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4 Key Practices To Open Your Heart

by Nicole's Blog

What does it mean to open your heart?

Today, I’ll explore four key practices that help you open your heart and live a more heart-centered existence.

One of the most powerful teachings I’ve ever received around heart energy comes from the name of the heart chakra, Anahata. This Sanskrit name roughly translates to – the sound that two things make WITHOUT striking.  In other words, it means union or NO resistance.

Take a deep breath in. Exhale your resistance…aaahhhh! Feel that relaxation around your heart?

Living and being in heart-centered consciousness is to drop your resistance and to operate from a place of love and compassion. It’s to relax around your heart. Healthy heart energy is for connection, communion and collaboration.

When your heart is depleted of energy you may feel tight around your heart or even empty. You may experience feelings like grief, sadness, and pain. This could mutate as well into the umbrella emotion of anger. You may close off your heart and feel  isolation and start to compare and compete for love.

This is when the Ego and Mind try to step in and take over. Yikes!

I know when I am in my heart, I feel good.  When I’m not, I don’t. It really can be that simple if we let it be.

Why not follow the trail of feeling good?

Through my life what I have found to be the most powerful tools for opening and freeing my own heart energy are mindfulness meditation, yogic breathing, gratitude and forgiveness.

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1. Mindfulness Meditation

The practice of slowing down through mindfulness meditation is powerful.  You are not living in your heart if you are constantly in your head and not in your body.  If you take your attention and focus away from the external world you can learn how to focus on your internal landscape, free of others projections, influences and energies.

With meditation you are able listen to what is taking you away from your own body, emotions, energy and experience.   To be connected to your heart you need to connect with your subtle body energies, or parts of your system that are unseen.  In this way you can become a better feeler, sensor and intuit for your own desires and needs.

This also frees you to connect with your Higher Self, Source and the Universe for the most Authentic Love Relationship you will ever find. Your relationship with YOU.

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2. Yoga and Yogic Breathing

Yoga and yogic breathing is an incredible tool for relaxation and mindfulness.  It is said that most people only breath to 30% of their capacity in a day, starving their body, brain and cells of oxygen.  This is not helping the body-mind system heal, but hindering it and creating more resistance.  Remember, we are looking for NO resistance so we can have our energy flowing.  When we slow down and relax, we can use the breath to release toxins, emotions and anything that is creating tension which blocks the flow of our energy and creates illness.

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3. Gratitude

Living an ‘attitude of gratitude’ brings so much heart and joy to your life experience.  When you are practicing what you are grateful for there is no room for negativity – your heart is filled with Love.  In that life expanding energy, you attract more life expanding energy like prosperity, abundance and soul nourishment.

The Dr. Emoto water research projects brought so much light to this.  When he used positive words and blessing vibrations over water, the crystalline structure of the water harmonized to create sacred geometry.  When the water was sent negative energy and vibration it became dissonant, fragmented and chaotic.

It’s up to you to bring your vibration into alignment with love and your heart.

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4. Forgiveness

The antidote to grief, sadness and isolation is to forgive, or ‘give forth’ the energy that you are holding onto from the past that created your suffering and pain.  If the heart is union, then you want to offer your heart’s energy of union to your experience of separation.  You can do this through the power of recognizing that what happened was for the greatest good. The universe always leads with what’s best for your soul’s evolution.The life lesson you received is bringing you back home to your heart.

Deepak Chopra had a phrase that always stuck with me in a meditation of his, “Forgiveness is for me, Forgiveness sets me free.”  Set yourself free of your pain by offering yourself love and compassion.

Opening your heart is an ongoing practice of relaxation, releasing resistance and honoring your own healing path.  Every day you have a choice to live more fully in your heart or to create more separation.  If you want to feel good more of the time, it can be as simple as starting to practice one of these self-love tools.

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May you feel peace and union in your heart today.

To receive meditations, affirmations and other inspirational tools for self-care and self-love, click this link and enter your email address!

xo Nicole

photo credit: courtney-hedger @unsplash

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The Surprising Benefits of Meditation

by Nicole's Blog

The Surprising Benefits of Meditation

Yoga is more than just physical exercise — it is also a millennia old practice that can lead an individual on a path to enriching spiritual growth.

Yoga is about the search for truth and meaning and the quest for contentment and wellbeing, stemming from an ancient Indian philosophy from the Vedic civilization. As women, we can tap into our breath, body, and passion through integrating the practice of yoga into our daily life through meditation.

We can empower ourselves as women through healing introspective work. Through non-traditional methods of healing like yoga and meditation, we can yield some surprising benefits.

Gaining a New Appreciation of Rest

As today’s woman is constantly busy in a fast-paced life with competing demands, the practice of yoga and meditation helps you slow down, clear your mind, and simply exist in the present.

Clearing the mind through meditation is essential for well-deserved rest and experiencing deep healing sleep. Such quality sleep helps your mind and body replenish and restore, preparing you to face the demands of tomorrow.

Remember though that meditation can often provide deeper rest than sleep itself, while harnessing more energy than sleep. Consider reiki energy healing meditation music during meditation time and rest to aid in your level of relaxation, assist in natural healing, and develop holistic well-being.

Becoming More Connected to Self

Being self aware is about understanding who you are and possessing self-knowledge that guides your life. Part of self-knowledge is being present enough to be aware of your thoughts and feelings, to the extent that you can identify and understand them.

Introspection is the key to healing and transformation. Listening to your body and being kind and gentle with your body is part of self-knowledge and self-love as well. Building self-awareness takes time and energy, so be patient with yourself and allow yourself time and practice to learn this daily discipline.

Clear your mind of racing thoughts, ruminations, and worries, and focus on the mind-body relationship. Use meditation to become more self-aware, leading to becoming a greater listener, a more compassionate person, and possessing a more adaptive mindset.

Generating Kindness

Forms of meditation can increase positivity through feelings and actions toward yourself and others.The loving-kindness meditation known as metta has to do with building self-esteem through first developing kind thoughts and loving feelings about yourself.

Through time and repetitive practice, these self-effacing skills can be applied toward others, to the point where you can even build loving-kindness thoughts and feelings toward enemies. This meditation helps you cultivate love, where you let it grow and spread toward others.

You can’t love others until you love yourself. It can be harder to accept and receive love than you think, especially from yourself. Try out a loving-kindness meditation technique today.

There is a deep, often untapped power in each of us as women that gives us personal insight and energy. Meditation helps us unlock these personal sources of life that help us lead more meaningful lives as women according to who we individually are.

Through meditation, we reap a multitude of benefits, including but not limited to the value you place on your rest, the value you place on yourself through self-care and self-knowledge, as well as cultivating the love you have for yourself as well as others.

Authored by:  Guest Blogger Laurie Larson. She is a freelance writer who enjoys writing on health and wellness topics to help others make the most out of their lives.

Photo by Erik Brolin on Unsplash
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Awakening to the Divine Self

by Nicole's Blog

I have a long-time client that has undergone massive transformation this year.

We will call her “Awesome” to give her a name because her story is.

At the beginning of last year, she set some intentions to dive into her deepest fears and get more in touch with her Higher Self + Purpose.

As a 20 + year yogi by passion and a high-powered music executive by profession, “Awesome” did not know what her intention and Spirit had in store for her.

We started the New Year with a Shamanic breathwork session that pierced the 3-D veil. “Awesome” shot into an alternate dimension to the feet of what looked like an Alex Grey version of Ganesha and back again.

Ganesha, is the Lord of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles. And this is how the story begins.

Right after this experience “Awesome” came down with a rare condition that was attributed to a disease that she was most fearful of in her adult life. She couldn’t believe that her extraordinary out of body experience led her into the depths of this suffering. And with this came great fear.

As her coach, I empowered her to reframe the experience as exactly what she asked for in terms of her healing – to dive into her deepest fears. The key here was to not allow the fear to overtake her, but to let the fear be thy medicine.

We felt this was a grand opportunity to surrender and to learn how to trust her health, mind, and body. It was a lesson in learning how to address the inner child and to let go of some old emotions. It was an initiation to step into her power and break through old conditions of the past.

As she reframed her perspective, and to the doctors overwhelming surprise, the condition left her body within 2 weeks and she stepped into a deeper connection of trust with herself and her connection to the Divine Plan. It was an absolute miracle.

What was even more unexpected is that this pattern continued throughout her whole year.

Her husband became sick with a fatal disease. After we had coaching sessions accompanied by huge emotional releases, I helped “Awesome” realize again that this was addressing one of her biggest fears, which were being alone, and the co-dependency she felt with her husband.

Subsequently after her healing, her husband recovered and went into remission. Another miracle.

We were astonished.

It was like Ganesha + Kali were in a marriage cutting off the heads of every fear she had in her personal life and then it started to translate into her career.

Eventually the year ended with a work severance and release of her house!

The best part about the severance and the release of the house, was the time and energy for her next major healing discovery.

She realized many of the actions she was taking in her life were from her pained childhood. She was always proving herself. She had this addiction to seeking the top of the mountain that she could never reach. No matter how high she climbed, truly she could not reach it. Nothing was ever enough to fill the void that was missing inside of her from her childhood.

The biggest fear of all that she had to face was that she was unloved and unworthy and that she would not amount to anything.

“Awesome” recognized that the incredible success and material wealth that she built was based on actions created out of the pain of her inner child. She was unaware of the subconscious programs that were ruling her decisions and life. Again, fear set in. When your whole world is revealed to you and you wake up in it, conscious and awakened, this can be scary and surprising and slightly disorienting.

The silver lining in this discovery is that we were able to shift it and heal.

She is now aware that she can take actions and climb ladders of success from a more nurtured, loving and compassionate place within, connecting her to her heart, passions and purpose.

It gave “Awesome” an understanding of her priorities. It gives her a true understanding of the Spirit realms. Previously she would have called herself a bit of a skeptic.

It gives her a sense of fulfillment, heart-centeredness, compassion, forgiveness and motivation from a more healed and loving place. And moving forward, she will not need to do anything to prove her value.

What I gained in this process is a more embodied understanding of the Divine orchestration of life. I now trust at a deeper level in letting go. I have witnessed through the whole year what it means to surrender and be courageous. I see the importance of a guide and mentor through the process of awakening. I truly witnessed what receptivity creates – the most stunning synchronicities.

I deeply bow to “Awesome” for showing up. Her strength and consistency are unparalleled.

I tell this story to honor her Higher Self for the Divine dance she co-created with Spirit for all to admire.

 

 

Photo credit: Shawn Hocking

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5 Tips for Beating Sleeplessness Without Medication

by Nicole's Blog

Written by guest blogger/author, Gabriel Patel

Sleeping poorly? Waking up tired? Feeling groggy all day? You’re not alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over one-third of Americans fail to get enough sleep on a regular basis. Since sleep deprivation causes disruptions to various brain functions, people who don’t get enough sleep often face challenges with decision making, problem solving, lowered immunity, mood control, and memory. They also have a heightened risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. Although prescription sleep aids can help, they come with many side effects and can be extremely addictive. So, instead of heading to the pharmacy, try out these natural sleep hygiene tips for healthy ways to improve your sleep.

1. Exercise Regularly

Did you know that you can track your fitness progress by analyzing your sleep? Physical activity—even in small amounts—can result in a huge improvement to your sleep quality. Exercise increases the amount of time your body spends in the deepest, most restorative level of sleep that is vital to healthy daytime functioning. Getting your body moving can also help you fall asleep more easily at night because it burns up excess energy in your body, preventing restlessness at the end of the day. Ideally, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.  You don’t have to pay for the gym, you can try this no-gym workout resource to get in peak shape. Getting outside in the natural sunlight for a morning jog can help reset your natural sleep-wake cycle, while working out in the afternoon can help your body relax more easily in the evening.

2. Make Your Bedroom More Comfortable

According to The Alaska Sleep Clinic, a comfortable sleep environment is paramount to a good night’s sleep. Your bedroom should be dark, cool, and quiet. If it’s not, consider putting up blackout curtains, purchasing a white noise machine, and turning your thermostat down in the evening. If your bed isn’t very comfortable, you may want to buy a new mattress and replace your bedding with something soft and breathable, like bamboo or organic cotton sheets. It’s also a good idea to remove clutter, workout equipment, and electronics from the bedroom and stick to calming décor.

3. Go to Bed at the Same Time Every Night

Our bodies run on a natural sleep-wake cycle. When we follow a regular bedtime, our bodies have a much easier time falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning. So, try to go to bed at the same time each night and stop sleeping in on the weekends. Aside from improving your sleep quality, this will also help your body regulate other functions, including digestion.

4. Cut Back on Caffeine

If you’re sleep-deprived, you may be relying on caffeine to keep you going during the day. Unfortunately, consuming caffeine as early as noon can prevent you from falling asleep at night. Feeling restless in the evening or waking up frequently during the night may be indicators that caffeine is disrupting your sleep.

5. Fix Your Nighttime Habits

Most of us have bad bedtime habits that prevent us from falling or staying asleep. For example, watching TV in the evening encourages us to delay our bedtime—while the light from the screen prevents the production of sleep hormones in the body. This goes the same for your phone, which should be put away at least 30 minutes before you hit the sack. Practice a calming bedtime routine to help your body relax and free your mind from any stressors or nagging items on your to-do list. Some great before-bed activities include yoga, meditation, reading, or taking a warm bath. Finally, avoid snacking on fatty foods or those high in sugar, since these prevent sleep onset. If you look forward to your bedtime snack, reach for a banana, some almonds, or sugar-free oatmeal instead.

There’s nothing more frustrating than lying awake at night, unable to sleep as you watch the clock tick closer to your early-morning alarm. Although it’s normal to have difficulty sleeping once in a while, particularly during times of stress or upheaval, chronic sleeplessness can quickly get in the way of your physical health and mental functioning. Instead of turning to addictive sleeping pills, use these wellness and lifestyle tips to help you slumber more soundly.


photo credit: unsplash

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A Synchronicity Story: Facing Money Fear!

by Nicole's Blog

How often do you find yourself on the edge of wondering, “How on Earth is this going to work out?”

What do you do when you find yourself doubting your intuition?

Do you experience indecision and procrastination or power, trust and courage?

**

I want to share with you my amazing synchronicity story that has become a powerful lesson for me in trusting my intuition confidently and overcoming fears around money and lack of support.

This is about money + support showing up at just the right time!

**

Life gives us infinite opportunities to practice our inner work.

It never ceases to amaze me.

I knew this year was going to be one of major changes and transitions, so in preparation I really committed to my self-care practices – moon cycle intention setting, journaling, coaching, breathwork, yoga and others.

I knew that making this a priority for me was going to be key to getting grounded versus being in old stories of overwhelm or fear.

I also knew that it would put me in touch with the whisperings of my heart and Spirit.

 

 

My son’s father and I made a conscious choice to separate our living situation this January 2019, after moving into the same house to support each other and our son’s move to a new state (LA to OR).

I felt in my whole being that this was the right decision for us to start 2019 with a clean slate, but the timing was tricky. It was December and I was gone traveling half the month.

I put some roommate postings out at the beginning of December.

Crickets…

I put some more out mid Dec.

Crickets…

I knew something was in resistance and then left for a vacation with my family.

I let my time with my family be one of presence.

I watched my ego and fear slip in and try and take me down around fear, money and overwhelm.

This time, I didn’t let it.

I said to myself, “I’m going to trust my intuition and that this is in Divine alignment.”

When I returned from my family vacation, I revised the postings slightly.

No responses!

I had to pay the whole rent for January 1st, $2030.

Yikes!

 

 

To my surprise, I didn’t freak out. In fact, I felt really grounded.

I trusted that this decision was what needed to happen.

In meditation, I kept feeling that everything was good.

I asked Spirit in meditation to keep me grounded and anchored.

I felt this was an opportunity to trust and to not let myself dip into fear.

I got the next whispering about what to do next.

***

Once again, I put out more postings this time arranging it slightly differently based on a meditaiton I had and a clearer intention.

I got the perfect roommate for one of the rooms.

She could move in for part of January.

I prorated her rent $177 for the last few weeks of Jan so I got some of my Jan rent back! 

Still short a roommate and was surprised about having to pay $1500 in rent for Feb? Hmm?

YET here’s the kicker and the amazing part!

I get a call from my business partner, there is a check in the mail that looks like a claims settlement and should he open it. I laughed because any time I’ve gotten one of these its been like a dollar.

Well, guess what?

It was $847!

Prorate from new roommate for Jan = $177
Claims check of  = $847
= $1024

RENT that MY CO-PARTNER was PAYING ME MONTHLY! 

Soooo….January ended up getting paid for (just not in the way I EXPECTED, lol).

That same day, I found a roommate for the second room.

She was a friend and co-worker of my first roommate, ready to move in by Feb 1st.

The amazing part is that in the end, I didn’t lose any money in the process of making the shift and finding roommates.

I GAINED SO MUCH MORE!

I gained trust in my intuition.

I made a clear choice.

I listened.

I didn’t get overwhelmed or in fear.

I took the actions I was informed to take by Spirit.

I made conscious choices instead of fearful ones.

And the Divine and I co-created this masterful exercise to help me integrate this into my being at a deep level!

**

I have made commitments to myself this year that have dropped me into deeper layers of healing and forgiveness AND such a stronger connection with Spirit guides and my Higher Self.

My meditation practice anchors me in such connection and support from the unseen realms.

What I recognize now is that the consistency, practice, discipline, accountability, and responsibility offer me the stability and foundation needed to trust and make great choices.

Next time you make a choice and a commitment watch your subconscious programming around things like fear, money, and lower chakra tendencies.

It’s an opportunity to challenge your growing edge, do your inner work and step into your power!!

**

PS…If you need any support or want to learn how to get to this level of understanding setup a discovery call so you can learn tools to bust through your old programming head on!

photocredit:
abigail low @unsplash (featured image)
simon Rae @unsplash (image 1)
kat yukawa @unsplash (#2)
stephan sandian @unsplash (#3)