Friday, May 27, 2011

Getting sick..WHAT is that??

ummm..when we get sick..what does that mean?  nice question huh?  do we need to slow down, take better care of ourselves, hydrate more, eat healthy foods, take vitamens?  do we need to start REALLY listening to our inner wisdom or do we need to stuff ourselves full of phamacuticals so that we can get on with our LIFE?

hmmmm...for each of us the answer will be different, depending on the circumstances.  When is it ok to go to work sick?  When is it ok to infect others? Will the world fall apart if we exit it for a week or two or more?  Will everything come to a standstill because WE are no longer functioning?  Are we sooo important that we cannot stop..not even for a moment to access the cold or flu or OTHER sickness we are encountering?  Why not just go to bed for a week..arrange others to take care of us..stop being bossy and important and just BE in the sickness until our spectacular bodies heal themselves because we are giving them the space to do so.


I get sick when I stop being me, when I start getting frustrated at someone else(meaning one of my many munchkins or even my heart, my love) being sick, or angry at everything in particular...and this time I got really sick..it won't go away and I keep DOING instead of BEING..heck..I KNOW what I must do to recover and yet I do not..pawf...I keep running around like the sky will fall in if I stop and take a step back and breathe and just really FEEL the pain, experience this illness, instead of running from it and creating an even uglier monster sickness that is holding on to my body for dear life...

Yesterday, I began the withdrawel..the slowdown..the recovery..I can do this..I am worth it..and so are you when you are sick!

How do YOU do being sick??  I would love to know!!

from my heart to yours..

Monday, May 23, 2011

damn..sick and tired..and growing and learning...

Lovilies..I am sooo sick!  Poo.  I will be back with FIRE soon, I promise promise promise..I miss you all!!  Cannot wait to share with you all what my brutal cold is teaching me...hugs!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

I have been inspired..yes I have..TBOLITNFL.COM..great story..amazing journey.

THIS is my Personal Internal Commitment..get ready..the flood gates have opened!

I am FULLY present in EVERY moment

I am love.

I am loved. I am worthy. I am magnificent.

I am the change.

I am abundance.

I am truth.

I am freedom.

I am wealth.

I am intuition.

I am understanding.

I am one of the greats.

I am the best at what I do, I get results, I change lives.

I am a divine servant.

I am gorgeous in every way.

I am healing.

I am health.

I am a great cook.

I am the leader.  I am the example.

I am a wonderous light that shines bright for all to see.  Shining light where there once was darkness.

I am influence.  I touch many lives.

I am inspiration.

I am family.

I am compassion. I am integrity.

I am committed to showing my children what an extraordinary human being is by being that very human being.  I am committed to nurturing them into being themselves, whoever they choose to be.  I am committed to being the mother they choose before they ever arrived here through me.

I am committed to the love of my life, the man of my dreams, the partner on my journey home.  I am committed to being the most glorious woman in all my femininity for him and for myself.

I am committed to that which is divine in all of us.  I am committed to God and the universe and to the ECK.

I am the greatest love on earth.(GLOE)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Happiness, joy...the fun stuff happens NOW!!

In the midst of change sometimes we forget what is available to us right now..this very moment.  How often do we say to ourselves I will be happy WHEN..i lose 10 pounds, I have the ass of Gisele, i have a million dollars, I have a fast fancy red car, i have my degree, I get married, i have children..oh the list goes on and on..AND how often do we reach those goals to find out that THEY don't make us all that much happier than before?? 

You see, what makes us happy is within us every moment of everyday.  Being happy is a CHOICE.  Imagine that on for size!!  We CAN be happy without having to achieve anything, we can be blissful and excited just sitting here starring into cyberspace.  I woke up to a quote today from a friend of mine that has been sober for two years...'life is too short to care about anything but happiness'..now for those of us that have to have certain criteria in place to be happy that sounds like a load of hogwash...ONLY because that would mean coming out of our certain unhappiness and being free to be happy even if the house is not clean, the dishes are not done and there is cat poop in the hallway. 

The absolute truth is we can CHOOSE to be happy at any time..don't believe me?  Ok..bring yourself to a total state of stress and intensity...come on I know you can do it...are you there yet?  Really intense discomfort..unhappiness even...are you there??  Now FART..and I mean a loud juicy stinky NASTY thing..come on...I know you can do it....are you smiling??  Can we really change our state that quickly? The answer is yes..ever broke down crying only to be laughing in the midst of your tears 3 minutes later..ever been really angry and then something happened to bring you to extreme giggles..well guess what?  WE are in control of those states, they are not in control of us...shocking I know.

Full emotional responsibility lies in OUR hands.  We are too often led to believe that feelings happen to us, that something from outside is what is making us feel a certain way..that someone or something else is to blame, that we have to WAIT to be happy.

Happiness is NOW.  You CAN have happiness before you lose 10 pounds or get your phd, you can be blissfully happy with yourself right now this very moment. .. For the simple fact that you were born perfecty imperfect and loved beyond any doubt from a source that is never ending and beats inside your chest even when you don't notice.  You can choose to be happy no matter what your parents taught you or what anyone tells you..YOU are the master controller of your universe, you are the decision maker of your life, you are worth so much MORE every single day.

Side note:  Being truely happy by your own choice IS the fountain of youth!!  I have seen so many people go from looking haggered, stressed, OLD, sunken, destroyed, TENSE and empty to ALIVE and vibrant and young and full of love and happiness and PEACE just by realizing and bringing into reality who they really are and what life is all about, by realizing that THEY are in control of every part of their lives, they have been released from the burdens of guilt, blame, shame, despair, self pity and so much more by getting aligned with emotional responsibility and LOVE from within themselves that is overflowing once the bars of self containment have been removed.  Because NOW they CHOOSE happiness more often then anything else.

Happiness is available to you right NOW, it is instantaneous!  If you have spent a long time away from happiness it may take a little practice but it will be soo very worth it!!

Tell me...what makes you laugh deep down in your belly??

from my heart to yours.....

Monday, May 16, 2011

What do you do if you really WANT to change?

How many times do you come upon a behavior and wonder what am I doing that for?  Why am I eating so much?  Why am I raging so much? Why can't I sleep?  Why am I drinking so much, so often?  Why don't I exercise?  Why do I talk to myself like that?  Why am I blaming others?  How did I get in this mess again?  Will I ever learn?  If you are human and even remotely reflective on yourself I am sure you have had questions like these..I seem to have them everyday.  So the next logical question is how do I change this behavior, how do I make it go away, how do I overcome this behavior with my identity and authenticity still intact?


While there are many paths to take to change our behavior..MANY..there are those that will work faster more effective and more permanant than others.  The question is do you want to take the long and winding path or the straight and narrow path...simply a choice, each with its own sets of interesting scenery...and each perfectly capable of running into and integrating the other..for some stretches it may be long and windy and for others short and straight or visaversa.

The first step to changing any behavior is to own it.  Know that you are responsible for it, that it does not come from outside of yourself but from within you and that for some reason in the past you made a choice to use that behavior to reach one of your needs.  And now you have outgrown it, are ready to move on.  Thank the behavior for serving you so well, for protecting you from pain or hurt, for providing some kind of comfort, for preventing you from making another choice, be grateful for all that the behavior has taught you, learn from it, know that behind any behavior is a postitive intent no matter how horribly the behavior is dressed up to be it came from a place of positive intention so be grateful for that intent and have gratitude for what that behavior was doing to help you find some kind of peace even if that peace was not peace at all...the INTENT was there.

Now, it is also important to know that change of any kind can be uncomfortable..and I do not mean it's hot in here uncomfortable but its hot in here and I have a wedgie and I have sand in my eyes and something in my shoe is seriously pulling out my toenail kind of uncomfortable.  When creating change from within, on our own, it is important to embrace this discomfort and walk with it. ( If you have the opportunity to work with someone who is educated in the Six Human Needs, well then the discomfort is slightly less ;))  The discomfort is just our nervous systems reprogramming with a new behavior and our minds way of mourning the loss of the ugly old one..like getting a new skin..which I imagine is amazing once you have it but intense during the exfoiliation..if you know what I mean. 

We are all bundles of behaviors, all chosen and produced by us.  We are 100% in control of all of our emotional states all the time, discovering this helps the journey begin.

side note:  the journey happens anyway, no matter what we do, what better way than to be consciously aware of our control and power on that journey, to be able to mold the experiences and emotions to serve us and others at the highest levels possible.

If you could change one behavior, what would it be??

from my heart to yours....

Thursday, May 12, 2011

when old patterns come a creepin.....

You know..some days just don't go the way we plan them.  We have this great idea about how it will go and then something happens to knock the plan off course..well at least OUR plan..the universe has other things in store.  Things that we will miss if we are not alive and alert to it.  The chance to let go, the chance to do something entirely different, the chance for understanding, the chance to take a deep breathe, the opportunity to be really pissed off or the opportunity to laugh our asses off, the choice of deep compassion or utter confusion.  We sit on that fence of decision and wonder what are my choices now, what will I be missing if I go in this direction? what will I be gaining?  How will I know what the right thing is? 

Crap-freakin-tasitic you mean suffering is a choice...damn.  Choosing today to be aggrevated, frustrated, angry and mean does not feel really good and at points one could SWEAR there was someone else to blame for the ugly feelings, the clenched jaw, the shallow bull like breathing.   And even when we know that is we who are in complete and total control of our emotional state we just want to BITE someone..preferably as hard as possible.

And then...you realize OH...YA..this is where I am at...interesting..shall I eat myself up with guilt..perpetuating even more interesting feelings and actions, eat an entire chocolate cake or just be HERE, FEEL here, acknowledge the old patterns of yesterday and have compassion for yourself because you are deeply aware of what is happening and prepared to see this through to a new beginning..a new pathway..a new and fullfilling pattern.

Hurummppfff..the old pattern says, I really thought I would get you this time(yes we all talk to ourselves ;))..I see that I wormed my way in and just when I thought about VICTORY, you remembered you had a CHOICE..damn..damn...damn..for a minute it felt so stinkin good to be back..like the caress of an old friend.

The jaw tension releases, the bull like breathing becomes deep and cleansing and the ugly feelings start to disipate into feelings of being loved, of being a part of something bigger and before you know it..you are loving again..and ever sooo grateful for the truth of CHOICE.  For the courage to be honest with yourself and acknowledge yes..that was me..that unfortunate behavior..that was my choice and I can only bite myself..but instead you choose compassion and love and understanding for yourself and when you do that you have compassion and love and understanding for others as well.

hmmmm...sound familiar...ummmm..shanti?

from my heart to yours...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Inspiration and motivation...for anything really....

I am constantly being inspired by others and there amazingness, the humanness of all of us.  Everyday there are people making decisions that change their lives, taking on projects that they only dreamed of or never even thought possible and when they come out on the other side of it, they are brand new people, full of a confidence and radience and empowerment they did not seem to possess before.  Each step into the unknown, into a new adventure is both scary and extremely exciting..if you are reaching for a goal...the greatest peice of advice I have ever heard..if you are reaching for a goal and you get scared out of your mind..THAT is the time to double your efforts because that means you are about to accomplish something even better than you believed possible.  Now..this fear could manifest as pure fear, or as procrastination, or indifference, or as a feeling of 'I don't want to do this anymore', or the thoughts of this is too hard, I don't have enough time, it isn't working how I want it too, etc. Remaining focused on the OUTCOME through the whole journey helps you to remain creative and ACTIVE in your process.  Knowing that there will be bumps in the road, knowing that you can overcome anything that stands in your way, knowing that you are and always have been destined for success..and I mean really KNOWING in your deepest self is all that it takes to reach out and grab ahold of any and all of your dreams.

Two of the biggest fears EVERY single human being has are fear of not being enough and fear of not being loved.  This is a FACT people..so if you have those feelings and fears you are not alone!  They manifest in sooo many ways it is mind boggling(ya..if you haven't noticed already..my spelling is atrocious).  I love the definition of courage as..being terribly afraid but doing it anyway.  This can apply to entering a relationship, becoming a parent, loosing weight, changing old habits, moving, crossing the street,  changing jobs, working out, bungy jumping,touching a spider, telling the truth, traveling, eating something new, accepting responsibility, etc.

In order to be successful you have to know BEFORE you start that you are worthy just by the pure fact that you were born, that you are loved from within your very self.  That you ARE whole just the way you are this moment, that you, like every other human being are capable of ANYTHING..anything.  That you are a second away from changing your life, every second of the day, that there are no mistakes..just opportunites to change your mind or learn something profoundly useful.

It is incredibly useful to find out why you want to accomplish something..what you are striving for..what your outcome will be and how it will feel once it is accomplished.  WRITE it down!!!  This is sooooo powerful, it is like pulling your outcome out of the universe and heavens and making it REAL.(want even more power?  Stand up and call it out as loud as you can..seriously crazy business..but it works!!)  You can use this magical script...as I like to call it... to remind yourself in times when you don't feel motivated or have lost your drive..it is a reminder to you(and your nervous system) that you have made a fantastic commitment to an outstanding future!  This can be applied to ANYTHING you want to do..anything..be it working out, starting a business, being a better person/mother/wife(or the male counterparts ;))..anything.

from my heart to yours...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

this is a long one..TA stuff and alittle something extra..

OK...can I just say I had a fantastic weekend with my girl Christan and that we did some serious sweating together to TA!!  The dancing and the workout were awesome..but not as amazing as being together with such a REAL RAW BEAUTIFUL woman who loves TAM too!

So I realize that there are alot of people having problems with shoulder and neck pain and this has EVERYTHING to do with alignment and placement of the shoulders in all the movements..yes..I think I feel another video comin on...yes..yes I do.

I am always thinking about why have I been so successful with this method..why have others been successful..I want to KNOW what it is!!  So one of the absolute BIGGEST reasons is form..form..form..which means alignment..alignment..alignment...and..rythm..yep. So, what do I mean?  You have to be postitioned EXACTLY like Tracy..in every molecule of your body..period.  You have to imitate every movement in all its complexity, you have to reach for perfection of movement with each workout.  Alright, lets take a 10 day ms(muscular structure) sequence.  The first three days you may feel like a complete and utter uncoordinted mess, this is the phase where your brain and body are getting to know exacty what it is you are asking of you, think of this phase as the beginning stages of learning to ride a bike.  the next three days are the days where you start connecting with your body more, you start to feel the movements all over and have a better sense of where your body and all its parts are in space, you start to actually feel the cross vectors and you are starting to believe, hey I AM doing this..I got this.  The last three days are when you have more or less commited the movements to muscle memory and it is now your job to go deeper into the movements and require perfection from your form and really FEEL the movements, each and every one for every second of the workout.  This is the point to really push yourself and reach deep to get those results you really want...THIS is where results are made.

Now..learning all of her moves to perfection takes time, patience, and perseverance.  Learning proper alignment requires you to study the videos at least once BEFORE doing them, requires you do them in front of the mirror at least ONCE before really doing the workout, if you do not have a mirror, see the videos I posted and really FEEL where you are at in space.  It requires paying attention to every tiny detail of where her body and then YOUR body is at.  It requires staying with HER rythm even when you want to go faster or slower or give up all together...side note..it is better to go slower than her rather than faster..if you have to make a choice ;).  Doing this..going through the 'trouble' of learning the movements properly..will save you time and aggrevation in the long run, plus it will bring you results at what seems like lightening speed. Oh..AND it will prevent injuries..the absolute most important reason for doing this!!

BIG SIDE NOTE:  Having said all of this...well..even if you don't do it with perfect form..even if your not in alignment..even if you are not reaching really deep..if you do it..if you show up and do this workout...you WILL get results...PERIOD.  That is the genius of it..the pure magicalness of TAM.  It will just take you longer and a bit more patience and understanding for yourself..but you will get there...as long as you DO IT!

sometime this week...I will make a shoulder video...yes I will!


Now..just alittle something about feminine support.  We women have the power to heal, to uplift, and to support all life.  When we are happy for others(men or woman) and their successes it helps us to be successful and fullfilled.  Jealousy over anothers success only eats away at what our own true potential is.  I CHOOSE every day to support other women on their journeys through this glorious life, through the greatest accomplishments of their lives and I am blessed every day to hold women experiencing a low point..to nourish them back to themselves, to simply share in our mutual uniquenesses.  AND most of all I am blessed..unbelievalby blessed by the women that have entered my life, by the women that both share my values and do not, by the women who both nourish me and stretch me to expand beyond what I ever thought possible.

I will get to the glorious men soon..right now...on MY journey..i am learning to connect with all that is feminine..so it is only natural that I would be pulled to share it with you!

from my heart to yours...
 

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Posting TA videos to FB...in all my sweaty glory...

Ok..so if you are here..chances are you have seen my videos for today..reguarding alignment...and yes..ahem..my crotch is soaked...not from pee..that i know of..but from sweat..it took all my internal gumption to post them to fb after I saw how sweaty I was..it looks like I am wearing underwear on the OUTSIDE of my pants..but whatever..REAL woman sweat..everywhere..not just on their brow or upper lip..and I happen to SWEAT..i mean dripping get a towel it is raining Shanti SWEAT..it is a wonderful detox..if not slightly embarrassing..now if I peed my pants I would be the first one to tell you..trust me..but no..that is all SWEAT..as my sister once told me..I didn't know you could sweat in your crotch..well yes..indeed you CAN.

So as I like to be honest I will tell you that I filmed these vids under durress.  Everyone was hungry, lunch was on the table and and my kids had to go back to school and..well..hell..my family knows I am looney ballooney..and they love me anyway..and well..also..my time management sucked today..poo. But because I said I would I did..crazy I know..I could have changed my clothes, waited til later, done my hair and make up..but I am pig headed and had to do it right then..yes..I am a woman..yes this is normal..yes I am real and raw..and mostly..well...I love you all to bits and peices..so there.

My greastest hope from my bravery is that the videos helped..or at least were good for a great laugh ;).  Please feel free to ask me anything..I will give you an answer far longer and in depth than necessary! 

I have the need to say that all of these tips and things..well they are mine..tracy has nothing to do with it..so if they don't work you can't sue her..or be mad at me...hehehe.

today truely from my heart and sweaty crotch to yours....

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

I LOVE women...love love love them...

You know women are amazing creatures..read the link at the right to see what I mean!  It is from Elizabeth Richardson who is an amazing inspiration and woman and is in the middle of writing a couple of books I cannot wait to buy. 

I love having women in my life, I love REAL women, vunerable authentic sensuous women.  In our world today there are certain..hmmmm...hazards to being a woman.  For some reason we are not encouraged to be together, to trust each other, to stick together, to support each other in WHATEVER choices we make, to be happy for each others success, to understand each others bitchiness, to be loyal to one another, to encourage true feminine experession, wow I realize now I could go on and on!  Women have the true potential to heal, to lead, and to make profound differences in this world buy being women, full and raw and real.

I honor each of you reading this as a fellow feminine entity, I honor you for your limitless capacity for love and understanding, for your beauty, for your life giving force and creativity, for your ability to storm and rage and then soothe and heal, for your many faces..all unique and neccessary, for your cleansing properties and rejuvinating essense.  You are amazing in all your glory, in every cell of your body simply by being born a girl.

(now I LOVE me some men too..more on that another time!)

Now go read the link..it is magnificent..and made me cry...in a really beautiful way...enjoy...

from my heart to yours....

Monday, May 2, 2011

TA..for the day..what is it about this method...

Now, I posted this same post on FB, so why post it here?  This is the space I want to provide for any questions anyone has, this is a platform where I can really answer in depth knowing that it is going to get to the person without getting lost in the feed ;).  I will be writing very soon about the three pillars of reaching a goal..any goal..it was created for weightloss but you can use it for any goal you want to achieve..woop..and it begins!!


Hmmm...now I have written about the physical and dietary aspects of my TA journey.  Now I would love to address the mental and emotional part!

This is what worked for me.

Sometime at the end of March 2010 I started to look for a new workout that would really challenge me, I felt the need to really SWEAT..now..I am am person who has to move..not just move but FEEL and sweat in my body..so I went on the search for something other than the aerobics and pilates I had been doing since the birth of my first child..the end of march 2010 my baby turned one so it was a natural progression to look for something new and more powerful for me..I do not even remember how I found TA but I am so thankful that I did.  So right after I recieved the pds series and dc2 I left for Gambia in Africa for 3 weeks with my family...a financial poor country..rich in its people and culture.  I learned about how very rich I am..deeply..truely.  When we got back I watched all the videos..did them for a week..thought holy freakin cow..this is crazy wonderful HARD stuff..and promptly ordered everything I could get my greedy little hands on, downloaded and scored the internets for every scrape of information.  I had told my husband..bikini time is over..and I was perfectly ok with that..it was not a self pity thing at all..just accepting my life phase..hehe..little did I know.  So at that moment I decided the only way to find out if I truely trusted TA was to commit to doing exactly what she said for ONE year.  At the end of the year I would decide if it was the right thing for me and reassess what I wanted to do with my body, with my movement.  I committed one hundred percent to that YEAR..not to results or expectations but to a year of LEARNING everything I could about the method and ultimately my body, my boundries, my strength, my own empowerment, and who I really am.  You see, I believe that movement is the key to many of our inner processes, if we do not move on a regular basis how can we listen to what our bodies have to say?

In order to understand the why of doing this method, I encourage you to ask yourself, what is it that I truely want from doing this workout, beyond physical beauty?  Go as deep and as honestly as you can into this question...find the REAL reason you are doing this.  Is it about looking great, feeling great, being healthy, strong, vibrant, flexible, is it about learning discipline, having love for yourself, being inspired and inspiring others?  WHAT is it that is going to drive you to commit to the workout on the level that is right for you?  There is an answer within you that will get you going!  For some it will be pig headed discipline for others simply doing it each day for any period of time, what is it for you?  The next question is, what is holding you back?  What is it that is keeping you from really going for it with all the passion in your heart?  What is it that stands between you and what you really want in the method?  Knowing what this is will allow you the freedom to make more choices about how you are going to succeed.

I leave this post with a post from last week that I wrote, to remind you of the journey!!

Can I just say that this method is a process, a journey and that no matter how long you have been doing it your body continues to shift and change shape as long as you are doing this method..we have the wiggly jiggly phases..we have the holy bajesus where did the cellulite on my arms come from..we have the cellulite body suit phase..t...he sharpe puppy phases...and the tight and hot phases in between..I am here to tell you that these phases come even when you are really fit with TAM, they just change form and shock factor. Ever time I hear myself say..god god WHAT is THAT, I quickly change it to WAHHHOOOOOOOOEEE..look at me gettin ready for another metamorphosis, another body tuck, another hot body moment. Stick with it, love yourself where you are at and know that you are kick as just for doing this method!!

from my heart to yours...

 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

thoughts in the night...

Happy Sunday..you know I woke up at 4am with my son...who then cried for awhile until I took him to our room..LONG after he had fallen asleep I layed awake just flowing with inspiration and words and things I wanted to write.  I thought get up Shanti, write this magnificent stuff down..but I didn't and while the feelings of the words are forever blazened on my soul..I have forgotten the actual words themselves.  I ask myself should I have gotten up, not worried about the lack of sleep, trusted that I would not be tired but instead full of energy by letting the real me flow?  Interesting question if you ask me.  Trusting in my inner guidence, the universe, god, the goddess whatever the name we give the divine essence is easy and since we are all a spark of this eternal divineness we should inherently trust in ourselves knowing that we carry the answers to what we seek. 

I am going to say that all holy men of all scriptures went on a LONG journey..through many trials and tribulations, deviod of close relationships(exept to the divine), to come out in the end realizing that all the travel..all the sacrafice...while helping on the journey were completely unneccessary because the answers they were seeking where actually within THEM all along.  It is in our ordinary lives that we find the extraordinary miracles of love, friendship, life, death, joy, anticipation, happiness...it is in our ordinary hardships that we learn to expand who we are, to become closer to one another, to accept the now and live in this very moment.  And in each of those moments..every single one..each of us carries the divine within us..the answers to all of our questions if we are willing to get out of the way and just listen...accept the love of our beating hearts and know that standing alone we are perfectly imperfect and yet still connected to all that there is.

In this life I will never be complete, I will always be a work in progress and in the meantime I am commited to having a fantastic life..that is after all why I choose to come here to this place in order to experience deep love, happiness, joy and to share it with whomever and whatever I come in contact with!

From my heart to yours....