Tag: self

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Reiki – My First Experience

Chances are you have heard of Reiki, but do you really know what it is? Have you ever tried Reiki? Well I decided to give it a shot after seeing a post about a group session online. It read “Refocus, Recharge, and Refresh”, ummm yes please, I definitely need that!!

I attended a Women’s Spiritual Summit the week before that had taught me so much about myself and the healing power of energy. I felt compelled to learn more!

At the summit the week before we learned about the different Chakras, the areas of your body and your life that they represent and influence. We also did some meditation, a few freeing exercises that allowed us to free ourselves from negative memories or burdens, among other empowering activities. We all left feeling lighter and enlightened, so when I saw the invitation to a Reiki session I figured, “why not!?”. I felt like I had just jumped on the spiritual train, heading east!

To be bluntly honest, I had NO idea what it was or what to expect. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

I really had no idea what I was going to experience or any clue on even what to expect. Also, I would imagine that every Reiki experience itself is different, as is every Reiki master so don’t expect your first time to be just like mine.

When we all arrived, we were seated on yoga mats lined up along the floor. There were several candles all around the space, and we did some general introductions like you would anticipate in any group session. Then we were told to lay down on our mats. I wish I had brought a pillow, you’re welcome for that piece of information.

I laid down on my back and the instructors turned off the lights. It was almost solely candlelight now. Calming music was put on softly, we were instructed to calm our minds, listen to our bodies if we needed to change positions, and to just quietly, peacefully, thoughtfully relax our minds and bodies.

My Mind Wouldn’t Shut Up

If you know me at all then you know that my mind (and mouth) are almost always moving. Crazy thing was that it wasn’t the usual endless chatter that my mind produces and my mouth obediently spits out into the world. This was a different kind of chatter. It was a reflective type of chatter. I reviewed recent events, mindset shifts, and trying moments that had occurred in the past months. Things that had led me to now be lying on my back in a dark gym with nine other people wondering how the hell we got so far off track. Although my mind never stopped talking, she processed a lot of things during this reflective quiet. The meditation had taken away all the external influences that normally bombard her and she was able to truly reflect on how we came to be at this place in my life.

I Felt My Body Open Up

When I first laid down on the mat I had to put my knees up because it was killing my back. After several minutes of quiet meditation though I felt guided to straighten out my legs. I imagined roots extending from my feet pulling me firmly into the ground. Remember I have never done anything like this before so I was just following what felt right and guess what, my back didn’t hurt at all. Slowly, I felt my body becoming lighter, less tense, and less stressed. I began to relax in my hands, my feet, my face. I began to think of the things I wanted to invite into my life. The healing I wanted for my body and my mind began to seem more clear, intentional, and possible.

Enter the Reiki Master

I was laying there for quite some time and felt quite relaxed but I was wondering when it was actually going to start. I was in the middle of the room so I didn’t realize that they actually had started already. The Reiki masters went one by one to each person as they lay on the floor in their meditative states. Silently working with each of them. I didn’t know that was happening until they arrived at the people next to me.

Now it was my turn.

The Reiki master positioned herself at the top of my head. She placed her hands on my crown. I could feel the warmth of her touch but I didn’t feel anything in particular at that moment. She then worked through each chakra area applying the energy to each. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be feeling something. Then one chakra in particular gave me a very distinct response, it made me think very direct thoughts about the influence and power that chakra possessed. Its instruction was all very clear when she touched it. I had no doubt what it wanted me to know.

Post Reiki Vibrations

Given the little bit of knowledge I had gained the week before I already knew which chakras were my problem areas and which were more aligned. What I became aware of after the Reiki master moved away from me was that I felt and even “saw” vibrational planes (think rings of Saturn) surrounding my strongest chakras. It was an experience difficult to describe.

We were then told to start wiggling our fingers and toes to bring ourselves back to the present. I opened my eyes and felt very relaxed. I hadn’t realized just how deep in meditation I had become, since my mind was constantly churning until it came time to awaken.

Curious?

Everyone’s experience, and I imagine every session is different. As other’s in the group reflected on the experiences they had just felt, no two were the same. I walked away with a calm peaceful feeling and slept like a rock that night. If you are curious at all about trying Reiki then I highly recommend you give it a chance. If nothing else you get an hour of peaceful reflection, but I’m pretty sure that you will get more than that out of it.

 

Interested in learning more? Contact Reiki Master Georgina at http://www.bkiss.me/georgina.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How to Make a Legit New Year Resolution

Happy New Year! New Year, new you? Is that your resolution? Every New Year millions of people make vague and half hearted promises to themselves that often don’t last through January. It has been said that a goal without a plan is just a wish, so how do you make a resolution that you can actually follow through with? I have 5 simple steps to nailing a legit resolution down and making it happen!

What do you really want? Like REALLY want!

Step one is crucial to making a New Year resolution that is going to stick! What do you want? It shouldn’t be a vague, “I want to get healthier.”, “I want to make more money.”, or one that requires another person to be involved, “I want to get married.”. You have no control over other people. Those vague resolutions are just half hearted promises to yourself that you have no real intention of keeping. Come on man, you deserve better than that! The whole point of making a New Year’s resolution is that you are making a promise to yourself that you are going to commit to and make happen. So, I will ask you again, what do you want? Be specific in your goal.

What do you need to do to make it happen?

Step two is laying out the plan necessary to make your goal happen! If your goal is big then you will need to map out the steps you need to at least get started. Did you make a resolution to get healthier? You need to decide how you plan on doing it. If you plan on increasing your activity level then what does that mean? Are you going to go to the gym three times a week? Are you going to walk 10 minutes a day? You will need to be specific but also be realistic. Don’t commit to going to the gym at 5am every morning if you know that you are up until midnight every night. You may be able to get there eventually but what you need now are baby steps. You need to pick a reasonable action that will help you set your plan into motion.

Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

When do you start?

Step three is the one that knocks the commitment phobe out of their comfort zone! Now you will need to set a date and keep it! This is the date that you start moving forward with your action plan to make your goal come true. This is not a random or arbitrary date. This is not written in pencil in your day planner. This is your commitment to your goal and keeping your promise to yourself date. If you don’t keep this date then you are only letting yourself down. Pick a date and start.

Do it for 3 weeks, minimum.

Step four is the meat and potatoes of it all. It has been said that it takes three weeks to make or break a habit. You have mapped out your plan, set your date, and moved forward with making it happen. Giving up before three weeks time is a disservice to you and seriously, you deserve so much better than that. You KNOW what you want, you said so in step one! It’s not going to happen without YOU! You started this now keep it going!

Reevaluate and adjust!

Step five is awesome because you made it this far! You’ve made a promise to yourself and kept it for three weeks. How is it going? If you find that you need to tweak things and make adjustments then now is the time. Be proud of yourself, making a big change isn’t easy and depending on your goal it may have been way out of your comfort zone. Congrats on doing something just for you and following through with it. You deserve it!

 

Come join our fun community! https://asleepbynine.com/jenny

 

 

 

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Beginner’s Guide to Getting Healthy – Your First 5 EASY Steps

Healthy Lifestyle Habits are Easier than You Think!

Me in 2016 – running daily

Do you want to get healthy but unsure of where to start? Does it feel like an overwhelming challenge so you don’t even begin? It’s possible for anyone to improve their health and feel more confident by making just a few small changes. In fact, not only is it possible it is a lot easier than you think! You just have to be committed to yourself and HONEST because you can lie to your calorie counter but your hips know the truth!

Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for you, I have had to get back into shape a few times in my life. I’ve had four pregnancies (including a set of twins) all delivered via c-sections. Then a couple times where, to be honest, I just let myself eat cookies instead of dealing with stress properly.I really hope I have learned my lesson regarding dealing with stress and that cookies don’t fix anything! Does that sound familiar to you? Yeah, I thought it would. So obviously, I have had the opportunity to pull myself out of the cookie jar and strap on my gym shoes several times in my life! Now let’s talk about the first few changes that help get the healthy lifestyle ball rolling!

2018 after I let stress derail my healthy habits

I am ready to get back to running again but the extra weight is really a drag! So I am going to have to crawl before I can walk. Now I want to share with you how I am getting started and just how easy it is to begin.  Here is my beginner’s guide to healthier lifestyle habits.

Your first 5 EASY steps that you can take to start living a healthy lifestyle or regain your previous one!

First step – For one or two weeks start tracking where you currently are regarding activity and calorie intake. That’s it. You don’t have to hit the gym yet or eat salad every day (unless you already are doing that then for God’s sake don’t stop!!) You just want to get your baseline by using a pedometer, activity tracker, whatever you want to track how many steps you are taking every day compared to how many calories you are taking in. Sometimes just seeing this information in front of your face will be motivation enough!

Second step – Now that you know how much you are eating compared to how active you are, let’s try to get those numbers a little more even. Add a 10 minute walk into your daily routine at least 3 times a week for two weeks.

Third step –  Now let’s increase the walk to 15 minutes 5 times a week for two weeks. Be honest, everyone has 15 minutes to give to themselves every day.

Fourth step – Assess your diet. Is it on point with your goals? Your health has more to do with what you put on your fork than how far your shoes travel every day. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of the time eat healthy and exercise so that the 20 percent of treats and rest won’t derail your efforts!

Fifth step – Assess how you are feeling! You have been doing these small steps for over a month! Keep up the good work and continue to build on your new healthy habits!

Please remember that weight didn’t get there overnight and it won’t go away overnight either. You are going to have to be patient and consistent. If you are honest with yourself and your efforts, then it will be a lot easier than you think to get into the healthy lifestyle habit for good!

I also want to note that not once did I mention getting on the scale. That number is not something you should focus on. If that is your only guide then it will be very easy to become discouraged with your efforts. Instead, you should focus on how you feel with these changes! How do your pants fit? How much more energy you have? Are you sleeping better? How is your growing confidence!? I know that these small changes really don’t seem like much at first glance. You will find it is so much easier to make small changes and build on them rather than trying to become an organic vegan/marathon runner overnight. Making small changes and building on them is more likely to be successful in the long run.

Here’s to a healthier you!! Congrats!! You are doing this for you and you are going to kill it!

 

Ready to join some like minded women like you? https://asleepbynine.com/jenny

 

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Finding Balance to Find Peace

 

 

Are you struggling to find work life balance? You are not alone! Every day millions of women just like you and I are trying to find a way to be and do it all. We feel guilty that our house isn’t spotless or we haven’t had a hairstyle since 2004. Did you know that makeup has an expiration date?! The kids need this, the school requires that, your new boss is a jerk and doesn’t care about your life outside of the office and your husband tries to understand but he just doesn’t get that while you look like you are holding it all together you are actually ready to cry or scream or just spontaneously combust.

You need balance.

We can’t do it all and shouldn’t expect ourselves to be able to because it isn’t fair or realistic. We see these snippets of celebrities who are thin, working in glamorous jobs all around the world with their kids happily in tow but what we don’t see is the myriad of staff that are helping them look so put together. I don’t have that. In fact sometimes I feel like I have the opposite of staff and instead have little minions whose job it is is to actually undo whatever I just spent 2 hours doing, but I digress, how do we find the balance so that we are not only surviving our lives but thriving in them? Hint: everyone’s answer is different…..and everyone’s answer is correct.

The truth is you have to figure out what works best for you and your family. If you feel like you are managing working 40+ hours a week, the kids sports schedule, and maintaining your household to your satisfaction then BRAVO! You are amazing! If you feel like you are struggling, stressed, and/or its effecting your health, then it might be time to reevaluate what is really important to you and make some changes. P.S. You are amazing!

Finding Balance to Find Peace

Prioritize

1.) Prioritize your life – what are the three most important things that you have to have/do/be to have a high level of satisfaction in your life? Is it your family, career, a new house, being physically fit? There is no wrong answer here but you have to be honest with yourself and truly define what you consider to be a “must have” or  what the airline industry calls a “no miss”. That means your “no miss” is always the priority and as long as whatever that is happens consistently and to your satisfaction then you will be happy. For airlines a “no miss” is that your plane didn’t crash. Kind of a biggie. However your luggage arriving at the same time as your plane isn’t one of them. They like it to happen, they try to make it happen but it isn’t the priority. Same with your life, figure out the three things that are your “no miss” and focus on getting those right, every single time.

Evaluate

2.) Evaluate what you chose as your “no miss” items. Is what you are doing right now aligned with making them possible? Did you choose being a class mom as a priority but you have an hour commute to your full time job? There is no way you can juggle that for any length of time without running on pure adrenaline and espresso! P.S. that will catch up to you eventually, trust me. Is it starting your own business but you are afraid to take the first step? Did you choose a new career but aren’t confident enough to leave your comfort zone to pursue it? No wonder you are stressed, the life you are living and the one you want are two completely different roads and as the saying goes, “you can’t get there from here”. Only you can decide what changes need to occur to realign your life with your goals; with the things that are going to bring you satisfaction and to truly enjoy the life you’re living.

Seek Advice

3.) Talk to someone who can help you determine how and what you need to do to find your balance. Is the only thing really tipping you over the edge being unable to keep up with the house? Look into hiring a cleaning service. Are you struggling with finding the time to go grocery shopping? Is there a way to order online so you can plan and prepare meals instead of winging it with kids in tow begging for every snack and toy they see. Do you need to make a major change? Something that will kind of change everything, talk about it with your significant other, best friend, mom, whoever you trust to be honest and supportive and really try to figure out how to make it happen. Your happiness is out there waiting for you to have the cojones to chase after it!

Come hang out with other fun women just like you! http://www.asleebynine.com/jenny

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Is The Greatest Showman a lesson in being human?

 

Being Human. Humanity is defined as ‘the fact or condition of being human’ according to the Oxford Dictionary. What does it mean to be human? Maybe P.T. Barnum was ahead of his time. Yes I am aware that the movie does not depict him in reality, maybe not much at all to be honest. He was far more likely in it for the buck than anything, BUT what if his story had a grander purpose, maybe beyond anything he or the movie producers ever imagined. If the movie does anything besides entertain us, it certainly causes us to pause and think about those around us, those who we associate with on a grander scale.

Exactly what does it mean to be human? It is not just enough to be human in our own right but to see the humanity of others. Aren’t we all different? Isn’t there something about each one of us that makes us feel awkward at times, weird……different…….not accepted? If there is anything that this movie reminded me is that each one of us IS weird, different, and in a way that is what makes us all exactly the same. It is a common bond that should be celebrated, and shouted from every rooftop! We are all unique…different….weird….human.

What if every restaurant you ever walked into served the same exact food, at the same exact time, and there was never any variation or variety? How boring would life be if we were all a cookie cutter version of each other? We need to embrace the comfort of diversity.

What if we lived in a world where everyone was seen and accepted for who they are because let’s be honest, isn’t that what all of us crave anyway?  Acceptance.

Isn’t it up to us? Don’t we, collectively as humans and as a society, determine what is “expected”, normal even….?

I realize that this post is a series of questions but hopefully it makes you think. Remember the Golden Rule? “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Want to read more by Jenny? https://asleepbynine.com

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Sudden Weight Gain and Loss in Confidence

Have you struggled with your self confidence after a sudden weight gain? Well it happened to me too. My body decided to play a few tricks on me and between the hormone malfunctions and medications I found myself a little extra fluffy in a short period of time. To say that it affected my self confidence is an understatement and the irony isn’t lost on me that I help women feel confident in their own skin daily, yet I let it get to me. My inner mean girl said horrible things to me, things I would NEVER say to anyone else, but I let her thrive, I listened to her and believed that she was right. Why was that ok? Why was it ok for her to talk to me that way?

She tells me “don’t post that selfie, you’re too fat, no one wants to see you”.

As women we tend to be so hard on ourselves as it is, and many factors in our society and movies lead us to believe that if we are overweight that there is someone wrong with us. That we are no longer beautiful. Why on Earth do we listen to that nonsense?! Everything about us is just as frigging amazing as it was before, the only thing that has changed is our dress size. That shouldn’t define us. If our best friend or our daughter came to us saying these terrible things about themselves we would quickly correct them and remind them of how awesome they are. Why aren’t we are own cheerleader? Besides that, you know what else I have learned? You probably don’t look as bad to anyone else as you do to your inner mean girl anyway. We stand in front of the mirror and stare at every little ripple, roll, and “flaw” telling ourselves that its the first thing people see when they look at you. Guess what……it’s not. The people who love you have noticed your weight gain (maybe) and they still love you just the same. As far as people who don’t know you, they have no idea you were ever anything than what you are right now!

So head up, shoulders straight, look yourself square in the eye and say, “Girl YOU ROCK and you never liked that mean girl anyway!”!

 

Interested in meeting other confident women? Come join the fun http://www.lularoejenniferwilliams.com