Is it over yet?

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Ana

Embracing the beauty of the journey

“Does it ever end?”

I’ve been asked this question quite a few times (and thought it myself at times) in regards to the yoga, personal growth, self-care or health journey . . . and my answer has always been an emphatic “NO”.

It really DOESN’T end.

And if it did “end” or come to some kind of final destination, then that would be it.

I mean IT. Done. Finito. Finished.

You would be frozen, dead, lacking any semblance of vitality. Essentially a cadaver on every level – body, mind and spirit.

If the journey did come to an end, it would be a lifeless and pasty kind of existence. Yuck. 🙁

But I can fully understand where this question comes from.

So often the ever-changing and sometimes unstable flow of life can feel like it’s wearing you down, and you may feel tired of constantly searching.

An “end” at this time can feel like it would bring peace and stability.

But THE end is really that stiff, lifeless, pasty cadaver place.

True peace, on the other hand, is what we cultivate inside. When this inner peace is created, you then get to command your own little vessel of peace as you continue to navigate the oceans,  mountains, deserts and valleys of life.

This peace is what offers the emotional, mental and physical stability to continue on the path of life, learning and growing with grace.

After many years of my own struggles with always seeking outside of  myself, numbing out, escaping, wishing for an “end” (which at one point had me wishing for an end to my life in this body), I was one day gifted with the tools and guidance to begin leading me towards REAL peace.

This was the peace that finally allowed me to heal my relationship with my body, myself and life on this planet, as well as overcome my challenges with depression.

This peace allows you to know deep down inside that you WILL be okay, no matter what happens. That the essence of you is eternal and does not die.

 With this knowledge, I vowed 2 things:

  1. To do whatever it took to cultivate an inner peace so that I could navigate the adversity and challenges of life with ease and grace (as much as possible) by cultivating a resiliency in my body, mind and emotions.
  2. To live the life I really want to live, and continue to push past fears and doubts, release old ways of dimming my light, and surround myself with uplifting and inspiring people

Underneath it all, this deep and real peace is what I offer the women I work with. Of course there are many other tangible results to be experienced, but I hear over and over again about the peace part.

So, I’m now owning it, and sharing it with you. : )

Food for thought

Take a moment to journal on the following:

  • How can you be at peace with yourself?
  • With your body?
  • With circumstances outside your control?
  • How can you be at peace with all of this while owning your power to create what you want?
  • What would it take to shed the fear, the unhealthy habits, the victim mentality, and live this journey like you mean it . . . and enjoy it along the way?
  • What would you need to do? Where would you need to go? Where would you go for support?
  • What or who would you need to let go of?
  • What fears would you need to face and overcome?

From these answers, what is your “inner peace vow” to yourself? Then share your vow, comments or suggestions below!

**Remember, at your core you will ALWAYS be OK no matter what happens.

Craving inner peace? Find out more about this year’s Divine Diva Detox program & Eco-luxury retreat. Early bird discount until May 20th: Learn more here about this revolutionary program.

To schedule a complimentary 30-min. Create Calm Coaching session with Ana click here

Posted in anxiety, beauty, Body Love, depression, digestive disorders, emotional eating, fertility, finding balance, finding joy, happiness, health, holistic health, Inspiration, longevity, Love, mediation, prayer, relaxation, spiritual transformation, stress reduction, weight loss, Yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Delicious Raw Diva Dip

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Ana

Dairy-free deliciousness for your Divine Diva : )

Refreshing, energizing and nourishing, this dip helps tonify your stressed little adrenals and soothe digestion. This delicious recipe will definitely be on the menu at the live retreat portion of the Divine Diva Detox!

 

  • 2 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 1-5 hours
  • 2 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped
  • Juice of one large lime (or lemon)
  • Celtic sea salt to taste
  • splash raw apple cider vinegar (optional)
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tbsp. dried)
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander seed
  • 6-7 raw, sun-dried black olives, pitted and chopped (optional, but yummy!)

1. Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds.

2. Blend all the ingredients except olives (and dill if using fresh) in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

3. Fold in the olives and fresh dill, and garnish with cherry tomatoes, nasturtium blossoms . . . or whatever you like.

Serve this with snap peas, cucumber, bell pepper slices or other veggies to dip. Or try served inside hollowed tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, bell pepper or endive leaves.

I enjoyed mine today mixed into  my salad with raw crackers crumbled on top. : )

Posted in cleansing, dairy-free recipe, detox, digestive disorders, Energize Your Life, fat loss, food allergies, gluten-free, gluten-free recipes, healthy eating, healthy recipe, nutrition, quick healthy food, raw foods, raw recipes, recipes, seasonal foods, stress reduction, vegan recipe, Vita-Mix, weight loss | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

DREAM MEDICINE

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Ana

Dreams can be incredible medicine.

Have you ever had the experience of connecting to a loved one or message in your dream state?

Maybe you’ve come out of your sleep state feeling a certain emotion, not quite sure what it means.

Dreams essentially (in my belief system) connect you to your deeper knowing, your intuition, and the more hidden parts. When you sleep resistance is down, and your natural flow of wisdom is allowed to flow.
This is why I am such a huge proponent of sleep, and having good quality sleep.

Why am I sharing this with you?
Well, because I have seen that not only can infusing some intention and awareness into
your sleep dream time can open you up to even greater magic and healing, but that you
can use this during your awake time as well. This awake dream time could be called
visioning or journeying.

I have used both sleep dream intentions and awake dream visioning to access some pretty profound results . . . and woke up the other morning (wink, wink) feeling inspired to
share this with you. : )

Here are 3 easy steps to infuse some intention into your sleep time for clarity, releasing
negative emotions and opening up to what you desire to bring into your life.

1. Set the stage. Have the right props both to support a good night’s sleep as well as to “capture” what happens overnight. I like to have my essential oils close by to use a little aromatherapy to help support my intention. Also, your journal and pen should be close at hand, so that you can both write down your dreamtime intention, and record what comes up in the morning.

2. Set your intention. What is it that you want to release? Who would you like toconnect with? What do you require to heal? What energy do you wish to call in?
These are just a few examples of guiding questions to ask yourself when setting
your intention. Keep it simple, make sure it speaks to YOU and write it down. If you don’t normally remember your dreams, you might add something like: “may I remember what I require to remember”. Bonus: You may also consider calling in a special “guide” to support you on your journey.

3. Translation. When you first wake up, write down any emotions that are present for you, any images you recall, any people or scenarios you remember from your sleep state. Don’t sensor, just write. If in doubt, just tune into what your body is
saying. Sometimes I’ll keep my journal by me as I do my yoga and meditation because additional “messages” will bubble up. Don’t worry about figuring it out, just trust your inner knowing and your body/emotions.

Enjoy this process, it’s fun and uncover all kinds of special little goodies. Leave a comment below to let me know how it goes!

In the upcoming Divine Diva Detox program, we’ll be diving deeper into dreams and visions and walking them through a physical labyrinth (incredible!), so if you feel yourself being drawn to this extraordinary experience that includes an eco-luxury retreat,
go here to sign up to receive first notification and early registration gifts.

Posted in abundance, general health, getting healthy | 4 Comments

THE POWER OF COMMITMENT

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Ana

The commitment to an exquisite life!

I have found myself (more times than I care to admit), dreaming of something really big – a big vision of what I desire to do, create and enjoy in this life, only to cut it short by putting it somewhere waaaay out there in never-never land, or simply dismissing that I could ever be capable of THAT. (oh, yes, THAT thing)
Now if you’ve been following  me for awhile, you may be thinking “what is she talking about?”, but you see, you mainly see my successes, not my failures (learning opportunities).

First the big dream was to create empowering and transformational retreats in beautiful locations for women . . . which finally manifested after a few years of resisting, making believe it was not important . . . and a few failures.

Now, I’ve been dreaming of up leveling this into a more comprehensive, supportive and complete experience (more on this soon).

I just recently had the opportunity finally create what had been incubating inside for years and present it to a very trusted mastermind group I am a part of.

The feedback was so supportive, my confidence soared, I felt energized and enlivened, things started to feel possible . . . and then I freaked out.

Yup, total complete yogini freakout. : )

“Maybe I should not do THAT.”

Perhaps it will still be good if I don’t infuse every part of what I know to be whole, complete and profoundly healing for the women involved as well as the planet and consciousness.

“I’ll just make it smaller.”

I was starting to find reasons why I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do. The usual like: too busy, not enough money, too far away, the dates I want are not available, etc.I suspect that if you are reading this, that you too have some big dreams, a longing, a calling, a purpose, a passion . . . whatever you want to call it, it’s important.It’s important to you (and your health and wellbeing), and here’s a little tip: It’s important to the health of the planet. So, without further ado, here are my “secret” tips to get things rolling in the direction of your dreams with ease, grace and joy . . . even (and especially) if  you feel stuck and hopeless.

  1. Step away. If you keep yourself running in the same loops, in the same activities, same thought patterns, etc, you will keep getting the same results (and continue to feel heavier and more bogged down). You have probably heard this before. It is vital that as a woman of purpose (or really any woman that wishes to live a healthy, fulfilling, enjoyable life) that you step away from the day-to-day. My suggestion is to go on retreat. I know it feels scary! Particularly if you have a family or a business that depends on you (or so you believe). You must take time out, it’s imperative. And the truth is, your business, family, artwork, students . . . will thank you for it in the end. Trust me on this. I resisted for years, and still resist now. I just ignore the resistance, and trust my inner cues (which I have gotten really good at noticing).
  2. Create a vision ritual. This means allotting time EVERY day to connecting to your dream. This could be a meditation, journaling, vision board, dancing, singing, praying, reading inspirational materials, researching places or things that are aligned with your vision. I found that I would often discount my dreams as being impossible because I believed they would cost too much money, or require something I didn’t have. I found that researching, going through the motions, acting as if, reading about others who had success broke down the barriers I had imagined to be there, and dreams started to become real.
  3. Commit to self-care rituals. These are those small, yet profound daily rituals you create to support your body, mind and emotions. I can’t stress enough how important these are! What I notice for myself is that when my commitment issues or resistances rise up, I start trying to find ways to procrastinate doing my yoga practice, going to bed at a decent hour, even drinking enough water. These are all sneaky self-sabotage tricks. It’s a way to throw yourself off –center, and make it feel even more impossible to create your dreams. My advice? Just show up . . . with love. Show up with compassion. If you need to spice things up to make your ritual attractive add a cinnamon stick to your water or play some fun music while you practice yoga or buy a beautiful new silk meditation cushion.
  4. Get support. Seriously, a mentor, guide, coach, program . . . these are all key to success. The first couple of times you invest time, money and energy can feel scary, and you’ll feel like you want to be in control, know exactly what to expect and get an iron-clad guarantee. This is so understandable, but not realistic. Instead, my suggestion is to trust your instincts or intuition. Trust your body wisdom. Find someone that you feel uplifted by, that shares similar values and that has accomplished things in life that you would like to move towards. In other words, someone who has, does, or is a lot of what you desire to have, do or be. Then ask your body – “is this the right person?” Then listen. If there is constriction and a decrease in energy, that would be a “no”. If there is a rise in energy, a feeling of excitement (perhaps tinged with fear), then this would be a “yes”.

Dreams are for living, not putting up on a shelf to get dusty. Your vision is important.

If it feels important, take a deep breath, make the commitment and say “yes”!

In fact, come visit us on the Yoga Body Nutrition Facebook page and state your commitment to yourself and your big dream. I know this type of proclamation to a supportive group helped me so much, even if it felt scary. You have my full support.

much love and inspired bliss,

Ana

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Finding Balance in the Garden of Your Life

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Ana

Your life garden requires both solar and lunar energies to thrive!

As I write this post, it’s the eve of the Spring Equinox where we get enjoy equal day and night. This is an opportune time to CELEBRATE the dark and the light, as well as assess where in your life you may require some BALANCE.

  •  Are you all work and no play?
  • Do you find yourself taking care of others all day, while putting  yourself last?
  • Have you been focusing on your spiritual life while not nourishing your body as well as you can?
  • Are you running on overdrive and feel unable to settle down and relax?
  • Has an unhealthy relationship to yang (stress, coffee) got you craving yin (sugar, alcohol)?

These are all some examples (there are many) of ways that your “personal planet” may be off center, and there is no time better time to assess, weed out and water and feed what you want to cultivate and grow in your own life.

WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE GARDEN REQUIRE?

A healthy garden requires not just the “sun” energy of sunshine and food, but also the “moon” energy of darkness and water . . .

Here are 5 steps to assist you in cultivating balance in the garden of your life:

1. Imagine your life as a garden with different rows for the different crops. You have a row of “health”, a row of “relationships”, a row of “spirituality”, a row of “career”, a row of “creativity”, a row of “self-care”, a row of “play”, and a couple of more rows of whatever you have decided to plant in  your own life garden.

2. Now assess the garden and it’s crops. Are some rows overgrown with weeds? Others vibrant, full and thriving? And yet others looking sickly and dehydrated?

3. Choose one area that requires balancing, and pinpoint an easy action step to help re-balance it. Hint: You may need ask yourself WHY this area is unbalanced? What is the number one reason things are not flourishing in this area?

For Example: If your health row is overgrown with weeds, is it because you have allowed your boundaries to get lax around what truly nourishes you? If so, a spring cleanse could be a great supportive action step to take!

4. Once you’ve found your first action step, schedule it into your calendar. This will ensure you’ll actually DO it, and you’ll build trust with yourself.

5. Continue to assess your garden in this way. Find the rows that are out of balance, ask yourself why, and cultivate an inspired action to support balance.

Leave a comment below to let me know how this goes, or to share your own special tip!

 

love,

Ana

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