What is the symbolism of what we choose to wear? And beyond that, what makes us decide to become who we are and how we represent ourselves in the world? If you think about it, just like our body is energy vibrating a certain frequency, so also is the size, shape and color of our clothes. Now, like in what you may choose to eat, there are practical reasons we decide to wear what we are wearing. From the season, the event, the place, person or quality you would like to represent, as well there are levels of awareness you may have about what you are wearing. Also, I notice, my mind changes about my closet depending upon the respect I have for it, which depends on the cleanliness and organization, both of which lead to greater clarity and efficiency when it comes to decide….why am I wearing this? or that?

I am not suggesting you put more worry or obsession into deciding what to wear. No, not at all. I can’t promise you I know why I am wearing what I have on now…or most of the time. I do know that logic leads us to decide to become who we are based on past, present and future interpretations of who we think we are and this is where and how we can have a sense of control over who and what we are.  So, if you want to become more, better than you are, I don’t know how it happens, but I do believe that there is something to the principle of dressing for success. I’ll never forget when I was asked to speak at graduation for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Nothing could have felt more appropriate. The fact that I had practiced a near-perfect macrobiotic diet which led me to trim all fat off of my body and all sense of who I was beyond a diet out of my mind, it felt right on to be able to stand up in front of 1200 people and talk about why we needed to arm ourselves for inspiring the world to change their diets. Yet, in hindsight I would have started by being honest and saying, don’t be extreme about it, but come to me when you need help, because I know what it takes. That day, I was wearing my best…Hugo Boss white and wood heels and a gorgeous white and brown naturally floral designed dress. I was tan and gorgeous. I knew I could do it. I was asked after that talk to work for the school. A true miracle given my desire to be employed beyond my self and the level of opportunity being offered in a move to New York City and enough income to thrive on, while being supported by a community of like-minded health-obsessed cool people.

So, any day, when you walk out of the house, you may know why you are wearing what you are. What if you chose to be just a little more conscious of it? What if people started to comment on why you are wearing that, by saying, “You look good”. Or not commenting at all. It is not about what they think. It is not even about what you are wearing. It is about what you think about how you are wearing it. I had a client in town for New Year’s 2012 who works for a fashion company called Alabama Chanin. She reminded me to invest in my clothes and not go out and buy as much as I can from TJ Maxx because I need something to wear now.

Doesn’t it feel better to love what you are wearing? I can name the people in my life who love what they wear. From that, I can imagine that it takes a level of consciousness, as does maintaining a healthy weight, to love yourself in your clothes. I know for me, that is going to take some work. I grew up with a closet my friends wanted to live inside, and it dwindled with every item that left it’s doors and never came home because I never knew the importance of what was inside.

The same thing happened with my weight. I was thin. I got too thin. I lost control and had to find my way home when I woke up inside of a body that was not comfortable in it’s own skin. I now question why I am eating and pray to have the willingness to be aware when I am eating. When I get dressed, these days, as a single 30-year old female entrepreneur. I want to feel sexy, gorgeous, alive, confident and expressive inside of the clothes I choose to wear. My question to you is: why are you wearing that?

I leave you with a quote from Donnie Darko:

Donnie: I promise, that one day, everything’s going to be better for you.

Frank: Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?

Radiance is available to you in the here and now, yet there is a process that we go through to unravel the tension in order to awaken to more ease inside of our bodies from which the byproduct is a radiant glow that comes through us. There are things that we can do to inhibit the flow – such as: not exercise, eat poorly, not get enough “Primary Food” (healthy support), stay indoors too long, think about our grievances, forget who we are…

And then there is basic self-care which continues to bear fruit of our existence and create radiant health from which we can blossom.Some ways to continue to cultivate your inner world to invite your radiance to shine forth are as follows:

• Mindful movement/fitness
• A detoxifying diet (free from sugar, dairy, gluten and too much meat)
• Healthy sleep
• Satisfying sex life
• Fulfilling intimate relationships
• Connection with nature
• Creative expression

What are ways that you let go? Do you practice letting go on a daily basis? Do you notice yourself getting in your own way…and if so, what can you add in to your routine that might create space for love and radiance to grow?

I’ve been listening lately to Deepak Chopra talk about the Secrets of Love and while doing so, feeling the words inundate inside of me. It feels like I am being reminded of core truths which had been lost along the way as accumulated stress caused me to forget that I deserve to love and be loved. Because my work involves loving people up, this is slightly deluded, and I do love my friends, family and clients. Yet, there is something missing and that is the basic birthright and need that we all have for intimate love. So, I’ve been studying about what that love is and practicing feeling into it. I’ve noticed a lot of single people out there hanging out in frustration (including myself) and I am making a commitment to being in the bliss that exists within us when we get out of our own way and trust that the Universe is conspiring with us to bring us exactly what we need. So if you are not in a relationship and wanting to be, I wonder if it would help to create a vision for your relationship, and from there, a step which may be even more important, let it go and surrender to the process, trust that the Universe is working through you to attract what you need and through someone else to surrender to what is needed to create a higher level of love than you may have ever felt before.

I am leaving you with some questions on which to ponder, to contemplate your relationship:

• Who do I need to be to embody to become who I am looking for?
• What qualities in a person or relationship can I not live without? (healthy communication, trust, respect…)
• What am I doing to resist my potential/radiance?
• What exercises, rituals can I add into my routine to attract/create more radiance?

Waller

Imagine this scenario: you want a new car. Everything in  your life says there is no way you can have a new car…you owe money to your mother and  the state, everyone wants something from you, you haven’t been on a vacation in 3 years and there is a lingering possibility that your gas will be turned off next week. You haven’t told anyone about any of this and cannot stop the feeling that something is wrong with this picture. Not only is the thought that something is wrong causing you to hang on to your horses and prohibiting you from seeing the light, but the more funk in the form of those thoughts about what is that accumulate, the greater chance that you will continue feeling the blahs. So, the answer lies not in denying the truth of what is occurring but in processing your feelings around what comes up so you may show up stronger and more empowered. Sounds simple, right?

Well, it can be simple but you must stay with it and for most of us, we forget to remember how things work. I notice myself after having gone to an incredible workshop this weekend designed to nourish the soul, falling back into a pattern of limitation simply because I am craving what I got a glimpse of this weekend…deep, heartfelt connection and community. And so I am on a mission to claim the part of me that has been brought to the surface, that has the opportunity to heal rather than fall back into default mode of pain and solitude. So I am sharing my insight, the impulse of love that has been poured through me to change the imprint of that which was not working.

What are some ways to create a new life for yourself which includes exactly what you need?

• Imagine yourself living in joy, gratitude, abundance, connection.
• Imagine yourself freely offering love and receiving love from a place of authenticity.
• Imagine yourself creating from a place of love and expanding while never being afraid to be hurt.
• Imagine yourself safe today and always to express yourself and feeling heard and seen by the world.
• Imagine yourself living in harmony with nature and with all living beings.

Creating a whole new you comes with HUGE responsibility. For when you become who you are, authentic to the core, vibrant and beautiful, oozing with awesomeness, you RISK LETTING GO of the shame, the malice, the thoughts and beliefs that have limited your radiance to come forth. We are waiting for you to shine, baby, shine, to come out and reveal yourself. This time it is not about denying the darkness, believing you will never cry again or that you will always have it your way, but in learning to live BEYOND the messages you have been given by our culture and THROUGH to TRUTH and LOVE, which exists in EVERY MOMENT, you become…WHOLE…NEW…YOU…in the moment of NOW.

Love and Bliss,

Waller

Magic in the sense that we have the power within us to create who we want to be. I am struggling lately with a deep desire to love and be loved, and because my work as a yoga teacher, health coach and personal chef revolves around taking care of people, I’ve noticed myself going on strike until this illusion of love shows up in a perfect package. Well, without further ado, I announce the recognition that this love exists within and around us and is not something that is going to come in the form of that which I feel entitled to – the man driving up in a Porsche to take me sailing in Panama. It could certainly end up that way, but not when focused on the lack of what is. So, my assignment and challenge to you is this :

Go on an exploratory journey to discover what love is through the life you are living. Take every step with love and see through the eyes of love. Fall in love with everyone you meet and let the love flow from the place deep inside of your Spirit. Create the safety that you need to let love bloom within you. Dance with the flow that is available.  Ask questions which lead you further, deeper and into greater awareness. For example, rather than looking at what you want and trying to fix yourself in order to seemingly have that next thing (which may come, and make you happy), why not love yourself so deeply, that who you are now is enough and so wonderful that you naturally will attract what you want.

Losing weight is a great way to imagine this scenario of limitless acceptance. If you wait to live your life because you are not comfortable in your own skin, you are living a lie. You are living someone else’s life and you are embodying your shame and guilt, rather than the truth of your existence with is love and beauty. No matter what size or shape that you are, you can sit still and find the acceptance that I’m referring to. There may be and probably is a lot going on in your mind that is not of Spirit. It may sound  something like:  I’m going to…, I’ll never be, I’m so not lovable, stay away from me, come closer, I don’t know…

Can you imagine you are not these thoughts? They are an ego-driven part of us that gets stuck in certain patterns when we are not looking in the right places for answers. For instance, if you want to change a habit and focus on the habit or changing the habit using your will, you may end up with a habit and a habit of controlling yourself in order to overcome that which is filling a need in the first place. So through contemplating what the need is, or asking the right questions to uncover what you would like to become, you can transcend a pattern in order to breakthrough to the only healing force in the Universe, which is love.

If you create any open space within yourself, love will fill it. -Deepak Chopra

How to create space for love to blossom?

1 – Just breathe and practice breathing. Yoga is a great way to create space, to educate yourself about how to be present and embody the positive qualities that create love within and attract love to you.

2 – Forgiveness. If what you are dealing with is holding yourself back from moving forward, take a look into what that is–is it a situation, a person, a habit, a place that is holding you back? Fordgive yourself for attracting that situation, ask for the lesson to be revealed and create the solution from a heart-centered place.

3 – Ask the right questions. What do you want to create? If you don’t have what you want, who do you need to become that person who feels so deserving that with or without it, you feel complete?

4 – Self-care routine. Routines create space for creativity and greater awareness when things feel out of balance for you to come back home to yourself. I suggest having a morning routine that involves being quiet, breathing and moving your body. Deepak Chopra’s 21 Day Meditation Challenge is a great (and free) way to get started meditating. A few juicy yoga poses will work to connect you with your body, especially if done with a deep intention and connecting the breath with your movement.

5 – Prayer. For remembrance of the Divine, for awareness of what you need to let go of in order to awaken to greater love, for other people when you see their suffering, that they may realize their beauty and the grace that is our birthright.

Enjoy, with Love,

Waller

Benefits of Coconut Milk:
Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk:

Manganese Ya! Manganese is an amino acid that gets sucked out of your body due to glucose intolerance. I attribute many blood sugar imbalances to the intoxication gluten can cause, yet it may not be 100% for you if you are reading this and hesitant to believe it. This is my experience and a testimony from years of personal and professional research, and so if it does not resonate, leave the rest to discover for yourself! Manganese is in coconut milk and so you may assure your bones and brain they can have a party because the coconut is going to offer you one! As well, grains, legumes and nuts provide manganese.

Flexifies the skin and blood vessels! No one wants to find their blood has become stagnant, their veins hard to access or their circulation cut down to only in their torso. You want strong arms to support your body, arms to help lift you up (and hands to express through). The copper and vitamin C in coconut milk will encourage flexibility in the blood flow of the body, which means everywhere so drink up!

Your Daily Boost! Coconut milk is high in phosphorus which strengthens bones. So practice yoga and drink/cook with coconut milk for strengthening bones and preventing bone loss.

Keep your blood-a-flowing! Anemia is a common cause of lethargy and over-exhaustion due to a lack of proper mineralization. One cup of coconut milk offers 1/4 the RDA of iron.

Free your mind and the rest will follow! Stressed out in your mind or body? Check your magnesium, perhaps the cause of pain in your neck or back is that your diet is causing your nerves to withdraw from their natural flow of beauty. Coconut milk provides plenty of magnesium to relax your muscles and send healing sparkles of light to those areas which maybe harboring the plague of your current situation. Perhaps coconut milk in some soup tonight?

Full Belly, Full Heart! Coconut milk provides plenty of fiber, which fills you up quicker and may aid in reducing the need to eat more than your body is ready for. So eat more fiber (coconut milk!), ultimately eat less overall.

Silly Seli – what? Selinium is an important antioxidant which reduces inflammation in the body, especially surrounding the joints. So, more coconut milk, especially if you have arthritis – it is observed the people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Pot-ass-what? Potassium, or foods containing potassium (if you break that word apart, it’s funny, right?) is a blood pressure reducing-agent that comes naturally in coconut milk.

Immune me, please! I spent a semester in college in Tanzania and once was forced to lie back @ camp and miss a day of beach hiking (hiking on beaches to “island hop” around various un-inhabited aka desert islands) due to a major fever. I went hiking on my own and came to a village known for it’s incidences of elephantitits. That’s another story, but for now, know this: they gave me coconut to drink and said it would take my pain away. It did, however my taste buds weren’t quite mature enough to think that coconut milk was magical. Once I broke through to the other side, now my immune system is in high gear and I haven’t been sick since (in 10 years!).

Zinc your taste! Zinc is the key to healthy taste buds, as well as plays a role in promoting the health of the prostate gland. DRINK MORE COCONUT MILK!
Now for the main squeeze :

Butternut Squash Curry Soup featuring Coconut Milk
Ingredients:

1/4 cup onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 T ginger
1/4 t curry powder
1 t coconut oil
1 c butternut squash
1 t coconut oil
1 cup water
1/2 t sea salt
2 T coconut milk

Heat oil until smoking. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant and clear. Add curry powder, saute 30 seconds. Add squash and water. Simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until squash is soft. Blend. Add coconut milk (optional). Simmer for 2 minutes. Add more coconut milk for a creamier consistency. Serve warm, garnished with cilantro.

Super yum.

Yin yoga as a practice works on the connective tissues, ligaments and joints to circulate the chi in order to open the body on a deeper level. In a regular asana practice, you work on the muscles and the bones, aligning bones and wrapping muscles around the bones to support the muscular structure. In yin yoga, you work on what does not get worked when you are busy in your daily life, to unravel the tension that gets stuck by making yourself be in a pose that is comfortable, yet sill using muscular strength, and then when you most want to come out, by allowing yourself to stay with it, a softening, opening and healing may occur. That’s why it’s deep. Because it is not only comforting to the emotions by embracing all of which is going on, but it is challenging in a way unlike we are used to in our culture, in a way that allows us to be with ourselves, where compassion is the way through to freedom and serenity is a natural by-product of wrapping your breath around the places in your body that are not getting loving presence simply because they have not been paid attention to. This same scenario takes place in an asana practice, yet in yin the depth of release is more apparent. You feel grounded and more rooted, connected on a deeper level and less stimulated after a yin practice. When to practice yin yoga? When the muscles are cool, not overly warmed up, such as: first thing in the morning or before bed.

Why? If you are stressed, feeling overworked and lethargic, have overdone asana practice or done an intense series of workouts, have emotions that need attention, can’t seem to get over a hip, hamstring, shoulder or pulled muscle injury, just because you want to give yourself the gift of slowing down, letting go, rejuvenating your lymphatic and immune system.

Where? I teach private yoga sessions in Nashville in the Gulch at the Terrazzo and group classes @ Kundalini Rising Yoga. Yin classes are Fridays @ 11-12:15 am.

Other resources:

• Yogaglo: online classes
• Yinyoga.com
• Yoga Journal

I am also fascinated by the concept of “self-compassion”. I used to think self-esteem was a registry for how to embody recovery from anorexia and bulimia. This is sticky territory, especially if the core of your suffering is so widely accepted that it is almost encouraged (seen by the media) in a culture such as America where 9 out of 10 women are dissatisfied with their bodies. Imagine if there was a registry for inner talk.

Self-esteem is more of the reflection you have of yourself based on the outside world – including the beliefs you have about yourself based on history, genetics and culture, as well as your measure of success. If you look around, you may never be good enough. There will always be someone with more money, a better ______ than you, and on and on. Which is why self-esteem may not matter much in recovery or in your ability to lose weight and keep it off, develop a healthy body image and ultimately to LOVE YOURSELF.

The type of love I am referring to starts from within. It does not come from others, it does not come from how good you are, how much you give back, how much you left behind or how much you care about other people. It is not measured nor can it be negotiated. It is like the distinction between asking God or your concept of a Higher Power to help you find a job or a lover, and having a conversation with the Divine as you embody your greatness no matter what is going on in your life.

Self-compassion is the ability to transcend what is going on in order to fully embrace your suffering. It comes with gifts. Big ones. The sort of gifts that keep on giving and do not depend on Karma. It naturally attunes you to having positive karma, not because you have to make up for a shortcoming, but because you want to fall so deeply in love with life, that you feel called to give back.

I recently watched a video by Happiness expert and Stanford psychologist, Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., on self-compassion, which shows the parts in a brain that are not firing when someone is depressed, and the parts that get activated with someone allows themselves to be with their suffering. She explains a study that was done where participants journal at the end of the day about the worst thing that happened to them during the day and talk to themselves as they would a good friend with the same experience. The conclusion of the study was that by looking at their suffering, depression and negative feelings were alleviated. It is as simple as this. The people involved in the study were doing a service to themselves to dive deep into what was perhaps the worst part of their lives and could naturally develop a conversation with themselves that elicited lightness of being.

What does this mean to weight loss? To recovery from an addiction to a person, substance or behavior? To overcoming anorexia or bulimia? First off, it does not happen all at once and it does give your freedom from the pressures that overwhelm you such as wanting to look better, have more money or a better life than someone else.

Self-compassion is a practice, that can be started in any moment. It is an antidote to choosing a self-deprecating behavior, yet it is what is beyond perfection and because of your humanity. It is being with truth even when it hurts and embracing the parts of yourself that are shameful, not your best and hidden form others in embarrassment or limiting beliefs (such as not being good enough). As Debbie Ford says in the Dark Side of the Light Chasers, “You must go into the dark in order to bring forth your light.
Our full magnitude is more than most of us can ever imagine.”

The alternative to self-compassion is to micro-manage the parts of ourselves that we feel bad about, rebel in shaming behaviors and never let ourselves fully discover the wide range of emotions available to us as human beings. Denial leads to shame and shame may lead to denial. Self-compassion is a way to understand that we will never be good enough if we are trying to measure up to a standard. Life is an organic process of shifting in subtle ways in order to achieve greatness. Greatness we may see in others may be the illusion that they are more free than us in a way that creates a pathway of shame in our heart.

True greatness is the pathway that exists and is always available to us, in the center of our heart, as the feeling of love, compassion, forgiveness and joy, simply because we can. Take a deep breath into the awareness that you are home. All of you is welcome here and that your body, breath and life are good enough to exist in this moment as a whole, healthy, happy and healing person.

*One more note: self-compassion is not a way of avoiding accountability or responsibility for our emotions. It makes us more accountable, to love ourselves more fully so that we let go of the illusion that we will ever be good enough than we might have been in order to become who we truly are: which is truth and love, constantly seeking expression….

Follow me on Twitter

What can we learn from this? That food does bear weight, especially if it gets stuck in our thoughts. Defining yourself as a foodie can be and is an enlightening purpose: a person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food. I am a self-proclaimed foodie. I run with foodies and I usually allow only foodies into my wheelhouse. The alternative is someone who does not care about food. Is this really true? Are there people who don’t care about food? Not really. Because you can be somewhere in between and at any given point waver between the two – hyper-concerned about what you eat, and the alternative: not at all conscious (which can cause stress, if you are unprepared…) does not mean one doesn’t care. We all care and we all have needs. Sometimes life gets going so quickly that you don’t have time to take out to put your care into food does not mean one doesn’t care. I have, for half of my life been in worry around food, or even more so if you consider the self-imposed (they usually are;) diet of grilled cheese and fruit I grew up on. I, a formerly obsessed foodie have been on super-restrictive diets and have learned more about life through food than food through life.

Where you want to dwell is somewhere in between. Where life fills in the dark spaces and food livens up your experience of connecting with friends and family over the breaking of crisp bread alongside warm soup on a winter’s night. Where food inspires you to wake up and smell a little more, see clearer and feel grateful for where you’ve been and where you are headed. Where life is so rich and delicious that food complements the beauty that abounds and each bite you take is filled with pleasure, simply because the act of eating is your birthright. No matter if it is brown rice or chocolate cake, you are infinitely grateful for being able to nourish your body. You feel more rooted in your body than ever before, that what you eat is no longer a bother and how you eat is more pleasurable than ever before. You are simply in love with all of life and food comes alongside you, reminding you of the precious present moment as you chew, taste, smile, laugh and feel at peace not because of what’s in front of you, but because of why, who and how you are becoming what you are. Where the art of eating, breathing, sleeping, playing and growing is delicious because your focus is on nourishing your heart in ways more than just food can provide.

• What are ways that you currently think about food?
• What needs to change – do you have fears that need overcoming? Try something new. Go out for a new cuisine, try out a new sport, take a vacation from a certain person or place, drive a new way to work.
• How can you set the tone to have more ____(fill in the blank with an intention) in your life? Could you bless and thank the food and it’s source? Set a goal to eat with friends or alone a few meals a week? Take more time to prepare your meals? Plan more? Plan less? Whatever makes you think less and feel more.

Feel better now. Ask yourself powerful questions when it comes to your relationship with food. Check in: how could I improve? Am I being too rigid or do I need to loosen up on the rules? Is there food “noise” going on in your head: do what needs not undoing. Eat with pleasure, not guilt. Of course, optimum health comes through experience and we each have needs that are evolving, which is why even our metabolism needs to be stoked continuously and educating once in a while.

Keep coming back to create radiant health from the inside out…

Dreams are necessary to life. -Anais Nin

I was listening to a podcast last night about flow dreaming (which is basically daydreaming) and the speaker mentioned weight loss and how you can lose weight, but if it keeps coming back, you are not losing the mental weight or cultivating the mindset that it takes to stay thin for life. At the same time, manifesting a better job, more romance, a new car, manifesting radiant health – and your perfect body weight – takes mental work.

Manifest:  clear or obvious to the eye or mind; be evidence of; prove.

So, in order to manifest, you must be clear about what exactly it is that you want. For example, you can say you want to lose weight, but is that really clear? To me it sounds vague and like you may not be fully committed. If you say: “I want to feel beautiful, long, lean, radiant and alive in my body, vibrating with positive attraction and wealth and well being”, that sounds a bit more like you mean it. Even further, “I am the possibility that exudes radiant well being and stands up longer and leaner with more health and vitality every day in every way”. Bam! Love that.

Along with weight loss, manifesting a relationship or a new orientation to a relationship takes mental work. A new exercise I found through Oprah.com is making a must have/can’t stand list. This list should evolve as you evolve, and hopefully if you are reading this, you have some if not lots of experience in the dating game. In fact, you may be so fully in love, and a part of you may not be committed, because you are replaying an old script and not letting yourself become aware of what’s holding you back.

In the same way, let’s translate this exercise (I do recommend checking it out by clicking on this link) to you creating your vision for radiant health. Now, there may be some lifestyle choices you make that are holding you back from achieving your best body. For instance, you may have friends who bring out the worst in you, who you like to go out drinking with or who drive you to the peanut butter jar. Making choices which go against an agreement you have with yourself (conscious or unconscious) cause you to fall out of alignment with your personal integrity. Fortunately, there is a solution and it lies not in beating yourself up, but in listening to your truth and following through on it. Here’s a story that might reveal something familiar to you:

I have a friend who is constantly in need of therapy. She is miserable in her relationship, her career is struggling and she drinks alcohol and smokes cigarettes. She is beautiful and has a warm and loving heart, however, I feel awful after spending time with her. She was in town last week and I made a commitment (in my mind) every morning when I woke up that I would not see her that day. I ended up, on a few of those days, inviting she (and her boyfriend!) for dinner or to hang out, and thereafter wanting to crawl inside of a hole. I knew what the answer was, but I was not practicing it, and it took a toll (small one;) on my health. I was not sleeping, I was eating poorly, and craving things that did not take care of me. This was not because of her. There is nothing wrong with my friend. I understand she is in a transition and needs a lot of support right now. This was about breaking a commitment I had to myself that I would not be spending time with this friend and that I would focus on my work and life instead. Finally, after she left town, I wrote an email expressing my truth – that I would not be flying to LA for her birthday, and that I am doing a whole life detox right now. That, ladybug, recharged my batteries like you wouldn’t believe!! I found myself with boundless energy to clean my house, clear my space to welcome in only that which I love. I now feel much more clear and in line with what I love and what benefits me so I can benefits others.

The long of it is that health is multi-dimensional and involves more than just a focus on food and fitness. Inner radiance shines forth from having the power to say NO when something doesn’t feel right, from taking the time to get to know what you need (so you are not at the mercy of what shows up), being with yourself when you are going through a transition and not taking yourself too seriously, taking seriously what matters: and that is your needs – to set boundaries, to be aware, to fill your tank so that you may give to others in an authentic way, and no matter what, doing what needs not undoing (this one takes a little bit of work and ends up benefiting us more than almost any agreement).

Recommended exercises:

• Journaling
• Desire list (columns: PRIORITY (A-D), DESIRE, DONE, DATE, GRATITUDE)
• Vision Board
• Writing letters (to loved ones and people who you need out of your life – only send if appropriate)

Disclaimer: I am not intending to support you in checking out of life. I am recommending you to discern what makes you feel good and what is holding you back from your potential and say yes to the things that help you feel better and no to the things that cause you to feel bad; be responsible for being a radiant warrior! A wonderful book to read about aligning with your truth is A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel.

Look around you at the world, what do you notice? Perhaps it looks like a rat race of people trying to get places, buy things, make more money, but are they really working on being the best they can be? Sure, dressing well and making lots of money can help us feel better. It can even help other people feel better when you dress better than you feel and when you have money you can be generous. At the same time, we can get caught up in comparing and despairing ourselves to the point of depression and anxiety. I have been there and I know what it feels like. I also know there are simple strategies to install a positive mindset that will have you believing, rather than resenting or envying what goes on in other people’s lives.
1- You spot it, you got it. Oh, that’s so cliche! But truly, if you see something that another person has, and it brings up something for you in the form of: Oh, how beautiful! Oh, I could never, or Oh, I wish! That is a sign that you can have it too.
2-Appreciate your way to what you want. Acknowledging yourself for what you are passionate about, thanking people for their presence, feeling gratitude for the simple things in life can keep them coming your way, as well as increase your ability (and willingness) to attract what you want.
3-The path of least resistance. This does not mean do not work towards your goals. This does mean relax into them! I notice a dramatic difference when I work on feeling my best, it becomes easier to reach goals, versus when I worry about where I will find clients, that I am too stressed out to see beyond myself. Ahem. Think it works to feel our best and expect good things. Can it really be that simple???
4-Become willing to let go. This is a hard one for me. Especially to let go of relationship patterns that are not serving me to show up fully as my best self. Once you make the decision to be free from stress, you may become sensitive to other people’s stress. This is for a reason. If we need help, there is support in the form you need  - coach, therapist, accountant, professional consultant. By complaining to our friends, we are taking their energy, while not making a full commitment to our recovery. Take responsibility for bettering yourself. Ask for help and be willing to make the investment in yourself. You are worth letting go of your stress!!!