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Using Your Menstrual Cycle as a Guide to Success

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Yes.  I’ve said it.  Your menstrual cycle.  A guide to success.  I call it a Moon Cycle and it is your super power. Ever since I  started looking into the moon phases a decade ago, I noticed my periods aligned with New or Full Moons almost always.  I’ve talked to MANY women about their moon cycles and they can concur.  Women are in sync with the moon and this synchronization is a creative force.  

Dr Christiane Northup noted:

Studies have shown that peak rates of conception and probably ovulation appear to occur at the full moon or the day before.

During the new moon, ovulation and conception rates are decreased overall, and an increased number of women start their menstrual bleeding. Scientific research has documented that the moon rules the flow of fluids (ocean tides as well as individual body fluids) and affects the unconscious mind and dreams.1

The timing of the menstrual cycle, the fertility cycle, and labor also follows the moon-dominated tides of the ocean. Environmental cues such as light, the moon, and the tides play a documented role in regulating women’s menstrual cycles and fertility.

In one study of nearly two thousand women with irregular menstrual cycles, more than half of the subjects achieved regular menstrual cycles of twenty-nine days’ length by sleeping with a light on near their beds during the three days around ovulation.2

We, as a culture,  often overlook our menstrual cycles as just one of those things that just happen.  I am often surprised about the lack of conversation within communities of women on this topic.  We need to re-claim our bodies as powerful, sovereign, MAGICAL, creative life forces.

I noticed long ago that my cycles were important for cleansing, creating, restoring, and balancing.  Our menstrual cycles are a gift.  They not only give us an opportunity to create an actual life, but also give us a huge opportunity to create life to our dream life.

 

If you do not know your cycle, there are so many great apps to help with that.  I use the Flo App and it’s free!

Follicular phase

The phase that happens right after your period.  During this phase you start to feel more alive and energetic.  This is a great time to start new projects, make new connections, be creative, be in front of the camera, write, and travel for business.   You will enjoy being around people and connecting with others at this time so take advantage of your outgoing nature!  I will often take on a little bit more during this time because I know I have the energy to manage it.

Ovulation

During your ovulation phase you will feel most likely feel magical.  People are attracted to you more than ever.  Schedule business meetings with people who have possibly been on the fence.  Get into receptive mode.  The more you can just allow the abundance to find you, the better.  This is a great time to ask The Universe to bring you people that you can help with ease.

Luteal Phase

During this phase we will want to slow down. Give yourself this time.  Don’t take as many appts.  Do less.  Self care more.  This is a time to allow all of the work that you have done earlier in your cycle to incubate.  There is an incredible intelligence at work here within our mind, body, and spirit.  Trust yourself.

Dr. Christiane Northup also states that:

“Women, too, go through a period of darkness each month, when the life-force may seem to disappear for a while (premenstrual and menstrual phases).4 We need not be afraid or think we are sick if our energies and moods naturally ebb for a few days each month. In many parts of India, it’s perfectly acceptable for women to slow down during their periods and rest more.

I have come to see that all kinds of stress-related disease, ranging from PMS to osteoporosis, could be lessened a great deal if we simply followed our body’s wisdom once per month.”

Menstruation

Our body is cleansing at this time.  In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, women do not practice yoga for the first 3 days of menstruation.  They honor their bodies and the apana (Downward flowing energies.)  This is a time of transformation.  Energy that we have taken on or emotions that we have possibly shoved down away from the surface are released.  This is a great time to meditate, journal, take baths, get a massage, rest, organize and clean if there’s natural energy for that.  If there’s anything that didn’t quite feel right in your business this month, now is the time to release it and let go.

We should be celebrating our Moon Cycles. There is great MAGIC in it!  We are very blessed.  We are creative forces.  If our cycles can literally create a life,  why wouldn’t our cycles be able to create limitless possibility in every area of our life?

If you are experiencing difficulties with your cycle or would like 1 on 1 life coaching for a particular area in your life, go here to schedule your free 15 minute consult!

With love,

Alana

Sources:

https://www.drnorthrup.com/wisdom-of-menstrual-cycle/

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/menstrual-cycle

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

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

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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?

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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

 

How Having a Baby Made Me a Successful Entrepreneur

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I was already half in the entrepreneur world when I was pregnant with my daughter. I got a taste of what this kind of freedom tasted like after running Explorations of Self Retreats and Blog for a few years already at that point. It tasted GOOD, and I trusted that if I put one foot in front of the other, all would fall into place for me to create the Lifestyle Design that I so craved, which was, to have the ability to work from wherever I wanted in the world and make my own hours. I knew that this would take a lot of consistent FAITH and foot work to fulfill this Divine mission. Every morning I prayed for God to use me for His will. I talked to God & asked to be guided to the right people and places at the right time to fulfill my MISSION here on Earth and in this lifetime.

I also had a deep knowing that I was meant to parent this baby angel in a mindful way. I would stumble across these incredible methods of parentings like, “Attachment Parenting,” through out my Doula trainings and Prenatal Yoga teaching even before I conceived my little girl. It was as if God was whispering in my ear, “Raise her like this,” or, ”She will really thrive with this.” I even had a dream about what kind of bed she was to have one night, a month before giving birth. Up until that dream I had never heard of floor mattresses in Teepees. I woke up from that dream like, whoa, I need to look this up. Thank Google. I found out that Montessori schools use this model of sleeping to encourage a sense of confidence and independence within the child. So, rather than a crib, which to me, felt like a jail, I got the floor mattress and the teepee. It was the most perfect sleeping arrangement ever. We both slept great. We still do 3 years later. She is the most confident, happy, loving, and courageous little girl that I have ever known. I am proud of her. I thank God for leading my parenting for her every single day.

With all of this being said, I knew that I would need to give my daughter a lot of close to me comforts. I wanted to be the one who woke her up in the morning and made her meals. I wanted to be able to play with her whenever she desired, and hold her whenever she needed her mother’s warmth.

This desire to bring my daughter with me where ever I went through her early developmental years was crucial in my sail’s catching wind into my full time Entrepreneur life as a digital nomad. I create my schedule. I dictate my hours. I am with my daughter all the time, and guess what? I LOVE IT. My daughter has been by my side on all of my international retreats & I would not want it any other way. I sometimes get the question, “What do you do with your daughter on your retreats?” I TAKE HER, YES! I also hear, “What happens when she is in school?” I CREATE MY OWN SCHEDULE! NO BIG DEAL! To every problem, there is a solution when we involve God.

If I decided to pick up and move tomorrow, I could. My online copy-writing , social media marketing , yoga retreats/teaching, fitness training, energy healing and lifestyle coaching skill sets allows me to do so. I keep evolving in my skill set the more that I do them. I am absolutely an expert in my field, and so are you, you just need to start believing it.

My point is, what you LOVE to do, you LOVE for a reason. God wants you to be HAPPY. What makes you HAPPY? Write it down. What makes your grateful today?! WRITE IT DOWN! The more that we anchor down into this moment with the blessings that we have been given, the more we will be happy. The more often that we find that happy place, the more often we will start to navigate towards that happy.

Small steps every day, ignited from your Heart-Centered truth, will absolutely set you FREE.

If you feel like you’ve had the desire to do something but haven’t because you thought it had to be done a certain way, then you are not alone, but guess what? God is a master Designer. If it’s been laid on your HEART to do something, then you have a mission to fulfill. Everything in your life will rise up to support you in this and more if you keep following your INTUITION. Prayer and meditation are the keys. I also suggest going for walks in nature, traveling, and doing more yoga (Of course.) Eat a healthy diet. Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people. Keep working on yourself & continue to evolve. You were meant for GREATNESS.

What do you feel guided to do? Let’s transform our lives together through Explorations of Self Community. 

Journal Prompt:

What limiting beliefs are holding you back from reaching your goals?

What are NEW EMPOWERED beliefs that you can set in place? Cross out your limiting beliefs and replace them with the opposite belief. For example: If my limiting belief was, “I have children, I can’t do that with children.” My NEW EMPOWERED belief would be, “Having children makes this even easier to accomplish! I look forward to inspiring my kids with this new way of being!”

 

Author: Alana Roach, Founder of Explorations of Self, LLC. Woman of BIG FAITH, Mom, blogger, copy writing, social media marketer, surfer, yoga teacher, meditation guide, barre & TRIBE Team Trainer, free~spirit.