Building Strength

Day 4 Yoga - Strength

This morning I awoke to a text from a client who I respect greatly. He simply stated I should think about redefining my coaching practice to spiritual teaching. I almost fell of the bed! I could feel my stomach leap and begin to tighten all at the same time. His words stated a truth I have been looking to accept about myself.

I had been laying meditating and was preparing to move to my yoga mat. I had come to the word strength through my meditation. WOW! Building strength was a topic to explore. 

I could feel myself tightening with each step to my mat. I could feel fear creeping in and questions swirling in my head as I pondered the though of actually coming out and being with my faith in GOD in a more public way. As I moved to the mat, I could feel God's strength within me. I could feel God saying, "I have made you strong. You have been willing to be strengthened. You are ready."

I moved in a way that helped me feel His power moving. I rested into my strong arms and legs, my supple back, my breathe and I found a peacefulness that quieted my fears.

As my day moved forward I was given sign after sign that YES, this is the right path. And Yes, I am ready to take it to the next level.

Who am I being?

Willingness is opening myself
to unknown possibilities!

Yoga - Day 3 - WILLING

Such joy getting back into my yoga commitment! Today as I moved into my delightful yoga groove, I could feel my spirit rejoicing! It told me how happy it was!

Recently when I asked a client what needed to happen today. His response was. "I am going to honor myself by doing the rituals I have created." Ever since he said that to me it has echoed in my head.

Honoring ourselves with rituals, routines and practices that ignite our spirits, is what we are called to do, so we may BE who we are called to Be!

As I work towards bringing "Who's Helping Who?" into the world, I have been challenged to step into myself in ways I had not anticipated. I am being called to refine myself and to be the woman who balances asking for help and doing for others. 

Finding balance within the cycle of help and allowing it to fuel the work forward is my goal. Each day I rest into my spiritual practices of prayer, meditation and yoga, I know the results they will bring. Clarity, focus and a sense of God's love in my life can be counted on with the time invested. 

When I begin working with clients, the one thing that is a priority is to help them create practices that connect themselves to themselves and the Divine. It is the one thing I can guarantee to bring results that are lasting and grounded in truth. 

My dedication to my spiritual development fuels my daily work in ways that transcend words. A quietude that fuels the next right thought and the next right action...me BEING ME!

100 Days of YOGA! I am Committed!

Here I am once again knowing I am needing to publicly commit to my yoga practice.

The last time I did this it helped me see how much power my commitment to my physical and spiritual well being had upon my life and connection to God.

It was originally inspired by my Friend Michael Bierut who teaches a design class where he has the students do and document an activity for 100 days. As he shared some of the classes work, I was inspired to do it as well. I was able to achieve the doing and the documentation was the challenge. I achieved 135 days of yoga and maybe 90 days of documenting???

SO this commitment is the doing and the documenting!!

I know that sustained action brings predictable results!

So Here is to the results I know my yoga practice brings, Peace, clarity and a sense of connection to God and myself that I fully desire and KNOW I can have!!

Plus science tells me it can and will affect my happiness, so what the hey...I want to be happy, so I want to do yoga!!

Here is a link to the scientific proof!! Science Daily reports out on a study at the Boston School of Medicine! Powerful and factual, perfect combo!!

New Study Finds New Connection Between Yoga and Mood

If you would like to join me, I would love to hear about your insights and the results of your commitment!! 

Today I sold my wedding ring.

Yes, I needed the money and yes I needed to let go of the past, so I could move to the future that God has for me.

A future free of abuse, anger and fear. To a future full of hope, joy and God's infinite love. Today I let go of a way of seeing myself and I now see myself as God sees me, his precious child.

Today I love myself because, I know the love of Christ. Today I treat myself with respect and I am free from the bondage of my food addiction. Today, I can see myself as His messenger, because of the love and compassion I have been shown.

I am not a victim of others or myself any more. I know that the love Christ has taught me is how to love myself with patience, compassion and so very often a sense of humor. I am clear of my worthiness. I am clear that I am loved.

Today as I stood in the jeweler's office, I asked him to pray with me. He was a believer and easily held his hand out for me to hold on to. I prayed for forgiveness for myself and for my ex-husband. I prayed that we both continue to heal and seek His truth. It was a moment that I know, God heard my plea, as I felt His love envelope me. A sense of peace came over me as I cried tears of pain, joy and surrender to God's love.

God is working powerfully. He hears our prayers and will make us anew as we open our hearts to him.

Everything that broken wedding ring represented is now healed. It's missing stone, it's scratched surface, no longer represent me. I am not broken, I am whole within God.

For so many years I stayed in the marriage praying it would be peaceful. I twisted and contorted myself, thinking I could do something to change my angry husband. When I left on a night of violence, I knew that only God could change him.

As I began to realize my self worth as I lost a ton of weight, I began to see myself for who I am. I began to see what God wanted me doing. Helping others to turn their lives over to him. Turning to Him for everything.

Today I struggle financially and yet I know I will never be hungry, I will never be homeless. I will always have God's love. I may not have the lovely home I once had, but tonight I am safe! Tonight I know the love of God! Tonight I know Christ!

Spiritual Olympics: Embracing Pain as a Teacher. Goodbye Shame!

If we could embrace pain as a teacher, we would give our hearts an Einstein like genius. - Bernie Beaumont

My life is unfolding with magical magnificence, yet I feel fear, confusion, and even shame sometimes. Old habit, old beliefs...old pains...

Opportunities have been presenting themselves and I find myself circling the actions that are necessary to bring dreams to life.

Old beliefs can hold me back or I can recreate my beliefs so I may serve God's purpose for me. As I explore these old how these old beliefs came to be, I see people and circumstances weaving together to help me learn and move forward to recreate anew. 

Each time I find myself in a pickle...that is a situation that is asking me to change, I have the choice to stay or be made anew. I can be willing to feel the feelings, explore, honor and learn, OR I can run. Today I choose not to run. Today I choose my courage to face truths and know that I have the capacity to be evolved through God's grace.

For so many years I was ashamed of myself and how I choose to live my life. I was obese and stuck in my eating disorder. I abused myself and allowed others to do so as well. I allowed my low self esteem to tell me lies that I believed. And worst of all I allowed the gifts and skills that God gave me to lay fallow. 

God is calling me out BIG time. I have been in the spiritual Olympics these past few years and know that the training camp that I have been so bless with is calling me to the big ice. I know that as the opportunities to bring the concepts of giving and receiving help to the world. I am being asked to live what I speak. 

The past several months I have learned so much about my own strength as well as the power of love. The vastness of love is expansive in the face of pain. It's power is tenfold when we open ourselves to it. When I am able to rest into prayer and meditation I feel God's unconditional love.

Today I am no longer shameful. Today I face my quirks and evolve myself. Today I create a world of love and hope by stepping beyond the fear and old hurts. Today I am JOY. Today I am proud of the woman I have worked so hard to become. Today I skip, knowing I am free from fear because today I love myself and accept love of God and all those he puts on my path!

Transparency: Being open with what we have overcome.

Each of us has lived through hard, crazy and often unbelievable experiences. Those times in our lives that when you look back you just shake your head thinking, 'Did I really live through that?"

Last night I was at a business function and a colleague, who is successful and one of the most giving people I know...spoke how hard it was for her to reveal her trials and tribulations to others. How she just suffers through, alone.

I walked away thinking, how important my work is, to help others go through things together.

This morning I posted a prayer request for a friend living through a foreclosure. Many friends chimed in with support, but the most meaningful one, was an individual willing to expose herself and say she had lived through it too. She shared her lesson of "When you lose everything of monetary value, that is when you realize just how much God values you simply for being you. " WOW

A jewel of wisdom was allowed to shine bright because the courage of one person to share with honesty and compassion for their own journey.

I am humbled by unbounded faith in the willingness to reach out beyond ourselves to find connection to God and ourselves.

"I feel ashamed to ask for help."

I recently interviewed several people who have attempted suicide and heard this exact phrase from each of them. I guess I was moved so much because I said those same words myself. Have you?

Asking for help in these times of gigantic giving has become stigmatized.  We as a world are beautifully focused on giving of ourselves in ways that are unprecedented, yet we have growing populations of people stuck in the cycle of depression, addiction and failure and are unable to see beyond it.

The numbers of suicide attempts is up and more alarmingly so are the successes. Additionally obesity, alcoholism, substance abuse, gambling, sexual addiction, and over spending are all on the rise. According to a recent study, more people admit to suicidal thoughts than ever before. More people are desperate beyond measure and yet cannot find it within themselves to seek the right help.

One woman interviewed told me how a friend, while visiting her in the hospital after her suicide attempt, said that he seen this coming. Staggering...what had he seen? Why had he not acted??

Herein lies the challenge. When interviewing the family and friends of people caught in the cycle of depression and/or addiction, helpless is the word that comes to mind. Does the person want help? Do they want out of the cycle? What can I do?

Our ability to ask for help in times of stress is diminished because of sense of self has been depleted. I was recently sharing my bout with a neurological illness and suicidal depression and my friend said, "I did not realize your were ill, I just thought you were drinking too much."

I felt shocked in that moment. Judged, misunderstood, ashamed. I knew this person cared about me and yet in this chasm of ignorance, my life, my value had been minimized.

Are you struggling with asking for help? I still do sometimes, and yet I know at a very deep level, my life does matter. I reach out and ask. I reach out and give. I allow the cycle to flow back and forth and some how I finally see the beautiful life I have.