35 Ways to Self-Sooth During this Holiday Season
Hello EOS Community,
I hope that you had an amazing Thanksgiving despite our collective challenges with the current climate. For most of us this holiday was incredibly different. Embracing change can feel extra challenging when it’s thrust upon us. However, if we accept the moment for being exactly as it is for a very good reason, then we can not only find the lesson, but also find the treasure.
I spent last year’s Thanksgiving in the deserts of California with my daughter and some good friends, which was a first. It was incredible! Years ago when I was living in Costa Rica, I spent Thanksgiving eating rice and beans. Also, amazing. This year I got to spend Thanksgiving with my close family. What a gift. I have also lost a close friend and family member around this holiday, spending Thanksgiving Day grieving and tending to the heart. I can only imagine what your holiday memories have been like over a lifetime. Life is ever changing… People, places, and things come and go.
I have been very blessed to to be able to know that Divine grace is within me and all around me (And my loved ones) during all moments along this path. I have especially been aware of it over the last decade or so because of mindfulness practices being integrated into my daily lifestyle. I went from needing to know every single detail of my future (Which is impossible) to letting go more and more because I knew that God had a better and bigger plan for me. My faith has felt imperfect at times. I’m human. I get caught up in fear and patterns from time to time, but what I have noticed is that because of my unrelenting commitment to fulfilling my divine purpose on this planet for God has made all of my life a work of art leading to a miraculous destination that is right…now…. and right now we are connected to Divine, the only thing that is unchanging, which is the essential Truth of who and what we truly ARE and always have been. So, in that way, it’s ALL been perfect.
Right now you’re walking your path and you are held by God right where you are. If you feel that this year has been one big derail for you, let’s help ourselves by witnessing Divine grace within it. How can we find gratitude, forgiveness, and joy for this year? How can we accept people, places, and things for being exactly as they are while allowing ourselves to be transformed by our willingness to let go. How are we becoming stronger, stiller, confident, kinder, more faithful, more giving, appreciative, forgiving, compassionate, loving, free-flowing, less ego-ic, less defined by our surroundings, more defined by our inner character that is forever blossoming and changing when prompted by something being stripped away? Pay attention to those things, because that is what keeps you going and GROWING.
So, my friends, where ever you are personally on your path right now, stay humble, stay excited, stay curious, and stay faithful. The best is yet to come.
If you find yourself feeling a little low during this holiday season, take some time to self-sooth. You’ve been through a lot this year. Give yourself a pat on the back. Know that you are loved and that everything will be ok.
Here are some ways to self-sooth during this Holiday Season:
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Listen to some of your favorite music.
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Hug a loved one and if that’s not possible, call a loved one.
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Write a poem.
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Journal.
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Take a silly picture.
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Go for a walk in nature.
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Take a bath.
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Watch a funny movie.
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Meditate.
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Do yoga.
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Do tai chi or Qi-Gong.
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Do your hair and make-up.
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Take a nap.
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Go to bed early.
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Learn how to play an instrument.
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Learn how to read music.
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Watch an inspiring or funny movie.
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Listen to an inspirational or funny podcast.
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Paint your nails.
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Don’t do anything (Favorite).
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Paint, draw, scribble.
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Start that project you’ve been putting off.
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Read a book.
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Dance.
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Sign up for a self-development workshop.
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Start a cleanse.
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Check in with your life coach.
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Sage.
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Aromatherapy.
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Massage.
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Acupressure.
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Positive affirmations.
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Clean your space. Seriously, toss whatever doesn’t make you feel JOY.
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Get an intuitive energy reading and healing.
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Tell yourself 10 things you are grateful for in this moment.
Email me at info@explorationsofself.com if you are interested in booking with me for one or more of the following:
Virtual Shamanic, Reiki, Oracle Card Readings, and Intuitive Energy Healing
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Super New Moon in Scorpio Guided Meditation
During this guided meditation with Alana you will shield, ground, re-calibrate with positive love light frequencies, release old/blocked energies/patterns, re-birth, and allow the Divine energies to cascade into your being as you prepare to rise like the phoenix into your new life’s chapter! If you like this meditation and want more free mindfulness content from me every month, please like, comment, subscribe and share my Youtube channel!
Oct 31st 2020’s Blue Full Moon Meditation
We have had two Full Moons this month which creates what is known as a Blue Moon for the second one. This Full Blue Moon in Taurus marks the beginning of Samhain, the beginning of our darker, more introspective, yin energy Winter season. Samhain is where Halloween gets it’s roots historically, and it is said that today through tomorrow is when the “veil” between our earthly dimensions and other dimensions is the thinnest.
Taurus is the bull, the sign known for it’s strength, passion, patience, endurance, and grounding energy. This makes our Blue Full Moon a powerful one for calling in what is necessary from our inner pool of Divine endurance and grace to propel us forward to fully realizing our purpose, which is ever evolving while we are in this human form!!
This is also a powerful time of release. During this time, we are all releasing deep wounding so that we can finally let it go and MOVE ON to new life lessons. It’s important to recognize that the past is the past and that you are no longer that person that you keep recalling. You are here. You are present. You are new in this moment and each moment to follow. This Blue Full Moon Taurus calls us to balance our root chakras and ground while connecting to the New Earth Grid Consciousness. Best selling author, speaker, luminary, and visionary, Lori Spagna, relates to this New Earth Grid as, “Humanity has now moved into an entirely NEW reality which IS entirely based on energy, vibration, consciousness and free will.” Meaning, we are collectively awakening and ascending when we choose to do so.
So, take the time to connect to the Amrita (Nectar of the Moon) of this Blue Full Moon at some point throughout today or tomorrow to amplify your energies. You are always worth the self awareness and the self-care.
Here is a Guided Meditation for today’s Blue Full Moon to get you in alignment to release, regenerate, envision, and charge forward towards your Divine life purpose.
In love and deep respect for your Divine path,
Works Cited:
History.com Editors. “Samhain.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Apr. 2018, www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain.
10 Self-Care Tips for World Mental Health Day
My inner state of being and life was transformed ever since I started a regular mindfulness practice in 2009. One of the reasons I started teaching yoga and meditation in 2011 is because it helped me so much with my own anxiety. I remember feeling wound up prior to entering the studio and then basically floating out of my first heated vinyasa class at 23, knowing that I had found something important, not just for me, but for anyone who was willing to allow me to share it with them. It was a practice I folded into my life on regular basis and in conjunction with my prayer & meditation practice it began to open doors for me in my own personal mental health and wellness journey that I didn’t even fathom was possible until then.
The thing is, it opened the door to more self-love, self-care, and a deep desire to explore the deep connection to Divine that I was experiencing through these mindfulness practices, or what some mystics call the higher Self. This is how Explorations of Self was born. It was birthed from my own journey healing and reclaiming my Self. The journey to mental health and wellness has expanded to include many holistic practices and rituals over the years and I use them as self healing medicine when I start to feel anxiety or fear of the unknown creep back in. It also happens to be a lot of what I’ve become educated in to provide for you aside from acupuncture and massage.
We are all on this journey together. We are all here to be human and to evolve in joy, light, and love.
Here are 10 ways I personally use to holistically self-care to help on those off days:
- Yoga: Yoga connects us to our bodies and our breath. This amazing practice helps us radically shift the energy within our body, mind, and spirit. You can do yoga at home and I encourage you to if you are not going to gyms or studios right now. Even doing a few poses a day can be life changing.
- Meditation: Meditation can come in many forms whether it’s through seated practice or movement. Finding what works for you is key. I love my daily seated practice and then find it helps me create a meditation practice out of anything I do when I am present to it.
- Prayer, Intention Setting, Surrendering: Whatever your beliefs, where intention goes, energy flows. I enjoy praying throughout the day and have a longer practice in the morning and evening. I enjoy setting the intention for the day by continually coming back to the feeling of love, which I often cultivate by thinking about someone or something that brings me a lot of love, easily (For me that’s always my daughter.) I enjoy surrendering the negative feelings or worries to Divine as they arise and returning the feeling of love.
- Qigong and other forms of martial arts: I have been practicing Qigong more regularly lately and I have been doing various forms of martial arts for years. Qigong is an ancient practice that has been just incredible to begin the day with lately.
- Nutrition: Eating food like it’s medicine for my optimal well-being is key. I eat and drink foods and beverages intuitively in this way. For me, eating a majority vegetarian diet is what makes ME feel good and I know it’s different for everyone. Even if I am having one of those cheat meals, I bless up my food. I give thanks and energy to everything I ingest. In the documentary Superhuman they demonstrate how the energy that we send into water molecules can change them!! We can absolutely enliven our food, and make it sacred.
- Have uplifting conversations with your community: I talk to positive people every DAY. Everyday. It’s important to surround yourself with people who inspire you to be your best self and love you unconditionally for who you are.
- Acupressure: Here are few I enjoy for anxiety: https://www.healthline.com/health/pressure-points-for-anxiety#heavenly-gate
- Reiki, Shamanic, and Energy Healing: I am a conduit for energy work with my clients and I receive energy work from trusted practitioners on a regular basis.
- Salt bath: Epsom salt baths with lavender essential oils are something I love doing at least once a week. In energy medicine it’s said that it can help to move old energy or qi out of your system.
- Nature: No matter where I am in the world, being in nature on a daily basis is 100% one of the most important things I do for my sense of well being. If you know me well, you know that I love being in the water, surfing or paddle boarding. If I can’t make it to the water, I am in a forest with my daughter hiking.
What do you do for self-care to support and balance your mental health? Share in the comments below.
Email me at ExplorationsofSelf@gmail.com if you are interested in booking with me for one or more of the following:
🌸Virtual Shamanic, Reiki, and Intuitive Energy Healing
🌸Fertility, Prenatal, and Postpartum support as your Virtual Holistic Coach and Doula.
🌸Virtual Yoga Private Sessions for Women
🌸Virtual Corporate Yoga, Meditation, and/or Mindfulness Events
🌸Virtual Integrative Nutrition Coaching
🌸Life & Business Coaching for Mom Bosses
🌸 Virtual Public Speaking Opportunities & Press
5 Ways to Prevent Burnout
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.
- 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 outLike 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
ChattingWhile stitching themselves together
Into the Great Circle inside of
You. ~ Hafez
3.Vacation:
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
5. Receive:
A lot of really talented, genuinely good, capable people can have one fault.
They are great at creating
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
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)
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!
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For example:
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
4 Steps to Manifesting Your Success in 2020!
The spiritual journey is one of GREAT MYSTERY, and growth can happen both gradually and suddenly. For the last few years, the collective has been going through what feels like an uphill climb through a thick fog. Has your inner clarity felt stifled up until recently? There is always a reason for this. You are being prepped for greater vision. 2020 is The Year of Clear Vision. Punny? It is!! Yet true…
When inner clarity feels muddled, stay the course of loving awareness and do the next right thing. You are never abandoned. I believe that at some point, the Universe will take off our training wheels so that we can be prepared to surrender our egos even more, and throw our hands up in the air exclaiming, “Ok, Creator, I don’t know what to do. Please help.”
Ask and it shall be given you, because it has already been given. ~Course in Miracles
From my spiritual seeking, I have received wisdom that 2020 is the year of JOY. Earlier in 2019, I was guided by The Universe to put a deposit down on a yoga retreat center for a 2020 retreat in Bali and call it, “The Joy of Being.” After that, the Universe sent me 3 social media clients who were all intuitive joy life coaches. You can’t make this stuff up. I was being guided to do this all year. Preparing the soil for you those who felt called to join me on this journey to sow their roots and blossom in the most incredibly JOY-filled ways. I feel really excited for this retreat. It’s already half way full and there are a few spots left. If you are feeling the call to come with me to Bali, you can learn more here.
In Chinese Zodiac, 2020 is going to be a very prosperous and passionate year!
TheChineseZodiac.org says that,
“The Metal Rat Year is going to be a strong, prosperous, and lucky year for almost all Chinese zodiac signs. Everyone will show determination regarding their goals, aspirations, and even their hobbies. This is a great year for founding and evolving. Those who plan to buy real estate, to start a business or to invest money in a long-term project have great chances of being satisfied in the future. But, beware! This type of initiatives will only be successful if they are carefully planned.”
Are you trusting the inner guidance that you are receiving at this time, Old Soul? Are you ready to steep in your Divine purpose and delight your community with your gifts?
2020 is your year!!!
4 Steps to Manifesting Your Success in 2020!
1. Meditate: Meditation is a form of listening to your Creator. When we pray, we are speaking, and when we meditate we are listening. You have most likely already asked for guidance. Now listen. Often times it helps to create a sacred space or alter in your home to meditate every day. This area will become rich with meditative, sacred energy and it will become easier and easier to drop into a meditative state to hear your Creator the more and more that you use it. Sit between 5-30 minutes daily and listen… journal what you find.
2. Vision Board:
After you have meditated, it’s time to get creative!!! Whether you like to vision board with old magazinesand a large poster board or use Pinterest! Vision boards give you a daily reminder of what you desire on this journey in every way!! According to an article written by Huffington Post:
“Visualization is one of the most powerful mind exercises you can do. According to the popular book The Secret, “The law of attraction is forming your entire life experience and it is doing that through your thoughts. When you are visualizing, you are emitting a powerful frequency out into the Universe.”
Whether you believe that or not, we know that visualization works. Olympic athletes have been using it for decades to improve performance, and Psychology Today reported that the brain patterns activated when a weightlifter lifts heavy weights are also similarly activated when the lifter just imagined (visualized) lifting weights.”
3. Get a mentor and increase your positive network: The most successful people in the world all have had mentors. When you surround yourself with successful and positive people who have what you desire, you up-level, too. Like attracts like. Spiritual mentors can help you get out of stuck patterns like procrastination or negative thinking, and can introduce you to new ways of taking action to achieve your goals. It can be easy to beat yourself up or get tapped out when you are walking the road towards success. It’s not an overnight thing. Mentors hold you accountable and cheer you on the whole way through your process and can introduce you to other positive and successful networks. The more cheerleaders you have, the better. If you would like to work 1 on 1 with Alana to be successful in your life’s purpose, you can learn more here.
4. Do more of what inspires you. What lights you up? If you get stuck here, you can return to your vision board for inspiration. Do more of what inspires you. When we do more of what inspires us we tap into our bodies
When we find ourselves inspired our body produces higher levels of serotonin and dopamine…
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter involved in movement, memory, pleasurable reward, and motivation. Serotonin is involved in well-being, appetite regulation, and the transmission of nerve
Impulse” (5). This means that the more inspiration, the more of such simulations.
On the other hand, if we are victims of circumstances and just getting by in life then we will stimulate a higher production of cortisol. You have probably heard about this neurotransmitter as well. It is most commonly known as the neurochemical related to stress.
In the long run what impacts our mood the most, either energizing or depleting us, are the chemicals in our body called neurotransmitters. Inspiration “juices us up” with good ones, while the lack of it poisons our body with stress. `(Resource: https://intentioninspired.com/how-inspiration-works/)
I wish you so much joy and personal freedom in this next year to fulfill your wildest dreams in serving your loved ones and the world at large with your unique Divine Purpose!
Love,
Founder of Explorations of Self
8 Holistic Ways to Manage Grief During The Holidays
Sometimes the holidays can be a reminder that someone we have loved dearly is not with us in the physical any longer, or that a new chapter in our life is beginning, which means another chapter, for better or for worse, is ending. Grief is grief. Anytime you go through a big transition, you will inevitably experience some sort of grief. If that is the case for you, I am deeply sorry for your loss. I recently lost my step-father & his presence is definitely missed by my family. With all that being so, I am feeling particularly grateful to be at home with my family during this holiday. Losing someone close can really put life into perspective. You realize what is truly important in life and that can make all of the difference in what you prioritize.
Here are 8 Holistic Ways to Help You Manage Grief During The Holidays:
- Gratitude: Expressing gratitude is one of this quickest ways to access your inner peace. List what you are gratitude for and WHY. For instance, “I am grateful for my sight because it allows me to see all of the beauty surrounding me,” or, “I am grateful for the ability to take a deep breath because it helps to calm me down.”
- Surround yourself with good people: Stick with people who remind you of the good in life, uplift you, and that it’s also ok to be exactly where you are in the moment. Surround yourself with people who manage their own emotions in healthy ways.
- Meditate & Move: Meditation and movement will help to activate your para-sympathetic nervous system and actively get you out of your fight or flight response. This is a great meditation for Grief. If you are looking for some easy, at home movement, here is a short Qi-Gong routine and a Yoga Sequence for Grief.
- Journal: Journaling has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and boost your mood. In addition to this, according to Cambridge.org, “Writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events has been found to result in improvements in both physical and psychological health, in non-clinical and clinical populations. In the expressive writing paradigm, participants are asked to write about such events for 15–20 minutes on 3–5 occasions. Those who do so generally have significantly better physical and psychological outcomes compared with those who write about neutral topics. Here we present an overview of the expressive writing paradigm, outline populations for which it has been found to be beneficial and discuss possible mechanisms underlying the observed health benefits. In addition, we suggest how expressive writing can be used as a therapeutic tool for survivors of trauma and in psychiatric settings.”
- Ask someone else how they are doing today. The quickest way to get out of your head is to ask someone else how they are doing, and if they are not doing well, be the Light for them. Remind them that it’s ok to feel what they are feeling and remind them of HOPE. At the end of our life we are remembered by our loved ones for how we impacted their lives. It’s not typically how hard we worked or what accolades we acquired. It’s how hard we loved and who we directed that love towards.
- Good nutrition: We have all been there. Emotional eating. When we feel stressed it’s easy to reach for the unhealthy carbohydrates. The more we lean towards healing our gut and improving our digestion + decreasing inflammation, our mood and energy levels will increase. Email me at Explorationsofself@Gmail.com to receive $50 towards your Superfoods Transformation.
- CBD: While more clinical trials still need to be done, there are rave reviews for the efficacy of this incredibly plant medicine. Consult your doctor before adding CBD to your regime to see if it’s right for you. If you would like 20% on your first CBD order through Explorations of Self, contact me at Explorationsofself@gmail.com.
- Prioritize Self-Care: Make sure that you are taking the time to tend to your self-care first and foremost. Take a bubble bath, treat yourself to a spa day, go to your favorite fitness class, read a great book, or take a nap. We can feel especially run down when we go through Grief. That is our body wisdom screaming at us to slow down and take care of ourselves. Be sure to listen.
If you are dealing with grief during this Holiday Season, I am praying for you. I pray that you are surrounded by love. I pray that
With much love and respect for your journey,
CNS, E-RYT, Author
Yoga, Nutrition, and Wellness
Founder of Explorations of Self
You Will Question Everything You Know When Aligning With Your Soul Purpose
In the process of Becoming the most Divinely ALIGNED version of yourself, you will question everything you know.
I am in process during this time in my life. I barely recognize the person I was emotionally a year ago. I have been stretched through spiritual and emotional growth so much this year, it’s unreal.
& then I look back to 2 years ago….. & then 3, 4, 5…
I choose to believe with every fiber of my being that every single experience and relationship that I have had, completely & totally has been there for MY BENEFIT.
I choose to do the work with my Creator to heal facets of myself so that I can fly like the Phoenix and rise out of the ashes to newer Heights.
It’s not easy. The ego… everything that makes us HUMAN, loves to keep us comfortable, and yet, it’s much more challenging to stay stagnant in your Spiritual growth. Your most Spiritually Aligned Self is beckoning you to be liberated. In yoga we call this, “Mukti,” and in Hinduism & Jainism it is know as, “Moksha.” I quite like the definition of Moksha found in the Merriam Encyclopedia:
Definition of moksha
I don’t know about you, but YES, absolutely YES, PLEASE.
What a gift Self-Awareness & Self-Work is because it reminds us to continually empty ourselves of anger, resentment, and fear. It reminds us to look at the places within ourselves that scare us and give those places a name. In Tantric philosophy, The Tantric Goddesses started out as fearful beings, who reaped havoc as they were living in a constant state of fear. As soon as these beings were face to face with their own destructive habits, they were shown the illusion of what they were doing and gave each habit or Samskara a NAME. From that very simple, not EASY, but simple act, they began to surrender to the TRUTH or Satya. From that TRUTH they were shown compassion and thus became transformed into Mothers. They in essence began to Mother their own inner child…. these Mothers turned into Goddesses… Fully embodied in their Truth of Love and Light..
When you call out the underlying emotion, memory, or root of why you are experiencing a so called negative emotion or habitual pattern, you are shedding light on WHY. When we shed light on why and what disrupts or blocks us from inner PEACE, we can start to understand where this belief came from. Understanding is the root to all compassion. This becomes mothering. You begin to give your inner child the mothering it always desired and once you start to do this, you will begin to shine brighter than ever because your inner child will feel safe and supported. You will stop self-sabotaging and you will begin to self-heal. Healing will attune your mind, body, and Spirit to the vibration of gratitude and JOY.
“To be fully alive, fully human and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.” ~Pema Chodrun
I’m so grateful.
Shedding the skin of who you once were to become the person you were always meant the BE takes time… be patient and loving with yourself. Roll with the tides of your evolution & TRUST that
Everything is happening in Divine timing…
✨Stay in the moment.
✨Keep returning to your breath.
✨Keep taking action daily toward your Soul centered visions.
What are you releasing to create space for the new YOU? Write it down, share it with someone you trust. Begin surrounding yourself with positive and loving community if you haven’t already. If you need support, I offer 1 on 1 Lifestyle Coaching, and do not hesitate to reach out: Explorationsofself@Gmail.com
Much love with deep honor for your Soul Aligned Path and Purpose on this beautiful planet,
Alana