1. Have a clear vision of where you are going. What has inspired the change? Whether you are transitioning into a new job, a new body, a new place, a new lifestyle, getting clear on what you want in place of what you currently have is KEY. Once you are clear on your vision, create a vision board, a collage, a painting that is representative of your vision that will serve as your compass. Your vision is malleable and will get refined over time so let go of attachment and rigidity.

  2.   Baby Steps. If there is anything that makes change unbearable, it’s trying to make leaps and skip steps. Slow, well organized baby steps repeated over time will always win over random big leaps. Always. Make a rough plan of vision-inspired action and tweak it along the way.

 3.  Get plenty of rest. With change comes a change in habits, behaviours, thinking patterns and so much more. When we initiate external change, we are also changing the chemistry of our brain. This takes time and energy. A lot of it. (Think turning metal into gold). Therefore taking plenty of rest and taking care of yourself will keep your energy reserves sufficient and help you avoid energy drain and adrenal fatigue.

 4.  Have a support network. If you think you are Hercules by taking on change all by yourself, think again. Research has shown over and over and over again that people who do not have a support network while performing challenging tasks or going through life changes have higher levels of stress hormones and are known to suffer more cancers, heart attacks, and live shorter lives. You are not alone, but you do need to reach out.

5. Reward yourself for each stepping stone. Looking ahead and striving is wonderful ONLY when it is balanced with looking back and giving yourself a pat on the back for how you got to where you currently are. This is a step that so many of us miss because we are not conditioned as a society to self validate and self appreciate. Look back, see where you started, recognize what it took to get to where you are and reward yourself for a job well done.

For many of us, the arrival of spring symbolizes a new beginning. Detoxifying the body, organizing yard sales and de-cluttering spaces are some of the common ways in which we welcome spring. This spring, as I was clearing out some of my drawers, I came across a few items of the past which brought old memories to the surface and the emotions associated with them. As I took the time to clear the emotions and let go of the old items, I realized I was simultaneously de-cluttering my heart space.

The heart is the most magnificent space within a human being. It is not only the most powerful electromagnetic organ in our body, but is the seat of our Higher Self and the place where we connect to the Love that fuels all of Creation. It is also the most vulnerable space within a human being. Most of us have experienced heart break to some degree, which fills the heart with grief, resentment, sorrow and, in some cases, shuts it down altogether.  And although, shutting down the heart seems like the natural thing to do to protect it and keep the painful emotions out, it simultaneously shuts the door to joy and love-the oxygen of our soul. It takes time, intent and energy to heal and clear this most precious space.

Forgiveness

When I first heard that I needed to forgive the people who caused the greatest amount of pain in my life, I couldn’t believe it. I was having a relationship with resentment and I wasn’t about to let it go. It wasn’t until I realized that resentment was preventing me from connecting deeply to the people I loved, that I turned towards forgiveness. Resentment creates a wall of steel around the heart that significantly affects relationships.

Forgiveness is the decision to let go of feelings of anger and resentment toward another from the past that is still influencing your now and future. It is akin to putting down heavy baggage that’s been carried around for a long time for the simple purpose of lightening up and freeing oneself. It is something we do for ourselves. When we forgive, we not only open up the space within our heart to experience love and freedom, but we also allow the people we’ve held hostage in resentment to be free.

Compassion

It is natural to feel compassion for a sick child, a person who lost their loved one or someone in a state of turmoil. Feelings of compassion remind us of our innate connection to each other. But what about the person who stole your wallet or the rude remark that came from the person you love?

On the journey of re-membering who we truly are, compassion is the ability to recognize the perfect imperfection on the bumpy return ride to love. We live in a world of the walking wounded that has been dominated by fear for eons. We have all acted from fear and reacted from our wounds and it is the pain and suffering of those actions that has given rise to a collective longing for a new way of existing and relating in this world. Understanding that everyone is doing the best they can, given their needs, resources and awareness at any moment, allows compassion to sprout. Compassion, like forgiveness, is a choice which closes the gap of me versus you and us versus them, moving us away from separation and toward Oneness.

One of my favourite practices for compassion is the Buddhist Metta practice of loving kindness. Quietly, offer the following words of loving kindness towards:

1. Yourself
2. A loved one
3. A neutral person (ex. Someone you saw on the street)
4. A person towards whom you experience negative feelings
5. All beings

May I (you, he/she, we) be safe and protected.

May I (you, he/she, we) be peaceful and happy.

May I (you, he/she, we) be healthy and strong.

May I (you, he/she, we) have ease of well being.

Self Love

To truly love ourselves is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time due to the amount of resistance often experienced to loving and accepting oneself. Forgiveness, compassion and appreciation must start with and toward ourselves for these gems can only be offered to others if they’ve been cultivated within.

Chronic self judgment, attack and criticism destroy self esteem and severely damage the most vulnerable part of ourselves-the inner child. Loving ourselves requires determination and effort. The inner child needs consistent doses of love, acceptance, nurturing and acknowledgement to feel a sense of belonging and connection. Being the most wounded part of the human psyche, the inner child also requires attention and a safe space to express old feelings that have been buried deep within. The adult self needs forgiveness, appreciation, validation and approval. Both parts of the Self need to be tended to in order for the whole being to thrive.

The practice of self love is a lot like putting drops of coloured water into a clear water jar to change the colour of the water in the jar. The clear water represents the current state of love (or lack thereof) we hold for ourselves and the coloured drops represent mini doses of love in the form of forgiveness, compassion, self acceptance, validation and more. The colour of the clear water may not change much after 10 drops, but after a couple of hundred drops, colour becomes noticeable until one day, the clear water will become an entirely different colour. At this point, self love becomes a way of being, which is the ultimate goal for the journey of remembering the Love that we are.

Another big year comes to an end. 2011 has brought about a lot of personal change and as we continue to ride this wave of expansion into 2012 with new goals, resolutions and plans, let’s not forget to reflect on the growth we have achieved in the past year. It is indeed a time of self celebration! Below is a list of questions to ponder as you review your year and put into perspective just how far you’ve come in the last 365 days.

Health

• What health goals did you achieve partially or fully?
• In what ways has your body awareness expanded?
• What were the highlights of your self-care this year? (consider exercise, eating habits, stress-reduction activities, services, etc.)

Relationships

• What new connections did you make? What is different about them? How do they reflect the newest version of yourself?
• What relationships did you resolve/let go of? What did you learn about yourself as a result?
• Where were you able to set new boundaries and take your power back?
• In what relationships were you able to express more of your truth?

Money

• What new insights and lessons have you attained in your relationship with money?
• What limiting beliefs about money were you able to recognize and release?
• List all the areas in your life where you manifested abundance.

Personal Challenges

• What were some of the bigger challenges of your year?
• What inner resources did you use to overcome them?
• What did you learn about yourself as a result of these challenges?

Healing

• What major limiting patterns were you able to release this year?
• Where do you now feel more expanded and free compared to last year?
• Where are you now able to respond instead of react?
• What fear(s) did you overcome?

Soul

• Where did you receive and follow intuitive guidance?
• What major synchronicities did you experience this year?
• How has your relationship with your Higher Self evolved?

2012: The Year of the Dragon

The word ‘dragon’ is derived from two Greek words: one meaning ‘serpent’ and the other ‘to see clearly.’ The energies of the dragon carry forth courage, strength, wisdom and the ability to see the big picture. In Chinese astrology, one of the more pronounced qualities of the dragon is non-conformism-the straying away from rules. As we enter, dare are I say, the most remarkable year in our human evolution, where we cross the threshold of ‘primarily negative’ into ‘slightly more positive’ in our planetary energetic, the Dragon seems to be a most appropriate symbol to carry us through 2012.

2012 Intentions

How you experience this upcoming year will be entirely up to you and the intentions you set forth for yourself. Where you put your energy in focus and action is exactly what you will experience and draw to you. Below is a guideline for setting intentions:

• Focus on what you want more of, rather than what you don’t want.
• Use the answers to the questions above to help you with direction about what you want more of
• Detach from the outcome of what you are intending
• Leave the ‘how’ to your Higher Self
• Trust that what you are intending for will be brought to you in the easiest way and for your highest good.
• Clear any limiting beliefs to receiving what you’re asking for. Most common culprits in this sphere include beliefs that start with ‘I’m unworthy of,’ ‘I don’t deserve’ and ‘I’m not good enough.’

To an amazing transformational year ahead!

with lots of love,

Natalia Ria

November 2011 and the past few months leading up to it has brought about, for many of us, some of the most profound changes within and without. With the end of the Mayan calendar on October 28^th, the full moon of Taurus/Scorpio on November 10 and the powerful new energy portal of Divine Light that opened on 11.11.11 for the entire planet, many changes are currently underway.

The end of the Mayan calendar has marked the beginning of a new age that is aligned with Universal Truths. The Taurus/Scorpio full moon urged us to re-examine and bring into balance the use of personal power and the energies of allowing vs. asserting. The 11.11.11 portal brought forth the energies of Light, Love from Truth, Clarity, Sensitivity Empowerment and Inspiration into the collective consciousness. There is certainly lots to integrate and it is no wonder so many are feeling like the rug is being pulled from underneath the feet.

The new energy wave is powerful and is ultimately guiding us to expand into the fullness of our True Selves and embody more of our Light. With this, it is only natural for us to become more aware of our Shadow. The release of negativity stored within the body-mind complex is a necessary step to clear the way for more Light. I like to think of our personal transformation and evolution as ‘Diamonds in the Making.’ Just like a diamond must go through a thorough refining process of removing impurities from the crystal, so too must we do the inner work to let go of the emotional debris and programming we have accumulated from our lives that no longer serves our highest good.

With much coming up for acknowledgement and release, the mind’s most immediate response is resistance. And it is no wonder that is so due to the collective conditioning most of us have received regarding emotional expression. For centuries, we have been conditioned to suppress the negative and put a smile on our face even when we’re feeling anything but inside. Yet it is precisely the resistance to the authentic expressions of all that You are, that causes the most amount of suffering and discomfort.  The key to letting go of resistance is a conscious choice to accept all parts of yourself as valid and lovable. In other words, only when we embrace and shine our light on the darkest corners of ourselves are we able to integrate and transform them. Here, I’d like to offer some tips and tools to move through the changes with more ease.

1. Authentic expression

Allow yourself to have an authentic experience of whatever is coming up for you. Emotions are energy in motion, therefore, if you think of your emotional expressions as energy that simply wants to move through you, it becomes easier to let it through. Give yourself the time and the space to release. If you feel that what’s coming up is too much to deal with on your own, seek professional guidance.

2. Let go of self judgment

The reality is that there is nothing wrong or unacceptable with any part of You or anyone else. The mind, however, likes to judge, in which case it is best to simply acknowledge what it’s saying, disconnect from the negative messages and remind the judge within that You are in charge. Affirm that You are in the perfect place on your journey right now and choose to accept all parts of yourself with kindness and love.

3. Grounding

It is tempting to stay in the mind when we feel discomfort in the body that arises from emotional healing and releasing.  Some of the most common ways of staying in the mind to avoid dealing with what’s in the body is through tv, eating when not hungry, surfing the net, etc. Gentle movement like yoga, tai chi, gentle exercise, dance, nature walks and breathing practices are great and quick ways to get back into the body and keep you centred.

4. Self nurturing

Support yourself by doing things that you like and bring you a sense of relief. Taking baths, body treatments, retreats, energy treatments, soothing music of your choice, spending time in nature, an uplifting book, emotional support, nutritious meals, your favourite creative expression and so many others are great methods of self-nurturing.

Wishing you infinite love on your journey,

Natalia Ria

‘Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.’  ~Maori Proverb

Worldwide, political, economical, environmental and social events are taking place that are changing the way we think, feel and perceive our world as well as relate to one another. Change is in the air, on a collective and an individual level, both of which mirror one another.

A mass spiritual awakening is at hand, as a 26,000-thousand year planetary calendar cycle draws to an end, expanding human consciousness in unprecedented ways. On a collective level, a paradigm shift is under way as we unplug from a fear-based paradigm rooted in separation, control, disempowerment and worthlessness to one of love, integrity and connection with all of life. On an individual level, tremendous inner change is taking place as the higher energy of this shift nudges to let go of anything that is not true to who you are and align with your true Self-the authentic, fearless, creative and unconditionally loving part of you that knows no limitation or separation from creation.

A spiritual awakening is accompanied by great internal change. It may feel like you are losing your mind. In many ways, you are losing your old mind, filled with old baggage in the form of beliefs, concepts, attitudes and emotions from your past that no longer serve you. Although this process creates challenge, it is important to remember that all great change is preceded by a time of turmoil and chaos where the old must break down, before space for the new can be open. Below is a list of typical signs and symptoms of a spiritual awakening that you may be experiencing at this time as well as keys to lighten up the process:

Your Body

Physical manifestation of illness, aches, pains and disease are on the rise and signal where you are resisting your true self and holding on to emotions and beliefs that do not serve you.

Eating habits are changing. As you clear and heal away old energy, your energy field lightens up. As a result, the foods you prefer to eat will change because the body’s energetic makeup is altered. Your food preferences may become ‘lighter’ and you may feel that you are more in tune with your body. You may also experience extreme food cravings.

Energy centres (chakras) are opening up. You may feel various sensations at the locations of the chakras: heat at the top of your head, pressure and tightness at the centre of your chest and solar plexus, tightness in the area of the throat. Organs and systems associated with the chakras are affected, causing temporary imbalances and discomfort. To learn more about the chakras and their associated organs, please click here.

Key: drink lots of pure water, spend more time in communion with nature, eat fresh, raw foods to increase the circulation of life force throughout the body. It is important to stay grounded and not ‘leave your body’ through mental distraction. Gentle forms of exercise like Qi Gong, walking and Yoga as well as deep breathing are highly beneficial for grounding yourself.

Your Emotions

An emotion is energy in motion. All unprocessed (repressed) emotions are stored in the cellular memory of the body. At this time, all lower energies still held within your cells and your energy body (click here to learn more) are being stirred up for processing and releasing. Suppressed negative emotions like anger, guilt, grief, fear, shame and trauma are being brought up for healing. Emotional overwhelm, higher sensitivity and irritability, extreme mood swings, depression, anxiety, insecurity and self destruction can be experienced as a result.

Key: let go of self-judgement and any feelings of there being ‘something wrong with you.’ Affirm that you are exactly where you need to be on your journey.

Your Mind

Old beliefs that are rooted in fear and limitation are being brought to the surface to be cleared and replaced with empowering beliefs in resonance with you inner truth. It may feel like nothing is certain anymore, including your identity. This happens when old thinking patterns that no longer serve you, are being disassembled in the mind and re-wired in the brain. Feelings of being stuck and disconnected point to warn out beliefs within the mind that must be looked at, evaluated (as to their origin) and replaced.

Key:practice observing your emotions as they tell you what you believe to be true.Negative emotion/negative emotional reaction=negative belief. When you discover a negative belief, claim your power to choose and choose a belief that you prefer to have instead.

Your Relationships & Social life

Relationships of all types, including friendships, parents, partnerships, are affected. As you begin to heal and change on the inner level of your being, your energy vibration begins to rise accordingly. Relationship dynamics based in control, abuse, power-struggles and inequality will come to an end as you will no longer be able to tolerate their energy and instead, desire relationships which mirror your inner change.You will be drawn to people of a ‘like-mind.’ In your social life, you may not feel like being around certain people as well as going to the places you are used to socializing in. You may start to feel discomfort in your original social settings and develop new preferences for company and social gatherings.

Key: honour your desire and feelings for different relationships and trust that you will draw them to yourself when you are ready for them. Allow yourself periods of solitude and introspection.

Your Spiritual life

With the opening of the major energy centres and the release of old energy, the development of intuitive abilities, extra sensitivity, empathy, telepathy and other extrasensory abilities are very common. You may begin to ask yourself questions like ‘who am I?’, ‘why am I here?’, ‘what is my higher purpose?’, ‘what is my relationship to all of life?’ etc. A spiritual awakening prompts a deeper connection to the heart. As a result, you may find yourself becoming more open and vulnerable with the influx of feelings of love and reverence for all of life. You may be drawn to certain practices like meditation or spending more time with nature, children or animals.

Key: set a specific time each day when you can connect to your deeper Self and your heart on a regular basis. Listen to the guidance and inner knowing of your heart to help you stay connected to your inner being.

Other names for physical mind include personality or ego. This aspect of consciousness exists for the purpose of allowing you to focus in physical reality and in general, make sense of it. The physical organ that processes the activity of the mind is the brain.\

Beliefs

Beliefs are definitions we hold in our minds about reality, ourselves and everything in between. A belief is something one perceives to be true. Many of the limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves and our surroundings result from the conditioning we have received from our parents and the environment we were brought into as children.

In other words, many of the beliefs we hold in the mind are actually not ours – we have simply bought into them through reinforcement. Most of these beliefs are stored in the subconscious mind, which means we are seldom consciously aware of them. Here are some examples of common limiting beliefs:

• I’m not good enough
• I don’t deserve to be loved
• Money is the root of all evil
• I’ll never amount to anything
• Success is difficult

A mind that has not been conditioned by negative limiting beliefs, operates from a sense of self worth and self love. This is the mind that is aligned with one’s TRUE INNER SELF (Soul, Higher Self, Divine essence, etc.).

Children, up to a certain age, function from this place which is reflected in their purity of being and ability to love and accept themselves for who they are. At the core of our being, we are all children.

The only difference between a ‘child’ and an ‘adult child’ is the negative baggage an adult carries in the form of negative belief systems about themselves acquired from other people. This baggage veils human authenticity and prevents one from reaching their fullest potential.

In the brain, belief systems are reflected in the formation of neural connections & pathways. In other words, they are ‘wired’ in the brain and keep their structure through reinforcement. Beliefs give rise to emotions and emotions arise from beliefs: your most intense feelings reflect to you your most strongly held beliefs.

Emotions

Emotion is energy in motion. Emotions have either a negative or a positive energetic charge, that is, they either enhance or deplete your life force-the energy of the soul. Emotional energy runs through the energy centres (chakras) and energy channels (meridians) of the body. It comes through as a feeling sensation, which then extends into the biofield (the aura) of the physical self.

As a result of hundreds of years of collective conditioning, many people function on auto-pilot to resist and block what we often refer to as ‘negative’ emotions like fear, anger, sadness, etc. When negative emotions are suppressed, they get stuck in the body’s energy pathways, blocking the flow of life force energy to various organs. The longer a negative emotion is suppressed, the deeper its negative charge settles into the cells of the body. Holding on to negative energy leads to the potential cellular break down of tissues and organs and the onset of what we refer to as dis-ease.

Our emotions serve as a remarkable guidance system that informs us when we are in and out of alignment with our true self, our soul-essence. All emotions arise from beliefs we hold in the mind about ourselves with regards to the situation we are emotionally reacting to. Negative emotions serve as wakeup calls to let you know that there is a belief you are holding on to that is out of alignment with your true self; in other words, a limiting belief about yourself that does not serve you and prevents you from acting on your most exciting dreams and greatest joy-the very guidance of your soul! It is up to you to let it go and replace it with one that serves you.

Thoughts

Every thought you think reinforces a belief, produces an electric charge in the brain, followed by a release of chemicals into the body. One of the most magnificent attributes of the brain is what’s called neuroplasticity-the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. When we change the way we think, when we change a belief or thought pattern from a self-sabotaging one to a self-empowering one, we change the wiring of the neural pathways of the brain, the chemistry of the body and finally, our emotional states. When the emotional state of being changes and moves from negative to positive, from one of hopelessness to one of hope, from one of fear to one of love, we begin to see reflections of the new state in our physical reality through the Universal Law of Attraction.

Changing limiting beliefs

To change limiting beliefs, you must first become aware of their existence. Awareness of limiting beliefs comes from:

1. Examining your emotions and emotional reactions (you cannot have an emotion without a belief to back it up)
2. Looking at your physical reality as a reflection of your beliefs.

Once awareness is established, it is essential to release any negative emotions associated with the negative belief. As the negative energy of the emotion is cleared from the body, it opens up the space for the replacement of the former belief with one that serves your highest good. This is achieved through conditioning/sensitizing of your mind and body to the new belief THROUGH REINFORCEMENT (just like the negative belief that was previously in place). In the brain, this happens with the breakdown of old neural pathways and the formation of new ones.