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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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Wahe Guru! Celebrate dark + light!

by Nicole's Blog

Today, we are in celebration of International Yoga Day and the Summer Solstice –  both offering light to our world that feels quite dark.

What are we learning from these auspicious days?

Have you noticed, as I have, the juxtaposition of the juicy swellings of Divine Love in your own heart and the pangs of, anger, destruction, and judgement of your own mind served up by your past pains?

Some days, its as if I’d like to tear off my clothes and sing naked and wild at the top of my lungs and other days where my fear shuts me down and I hide.

We are all going through a collective re-birthing.  We are being forced to go down deep in the dark well of our own emotional being to dig up the remains, so that we can release the wreckage that we’ve created, heal our lineage, minds, and bodies to reveal the Light within.

As Yogis we are often reminded of how pressure and heat turns carbon into a diamond, or the exquisite lotus flower that penetrates the muddy waters to bloom its essential beauty for us to see.

Now, more than ever, we are understanding this yogic process of tapas, the burning, purification, discipline and practice that leads us to the eternal God seed within.

This process was never stated to be easy.  “Doing the work” as many spiritual aspirants say, is filled with challenge, obstacle and trauma, yet also with opportunities and triumphs.

In efforts to see the Great Light we also traverse the Great Dark.

Our society tends to focus on the dark. Perhaps its seems so magnified because we know in our hearts more than ever that Unity and Love are Truth and we are shamefully recognizing how far away we’ve strayed.

It’s as if we can’t believe it, so we keep talking about it.  Yet if we know and practice the Law of Attraction, we need to re-direct and place focus on what we wish to amplify, Love.

It doesn’t mean we ignore.  It means we take our anger, our hatred and disgust and we create action and solutions for the greater good.  We don’t blame, but we rise up in ownership and responsibility and play our part in supporting radical change.

We are collectively moving through our first, second and third chakras to clear out fear and separation, distorted sexual energy, guilt, shame, and abuse of power.

We are moving to the heart chakra.

Today, we offer hope, unity and love in exchange for the suffering that is sweeping our collective consciousness.

We are being asked to spring forth at this time and celebrate and dance and be free!

Today, I’ve created a Despacho offering to the land and to the guardian spirits to ask for forgiveness for creating such an imbalance of resource on this planet.  Personally, my sacred offering to the Earth will be better stewardship and more service to Her and the collective.

I was recently offered a great gift to be a Melissae at a Goddess Temple here in Ashaland, Oregon at the Jackson Wellsprings. As a Goddess Temple Melissae I get to be in service to the Goddess through stewarding the land, water, altars and structures of the Temple.  I plan to dedicate my time there to the virtues of love, safety, community, beauty, grace, kindness and compassionate support.

What can you do to be of service to the Light today on this longest light-filled day of the year?

What can you do to be in service of communing with the your own being filled with Light?

How can you practice more self-love and kindness?

Can we all celebrate the darkness too as the contrast that is needed and Divinely guided to reflect back to us our own inner work?  The mirror of Nature is our Guru.

Today the Kundalini Yogis use the term “Wahe Guru”. Wahe is an exclamation of ecstasy like, “Wow!”.  Guru is a teacher or guide. Guru takes one from the darkness into the light.  Let’s celebrate the moment we recognized that God is within.

Blessings to you my community for honoring the path of the Yogi, seeker, light-bearer, steward, and champion of humanity.

May you be blessed and revered for your work.

Be the light that changes the world!

Wahe Guru!

xo Nicole

P.S.  If you are a healer, yogi or spiritual entrepreneur and you feel like you need solid support traversing from dark to light in efforts to create your light-inspired business for this planet, set up a complimentary call with me. We need you to reclaim your power and actualize your visions NOW!

P.P.S.  If you want to be a part of a growing spiritual community of incredibly gifted and spiritual women, please join #shamanicpriestess FREE Facebook Group.

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When will you commit to yourself? 4 Simple Starters!

by Nicole's Blog

When will you commit to yourself?

How many times have you asked yourself this before?

You know how much better you feel when you commit to your practices, yet that’s the hardest thing to commit to.

What excuses do you observe ‘get in the way’ of your healthy habits like meditation, yoga, exercise, eating well, etc?

How is it that you know what is good for you, yet you do the bare minimum to get by?

What’s the best excuse you come up with?

As a Shamanic Empowerment Coach, my job is to empower people to commit to themselves and their well being.

Most people come to an empowerment coach not because they aren’t able to commit to external things (job, relationship, family), but rather because they have a tough time committing to the internal process of loving themselves.

I’ve heard every excuse in the book to prevent people from doing good things for themselves.

The most common I hear is “I’m too busy with _______(work, family, travel, kids, etc)”.

This excuse promotes that life is completely out of your control and that you have no say in your life.

Sometimes this means, “I don’t have the skills to prioritize my life.”

Other times this means, “I’m alone and I can’t ask for help.”

Or it could mean, “I need to feel important because I don’t feel good about myself.”

Or, better yet, “I don’t prioritize me.”

In the end, almost any excuse for not practicing your self-care really means, “I don’t truly love and care for myself.”

What’s your belief system around others that care for themselves?

I hear you saying things like that person is ‘selfish’, ‘lazy’ or ‘clearly not busy enough’ when you see them leave work at 5p and go to the gym.

I feel you getting jealous of others who dance in the fields, play in the woods, and sip coffee on the porch overlooking the mountain view.

I see you get mad at your partner when he goes out for a run and you are taking care of dinner.

You are judging and are in fact are upset that you didn’t set time aside for you.

What will it take for you to put yourself first? When will you finally commit to yourself?

What you don’t realize is that when you take care of yourself first, you will have more energy and love to go around.

When you fill your cup with prayer, meditation, affirmations, gratitude and self-care practices, you will have more patience and generosity available for others.

When you get clear on your priorities that fulfill your life, then your happiness is contagious and magnifies in others.

As your realize your dreams and actualize your visions, everyone around you benefits.

You don’t have to do it alone. Enroll, enlist, share and integrate your self-love and self-care practices into your life to include others and make it fun!

What’s stopping you from committing to yourself?

The next time you opt out from you, ask yourself what’s in the way.

Can you commit to yourself NOW?

Here’s 4 simple starters!

1. Notice your emotions and thoughts when you are NOT practicing self-care.

When you are not choosing  YOU notice your emotions. What old stories, wounds, and habits are stopping you from loving yourself? What “can’t” you do and why?

2. In the moment, CHOOSE LOVING YOU!

What will bring you (and ultimately others) more love right now?

3. Prioritize.

What’s really important?  What will make you more happy in the present and can the other things wait?

4. Schedule your self-care.

You book appointments for everything else, why not for yourself? Make non-changeable, non-negotiable commitments/appointments for YOU to meditate, exercise and fill your cup.

Bonus Tip:  Have fun!!  Your life is yours to have and do what you will with it! 

#nicoledohertyyoga #nicoledohertyhealingarts #shamanicpriestess #unleashthepriestesswithin #commitment #health #wellness #yoga #yogaeverydamnday

 

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5 Keys to Manifesting Your Desires

by Nicole's Blog

How do we manifest or bring the formless to the form?

I’d love to share with you what I consider to be the 5 most important keys to manifesting your desires.

I use these steps with much success with my coaching clients to align them with their soul’s purpose and actualize their visions.

Please share this blog on Facebook, tag me & let’s open it up to comments/discussion. 😉

1 – Desire

Desire is one of the Four Aims of Yoga, in Sanskrit her name is Kama (like the Kama Sutras). I love this yogic definition of desire below.

According to vedicpath.com, “Kama literally means desire.  Humanity is a species filled with desire.  We live in an age where a large portion of the world is heavily focused on desire. Some desires are for the uplifting of humanity, some are for justice, yet others desire for a particular person to love them.  Some are consumed with sexual desire. Yet, others desire communion with Divinity.  There are a plethora of desires within humanity. It is said in the Vedas that creation as ‘desire first arose’ within Divinity.  While desire is largely vilified within the realm of spirituality and religion, it is a powerful motivator and tool when used properly, and can be a catalyst for great change within humanity.”

What is a powerful motivator or desire that you have?

2. Intention

When you look up intention in the dictionary its an aim or plan.

What is the aim, the plan for this powerful desire? What do you intend with your energy?

What are you asking the energy of creation to bring forth and why?

How can having this in physical form help you to serve humanity and/or save the health of the Earth?

3 – Vision with your senses

Creating a vision through the senses and your imagination will start to make your desires and intentions real to you.

In Shamanism, Yoga, Reiki, and Somatic Therapy, we know that our imagination is one of the most powerful tools for healing.

You can imagine something as being different and actually completely change your experience. According to neuroscience, we can re-pattern our brain and create new neural pathways.

I know people who have shrunk brain tumors through imagination in meditation. They create a fully different reality through changing their belief system.

So when you are creating a vision, ask yourself:
What does it feel like if you were to touch it?
What could it look like in detail?
What taste does it have?
What smell arises?
What sound does it make?

Create a vision board, filling it up with images based on the feelings and experiences that you are uncovering about this sensory exercise.

4 – Yoga/Meditation

We want to get out of our analytic mind that overthinks, analyzes, judges and wants to control the process and the “hows”.

Manifesting energy, although matched with some action, is very much a creative and heart energy process.

Let’s look at manifestation in this model as a process of receiving that which is in the Quantum field and generated by the heart’s desires.

As a co-creative process with the Universe, we need to be offering the liberating current of energy from our bodies rooted in the Earthly desires up to the Spirit realms and we need to have the antennae/receivers on to bring down what’s called the manifesting current or bringing Spirit to 3D.

It takes about about 15-20 minutes to drop into the theta brain wave state so that we can get into our creative brilliance.

In this space, we can be open to receive images, messages, downloads, knowings set forth from your desires and intentions.

5 – Let it go!

For me one of the hardest parts. 😉

We get so attached to our “how’s” and “whens” that we forget our limited human mind can’t see into the ingenuity, brilliance and limitless possibilities that the Universe IS.

We need to trust that once its out there in a clear way, that the Universe will be the reflector and will match our heart’s truest desires.

 

Thank you for listening!

Please share this blog on Facebook, tag me  & let’s open it up to comments/discussion. 😉

 

 

photocredit: Andressa Voltolini at unsplash

earthing

{Free Meditation} For Anxiety + Stress!

by Nicole's Blog

Have you ever felt anxious, groundless, scattered, mistrusting or fearful?  Do you have trouble with money?

Are you fearful that there is not enough?   Are you in a state of overwhelm?

How connected are you to your body?    Do you get stuck in your head and spin out? Is it hard to make decisions?

These are the qualities of a root chakra energy imbalance.  

This can be caused by things like:  
1) Disconnection with the Earth
2) Early core wounds in your childhood experience
3) Societal programming and trends around scarcity and lack
4) Fear of disease and illness

What can you do to balance your energy system and heal your root?

In  ancient wisdom teachings we understand that Nature is our reflection.

Thus, we learn about our human energy centers through the qualities of the master energies/frequencies of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether/Space/Center (depending on the traditions) and we heal through connecting with them.

I am offering you a very simple practice today that can help bring you into connection to the Earth and recharge your energy body.

Qualities of the 1st Chakra:
Earth Element/Pachamama – Roots, Density, Physical
Relates to your physical body and our health
Imbalances relate to issues with mother, basic needs being met (root relationship, shelter, food, water, money)
Safety/Trust

How do these qualities relate to you?

The foundation of the trees are the roots.

The roots make the trees stable and provide firm footing and connection to the Earth.

When you are healthy in this center you feel grounded.  You feel safe and connected. You understand that your basic needs are being met at a foundational level (food, water, shelter). You don’t need to hoard.

The earth energy relates to your physical body, specifically your feet and legs.

The 1st chakra reflects your core relationship with the Mother (earth & human).

When your foundation is solid and anchored you can trust in life. When you trust, you understand that life is always giving to itself. Life is prosperous and abundant and revealing the highest potential of all things.  Even in the unexpected.

An imbalance in this chakra is fear, overwhelm, lack and scarcity.

When you feel, see and connect to the unconditionally loving presence that is the Earth who constantly offers herself without asking anything in return, you will begin to release your fear and anxiety.

You can start to feel supported and loved.  Here is a great practice to get connected!

Earthing + Grounding Meditation Practice (15 minutes).

1.  Download this FREE meditation on my dropbox HERE and put it on your headphones!

2.  Go outside with bare feet and stand on the earth (not the concrete) in Tadasana or Mountain Pose.

3. Charge your body with real vital energy – prana.

4. Stay there for 15 minutes and you will receive 350 volts of energy into your body.

This will take energy away from the mind, get you grounded in your body and give you life giving prana and energy for healthy habits!

If you want to go deeper, I take my clients through a highly customized 3 month 1:1 healing and coaching journey through each of their energy centers. With this knowledge you can re-balance all your energy centers for a better overall life balance.

You will do this through an extensive tool box of coaching, remote intuitive healings, somatic and embodiment journeying, meditations, affirmations, yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and tantra mirror connection work.

If you are interested in learning more about the “Unleash the Priestess” program, book a free call to find out more.

P.S. Join my free, private Facebook group #unleashthepriestess to connect with other women who are empowering each other to evolve and thrive by sharing their deep healing processes!

Infinite blessings on the path to awaken to the Divinity in all,

Nicole
Http://nicoledoherty.com

“Our power to manifest is equal to our power to generate our own evolution.”
– Claire Zammit