These are some reflection points about the topic of change that I have been reminding my Self lately…

The first step is the hardest part.

The first step to facing change is to consciously declare that you are ready and willing to take action for a change, then the flow of energy changes and shifts. The Universe/You-In-Verse steps in.

The Transition point – Travel light to the next level.

The transition we go through can be tough when we leave things behind in order to move on. One of the first things we need to identify as part of the change to the next stage is what you need to let go of first…

What/where/who is no longer making you *feel* true to your Self and why?
And what practical small steps can you take to communicate, change, work through or release it?

F.E.A.R = False Expectations Appearing Real

As I was writing this blog post now, I tuned into Lee Harris on facebook and there it was – the perfect quote for this point!

“You are creating new roads on earth, not just for yourselves but for everyone – freedom roads. And if there is hesitation or fear in you, honor the fear. Do not judge the fear. Honour the fear you are feeling. Be good to the fear. Love the fear. The fear is a part of you. If you do this, the fear will disappear. If you fear the fear, push the fear away, get competitive because of the fear, try to control because of the fear, the downward spiral begins. Fear exists. It is that simple.

So recognise this kaleidoscope that you are, this spectrum that you are, this whole world within. You are at the very center of it leading the way beautifully, whatever your mind may sometimes tell you, however difficult the day may be. Sometimes the difficult lessons are the fastest pathways to the evolution of your life, experience, love, soul, humanity. I honor you for this path you are walking.” ~ Lee Harris, from The Energy of Competition

You ARE worth it.

We often make changes in our life because we are growing and Self evolving… we are opening our Self to new experiences that we want or need on our journey now… but we can also be afraid of it – “Am I good enough? Am I selfish for wanting this? Can I trust my Self? etc ” …Remind your Self that you are truly worth the change you are about to make (And I’m not just quoting a well-known advert for it )

Feeling uncomfortable at first is normal.

Change will mean that you are getting out of your comfort zone… it will feel scary, uncomfortable, bring up feelings of anxiety or nervousness etc… and that is OK! This is why it’s called “breaking out of your comfort zone”…. These feelings you may be experiencing are just temporary, remember that… They will pass – so hang in there! Return to your breath – focus on breathing into your Solar Plexus chakra and visualise yellow (energy, breaking through fears/barriers, our confidence chakra)… use affirmations to remind your Self that you are in the right place. Soon, you’ll wonder what you were ever worried about!

Meditation to try!

Visualisation exercise: In a seated position with your spine straight, imagine the scary scenario of this change and watch how your body reacts when you are visualising it. Then practise consciously slowing your breath down, breathing deeply and using affirmations. With practise, you can slowly get more familiar with how your body/feelings react to this change and become more comfortable with it.

For example: A person who will need to start doing more public speeches for work will visualise being up on the stage, seeing the crowd in front of them… they would then go through the notes/speech in their mind and observe how they would feel. They could work on their breathing here and become familiar with this environment as a mental preparation for the actual event.

My current fave tune for Shavasana ♥

I wrote about my holistic/health magazine addiction a while back and I am getting much better now in clearing out my home spaces to make way for new stuff, so online magazine are always an easier option – especially if they are free too

I have been following this magazine since it first started and although I am definitely fashion clue-less and no expert in fashion trends, I still do enjoy supporting grassroots creative projects – this magazine also supports many handmade artists/shops out there.

Quirky, colourful, full of ideas… I’m sure you’ll love this cute mag too. Check it out…

[Click image below or this link]

]]> http://purelyholisticlondon.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/neet-online-magazine-grassroots-creative-fashion/feed/ 0 keep-calm-and-support-handmade holisticlocs Screen shot 2013-04-13 at 16.40.40 keep-calm-and-support-handmade read030 http://purelyholisticlondon.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/positive-films-women-of-bhakti-london-screening-qa/ http://purelyholisticlondon.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/positive-films-women-of-bhakti-london-screening-qa/#comments Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:01:28 +0000 Purely Holistic Therapies http://purelyholisticlondon.wordpress.com/?p=3435 Continue reading]]>

There have been a number of beautiful films in the last few years celebrating women in their spiritual journey (remember the film Yoga Woman?). This film sets us on a journey…

About Women of Bhakti:

It is with deep gratitude and love that we present the Women of Bhakti Project!

While we know that there is an alarming shortage of natural resources on our planet, the resources of the soul; compassion, understanding and love are also in great demand. Through the awakening of divinity within each of us, bhakti can rise up like a great tidal wave, and wash us with a sense of wholeness, godliness and the unlimited capacity to serve and love.

This project came about in response to the yoga community’s growing interest in learning more about bhakti. As long time students, practitioners and teachers of bhakti yoga we have experienced and witnessed the profound effects that living in bhakti can have on people both individually and collectively. The treasures of bhakti are meant to be passed on, and we felt called to create a forum that can share the beauty, richness and healing effects of bhakti across the globe. We aspire to bring divine service into the hearts, homes and lives of everyone.

Producer Jahnava Hausner and award-winning film maker Hilary Tapper take viewers on an extraordinary journey into the lives of historical and modern devotees of Bhakti Yoga, in this ground-breaking film.

Women of Bhakti, shot in India and America, is an artistic and entertaining film that gives viewers an enlightening understanding of the bhakti, or devotional tradition, and its relation to modern yoga practice.

Yoginis, swamis and scholars share their valuable knowledge, wisdom and experience of bhakti; and in doing so they guide us to the temple of our hearts, where the natural inspiration for service, truth and love reside.

Featuring Radhanath Swami, Shiva Rea, Sara Ivanhoe, The Mayapuris, Gaura Vani, Dana Flynn, Sharon Gannon, Karnamrita, Shyam Das, Prajna Hallstrom, Professor Edwin Bryant, Professor Vashudha Narayan, Jahnavi Harrison.

London Screening + Q&A @ Triyoga – 26th April – Full details & booking here!

This was my tune last year when she did a preview of this single… now as a video and released on the 7th April via Columbia Records - Lucy Rose is a beautiful artist ♥

“The happiest countries in the world are all in Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherlands). Their average life evaluation score is 7.6 on a 0-to-10 scale. The least happy countries are all poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Togo, Benin, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone) with average life evaluation scores of 3.4. But it is not just wealth that makes people happy: Political freedom, strong social networks and an absence of corruption are together more important than income in explaining well-being differences between the top and bottom countries. At the individual level, good mental and physical health, someone to count on, job security and stable families are crucial.”

After reading the World Happiness Report from last year (download and read), it made me think again about what makes people happy, what people need to feel happy and where they live. Interesting reflections to work with

Liverpool Street Station… if you work in the city or come here often, you know how crazy the energy here can be lol… it’s strange sometimes doing a few relaxing sessions and then being thrown into the hectic flow of this part of town when I am on the way back home.

This is fab! Wake Up London did a beautiful thing… Wish I was there this week ♥

Did you know that the average person in the UK uses 150 litres of water a day!? In Australia it’s around 500 litres and in the USA, over 570 litres!

Water is an important part of our life – it also collects energy and reflects our Self. Research by Dr. Masaru Emoto still amazes me on this topic

Dr. Masaru Emoto was born in Japan and is a graduate of the Yokohama Municipal University and the Open International University as a Doctor of Alternative Medicine. His photographs were first featured in his self-published books Messages from Water 1 and 2. The Hidden Messages in Water was first published in Japan, with over 400,000 copies sold internationally.

Essentially, Dr. Emoto captured water’s ‘expressions.’ He developed a technique using a very powerful microscope in a very cold room along with high-speed photography, to photograph newly formed crystals of frozen water samples. Not all water samples crystallize however. Water samples from extremely polluted rivers directly seem to express the ‘state’ the water is in.

Dr. Masaru Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health. The success of his books outside Japan has been remarkable. Dr. Emoto has been called to lecture around the world as a result and has conducted live experiments both in Japan and Europe as well as in the US to show how indeed our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions as humans deeply impact the environment.

Beautiful

Waking from hibernation!

This time of the year is always a strong one, an extension of all the hard work you have been doing over the Moon months of Autumn/Winter and during the last few weeks with Mercury Retrograde… some might even say this should be the authentic New Year beginning! And especially this year, after the whole 2012 energy shift in the Winter that we are now finishing, there feels like an extra hit of restless energy to move on…

Spring cleaning gets deeper!

As we shift our energy from the lower chakras (emotions, personal connections to others and our material world, like job/home/etc) upwards, this Spring might feel as though there needs to be an extra ultimate change in some areas in your life, as well as the usual Spring cleaning of your home... Spring cleaning on a whole new level!

At this point, the energy calls us to be honest and brave… And ask: What is it I know really needs to go (physically/mentally/spiritually)? How can I do this?

Bursts of Solar plexus

This burst of energy comes from our Solar plexus and the Sun… Taking inspiration from nature, you may have already noticed sprinkles of yellow around you – like daffodils, sunshine etc. Nature is connecting to our Solar plexus, which is very easily opened and shut… it deals with moving forward, facing our fears, making decisions with tricky choices, gaining confidence to be honest to Self and others about the next step forward…

Your Solar plexus (lower chest chakra) is a great spot breathe deeply into when you are feeling down, overwhelmed with anxiety/lack of energy/confusion/facing fears etc. It is the perfect chakra to connect with for a quick boost of energy during the day, when you need to project confidence. A wonderful time to use this tool

Set your intentions for the upcoming Sun months

Spring/Summer is ahead… yay …A time for external focus, putting all the work you did internally over the last few months on show… a time for being playful, enjoying outdoor life, being more active and Self expression.

Take a moment to set your intentions… what would you like to invite and explore in Spring/Summer 2013?

Third Eye guidance meditation

A simple energy exercise to try: Focus on the point between your eyebrows, your third eye chakra. This is the place where we observe and spot opportunities, receiving clarity and inspiration. Breathe in deeply and ask anything you like… trust that when the time is right and with all your hard work, you will spot the answers.

Watch this video:

Return to the heart

And as nature wakes up, green is a key colour! Green connects to our heart chakra… the center that brings our higher chakras with our lower chakras. The center point.

Spring is the season of love – all types of love! This is a great season to focus on giving to your Self, to others and to what you do. Connect to the things/people/places that make you feel love…

The key work is *feel*. Connect with your feeling center – what makes you feel good, passionate and happy? Return to your heart

This song reminds me of a neighbour who plays some amazing jazz tunes from his garden every time the Sun is out lol… it also reminded me that Spring is just around the corner ♥

Perfect timing! I’m a bit late in reading a book by best-selling author Timothy Ferriss that a lot of my friends have told me about – The 4-Hour Work Week. It made me wonder how our work lives are being transformed right now – with technology, different approaches to work etc.

This is a great little film exploring this topic