oie_19145152o6zcv28

Face Your Shadow: Yoga & Shamanism

by Nicole's Blog

I’m re-posting this blog from May 2012…it’s incredible to watch the transformation I’ve undergone since this post 1.5 years ago and the potency of this work. I’d love to write much more about these subjects in the next coming year.

****

May 2012

Since living in Peru last year, I’ve submerged myself in the study of Amazonian Shamanism. As a result of the transformation I underwent during my stay in the jungle, I made a sacred vow to dedicate myself to Yoga and Shamanism. Ultimately I vowed to bring forth the wisdom of the Universe expressed through these vehicles. This journey has been extraordinary.

Through this work, we are shown the vast complexity of the human psyche. I call this ‘work’ because it is no simple task to face our shadows and consciously reenact what we have tried to forget. However, stuffing emotions and creating dormancy is no longer an option.

Our fragmentation and separation from Source has caused us pain and suffering. Without a vehicle for release, our suffering imprints our DNA and is re-birthed continuously until its unconscious patterns are identified, made conscious, and alchemized from suffering to forgiveness.

Through the shamanic tools of sacred song, sound and plant medicines, our deeply rooted unconscious patterns are revealed to us quickly. As we continue to peel back the layers, appearing abysmal at times, we ultimately arrive to the doorway of understanding that the Universe beyond the Ego is comprised of Love. Love is the epicenter of the Universe.

For me, April 2012 was impeccable in revealing latent patterns woven in the fabric of my family tree. This month, I have spent disentangling an immense web of ancestral patterns mired in the energy of “the perpetrator”. I am facing the shadows, completing the stories, and breaking the chain of violation that takes on many forms – verbal, emotional and sexual – that my Ego has been so fondly feeding upon.

The byline “I am not ______ enough” accompanies my stories. Yet, it wasn’t until I began this work that its origins were firmly exposed. When you need to cure “dis-ease”, you look to the root of the problem for its solution. Most of us are in a state of disease. We need to radically purge what no longer serves us in order to raise our vibration and that of the planet to ride this incredible wave of accelerated expansive energy home, to the Universal Heart.

The Shamanic path is phenomenal. It is the most incredible magic carpet ride filled with discovery, forgiveness and healing. As I have fully surrendered to the lessons and gifts, I feel as though I have plugged into a Universal Matrix. I no longer sit in the dark fearful and wondering why I am here.

There is no stopping the energetic momentum created once you step into this knowing. I have come to realize the amazing powers of intention, yoga, meditation, visualization, sacred ritual, mantra and music as keys to unlocking our marvelous manifesting abilities. We all have these abilities. Now, is your time to unravel and put your stories to rest.

What will you offer this world in service of the greatest good?

The world is waiting for YOU and YOUR unique gifts!

desire&destiny

21-Day Guided Meditation with Deepak Chopra & Oprah Winfrey

by Nicole's Blog

Desire & Destiny

I’ve been doing this program now for just under the 21 days and it has had a profound effect on my psyche.  I am a very active individual who really doesn’t stop moving, so meditation has always been a challenge for me.  I also know that meditation is exactly what I need.

This meditaiton program has been a huge blessing to help me get through a really tough recent break up.  Instead of letting my emotions and my mind overcome me and create stories of lack, I have been guided to feel my emotions and have compassion for them. I have been able to redirect my energy toward healing myself, creating self-love and seeing this break up as a teacher.

These guided meditations utilize positive affirmations and mantra to guide the mind toward encouraging thoughts.  I know without this meditaiton entering my life exactly when it needed to, my mind could have spun out of control into a very negative, less-than affirming state. Yet now,  I feel stronger and more in love with myself than ever.

This quick and transformational experience reminds me that I am right where I need to be and that I’m fulfilling my desires and destiny as I write this. I’m very radiantly expressing my dharma and thus all that’s occurred is in alignment.

Thank Universe for providing this path!  Thank you Nicole for listening to your inner guidance!

Hopefully if you are reading this, this meditation program is still free. 🙂  Even if it’s not, get it. It’s totally worth it!

https://chopracentermeditation.com/

ganesh_1

Overcoming Obstacles – Finding Gratitude Through Deep Stillness

by Nicole's Blog

Whenever we are faced with obstacles on our journey, they are actually amazing opportunities in disguise to create stillness, to go within and to find gratitude for all things.

With every obstacle that arises we have a chance to see the shadowy parts of ourselves that lay hidden beneath the surface.  The fluctuations of the mind, the ego, and external forces create a landmine of distractions that can keep us from going deep within to listen to our soul.  We all know how easy it is, when faced with obstacles to judge and to move outside of our alignment toward self-destructive, punishing behaviors and thoughts of our wrongdoing. Or we can distract ourselves outwardly by socializing, searching for people to rally around our ‘being right’, or help those who are troubled so that we can forget about our own issues.

As described by the ancient philosophies, the truth is that the way to harness our power is to create stillness. 

In stillness we magnify our power by listening to silence. Silence gives us a glimpse of the free, unconditionally loving spirit within. It strengthens our intuition, which is our ability to see the inner world, in contrast to using our eyes to interpret the ever-changing outer world. Creating stillness is what most of us need and what most of us despise.  Stillness can be perceived as uncomfortable, frightful, lazy and lonely.

Let’s not forget that we are spiritual beings living in a human body and not the other way around.  The love for others and ourselves originates from our connection to Source energy.

“You are not a troubled guest on this Earth, you are not an accident amidst other accidents, you were invited from another and greater night than the one from which you have just emerged.” ~David Whyte

In the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, (1.14) it is written, “control over the mind’s fluctuations comes from persevering practice and non-attachment”.

These two guiding concepts of Abhyasa (consistent practice) and Vairagya (non-attachment) help us to find meditation. Although they seem like opposites, effort and surrender, they work as compliments to find this peace within. Peace does not come without practice.

For me, the most effective way to design a practice is to create a sacred space right next to my bed. 

This way before I start my day, or before I go to bed, I have no excuse, but to stop at my altar.  I have adorned my altar with many representations of beauty, people, deities, rocks, stones, crystals, scents and elements of nature. I now have a meditation cushion to curb my excuses that it’s just not comfortable.

I also have slowed down significantly to find prayers of gratitude before my daily rituals like eating, yoga, or healing sessions to tap into my Source energy for guidance and love.

If the mind is heavily distracted I learned through the Law of Attraction to acknowledge all of the things that I am grateful for through stream of consciousness. This will turn my attention away from negative thought patterns and will line me up with Source energy. From Source, I can more easily drop into meditation.

For my meditations, especially if I am restless, I turn to wise meditation teachers to steer my silence through their guided meditations. 

Some of my favorite teachers are Deepak Chopra, Rod Stryker, Richard Freeman and Jeddah Mali.

On a final note about those feelings of discomfort, I want to share an analogy that I love from a Shaman I trained with in Peru.

Imagine for the first time you have just stepped onto an airplane.  Bad weather appears outside. The plane gets bumpy and is jolted. Major fear arises. You think are going to die. You reach for the barf bag in the seat in front of you and get sick.  The second time you get on the plane, you feel the jolt and you know what is causing it and the feeling of sickness may have dissipated.  After several plane rides you know the territory and you feel more safe.  Now, you can fall asleep on the plane with no effort. You completely trust and surrender that you are in good hands. 

The next time you sit down, remember that everything that’s new has its obstacles and that’s what provides the biggest growth. Sit with your fear and send it love.

This year has been one of the most challenging years of my life, with the biggest obstacles AND it has also the most expansive on all levels of my being.  Finding my meditation practice has transformed my life.

In pure love, light and joy.  May you find peace this Thanksgiving season and find meditation in all your days to come.

Blessings,

Nicole

buddha-wallpapers-photos-pictures-zen-flowers

Self Realization: Yoga Beyond the Mat

by Nicole's Blog

Yoga is a path toward Self-Realization or seeing the truth of who we really are.

It’s a journey of awakening to our divine essence.  Through years of navigating various sacred and spiritual texts, philosophies and viewpoints, I’ve extrapolated that in essence all paths I’ve studied lead to the Yoga of Self-Realization and being at one with Source or God.

In that I realize the massive responsibility I have in teaching the totality of Yoga, not just the asana practice, but the entirety of its scientific study because it contains important keys to unlocking the mystery of our next phase of conscious evolution.

Yoga was designed to be a lifestyle that transcends the mat and informs the full spectrum of our journey toward higher consciousness.

Yoga graces us with self-reflective tools like listening, conscious breathing, inward gazing and rhythmic movement that entrains the mind.  This daily practice of introspection brings forth the focused concentration and meditation that we all are benefiting from on a larger scale. It’s an exciting time to see what is transpiring on the mat.

Yet what happens, when students leave the mat?

I’m finding that students do not have the tools to navigate all that has arisen from their limited 1.5hr practice.  There is a gap that needs to be bridged.  As students I encourage you to go beyond the mat and dive deeper into the philosophy and science of the Yoga Sutras or find a teacher that understands the deeper teachings of Yoga and take some privates.

As a teacher, I have a responsibility to impart my wisdom in Yoga’s intelligence beyond the physical asana practice off the mat. I need to educate my students and clients that Yoga is an integrative holistic medicine that heals energy, emotions, and mental traumas. It prevents and cures disease.

Every day I witness the mind-stuff (citta) arising in my own field of awareness and empathically experience this in my students.   The path for me can seem arduous sometimes when I recognize the complexity of human nature and all of its constituents – body, emotions, mind, and spirit.  Layer social dynamics on top of the individual’s path and I have an even more complicated exploration.  Yet I feel humbled and graced by the wisdom of God to be able to share my intelligence of this important practice.

We are in a pivotal phase of evolution and we need to dive deep into and uproot the shadowy unresolved unconscious behaviors and habits.I have begun to incorporate Shamanism (a powerful Self-Realization tool) Reiki (a Divine healing energy) and Sound Healing into my Yoga teachings. I’m offering them as a post-operative experience to help students deal with what’s arising on their mats.

Through these tools, I’ve discovered my ability to see beyond the veil of illusion and have gained the understanding of the true distinction between the Purusha (Soul) and Prakrati (Nature, body, mind).

Now is the time to go deep into the realm of trauma, the wounds of childhood, and the residue of ancestry to eradicate the patterns of behavior that keep us bound and constricted and in the past.

It’s our responsibility to forge new ways of relatedness with one another and with the world around us.

I encourage all my friends, family and students to join this journey into the unknown and to really see what is at the root cause of your suffering. I encourage you to explore the scripts that play behind the scenes and how the mind weaves new stories that don’t serve us if we don’t attend to understanding the scripts. It’s a wild web we weave.   The scripts many never disappear, but we can learn how to control our reactive behavior toward them.

Our job as spiritual warriors is not to avoid suffering or challenges or obstacles, but to embrace them as our teachers.

The path of Yoga is not about spiritually bypassing our ego either.  It’s about having a healthy relationship to our human self and all of its imperfections as a method of discovering the True Self again as God.

Yoga and Shamanism teaches us to recognize our experiences as opportunities to learn to love more deeply, beautifully and unconditionally.

I look forward to diving deeper with all of you on this journey of awakening through our shared experiences on and off the mat.

 

unconditional-love

Are You Living From Fear or Unconditional Love?

by Nicole's Blog

A friend of mine recently said,“the opposite of fear is faith and unconditional love is underneath all of it.” 

I’ve always wondered, if love was underneath all of it why we all fear and suffer so much. Why don’t we just have faith and live in love? It’s an inquiry worth exploration. I’m writing today in complete faith that love is underneath everything AND this does not mean that we are shielded from pain and suffering.

We live a human existence.

From the moment we were born we were separated from our Source – Pure Love.  We can experience glimpses of wholeness in remembering who we really are and we can experience other things like pain, suffering, fear, etc. The Yoga Sutras state that,

“All experiences are either painful or painless but they all include pain.”

The contrast and world of duality is a swinging pendulum. Nature, Prakrati, around us changes from day to day and minute to minute.  Until we are fully liberated from this human experience and move into Samadhi, we will no doubt experience pain.

The truth is that pain and suffering is unavoidable.

In fact, most enlightened beings suffered a great deal which led them to seek out the end of their suffering.  Through their challenges they reconciled their karmas, examined their pain and its causes and made a choice to liberate from it.  In history, we have witnessed some humans reach liberation through practice, non-attachment (vairagya), faith, meditation, surrendering to God (Ishvara Pranidhana) and the giving of unconditional love.

I believe the key to mastering our human experience as spiritual beings is to see what causes our pain and then to understand how we react to it, live with it and get comfortable with the fluctuations that arise from moment to moment.

I believe that we can make the choice to override our suffering and pain by practicing devotion to loving all that arises with faith that there is a Divine plan and Love underneath it all.

As challenging as things get (and I’d have to say this might have been one of my most challenging years to date and also one of the most spectacular on all levels),we need to practice non-attachment (vairagya) because the pendulum will swing from full expansion to complete contraction.

In the Law of Attraction work, we talk about contrast and the emotional guidance system.

Without contrast there is no way to set off our rockets of desire.  Our desires as humans are born out of seeing what we don’t want and moving toward what we do.

That’s the basis of expansion.

We are leading edge creators molding our experience based on this emotional guidance system.  If something doesn’t feel good we palpably feel that and we move away from it.  If something feels really good we move toward it.

This is magnetism.  Our heart is one large magnet. 

Sounds easy, but then you have some other things that come into play.

The mind and the ego.

These entities, as I like to call them, have their own agendas.  Their agenda like all of ours is to survive.  They continually keep us challenged and experiencing our Samskaras (latent impressions) and kleshas (obstacles).  They also provide us with the contrast needed to expand.

Due to these entities, humans experience conditional love.

We place parameters around what we allow ourselves to feel in efforts to protect ourselves or someone else from suffering.  Yet in this human experience there is no way to protect ourselves from suffering or contraction, especially if we are living from fear and not from our truth.

Our truth is our connection to Source Energy.

Many of us find ourselves bound in our relationships and we compromise our belief systems and voices based on fear of being alone, fear of not being the loved, fear of what someone else might think or fear of hurting someone else.

With all of these agendas it seems only natural that there will be some degree of suffering.  Our job, I believe, is to be a witness and in a state of listening.  Our objective is to gain comfort with discomfort and suffering. We are tasked to find tools to help alleviate these energies as they arise. Ultimately, we are moving toward gaining freedom over all of the fluctuations of the mind, citta vrittis and moving toward Source.

As humans, can we love without conditions? Can we actually experience unconditional love?

I believe love is experienced as conditional in most relationships AND we keep elevating our understanding of love.  I believe that through special intimate relationships we can get closer to unconditional love.  A conscious relationship is a beautifully reflective and reactive laboratory to further understand the mind, the ego and their reactions.

When our love is unconditional we experience expectations and outcomes as mundane.

We have little reaction towards them. We fully experience this IS-ness of what IS at the moment. We feel into our emotional systems and we make choices from our current condition and awareness of what is arising in the NOW versus our illusions of the past.  We find presence.  Fear has a hard time surviving in the present moment.

How can we reach these states of presence and move toward unconditional love?

The cessation of the fluctuations of the mind comes with self-study (Svadhaya) discipline (tapas), and meditation. When we mediate or release ourselves from so many thoughts we find the bliss and Samadhi we desire.  We can tap into unconditional love in our hearts.

Our hearts and our spirit thrive in this place of limited and pure thought.

Some of my favorite phrases to live by come from the Law of Attraction that states, “the basis of our life is freedom, the purpose of our lives is joy and the result of our lives is expansion.”  One thing that I have discovered through my years of yoga, shamanic energy work and meditation is that when we can tap more fully into the spaces of unconditional love we do feel so much more freedom. We do live much more joyfully and we expand and grow beyond measure.

How can we experience our lives more fully to create this freedom, joy, expansion and unconditional love?

As spiritual beings in this human experience we self reflect. We take time for ourselves. We listen to what is arising instead of ignoring. We don’t bind but we liberate. We speak our truth despite the outcome. We make choices that feel good guided by the emotional guidance system we were given. We move energy that gets stuck so we can generate pure clean energy. We graduate to making choices with discernment based on what is best for ourselves at that moment. We continue to create opportunities that provide us growth and expansion toward living in our highest truth.  We watch where we are attached to expectations or when we place conditions on others. We offer to do something for someone else because we want to not because we expect it returned. We tune in to our fears. We get still. We meditate. We learn to witness our human existence from our soul, Purusha. We tap into pure consciousness.

This year, I’ve experienced some of the hardest challenges and the most suffering of my life and some of the most joy and expansion I could have hoped for.

All of this has provided me with the opportunity to have faith and fully surrender to God. And with this, I’m creating a challenge for myself to also observe how I make my decisions moving forward. I pledge to listen to my emotional guidance system as best I can and to practice discernment with this question in mind,

“Nicole, are you making this decision based on fear or in love?”

I’m sure this month will be a very powerful one and I’m excited to see the results!

It’s also my plan this month to tune into Leela, or Divine Play, tuning into the natural flow of the Universe.

I plan to swim in the ocean, dance with the sun and the moon, unite in community, help friends, open my heart more, guide people out of fear, inspire hearts, laugh, cry, sing from the bottom of my heart, discover hidden treasures everywhere, tantalize my taste buds, express my truth, breathe fully, meditate and experience life with childlike wonderment and discovery.  I plan to live more from the present moment!

Everything is available. The possibilities are endless.

And with this I leave you with some of my favorite new quotes from ME…
“Every road leads to everywhere!”
“If there is one thing that I do know, its that I don’t know shit!”

Blessings on this infinite journey unfolding,
Nicole