 You are still a version of your younger self, forever frozen in time. We all hold different versions of ourselves within our mind, the layers of our bodies, and our tender spirits. Stamps on our soul made through experiences, lessons, trauma, and people leave marks of happiness as well as shards of deep wounds and hurt. Often impressions made will be ground into the fabric of our being, fade away, or get locked up tight; some for good reason. To mend the past and be at peace the present, we must often take a look at the child we once were. See them, love them, and hold space for them to heal. I'd like to guide you through a journey, not to dive deep into the psyche and release old wounds, but to simply honor and love that child in all of their experiences. To remember those lessons, the disappointments, adventures, and accomplishments. To see the torn threads of trauma, and celebrate how you have woven the fabric of your being back together to become who you are today. Take this time to sit back and go within, feel yourself in your body in this moment. Acknowledge any scars or injuries, and offer love for who you are today. Begin to reflect on the lessons you have learned, and all that has brought your to where you are today. Then look further back, and envision yourself at another point in your life when you were small. Perhaps a certain time or circumstance comes to mind, or you simply see how you were then. Imagine walking up to yourself, smiling and reaching out your hand. Have a moment with yourself here, saying anything you would like to say to yourself at this time in your life. Offer love and compassion to your smaller self, giving them anything that they need. Wrap your arms around them and whisper in their ear, 'I love you.' give them any other nourishment or offerings they need, and revisit your favorite place back then. Take a moment to play together and embrace your silliness as a child and being carefree, what do you two do together? Spend as much time as you'd like with your small self, and offer to revisit them often and tend to any needs they might have moving forward. Tuck them in safely within your heart and take them with you wherever you go. MUSINGS FOR THIS MEDITATION: How do you view yourself as a child? What point in your life did you rediscover and why? How can you offer past versions of yourself support? Can you acknowledge the lessons, disappointments, hard work, and sacrifices that have come down your path to get your to where you are today? Sit back and listen to this meditation below. Close your eyes and fall in.... Listen to this meditation and more on my podcast, Modern Goddess Living.
This is an excerpt from my new book, A Peaceful Place to Dwell. This book is a collection of guided meditations to bring you to a heightened state of awareness and profound connection to yourself and the world around you. Meditations on self-love, gratitude, forgiveness, the elements, the seasons, the chakras, moon cycles, relaxation, empowerment and prosperity will give you the tools you need to tap into your highest potential and peel away the layers to your essential self. Each chapter is accompanied by journaling prompts, affirmations and daily sacred rituals to move deeper into your journey of healing and transformation. Learn more and get your copy today here.
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 So if you've dived head first into the wellness pool; exploring meditation, yoga, green smoothies, clean eating, bodywork & other areas of wellness you've probably come across the term Chakra. We've finally dedicated ourselves to taking care of our bodies, our minds, even our spirits.....but now we have to take care of our energy centers? If you're beginning to find there is no end and the whole thing is getting a little too woo woo for you, let me give you some advice.....do yourself a favor and learn about these core aspects of yourself-the woo woo in you will thank you!
So here's the low down on our Chakras.....we have 1000s of them, but to keep it simple we are going to quickly go over our 7 main Chakras. The word Chakra is Sanskrit for 'wheel' or 'disk'. It is said in Hinduism and many other Eastern religions that we not only have our physical bodies; made up of organs, blood, bones and the other things that make us us, but we also have energetic bodies. Auras, Meridians, Chakras & Doshas oh my! A Chakra is an energy center, a spinning vortex of energy located in the body & can extend outward as well. Our 7 main energy centers run vertically up the length of the spine, beginning just below the spine at our perineum and ending up above the crown of our head. Each Chakra has a different frequency, a different vibration. These vibrations radiate a certain color frequency as well, that's why you may have heard that Chakras have different colors. Each energy center helps to regulate not only physical but emotional function, and these can fluctuate throughout our entire lives from childhood until our last days in this physical body. On a physical level, our Chakras are connected to our Endocrine system, so glandular function may be affected if these frequencies get out of whack. Emotionally, each Chakra is connected to a different part of our selves, such as creativity, self esteem, security and more deeply engrained personality traits. Some of our Chakras can develop at certain times in our lives, and it varies from males to females. Take me for example, my throat Chakra has been very closed during most of my life. I was shy, had terrible anxiety whenever I had to speak in public, didn't know how to express myself. It wasn't until my mid-thirties I finally found my voice! I'm now a teacher, a coach & speak in front of dozens of people at a time (with a smile on my face!). It just took a while for that part of me to become fully developed. Sometimes our Chakras are cool and balanced, all is good. But sometimes they can be overloaded, depleted or somewhere in between. Our Chakras are often envisioned as lotus flowers and they can be in several stages from a closed bud to full bloom. Lost yet? No worries, if you know what these parts of ourselves represent, you can use that information to put more tools on your tool belt to help keep you balanced! Let's get started and break it down: 7 Main Chakras-starting from the bottom up: 1. Root Chakra (Muladara Chakra)-located at the perineum this is our basic energy center, red in color and representing our survival instincts, security & groundedness. This chakra is the foundation of the development of our personality & connected to our adrenal glands & sympathetic nervous system. 2. Sacral Chakra (Svadisthana Chakra)-This energy center resides below our navel by our sacrum, the triangular bone between our lumbar spine and our tailbone. Also known as 'the sweetness', this Chakras regulates our desires, self-expression and intimacy. Residing behind our sexual organs it helps regulate our ovaries or testes as well as our sexuality. 3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura Chakra)-This yellow, fiery, solar energy of the sun sits at the space just above our navel. Here sits our personal power & self esteem-our 'go-getter' attitude. Here's our pranic energy, our life force, is created and distributed to the rest of the body & where our egos are developed. This Chakra is connected to our pancreas and adrenal glands. 4. Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra)-Resonating green in color this center is located in the space surrounding our hearts. Controlling our self-forgiveness, universal loving kindness & compassion this Chakra acts as the bridge between our lower physical self & our higher/spiritual selves. Connected to our thymus gland this energy center is said to be where to soul resides. 5. Throat Chakra (Visuddha Chakra)- Our communication, both with ourselves and others, as well as our inner listening, this Chakra develops our personality, thoughts & our emotions. Offering the color sky blue this center is connected to our thyroid and parathyroid. 6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna Chakra)- Located at the space in the center of our forehead our intuition & inner wisdom resides. The color of indigo blue, the night sky, this space is also the 'communication center' & 'commander' of our other Chakras and is connected to our pineal gland. 7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra)-Our final main Chakra is the highest part of ourselves; our connection to the Divine, our understanding. A beautiful white or sometimes violet colors, this 1000 petal lotus is our purest consciousness, connected to our pituitary gland. There are several ways to help keep these parts of yourself balanced through meditation, Reiki or Pranic energy healing, yoga, chanting with Bija mantras and more. Simply wearing the color of the Chakra you are working on can help facilitate balance. So there you have it, the low down on our Chakras! If you'd like to learn a little more about these energy centers I will be hosting a Chakras 101 workshop Sunday May 22nd at 6:30 pm. Visit the events page and reserve your spot today. Here we will dive in a little deeper into these energy centers and do meditations to help find balance-with information & meditations you can take home. You can download your own copy of this and explore my sister site with my Magical and Mystical blog on Modern Goddess Living here. Stay cool and balanced, Tribe. Namaste.  When life gets overwhelming and we find ourselves stressed and scattered, allow yourself some time (if only a few minutes!) to focus on gratitude and to offer yourself some kindness. Turn off your phone, power down the PC, and for Pete's sake turn off the news! We can too easily allow ourselves to get consumed in the chaos. Find a comfortable spot, make some tea, and take some time to reboot. Start to settle into a quiet space within yourself & away from the turmoil of the outside world. Allow your eyes to gently close and begin to tune into your breath. Start to connect with the rhythm of your breath moving in and out of your lungs, noticing how the body expands and then contracts. Allow the breath to regulate and hone in on any tension. Smooth over your forehead, soften your jaw. Begin to work with your breath to ease any stress or tension clinging to you or your thoughts.
Begin to let the mind settle down, and start to draw gratitude into your heart space with each breath in and out. Start to bring to mind anything you are grateful for from today. A sunny morning, no traffic on your commute, the person in front of you picking up the tab for your coffee....allow the good things take precedence. Think of the people in your life you are thankful for, sending them well wishes. Draw in gratitude for the automatic functioning of your lungs, allowing fresh oxygen to nourish your body. Give thanks for your legs and your feet for taking you everywhere you wanted to go today.....for your eyes for all that they see......for your mouth and your throat, allowing you to communicate with others. Continue to draw gratitude into your heart with your breath, thanking your intuition for guiding you along the way and keeping you safe. Give thanks for your mind and the ability to make decisions and live a full, rich life. And finally give thanks to yourself, for all that you do each day. For showing up to take care of yourself and of others.......for all that you have.....and for all that you are. When life gets us down or stressed sometimes all it takes is a little shift in perspective to show us that everything is ok. Namaste, Heather Rae Listen to guided meditations on my podcast or follow me on Insight Timer!  Stress much? Feel like your day to day is often out of your control and you’re just along for the ride? In this time of Covid, Zoom classes & meetings, and the stress of just getting through day to day, the pressures and stress can add up pretty quick. This high octane, crazy train called life can sometimes feel like it’s just fish-hooked you from one task and spun you in two different directions wondering what the heck just happened, all the while facing and endless barrage of news events, tragedies and natural disasters. And needless to say holding onto our ‘Zen’ and positive state of mind proves to be quite the challenge. Work, lack of work, family, friends, virtual events, bills…..the list can go on and on. And on. Relax, you’re doing a great job rocking out life on top of keeping yourself and your family safe. When we initially found ourselves stuck at home, some of us were forced to slow down, enjoy the little things. And some, on the other hand, were thrown head first into the deep end of even more responsibility.
As we all try to find a sense of balance in our new normal, our high-adrenaline and driven selves get caught up in thinking we need to constantly move and cross all those tasks off of our list, when what we really need to do is stop and smell the coffee. Oh the coffee….. you could revel in the smell of it. So revel. When we find ourselves in that chaos of never ending to-do lists, responsibilities that sometimes start at the break of dawn, and a mind that will not, or cannot slow down, it’s time to redirect our focus, get off of auto-pilot and back into the driver’s seat. So sit down. Relax enough to read through these 10 helpful tips to get back some control in your life and get your Zen back. 1. Start your day off on the right foot-If your crazy day starts first thing in the morning give yourself the gift of waking up a little earlier than everyone else. Try to sneak in a run around the block, maybe sit in the yard with your coffee with nothing but the sound of the birds and the world waking up. Sit in meditation to draw in intention and direction for your day, or do a handful of yoga poses to wake up all of your senses and get into your body and focused for the tasks that lie ahead. Stay unplugged in the am for as long as possible and set a positive, calm & productive vibe for your day. 2. Clear the clutter. Take a look at your workspace, car and home. If these areas are in disarray it can create a sense of chaos and being out of control. Set time aside to keep these areas tidy or recruit family members to help stay organized to keep stress level down. If that task seems too overwhelming, pick just one area to start with and chip away at it day by day, and feel the more organized and calming energy set in around you. 3. Know your triggers. What stresses you out? Paying your bills, your commute to work? Going into work? When we can identify out triggers we can more easily work through them and offer ourselves a little extra patience and support. When it’s time to pay bills make a cup of tea, diffuse an essential oil or play classical music to soothe your mood. If your commute is a nightmare get a ‘book on tape’ or podcast you’ve been dying to listen to but haven’t had the time, you won’t want to get out of your car when you get to work! And if just going into the office is a source of stress these days, be sure you have everything you need to feel safe and supported in the workplace, and speak up if you don't. Take some mindful pauses and breaths throughout your day, and step away and take time you need to regroup, walk outside on breaks if available. 4. Clear your calendar. Once and a while-learn to say NO! We often feel obligated to accept every invitation from family and friends, and now a days we want to be sure we are staying connected and taking care of each other. Although our calendars may not be as busy as they used to be, still trust when you know you need some ‘me’ time. Your family and friends will understand, and it’s better to respectfully decline upfront then backing out of it later. Take care of you mental, physical and spiritual health when needed. 5. Reset your mind & body throughout the day. Set mindful alarms on your phone to chime throughout the day. Take this time to check your posture, take some breathing, meditation or stretching breaks. 5 minutes on your breath can be the perfect refresher you need to clear your head and refocus. And if you must get up and get outside, move and disconnect here and there. Your brain will thank you. 6. Stay organized. If your day is stacked with virtual meetings, prepping weekly meals, shopping, cleaning, correspondence and running from here to there take the time to get organized and map out your day or week ahead of time. Set your plan of action and create a mantra for each day of the week depending on what you have coming up. If you have a big presentation at the end of the week set a mantra such as “I am organized. I am confident.” When you have a family trip this weekend with so much to get together set your mantra to “Mother Warrior Goddess” and tackle those challenges with confidence. You can take on anything! 7. End the day with grace. At the end of your crazy day take a moment before you go to bed to set the same attitude you did to start it. Unplug, offer yourself even 5 minutes to meditate or offer yourself a few yin yoga poses to decompress. If you have a hard time ‘turning it off’ and falling asleep keep a journal by your bed. Jot down everything you were grateful for that day, let the good things take precedence. If you must, take this time to make your list for the next day and get anything down on paper that might keep your wheels turning as you retire for the evening. Rest with ease that you’ve done all you can today and have to clear plan on action for tomorrow. And give your permission to rest. 8. Be kind to yourself. Carve out some time to do something you enjoy throughout the day or week, if only for a short time. Find what feeds your soul and offer yourself that gift for being a domestic, new normal, and corporate bad ass. Buy yourself something you’ve wanted, you deserve it. Read that book, take that online course on cooking, and remember you a the sum of many parts, and you must nourish all aspects to find balance. 9. To err is human, to forgive is divine. Life is hard enough, we don’t need to add self judgement and defeating thoughts to the mix. If we don’t get to everything or even royally mess things up remember we are all human. Take the time to reboot and reevaluate your plan of action. If your busyness is affecting your relationships with others it may be time to look at your schedule and yourself with a new set of eyes. Take the time to step back and reset your default. 10. Give thanks to yourself, for all that you do each day. For showing up to take care of yourself and of others.......for all that you have.....and for all that you are. When life gets us down or stressed sometimes all it takes is a little shift in perspective to show us that everything is ok. When life is crazy remember to tune into that peaceful space within yourself. Close your eyes and tune into your breath. Let go of the external world and give soul a peaceful place the dwell. With the right tools you can become the eye of the storm of the chaos around you. The calm center. So take a deep breath in and know, you’ve got this.  As summer nestles down into a slumber and we get that first rush from a cool breeze, something happens and we begin to shift our energy. Whether we realize it or not, we follow Mother Nature’s lead and sync with her circadian rhythms. She has spent the last season on fire reaching a height of growth and fertility, celebrating the power of the sun. Our energy matched hers, spending time outdoors and enjoying all she has to offer. Some of us may have even celebrated the Summer Solstice by offering 108 Sun Salutations with the rising of the sun. Longer days prevailed, and now they have begun to wane. Longer, regenerative nights lie ahead-and we need to take advantage and set our intentions to match hers.
At the Autumn Equinox we hit a complete balance of light vs. dark, and have now just fallen past that tipping point. Now that we’ve burned off that fiery energy of the sun we can begin to shift to a more reflective, cooling energy of the moon. A season of letting go, we begin to settle under a blanket of reflection to see what hasn’t worked in our lives. Reaping the harvest of our past few months of hard work and investments, it’s time to till the soil and release what didn’t pan out. Our lives mirror the seasons, and if we align our energies properly with can work with the cycles instead of against them. So as the world is set ablaze with the colors of the fall, here are 6 ways to align your energy with Mother Nature and find magic this season: 1. Let it go Use the elements of Mother Nature to let go of what no longer serves you. Allowing for contemplation, autumn is a time to turn inward for deeper self-healing and take a look at all we’ve worked to build. What do we need to work on? What didn’t work, and we can release? Create your own ritual of letting go. You can write down what you wish to release, toss the paper in to a fire (only safe practices here, a fire pit or other means of outdoor burning) and watch it turn into ash and disappear. You may also bury the list into the dirt and allow it to be consumed by the Earth Herself. Perform these rituals under the full moon to enhance their effects. Gather a sage bundle or smudge stick, used in purification and protection, to cleanse your home of negative energies. You may also use Palo Santo, wooden sticks made from a mystical tree in South America, found in some metaphysical shops. Related to Frankincense and Myrhh, this ‘Holy Wood’ helps to cleanse home and energy, enhance creativity and enhance immunity. 2. Protection Yourself & Your Home Every fall we gather beautiful chrysanthemums to adorn our home with beautiful colors of the fall. But did you know these are known to be flowers of protection? When we get closer to Halloween then the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest this flower is said to keep the evil spirits at bay. Red mums offer love, yellow & orange bring joy & good cheer, purple represent power & passion, white invokes the truth & bronze encourages a loving, happy home. Gather your mums to create a happy, healthy environment for your pets and your family. You may also set out stones of amber for added protection. 3. Make a Feast! Gather friends and family to celebrate this time of harvest. Foods of the season include root veggies such as beets, potatoes and carrots, nuts, breads, corn, figs, honey, as well as apples which are said to be a most magical fruit! Pomegranate and its seeds are related to Greek Goddess Persephone and her return to the underworld every fall season. Cider, beer, wine and mead can be added to the table as loved ones offer gratitude and reflection during this celebratory time. 4. Set Up Your Meditation Altar Create your space to align your energy with the shift in seasons. The colors yellow, orange, red and brown set the tone for autumn and the changing of the leaves as they work to let go and prepare for winter. Some elements to adorn your altar include: candles, herbs of ivy, myrrh and sage, cloves, cinnamon, and stones of amber and hematite to offer protection and grounding. Add photos of loved ones and what holds gratitude in your heart, or write down a mantra you can return to every day during this shift. Offerings of fresh cut flowers, honey and mead can add another element to invoking the creative and nurturing side of nature. 5. Keep a Gratitude Journal Listen to the transition, journal and prepare for self-healing and reflection. You find you can sense, feel and become one with the change happening all around you. Once you’ve released what you no longer need you are more able to sit back and look at all that you have. Cultivating gratitude is very powerful and has a tremendous effect on your over-all health and well-being. You may choose to journal outside in nature, sitting under an oak or maple tree to connect with their energy and wisdom. This is also a nice ritual to be before you go to bed at night. Begin with some light yin yoga poses to offer the cooling energy of the moon and set a reflective and restorative tone for your journaling. 6. Seva-The Art of Selfless Service When we cultivate gratitude we see all that we have, but may also become aware of what many do not. Take this time to practice the art of Seva, or selfless services. Offer to volunteer at a nursing home or hospice, bring offerings and your kindness to the homeless or disabled veterans. Offer some free classes or services to those who may otherwise not be able to afford such things. Join together communities and help to offer gratitude and self-healing to others and match the nurturing side of Mother Nature during this time. Mother Nature has all that we need readily available at our fingertips, we simply need to know how to apply it and connect with her energy for transformation and change. So let’s work with the currents of the Earth and find a ride with them into beautiful alignment, peace and well-being. Bring a little magic back into your life this fall and nurture your mind, body and spirit. Namaste, Heather Rae  If you've been to any of my yoga classes chances are I've offered the class a mudra to get settled in our beginning meditation. Mudras, Sanskrit for 'seal', are symbolic gestures made with the hands and fingers used in many Indian religions. A visual language, this form of wordless communication helps to realign and direct the energy in the body, mind, and spirt for connections and healing. Often used in yoga as well as meditation, you may use mudras on their own or along with pranayama, or breathing techniques, to cultivate a correct flow of prana in the body. Here are 6 mudras you can use every day to relax, reflect, restore and renew from one of my favorite resources, 72 Yoga Mudras of Yoga by Cain and Revital Carrol.
Use these tools to help connect with yourself and offer strength and healing. Remember every day that you have the power take charge and renew, giving your soul a peaceful place to dwell. Namaste. Get the full deck of Yoga Mudra cards on Amazon-it's a great resource!
 The past few months of this have been the most stressful than most of us can remember; and for some the of us the cost has been more than we can bear. It's been the fear of the unknown, fear for the future and safety of our family and friends. The list is different for everyone, but collectively much of the country and the world has felt a tremendous impact of the past few months. It's important to sit, acknowledge and feel your feelings. Not react. Process. Support. Plan. We spend much time holding space for others, our children especially. Take time now to hold some space for yourself. Sit comfortably. Scan the body and feel where all of the tension is sitting......is it buried into your shoulders? Spread between your eyes, neck and head? Close your eyes and begin to slow your breathing down. Shut out everything in the outside world and begin to reside in the calm, peaceful, and safe place within yourself. Keep the breath moving in and out.
And simply hold space for yourself. Holding space is to be present, without judgement. It's being centered and grounded and to simply allow. It's getting out of your own way, slowing down the 100s of thoughts spinning around in your head to a slow hum; honing in on specifics. Continue to keep the focus inward and on your breath, soothing the central nervous system and allowing you to relax. Not trying to fix, do or change anything. And ask the question 'How am I doing?' 'What am I feeling?'. Hold space for yourself to feel and process. Let the feelings and thoughts come and go as easily as your breath. In, and out. Stay with this process for a while, offering support. Take all that you need, and finding solace in your breath. Offer yourself permission to trust and connect with the innate healing wisdom within yourself and ask. 'What do I need?' 'How do I take back control?' 'What's my plan of action?' Trust in yourself to offer the time and space you need for growth and transformation. Breathe in peace. Release stress. Breathe in clarity. Let go of fear. Breath in love. Taking time to hold space for ourselves as well as others is important in our process to become more reflective and less reactive. To tap into our higher selves and see things more clearly. Take a step back, and breathe. I offer peace and love to everyone and our unity is important now more than ever before. United we stand. Divided we fall. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Peace, Peace. Peace. Be well and Namaste. Sit back and listen to this meditation here...and find more on my podcast Modern Goddess Living here.  At the end of every given year, we may either be happy for sad to see it go. It's important to leave any cycle with reflection and intention on which direction to go moving forward. Before each new year we come to the passing of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. This is a time to sync up with Mother Nature, reflect over our year, and release what no longer serves to create space for new adventure and abundance into our lives. When we reconnect with nature, sync with her seasons and her elements we can then create our own future; find the path of least resistance and take back perhaps a little bit of control over our lives. I'm talking intention and manifestation time!
With the busyness of current society it’s easy to see why so many of us feel out of control and victims to the chaos around us. That’s why this year we must pull back on the reigns, wipe the filters from our eyes and for one, just breathe. If we begin with meditation then there’s half of the control. To close your eyes and tune into the sensations of your breath you alone can soothe the central nervous system, release tension and that sometimes sharp, reactive thinking. Meditation give us the power to be the calm center; the eye of the storm that is the chaos around us. I’ve meditated in many spaces including my office before a presentation or teaching a class and even the Secretary of State. You don’t need to have your eyes closed and tune out the entire world, you simply need mindfulness and peace will follow. Meditation can be about being content while being completely present and aware of the world around you. As little as 5 minutes a day can be enough to release stress, increase focus and set intention for your day. Create an altar space in your home, somewhere you can be alone if possible. Here you can gather all you need for working with the elements and working with manifestation and setting intentions. My space often includes stones and crystals for healing & grounding. Mother Nature's healers, crystals and stones hold vibrations and have qualities that can help to enhance health. We are naturally receptive to the healing qualities of these Earthly elements and they can work to balance blockages of the body, mind & spirit. Use these in rituals for health, wellness, prosperity and more. I also use inspiring words or photos, candles and sage or Palo Santo for cleansing negative energy. Draw a tarot card if you find you need direction in a situation or somewhere to put your focus. Here’s a little ritual that’s easy to put together to set positive intentions and direction. Set up your space and gather your tools. 1. Pick your stones- My favorite three stones for this ritual would be Hematite, Moonstone and Obsidian. You may set these on your altar or hold in your hands. Hematite is great for grounding, protection, and bringing harmony to body, mind and spirit Moonstone is for new beginnings, reflection and intuition Obsidian offers support in growth, deep soul healing, shields from negativity, and very powerful in releasing/absorbing emotions 2. Clear the space- Grab a bundle of sage or a stick of Palo Santo to cleanse negative energy. If you have a small bell set that near you as well. 3. Get your photos, either of family, friends or create a vision board of what you would like your upcoming year to look like. 4. Create your Mantra-Decide whatever your personal mantra or intention is for the year, write it down and set that on your altar as well. Gather anything else inspiring and set that in your space. 5. Grab your candles and your oils- You can use different colored candles for different meanings, or I like to use white as a universal and put my intention into it. If you have essential oils, anoint your candles before you light them; a lemongrass oil to balance, uplift and calm or Sandalwood for good fortune, protection and success are two good choices. Settle into your space with your tools around you. Offer yourself a meditation to tune into your breath, get centered and release tension. Set your photos, mantra and anything else you'd like on your altar space, then anoint and light your candles. Take time to take inventory over your year, see what has worked, what has not. What old belief systems have been holding you back? What projects lead you in the wrong direction this year? What relationships no longer serve? Start to find a release process with your breath to let go of the old; imagine creating space in and all around you to release and let go. Take as much time as you need, then continue by lighting your sage or Palo Santo and smudge your room and yourself; you may extend out to the entire house if you'd like to do a house cleansing or blessing for the new year. I like to use my hands to literally sweep the old energy off of me; a cracked window will draw the old energy out and allow fresh air to come in. When finished ring your bell to 'ring out the old'. Sit in meditation with your mantra and envision what you wish to manifest for the upcoming year. Envision and feel all that you want to draw to yourself, and see it as though it was already here. Draw that intension into every aspect of your being.....and like cultivating a seed to sprout nourish that intension and let it grow. When you feel complete and full of new direction for the year, ring your bell to 'ring in the new'. Allow a deep cleansing breath to set your intension out into the Universe, ready to come back into fruition when it's ready. Learn more about using the elements for meditation and manifestation at our new website, Modern Goddess Living Live well, love well, be well. Namaste. Everywhere in life there is something striving for balance, to find a perfect place of harmony, a balance of opposites. For those of you who think yoga asana (posture) practice is all downward facing dogs, planks and warriors I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to my favorite asana practice, Yin yoga. If you've never practiced yoga before, if your regular practice often masters some of the more challenging inversions, or you do nothing but Crossfit, here's why yin yoga would be a great addition to your wellness routine. Even in yoga we can let our egos take control, striving to hit that most advanced poses, we want to be 'good' at it. We can lose our focus and forget why we are on our mat. Yin yoga marries asana and meditation, which can be challenging because when your body slows down, the mind wants to chime in. But this type of active relaxation may be just what you need to restore and renew. In our Yang asana practice we work on our Yang tissues, muscles & tendons. It is a masculine, firery energy; and this is our flow that includes sun salutations, warriors and dynamic breath with movement. In yin we find well, the opposite. Our feminine, nurturing, lunar energy is found and we force ourselves to slooooowww down. We use no muscular engagement, the muscles are cool, not warm. Most of the practice is done close to the mat, working a lot from navel to knees as well as nice ways to open up the chest. We offer the body support with pillows, bolsters, blocks and blankets and we hold poses anywhere from 3-6 minutes. We let gravity to the work and allow ourselves to simply be. Here we work the Yin tissues; connective tissue, facia, ligaments. Our connective tissues are similar to silly puddy. If you remember playing with silly puddy as a kid you may recall if you take it and try to pull it apart while its cold it tending to have no give, to even snap. But if you're patient, and you hold it in your hands and roll it around something magical happens. It begins to soften, expand and lengthen more that you thought was event possible! So that's what we do, we work with patience and presence, allowing the body to lengthen and expand. With simply the weight of your own body and time the body and can reach more flexibility and release the tensions of the mind to find stillness. A beautiful balance to any routine, I'd love for you to join me in this most healing, restorative practice. To see the current offerings of this and other classes feel free to visit here for more information. Be well and hope to see you soon. Namaste.   Close friends, a fire, fuzzy socks, warm blankets, candlelight, coffee and cake.....such simple ingredients are the keystones to a very important tradition in Denmark called Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga). A way to make the most of the cold, dark nights, this tradition embodies warmth and light. Known as the art of building sanctuary, hygge makes the most of the little things and calls to gather what fills your heart with love and comfort. Hygge can be used as a verb, noun or adjective. Fuzzy socks are hygge. Sitting by the fire with a good book is hygge. That feeling you get when your belly is warmed by the first sip of hot cocoa is hygge.
Creating a sense of closeness and belonging with a lot of the warm and fuzzies is something most of us could use right about now. No tv, no outside world, just the soft glow of candles and the laughter of family and friends. A place we can let our guard down and feel safe, even if we are alone in a bath with a dog by our side. Hygge is a lifestyle, a priority in the lives of so many. Our current day to day society is filled with so much noise, fear, stress and busyness I feel we can all take a page from our Scandinavian friend's book. My Hygge may include my dog, a cup of peppermint tea, candles, music and a good book or having some friends family over to soak in some genuine intimacy, presence and closeness. (I'm always game for a lot of good food and a glass of wine too!) Rituals for living and feeding the soul are important reminders that it doesn't take much to make our heart sing. So take comfort in the simple things, have a Hygge night with your nearest and dearest. Forget for a while what is beyond the walls of your home, that which is meant to be your sanctuary, your safe place. No electronics aloud, no social media. If it sounds too simple and like there's nothing to it it's because there's not! So throw on some fuzzy socks and grab some matches........and just Hygge. Learn more about this simple yet inspiring practice at www.hyggehouse.com or pick up a copy of the Little Book of Hygge to learn more ways to simplify and enrich your soul. |
AuthorHello lovelies. I am a life/Goddess/meditation coach, body and energy worker , yoga instructor and author. I hope you enjoy my journey of discovering our magic and connecting along our journey of health, wealth of spirit and evolution. I am happy to share my experiences with you to heal, love, and evolve. ArchivesCategories
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