Monday Mantra :: Celebrate

Around this time last year, my siblings were gathering together from different states to celebrate the Spring Equinox and make the attempt to see each other more than once a year at Christmas.  Arriving at our chosen location first, my sister and I began to plan some ideas of what we would do over the course of the weekend.  Being the wise one she is, my sister brought it to my attention that when we get together, we sometimes get stuck in always talking about our goals and self-improvement-type conversations.  Not a bad thing, but besides "working on ourselves", what do we do for FUN?

I felt the truth ring in this observation.  I'm the first one to crack the whip on myself and to have my inner critic put in some over-time hours.  My book shelves are full of self-development books (I love self-help!) and I'm notorious for filling the pages of my journal with the things I need to work on and how I want to be better.    

Again, not a bad thing to be self-observant, HOWEVER!  It's also good thing to acknowledge HOW FAR I'VE COME.

As we make our way closer to spring despite the fresh snowfall on the ground (the equinox is NEXT MONDAY!!!), it's important to prepare for transitions by celebrating all the hard work we've done to get where we are.  

What was a success this winter in terms of your health and happiness and overall quality of life?  What worked well for you?  
What made you feel good?

...Maybe you were super consistent with your meditation practice.  Did you find new ways to move your body more this winter than you did last winter?  Maybe you found some solid tools to nourish your body (new recipes??) and feed your soul (new classes??).  Maybe you were less hard on yourself when things didn't work out as planned and maybe you set aside more time for self-care.  Did you schedule in more quality time with loved ones?  Or maybe you dealt with stress with more ease.  CELEBRATE!  Well done, you!

In honor of the full moon, this week's mantra will guide us to look at our fullest selves and to celebrate all that we are and all the hard work we have done so far in this life.  

Take a deep inhale and exhale.

Place a hand on your heart center and give a little smile.

Say to yourself: I CELEBRATE MY FULL SELF.  

This week, when you feel that inner critic start to creep in or when you feel overwhelmed with your to-do list, pause and take note of all your accomplishments big and small.  This is also a great way to begin and end your day when you wake up and before you go to sleep.  If you're having a rough go of it right now, just simply celebrate the fact that you are still inhaling and exhaling.  You got this!

This week's mantra :: I CELEBRATE MY FULL SELF.  

Monday Mantra :: Voice Truth

We experience many things in our bodies in our lifetimes.  

In our legs, roots, lower body, we feel our connection to the earth, to our family, to our tribe, to our ancestors, to our survival.

In our low belly, we feel our relationship to our creativity, sensuality, food, money, intimacy.

In our core, we experience our connection to our sense of self, our power, our will.

In our heart, we hold the stories of love, heartbreak, joy, loss.

In our head, we carry curiosity, thinking, knowledge, wonder, and insight.  

We feel things, see things, sense things, know things.  And then we also get to SAY things.

The throat chakra is the window from which what we experience within our bodies can be expressed to the outside world.  When you speak your truth, tell your stories, share your perspective, you honor all that you hold inside of you.

Sometimes it can be scary to speak your truth.  Sometimes it is easy and pleasurable to share your voice.  Your Truth can be shared with the pages of your journal, a close friend, your community, and/or through your creativity and art form.  This week's mantra guides us to bring our awareness to our throats and pay attention to when it's difficult to speak up and when it comes naturally and gracefully: 

Taking a deep inhale and exhale.

Bringing your focus to your throat, mouth, and jaw. (Is there tightness?  Are you clenching? Do you feel open?)

Say to yourself: I SET MY VOICE FREE WITH THE TRUTH OF MY STORY.    

Take a moment to do this when you wake up as a way to start your day, before you leave the house, in the shower, before walking into work, when eating a meal, before having a conversation with a loved one or friend, before sitting down to your paints/computer/camera/pottery wheel/dance studio/weights/yoga mat/journal/etc, or before you slip into dreamland at the end of the day.  

For extra credit, shoot me an email with some thoughts you're having, an experience you had recently, or a story that is important to you.  When our stories are witnessed (by yourself or another), healing can happen.   

This week's mantra :: I SET MY VOICE FREE WITH THE TRUTH OF MY STORY.  

Monday Mantra :: Pleasure

Yesterday, in honor of the new moon, we created mini-vision boards in circle as our creative intention setting for this new cycle.  One way to bring more self-love and self-care into our lives is by noticing, naming, and claiming our desires.

What lights you up?  What turns you on to life in an embodied, present way?  What brings you joy and fulfillment?  What makes you feel vibrant and alive?  Grounded and centered?  

When we embrace our pleasure, we allow ourselves to be connected to our authenticity, our life force, our unique gifts and talents.  We were given these urges and yearnings and special superpowers for a reason, so let's use them to color our life with abundance and empowering insight.  This week's mantra, adapted from one of Danielle LaPort's truthbombs, helps us to practice tuning into our passions and our creative center: 

Taking a deep inhale and exhale.

Bringing your awareness to your low belly, your 2nd chakra.  

Say to yourself: MY PLEASURE EMPOWERS ME.  

Bonus extra credit is to take a few minutes to make a list of your desires, create a small vision board of images, or set a new moon intention around how you can create more pleasure and play in your life this cycle.  

This week's mantra :: MY PLEASURE EMPOWERS ME.  

Midweek Mantra :: Flow

This past weekend, I traveled to visit family in Texas and on Sunday we made a trip down to the gulf coast in Galveston.  In mid-winter, it was amazing to feel the water splashing onto my bare feet in the sand.  

As a Minnesota girl, growing up in the Midwest on lakes and rivers, watching huge waves rolling in isn't something I've been around on the regular and to see them flow in from the distance filled me with excitement and a bit of nervousness as I imagined getting swept up in them.  Such power and beauty there.  Shifting my gaze downward to the sand directly near my feet, it was fascinating to see how just a slight change in perspective gave this water a different kind of beauty - one of gentleness, swooping, and ease.  This got me thinking about our emotions. 

During the course of a day, we can feel a range of emotions in a matter of minutes.  Sometimes this can make us feel crazy, overwhelmed, or like we are being bashed around out at sea, but when we feel into them one at a time our feelings become touchstones, giving us information about what we care about, what's not working, and what we need to honor and heal.  The good news is E-motions work best when they are IN-motion, so rather than bottling up, pushing down, or ignoring our feelings, this week's mantra guides us in allowing them to move and pulse like the ocean water:

Taking a deep inhale and exhale.

Close your eyes to briefly scan your body from head to toe.

Say to yourself: My emotions flow with ease.

What insight do you get from your feelings?  Where do you feel you get stuck in them and when can they flow?  When we take the time to truly FEEL, to notice and name them, it can be easier to let them go.  Tune in periodically throughout the day this week, especially when you feel a particularly strong wave come up.  

This week's mantra :: MY EMOTIONS FLOW WITH EASE.

Breathwork is a great tool for getting your emotions to flow and I offer private sessions and hold groups on the 4th Friday of every month as a great check-in with yourself.  This is also a tool you can do on your own in the comfort of your own home!