Fully + completely.

Honor the parts of you that sparkle and the things about you that make you proud.

The steps you have taken to get to where you are today. If you’ve wandered a bit or are still figuring it out – celebrate that. Because it all matters.

Do it daily. Make it a practice.

Write some awesome things down about yourself, and constantly connect to your greatness – no matter how hard they might be to believe at first.

Over the years I have heard lovely things about myself – only to immediately discount it. I think they are just being nice or saying that because it they have to… Now I’m ready to let it sink in and believe.

Because when I do, I will be able to be a fuller, brighter, me.

So believe all the good anyone has ever said to you, written to you, or shared with you – or you have thought yourself! And if you can’t seem to do that just yet…

Then trust me when I say – it’s true!

Could be my middle name most of the time.

I realized a pattern that was hiding very sneakily, it was so engrained I barely even noticed I was functioning from this mindset in many areas of my life.  The habit of discrediting & devaluing everything I have done and am currently doing.  This showed up particularly powerfully whenever I had to share my story.  I never thought my journey was good or interesting enough.  So I always shared what I thought wanted to be heard.  This made writing bios extremely difficult!

I didn’t see my past as valuable events that  have actually lead me to where I am today – instead I saw a bunch of lacking happenings – all haphazardly bringing me now.

When I got clear that actually my college experience was extremely valuable (even if I didn’t go to a prestigious, well known school) and I have actually been teaching yoga for 5 years, even if I didn’t have my certification for the first 3 years.  I could go on, but this awareness grants me the ability to switch these limiting beliefs when they come creeping in (which they will most certainly do.)

you get to create your reality

Thanks to a wonderful reminder at my yoga training this weekend I realized the lens at which I look through my life greatly informs my current reality.

If you are intrigued about shifting patterns and habits you no longer love when it comes to your food & your thoughts, which ultimately lead to your actions.  I’d like to invite you to a juicy tele course I am offering that will uncover the best ways in which we can choose to GROW so we can GLOW.

Nourish You – Tuesday, May 21st.

A continuation on where we have been… little ways to love yourself – finding softness and light in daily actions & thoughts.

Thought #2

Get Yourself Some Flowers

I usually wait for someone to buy me flowers.  I rarely treat myself to what seems like something extra or frivolous.  But then inspired by a recent ABC furniture trip with my friend, I saw these tiny little vases with one little flower which totally brightened up the surrounding space.  So I bought myself some flowers, and put them in little vases and jars all around the apartment.   

It is incredible how something so simple can be so refreshing.  When I first put them around, I found myself constantly surprised each time I saw the beauty in the unexpected place.  By my bedside, on the bathroom sink, on my dresser, on the kitchen table, and any other corner I could find.

Best thing, you could spend $5.00 or less on a little flower beauty.

A little nugget I heard from Kim Depole: Your home is your temple, a place where you come back to to recharge and rejuvenate.  So carefully craft and design your space so it fills you up, rather than stresses you out.

This week, I am sharing the things I do to practice loving myself so I can be the purest expression of me: here is where it started.

Thought #1: Self-Care

Self-care is one of the many subtle ways we can show ourselves we care, we matter, and we totally rock.  Self-care can look like many different things, like the typical brushing your teeth, flossing, & showering, which are common practices.  I have been using my morning routine as a base to sprinkle little rituals that leave me feeling sparkling, clean, and nourished.  Here are four Ayurveda practices that you can try on and see how it fits:

Scrape:  Scrape your tongue.  Your what? Your tongue!  You can do it with a metal spoon, or get yourself a tongue scraper – scrape from the back of your tongue to the front (about 5-7 times) to remove all the gunk that surfaces throughout the night.  That film is your body detoxing, and if you don’t scrape it off you end up ingesting it back into your body as you drink water/coffee.  ick.

Pull:  I hop in the shower with some coconut oil in my mouth and swish it all around.  Swishing this oil arounds pulls all the toxins and mucus out of your system and into the oil – so when you spit it out all the stuff you don’t want or need in your body leaves with the oil.  Make sure to spit it out in the trash – it will clog up the sink otherwise.

Brush:  Dry brushing.  Before I get in to the shower I brush my body moving in circular motions from limbs towards my heart.  This increases circulation, gets rid of dead skin, stimulates lymphatic system (which gets rid of toxins) and leaves the skin glowing.

Rub: Lather up my body (well mostly just my legs) with almond oil or even coconut oil.  This hydrates the skin in a beautiful, clean, and toxic free way.

Now, there are some days where this all just doesn’t happen.  But I aim to make it a routine so it occurs more often than not.  Try one, two, three, or all four on for size! Let me know how it goes, or what other practices you do to get yourself ready for the day.

In your week ahead carve out some slivers or even slabs of time to dote and take care of yourself.  Often, we give, give, give to everyone around us and we forget about ourselves, what we need in order to stay in balance.  We then loose steam, get sick, and have no other choice but to slow down and nurture ourselves.

So be proactive.  Go inward.  Schedule a massage, take a hot bath, drink a cup of tea in silence, cuddle up on the couch with a book that has been on your list, make yourself a delicious and nutritious breakfast, write in your journal, try out acupuncture, go on a walk, a run, dress up one day, take a movement class, have a dance party in your kitchen, you get to choose.  Choose something that makes you feel glorious & rejuvenated so that energy can seep into your days and your life.

Have a beautiful week ahead.