wait until you are sick before you begin to try to focus more positively, it is much harder than if you begin to tell the story of Well-Being from your place of feeling good…but, in any case, your new story will, in time, bring you different results. That which is like unto itself, is drawn – so tell the story you want to live and you will eventually live it.” -Abraham Hicks

Life is a journey. A journey that I, for one, would not ever want to miss. Being out of balance can be a delight because I am then reminded to revise my thoughts and actions to live in a better way.

5 Ways to Prevent Burnout

1. Self Care: Spend time in nature, do an Ayurvedic or superfoods cleanse (Always consult with your doctor before making radical changes to your diet, especially when there are underlying medical conditions) take slow walks, take a nap, deeper breaths, do more yoga, do less talking, read a book, be still, get more massages, laugh more, love more, worry less.

2. Positive Thinking: Shift your negative thoughts to thoughts of gratitude and appreciation. It can make all the difference. Perception is everything. You can think your way into a prison or you can think your way into freedom. Which do you choose? I love the poem “All the Hemispehres,” by Hafez as he illustrates it so well…

All the Hemispheres

Leave the familiar for a while.
Let your senses and bodies stretch out

Like a welcomed season
Onto the meadows and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.
Make a new water-mark on your excitement
And love.

Like a blooming night flower,
Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness
And giving
Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence
Lie beside an equator
In your heart.

Greet Yourself
In your thousand other forms
As you mount the hidden tide and travel
Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven
Are sitting around a fire
Chatting

While stitching themselves together
Into the Great Circle inside of
You. ~ Hafez

3.Vacation: Even if it’s a couple of days, take time to respite.

A pause from your daily routine is necessary to reset and regain inspiration. If you simply can’t make time for a mini respite this month, ask yourself what sort of things you would be doing on that retreat. Would it be a spa day? A long walk? A healthy meal with wonderful company? I asked myself this a couple of years ago and started to implement vacation like practices in my day to day life by getting regular acupuncture, massages, taking long baths, electronics fasting, and long walks in nature, and it has made all the difference. If you are looking to schedule f a 9 day relaxing journey this September 12-20, 2020, Join me in Bali for a decadent Yoga & Meditation Escape.

4. Clear your schedule:

Make a list of everything you’re investing your energy in.

Also, know that it’s ok to say NO to that dinner party on Thursday night if you don’t really want to go. Allow your calendar to have to space to breathe. Some of the best experiences I have ever had were when I had not scheduled them. They happened because I created space for The Universe to deliver an experience. Now ask yourself: If I only had 6 months to live, what would I be doing? Gaining perspective on what truly matters will help you, overtime, refine your priorities. If there are things you can immediately shift and let go of, ask yourself: Why am I holding on to this? If it’s a career shift or something that may take time to shift, ask the Universe to provide you with clarity on how to make this attainable. Make a list of tiny steps you can take daily towards this great vision. In the mean time, know that everything you are doing is contributing to the bigger picture.

5. Receive:

A lot of really talented, genuinely good, capable people can have one fault.

They are great at creatingopportunities, getting things done, and taking care of others. However, when it comes to receiving, they have a major block. If that’s you… listen. From my own experience here. It takes a village. It just does. Every single person you see out there thriving has a team. Allow yourself to receive support and love from your community. Allow yourself to receive love and support from your Creator. The Universe yearns to provide for you. It will come in many forms when you allow it to come in. Practicing receiving. The next time someone gives you a compliment, say, “Thank you,” and breathe that compliment in. The next time someone wants to help you with your groceries to your car say, “Ok.” Allow. You deserve support, everyone does. The smallest acts of allowing can make huge differences in your life.

Take care of yourself. Remember that self-care should be your 1st priority. Your capacity to give will increase naturally when you give yourself the LOVE that you so deserve.

If you are looking for a lifestyle change and need support, I work 1 on 1 with people to help you improve balance and joy in any area of your life. My modalities include an entire lifestyle reboot using monthly sessions and remote energy work which are specifically designed to help you at the level of your needs. No two sessions are the same. Whether you are looking for guidance professionally, in your health, or otherwise, book in with me for a free 15 minute Integrative Lifestyle Coaching consult now.

Founder of Explorations of Self

Mom, Yogini, Lover of Life

#Godisgoodallthetime

A Shamanic Guide to January 2020’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

January 9, 2020 // by Alana Roach// Leave a Comment

This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is re-calibrating and uplifting our heart chakra center as it is in the sun sign of Cancer which governs this energy center & our emotional body.

I had some lucid dreams as a child as well; dreams that I remember to this day, but ever since I started a daily meditation practice, my dreams have become incredibly vivid, especially around the New and Full Moon.

Dreaming led me on the path of Shamanism around the same time I started meditation, where I discovered, “Shamanic Dreaming.”

Tribal shamans took dreams seriously, working with their own dreams as well as those reported by members of their tribes. Various tribes interpreted dreams differently; for members of the Mohave tribe, dreams were sources of knowledge and messages from the Great Spirit, while the Iroquois Indians saw dreams as “wishes of the soul.” ~Corrosion Doctors

I have been led through a maze of Shamanic rituals from various traditions ever since I started really paying attention to my Full Moon dreams. Perhaps you have, too. These dreams hold great messages.

I had synchronicities surrounding this heart dream the day of the dream and the day after in my waking reality. I later found out that the sign of Cancer is all about the heart chakra.My dream this month was all about the heart. No surprise, right? Yet, I am always surprised, because I get so excited about these miracles!

Experiences like this happen to me all the time. They are so common for me these days that I don’t even question it anymore. They are experiences that hold so much wisdom. I pay attention. I trust that the Universe is gently guiding me in all moments, and the sooner I pay attention, the more joy I will experience in life.

The moon cycles work closely with Spirit to guide us into a deeper awareness of our I Am Presence.

Ascended Master Saint Germain, believed by those adherent to the Ascended Master Teachings to have previously been embodied as Plato, Proclus, Roger Bacon, Francis Bacon, and numerous others, was quoted as saying:

“When one individualizes within the Absolute, All-Pervading Life, he chooses of his own free will to become an intensified individual focus of Self-Conscious Intelligence. He is the conscious director of his future activities. Thus, having once made his choice, he is the only one who can fulfill that Destiny — which is not inflexible circumstance but a definitely designed Plan of Perfection.” ^[13] When You, the ‘Mighty I AM Presence,’ will to come forth into an Individualized Focus of Conscious Dominion and use the Creative Word, ‘I AM,’ Your First Individual Activity is the Formation of a Flame. Then you, the ‘Individualized Focus’ of the ‘Mighty I AM Presence,’ begin your Dynamic Expression of Life. This Activity, We term Self-consciousness, meaning the Individual who is conscious of his Source and Perfection of Life, expressing through himself.” ^{[1] (Source)}

The moon helps us to shed old patterns or belief systems that can make us feel disconnected from our Higher Self or I Am Presence. Remember that you are never truly disconnected from this Loving Presence. However, there are ways to attune your physical and mental body to become more and more in alignment with your divinity. This is why we are here! To tune into our Divinity and discover + share it with the world in our unique chasm.

Shamanic practices are an integral part of my personal healing practices to this day. Shamanic rituals that require nothing more than breath and awarenesses of the power that is pouring out of us at any given moment.

You are connecting to your inner shaman anytime you connect to the unseen realms of this Universe through presence of your breath, dreams, energies, elements in nature, and so on.

The healing of this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is individualized for each of us. How can you know what The Universe is trying to tell you during this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse ?

Here are 3 steps to creating your own Shamanic Full Moon Ritual:

Journal Your Dreams: Ask Divine to lovingly guide you in your dreams at the end of each day. Pay attention to your dreams all month long. Get a dream journal if you don’t have one already. Start writing down your dreams first thing in the morning. If you have a meditation practice you may be pleasantly surprised that dream recall may start to happen all throughout your day. As soon as a memory of your dream pops up, write it down. Take it as a message that you are meant to remember this. Don’t over analyze your dream, but DO write down what they mean to you. This will come in handy when designing your Full Moon Ritual.
Self Care: What self-care regimes make you feel amazing? Is it a bath? Essential oils? Fresh pressed juice? Yoga? Dance? Massage? A walk in nature? All of these things? Great! The Full Moon energies are typically amplified 4 days before and 4 days after the Full Moon date. In the days leading up to and following the Full Moon, choose 1 or 2 of these self-care rituals and write them down in your planner. Create time for these as these are very important for your unique ritual. Taking care of our physical and emotional body is an important way to clear out psychic debris so that you can feel the PRESENCE of Your Creator.
Get into the Receptive State: The Universe is always sending us loving guidance and wisdom!!! On the day of the Full Moon, thank The Universe for revealing potent wisdom for your loving benefit at this powerful time. Ask that you be shown clarity about your dreams and any other loving knowledge that will help you step into your Divine Purpose and Align with all of the LOVE that IS during this Full Moon ritual. Take a few moments in silence to listen to The Universe. Write down what is shared. Do not fret if you don’t get a sense for what it is. Sometimes God will show up through other people through out the day, a song, a certain quote that pops out to you while you are reading your favorite blog. Pay attention throughout your day with a soft, receptive, and playful energy. Trust the guidance that you are being given!!

These 3 simple steps will help you embody you practice your own unique Full Moon ritual. It doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else but you, just go with your inner LOVING guidance and more will be revealed!

–

For example:

My dreams have been about relationships, specifically close relationships, and my heart. While noting this, I have been preparing my body and mind temple to receive the healing with daily self care rituals in the days leading up to the full moon. I have been praying and meditating every morning, doing at least an hour of yoga every day, and taking candle lit, essential oil infused, bubble baths at night. I have been asking God to reveal to me the wisdom being shared in my dreams and asking how I can step into full alignment of my Divine Purpose during my morning prayer and meditation. The reveal? I have been gracefully led to an abundance ritual that involves journaling, affirmations, and service. I have had 2 past students reach out to me seemingly random with potent information for me. Both of them said that I have been on their mind a lot lately, and one even had a vivid Shamanic dream about me. She called it a, “Manifestation Dream,” and had specific advice for me to apply to my business. This excites me!!! That’s how you know it is meant for YOU! Does it excite you? Does it make you joy-filled and inspired? That’s God speaking to you. That’s your Full Moon Ritual.

Remember, the more consistent you are with daily prayer and meditation, the more you open yourself up to miracles from The Universe.

The Universe is always sending us LOVE and guidance. Are you paying attention?

Do you want more guidance on how to step into your power in a whole new way and live in alignment with your Divine Life Purpose? If you are seeking guidance in spirituality, starting our up-leveling your passion project & business, or desire to get in peak mind/body shape, email me at Explorationsofself@gmail.com or go here to learn more!

With much love and light on your journey during this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse,

Founder of Explorations of Self

Abundance Coach, International Yoga Teacher, Write

Mother, Surf Enthusiast, Lover of LOVE, The Joy of Being Retreat in Bali

Wish Granted, Now What?

January 7, 2020 // by Alana Roach// Leave a Comment

Your wish is granted.

You are incredibly loved and adored.

You are abundant and experience abundance in all forms.

You are radiance like sunshine.

You are remarkably talented and easily express your unique creative genius.

You are effervescent like the lunar glow.

You are incredibly intelligent and wise beyond measure.

You are JOY embodied.

Now what?

Where do you go from here?

You have been whole your entire existence.

Now that you realize this, what do you choose to spend your time on? What are you dwelling on? Who do you spend time with? What do you think about when you are alone? What expression do you wear on your avatar? Who’s life do you touch? What words do you speak.

What wishes are you granting?

Divine One,

You are the one you have been waiting for.

You are what you seek.

Rejoice in your brilliance.

Be present with your Creator.

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you
Don’t go back to sleep! ~Rumi

Author:

Alana Roach , Founder of Explorations of Self

Loving mother, entrepreneur, yoga teacher, meditation teacher, international wellness retreats, writer, surf enthusiast

There’s No One to Blame or Shame

January 13, 2019 // by Alana Roach// Leave a Comment

I think what bothers me the most about him is that he regularly forgets about me, us, we.

**The moments of really seeing me are irregular; a foreign act that often surprises me. He’s a criminal. Someone who often steals my sanctity, and who else is the one to blame but me.**

But there is no blame or shame here, dear One. You are a child of God. There are Lessons to be learned from your Guides above.

You’ll Bury your worries and set aside your fears, for just one more dose of longing, and one more helping of tears. Is it really worth it? Is HE really worth it?

No, child, but YOU are Worth it. Worthy of all that is Good and Right and Justice in the world. She is your biggest Fan and you are your biggest Hope. Cast aside your shadows, and lean into longing for what you long for is Spirit, and what you die for is a lie.

There’s really no difference between you and your shadow, it’s all to be your Guide.

Author: Alana Roach, Founder of Explorations of Self, International Yoga and Surf Retreat Leader & Teacher, Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Expert, writer, poet, mindful eating & living coach, lifestyle guru, mother, martial arts/bjj/qi gong/tai chi, artist, singer, Law of Attraction, lover of life

11 Ways To Fill Your Home With Hygge.

February 25, 2018 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

I was inspired by the Danish term for simplistic, cozy living after a friend sent me an article on it a few years ago. Hyggehouse.com describes it like this.

“Hygge (pronounced hue-guh not hoo-gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cozy, charming or special.”

Hygge is practiced in the homes and hearts of the Danish, and in the home and heart of a lot of inspired families around the world, including ours, due to it’s exposure through countless articles and books on the subject circulating throughout the internet.

Hygge is that feeling you get on a rainy Sunday. The feeling that makes you just want to curl up in bed and read a good book with some favorite snacks in arms reach. I LOVE cozy living and practice it daily.

Here are 11 ways I practice Hygge at home whether I am literally at home or in a retreat center somewhere in the world.

Warm cocoa or tea.
Cozy blankets.
Candles.
Good smells.
Baths.
Board games.
Books.
Journaling.
Togetherness.
Decorating with plants and good lighting.
Unplugging from the internet and other electronics.

How you practice Hygge?

Author:

Alana Roach

Owner & Director of the Explorations of Self Travel Community

You Can Thrive.

October 12, 2017 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

There was a time in my life when I would have given anything to escape. You know what I mean. When you experience something so devastating that all you want to do is get out. You start to question things and numb out until one day you can’t do it anymore. You reach a breaking point and there are two choices.

1.You can thrive

2. You can wilt.

Choosing to thrive takes guts. To thrive is to be ALIVE and show up no matter what. You won’t make a wrong choice when you CHOOSE to face the truth in the right here and the right now. You can not lose here.

Living is FULL of emotion. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Don’t live in the why. Live in the how.

How can you do it?

How can you succeed?

How can you LOVE.

How.

Rest assured that this will take time. Your journey was meant to be long and full, dear ones. You are sitting on the precipice of something exquisite and no one can do it but you.

You are so full of potential. So ridiculously SMART. So wise in your animal skin. Awaken to that Truth.

Choose to help another by living fully in this lifetime. Express your unique paint brush and sound unlike anyone else who has come before you.

I dare you.

I dare you to step up and step IN to your POWER.

With love and so much light and respect for your incredibly journey on this Earth,

I thank you so much for being you.

Sincerely,

Alana Roach

Owner & Director of the Explorations of Self Travel Community

5 Steps to Manifesting Your Dream Lifestyle

May 4, 2017 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

Spring is here and how beautiful it is outside. Spring energy is ALL about creation. We plant seeds for them to grow into beautiful blooms of variety. We release the old. Welcome the new. What are you wanting to create this Spring? How can I support you in making your dreams a reality?

5 Steps to Manifesting Your Dream Lifestyle

…

Yoga & Chakra Visualization Practice for the Full Moon & Spring Equinox

March 9, 2017 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

This week’s pose is, “Cobbler’s Pose,” aka “Baddha Konasana,” (In Sanskrit, India’s sacred language of yoga) accompanied with the second of the 7 main energy centers in our body called the, “Sacral Chakra,” or ,”Swadhistana,”in Sanskrit which translates to, “Your own place.”

The orange, six petaled lotus sacral chakra is located 3 inches below your navel at the lowest portion of the lumbar spine. It bares a crescent moon symbol in the center, representing the moon phases and the connection to the element of water which calls us to be fluid in thought and action during the lunar phases, because we all made up of about 50-65% water.

This energy center governs our sense of sensuality and creativity. When we desire to manifest something new in our life, it is important to harness the power of our sacral chakra. When this center is out of balance, one can become addicted to that which can not provide true fulfillment (Think substances, food, gambling, or sex.) On the other end of the spectrum, it is common to feel depressed, or a lack luster in their life whether it relates to relationships to self or other. Maintaining a regular sacral chakra balancing practice is necessary to feel grounded through life’s ups and downs while staying in touch with the way we choose to relate to the world and those in it.

As we enter the Pisces/Virgo full moon on March 12th, we prepare to let go of that which no longer serves us, in order to planet new seeds for the Spring Equinox on March 20th.

So, in order to get clear on what we WANT, and also to become ready to let go of what we do not, it is essential that we take the time to become centered through yoga and mindfulness practices

∞

Cobbler’s pose allows us to get in touch with pelvis while gently opening the hips, activating this energy center.

Cindy embodying her inner goddess in Playa Nosara

If you would like a more restorative variation of this pose, grab a couple of pillows and a folded blanket, and let’s begin.

1. Fold the blanket in half or thirds so that you have a half a foot length to sit on. If you have 2 pillows, place one on either side of you in arms reach. Come to sit on the edge of your blanket to gently raise the hips if your groin and/or hips are tight. Remember, the blanket is optional. First extend your legs out in front of you while breathing slowly in a soothing rhythm. Draw your awareness within your body and notice what your body feels like without judging the sensations.

2. On an inhale, bend your knees toward your chest, keeping your feet on the ground and drawing your heels as close to your sits bones as possible, and slowly let your knees drop out to the sides. The soles of your feet will be touching. (If your hips/groin are tight, your heels will be further away from you, creating more of a diamond shape with your legs. Place one pillow under each knee for support)

3. Allow your pelvis to stay neutral. Guiding the bottom tip of your tailbone towards the earth, while lengthening the crown of your head towards the sky.

4. Rest your hands gentle on your feet, massaging your feet with your thumbs for a few rounds of breath. Close your eyes, and start to center your mind by focusing on your breath. You can stay here, or if you would like to go further, draw your chin to your chest and allow your shoulders, neck, and head to be heavy as you round your cervical spine to forward fold. Only go as far as the body allows. Some may be able to draw the crown of their head to their feet, while others will feel great at a higher level.

5. Visualize your sacral chakra as a swirling 6 petaled orange lotus flower with a silver crescent moon in the center of it, 3 inches below your naval. Every breath in you see your flower grow brighter and brighter, and with every exhale you see it spin faster and faster. As it spins, you may notice old energy leaving this energy center as dark and oily drainage. This is completely natural and to be expected during this meditation. Breathe slowly and rhythmically. Inhale through the nose slowly, and exhaling through the mouth while creating an, “O,” shape with the mouth as you exhale slowly. Syncing your breath with your visualization will enhance this sadhana or spiritual practice.

6. Stay with the visualization for about 10-20 breaths.

7. Feeling grateful for this time that you have taken to connect with yourself, smile softly, and blink your eyes, slowly coming back into the room to continue on with your day, a little more centered, calm, and happy.

Stay tuned to our blog to journey through yoga asana and the remaining 5 chakras!

So much love,

Alana

Alana Roach, founder of Explorations of Self, “A Mindful Travel Community.”

Yoga, Integrative Nutrition, Reiki, Tantra, Shamanista, Travel Enthusiast.

Contact me: info@explorationsofself.com

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIN.

A Shameless Retreat

January 9, 2017 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

Retreat! Surrender! Give-in! Fall back!

We live in a culture where retreat means defeat. In the West, life is viewed as a competition and we are programmed to believe that if you are not winning you’re losing. We’ve heard it so many times: winning is not everything; it’s the only thing. So can we end up stressed out and spend our time living on a mental and emotional battlefield instead of authentically exploring our self. The masculine bravado and militaristic vibe of our culture has seeped into these words. It’s not by accident. There is a war that is being waged on going inside ourselves. The consumer culture can’t take that because if we all looked within we would learn that happiness is inside of us and we really wouldn’t be compelled to fill the void with useless products.

So, in this exploration of self, we are not called to force our way in. We are called to retake. Sure, we have re-take what ‘surrender’ and ‘retreat’ can mean, but we can do so peacefully. We have to fall back. When we fall back, we are vulnerable. This is the last thing the culture teaches and tells us that vulnerability leaves us open to attack. But vulnerability is going inside and taking an honest look about who we are and what we feel. And in that nakedness, we discover that we reject the struggle and the dog-eat-dog world and resent having to cling to it out of the necessity that our survival is at stake.

On retreat, we learn that we don’t have to cling to it! Meditation, yoga and sound healing create the space to silence the clamor of our minds and align us with our true nature. But we have to surrender to get there! What we are surrendering from is the way we think we ought to be and what we should do. In the clarity and understanding of our true nature, we naturally flow. We don’t have to think. There is just a knowing. That’s the beauty of it!

To retreat;

it is a quiet and relaxing space where we can feel the truth and beauty of our being. It’s in retreat that we lose the false ego that makes us fight outwardly to avoid the unrest we feel inwardly. By flowing with rest, we see that it was the unrest that made us fight and force in our lives in the first place! Enjoying our journey requires surrendering our false ego –that aspect of our being that runs programs contrary to our highest and best self. And when we do that, we reveal our true nature that is already there because we feel it from that quiet place of clarity and understanding. Surrender is tough for the false part of ourselves because it does not want to let go of the stories that keep fueling the patterns that don’t serve us. The catch is that the false ego has to turn itself in – or should I say inward – and see how it is sabotaging our greatest good by causing suffering based on craving, delusions and many other mental and emotional patterns.

The solution is simple. No matter what comes up, surrender. Your false ego can lay so many traps for your mind because it knows you so well. So let yourself be caught. Sit there. Don’t avoid it. Let the feelings come up to be known and cleared. Stop running from it. Once your thought or emotion has nothing to take from you, it has no power over you. It has no fuel to sustain itself. By virtue of your soul sovereignty, your essence cannot be taken away. You are eternal conscious light and love. So the only thing that you can surrender is what does not serve you –and then you are left with what you have always been – light and love. Surrender removes everything that obscures our light. In offering up our obstacles to the flames, we are transformed.

May you hear the call to retreat, so that your life may answer with all the joy, beauty and creativity you have to shine!

About the author: Brian is a teacher and healer. He brings the mind, body, heart and soul back into balance through overtone chanting, crystal and tibetan singing bowls and tuning forks.

He has the unique ability to hear oto-acoustic emissions, the natural
frequencies emitted by the body.

His spiritual name “Anahata Nada” means “unstruck sound” and echoes his ability to hear the sounds of the cosmos. Anahata also means heart and speaks to Brian’s passion to help others hear the sound of their heart to guide them on their journey. Follow on instagram @anahatanada333 www.besoundnow.com Contact: bjrusso333@gmail.com

A New Year to LIVE

December 31, 2016 // by Admin// Leave a Comment

I remember the first time I saw the picture that changed everything for me. It was of a man, somewhere on a seemingly deserted, white sandy beach, doing a one armed cart wheel. His legs were dancing in the brightly painted turquoise sky, and I knew in that moment that there was much, much more to life. There was more to life than the daily grind, and the striving for… what, exactly?

The Spiritual Path is like this. We get these glimpses into the very center of our SOUL and in an instant, we are changed forever. But we are not REALLY changed, we are just coming Home to, the inevitable and unshakeable Truth of our Existence, and who we REALLY ARE; who we were always meant to BE.

So how do we get so lost?

We wake up, brush our teeth, drink a cup or 2 of coffee, eat breakfast (If we are lucky) go to work or school or both, watch TV, distract, distract, more distraction. We spend money, consume, go into debt to make more money, and spend more money to get out of debt as debt consumes our lives. We end up angry, resentful, gaunt, and ultimately the lack of motivation to do anything is gone, and yet we keep going. We keep going as if we were somehow animated through wire and chord. We become caged in our thoughts, animated by our emotions, reactive, depressed, and spun out. We begin to think that THIS is the norm.

I remember the first time I saw the picture that changed everything for me, because it TOUCHED my Soul. Somewhere deep down in the core of my being, I felt like a tapestry that was just coming to life and woven by the Divine. Unlike the feeling of chord and plug, I felt powered by something far GREATER, far Superior to woman/man made (Though woman and man has made some really incredible things.) I can hardly describe it, as Spirit goes, It is ineffable. I do know that I couldn’t turn away or go back to sleep.

“The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you

Don’t go back to sleep!

You must ask for what you really want.

Don’t go back to sleep!

People are going back and forth

across the doorsill where the two worlds touch,

The door is round and open

Don’t go back to sleep!”

― Jalaluddin Rumi

By the New Year of 2012 I had broken a lease, went on a leave of absence at work, finished a semester in college with notice that I would be taking at least one if not two semesters off. By February of 2012, I was living and back packing through my sacred heart’s home. India. Though my flesh isn’t from this INCREDIBLE land, my soul most definitely is.

By New Year’s of 2013 I became a full time yoga teacher & I started to fully allow my rainbow colored tapestry to become a muse and channel for other hearts’ songs. I woke up every morning asking how I could serve the Divine Energy that changed everything for me, that BREATHED Life back into me (As if it were lost somehow, lol.) Animated by this Divine Spirit, I came to step into my PURPOSE on this Earth. I was GUIDED to combine what inspired me and made me HAPPY in order to take it to the masses so that THEY could be HAPPY; while continuing DEEP inner work to shed the guiles of the ego so that I could be a CLEAR and unencumbered channel for God.

By New Year’s of 2014 I was looking at leading my 3rd yoga retreat in Costa Rica after living on the Nicoya Peninsula of that land for 6 months. I was leaving the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with in order to marry the MAN/WOMAN that has never and will never leave my side. God/Goddess. In 2014 I began my courtship with Divine. Truly. Though I strayed (Or thought I strayed) from the ULTIMATE Truth of who and what I was, Divine always persisted that I was GREAT. Thank you, Divine, for always BELIEVING in ME! 😉

By New Year’s of 2015 I was incorporated as a full fledged wellness and yoga retreat business, and embarked on the most important business of all, motherhood. This was the year of fine tuning my skills. I registered for an Integrative Nutrition school that I had been wanting to go to for many years, but was too afraid to believe in myself enough to do it. This was the year of staying in touch with my dreams, whilst recognizing what didn’t serve me (Attachment to anything that was material and changeable.) It was surrendering selfishness in order to be able to serve my daughter and my Dharma.

By New Year’s of 2016 I was sitting alone in a hotel suite. I was taking time for myself, ringing in not only the New Year, but my 30th birthday, 7 months pregnant with my daughter, and fully open to learning more from Divine. “However can I serve YOU and this Planet,” was my daily morning prayer and invocation. I spent time mapping out my life on a Vision Board and hours meditating on what I was grateful for (Everything) and what I desired to CO-CREATE with the Universe and my daughter. This is a great practice for anyone on a New Year’s Day. I suggest you try it if you haven’t a ritual planned already!

The New Year of 2017 is upon us, with the Solar New Year already among us (Winter Solstice.) My beautiful, nearly 8 month old daughter is sitting in my lap as I finish writing this. I am now fully realizing my dreams, traveling the world and teaching what I believe will help AWAKEN individuals to their HIGHEST Potentials in this incarnation. I am so, SO grateful for what is to come, because in my experience, what the Universe DELIVERS is far Superior to what I can even imagine in my BIGGEST DREAMS!

What LIT you up and INSPIRED you in 2016? What were your happiest moments, and what challenges did you over come? What do you want to DREAM into being in the New Year of 2017? How can I help in praying for you to fulfill this? How can I help guide and support you? Leave comments below…

A New Year’s 30 Day Warrior Woman Course to LIVING YOUR DREAMS starts soon. Stay tuned to the, “Self Heal with Alana,” Facebook page or email SelfHealwithAlana@gmail.com for information. Come away with the Explorations of Self Tribe and me to fully be present with yourself and to unwind from the daily grind on one or more of these incredible Wellness Retreats, information at www.explorationsofself.com or email explorationsofself@gmail.com

In deep DEVOTION and AWE of this WILDLY ABUNDANT UNIVERSE,

I go in PEACE & JOY,

Alana

Namaste, soul family

BIO : Alana Roach is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by practicing conscious meditation. Her passions became her career and she now holds RYS Teacher Trainings & International Retreats, Health Coaches, and writes every opportunity she gets. In her spare time she loves cuddling with her daughter, surfing, being in nature, and living amongst her ever growing and global loving and conscious community. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com & for health coaching at SelfHealwithAlana@gmail.com

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A Shamanic Guide to January 2020’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

The moon cycles work closely with Spirit to guide us into a deeper awareness of our I Am Presence.

Here are 3 steps to creating your own Shamanic Full Moon Ritual: