When I became a "thought warrior', I  became a TRUTH SEEKER.  There was a time in my life when I couldn't even recognize a feeling, never mind a thought. I spent my days reacting to negative occurrences and constantly craving positive ones. I was never enough nor was there ever enough around me to have me BE ok.

But ...I've always been a TRUTH SEEKER and I knew that the issue was not what was going on around me, but inside me. I started to look inside....

In meditation, we have the opportunity to experience the truth inside- the REAL misery, the real joy. As we sit in silent observation we see that being PRESENT is being in ACCEPTANCE- complete acceptance of what is-" good" or" bad." This is true love, true happiness. As we go deeper, we perform an analytical study of our own structure...experiencing the most subtle truths of the mind and uncovering the deepest illusions.

By getting quiet we begin to SEE the true nature of our mind- the thoughts and stories that are creating misery in our lives. We have the opportunity to come out of illusion and confusion of the mind. We have the opportunity to live in LIGHT.

This practice of single pointed concentration is not a religion, nor is it sectarian- it is universal. It is a way to LIVE peacefully. It is a way of life; a way to live harmoniously with ourselves and others. When we see the impurities of our thoughts we can transform them. This is the first step in changing the habit pattern of the mind- to STOP REACTING. Real happiness and peace begin when we stop reacting and begin to step into our own authenticity.When we are living in authenticity and our mind is pure there is no danger of harming ourselves or others.

When I began to ask, " how can I be authentic to that which I am ? ", my life changed. I began to embrace myself. I became brave enough to stand first in the darkness to allow for the light to appear.

I realized, the more deeply I sit in presence- the more I MERGE without resistance, the more BLISS I have in my life !

Meditation asks us to surrender to a place of not knowing in ALL our interactions. We become PRESENT to life and begin to really LIVE.

Just for today...pick a daily task ( anything! ), such as eating a meal...practice being mindful for the duration of this task for the entire day. Notice and experience how it feels to simply eat without thinking of what was going on yesterday or what is to come later. Watch the thoughts pass through the mind,be aware of the senses. Be present 100% for the task.

All everything ever is is PRESENCE. All we ever are is PRESENCE.

How are you PRESENT for your life today ? I would love to hear :)

If this speaks to your heart, share it below :)

Cleansing is all the rage these days- from juice fasts, to raw food diets, and smoothie meals…. Its not out of the ordinary to see a blender packed away in a suitcase or a liquid lunch in a high school backpack !

Now I’m all about eating good, nutritious whole foods, supplementation, drinking lots of water, daily moderate exercise- you get the point. -I’m into it…

BUT the first and most important fasting/cleansing this girl promotes is a “ Thinking Detox”…or even better, a “ Belief System Cleanse”.

What’s my point ?

I don’t think its really rocket science that we all probably need to drink more water, and eat more vegetables…

For the most part, I think our bodies have an incredible innate wisdom whereby when we are tuned into our own bodies, we can FEEL what the body NEEDS more or less of, and can make a healthy choice in terms of FEEDING the body. What gets in our way is not the sugar, the fats, the oils, or the salt…what gets in our way is what is controlling our lives between our two ears !

This process of “checking in” and getting conscious of our thoughts is the DETOX that we are all starving for.

The precious ability to be mindful moment to moment, aware of what behaviors are causing upset and confusion and what thoughts were responsible in the first place will TRANSFORM lives !

How does the Thought Detox Work ?

1. Identify some behaviors that have become toxic in your life. (For example, reaching for the cookie jar when your not hungry)

2. Write them down on a piece of paper- get really conscious of them and make a decision that you are ready to let go of those behaviors.

3. Pick the behavior that sits number 1 on the list- write down as many thoughts as you can that are associated with this behavior

For example :

Behavior : Eating the cookie when you don’t want it.

Thoughts( negative) :

“ If I don’t eat it, I will obsess about it”

“Once the thought comes, I have no control”

“This time, it will be fine”

…and so on

4. Write a affirming thought that you believe for each negative thought.

For Example :

Thought : “If I don’t eat it, I will obsess about it” :

Affirmation : Actually I notice when Im bored I will go to the cookie jar, im going out for a walk instead and if I want the cookie later, I can think about that then.”

5. Read over each affirming thought at least 10 times

6. Practice saying the affirming thoughts each day- try to implement them one at a time in daily behaviors. And celebrate small success !

7. Continue to write down any thoughts that are creating problems in your life, and repeat the process.

AS we PRACTICE being AWAKE in our bodies, we begin to get passed the FOOD and become conscious of what REALLY needs to be cleansed ! From here, gratitude, love and mindfulness become a part of the daily diet ☺

The 12 week ONLINE COURSE to END Problematic EATING for life is open for registration NOW. This is an opportunity to PRACTICE the work I have shared here with others and receive FEEDBACK on your own process. If you learn HOW to change your thinking- you will let go of your PROBLEMATIC EATING for LIFE. 

Check here for more information : 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/12-weeks-to-healing-problematic-eating-for-life-tickets-11939961747

If this SPEAKS to your HEART and you want to PASS ON with someone another soul, feel free to share below ☺

I celebrated my 38th birthday last week and its been all about INTENTION and REFLECTION ! Looking at where I have been personally, professionally and emotionally this past year,and evaluating where I want to be in the year to come...

Its been easy, in the past, for me to slip into a thought of "Im not doing enough" and even, "Im not enough" and these dysfunctional thoughts can spiral me into some dark places in times of reflection- such as BIRTHDAYS CLOSE TO 40 ! :)

"Why arn't I.... I should.... Why do they have.... Im such a.... When am I ever going to..."

Does this sound familiar ?

We all have the ability to CHOOSE what thought patterns we are inviting in ! I CHOOSE different thought patterns these days ! Today Im so grateful to CELEBRATE who I am and have the freedom to CHOOSE my thoughts !

...Booking massages far in advance, buying $20 winter socks, setting boundries in relationships that were based on mixed messages, and committing to a daily yoga practice were just some GIFTS I gave ME- not because of any "should's", but ONLY because they made my heart sing :)

Im done with the " should's"! Moving forward, this 38 year old is all about CELEBRATION. My big, bold VISION board above my kitchen table paints the colours, feelings, and sensations I am inviting into my palate. My mornings are painted with quiet refection and gratitude as well as vision and intention. I've discarded those old belief systems that fed my "human DOING-ness", instead of my "human BEING-ness" and I surround myself with conscious beings who remind me of the LIGHT that I am- that we all are.

What gifts are you inviting into your life ? What are you celebrating about YOU ? What old belief systems are complete and so " last year " ? If this blog speaks to you, I invite you to share !

I admit it. Im a truth digger, an authenticity junkie of sorts.Its become apparent that my desire to BE in authenticity in all areas overflows into my working life, my family life, my relationships and...my dating life. I could be called a serial "authenticity dater". Its recently become apparent just how much a GIFT this part of my life has been ! Recently, I went out with " Neanderthal Boy". A nice guy ( always go for them), with strong values and political views ( love the passionate visionaries), who has decided to avoid the "typical mainstream" ...no job, self declared " minimalist"and who on this day was conscious of communicating to me the importance of dialogue. He mentioned non voilent communication within the first 10 minutes of our meeting ( intrigued, definately intrigued), and throws out words like commitment, communication and vulnerability. So, once again I find myself in a place of hope, inspiration, and curiosity...but this time it was different- and I loved it. Let me explain...ever been "caught" in the words and chosen to ignore what was underneath them ? How about the energy ? Or even more "fun", the lust ? Someone once described this "seeing" like a dancer staying on the right beat. Its easy to find the top melody- usually kids clap to this quite quickly- its a fast beat- too fast, and when your dancing to it you can tell very quickly that its not right. As you listen more closely, you begin to feel the "under current- the under beat". This is where the REAL dance is. This is where the connection happens. Im grateful I can FEEL the underbeat very quickly now. I can tell when someone is floating along the surface and without judgment I can easily allow them to continue, without attachment, without disappointment. I no longer need to grasp at an idea or a fantasy. I am ok- actually I am better than ok in my light, in my truth. I am clear that I love connecting with others who are grounded in the roots of their tree, not caught up in the wind in the leaves.

Have you experienced this " surface floating" in your dating life ? Amongst your community ? How does it make you feel ? How do you find real, authentic connection in your life ?

If we want a joyous life, we must think joyous thoughts, if we want a peaceful life, we must think peaceful thoughts. Learning how to QUESTION the thought is a powerful tool in creating a conscious connection with spirit and activating awareness of present moment. So where to start ? I spent years with affirmations all over my house- and I believe in the power of reflection and mindful, consistent words...but the deep rooted BELIEFS I held about myself inevitably surfaced and would take over in any stressful moment or any situation of uncertainty. I needed tools to begin to look at these belief systems that were running my life- consciously or not.

Distorted thoughts, lead to distorted beliefs- which inevitably control our reactions and behaviors in our lives. Many of the distorted thoughts begin with : I should, shouldn't, ought to, and have to. A powerful tool in reversing a deep rooted belief is to take it apart to see where the distortion lies. First, write down the thought that is causing the undesirable situation:  " I should exercise every day ! ".  Begin by looking at what emotions this thought brings up ( hopelessness, discouragement, pessimism, inferiority), and  get it on paper. Then  write 10 statements that you believe to be true that counteract this thought:

1. I am happiest when I don't obsess about exercise

2. The body needs a day of rest to restore

3. I am working on loving myself as I am ( I will not write an affirmation like : "I love myself as I am" UNLESS I BELIEVE it !

4. I am learning how to live my life in moderation and peace

You continue to write 10 statements then read each one aloud. How much do you believe each statement ? Write a percentage beside each thought. For example :    1. I am happiest when I don't obsess about exercise- 98 %.

If you find any statements where the belief is very low, create a more believable statement. In completing the exercise, look at your original thought " I should exercise every day". Create a more DESIRABLE thought ! A thought you know believe to be true.: " I will be mindful in my decision to exercise and I commit to moderation".

We have heard the idea that our thoughts create our reality, that what we think becomes our reality...but how many of us actually live this way consciously ? How many of us actually attribute any issues or discomfort in our lives to our past thought patterns ? It can seem impossible to change a pattern of thinking that has become a deep rooted habit in our lives and so most of us never look at how our mind is creating our reality. We don't actually understand that the thoughts created years ago can still have a huge impact on our present life and more importantly that we have control over that ! We may habitually think the same thought continuously so it seems we arn't choosing it but ....we did make the original choice ! Consider that food is not the enemy...that when our thinking is in the right place, we can make food choices that serve our bodies and our minds. We can refuse to think certain thoughts- but we must BELIEVE what we choose. What are the distorted thoughts and beliefs that are no longer serving you ? What are you ready to let go of ? If you could really CHOOSE what the next day, month, year could look like...what would that be ?

Im going to talk about the REAL reasons Emotional Eating may be a problem for you or someone you are working with as a client..and its not what you think!

1. Unawareness