feminine

Simple Pleasures

 
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There was a time when I dreamed of being famous, taking the stage as a speaker, inspiring millions, facing all my fears, starting a revolution...

But lately, that's not my dream.

I've been exploring the question, "What brings me true joy?"

The last few years I've been exploring facets of my own leadership, teaching, and being seen.

It's been transformative, eye-opening and has certainly brought deep soul-growth to my life.

But these days I'm finding pleasure in the most simple moments.

Walks with my cat in the vineyard. Making sushi with my love on a Sunday night. Going to the ocean on a whim to watch the sunset. Remembering the beauty of a flower. Going deep with clients one-on-one.

Slowing way down. 

I'm realizing I'm totally ok with being ordinary. And that actually feels like a huge success.

So today I leave you with a question: Where do you find your true joy? and How could you bring more of THAT into your life today?

I hope you enjoy our new podcast with Rosalie. In the latest episode we explore the meaning behind tantra and how we can use it to experience more joy and pleasure in every moment, whatever life brings our way.

Sending love,

Meredith

 

048 | The Art of Feminine Abundance with Meredith Rom

 
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Special Announcement: The Sovereign Circle begins on May 2, 2018: A 9 Month Feminine Leadership Initiation + High Priestess Sisterhood. Only a Few Spaces Left! Find All the Details At Risingwomenleaders.com

If you find yourself drawn to my work I imagine you have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others.

I imagine you desire to birth something and be a part of the awakening of a new paradigm.

I also imagine you desire to be financially empowered AND have the time and space to do what you love ...

Most likely you are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrificing in order to get there.

I believe in you stepping into your fullest potential.

Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating space to do what makes you come alive, everyday.

I believe this is possible for you.

In the last year the qualities of the feminine have been my greatest teachers... The qualities of BEING, FEELING, SURRENDERING, ALLOWING, MAGNETIZING, and stepping into greater TRUST.

I know it is not always easy to honor these qualities in a culture so focused on achievement and doing, but I believe the feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective.

There are so many of us that are waking up at this time and many of us are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that.

The new way is seeing abundance as a state of being, an embodiment we can cultivate within ourselves...

So...I've decided to re-release of my most popular webinars from last summer on the Rising Women Leaders Podcast.

My intention in sharing this wisdom is to help you reconnect to your innate feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you...

In this episode you'll learn:

  • 10 Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Ancient Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to  Manifestation
  • A Look inside my Upcoming Program The Sovereign Circle
"In the feminine model, it's all about responding to life with love. And with that we can take the art of manifestation a level deeper, using practices that involve not only our mind, but also our body."

As an added bonus, I'm including notes from the webinar for you below!

Opening: Deep breaths and welcoming you into the art of receiving. Receiving your breath. Receiving this moment. Femininity and abundance are so much about opening ourselves to receive. 

Imagine the web of other women here with you tonight. Beautiful women who are here to support you in stepping into your greatness. Women who are invested in you becoming the best version of yourself. 

We welcome our guides and teachers, anyone that has been important to you in your life.  I will call in the feminine teachers I have been working with Amma, the divine mother, Quan Yin, the goddess of compassion, Mother Mary, she of a thousand roses and Mary Magdalene, she of a thousand angels.

For the last few months I’ve been going to women circles with a mentor of mine where we hold hands and from woman to woman we Imagine as we gather we are turning to each other and holding each other’s hands, and we go around the circle and say to each other “Sister, I see you, I honor you, and I welcome you to this circle.” 

This space is now declared as safe and as sacred, a space where we can open to our highest callings and join in sisterhood in support of becoming our highest selves. Aho

I’m going to share:

  • Feminine Practices for an Abundant Life
  • Body Wisdom Teachings to Increase Your Magnetism
  • How to Clear the Space for What You Truly Love 
  • The Role of the Queen and Higher Self 
  • A Feminine Approach to Manifestation

But since you’re taking the time to be here:

Close your other windows, close the door, be fully present and stay the entire time…Because: At the end I’m going to give you a practice that you can start using in your life right now that will help you begin to create huge shifts in your life related to inviting in more abundance. 

WHY: 

If you’re here today, I imagine you:

Have a calling to share your gifts and use your voice for the purpose of uplifting others, a desire to birth something, the new paradigm,  Desire to be financially empowered  AND do what you love everyday

Are tired of pushing, forcing or sacrifice and are ready to let it be easy

I believe in you stepping into your full potential. Financial empowerment. Thriving in your life’s work. And creating the space to do what you love, everyday.

And I believe this is possible for you. And you can do it with ease and with grace, Honoring a feminine way of being and living.

So, a little about me:

Growing up in New York, I naturally followed a more masculine model of achieving and doing. I loved the feeling of checking my next “to-do” off the list, getting that A+ on the test I stayed up late to study for, and often sacrificed self-care in the name of “getting it all done.” 

While I do feel there’s an important place in our lives for structure, action and achievement, if our body starts sending us signals to slow down, I believe it’s important to listen to them. 

When I found myself with stress, exhaustion, and chronic pain as result of being overworked, I began to reevaluate my life. The yoga classroom became my sanctuary, a space to just be through feelings of stress, difficult emotions and pain in my body. Through allowing myself to feel, and to breathe, without the immediate need to fix or change my life, everything began to shift. 

Without knowing it, this was my first moment of discovering the sacred feminine, which has become a great teacher to me in this life. Just being, holding, loving myself as I am is such a powerful way of being in the world.

Through being, I discovered my intuition, my inner guide, who led me on my path to California, soon after to India, and back to California where I live today. 

Now living in California, my life’s work is of a coach and a yoga teacher, and I found that my masculine model of pushing and forcing really did follow me even though and there were some challenging moments in my business especially in the beginning.  

Recently I heard a metaphor, of a woman giving birth - when it is time for her to birth her baby - a universal force moves through her and she just needs to surrender. The more she can surrender the easier it will be - 

This is what I believe for our creative gifts, that when we honor the feminine we can be patient and surrender, wait for our ripeness, and allow our creative gifts to be birthed through us. 

I believe…

The feminine is rising, calling us back into balance as a collective. There are so many of us that are waking up at this time, and we feel a deep calling to join together as a sisterhood in love and support of each other. 

We are feeling called to let go of the old paradigm of pushing and forcing. Many of us are quickly ascending beyond that. 

The new way is Abundance is a state of being within ourselves and when we begin to live and breathe it, everything outside of ourselves will mirror that. 

My Intention today is to help your reconnect to your feminine essence and rediscover the innate abundance within you so you can begin to reflect that in everything around you. 

In our culture we have faced some challenges and conditioning around money and abundance:

~ How we are raised - all the conditioning we are given and how that conditioning created limiting beliefs in our psyche 

~ Many of you are probably familiar with the teachings of The Secret and The Law of Attraction - it’s based on the idea that your thoughts become your reality, and if we shift our thoughts to think more positively we will attract more positive things in our life.  

This helped me a lot in my life, but as a culture we have actually accelerated past these level of teachings that are all about the mind - which is very powerful but it does not take into account the power of the womb and the body.  These teachings were mostly about enforcing our power of will to command the forces of life to work on our behalf - what it doesn’t take into consideration is life is co-collaborative we are not always responsible - if something bad happens we think somehow we created it and are getting it wrong - we can actually feel ashamed like it is our fault which can lead to shame and self-blame.

The truth is life is always in every moment happening for us, not to us. And when we look at the model of the feminine  it is very cyclical — we are living a human experience - there are times of expansion and contraction - your spiritual path is not about how great you are manifesting but how you are responding to life. 

How you respond to what you are presented with. Sometimes bad things happen. But if you can really truly love yourself through those hard times, that is going to evolve you so far and you really open yourself to miracles.  The feminine model of manifestation the power of our thoughts are helpful, but it actually goes beyond into using your body, your womb and responding to life with love. 

The Solutions:

I’m going to share with you as much as I can today, and for those who want to go deeper, you’ll hear more about how you can do that at the end of the call, so be sure to stay for that.


Take a moment to meditate/journal - what is it I truly desire? What does my heart really long for?  Who is my higher self? 

1. Connect to Your Higher Self - Higher self meditation - how can I be more of this person right now?

When I first did this meditation I imagined the kind of home this woman lived in, I saw that she wore organic clothing, lots of light colors, she meditated in the mornings, her home was minimal. I began making decisions based on what my higher self would do. What she would buy.  And at the time it felt really far off but little by little I have been watching myself become more and more of her each day. 

Tip: Connect to your higher self and ask how you can become more like her

2. Tell the Truth:

What is not working for me? 

The moment you tell the truth to yourself - it sets you free

As soon as we tell the truth there is more space. 

When we bring your shame into the light - fear, rage, the moment those truths hit the light they can instantly transform, truth sets us free from the prisons we live in

Accepting our truth - we create the space for something new. 

Story - Last spring I wrote a letter of acceptance. I wrote out all the things that were not working in my life and I started it with I accept. I was having health challenges, some relationship challenges, money challenges, and I just wrote it all out. I accept that this is going on.  

I actually found this letter yesterday, and so much of what I was writing there has transformed. Taking the space to acknowledge and accept what was not working in my life was incredibly liberating, and taking that step actually created the space for everything to change. 

3. Clear the Space to Receive: 

Around this time, I found the book the Life changing magic of tidying up and I went to work. 

When we declutter our lives we actually create more space to receive. 

Face yourself with everything you own and ask - Do I love this? Does this spark joy? Does this represent who I am today?

There is a true alchemy that happens when we let go of what no longer serves us in our surroundings. It clears stuck energy and frees up space. 

Clothes, Books, Papers, Miscellaneous & Kitchen, Mementos

The funny thing is before I found this book I kept telling myself - I need a bigger home - I don’t have enough space, and I was driving myself crazy looking for a place to move. Now actually when I went through this book and cleared out so much, I suddenly stopped feeling that aching desire to move to a bigger house. My house transformed so much. It created new possibilities and my partner and I actually created an outdoor bathtub which we have been using so often. My home has been becoming more and more of a sanctuary. 

Another tip: Receiving compliments - a way you can practice opening yourself to receive - For example usually when we receive a compliment it can be so easy to deflect and immediately compliment the person who is giving it. it can actually feel uncomfortable at first to simply say thank you

4. Set Your Lens for Abundance:

  • Making more money is not necessarily going to make you feel abundant however, feeling abundant will very likely lead to you having and making more money …

- The feminine is so much about trust. Trusting; Money comes when we trust money is going to come - the universe truly wants us to be abundant, but life isn’t all about getting our way, it is a co-collaboration it’s about how we respond

Let money flow - Find a balance of saving and giving. Connect with your body and spend money on things your heart lights up about. That money will come back. TRUST.

- When you look for the abundance all around you, that is what you will find and that is what you will attract more of 

  • altar with things you have and things you want

5. Be the Queen: 

The Queen is a leader, she is sovereign, powerful, autonomous. But she is absolutely of service. She puts aside her fears in service to her people and something so much greater than herself. 

Much of my path has been about trusting in my voice. I have worked through some really tremendous fears and doubts around trusting myself and my voice. And I have known that this fear has absolutely been calling me deeper into my purpose. 
So what has really been helping me is the mantra: I am a Queen. I trust in my voice. Now when I step more and more into the role of the Queen, when I follow my intuition and I really deeply trust in myself, abundance follows.  This requires moving beyond our fears. This requires taking up more space.  There is an immensity of power that comes with being a Queen and as a Queen we accept that power. We step closer to our edge. We honor our power. And when we do that, abundance comes. 

Treat yourself with Exquisite Care: 

How would a Queen treat herself?

~ Body wisdom practice - Abhyanga - self oil massage - actually being aware and conscious and speaking to your body. I love you. Thank you. You matter. I bless you. Wow this practice has felt so loving, and literally makes me feel like a Queen.

~ Find your signature scent

~ Feed yourself delicious meals, take care of your body. 

6. Respond to Life with Love: 

~ Practice of Just Being 

~ Inevitably bad things happen - hard things happen - can you hold yourself with love 

~ How to Handle Comparison - story of Jillian - seeing other women as a reflection of your own greatness 

~ You are done with trying to fix your emotions and you are willing to feel them. That is the true invitation of the feminine to take her place in you. The feminine is all about wrapping her essence arms around the parts of you that feel separate or split from their wholeness so they can be loved back into being. 

~ If there is something you really want to manifest there is a good chance that part of you does not want it, see if you can journal with that part of yourself, hold her, understand her, listen to her and gain deeper clarity into why you haven’t been receiving what it is you want so badly

7. Save and Give

Having enough - saving and giving are two ways to tell your mind and your body, I have enough - you begin to create subliminal messages that i have enough - and when you are in a state of enough - you are not attached and more comes to you 

~ Think about the organizations you want to give to and give consistently. The organization I love to give to is Amma - amma.org - she has so many service projects around the world and I really trust my giving is put to good use 

~ I’ve also been practicing being more generous with friends, every time I do this, the opposite of what my fear mind wants to do - It feels so healing - Shifting a mindset of scarcity (Story of Quan Yin)

8. Surround Yourself With What You Love:

Pleasure is an antidote to our fear, doubt and worry. When we are in enjoyment - we expand our magnetic field and we attract the right people and situations to us

- Make a list of what brings you Pleasure 

- some items on my list include: raspberries, roses, a clean space without clutter, light, warmth, bubble baths, friend dates, clean clothes from the dryer, holding my cat, sunsets, leading calls like this one, singing, red lipstick, yoga, giving gifts and surprising people I love

9. Release Attachments:
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Story of Vipassana Center, I’ve been with my beloved for about 5 1/2 years, and for the last year I’ve had a pretty strong desire to get engaged. Vipassana Retreat - realized I was thinking about it so much - I was putting so much of my attention and energy on something I didn’t have, I was putting pressure on myself to make something different than what it was, and I realized the absolute misery I was putting myself through. So much about the vipassana practice is about PATIENCE. I allowed myself for hour after hour to be with my breath and I had a visceral experience that I was the cause of my own misery. I was causing my own suffering by focusing SO MUCH on what I didn’t have.  

Cried for a long time in one of the silent meditations because I just felt so sorry - I realized I had such a loving partner and the things I loved most about him and our relationship was: sharing our dharma of teaching and singing together, of spending time in beautiful natural environments and going out to dinner sometimes - that was what brought me true, genuine happiness. I realized instead of focusing on what I didn’t have that was what I needed to focus on. When I did, our joy increased our relationship strengthened, and low and behold 3 months after that retreat, my partner proposed to me. 

~ Feminine Abundance is about co creating with life - letting go and trusting

10. Practice The Art of Feminine Abundance (A Feminine Approach to Manifestation) : 

I recently heard this story from my mentor Marin Bach-Antonson: The Story of a man who was studying a tribe and the lead tribesman invited the man to go with him to the top of the mountain to perform a ritual for rain...

He was honored and went with him wondering what dance/instruments he would use. He got to the top and stood with his palms open - 5 minutes passed and he said - ok we’re done, let’s go.  What did you do? I felt the rain on my skin, I felt the puddles beneath my feet. I felt with all my senses.  

And it rained. 

Meditation - body prayer : Feeling your body, your womb and anchoring it into the Earth

Call to Action

  • So I know I shared a lot today, a lot to practice and to implement. Now some of you may run with the information and start using it and create huge shifts in your life - and I also imagine there are some of you that want to go deeper. You want community, you want a guide. You want the support and the accountability of a mentor. 
  • So for those of you who feel called to go deeper, I invite you to my latest program, The Sovereign Circle.  (Switch to Screen share)

 

Closing: 

May we join together as the sovereign women we are. May we honor the light within our heart, and step more and more each day into the role of our highest selves. 

I honor you sister for being here with us today, and I bow to you Namaste.

 

Why I Didn't Take on New Work This Winter

 

The idea for my Live, Lead, Launch webinar came to me about 6 months ago, but I didn't take action on it.

That's because this winter I was deep in hibernation mode. I had just raised over $10k to publish my book, Just Be and the thought of launching anything or increasing my visibility felt like way too much.

What I really needed was rest. So besides continuing with a few coaching clients, taking small steps forward with my book and teaching a weekly yoga class, rest is what I did.

I gifted myself the time of deep rest and spiritual inquiry.

I took long walks with my cat in the back field. I meditated. I read books. I took naps on my couch.

And to be honest, part of me felt guilty about it. Part of me wondered what was happening to me. Was I losing my creative drive and ambition? Was I becoming a different person? Where was my usual zest for life? I began questioning everything.

I also compared myself to other women making huge strides in their career. I felt left behind. The voices in my head started telling me, "You should be doing more! You should be earning more! You should be serving more!"

In the past, I've listened to those voices, and you know what?

I burned out. I've been in that place where I drove myself to stay up late on the computer night after night and sacrifice my self-care. It was terrible.

I have recently vowed not to push myself like that anymore.

Only within the last few weeks have I felt myself waking up from winter's hibernation. I realize now, I wasn't losing myself.

I was finding myself. The wisdom of my body was guiding me closer to the feminine.

Honoring a feminine way of being and living is cyclical. It goes through phases of contraction and expansion.

Think of a woman giving birth. There are times of intensity, and then there are periods of rest. It's honoring that there is a universal force moving through you, and you have to trust in the process. You can't make it happen any faster than how it is naturally meant to unfold.

So I've been focusing my energy on one project at a time. I consistently ask myself:

Where do I invest my energy to make my highest contribution?

I have more trust in the natural rhythms and cycles of being a woman. I know it's okay if I go through periods of great expansion and periods of deep rest. I trust in the divine timing of when a project is ready to be birthed.

And after many months of incubation, my latest project, Live Lead Launch is ready for you.

If this way of living and being appeals to you, I'll be sharing more about it in my free webinar tomorrow.

Just click here to sign up if you haven't already. We go live tomorrow at 12 pm PDT.

In this webinar you'll learn:

  • How I went from $5/student as a yoga teacher to 5-figure months as an online entrepreneur
  • A system to design successful online courses (as well as mistakes I have made along the way)
  • How to address fears and doubts of becoming a leader and teacher
  • How to embrace a feminine way of being and living to avoid burnout when running a business

Even if you can't make it live, when you click here and sign up you'll be sent the replay while it's available.

And if you've been feeling the call to rise as a feminine leader, I know you probably have a deep calling to birth something into the world...

Today, I invite you to trust that it's happening. My hope is this free webinar will give you the tools you need to take your next steps while honoring the feminine in the process.

With love,

Meredith

 

How to Lead "The Feminine Way"

 
Image by Elisha Yarrington

Image by Elisha Yarrington

I see an awakening in women, especially in sweet, kind, soft, and nurturing women who are ready to stand up, express themselves, and share their voice. However, I know from personal experience that a lot can get in the way when stepping up to lead. 

I struggled with being a shy and sensitive person and wondered, "How I can I really stand out in a world with so many loud voices?"  I didn't quite know how to authentically express myself and take action.

Then I imagined the kind of world we would live in if there were loving, kind, and sensitive women in leadership roles. I imagined the kind of role models we would have for our children and the kind of healing that would take place on the global consciousness.

I knew I needed to make a shift.

When I imagined myself stepping up to lead in the way I really wanted to—teaching international retreats, empowering other women to find their voice, speaking in front of large crowds, and leading group programs—at first, I was terrified.

But then I realized this fear was telling me something about my future and my purpose: my fear was guiding me to the exact next step I needed to take in my life.

I believe our fears bring us closer to our purpose. 

I began taking action despite my fears and saw that tapping into my soft and sensitive side did not hold me back at all; instead, I found my feminine nature to be an asset in order to lead. 

As feminine beings, we do not need to change who we are to fit into the world around us. I have found we just need to be supported in facing our fears and listening to our intuition in order to make a bigger impact.

Here are the qualities I have found to be the most useful in tapping into my inner,  feminine leader:

Honor Intuition

Having access to my intuition has been one of my greatest assets to running my own business and stepping up as a leaderin my profession. When I take the time to go on a run or a dance class or sit down on my meditation seat first thing in the morning, I feel like I am continually gifted with amazing ideas. When I tap into my body's wisdom—my intuition—I know how and when to make decisions, and I can trust those decisions won't lead me astray.

Know When to Act and When to Be Patient

What I have found to be essential in facing my fears and taking action towards my dreams is the balance between the feminine and masculine within myself. Often, leaders step into their more "masculine" side when taking center stage and forget to honor the feminine qualities of intuition, patience, and self-love. 

It was important for me to take action, but it was also important to step back and acknowledge what I had done. I learned to find a balance by making time and space to vision and manifest while taking grounded action towards my dreams. When I created the space for my creative, feminine nature, I suddenly found myself more ready to take big stepsin my career.

Develop a Consistent Self-Care Routine

After I faced a fear, I discovered it was so important to rest into self-love and self-care. That was when I accepted and nurtured myself for exactly where I was. I gave myself permission not to have to change too fast. This has been key in avoiding potential "burnout." 

Now when I take a big step, I remember to honor myself by taking a bath, spending a weekend with my girlfriends, or knowing when to do nothing at all. It is this time off that recharges me and gets me ready for my next big step.

Find Support Through Sisterhood

For years, I have been going on runs down the road outside my house amidst rolling hills and vineyards. There is an uphill incline for the last stretch and still, every time, I am out of breath and unsure if I can make it.

One day, I had a friend over and invited her to join me on my weekly run. On that final stretch, I felt my breath get heavier and I felt like I needed to stop. As I slowed down, my friend passed me to cross the finish. In that moment, everything inside me wanted to give up. I lost hope and lost my stamina. I started walking.

Then something magical happened.

Before she crossed the finish line, she stopped, turned around and started cheering for me. “Woohoo! You can do it!” she yelled. I looked up and smiled to see her cheering me on. Suddenly, I had the energy to keep going. She continued to clap and cheer me on as I crossed the finish line. With a little encouragement, I stopped thinking about my exhaustion, my aches, and my pain. My energy was completely restored.

I realized it was so much easier to cross the finish line when there was a sister there cheering me on. When I actively brought more women into my life, and was willing to share my challenges and struggles, I found the support through other women kept me moving forward. It was in those vulnerable spaces with other women that I gained more strength and courage to step out as a leader.

Have you been avoiding any of your innate feminine qualities?  If so, I invite you to try listening to your intuition, being patient, resting into self-care, and joining with other women to see just what kind of magic will happen in your life.

 

How I Fell in Love with My Meditation Practice

 
meredith rom-Self-love-vision-devotion-over the moon

Over my career as a yoga teacher I have spoken to many women who strive to keep up a home yoga or meditation practice, but quickly give it up when life gets busy. 

I used to constantly struggle with keeping up a morning practice and would feel guilty when I fell off track.  I tried numerous ways to keep up a practice, but had a hard time keeping it up and wondered, “Why is it so hard for me to keep a consistent connection to spirit?”

I know that when I am connected, and do take out that time in the morning to myself, I am so much more present, calm and compassionate throughout my day.  I know that’s when I rely less on others and am more in tune to my inner guide. 

When I connect to the love within myself, I am not constantly searching for it in my relationship or places outside of myself.

I’ve found more than anything else, when I made my meditation practice enjoyable, it became sustainable.

I knew I wasn’t going to wake up every morning to sit quietly and do something I dreaded.  I had to lure myself into my meditation practice.  I had to bring in the romance.

Gabby Bernstein says, “I made spirit my boyfriend.”  When she did that, everything else in her life began to flourish.  When we fall in love with spirit, we begin to attract and manifest what we want and need in our lives easily.

I know how hard it can be to keep up a daily meditation practice, so I wanted to share the top ways that helped me fall in love with spirit and keep my morning practice sustainable…

I learned to:

Shift from Discipline to Devotion

I used to live in a house where my roommates and I practiced silent meditation together for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.  The practice became so disciplined that I began to avoid it altogether.  Even though I willingly created the rules, when I felt constricted, all I wanted to do was break them.

I eventually moved out of the house, and went months with no meditation practice.  My rebellious side wanted to take back control.  After awhile, I began to miss those solitary moments with my breath, but I knew I had to approach my practice in a different way.  I remembered something my yoga teacher had said about developing a home yoga practice, “No one is making you do it.  You’re doing it for yourself.  Think of it as a devotion, rather than a discipline.”

Shifting my perspective and realizing, no one was making my do it, but rather I was showing up in devotion to myself and to spirit changed everything.  I suddenly was able to show up to my meditation pillow, and my mat with ease.

Change it Up

When my practice was the same silent sitting everyday, I got bored and went back into avoidance.  I learned I needed to change it up once in awhile, even if it was a slight change to stay with it.  Some mornings my practice includes yoga, some mornings it is pranayama, and sometimes it is mostly silent meditation.  When I prioritized devotion over the structure, I was able to let go of the guilt and keep coming back to my meditation seat.

Call on an Archetype

I began connecting to archetypes in my meditation after reading Deepak Chopra’s book, Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire.  I would imagine a heroine, chief or goddess I felt connected to and began to ask, “Please express yourself through me.”  Over many days of connecting to the powers and attributes of someone I looked up to, I began to embody the qualities myself.

Move and Breathe First

What many people often struggle with when meditating is a “busy mind.”  The Indian guru Osho says you need to get all the garbage out of the mind first before you can get anywhere in silent meditation.  The best ways I have found to “get the garbage out” is to breath and move my body.  That could mean going on a run first, putting on music and dancing or shaking, or doing breath of fire or other kundalini breath work before silently meditating.  When I exert myself first, then sit silently, the experience becomes so still, silent and peaceful.

Bring in the ROMANCE

When I began to think of my morning practice as a devotion, I began to think of all the ways I could make my practice more enjoyable.  I bought an essential oils diffuser to create beautiful aromas of Rose and Geranium into the space.  I sat on a heating pad to feel warm and comfortable, I began my practice with singing, and made my altar a gorgeous representation of my devotion.  Every day I felt so happy waking up to my practice because of how loving and romantic it became.  This is the art of falling in love with yourself.

Connect to a Vision

After learning about the law of attraction, I began to bring manifestation to my morning practice.  I wrote out, in the present tense what I wanted to create in my life and in the world.  I connected to how I wanted to wake up and feel everyday.  I connected to why I wanted what I wanted, and every morning, read this vision out loud.  Every morning then became not only a devotion to myself and to spirit, but a devotion to what I wanted in my life and for the world.

Set a Container (A   begin and end date)

In order to create a new healthy, habit, it helps to choose a set number of days to do your practice for.  Feel free to start small and say something like, “For the next seven days I am going to do this practice.”  Put a reminder in your calendar, an alert on your phone, or a note on your bedside table to stick to it.  Tell yourself, “If resistance comes up, I am going to just sit down and do the practice, only for these seven days.  If I still don’t want to do it after these seven days I don’t have to anymore.”  Chances are, you will be able to keep it going after the set amount of time you create.

I choose to do my practices in forty day increments.  Forty days is historically known as a sacred time period for enacting change.  It can clear old subconscious patterns, set up new positive patterns, and change your life for the better. At the end of every forty day cycle, I celebrate and reflect on what has changed in my life.

Get Others Involved

It helps to know there are other people out there meditating with you.  Try calling up a friend and creating an accountability partner.  I began a whole program based around creating a vision and meditating with other women for forty days because I wanted to create that accountability for myself and others.  The program grew to include women in five continents.  I began to see when I meditate, I am not just meditating for myself, but I am meditating for the visions of women all over the world.

Whether you are just starting a meditation practice, or you’re a seasoned meditator, try these tips when you sit down for your practice to fall in love with your own connection to spirit.

 

 

An Interview with Erica Jago

 
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I had an insight a few weeks ago to share the teachings of the women who have inspired me.

These women have been fearlessly sharing their gifts and their talents with the world.  In doing so, they have inspired me to face my fears and live up to my own greatness.

This is the first in a series of interviews entitled: Courageous Women Leaders.  The women I will be interviewing over the coming months have touched my life.  Now, my intention for these interviews is to inspire YOU to face your fears and live up to your own greatness in the world.

Today, I'm sharing an interview with Erica Jago: a fabulous yoga teacher, innovative graphic designer and co-author of my favorite yoga resource book, Art of Attention.

 
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I remember when I first read the story of how Art of Attention came to be, I cried.  Erica vulnerably reached out to Elena Brower for guidance during a difficult time in her life, and over the following months, the Art of Attention was born.

What brought tears to my eyes was how Erica reached out to Elena in need, and Elena listened.  Erica shared her vision for her life with Elena, and by the time I was reading it, it had all come true.

Their story reminded me:  

There is still magic in this world.  We can ALL dream, and let ourselves dream BIG. {tweet it} 

Almost one year ago, with some hesitation, I vulnerably emailed Erica to share my gratitude for her work, how her story touched me, and what my own vision for myself and the world was.  Now, I see that vision coming true, and a friendship has unfolded through the process.

I met Erica in person at her yoga class at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum's exhibit, Yoga: The Art of Transformation, and watched with awe as Erica addressed over 100 yogis with grace and poise.  That moment has inspired me again and again to live each day with courage...

How would you define yourself as a teacher? What I look for first in my students is, what are they attracted to? What turns them on? Then we create beautiful rituals around how we communicate those desires to the world through our spirituality, our creativity, our art. The classroom to me is really about fearless expression and when I teach retreats we go deep into the removing those boundaries that inhibit our inner artist. Yes, everyone is creative - even the accountants and engineers!

Where does your teaching take you now? Currently, I am creating great healing programs for and with talented souls, aka retreats, and I’m incorporating more dance into my workshops. I guess all the transformational festivals I’ve attended over the past four years has turned me into a dancing, dub step and reggae goddess :)

What first prompted you to share your teachings?

My artwork started to reveal a step-by-step process on how to design group sequences, class experiences and even emotional ceremonies. I saw that other teachers and practitioners could benefit from this deeply intuitive methodology  because I was witnessing my own healing though the sharing of my art.

What fear(s) have you encountered and how have you faced them?

Public speaking was and still is a fear of mine but I regularly attend Toastmaster meetings for years and just kept signing up for gigs that put me in front of an audience. You just have to rehearse and take one small step at a time; the rest unfolds naturally. Also, jumping into the ocean daily is great for releasing stagnation and paralyses from the body. 

What was it like teaching your first yoga class?

I wanted to run out of the room! I only stayed because their eyes were closed and because I had my entire sequence illustrated in front of me. The planning and preparing for class is what drew me back. It ensured a sense of clarity for me, even before I stepped into the classroom because I had already contemplated it, practiced it and experienced it first hand.   

What is teaching like for you now?

When I look back at all the recorded teachings from past years, I have a deeper understanding of what I was going through and how it needed to be seen.I still illustrate all of my sequences before bringing them into the classroom because it means I’ve fully embodied the language of those truths. The themes I choose come from a deep desire to master a concept more fully and I love working the cycles of the Full and New Moons to set intentions and to bring meaning into the postures. 

What does courage mean to you? 

Courage reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. The bravery it took the Lion to exercise the muscle of the heart. How to say the words that needed to be said, how to step up and be the light and how to take those leaps of faith. 

How do you think vulnerability fits into the role of a successful teacher and leader? 

When I sit in front of the classroom I become a mirror for all those who attend. After class they project so much love onto me because that is what they found in meditation or they project judgement onto me because that is what was revealed. I can’t take it personally and all I can do is keep showing up and listening more and more because they are me and I am them. 

What advice do you have for my readers who have a dream but are stuck or afraid to take the next steps to make them happen?

The world needs you and your artistic gifts. Seriously! No one else can do what you do and that is what you tell yourself next time you think your art sucks.

By sharing your art, you come into direct contact with your healing and your purpose.

What is your current spiritual/meditation/yoga practice like?

My own practice has been around the purification of the voice. Mantra meditations carry a healing energy within them that works like medicine for our soul. All through the day I am working with sound vibrations through chanting or playing my ukulele. My favorite mantra right now is the Mangala Charan : Aad Guray Nameh, Jugaad Guray Nameh, Sat Guray Nameh, Siri Guroo Dayvay Nameh. This mantra clears doubt and opens us up to guidance and protection with a magnetic field of protective light. Download the song Expand from the Heart Center by Jai Jagdeesh.

What projects are you currently working on?

September 5-9th I’m holding a five day / four night yoga, creativity and cleansing EARTH retreat, 20 mins outside Yosemite National Park. On this retreat I’m encouraging you to seek many mirrors, to look under the rocks, to speak to the trees and to be the one who listens. Every person, practice, meal, mantra and outing we encounter will offer some speck of knowledge that you can take home with you. It is not too late to sign up, email me for more information.

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EARTHpromos_instagram4

What do you consider the most important part of the work you do? Reminding people of their beauty. Wake up! Don’t forget! We are fortunate! We are blessed! Remember? We have it really freak’n good.

If there was one thing you would want every student to learn from your teaching, what would that be? Stay present. Let go of the poor me, the what if, the woulda, coulda, shoulda and stay in the happy joyful present room. Meet me there.

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----------------- I will be joining Erica at her Earth retreat this September.  With her attention to detail, yoga style of vinyasa and kundalini yoga, and love of the Earth and of ritual, I know it is going to be amazing.  Erica lives in Hawaii and does not come to teach in California often - so if you are interested in joining, inquire today