3 easy ways to help us spread Joy through the Holidays

December 2021 is here!

We almost made it through another year.
One more month to go and that is a celebration on its own, don't you think?

As we reflect on the past year, I invite you to celebrate your accomplishments, whether you think there were big or small. Getting through another day is worth celebrating just as much as any significant goals you accomplished this year.

Stress, Loneliness, Overstimulation.

The Holiday seasons are usually pretty hectic. We spend our time:

• going to parties or hosting them (even during COVID times which can make it more challenging and nerve-wracking),

• shopping for our loved ones (while on a tight budget or not),

• feeling homesick (if we're away from our loved ones),

• feeling lonely as we're trying to navigate through it all as the light gets dimmer.

Dreams, Lights, Wonders.

It's also a magical time where we get to see the season through the children's eyes around us and within us.
A time for hope, change, and connection. A time where our imagination sparkles with the twinkling of the lights, the songs we hear, and the warmth in our hearts.

Three easy ways to help us spread Joy through the Holidays

To help you through the season, here are three things you can add to your Holiday routine and bring a smile to your face.

1. Love On Yourself!
   It starts with YOU!
   Nights are the longest of the year. So when the light outside is dimmer, let your own light shine brighter. Take time for yourself, light candles around the house, take a warm bath with fresh rose petals and your favorite essential oil, lather yourself in your favorite lotion, listen to your favorite songs. Do all the little things that make you feel special. Nourish your body and your mind thoroughly and with love so you can share your light with all around you.

2. Buy Yourself A Gift!
   You worked hard all year long; you took care of your partner, kids, pup/kitty, friends, and family. You have been there for them to the best of your ability.
   You deserve to reward yourself.
   Give yourself something that gives you a "feel good" sensation all over your body. It doesn't have to be extravagant, but it can be. It just has to be something you really want.
   Something that makes you feel special.
   Make your own heart melt.

3. The Power Of Giving
   I love bringing a smile to someone's face, and giving to others fills my heart with so much joy.
   That's what the season is about, isn't it? Spreading joy?
   I invite you to share yourself in different ways. First, of course, you can buy a unique gift or service from a local independently owned business/store (I love supporting the community), but you can also give something of yourself:

   • If you're a musician, share your music, invite your friends to join.

   • if you're a visual artist, share the art that makes your heart sing

   • If you love cooking, cook a special meal for your BFF

   • If you're a yoga teacher, gift your students/friends a short class (mantra, meditation, vinyasa flow, beginners…)

     In other words, whatever you love, share it authentically. Let people in!
     Share your Joy!

It's also important to me to give back to charity or to fundraisers to make a someone's dream come true. To me, it's what the Holiday Spirit is all about.
Choose a charity or cause that speaks to you and if you can't give monetarily, give your time. It is just as important, if not more.

Are you inspired to spread Joy this December?
Your family, friends, neighbors, community, and the world need it!

With Love from Santa Monica,

Happy December, Y'all!

How to find your true wants and dreams?

“You know, one of the things I think is so valuable in knowing how to move forward in your life is having clarity on what it is you really want […] knowing in the spirit & soul of yourself what it is you really want because that’s how you start drawing that to yourself.”

Oprah Winfrey, from Adele One Night Only Interview.

What do you truly desire?

It seems like an easy enough question to answer until we stop and think about it seriously.

We may then realize that we don’t exactly know what we truly want. Or rather, we may discover a lot of discomforts when we explore our deepest desires. 

It could be from fears of:

• not being able to get what our heart wants (so we talk ourselves out of it), 

• being judged for what we truly wish for (what would “they” think of me if they knew),

• the idea that we’re not deserving of it,

• Insert other personal reason here ________

So how do I figure out what I really want?

That’s a good question!

Finding our wants is easier when we remove the ego from the equation.
Yoga Nidra is a great way to do that.

What is Yoga Nidra?

It’s a guided meditation practiced in savasana (laying down) known to release stress & anxiety. It translates as “yogic sleep.”
It also relaxes students so much, their body falls asleep as their consciousness stays aware.
The ego then becomes dormant for the most part, making it easier to access their heart’s desires. 

During the meditation, students also set a Sankalpa, a resolve.

Think of it as a resolution from a place deep within.

When the ego rests, what is revealed is pure and simple.
Untainted by the society we live in and expectations from our family, friends, and co-workers.
We get in touch with our inner light and what makes us feel alive.
We may even discover our purpose.

When I teach an extended Nidra meditation, students experience a sense of well-being, connection, and harmony with ALL around them. It brings them back to their true selves.

They discover who they were all along. Their dreams are revealed, and they can start manifesting them and working on stepping forward to meet them.

In 2022 I will be leading a monthly workshop and short weekly Nidra classes.

Are you ready to experience the magic?

It’s time to find your wants & find yourself!

4 ways to tap into your intuition

What is intuition?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it is:

• a natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something without any proof.

• A feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why.

Intuition is a gut feeling, something you know, although you’re unsure when you learned it or where that knowledge comes from.

We often dismiss our intuition in the western world, choosing logic and “proven” facts over intuition.
From a very young age, we are told to use our logistic mind to make decisions.
Our instinctual behavior took a back seat in the name of progress and “civilization” to separate us from the animal category. The truth is, we are mammals. However, what separates us from the other species is that we can use both intuition and rationality.
And to make our best decisions as human beings, we must learn to get back in touch with our intuitive sense.

So how do we balance ourselves and develop our intuition?

Yoga Helps!

The physical practice of yoga with the asanas (poses) of Hatha (Vinyasa, Ashtanga…) helps quiet the chatter of the mind and connects us to our physical body. As we move, breathe, and sweat, we learn to release the overflow of busy energy to prepare us for meditation.
Meditation is key to develop our intuition.
As we get back in touch with our “true-self” (So Ham), we learn to operate from an intuitive place, a place of all-knowing and inner guidance. We realize that we are not separate from all around us but connected to all sentient beings. We are so much more than our physical bodies.

Creative Outlets

We are all creative beings. We express ourselves through so many different mediums:
Painting, sculpting, drawing, writing, composing and playing music, dancing, and… anything that helps us express our emotions beyond mundane exchange to a deeper level of communication also helps us develop our intuition. We uncover a voice from within that wants to be heard outside our bodies and exist in its own unique way. The guidance you listen to throughout the process of creating is your intuition.

Journaling

Keep a journal to record your random thoughts and dreams. Pay attention to the patterns or coincidences of the words you use, the events you write about, the emotions that come up as you are writing. They are messages to help you navigate life and know yourself more intimately. Journaling is a tool for self-discovery.

Your body holds the key.

Our bodies are intuitive. Listen to it when you sense that something is not quite right. Notice where you feel it in your body.
Do you get a headache when you’re around certain people? Do you feel nauseous? Or do you have butterflies in your stomach?
Learn to trust these sensations. It is your intuition speaking. Listen.
You’ll learn to rely on these sensations to make decisions about people or situations around you that will serve you.

Developing our intuition takes time and practice.
I use it to guide students through yoga nidra meditation and asana practices.

As an intuitive coach, I also rely on my inner guidance to help you develop your own intuition that you can use for your everyday life, your career, and achieving your dreams.

Are you ready to listen to your inner voice and follow your heart?
You now have 4 ways to start developing your own intuition. Choose one of the above & practice it for 2 weeks. Please share with me how your intuition is showing up! I would love to hear!

Namaste,

Cathy D.

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PS - Whenever you are ready… Here are more ways you can develop your intuition:

• Book a Complimentary Vision Call to learn how to grow your intuition, your business, and your light.

• Attend the Yoga Nidra Bliss workshop on Feb 13th via Zoom: MORE INFO HERE

• Live Zoom 20 minute Yoga Nidra meditation to calm your body and mind Monday & Friday

I Have a Dream

A dream is a beautiful thing to have, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr reminds us, dreams take time, action, perseverance, trust, and faith.

I remember studying Dr. King’s famous speech as a teenager in an English class in France.
I remember admiring his courage, conviction, charisma, powerful presence, the way he fought for what was right, and so much more.

He was inspirational. I wanted to be more like Dr. King, stand up for what was right, make a difference in a world that didn’t want to hear my voice.
I also didn’t feel up to the task. What did Catherine Chéron really have to offer this world? How could I help? I really had no idea. That speech, however, never left me.
It will live on forever, be learned and studied worldwide, and hopefully also right here in the United States as part of the school curriculum.

What saddens me is that not much has really changed since that speech was delivered.
For this dream to come true, the White community must do better, be better.
How can we not denounce the events of January 6th, 2021, and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many more?
#SAYTHEIRNAME

Have we completely lost our humanity? Did we ever have it in the first place?
It is up to us to make a difference so that the Dream of Dr. King becomes a reality.
Dreams start with equity, accountability, equality, and Truth.
Let’s remove the veil of privilege in front of our eyes, listen more closely, roll up our sleeves, open our hearts, and get to work.

Now is the time for Dr. King’s Dream to come true.
And perhaps, you will see your own dream become a reality.

Here is an excerpt from Dr. King speech; to read the full script, click HERE

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

LINKS TO CHECK OUT:
Breaking The Addiction Of Privilege

Michelle Johnson

Black Lives Matter

Ending Racism Through Education

The Time to Heal is NOW!

Loving. Living. Reclaiming our Humanity.

What brings you pure joy? What warms your heart?

As we’re slipping slowly towards the darkness of winter and maybe experiencing a natural need to withdraw from the world, let’s take this opportunity to rekindle our inner light.

How?

It’s simple, do more of what you love.

I love watching the sunset. When the sky gifts me colors of purple, pink, red, and orange, my eyes can’t get enough, my face relaxes, and a smile appears.
Watching waves gently lap on a shore while a soft breeze brushes my cheeks and sweeps through my hair also feeds my soul.

What brings me the most joy, though, is feeling our human connection.
The exchange that takes place beyond words is simply magical.
That is why I love teaching yoga, meditation, and I’m discovering that I also LOVE coaching and mentoring. It pours from my heart and fills me with light.

So as the days get shorter, let the darker skies inspire you to look in for your own light and discover/rediscover your deepest desires.
That’s how we heal. We follow our hearts, let our inner glow brighten, and as we shine, we inspire others around us to shine brightly as well.

If finding your internal flame seems impossible right now, I invite you to start meditating. Even 5 minutes per day can make a world of difference as it calms your nervous system.
If you’re unsure where or how to start meditating, download an app or join me for my weekly 20 minutes Nidra meditation on Fridays (I will be adding a Monday session as well in December), and if you want more, join me for a 90 minutes workshop on Dec. 5th.
It will connect you to yourself, uplift your spirit, and ground your mind.

Tell me, what is your go-to to heal your body and mind?
Please share your tips with our community by leaving a comment below so we can start healing each other and the world!

Sending Love & Healing,
Namaste,

Cathy