Naturally Beautiful

I have been spending more time in nature these past few months. There is a cyclical pattern in nature. In fact, the growth process is more like a spiral than a straight line. This is a reminder to myself to soften the edges and to color outside of the lines. I spent the day in Malibu, in the presence of the elements, reminding me of true beauty—the beauty of nature that reflects me back to myself.

Spending time observing the crashing waves and the powerful yet quiet pull of the undertow reminds me of my own emotions. They come and go. In one way changeable, yet consistently ebbing and flowing. The one certainty is a rhythmic change. Over time, the ocean can alter the shape of a rock formation. The strength of the flow and the power of water reminds me of my own powerful emotions.

Watching the wind blow through the palm trees, and creating the white wave tops captures the attention of my mind. My breath, like the wind, fuels my energy levels, calming me in one moment and igniting me in the next. When I gain control over the breath, first through attentive awareness and next by taking charge of the pace and depth of my breathing, I find that my mind becomes still. I harness this wild imagination that holds me hostage with it's "what if's" as much as it frees me with it's "yes's".

Feeling the sand beneath my feet, and grounding my body into the earth energy this way reminds me of my very flesh and bones. Pliable, yet solid. Nothing is truly solid, and the sand gives way as it supports me. It pulls and grounds me down just as much and I become one with it. Today, I don't even mind the sand in my shoes the way I usually do. I surrender and give in fully to the feeling, even if a little uncomfortable. Adaptable and strong, my body becomes reshaped with consistency.

Tonite I sit before a flame. A candle burning bright before my eyes. The flame elusive and yet fierce, like the wildness in my eye. Something exciting, new and creative. A spark that inspires and heats me up with desire to create more. Although it can be blown out in an instant, in can burn and ignite in an instant as well. This reminds me of this fleeting moment and how to catch this inspiration in the now.

My nature is just like nature itself: Cyclical, impermanent, and beautiful in the moment.

Earth Day

The power of the senses is profound for a woman like me. Since I am an earth sign, one would think that I would naturally inhabit my body fully. I have a tendency to forget my body and to live a lot of my life in my head. This can be great for ideas and planning, but the point of true power is in my present. Presence of mind in the moment as I inhabit my body is one of my personal challenges. Having had a childhood where life was a little unstable emotionally, I learned to plan ahead. And to live in my head. After going out of my mind with over exercise, I finally learned through experience that not only was it safe to be present in my body, but it was the key to my success. Daily, I take these moments of pleasure. Whereas the old me was staying fit and exercising to escape, the new and improved me likes being in a body. I find joy when I engage all of my senses.

I had an opportunity to visit the Topanga Canyon Earth Day Festival this weekend, and fully immersed myself in the elements and my own senses. This is my way of leaning into the ground beneath me. When I feel I lack support, all I need to do is lean in and feel gravity pulling me towards the earth, and the earth's unfailing support. Every day is my earth day.

Here I am indulging my tastebuds with a solar heated fried Easter egg! Delicious. I loved the saltiness and the warmth. It felt as if I was eating energy from the sun itself! 

This indulged my sense of smell. A woman making incense with her own hands. She told me the scent was a pineapple.

The beauty of nature indulges my sense of sight. Nothing is more pleasing to my eye than this natural bouquet of flowers. Wild and free. Just like me.

Touch is incredibly important to me. Here were some natural materials to make an Alpaca Woolen hat. 

And here's a video clip where you can hear the music that was playing.

Rebirth!

It seems that all of the indicators of a fresh start are reflected in this week's holidays of Passover and Easter. Even the astrologers are reminding us of the transformational energies of the eclipses, which are forcing us to release and let go of what we no longer need, and are opening us up to the change that is inevitable—this imminent Spring forward.

What strikes me are the undeniable changes that we encounter in the seasons. We cling to Summer as we are watching the leaves on the trees change colors. The beauty of the crimsons and yellows that indicate leaves falling, leaving only bare branches... Fall becomes the icy internal Winter that cannot last forever, even when it feels like it will. Spring awaits, and every year, like a surprise, new life sprouts up and Spring bursts us open. Yet these changes occur in cycles over and over again. On some level we have endless change, and yet on another, this change is predictable. We know from experience that change is nothing to fear. And in the death of one aspect arises the birth of another.

I will try to remember this as the things I cling to fall away and I will allow space for the new to arise and evolve me. Always a rebirth. Ever a new me. It seems that I forget in cycles as well. Having only memory and the DNA that holds my experiences in place within me to remind me that all is well and that all is meant to be exactly as it is, while it is happening. Each time, I forget and try to hold on to the last season of my life as if that was the final act.

This week I will ask for the strength to allow freedom to flow. To float me down the stream in surrender and to trust nature as it is with it's great plan that both protects me and has me traveling down the inevitability of time and cycles. That I too, like the emerging bud, will bloom and fall. Again and again.

Try Rabbit Pose in honor of Spring.

Rabbit Pose

Begin in Child’s Pose. Rest your head on the floor, your torso on your thighs, your arms down by your side. Press your forehead on your knees and reach to hold on to the base of your feet. Inhale. On the exhale, slowly lift your hips, keeping your forehead close to your knees and the crown of your head on the floor. Avoid putting too much pressure on your head and neck. Contract your abs and hold the pose for two to three breaths. Slowly roll back up. 

Beginnings

Dear Friends: Welcome!

Hello out there. Anyone else get this sense that something new is brewing? I can feel the excitement within. I know that something is on the horizon, and I am at the starting gate here, but not knowing exactly what action to take.

Anything that I have ever created began as this seedling. An idea in the back of my mind, but prior to that, a feeling deep in my heart....but before that...it almost seems like a premonition...a memory of the future. So, this is kind of what I have been feeling lately. How about you? Something feels familiar, and yet I know it has never happened. What IS it? How can I unearth this new me?

My answer to this call must be non-verbal, yet named. Non-linear, yet directed. It may be an idea or a dream, but must be crystal clear in an instant.

I have taken to creating short term goals and rituals that express the feeling it gives me.

VISION BOARD. Yes. My Springtime go-to. I have decided to create an entire vision board declaring my commitment to... Commitment! To union, marriage, partnership. I don't know how to do it. Never have known. This may be better than knowing, as I may have beginners luck! (I'm counting on it.)

CREATING SHORT VIDEOS. Yes. I am shooting some Summer Shape-up videos for E! and I am even creating a how-to spinning video, because that's where I started, and that's where my vision was able to get funneled. Pop Sugar is on the roster too. Excited to unite with them again to give you a blast.

THREE-DAY WORKSHOP. Yes. Love Your Body Into Shape With Intention at the Omega Institute in June. And I am working on creating the workshop I will bring to NYC this Summer. Stay tuned. One thing I know: We will create a vision board, and do a summer shape-up!

MOVING MEDITATION. Yes. Walking. Observing. Talking out loud to the universe. Asking for what I want. Calibrating the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

FLOWER ESSENCES. Yes. I have been defining what I want and what I like. Who I am. Where I draw boundaries. Saying yes and no. But mostly yes.

PLAYING. Yes. Who says life has to be hard work. I am noticing more and more where I am having fun. The best place to manifest from is a place of heart opening playfulness. Let it be easy. The Game Of You is an awesome new game created by one of my friends. Check it out and get easy insight and answers.

INNER CHILD WORK. Yes. A dialogue with the "little" me, in the form of a letter turned into a dream. A feeling of resolution and peace. A knowing that everything turns out okay in the end.

But this is the beginning...