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How to Maintain Your Yoga Practice & More Without Childcare During Quarantine

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I was talking to a fellow yoga teacher and mama friend the other day and she asked me, “How do you do things with your little one at home since you can’t use help?”

I immediately thought of  my yoga practice and how much it has shifted and changed over the years since the birth of my daughter, and yet, I continue to practice daily, despite the perceived interruptions.  And that is the thing, they are only interruptions when I perceived them to be.  The truth is there is nothing other than this moment, and non-dualistic perspective gives us the opportunity to see all things as moving parts of our SELF.

So, she had a great question.

How do you continue to do things without the help that you might be used to?

For the last 4 years I have raised my daughter as a solo mom for the majority of our experiences and I have traveled the world, run international yoga retreats, ran several different facets of wellness businesses, AND she has been right there, the whole entire time.  When she was younger, I strapped her to me and I practiced yoga wearing her!  I did a lot of things wearing her.  That’s just one thing that you can do.  It’s great core work and great for baby!

I have hired help and used the help of the daycare centers at gyms when I taught abroad and locally. For the majority of the time I am alone with my daughter and I love it.  But, when this pandemic first hit and gyms were shut down, all of the sudden those few hours where I could get acupuncture or take a sauna were gone.  It DID take a few weeks to adjust to for both of us!!  My daughter missed playtime with kids her age.  We still prevailed.  We found new things to do together, which I am forever grateful for.  After those few weeks passed and I started to really relish in the fact that I was working less and had more time to be present with her.  We are in a groove now.  One that I am seriously grateful for.

So, we adapt.  We have this insatiable ability as humans to adapt to new situations and environments over time.  We can choose to make the best of it or not.  I suggest taking the high road here.  This takes mental diligence.

It has not always been easy to let go of the way that I think things should be done, or that hour long “Uninterrupted,” yoga practice, but when I surrender to the beauty of this sacred DANCE of life that I get to participate in, I get to do all of the things that I enjoy + household chores with a sense of joy and ease.

I set the intention every single day to co-create a day that not only nurtures our minds and bodies, but also, our souls.

I pray every morning to Divine to please keep me open to the miracles He/She has in store for me today.

When I do this,  I am blown away by the little things.  My daughter’s smile.  The leaves rustling in the breeze. The smell of fresh air.  The sun shine or the rain.  It’s all incredible.

I also whole heartedly believe that when I ask God for guidance in the way that I see my day, I am always given the opportunity to see the ease through out it all.   Divine gives us the opportunity to see Heaven on Earth all of the time.  The question is, do you want to see it?

Takeaways on “How to do things with your little ones at home & no help.” 

  • Remaining flexible and open to a new kind of day.
  • Staying open to the beautiful new ways of being.
  • Integrating my children with my day.
  • Remaining in witness to the miracles in each moment.
  • Remembering that we are human.
  • If your children take naps, use that time to do something for yourself.
  • When your children go to bed at night, take an hour to do self-care.
  • Take a deep breath.
  • Ask Divine to show you the reality of this moment.
  • Smile more.
  • They are only this age once.
  • You can do this.
  • Talk to other parents who might be in the same boat!  Connecting has this incredible ability to help us feel not so alone in our experiences, which can be very cathartic!!  Community, even if it’s remote, is so important.
  • Things are always changing so how can you adapt and raise up your vibration to meet this excellent new change?
  • Stay grounded in LOVE and be buoyed by the Divine Spirit.
  • Don’t forget to laugh… at yourself, at each other.  It’s most important.

Just as the certainty that life is always changing, our yoga practice will, too!  Remaining open to the change is what’s key here.  If we become attached to some facet of our practice, we may become distressed.  Yoga is meant to help you let GO of what was and welcome what IS.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find that what IS is just as incredible as what was, because the core of Divine is in each moment as it is and THAT is the only thing that never changes.  Are you willing to remain open to that JOY within this moment as it is?

 

In love and light,

Alana Roach

Founder of Explorations of Self

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

 

4 Steps to Manifesting Your Success in 2020!

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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

This next year will be a home coming for you. You will once again feel the nearness of your Creator because you, my friend, have been so incredibly patient and steadfast in your Faith. The fog is being lifted. Your mountain has been climbed. It’s now time to peer out at the beauty of this world with a fresh spirit and wide child-like eyes. Our inner child has been healing, and is ready to play and celebrate!!!

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

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.