Happiness

Have you read “the untethered soul” by Michael A. Sanger?

In the book, in chapter 15, he talks about unconditional happiness. I would also call it true happiness.
He says:

“The highest spiritual path is life itself If you know how to live daily life, it all becomes a liberating experience. But first you have to approach life properly, or it can be very confusing. To begin with, you have to realize that you really only have one choice in this life, and it’s not about your career, whom you want to marry, or whether you want to seek God. People tend to burden themselves with so many choices. But, in the end, you can throw it all away and just make one basic, underlying decision: Do you want to be happy, or do you not want to be happy? It’s really that simple. Once you make that choice, your path through life becomes totally clear.”

— Michael A. Singer, the untethered soul

he goes on to say:

“Most people don’t dare give themselves that choice because they think it’s not under their control. Someone might say;, “Well, of course I want to be happy, but my wife left me.” In other words, they want to be happy, but not if their wife leaves them, Bur that wasn’t the question. The question was, very simply, “Do you want to be happy or nor?” If you keepit that simple, you will see that it really is under your control. It’s just that you have a deep-seated set of preferences that gets in the way.”

— Michael A. Singer, the untethered soul

My interpretation is that if we want to be happy, we must choose it.

Let that sink for a moment (and exhale deeply).

I don’t believe he is saying that we shouldn’t feel other emotions like anger, grief, sadness, outraged and different feelings we may qualify as inappropriate or negative.
In my opinion, all emotions are valid.
But can we also choose happiness amid a lousy day?

“Sometimes I have bad moments, but I never have a bad day.”

— Shawn Dirkx

My greatest teacher regarding happiness is my son.
When he was a young child, I always asked him how his day was after coming home from school.
He always answered with a single word: “good.” That went on for weeks and months.
One day after the standard “good” answer, I asked Shawn, “when you come home from school, and I ask you how your day was, you always say good. Do you ever have a bad day?”
He looked at me, thought for a moment, and said: “No. Sometimes I have bad moments, but I never have a bad day.”
He was seven.

What will you choose today?

Fluctuation is a natural way of life. But sometimes, we must be reminded and supported to find true happiness during chaos.
I am here to let you know that you are not alone, to remind you to breathe through whatever you are going through today.

We can move forward in life with joy when surrounded by friends, family, a coach, or a mentor.
We can choose happiness as we cry on our bestie’s shoulder.
To me, having that friend at that moment is true happiness + walking on the beach, gentle waves lapping over my feet. :)

So I invite you to share your happy moments with the world.
We need them more than ever!
As our light shines brightly, we spill it on all around us.

I am here to support you and guide you, always!

With Love from Santa Monica,

Cathy D

The Power of Thoughts

Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Have you been manifesting your desires and not
fully receiving what you want?

Is your current reality preventing you from receiving what you manifested?

It all starts with a thought and often a need when it comes to manifesting our desires.
What do you really want & deeply need as you're reading this?

Check in with yourself, breathe deeply, and let your heart tell you what it wants.
Focus more on the raw desire and try your best to avoid justifying why you want it.
In other words, you don't have to have a logical explanation of why you want what you want.

See, our thought patterns and limiting beliefs may be what gets in the way of getting what we manifest.

Despite your best effort to ignore the nagging inner voice, is your mind telling you:

" I don't have enough time, money, or/and support to work on a "childish" dream."
" I am not worthy of receiving x, y, and z."
" If I succeed, will I be judged and disliked? What will people say about me?"
" Who am I to get what I really want?" (imposter syndrome)

As we ask these questions and make these statements, we create an environment that doesn't nurture our dreams.
We want love, a great relationship, a better job, money…
But because we don't have these things yet and feel deprived, we start manifesting from a place of lack. So by saying I want… we are saying that we don't have it.

What if, instead, we were manifesting from a place of abundance?

When you desire something deeply, believe that you already have it.

Our logical mind may not believe that statement, especially when you have to pay bills and your bank account is close to a zero balance.
It may feel like you've been asked to believe in a fantasy that is far from your reality.

However, the power of manifestation resides in the belief that after you ask the universe, God, Goddess, Angels, Guides… the entity or higher power you believe in, you accept and know that you already have it.

Take a deep breath, as it may make you feel uneasy (to say the least).

Yet, this is the secret of a Sankalpa, the resolve we practice in Yoga Nidra.
As we are being guided in the meditation, we are asked to see ourselves receiving what we desire the most, feel it, and accept it as if it was given to us at this very moment.
As we see it happening in our mind's eye, our consciousness and subconscious believe it is real.
We believe we are receiving our deepest desires. That is one of the reasons why a Sankalpa is so powerful.

When our thoughts converge into accepting what we manifest as reality, we are in complete alignment with the power of the present moment. That is when we discover that we are so much more than our body, thoughts, and ego. We find out the essence of who we are.
That is the foundation of true manifestation.

Eckhart Tolle says:

"If you cannot come into alignment with the present moment and discover the secret of the present moment that is inseparable from who you are, then no matter what you achieve, either through hard work or through manifestation practices will not satisfy you. And your powers of manifestation will also be greatly diminished."

Manifestation, like meditation, is a practice.
It takes guiding our thoughts in the direction of our destiny, taking each moment one breath at a time, trusting, and above all, believing in ourselves.

As we let go of who we think we are, we become who we were all along.

If you are interested in experiencing Yoga Nidra, I offer monthly online Workshops & bi-weekly 20-minute classes.

The Power of Words

So, how do you talk to yourself?

I often start my Yoga Nidra workshops asking: "how do you feel?"

You'll hear me say: "Find 1 to 3 words that describe how you feel at this moment."

It gives the students a starting point.
It's important to know this information to see if we feel any differently after the practice.
It's also important to notice if we judge ourselves for the way we feel and what other words may come to mind as we pass judgment on ourselves.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is known to reframe the mind, which is especially important when the chatter in our mind turns to self-loathing.

Let me ask you, how do you speak to yourself when no one else is listening?

Do you say things like: "I'm so stupid," "I'm not good enough," "I'm such a dumb-ass," or even harsher words?
Or am I the only one who speaks to myself in that way?

Do you know how it actually affects you on a deeper cellular level?

According to (very simplified) quantum physics, everything is energy, calibrated to vibrate at different frequencies. Each vibration is equivalent to a feeling. In that energetic world, there are only two types of vibrations: Positive energy & Negative energy.

So why does it matter, and what does it have to do with the power of words?

Masaru Emoto, a famous Japanese scientist, performed a series of tests on the effects words have on water using the concept that words have a vibrational impact.
He took water from the purest stream and polluted river in Japan for his experiments.

He then labeled the vials with words like love, appreciation, gratitude, while other vials were labeled with words like hate, you make me sick, or Hitler.
After 24 hours, he put the water of each labeled vial on a slide. He then froze each slide and looked at them using a microscope.

The results are incredible.
The crystals from the water labeled with positive emotions such as Love & Gratitude showed perfectly shaped hexagonal pure crystals. In contrast, feelings such as hate led to dark, mishappen crystals, no matter if the water was polluted or crystal clear to start with.

Check out the short video to see the effect words have on the water. It’s fascinating!

Since our bodies are made of 50-70%, imagine the power the words we tell ourselves has on us?

What now?

Here are three ways you can use words to heal and uplift:

Turn self-criticism into self-compassion

Notice what you tell yourself often to criticize yourself, even playfully - and think about what you would tell your best friend if they were saying that about themself. Talk to yourself as you would your best friend.

Self-compassion will help you turn your words around into positive inner dialogue that will benefit you, encourage you, and help you get to where you want to go.

I love you is a mantra.

Look at yourself in a mirror and tell yourself what you need/want to hear to uplift you.

In the 5-Day Dream Challenge I created, I invite the participants to stare at their own eyes in a bathroom mirror and tell themselves out loud: Their name, I love you, for 1 minute to start with. Then, do it for 21 days in a row and see if the relationship you have with yourself starts to change.

It sounds easy enough, right?

I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts after doing that exercise.

Words matter

What words bring positivity to your whole being?

Write them down on your vision board, notepad, or better yet, on post-it notes that you place around the house and on your desk at work (if you're back at the office). Read them out loud when you see them:

• Abundance,

• Trust,

• Love,

• Bliss,

• Appreciation,

• Gratitude,

• Ease,

• Balanced,

• Confidence,

• Radiance,

• Pleasure,

• Empowerment

• ______________ Add your own here

Words like the ones above will raise your vibration, giving you the power to change your world.
Using words consciously will shift your energy and bring more of what you want in your life.

Words can heal, or words can hurt. Choose wisely!

Full Moon Reading 12/18/21

Pick a Card

From the Divine Feminine Oracle Card Deck.

Once you have picked your card, scroll down and read your Full Moon Card!

Card #1 • VAJRAYOGINI

The essence of all buddhas

I have the power to make each moment sacred.
Everything is material for my liberation

WHO SHE IS:

Vajrayogini is the power we all possess to transform mundane experiences into higher spiritual paths. Vajrayogini is considered the supreme deity of the Tantric pantheon. She is both a Dakini (Tantric priestess) and a female Buddha. According to scholar Miranda Shaw, "no other male Buddha, including her divine consort, approaches her metaphysical or practical import." She is the essence of all the Buddhas, and to meditate on her brings immediate blessings to the practitioner.

WHEN YOUR SOUL SELECTS HER CARD:

No matter what has happened, recently or in the past, Vajrayogini reminds us that we possess the fierce wisdom that transmutes any pain or suffering into deep lessons that free us and bring us more joy. She's the call to wake up if we've fallen into that old myth that something or someone outside of us is going to save us. She's here to make it loud and clear that what is within us will save us. We can take this moment right here, right now to turn everything sacred.

Her energy is sharp, intense, and uncompromising. She will not let you remain in an illusion or a disempowering story about who you really are. She wants you to sever all the ties to your ego's relationship to a person or to an event in your life, and see it again with the third eye--with the wisdom that can perceive the deeper spiritual path beneath the human drama.

This red, female Buddha is the power we all have in every moment to take a seemingly everyday event, or annoyance, or unfortunate occurrence and use it for our own enlightenment. She reminds us that everything is rich material for us to use to elevate our reality as an embodied soul.

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Card #2 • SHENIKAH

the presence of the divine feminine

At the center of everything, there is a light.
And I am that light.

WHO SHE IS:

The Shekinah represents the omnipresence and the immanence of the divine feminine. The word Shekinah in Hebrew means settle, to inhabit, or to dwell." It represents an experience of the divine presence right here in the body, and in the world.

WHEN YOUR SOUL SELECTS HER CARD:

In the Zohar, the main sacred text in Kabbalah, the Shekinah is described as being a world within the world, as a bright radiance at the center of everything. All life on earth, all consciousness is a part of her light and is therefore sacred. The metaphysical theory of immanence is that the divine presence is manifested in the material world. So there isn't actually any matter, whether organic or inorganic, that isn't also a part of the divine.

The Shekinah is light that inhabits your body, your cells, and is in the cells of all the people and objects you see around you. She is also about pure experience. She is the message, the truth that there is a light at the center of everything that happens to us--both the "good" and the "bad.”

And the Shekinah is the reminder that we are not just this body, or this pain we might be going through or this confusing moment in our brief life. We are light. We are molecules of heaven in human form. And right now we can just know this. We can experience the light we are. And that can be enough. That can be the miracle and the answer we actually need. Not words, or meaning, but simply (and more profoundly) pure radiant being.

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Card #3 • LAKSHMI

the goddess of abundance

I choose to feel abundant. Wealth is an inside job.

WHO SHE IS:

Lakshmi personifies the splendor and affluence that arrives when we align our every action with what the soul desires most for us.

Reverence for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi dates back to the 1st millennium B.C.E. She is known as the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. Her name is derived from the Sanskrit root laks and laksa, meaning to know, understand, or to have a goal.

WHEN YOUR SOUL SELECTS HER CARD:

Abundance looks different to each of us. Some people have incalculable material wealth but are bereft of a sense of purpose or a greater vision for their life and so are left feeling lost. While others are considered poor in financial wealth but walk around radiating love and the kind of light that has an inestimable worth. Lakshmi is the auspiciousness that begins to bloom in our life when we align our every action with the work our soul has come here to do.

Lakshmi reminds us of the ultimate goal, which is not making money, but being able to know our true bliss. What makes us feel lit up like a glow stick while we're doing it? What work doesn't feel like work at all? Lakshmi is a wink to find that vocation, that bliss so that what is within us comes into full bloom through something we can do and show the world.

Lakshmi represents both the gold we can hold in our hands and the gold we can become by doing work that feeds our soul. She's the reminder that true abundance doesn't come from our bank statement. It comes from a state of mind we enter when we know we are contributing great worth to the world in the effort of becoming more love.

Five Tips To Let Yourself Live Your Dream Life!

Have you ever felt like something is missing?

Although you may have a good job, a loving partner, amazing kids, a place you call home… you feel a void in your heart, an emptiness.

And if you listen closely, you may hear a whisper.
That’s your heart nudging you, trying to get your attention, and asking you to explore your dreams.
Letting your heart whisper its desires may bring up some uneasiness. Guilt may even set in.
You may hear your inner voice say:
”I have a wonderful life, I should be happy with what I have.”
”Others are happy with much less than I have, why do I need more?”

But going through the motions is no longer enough.
You want to explore, write, paint, dance, learn to teach yoga, play an instrument, sing…move to another State :)

So how do you let yourself do just that?

1. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS
   You are a unique human being with your own sets of skills. Embrace who you are. No one is quite like you. Your uniqueness is your gift. So why do you compare yourself to others?
   Let your light shine brightly. The world needs you as you are.
   Dr. Seuss said it best when it said: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
   
   
   

2. STAY PRESENT
   When your mind takes you on a spiraling journey of doubts, fears, and anxious feelings, acknowledge where you are. It is not easy to change our ways.
   Take a breath. Stay present and connected to your surroundings. Go outside, look at a tree, hug your pet, take ten deep breaths (count them backward), take a walk, smile at a stranger, talk to a friend, take a meditation class, journal…
   Then and only then will you be able to keep going.
   
   
   

3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE
   There's nothing like sharing your passions with others. So if you like reading, create a reading club, if you practicing your language skills, join a MeetUp group, If you want to learn a new skill, go to a class, if you want to brainstorm, have coffee dates to discuss your passions. Surround yourself with inspiration. And watch yourself light up!
   
   
   

4. FIND COMFORT IN DISCOMFORT
   To grow means to be uncomfortable.
   Period.
   There is no other way around it.
   So if your dreams bring discomfort, rejoice in the fact that you're on the right path!
   The good news is you don't have to do it alone! See #3 for your support group, and think about hiring a coach who can help you maneuver through the challenges when you feel stuck. Plus, with the support, you will get to your destination faster!
   
   
   

5. REFRAME YOUR MINDSET: Turn Limitations Into Possibilities
   "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'm possible" Audrey Hepburn

   Need I say more?

Ready to step into your Dream Life?

Let’s talk about how you can live the life you’ve always wanted.
Book a Complimentary Vision Call