There’s an undeniable moment when you realize your life is going through a chapter change.

At first it’s so gradual you may barely notice it. But as more time passes you realize your life is unquestionably evolving. What was, is fading into the past. And what’s opening, is enveloping your daily life in ways that make everything feel brand new.

There are endless resources out there discussing how to set large goals, break them into smaller action steps, and go about the daily tasks of strategically moving your life in a new direction. And it’s nice when at least parts of the change you’re in can be addressed that way.

But life isn’t always that neat and tidy. Not every change can be strategically planned. Sometimes the best you can do is push the first domino with the clarity of your intention, and from there let life take care of the rest of it.

But this doesn’t mean it has to be a scary cause for fear or drama. You just have to develop your ability to dance with life, steer with intention, and evolve with the flow.

Like this:

Once upon a time I worked full time as a healer, counselor, and intuitive. Starting with my first psych job in a battered women’s shelter in 1998, I worked exclusively in the mental health and healing arts world for the next 12 years. How this looked changed over time, starting with social work and gradually evolving into working as an intuitive and holistic counselor, seeing 15-ish clients a week, teaching 2-3 intuition development classes a week, and leading periodic retreats on the weekends.

In 2010 I’d recently moved back to SF from LA. I had little cash, a desk job at a retreat center, and I felt uninspired to recreate my practice as it had been in LA. I felt burnt out. Like a chapter had run its course and I needed a change.

So I asked life to guide me, as it had before in other times. I did this by asking life to direct me to work that was more artistically oriented, physically active, outside, social, and that built upon my skill set.

This was the first domino and the only part of the change that I intentionally planned: sending a request out to life through my intention.

What life brought to me was inspiration to pursue photography.

At the time this sounded like a bad idea. I hardly needed another artistic hobby. But the idea kept coming so instead of fighting it, I started researching what photographers do, lifestyle, incomes, etc. After about 10 months of exploratory research I found portrait photography and I could immediately see how it could be used to artistically show women (and men) a positive reflection of themselves that can empower their sense of self. Jackpot!

Just as I got clear on this, I got fired from my desk job that was a large part of my monthly income. Initially I freaked out. Then I decided to take it more like a motivational push to stop researching photography, and to instead, step into it.

Two+ years later photography has deeply taken hold in my life. I still do coaching two days a week which I love, but well over half of what I do is with photography. This may make it sound like it was an effortless transition, which is definitely not the case. Each step forward has been (and is) a byproduct of challenging insights, making mistakes, and leaning into rigorous learning curves.

But it’s been so worth it because I got to see how powerfully life RESPONDS when we set intentions, let go of what it needs to look like, listen for how the muse guides us, and follow.

If you waved your magic wand and called in a new chapter, what qualities would you like it to have? Listen to your heart, be brave, and call it in!

xo
Robin

In our weekly series, we offer a little inspiration to kick-off your week.
Some simple wisdom, elegant and accessible. From one soul to another.
We hope it helps you ease into your Monday.
xo

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

100 Ways to Make a Difference

• Foster an elephant for a year
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter
• Donate time to your local animal shelter
• Write a letter of thanks to a military service man/woman
• Teach someone something
• Post a photo on social media and pledge to donate $1 for every “like” to a charity
• Make a joyful piece of art and give it to a senior citizen
• Get rid of those canned goods at the next food drive
• Grab a backpack, fill it with school supplies and hand it out to a child in need
• Box up old clothing and blankets and donate to Goodwill or The Salvation Army
• Start a community garden
• Give a speech at a community college and offer to donate all ticket sales to the college
• Volunteer at a local community garden
• Host a ‘Selfless Supper’ in your home, charge a small fee and donate all proceeds to a charity
• Make a work of art and auction it off for your favorite organization
• Offload some old books and donate to the local library
• Write a poem and give it to a random stranger
• Drop Truthbomb cards around town
• Share your snacks with someone on the bus
• Apply the principle of ‘Buy one, Give one’ overtime you purchase something this year
• Give up your birthday for Charity Water
• Read books or play music with the kiddos at a children’s hospital
• Write a song for someone who really needs it (and send it to them)
• Cut your hair and donate to Locks of Love
• Have a good old fashioned bake sale and donate proceeds to a charity
• Compliment at least one person every single day
• Leave notes of thanks to people who go above & beyond (your local barista, hair stylist, etc.)
• Write a letter to make amends with an estranged family member or friend
• Start composting (and help save the planet)
• Ease up on the gas by biking to work or around town on weekends
• Instead of taking leftovers home (and never eating them), give them to someone who’s hungry
• Plant a garden in your backyard (or even a windowsill)
• Stop drinking from plastic bottles, invest in a reuseable bottle instead
• Buy some fun kids books and donate them to a local school
• Gather a group of friends and start a trash pickup day to clean-up your neighborhood
• Support the lives and wellbeing of military families
• Try using reusable fabric gift wraps instead of paper
• Got an abundance of lemons from your yard? Donate them to a soup kitchen.
• Sit down with an eldery family member and listen + record their life story for posterity
• Host an educational night for you and your friends — learn about a new cause or issue you can engage with
• Advocate for healthy meal options at your kiddos school
• Write thank you notes to people, just because
• Plant a tree (or three)
• Try going sans meat for Meatless Monday
• Create a video of you and your family praising a school teacher, then send it to him/her
• Deliver meals to people in need
• Make this the year you start recycling properly
• Offer to shovel your eldery neighbors driveways during the winter months
• Start using reusable bags instead of paper and/or plastic
• Be a foster parent to a child
• Be a foster parent to a puppy or kitten
• Set up a “Free Hug” booth at your local craft fair or farmers market
• Turn the lights off when you leave the room to help save energy
• Write a letter to (or call) your local city representative and advocate for a positive change you’re passionate about
• Take lunch or dinner to people who have to work on a holiday (fire fighters, retail stores, etc.)
• Raise funds and help purchase playground equipment for a school in need
• When it’s time, VOTE
• Offer to do a grocery run for a family (or two) in need
• Drop off a care package to a new mommy
• Offer to babysit for a new mommy so she can have some solo time
• Try a potted Christmas tree, that you can re-use next year
• Invest in LED lights for your home
• Train for and do the AIDS ride
• Offer to hold the door for someone in need
• Vote with your dollars and buy fair trade, non-gmo foods
• Build a book exchange mailbox (leave used books for others to come and pick-up)
• Call your grandparents more often
• If your partner does all the cooking, try surprising them with a meal you’ve made
• Take a siblings-only vacation so you can get to know yours better
• Make some “Self-Care” kits (toothbrush, shampoo, soap, etc.) and give them out to the homeless
• Volunteer to put together a fun event at a nursing home
• Tutor a student who needs a little extra help
• Help build a house for someone with Habitat for Humanity, your local church, etc.
• Write a kind note to a military veteran
• Use your writing skills to spread the word about issues affecting your neighborhood
• Become a mentor to a college student
• Be a Big Brother or Big Sister to a child in need
• Join Team in Training and run a marathon to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Do a Yoga-thon and raise money for a ‘cause
• Adopt a a family during the holidays
• Bring pre-cooked meals to someone who has lost a loved one
• Help make a sick child’s wish come true
• Knit a blanket or quilt and give to someone in need
• Make homemade cat toys for your local animal shelter
• Help clean up litter in your local park or beach
• Take a child who might never get to go, to a play or museum
• Surprise an eldery relative and take their car for an oil change
• Lend a compassion ear at a veteran’s service center
• Instead of a big birthday dinner, volunteer all day instead
• Make it a family affair, teach your children the value of giving back by involving them in community service
• Host a garage sale and donate all proceeds to a local arts organization
• Help cover up graffiti by painting a community mural
• Take your friendly pet to a senior center and let him/her work their furball magic
• Help a local theater company by volunteering back stage or as an usher
• Help edit a high-school or college student’s resume
• Utilize your company’s matching program and have them match donations to a charity
• Use your unique talents and offer them up to a person or company in need
• Have a “pay-what-you-can” day for a product or service you sell and donate proceeds
• Over tip your barista, bartender or other service personnel
• Work on becoming the best version of yourself you can be (change starts with #1)

 

 

 

Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner’s mind”.

It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. 

The first time I learned about having a beginner’s mind, I was blown away by the concept. Coming from a history of an excessive love of being right, the idea of throwing “I already know that!” out the window and viewing the world as a curious learner was admittedly jarring for me.

“You couldn’t possibly mean I might be able to learn something about this particular thing that I’m convinced I know everything about?”

Oh wait…that is what you mean? Hmm . . .

Last year, I had the great pleasure of accompanying my husband, Eric, on his maiden voyages to both my motherland, Korea, and my fatherland, India. After having traveled to each of those countries seven and eleven times prior, it was incredible to be able to visit them with someone for whom everything was truly new . . . no real preconceptions or judgments.

We went to places I’d been many times before, and he’d asked me questions I wasn’t able to answer. Not because that thing hadn’t been there the previous four times I’d visited, but because I had stopped seeing through new eyes and had never asked the question he’d asked before. It was eye-opening for me to not be able to answer questions about places I’d convinced myself I knew so much about!

After watching his presence, awe, and curiosity . . . I was inspired to step into a beginner’s mind myself, to see the countries anew. With fresh eyes. And it was glorious. I got curious and asked questions. I looked past the things I’d seen before and ventured into new ways to see the world around me.

Throughout the copious travelling I’ve done in my life, I’ve very easily gotten lost in what I’d call the “been there, done that” mentality. I’d forget to acknowledge the information all of my senses were receiving: the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, energies, and tactility of it all.

I didn’t appreciate every moment because I wasn’t being present — I was letting my past experiences wholly determine my current experience. To have a beginner’s mind is to be mindful of how I can use my previous learnings to expand my experience of life, as opposed to contract it.

Are there areas of your life where you could benefit from looking at things with a beginner’s mind? Where are you holding yourself back by living out other people’s beliefs about how your life is supposed to look? How might having a beginner’s mind change the choices you make on a minutely basis?

Next time you’re adventuring, here are some questions to ask yourself, to encourage you to have a beginner’s mind and to bring you back to the present moment:

• What do I see, smell, hear, touch, taste & feel right now?
• Where is my attention?
• Am I choosing curiosity over judgment?
• Am I open or closed?
• What aren’t I noticing right now?

Take a few deep breaths as you mull over your answers to the above questions then open your eyes when you’re ready to re-embody your beginner’s mind!

xo
Nicole

Aaahhhh the New Year. Always a time of resolutions, starting over, beginning again, having a clean slate.

Sometimes this can be a super exciting concept. Chuck whatever has not worked to date and come from a place of another chance, a new opportunity to create something amazing.

Other times this is such a daunting thought – there is a pressure to forge anew, as if what we are doing already is not good enough or amazing. It has the feel of shiny object syndrome.

Let me tell you something, it is ALL arbitrary, all subjective. Timelines are our own to create. The way we go about things or what we choose to focus on is also individual.

We can definitely decide to follow convention and adhere to the New Year Frenzy, or we can walk down the path that is unique and special to us, regardless of how or when or what.

I personally don’t even consider January 1st the official beginning to a new cycle . . . I go off of the lunar calendar, so Chinese New Year’s is way more resonant for me energetically.

Maybe something to consider for the New Year that is upon us, is how you can have a clean slate when it comes to your perspectives and how you see the world? The change does not necessarily have to be on the outside, it can be the beginning of a new relationship with yourself, your goals and your path.

To bring this concept home, as I usually do, I pulled a Tarot Card to see a different side of Beginnings and Clean Slates.

THE NINE OF PENTACLES

This card symbolizes finally beginning to see the fruits of your labor paying off and being able to reap those rewards. No doubt we have all been putting in the work the last few years. I don’t know about you but the last few years were pretty roller coaster like in the highest highs and lowest lows . . . growing pains has new meaning on this end.

While it may not seem like it outright, reaping our rewards is a way in which the tides are beginning to turn, even if in small ways. Instead of focusing on all of the things not yet accomplished (i.e. debt not paid off or income goals not met yet), the practice here is to focus on all of the things you HAVE accomplished.

There is an opportunity to begin being in an abundance mindset!

Whenever I see this Tarot card, I think “Living the luxurious life”. It’s time. Start to really ‘get’ how you are more than capable of creating a life of fortune and ease and luxury. That story that only a small percentage of people are destined for greatness and riches is bull. Allow yourself to ‘get’ that in an even deeper way.

It definitely takes steady work, commitment and dedication. This is what I refer to as not constantly getting caught up in the ‘starting over‘ mentality. Keep trekking and if you feel stuck, then maybe the clean slate is in shifting your mindset.

In no time at all, you will be able to look around at this empire you have built and really sink into the comfort, stability, solidity and strength.

This month, relax into what you have created and enjoy the riches that are beginning to pour into your life. You deserve it all my love, you really do.

By the way, I also suggest getting used to it, because THIS is your NEW life! My favorite mantras here are “I am rich!” “I deserve all of the riches in the world.” and “I am a lady of luxury.”

xo
Natalie

Main photo by Kyknoord via Flickr

In our weekly series, we offer a little inspiration to kick-off your week.
Some simple wisdom, elegant and accessible. From one soul to another.
We hope it helps you ease into your Monday.
xo

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Myth of the New Year 

There’s this thing that happens right about this time of year.
Where we’re fired up. Amped. Ready to take on the world.
Ready to start working out for the first time in awhile.
Ready to kick sugar to the curb (for good this time).
Ready to have the kind of relationship we’ve always dreamed of.
Ready to clear the clutter.
Ready to make room for all the riches to come.

And though I’m a fan of this energy, this enthusiasm to begin anew and start fresh, it inevitably falls flat. Am I right?
You start out gung-ho and end up feeling more ho-hum.

You’re not alone. That level of go-get-‘em energy is wildly contagious. Everyone is spouting mantras and affirmations and wishes, hopes and dreams for 2015. And we get sucked into the whole mania of new year-isms.

Yet the reality is that we wake up EVERY SINGLE DAY of our lives with the chance to begin again.

I call this whole thing, The Myth of the New Year. Not because I’m pessimistic, or don’t believe a new year can bring about massive change. It can and it does. But more often than not, resolutions become distant memories by February. This isn’t because we don’t have the best of intentions. It isn’t because we don’t WANT to change. Most of our intentions stem from a positive place. However unless we have DESIRE underneath our wants, and know how we want to FEEL— then no matter how loud we shout our dreams to the Universe, they will most certainly remain wants instead of haves.

Let me give you a little example from my own life: as I write this, I’m intermittently typing on my computer and coughing profusely. I’m on the tail end of a nasty cold + sinus infection that started three weeks ago. Yes, three. I’ve gone through more boxes of kleenex than I thought was humanely possible.

I had the biggest of intentions for this holiday season too. I was going to have the house decorated just so, take our amazing trip to NYC, come back and cook a delicious Christmas dinner for two, relax and get organized for the new year and welcome it in with energy and vitality in spades. Alas, that is FAR from how it went.

I alternated between my robe and my flannel PJ’s, between the couch and the bed and between old episodes of Glee and Home Alone marathons. I didn’t step foot outside the house for almost two weeks. And I certainly didn’t eat, drink and be merry, since I couldn’t even taste food properly until yesterday.

I’m not fishing for sympathy here. I’m telling you this because I’ve been feeling really, really shitty about ending 2014 and starting 2015 this way. It feels like my entire year has been set off on the wrong note. And because I started off in sickville, I’ve soured my motivation and shattered my momentum for starting the new year “right”.

Ummmm, crazy talk, right?

Obviously my year isn’t going to turn out dumpy just because I started it nursing a cold. It’s just how things turned out. Honestly, I don’t know what this year has in store, but what I do know is how I want to feel — and knowing that will take me farther than any new workout regiment, diet or cleanse ever could. Knowing that I want to feel CONNECTION + WONDER + LOVE + EASE + GOLDEN, has made enduring a 3+ week adventure with sickness, possible. Because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what lays on the other side.

I challenge you this year, to start with how you most want to feel — in your life, your work, your relationships, in love, within your body, everywhere. Let this be your guiding post for 2015. Not some half-baked resolutions that will be laying curbside in a few months. Go with heart and soul over following the herd and quick results.

I guarantee if you can figure out how you most want to feel this year, it will be the year that radically shifts your entire life. I know because this simple principle, transformed mine.

Welcome to 2015!
With love,

“The three grand essentials to happiness in life are something to do, something to love, something to hope for.”
~Joseph Addison

The seasons, our lifestyle, and all our relationships directly impact our wellbeing. But its important to notice when a feeling is staying with you for a long period of time. Chronic sadness may be experienced as a depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.

These problems can impair an individual’s ability to take care of his or her everyday responsibilities. While its always a good idea to speak to your doctor or a licensed therapist for medical support, there are some natural ways to work with sadness and restore hope once again.

Old Sage wisdom
If you’re internal world feels heavy, focus on brightening the external world. Fake a smile. Notice when you complain and instead compliment. Wear brighter colors. Volunteer. Helping others takes the focus off our concerns and allows us to experience a heart of generosity. Exercise regularly. Getting your heart rate up releases endorphins (that ‘feel good’ sensation) and can have a direct impact on your mood. Speak to someone. If a feeling has stayed with you long after the event, there’s work to be done. Look for the wisdom of your experience. Discover it.

Foods to Avoid
Wheat, dairy, refined sugars, processed food, fast food, and iced beverages, can slow down digestion and create an overall feeling of heaviness. Cut these foods out for at least for seven days and see how you feel. Try bringing in fresh organic fruits and cooked vegetables. Prepare more meals at home.

Morning Ritual
Scrape your tongue each morning to stimulate your gastrointestinal tract. Rinse your face with cool water instead of warm. Recite the five principles of Reiki, an energy healing system from Japan. Written by Dr. Mikao Usui these words are a powerful way to start the day.

Just for today, I will not be angry.
Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will be grateful.
Just for today I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

Treatment
Get a holistic massage once a week for a month or once a month. Try a botanical facial. Look for therapists that intrigue you. Do an at home spa today and take a long bath, make a facial mask of honey, milk, and oats. Fill a sock with uncooked rice and warm it in your microwave for a few minutes for a homemade hot pack. Slice fresh cucumbers for your eyes and lay down. Listen to Stevie Wonder. Indulge the senses.

Breath Work~ Alternate Nostril Breathing
Nadi Shodana means the sweet breath. Do first thing in morning. Effects: energizing, balancing, clearing

• Take the first 2 fingers of your right hand and either fold them in or place them on your 3rd eye.
• Place your ring finger and thumb gently on each nostril
• Take a deep breath in
• Before exhaling, close the ring finger against the left nostril
• Exhale out the right nostril
• Keeping the left nostril closed, Inhale through the right side
• Close the right side with your thumb; exhale out the left side
• Inhale left side
• Exhale right
• Continue breath like this, switching sides before each exhale (ie. inhale right, exhale left, inhale left, exhale right) for 3-5 minutes
• Release your hand and breathe deeply for another 1-2 minutes

Now if I had it my way, I would love to hear all about your experience and know every little detail of how these rituals felt in your own body and what was released and realized and restored. But the real work isn’t actually about sharing – it’s about engaging.

These are some ideas of ways to encourage that inner dialogue. In the end its about noticing where you are and what feels true. Stand up, stay present, and enjoy the ecstasy of solitude.

xo
Denmo

Photo by Yaksheeta Sri via Flickr