A Soul Journey
a YoGo MEGA Post!
Please enjoy this offering; I hope it helps you continue your soul journey. If you enjoy it and would like to contribute to more mega posts, I would be very grateful!
You are energy, light.
You were hand-crafted by the universe to be the unique soul you are.
You are complete; there is nothing you need to achieve, obtain or learn.
You are loved, loved deeply, and accepted fully.
You may have forgotten this elemental essence of yourself. The world’s chaos, the constant input from your senses, and the loop-tape of thoughts in your mind may obscure it. But it is always there, your essential nature, quietly issuing you an invitation to enter.
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”
Creating a deep relationship with yourself is the most rewarding relationship you can cultivate. Your inner light will keep expanding until it cracks you wide open. You’ll become the light, no longer defined by the mind, accompanying emotions, or your physical body. You are unchanging, life itself.
Living your life so that your inner light permeates your thoughts, emotions and actions means being authentic. Committing to a lifetime practice of becoming.
Over the next six weeks (if you read one tab a day), you’ll receive
• path cards containing soul insights to explore and ponder,
• quotes that sum up a wealth of understanding in a few words
• meditation and yoga practices that help you grow soulfully, and
• other helpful aids like podcasts, mantras, and more.
I encourage you to consume the insights it small bits, allowing yourself to fully assimilate the information.
You can also set up a Soul Coaching session with me to dive deep into the topic of your choice. All coaching sessions include an intuitive reading and guidance for your journey.
Starting the Journey
Throw off your limitations and experience the joy of being you! This pod-tation, part of the Soul Journey series, is sort of a mix between a podcast and a meditation. I recommend listening to it in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Click the image below to begin.
Your soul is the essence of who you are. It is eternal, unchanging, and divine, crafted by God/source/consciousness. It animates your physical form, which is temporary, changing, and part of nature. Your soul doesn’t reside within your physical body but is life itself, extending beyond the confines of your body, caring for your body.
Think of God/source/consciousness as the ocean. When you come into a life, you are like a wave, rising into a unique expression but still connected to the sea. And like a wave of water, you are complete and whole – a single drop of water still contains all the elements of water. When you leave this lifetime, your wave dissolves back into the ocean.
It’s challenging to feel back into your soul: it is less demanding and active than your mind, and you can’t experience it with your five senses. It is that ineffable essence of who you are. It speaks sparingly and softly like a wise guru, but it does communicate with you – it IS you!
Take some time to feel into your soulful self. Your mind likes to be center stage and will likely try to convince you that if you can’t experience it via your five senses, that means it doesn’t exist. But remember that your soul is the creator of your mind. Simply inform your mind that this is your truth.
You are the universe pretending to be a bird.
These were the words on a post, showing a mama bird talking to her baby bird. But it is so TRUE. Each of us is the universe expressing itself in a unique and perfect form. You are whole and complete, bringing your unique gifts into the world, experiencing your unique life path.
Guided meditations help you relax, quiet your mind and take your awareness within. We’ll explore different styles of meditations, and you can use the ones that resonate most as often as you’d like.
Start your meditation time by getting extremely comfortable. You can sit or lie down. I like lying down with a blanket, neck support, and an eye pillow, sometimes adding a bolster under my knees.
This 27- minute meditation focuses on your heart center, the home of your soul. It’s a yoga nidra (yogic sleep) meditation, generally following the Satyananda Saraswati style. Enjoy!
You are the Sky. Everything else is just the weather. – Pema Chodron
Take time today to feel back into the timeless, still, spacious place within – your essential nature. Notice that when you settle into this place, you are unchanging, whole, and at peace. From this vantage point, you can observe all that is changing as it passes through your awareness – like weather passing through. Notice any preferences or aversions you have to the weather. Can you be like the sky, happy to welcome whatever arises, unfolds, and passes?
It’s time to become more intimately acquainted with your soulful self: it’s always there, hiding in plain sight, inviting you in. Let’s explore some ways to find and spend time with this elemental essence of you.
• Be present. Most of the time, we allow ourselves to be lost in our thoughts. We are almost always thinking about the past or the future. This week, try to be more in the present moment, even when you are driving your car or doing other routine tasks. This can be particularly nice while walking in nature.
• Linger at the bottom of your exhales. Spend time focusing all your attention on your breath. Let your breath be slow and without strain. At the end of each exhale, linger in the silence until your breath needs to resume. Note – only hold your breath if your health allows it.
• Meditate. Use this week’s meditation to relax, slow your brain waves, and drop back into your soulful self.
I recommend journaling your experiences and insights. It can help you see your progress and the beauty of your journey.
Being vs Doing
Everything in life has balance: each inhale has an exhale, yang has its yin, and sound is paired with silence. We, too, require balance, our doing being balanced with being. In the being, we re-establish our connection to our soulful selves and enable ourselves to live authentically.
Our culture values doing: being productive, accomplishing tasks, learning, and utilizing our minds. It reminds me of the Nike slogan: “Just do it.” We are here to experience the world, so actively engaging is healthy. Still, we are here to understand our true nature and live from our unchanging selves. We can only live authentic, joyous lives if we establish deep relationships with the core of who we are.
Let’s Find Some Balance!
Last week, we explored ways to connect with our soulful selves. This week, I invite you to expand on those initial steps.
🤔Consider your definition of productivity: when you reflect on your day, what activities promote a feeling of a well-spent day? Ensure that you add space in your day to meditate, walk in nature, sit in silence, or do breath practice. Consider those times some of the MOST productive activities in your day.
✍🏽Journal about what provides you with a sense of being, grounding, and a reconnection to your soulful self. Ensure those activities are a regular part of your day.
📵Put down your phone! We used to have built-in space in our day in a waiting room or standing in a line. Today, we pick up our phones and fill that space using social media or texting. Let that space creep back in, and allow yourself to enjoy the moment.
🤹Resist the urge to multitask. Do one thing at a time, with intention. Treat each moment that comes your way as if you chose it and it has something to teach you.
Be here now.– Ram Dass
I love this quote. Yes, it’s straightforward, but consider that if you live this moment thinking about the past, or the future, you’ve lost the moment forever. When you recall the most meaningful moments of your life, I bet you were fully present and engaged.
This practice was created in June 2018 as part of a YoGo theme: Moving Meditations. You can explore the theme talk and more via the button below. Remember: all cues are an invitation. Only do what makes sense for YOUR body.
Check out the associated theme Moving Meditations
I read Dr. Taylor’s book “My Stroke of Insight” years ago after my mom had a massive stroke. Not only did it help me understand my mom’s situation, but it dove right into the heart of my yogic practice. This is a must-view, and her book is a must-read for anyone on a spiritual journey.
Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: In her thirties, she had a massive stroke and watched as her brain functions — motion, speech, self-awareness — shut down one by one. As the left side of her brain became dormant, she became deeply connected to the universe, felt a sense of oneness with everyone and everything, and experienced herself as our energy.
Every breath is a reminder to balance doing and being. – Carin
I like this quote because it reminds us that the universe fashioned our breath to ensure balance in our physical and energetic bodies. Inhales fill our bodies with energy and ready us for doing. Exhales draw us within and remind us to connect to our soulful selves.
This 14-minute meditation starts with body relaxation, explores a sensation, feeling, or belief, prompts you to cultivate a robust, soulful self, and allows you to be present for a few minutes.
The exploration portion enables you to follow a physical message to its root. The body is energy, and physical sensations often have an underlying emotional/belief component.
Cultivating the attributes of your soulful self enables you to fully embody this deeper, true part of your being and bring it more into your life.
Being present in the eternal now cultivates peace, mindfulness, and clarity.
If you have ever been with someone who is fully present, you know how powerful it is. Someone who takes the time to stop, look you in the eye, and show genuine interest in what you have to say. Someone who makes it all about YOU. It’s the most lovely gift you can receive.
I invite you, for the next week, to be fully present for at least one conversation per day. Below are helpful tips:
• Quiet your mind and ground your energy. Show the other person that you are there for them, not about to go somewhere or do something.
• Let all your awareness be on the other person. This doesn’t mean being laser-focused, but instead creating an expansive feeling in your body and mind and embracing the other person. Have a holistic sense of the person.
• Listen deeply and with curiosity. Cultivate an open curiosity and genuine interest in what the person is sharing. Ask open-ended questions to enable the person to continue exploring and sharing.
•Share appreciation and encouragement. Genuine praise and appreciation leave a soulful mark.
Being Present
Your soulful self is unchanging. Everything else is transitory: your thoughts, emotions, physical body, and the world around you. You are unchanging in the midst of all that is changing.
When deeply felt, this realization brings a deep sense of joy. After all, it means you are eternal, perfect, and whole, despite whatever is happening inside and in the world. Why is it so hard to find and rest in this joy?
Let’s Put Things Into Action!
Last week, we discussed the busyness of our minds and why it’s hard for the soul to get a word in edgewise. Add to that the events going on in our lives and planet earth, and it’s no wonder our unchanging foundation feels elusive. How do we tap into this steady foundation and the stability and joy it brings?
🧘♀️ When meditating, even for a few moments, feel back into your unchanging, soulful self. Use what is changing as a pointer to find the unchanging field beneath it. Just as sound points to silence, sensation to stillness, change points to that which is steady and constant.
🤔 Practice feeling opposites in your body. Notice what is changing and unchanging, allowing both to be present simultaneously.
❤️ When you tap into the unchanging soulful self, spend time there and cultivate the sensation of joy. Let it permeate your whole being, imprinting on your cells. The more you pair a quiet mind with the feeling of joy, the more you can tap into it at will and eventually embody it.
Hindu LegendThere was once a time when all human beings were gods, but they so abused their divinity that Brahma, the chief god, decided to take it away from them and hide it where it could never be found.Where to hide their divinity was the question. So Brahma called a council of the gods to help him decide. “Let’s bury it deep in the earth,” said the gods. But Brahma answered, “No, that will not do because humans will dig into the earth and find it.” Then the gods said, “Let’s sink it in the deepest ocean.” But Brahma said, “No, not there, for they will learn to dive into the ocean and will find it.”Then the gods said, “Let’s take it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there.” But once again Brahma replied, “No, that will not do either, because they will eventually climb every mountain and once again take up their divinity.”Then the gods gave up and said, “We do not know where to hide it, because it seems that there is no place on earth or in the sea that human beings will not eventually reach.”Brahma thought for a long time and then said, “Here is what we will do. We will hide their divinity deep in the center of their own being, for humans will never think to look for it there.”All the gods agreed that this was the perfect hiding place, and the deed was done. And since that time humans have been going up and down the earth, digging, diving, climbing, and exploring—searching for something already within themselves.– Author unknown
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle, is a rich exploration of the mind and soul. It’s about cleaning out your inner closet and living in the present. It packs so much truth that I recommend you read it in small doses, letting ideas settle and allowing yourself to explore them.
I usually post my meditations, but this 16-minute meditation by Mooji is my favorite for filtering out the noise and dropping into my soulful self.
Intuition is a sacred gift, and the mind it’s faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant but has forgotten the gift.– Albert Einstein
our intuition speaks before your mind, like when you have a gut feeling or a sense of knowing. Listen and receive its guidance and allow your mind to act on it.
This is a slow-flow vinyasa practice. We’ll do a little movement and wake our bodies up during this typically cold and indoor season. Remember to enjoy a 5 – 10 minute savasana when it’s done, or listen to your guided yoga nidra meditation. The practice is 35 minutes + savasana. You’ll need a mat and anything you require for your meditation.
This practice was created in December 2017 as part of the YoGo theme: Beauty of the Bowl. You can explore the theme talk and more via the button below. Remember: all cues are an invitation. Only do what makes sense for YOUR body.
This practice is part of the theme Beauty of the Bowl
When we do this, it enables us to feel back into unchanging awareness. We cultivate curiosity, open up possibilities, and understand there are multiple ways of experiencing each moment. We become more responsive and less reactive.
The mind literally can’t sit still. It fidgets and wants to be in the limelight like an energetic toddler. It speaks loudly. It likes make-believe and creating stories. It takes input from your senses, eagerly states preferences and aversions, and analyzes, judges, and categorizes everything. It likes things to be consistent and normal; anything new and different causes it to act out. It is happiest when it’s busy and active.
And just like a toddler, it has a tough time sitting still. Can you imagine a small child sitting in a chair and simply appreciating the scents wafting through the air, curiously taking in the colors around them, and basking in the sensations of the air on their body? Probably not. They’d complain they were bored, as we do, consciously or unconsciously.
When the din of sensual input and chatter from the mind is loud, it is hard to find, let alone appreciate, our soulful self’s quiet voice. But it’s there, in the spaces between our thoughts, inviting us in. So if we create more spaces between our thoughts, we create more opportunities to experience our essential nature, our soulful self. How do we slow the mind?
Let’s Practice!
• Use the mind’s natural pauses. Our brain waves slow from beta to alpha and below before sleeping and upon waking. Take those moments to be still and rest in that sense of unchanging, silent stillness.
• Meditate. Meditation is a great way to slow the mind, whether silent or guided.
• Breathe and be curious. At the end of each exhale, pause and be curious about the mind’s next thought. The act of wondering will create a delay.
• Do something that absorbs and relaxes you, like walking in nature. Create an intention to be present and to allow your soulful self to speak.
The Mind
If we literally can’t see the forest for the trees, it is hard to know which way we are heading. Having a compass allows us to get perspective and move towards our destination. Having a compass for our life is vital.
Whereas a goal is a measurable result with a specific timeframe, an intention is a way of being that underlies all your actions. It allows you, in any situation, to know – in your mind, heart, and body – who you are and why you are here. It enables you to be authentic. It is your true North.
By aligning to your true North, you can make choices that reflect your soulful self and keep you on your best path. And anything that serves your highest good also serves the highest good of everyone around you.
Your intention, also called your Sankalpa, is a way of being or a gift you feel you were born to bring into this lifetime. It’s how you live your life and often aligns with your vocation. When you are aligned with your intention throughout your mind, heart, and body, you feel like you are exactly who you were born to be, utterly right with the world. Joy permeates your being.
Let’s Put Things Into Action!
Here are some ideas for crafting your intention, or true North:
✍️ Close your eyes and think of a time when you were interacting in the world and felt completely authentic. Describe it in writing – words and phrases.
🎁 What gifts or qualities were shining through at that moment? How were you serving your highest good and
those around you?
🤔 Ask yourself, “what was I born to do in this life?” Write the first things that come to mind without overthinking. Write down words, images, and phrases that arise.
🔝 Look through what you have written and see what floats to the top. Start to shorten your intention to a short phrase stated in the present tense, as if it is already true. This part can take a while and will likely evolve. You can also start with an intention to discover your intention and let it slowly solidify over time. Remember that 95% of your brain’s activities are subconscious, so allow that deeper part of yourself to reveal the answer slowly.
🧭 You’ll know when you have your true North when the words resonate strongly throughout your whole being, when simply thinking about them brings a sense of joy and strength, and when your words align with the authentic YOU.
You can’t be anything you want, but you CAN be everything you are.– Jay Shetty
This quote is powerful. If we are connected to our soulful selves and living authentically, we will naturally pursue our dharma – what we are built to do and here to do. And when we are following our dharma, we will have all that we need already within us, including the passion for pursuing it and the satisfaction that results from living our unique path. It may take training and hard work, and we may experience failure and setbacks, but deep within, we will know we are on our soul’s path.
Think about the attributes that make up your authentic self. Strong, kind, joyful, and wise words may come to mind. Feel these attributes inside yourself, transforming into the true you. Do this often enough that you can transform instantly. Use this superpower to transform into your authentic self whenever the need arises, or simply because you CAN!
The human body doesn’t know the difference between an actual experience and one you cultivate. Combining your intention with its associated sensations in the body begins to re-program your brain. It solidifies that this is the authentic you, prompting your brain to re-wire and plant this new way of being into the 95% of your brain, which is working at a subconscious level, drawing from your definition of self. It also changes the energy you project into the world, attracting similar energy into your life.
A few of you have requested a short, intention-setting meditation, so here you go!
Before using the meditation, create your intention. This can be a big intention/Sankalpa (see your True North path card) or a shorter-term intention.
Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. And when we introduce an intention in our pure potentiality, we put this infinite organizing power to work for us.– Deepak Chopra
Silence has many benefits. It’s like rebooting your computer and letting it stay powered off for a while before turning everything back on.
When we allow ourselves to spend time luxuriating in the present moment, noticing what is coming through our awareness, and refraining from interaction mentally or vocally, we reset and recharge. We have aha moments and profound clarity. We allow our soul/intuition to get a word in edgewise.
This week, create quiet time for yourself. Relax, take a walk, spend time in nature – whatever calls you. Refrain from speaking, and bring yourself back to silent awareness as you notice your mind thinking. Be completely open to whatever comes in through your senses or intuition. Receive guidance about your intention without grasping for it with the mind. Consider journaling about the experience.
A horse takes direction from its rider. Once the rider drops the reins, the horse instinctively returns to the barn.
I love this saying. Consider your mind as the rider and the horse as your soulful self. Once your mind releases the reins, no longer galloping across fields of thoughts and emotions, your inner self returns home.
This happens naturally when we fall asleep, though too many lingering thoughts can result in poor sleep. We can also cultivate it during our waking hours by becoming more present. Remember that your soulful self is your natural state!
The first important note is that quieting the mind is difficult. The second yoga sutra states that once a yogi has mastered stilling the fluctuations of their mind, they will achieve the goal of yoga. So start by looking at your mind chatter with curiosity instead of frustration. See it as an opportunity to practice the science of yoga.
Secondly, quieting the mind requires a lifestyle practice. Are you familiar with the book title “Sex Begins in the Kitchen?” Likewise, if we want to quiet our minds in the present moment, much soul care should have already occurred. Be committed to the journey.
Lastly, your mind is part of your body, so take care of yourself. Eat well, avoid excess caffeine or alcohol, and surround yourself with people and activities that nurture you. Want a quick litmus test for what is beneficial for you? Gravitate toward what feels expansive in your body and move away from restrictive things.
So, now that we have established that quieting the mind is a lifetime practice requiring soul and self-care throughout our day what next?
• Begin thinking of your mind as separate from yourself – because it is. It is there for you to explore and interact with the world in ways that benefit you. Take back your role as a charioteer, and remember who you are – your soulful self.
•Become aware when your mind is running amok and rein it in. Even if it is daydreaming about something pleasant, come back to the present moment. Your brain loves to operate from your routines, so create new patterns. Be present.
• Do one thing at a time and avoid multi-tasking: train your mind to be single-threaded and intentional. Avoid going on auto-pilot and ensure your mind, body, and soul are constantly engaged in the same activity.
• Use intentions to reset the mind. Do you replay things you have done or said? Setting an intention of “I do my best and let go of the rest” may serve you well. Do you worry about the future? An intention “I trust the universe to guide my life” may be just the ticket. Plant your intention when you wake up, go to sleep, in meditation, use a mala, with yellow stickies on your computer – whatever works. And when the mind starts its loop tape of unhelpful thoughts, do a reboot: stop the chatter, state your intention, and move forward fully present.
Compliment your soul care with practical techniques to quiet the mind in the current moment.
• Empty the mind of its current playlist. Write things down, visualize letting them go into the universe, or use whatever method works for you.
• Adopt a curious attitude. Frustration will only make things worse, so look at your mind’s activity as a natural function and observe it without becoming involved.
• Release stagnant energy, move into your body, and breathe with yoga practices or other activities that relax you, like music or walking in nature.
• Eliminate outer distractions, things coming in through your five senses. Draw your awareness inward.
• If doable, find a place where you feel at peace. A space reserved specifically for this purpose, or nature, works best.
• Find what works best for you and repeat it, creating your unique ritual. This new routine will retrain your brain: the activities in your practice will signal the brain that it is now quiet time.
Manifesting
For a long time, I thought manifesting was sending energy into the world to request what I wanted. Without much faith in the results, I would set an intention and send my desires into the world. What I didn’t realize was that I was wishing, not manifesting. And when you manifest a wish, it stays just that—a wish.
To truly manifest something in our lives, we must be able to see and feel it in our bodies, as if it is already true. This creates energy that attracts change and makes it real in our lives; it transforms energy into matter. It reflects the principle that we don’t get what we want but what we expect. If you want to manifest something in your life, here are some steps you can take:
1️⃣ We are not meant to manifest just any old thing. We are meant to manifest what we truly need to move us along our life path. You can only manifest what is meant for you and serves your highest good. And if it serves your highest good, it will naturally serve the world’s collective highest good.
2️⃣ The law of attraction: There are many views and elements to this law, but the main takeaway for me is that manifesting is not about sending energy outward to effect change; it’s about profoundly aligning with the Soul to draw in what we need to nurture us and move us along our path. When we focus on and embody our desired state as if it is our present state, it reinforces it in our brain pathways, transmitting new energy that attracts new possibilities. Focusing on the issues or impediments will strengthen those pathways in our brains. Wishing, instead of embodying our desired state as already true, also creates unwanted frequencies and pathways. Truly feel and embody the completeness you want in your life and be open to what comes your way. Cultivate a sense of gratitude for what the universe will provide. They say that synchronicity is when you are on your best path, with all you need easily provided, recognized, and accepted.
3️⃣ If you are on the journey to understand your true nature and align yourself with your Soul’s path, your inner voice will help you navigate and provide what you need. And if it inspires you to take a leap of faith, it will provide what is required. Let go of the barriers and fears created in your mind and have faith, truly allowing the universe to provide. This leap of faith, this letting go and embracing what the universe offers, is the ultimate form of manifesting.
Let’s Put Things Into Action!
In “Becoming Supernatural,” Dr. Dispenza provides excellent guidance, including meditations, on manifesting. I have used his approach and truly manifested change in my life! Summarizing his approach, which supports the ideas above, includes the following steps:
🤔 Think about the change you are manifesting: what will your new world look like, and how will you live with this new change? See it in your mind and fully experience it as if it is already true.
🤗 Feel throughout your body as if this change is already true. Take time to feel it within every cell of your being. Include feelings like joy or love – heightened, positive emotions.
🙏Offer your request as a prayer to the universe and feel deeply grateful for what you will receive.
🧲 Do this every day. As much as possible, move into thinking and feeling this new reality. The universe will decide the timing and how your request will be provided. You are transmitting the energy to draw the change to you, so have faith and live in your new future.
•Write a letter at the top—draw two curvy lines around it and sunbeams emanating from it.
•On the left side of the paper, make a list of attributes that will be true when your desired possibility has fully manifested in your life. If it’s a job, it can be things like the salary you will make, the location, if there is travel, hours, whether the job is at home or in the office, what kinds of things you’ll get to do, your role, etc. If it’s a relationship, you may list the type of partnership, what you will get from the relationship, what you will give, etc. You get the idea!
•On the right side of the paper, write down how you will feel when this possibility is real. Things like grateful, fulfilled, valued, strong, etc.
•Spend time and feel this new reality in your mind and body. Get ready for the upcoming meditation!
This 17-minute meditation helps you manifest a possibility created using Dr. Joe Dispenza’s method outlined in his book “Becoming Supernatural.” Enjoy!
Note: You can listen to Dr. Dispenza’s meditation through Audibles and other mediums.
Whenever we do something, our brain takes notice and starts to create an app for it — it tries to make our life easy by automating that activity so we can do it easily without consciously thinking about it.
This is handy for things like walking, brushing our teeth, or driving our car – routine things we do pretty frequently. It enables us to walk and chew gum at the same time!
But it’s not helpful for behaviors limiting us and keeping us from being our best selves, making desired changes, or following our true North. Think of this preset brain wiring as a well-worn path through the forest that makes it hard to forge a new path.
Our previous experiences have known and predictable outcomes – good or bad – that make them feel comfortable and safe. We know what will happen. If we change things up, it’s a brave new world. That can feel unsafe and scary.
So how do we affect change?
👀 Take a look at your beliefs. Is there a deep-rooted belief that is behind this pattern or behavior? If so, it is vital to work through it to change effectively. Explore your ingrained beliefs via a co-meditation dyad or iRest meditation that focuses on the Vishvijnanamaya/Wisdom kosha.
💖 Set an intention for your desired state. Feel how implementing the desired change will feel in your mind, body, and heart. State it in a short sentence as though this state is already your reality. When presented with your target situation, hear this intention/mantra in your head, and feel this new state throughout your whole being. Plant this intention in your meditations. Say it to yourself upon going to bed and upon waking.
🤗 Be kind to yourself and take it one step at a time. You are forging a new path, and that is hard. Know that each time you rise out of the grooves and develop a new path, you are starting the process of laying down a new track that will eventually result in an updated mind app.
💝 Set up rewards. While the change will provide its own rewards, consider other rewards or incentives you may create for yourself to stay on track. Pick something that will reinforce your desired new behavior.
🧑🏻🤝🧑🏿Partner with an Accountability buddy. If you are participating in coaching, your coach can assist you with staying on track. If you are implementing change on your own, consider getting an accountability buddy who can help you stay on track.
Use these until the new behavior is hard-wired and your app has been updated
Be Impeccable
The answers you seek lie within. Your inner sage speaks with quiet knowing in the stillness between thoughts. – Carin
I love something Gurudev said once – you only need a guru until you realize YOU are your guru. You already have all the knowledge you will ever need. You have the entire universe of wisdom within you!
Like all authors, I create descriptions for each character when I write. What do they look like? What motivates them? What are their interests, beliefs, and quirks? What major life events have they survived, and how did they affect them? A million little details flesh out each of us and make us interesting.
YOU are the author of your character description. You’ve been adding to it and updating it all your life. Most of it was written when you were young, based on external events/influences, comparing yourself to cultural norms and things said by other people. Your brain is happy to store your self-description, constantly reminding you of who you are. And because the brain focuses on the negative – after all, in primitive times, noticing things that were not normal or dangerous could save us from a saber tooth tiger – it typically reminds us of our shortcomings and quirks. But it’s only comparing us to the character description WE wrote, no matter how outdated, biased and untrue it might be.
So consider doing two things that can change your life. First, know – at a deep, unshakeable level – that you are not your human mind and body. You are a perfect soul. Your complete soul character description is ‘I am.’ Done.
Second, because we need to animate this human body while on this planet, grow, learn and make a difference, re-write your human character description to affirm the positive, wonderful, delightful things about you. And really, there are no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ character traits. Embrace who you are, the whole messy enchilada.
See yourself as your soul sees you – lovable, unique, and perfect. Find traits in your character description that no longer serve you and create an affirmation to replace them, e.g., translate ‘I am unloveable’ -> ‘I am perfect, unique, and lovable. Pick one or two of these affirmations and state them to yourself when you go to sleep, wake up, and throughout your day. Pair them with a physical sensation in the body – an elevated emotion like peace, love, bliss, or gratitude. Journal aha moments and other interesting findings.
A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions. – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
During the past six weeks, you have deepened your relationship with your soul and opened your mind to new possibilities. You have begun re-programming the default scripts from which you operate. You are forever changed. Be wildly grateful!!!!!!!
You have renewed your relationship with your Soulful Self. Perhaps you are feeling blissful and seeing the world through fresh, clear eyes. Perfect!
Now, it is essential to keep this new you shiny and fresh. Without care and feeding, your monkey mind will start to remind you of your faults, lure you into old, unhealthy patterns, and prompt you to question if this was all just imagined.
Create a routine to solidify your positive changes and keep you moving forward on your path. Even if it’s for just 15 minutes a day, do something that feeds your soul and enables you to reconnect. Consider one or more of the following:
⏰ Start the day, or end the day, with some movement and meditation. You can do silent meditation, pick one of the guided meditations in this program or find another that resonates with you. For your movement, choose from Qigong, yoga, dance, walking, or anything else that resonates with you.
🌳Spend time in nature. Be truly present without your phone or other distractions.
🎵 Create a playlist that speaks to your soul and listen to it on your way to work, walking, or drinking a warm cup of tea.
🤫 Create silent spaces in your day. Instead of picking up your phone, listening to podcasts, etc., greet the spaces in your day with a mindful presence, like when you wait for an appointment or stand in line.
🧭 Continue to move towards your true North and manifest new opportunities in your life. Use your meditations to help you reset and move forward.
🎊 Use the power of rituals to mark times of transition and change in your life. Humans have used ceremonies since the beginning of time to celebrate events like weddings, coming of age, and birthdays. We also use them in times of loss, like memorials, to pay tribute or stand for injustice. Rituals help us arise from our daily routine and say, ‘this is important. This has changed me, and I want to remember this moment forever.’ The indelible marks linger in our hearts and alter our course. They can help us solidify change in our lives.
There are so many choices! Find something perfect for you and allow it to change over time as your needs change. 💕
