Beth Hemmila of Hint Jewelry

The Enlightening Mat: Making Peace with Criticism through Bikram Yoga

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Reno, Nevada: Beth Hemmila

Imagine the contentious relationship between the drill sergeant Lou Gossett Jr. and the young recruit Richard Gere in the movie An Officer and a Gentlemen and you'll get a visual of my first year of Bikram yoga. Most classes I was mentally rebelling and completely impervious to whatever the teacher was saying because I felt so emotionally vulnerable to what I perceived was criticism.

Let's back up to the beginning. Like a lot of people, my family of origin had a habit of using criticism as a behavioral response to a need going unmet. In this context, I am not talking about healthy constructive criticism rather I'm referring to those moments when hurtful things are said that don't nurture your spirit.

The way I've come to understand this type of criticism is that the person delivering the message may feel angry or ashamed, and by dispelling energy through hurtful comments they are producing some kind of personal relief from internal pain.

For example, maybe your dad came home from a particularly hard day at work where he felt unsupported and undervalued, but he hadn't figured out how he could meet those needs in another way so his pent up anger was intentionally or unintentionally rolled out on you.

Or lets say a sibling was repeatedly calling you "ugly" or "stupid." Looking deeper you might find that your brother or sister was wanting some attention from your parents but you were hogging the spotlight, and their disappointment came out through angry words.

If you were raised with harsh criticism as a strategy for dealing with internal pain instead of effective communication, then you may have built emotional walls so as to protect yourself from this kind of destructive behavior. Consequently, you may have also closed yourself off from receiving healthy criticism, which has a completely different intent but sometimes sounds similar in tone and language.

Over the last couple years, I have specifically used the Bikram yoga classroom as a practice space for learning to hear criticism in a whole new way.

I can't pinpoint how the switch in my thinking happened, but I believe it may have occurred because of the consistency of my practice, which allowed me time to get to know the personalities of each Bikram yoga teacher. It wasn't long before I came to see that beneath every word that flowed from their mouths was a sincere desire to contribute to my well-being. The depth of their constructive criticism became a measurement for just how deeply they cared for me, and moreover, demonstrated how invested they were in my desire to be whole. They were on my side every step of the way and were willing to show up for me even when I wasn't willing to show up for myself.

One thing I noticed was that as I became more comfortable in the Bikram yoga classroom, I began to to soften the expression on my face, relax my shoulders that had been poised in defensiveness, and open my heart space without fear. Teachers started talking to me differently. Perhaps my body gestures communicated that I was open and willing to receive whatever teaching they were ready to offer. Their tips and tweaking of my poses came free of apprehension on their part because we had developed a new level of trust. Their love for me was unspoken, but I knew their constructive feedback was a symbol of how much they cared for my body and soul.

From this new ability to receive the love underneath constructive criticism, I am learning to take this practice one step further so as to hear the unfulfilled needs and yearnings beneath comments that are hurtful in design and appear destructive.

Learning to have empathy for others by hearing their criticisms in a new way is one of the life-changing patterns I discuss in Chapter 14 of my book Lemonade Mantras. It's a simple matter of switching the focus of criticism from outward to inward.

For instance, if a person says to you, "I don't like you when you're lazy and sleep all the time," in your head you would change it around to hear the other person saying, "I don't like myself when I'm lazy and sleep all the time." In this way, you begin to see how this person's criticism isn't so much about you, but more about their own confusion concerning their needs for purpose, rest, and relaxation. What felt like a personal attack on your character becomes a moment of compassion where you see just how much this other person is struggling with self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care.

Whatever criticism you are experiencing, something hurtful that comes out of nowhere from someone you love, the inner critic making judgments in your head, or the constructive kind from people who want the best for you, it's all valuable material to work with in your life and can lead to new ways of seeing yourself, the people around you, and the magnificent unfolding design of the world.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet, Beth Hemmila

Ready to kick the habit of using food to fulfill a emotional need for love and affection?

Try the Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet

In 2010, I did a liver gallbladder cleanse that required a primarily vegan diet and an elimination of flour, dairy, and sugar. You can read the details about my diet and experiences of setting 120 day challenges here.

Thirty days into my new life-altering diet, I noticed something interesting about my food cravings for pizza, cheese, chocolate, hamburgers, and donuts -- my yearnings were all related to an unmet need which was ultimately connected to a feeling that was missing from my life. I wrote about this epiphany during Day 39 here.

By writing in my journal using techniques I had developed for my book Lemonade Mantras and relating my cravings for junk foods to my unmet feelings and needs, I began to take responsibility for the food that was entering my life. I learned how to diagnose my strategy of emotional eating so as to find new behaviors that would actually fulfill needs for love, companionship, self-expression, reassurance, acceptance, etc.

The Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet is the result of this process of writing about food. Particularly if you are starting a new diet and want to understand your eating habits from a place of compassion so as to discover the secret message lurking beneath the food in your life, then I urge you to check it out the Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet.

You don't need to be on a diet to use the Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet, but it's an awesome tool if you are embarking on a new way of eating or would just like to discover more about the food in your life. Creating a Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Journal is like having your own personal coach giving you feedback during those difficult moments when you want to give in to your cravings.

Many times I was able to either relieve my cravings by using the Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet or alternatively resolve with loving compassion the guilt I felt after having eaten something that didn't meet my personal goals. The Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet was my number one tool for getting unstuck from the cycle of shame I felt around food, weight, and life-style choices.

In addition to the journal method for writing about food in Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating, I have also included key questions to ask yourself so as to develop conscious eating as a new habit and a list of my top daily strategies for learning to be more mindful about food.

Lastly, I recommend reading the e-book Lemonade Mantras first before you use the Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating Worksheet simply because you may gain more experience identifying the language of your particular feelings and needs. Nevertheless, if you are already deeply in touch with your feelings and needs you may try using this worksheet independently of the book Lemonade Mantras.

To purchase the e-book Lemonade Mantras click here $7.97
To purchase the PDF worksheet Lemonade Mantras & Conscious Eating click here $2.97
To view all items in my Book Store click here.
To check out all my free downloads click here.

Wild & Free

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Nevada Wild Horses, Beth Hemmila

Last week I shared some pictures from my trip out to the Northern Nevada desert where we were greeted by these three magnificent wild horses. They just stood there all curious, watching us for quite awhile while we silently watched back.

Wild & Free, Beth Hemmila: sterling silver free spirit horse charm

I designed a necklace that echos every bit of this amazing day out in the wilderness using my Free Spirit horse charm and the subtle colors found in the nooks and crannies of Nevada's landscape.

Wild & Free, Beth Hemmila: sterling silver free spirit horse charm, emerald, tourmaline, apatite, and peridot

Using emerald, mixed tourmaline, apatite, and peridot, through gemstones I remembered the blue sky over head, bright green lichen on stones, rose quartz emerging out of the earth, and the yellow sun on my face.

Wild & Free, Beth Hemmila: sterling silver free spirit horse charm, emerald, tourmaline, apatite, and peridot

This necklace was particularly fun to make because I used little bits of scrap chain that were random lengths and linked them together with one of my favorite wire-wrapped connections.

Wild & Free, Beth Hemmila: emerald, tourmaline, apatite, and peridot

The triple wire-wrapped gems are all placed at irregular intervals around the chain like little party lights. This necklace is fun to wear because I made it 22-24 inches so its perfect for donning over sweaters or with T-shirts for it feels both dressy and casual all at the same time.

Free Spirit is one of my favorite Hint Jewelry charms, and I'm so happy to finally have a necklace in my personal collection that I want to wear every day.

The Enlightening Mat: The Courage to Heal Using Interruption

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Rogue River, Oregon, Beth Hemmila

One of the things that draws me to Bikram yoga is the number of people who are pretty vocal about how they have used this practice to heal their lives. Some people gravitate to Bikram yoga for physical healing from injury or illness to the body, but an inordinate amount come to recover from silent afflictions such as addictions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physical and sexual abuse, depression, etc. When lying next to another person during yoga class, you just never know what circumstances have brought them to this place, and often I find myself imagining how much courage they've mustered up to be there beside me.

To have experienced physical or emotional trauma is shocking enough, but to me the healing process is much more painful. Think back to the last time you burned your hand. The moment you were singed was probably a bit of surprise, but it's the throbbing pain that goes on for days as you are nursing the wound that actually puts your state of well-being to the test.

The brain in an effort to avoid future injury repeatedly inscribes a painful experience like burning your hand over and over in your mind as a form of self-protection. This magnificent organ doesn't only apply this concept to physical trauma but uses it on emotional pain as well. Repeating negative thoughts is one way we seek to protect ourselves from potential hurt or danger.

Rogue River, Oregon, Beth Hemmila

Bikram yoga has been one way that I have learned how to interrupt negative thinking so as to develop the courage to heal emotional trauma. By using extreme focus to connect with my body or letting go of all thoughts during meditative poses, I am returning my brain to its most natural state of being -- emptiness. Continually experiencing freedom from mental stress is its own form of exercise. As the brain begins to recognize how much better you feel, gradually it turns to this way of being more and more often in your life.

Interrupting your negative thoughts. Catching your thoughts before they tangle you up in an emotional landslide that spin your life out of control is one of the greatest tools for staying present and connected to yourself. For centuries, ancient yogis have used yoga, meditation, and mantras to interrupt what you want to believe is most real so as to stay open to what is most essential.

My book Lemonade Mantras applies a modern approach to interrupting negative thinking by asking the reader to create a personalized recipe of positive thoughts that question the validity of your brain's perception so as to rescript the story in your head and replace it with the one in your heart.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Exploring the Northern Nevada Desert

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Northern Nevada Desert, Beth Hemmila

Last week I got to take a trip out to the Northern Nevada desert. It's just an gorgeous place that is completely silent except for the birds overhead and an occasional "moo" by free range cattle.

I was lucky enough to see wild antelope, horses, burros, jackrabbits, and chuckers all in the space of a couple hours. Our own American outback! Here are some photos from the trip.

Nevada Desert Lichen, Beth Hemmila

making friends with desert lichen

Northern Nevada Desert, Beth Hemmila

ancient unworldly beauty

Nevada Desert Lichen, Beth Hemmila

infinite variety

Wild Horses of Nevada, Beth Hemmila

Just as we were getting ready to leave wild horses showed up as a kind of finale and bid us an amazing farewell. I can't wait to return :)

Cool Tools: New Silicone Molds for Precious Metal Clay Charms

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Cool Tools just came out with some new silicone molds for making charms out of precious metal clay. Because the silicone doesn't stick to metal clay you don't have to use mold release, which is a major bonus. You can also use these molds with polymer or ceramic clays too. Check out this cute design for spring below with the little butterfly. Too sweet!

Cool Tools, Spring Design

The Enlightening Mat: Consciously Living a Life of Contrast

2012-02-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Light & Shadow Buddha, Beth Hemmila

For about six months last year I had a hard time doing one of the postures in the Bikram yoga series. The most hysterical part was that secretly I use to call this particular posture my throw away pose -- the one where I was basically slacking off and spinning happy daydreams.

Out of the blue, my right knee started to hurt and pain would radiate up the side of my leg, limiting my ability to complete fixed firm pose -- a position where you are seated on your knees and bending backwards. It's not unusual to see a handful of your classmates struggling with this pose if they have tight thighs, hips, or suffer from knee-related injuries.

Nevertheless, this was my first time sitting upright, watching everyone else going down in the pose. Ho hum... this sucks. I felt like waving to the people on the other side of room sitting upright too and asking if they'd rather go out for a beer instead. Being left behind, being left out was a complete bummer.

The weeks went by and my knee didn't improve, so I settled into a routine of practicing a kind of stoic patience, empathy for my fellow fix firm wannabes, and giving teachers the evil eye if they even tried to offer helpful tidbits of advice. I stopped worrying about my knee getting better and just went with the experience. In fact, I no longer anticipated the day that my pain would end and things would get back to normal. This was my new normal.

Then surprise, one day everything fell back into place, and there I was arching backwards with the rest of the class, feeling like I was back in the saddle. However, there was one major change. Fixed firm is no longer my slacker pose. Actually, it's probably the one I am most aware of now because each time I go into it I feel so much gratitude to have it back in place. The contrast between the absence of something and getting it back was so immense that this posture has new meaning for me.

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Creating contrast in your life is important. Light and shadow play off each other and allow you to experience more intense levels of joy then if you had been mucking around in the grey zone. Having an enormously challenging experience only means that you are setting yourself up for an even higher high when the positive arrives. Where I think we might get stuck is that sometimes we are not aware that we are purposefully creating these contrasting moments in our lives for good reason. Instead we get down about the job or relationship that isn't going well and think that's all there is to it -- just the downside.

The key to living a life of contrast with intention is to see that the darker, sadder, angrier, more depressing part of your life is the setup to an amazing positive contrasting experience that is waiting for you down the road. You don't have to get all tied up in a knot about what is pulling you into the shadows. Your positive contrasting experience will come if you stay focused on moving forward, continue to take responsibility for the events happening in your life, and be ready to embrace it with all the enthusiasm your heart can muster when it arrives.

To learn more about taking responsibility for the outcomes in your life as a way to consciously live a life of contrast, check out my new book Lemonade Mantras and use it as a guide for seeing the negative as a setup for the incredible positive experience you are in the midst of creating.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Winner of the NOVICA Giveaway

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

And the lucky winner of the NOVICA $50 gift certificate is...

Gina Maddox

I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly with all the details. If for some reason you don't receive an e-mail from me over the weekend, please send me a message at hintjewelry@gmail.com to make sure you receive your gift.

Thanks to everyone for their interest in NOVICA!

Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

This message is HUGE so I hope you are able to take some time to listen to the whole video. Within twenty short minutes, Brene Brown shows that in order to feel genuinely worthy of love and belonging you must first embrace your vulnerability.

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Several years ago a wonderful mentor said to me: "You are always the safest and strongest when you are most vulnerable. Surrender to your vulnerability." My internal response to her notion was one of confusion and skepticism, but I trusted my teacher so deeply that I decided to remain open and see how I could apply it to my life. For me, vulnerability is not always pretty, and I can't say I even know what I'm doing most of the time, but I can say that creating and nurturing vulnerable moments have been a whole lot more satisfying then hanging back and doing nothing.

In her talk, Brene Brown says that one the biggest steps you can take towards vulnerability is to allow yourself to be deeply seen by others and lean into these moments of discomfort. Wow, that sounds so easy, but as a human being with a brain that is deeply invested in physical and emotional survival, learning to be vulnerable could feel like jumping off a cliff.

When I learned to ski for the first time, I remember the instructor saying turn away from the slope and lean your body down the mountain. WHAT?!! That's just insanity because my body feels a heck of a lot better reaching for the safety and comfort of the ground if I leaned backwards instead of forwards. Learning to lean my body forward and reach out into space so that I propel myself down a steep slope is something that takes a lot of undoing of habitual behaviors. Only through experience and repetition that builds a sense of trust between my body and mind, will I ever believe that I am actually more connected to the moment on the mountain and my own inner power by becoming more vulnerable.

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My new book Lemonade Mantras is an incredible tool that can teach you how to lean into the discomfort of your own emotional vulnerability through a repetitive practice of self-empathy. The exercises in Lemonade Mantras help you build a genuine connection with your inner voice creating more confidence in your own self-expression, which leads to a sense that being vulnerable is your most natural state of being. Through the Lemonade Mantras process you build a scaffold of courage for yourself by understanding and acknowledging your deepest fears and desires. By consistently applying the 10-step Lemonade Mantras process to your life, you will come to understand that you are worthy to be loved and will find ever-increasing moments of vulnerability entering your life.

NOVICA Review & Giveaway

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Be Bold, Achara at Novica

Novica in association with National Geographic is an online global marketplace featuring the work of artisans from all over the world. This month I was invited to review a product and offer a $50 gift certificate to one of my readers.

The item I purchased from Novica is this beautiful sterling silver ring handcrafted by Achara and her family in Thailand.

The ring was shipped all the way from Thailand so there was a delay in receiving it, but when I opened the package it was sheer delight. The ring came nestled in a lovely decorative paper box with a delicate leaf pressed into the top. Also, included was a thoughtful handwritten note in both English and Thai thanking me for my patronage.

The ring itself is very well made and has a nice fit. I also like that it's adjustable so that I can expand it to fit on one of my larger fingers

At the deepest essence of our philosophy,

we want to create a bridge between you

and the many talented artisans across the globe.

- Novica Team

Another interesting feature of Novica is that they have an artisan loan program where you can lend money. If you are a part of their microfinancing program you earn 15% bonus if you spend your repayment at Novica. In addition, Novica has launched their home party division where you can become a consultant and sell artisan products from around the globe in your home.

If you would like to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to shop at Novica, please leave a comment below or send me an e-mail at hintjewelry@gmail.com. I'll select the winner's name by random on Friday, February 3rd and make the announcement on my blog.

Here are some items to check out:

women's scarves

alpaca wool scarves

women's shawls from Indonesia

men's sweaters

silk jackets

women's brazilian accessories

The Enlightening Mat: Doing & Being

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hugo Doing

There is a thought-provoking movie that can be rented on Netflix called The Quantum Activist. It's a documentary about the scientist Dr. Amit Goswami, who comes across as the kindest, gentlest spirit on film.

During the movie, Dr. Goswami explains that when we desire change in our lives, creativity is our best way to explore beyond conditioned behavioral patterns. A key idea proposed by researchers on the subject of human creativity is the importance of balancing doing with being. More specifically, embracing periods of incubation when you just sit on ideas instead of taking action. This period of beingness allows for more possibilities to accumulate so that when you return to doing you have more ideas to choose from; and therefore, increase your chances of reaching the best solution.

Hugo Being

Dr. Goswami calls it Do, Be, Do, Be, Do where you value being as much as doing and weave it into your life in such a way that they work together. This concept reminded me art school when teachers asked me step away from my work and then come back to it after awhile to see something new.

Though I make art in this way, I had never consciously applied it to my life until one day at Bikram yoga, I noticed that the whole second half of the series is based on the concept of doing a posture and then being in dead body pose in between -- a place of complete relaxation. Often times I struggle to relinquish myself over to this pose of complete relaxation as I try to hurry the class along in my head or plan for the day. I'm still doing in my head instead of just allowing my body to be. Savasana or dead body pose may actually be the most difficult posture for most students in the class because from early childhood we are conditioned that doing is something of value while being is often discouraged.

On a very basic physical level Bikram yoga is teaching me how to do and be in the microcosm of the classroom so that I can start balancing doing and being outside in the world. When I noticed this was something to build upon, I began looking for ways to incorporate it into my life. What would it look like? Would I work for a couple hours and then go lay in the grass and look up at the sky? Would I turn off all electronic gadgets at the end of the day and just sit with my cat for awhile? Would I put all my projects away and just spend time listening and laughing with friends?

Doing and being are best buds, and as I learn how unify them in the yoga classroom, my deepest is wish is that this habit will eventually extend out into my daily life in a way that allows for creativity to be the root of everything.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Love Has Its Own Plan

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Love Unfolds, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver flaming heart milagro charm

Love has strange twists and turns.

It's unpredictable.

You are not privy to its plan.

Love Unfolds, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry)

You're just meant to hang on tight

and enjoy the ride!

Behind the Scenes: Using Negative Reactions to Refine Your Target Market

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Slice of Life, Beth Hemmila

Trying to sell your product or message out to a wide range of people when you haven't got a handle on your target market might ultimately prove to be a useful tool.

One of the key ingredients of any business plan is to have a clear vision of your audience. Unfortunately, the target market thingie has always been hard for me to narrow down because I've got some personal hangups about likeability. Consequently, I tend to flounder for awhile trying to figure out who is drawn to my work and then create a picture from that point forward. According to business plan gurus, this appears to be the backwards approach.

Nevertheless, if you make this silly foible like me, clues are sprinkled along the way that help you get back on track. For example, in the early stages of launching Hint Jewelry I was puzzled by that fact that very few people in Portland purchased my work. However, by tracking my Etsy sales over the past three years, I figured out that the majority of my target market for Hint charms actually lives in California, the Southwest, and New England. So it's taken three years to figure this out. Hey, no big deal. I'm a person that learns by doing, making mistakes, and then correcting my course. I find this form of learning more of an adventure.

Another good example is when someone responds to your work with harsh criticism instead of constructive feedback. You can use key demographic information about this person and refine your target market by looking at the flip side.

Take for instance Subject Y...
Subject Y is a male in his late 60s, maybe retired, with a graduate degree in science who is spiritually content and quite happy with his life. He owns a Harley and is a hands-on person. Upon receiving my marketing message for Lemonade Mantras he may come back with a strong reaction because frankly he thinks it sounds like an arrogant waste of time. For him, it feels like eating cotton candy rather then a juicy steak on the grill -- fluffy stuff with no substance or value.

What might be the near opposite of Subject Y?
A woman in their twenties, thirties, or forties who may be asking the question "Who am I?" Someone who enjoys self-help books over scientific theory and wants to learn more about their emotional reactions and the concept of love. Someone who is actively looking for ways to make their lives happier and starting a process of self-discovery. A person who enjoys keeping a journal, is drawn to written words as a form of self-expression, and wants to learn other ways to communicate.

So maybe you deliver your message at the wrong watering hole the first time around. The strong negative reactions of people in the form of criticism ultimately point the way to where you need to be hanging out. Try not to get emotionally sidetracked by biting statements made by others or no reactions at all. Instead embrace criticism and see what you may be able to learn from their reactions and non-reactions. See their negative reaction as the detour sign pointing you in the direction to where like-minded peeps are hanging out.

Lastly, if you want to go one step further, you can practice hearing and empathizing with the harsh criticism a person believed they were directing at you but is really a covert message meant for themselves. This technique for turning criticism around can be found in Chapter 14 of Lemonade Mantras, "Empathy for Others," Practice Hearing Another Person's Self-Judgment.

P.S. Another interesting thing that may happen when you first launch your business is that your message or product may not be something your close friends or family need as a solution to a problem. In fact, more than likely your friends and family ARE NOT your target market. If you notice close friends and family not being drawn to your work, begin to see that you are embracing a path that will expand your circle of connection even wider to human beings that relate most deeply to what is in your heart. Treasure their disconnection as an opportunity to expand outward into the world.

Valiant Spirit

2012-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Valiant Spirit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver cross charm necklace

Strength of numbers is the
delight of the timid.
The Valiant in spirit glory in
fighting alone.

- Mahatma Ghandi

This quote from Mahatma Ghandi is the text I chose to tell the story of the Valiant cross charm from Hint Jewelry. It still gives me chills every time I read it.

To be a visionary, dreamer, seeker of wisdom, or teller of truths you must be willing to stand alone. Maybe this alone-ness exists for only a split second before someone reaches out to join you or maybe it lasts for countless years. Whatever time elapses, constant connection with the basic truth of what you are trying to manifest is essential. You be there for you. That's it. That's all you need.

Valiant Spirit, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver cross charm necklace

Nevertheless, I can't say I have ever been completely alone for whenever I do feel like my dreams are crumbling, I take comfort in the life stories of visionaries like Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. I imagine hanging out with them and thinking about what inspiring or funny thing they might say regarding my predicament. These fearless leaders are on my team and are my best cheerleaders for they are examples of human beings who never stopped believing in their missions, and they never used feeling alone as an option for not continuing with what they knew was their purpose.

Dragon: Empowerment, Wisdom & Healing

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dragon Guru, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver year of the dragon charm

Dragon guru, supernova busting wide-open, incinerating future promises and past regrets in your unconscious fireball. Show me the pure power resting in every volatile breath and with searing heat sew up my thought wounds that skidded past center.

Lemonade Mantras Book Launch

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

My book Lemonade Mantras is finally here! And as a special thank you to all my friends and readers for supporting my work over the years, I'm offering FREE e-book versions of Lemonade Mantras and its Companion Journal in PDF format. Also included in this package is a bonus feature called Mind Tricks.

If you haven't already received an e-mail from me with attachments for Lemonade Mantras, then it's possible I don't have your correct address on file. If you would like free copies of these e-books, please send me a message at beth@bethhemmila.com.

This special offer is for a limited time and will continue through the month of January.

What is Lemonade Mantras?
In a nutshell, Lemonade Mantras is a powerful 10-step process that teaches you how to love your whole self as a way to create more happiness in your life and more peace in your relationships.

Lemonade Mantras blends together 10-steps for transforming your negative thinking chosen from the best techniques found along my own twenty-year therapeutic journey of finding more happiness and peace.

On your own journey through the Lemonade Mantras process you will:

Develop your intuition by writing with your non-dominant hand.
Untangle and resolve the emotional conflicts in your life through journal writing.
Practice identifying feelings and needs.
Discover hidden beliefs that sabotage your life.
Take responsibility for personal outcomes so as to empower your thinking.
Find happiness by making personal requests to meet your needs.
Write your own personalized recipe of positive affirmations for change.
Rewrite your internal script and rewire your thinking patterns.
Turn self-empathy into empathy for others.

What's unique about Lemonade Mantras in comparison to other self-improvement books?
Most self-help books explain the "Why" but never effectively come up with a concrete action plan for how to change your life.

Lemonade Mantras is HOW TO CHANGE and is written in a practical way that keeps learning simple and accessible. Each chapter can be read in under 20 minutes and includes a follow-up exercise to put your learning into practice. More importantly, it gives you a plan for change. Something solid that you can rely on every day to transform emotionally charged moments in your life into wisdom.

Another key concept in Lemonade Mantras is the belief that learning a new habit requires repetition. So while other self-help books offer question and answer worksheets to be used and forgotten, Lemonade Mantras treats your brain like any other muscle in the body and becomes an exercise regimen for personal change.

Lastly, if done with consistency and to the best of your ability, Lemonade Mantras will produce your own personal recipe of positive affirmations that act as a unique alchemical formula in your head to transform your thinking and open your heart.

How do I purchase a copy of Lemonade Mantras?
If you have missed my free offer and would like to test drive these books, visit my page of FREE DOWNLOADS and receive a preview of Lemonade Mantras' first four chapters by clicking here.

If you are ready to purchase e-book versions of Lemonade Mantras and the Companion Journal in PDF format please click here.

If you enjoy reading by having a book in hand rather then from a computer screen, purchase hard copy versions of Lemonade Mantras by ordering print-on-demand books at Lulu.com by clicking here.

Finally, if you do choose to use Lemonade Mantras a tool for self-discovery, consider purchasing the Companion Journal which makes doing the exercises a snap. You can find the Companion journal by clicking here.

Authentic Knitting Board for Kids

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-08:00

Tadpole Knitting Board, The Authentic Knitting Board

The other day at yoga class, a young girl was using this cool loom to knit a scarf. I asked her how it works and in about 5 minutes she showed me. Wow, this is a clever little device and perfect for young kids who might struggle to hang onto cumbersome knitting needles. Also, this knitting loom only has only 16 pins so it's perfect for small, on-the-go projects such scarfs or hats. Using the knitting board you create a double knit stitch which makes your work extra thick and cozy.

The Enlightening Mat: Turning the Other Way

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Reno Sky, Beth Hemmila

Lately, I've been using my Bikram Yoga practice as a laboratory to experiment with my habits. That may sound strange, but if you've been inside a Bikram Yoga studio, quickly you become aware that yogis develop a lot of strange personal habits that they would very much like to keep intact. Some of them are strategic like sitting near air flow and wanting to be in front of the mirror or hidden in the back of class. While other rituals are psychological mind tricks that help people check out of the experience like drinking water at a particular time, always grabbing a tissue, routinely quitting the same posture every class, etc.

When you are sweating your butt off in a hot and humid yoga room, these seemingly insignificant habits can feel like reaching shore after the perfect storm. I'm sure every Bikram yogi will confess to the mini temper tantrum that erupts in one's head when your favorite habit is unknowingly shattered by a teacher or the actions of a fellow student. Letting go is the hardest thing.

I think one of the most surprising things I've noted about myself is how many habits I actually have constructed. One of my ways of dealing with this understanding is developing a sense of humor, and when something outside myself asks me to adjust my habit seeing it as an opportunity to laugh at my silliness.

One habit I've been observing is my insistence on turning clockwise. During the second half of class, after our resting pose, you are asked to sit up and then turn around and face the mirror. My most instinctual movement is to turn clockwise; however, many times I am sitting next to someone who turns counterclockwise, and if we are sitting too close it becomes a sort of dance of who goes first.

So one day I decided to join my classmate sitting next to me and turn counterclockwise every time. Wow was this hard!! First of all my body's interpretation of this new movement was that it took twice as long to do because I was going twice as far. Even though logically I knew that it was the same distance, because it was a new movement this is how my brain registered the experience. My brain was saying, "This is so much harder. To be fast and efficient you should move clockwise." And if my brain's argument wasn't enough to convince me to change back, my body felt seasick turning counterclockwise.

The brain doesn't like new. It likes old, familiar, tried and true. Use the thing that has worked in the past is the brain's philosophy. So if changing a little habit like turning the other way will create an all out rebellion in your body and mind, think about how much determination it takes to change those long held habits we have with drinking, smoking, sugar, anger, negative thinking, or self-doubt. Overwhelming, no?

My way of dealing with the landslide of gigantic habits I'd like to transform is to not get caught up in the hugeness of it but just chip away one bit at a time. And maybe by starting out small and turning the other way in my yoga habits, I will have the platform to tackle those colossal habits that seem to get in the way of me being fully alive.

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Anna Halprin: Breath Made Visible

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend studying Movement Therapy Somatic Counseling Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, sent me some information about Anna Halprin and her movie Breath Made Visible created by filmmaker Ruedi Gerber. The dancer's name hadn't rung a bell, but when I started watching the trailer to the film, I realized I had seen Anna Halprin dance in San Diego about ten years ago at Sushi Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts.

Even though I didn't file her name away in my head, for me Anna Halprin's performance was a life altering experience. The way she moves is indescribable but somehow deeply knowable all at the same time. When I was watching, I remember thinking, "This is the kind of movement I would do if I was a dancer. It's so alive, pure, and raw." Anna Halprin's movement was real and transitory all at the same time. The dance wasn't filled with elongated lines of the body, but rather the unique patterns of a soul inscribed in space. For several months after her performance, I moved around my apartment and made up stories with my body in response to her work. She made me feel like every movement was incredibly special and something to rejoice in.

Connecting to your body however you can in what is most authentic for you in each moment can be a healing and transforming experience. Playing sports, walking, yoga, dance, rocking in your chair, or just lying on the floor and moving your arm to express the story of your emotional landscape can be one way to return to the place that is most authentically you.

Anna Halprin is going to turn 92 this year, and she is still performing, teaching, and traveling and living her own saying, "Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint." What a hoot!! Thank you Anna Halprin, for helping me see the beauty in every movement of my body.

The Enlightening Mat: Love vs. Self-Realization

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Crater Lake, Beth Hemmila

Love is simply the training wheels for self-realization.

- Beth Hemmila

Romantic love, familial love, or any form in between feels like a little raindrop of happiness compared with the tidal wave of bliss that happens when living from a place of wholeness or more accurately self-realization. For me, opening the door to wholeness has taken a couple years of Bikram yoga practice, meditation, thinking, and reading, but I see now that all those things were distractions, and I was dancing around what was already there.

Self-Realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind,

and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom

of God; that you do not have to pray that it comes to you;

that God's omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that

all that you need to do is improve your knowing.

- Pramahansa Yogananda

When the moment dawned on me, it felt like I had been sitting on top of a treasure that I hadn't noticed was there, and instead of getting caught up in figuring out how to open it, I just let it unfold all by itself. Here I was always trying to crack the secret code because nobody I knew could explain what self-realization felt like or looked like so I couldn't picture how to get there. Maybe that's the point. Perhaps the understanding of wholeness comes to each person differently and getting there is part of the magic.

Self-realization started dawning on me one day last fall as I was staring at my face in the mirror during class at Bikram Sierra Yoga. My head was swimming in the intense heat and humidity, and I felt completely exhausted. There in my face I started to see a slide show of pictures that were meant only for me. Tiny snapshots that kept registering in my mind and then flickering away -- a forest, seaweed, a mountain, apples, snowflakes, a girl with her dog, a painting, a sunset, etc. -- and it went on and on like that for several minutes. I wanted to cry because each picture was so utterly beautiful, but I was stunned into silence and just keep watching.

I was feeling this sense that everything out there was also in me. Every "perfect" or "imperfect," "happy" or "sad, "beautiful" or "ugly' thing or moment was also a part of my body. I suppose this could sound sort of vain or conceited. But it didn't feel that way. It didn't feel like ownership over these things out in the world. Rather it felt more like being the unknowing receiver of all these gifts. I was incredibly humbled by the experience and looking at a rock, the sun, and a bowl of soup all took on new meaning.

Picture going outside and picking up a bird's feather and thinking, "I am here to receive this gift, and I know I am enormously lucky to be a part of this moment," and then feel that immense sense of gratitude for the experience. Now string all those millions of seconds of gratitude from your day into one long song, and you can begin to imagine how this emotional ride could feel like the biggest tidal wave you've ever ridden.

After this experience in the yoga room, nothing has stayed the same. The world seems to float in a sea of gifts that are endless. The love I felt before feels like it was the training wheels on my bike of self-realization. I see now that the love I expressed in relationship to others was me practicing, examining, and playing it safe :)

The Enlightening Mat is a blog series exploring moments of awareness that come to Beth Hemmila while practicing Bikram Yoga.

Erin Prais-Hintz: Simple Truths

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Seahorse Wonder, Erin Prais-Hintz (Tresori Trovati Jewelry): polymer clay, paint, ink, and metal bezel

In December 2010, jewelry designer Erin Prais-Hintz of Tresori Trovati Jewelry decided that she wanted to start creating her own components and embarked on a journey that led to Simple Truths.

Erin Prais-Hintz revealed an interesting tidbit about the birth these Simple Truth pendants for they came about during a time when she had joined a local group called Working Artists Initiative. This group of artists met bi-weekly to critique artwork and offer support. The idea was to bump up one's notion of being an artist to being a working artist. Being able to incubate your ideas among other creative minds is one of the best ways to stay motivated and on track with any goal.

Inspired by a book she had read called Four Word Self Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives by Patti Digh, Erin Prais-Hintz set to work testing out different art bead mediums (e.g., stamped metal, resin, and etching) that incorporated inspirational words and images.

Erin's initial resin experiments didn't sell as well as expected, so she continued looking for the right medium for her beads. After reading a tutorial by Heather Powers on Art Bead Scene about using polymer clay to make last minute Christmas gifts, Erin Prais-Hintz set about designing her Simple Truth pendants.

Erin Prais-Hintz loves the idea of being able to personalize these pendants with quotes that come from the heart of the person buying the charm. The opportunity to connect with such powerful moments in people's lives such as personalizing a woman's pendant who is dying of cancer, a writer who wants to believe she can publish a book, and adopted son and birth mother who meet for the first time is truly a gift to receive when being an artist. She is hoping to offer more of these custom order designs in the coming year.

Simple Truths Sampler, Erin Prais-Hintz (Tresori Trovati): polymer clay, metal bezel, paint, and ink

Last June, another neat idea Erin incorporated into her business model was to offer a monthly sampler club. She has around 10-13 members during any given month and these people all receive a unique pendant that is part of a limited edition run.

If you haven't met Erin Prais-Hintz yet or seen her shop Tresori Trovati on Etsy, be sure to stop by this year and get inspired by Simple Truths.

Heather Powers: Jewelry Designs from Nature

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I treated myself to Heather Power's new book Jewelry Designs from Nature: Woodlands, Gardens, Sea. Heather Powers of Humblebeads outdid herself with this gorgeous book that brings together amazing art beads in one-of-a-kind jewelry designs. First of all, Heather focused on my favorite subject matter -- nature -- and in her book, she reveals that some of her designs are inspired by her childhood growing up in the forests of Michigan. This is one experience I can relate to because even though I grew up in a suburb of Michigan, I spent many hours daydreaming and staring up at a pine tree in my backyard, wishing I was lost in the beauty and mystery of the north woods.

There are lots of delicious pieces to draw inspiration from in Jewelry Designs from Nature, and Heather Powers has once again come up with unique combinations of colors and textures that surprise me every time. I think my favorite piece is the necklace Nurture Thy Soul that brings together a Humblebeads clasp as a focal point with a Cindy Gimbrone's lampworked headpin. Clever!

Lastly, Heather Powers includes a wonderful little section the talks about using poetry as a starting point for creating a design. I love this concept because it asks someone to take words, abstract ideas, and emotions and translate them into a visual image that tells a story.

If you want to learn more about this book and see some of the designs featured inside, watch this video interview of Heather Power talking about Jewelry Designs from Nature.

2012 Year of the Dragon

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

St. George and the Dragon, Raphael (Italy, 1483-1520), 1504-1506, oil on wood, National Gallery of Art

Happy New Year!

I feel like we've turned a corner, and the optimist in me is looking forward to the year ahead. One of the things that excites me is that according to the Chinese Zodiac, starting on January 23, 2012, we will be entering the Year of the Water Dragon. For the Chinese, the celestial dragon is a powerful symbol of strength and good luck so 2012 could be one filled with incredible breakthroughs, leading to harmony and fulfillment.

The last time we experienced the Year of the Dragon was in 2000, and for me that year was particularly amazing because I made the crucial decision to move to San Diego, which ultimately led to a whole bunch of other pivotal things in my life. Remember the whole Y2K fizzle and singing Prince's 1999 on New Year's Eve? I even recall the most beautiful sunset that night where the sky was on fire, and we all waited to see what it would be like to enter a new century.

Dragon, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry): sterling silver dragon

To celebrate 2012, I designed a dragon charm for Hint Jewelry. I haven't totally decided what I want to say about this creature because its hard to boil down all my excitement into a couple sentences. First of all I am extremely drawn to people born during the Year of the Dragon because they are such dynamic individuals. Any mother who is expecting a baby in 2012 will be blessed with an extraordinary soul. Secondly, dragons are ancient, mythical beasts that are part of so many stories lodged deep in our collective psyches and I don't want to miss out on this unique symbolism.

In the meantime, let's do a virtual high-five to 2012 Year of the Dragon and give thanks for what lies ahead!!

Happy Holidays and Blessed New Year!

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wholeness, Beth Hemmila (Hint Jewelry) sterling silver charms: flowers, sun & moon, three dots, two fishes, and heart

I made this necklace pondering all the things I've been grateful for during this last year and the intentions I have set for 2012.

During this past year, I was given many joyful moments as well as unique challenges that expanded my heart, which are represented by my Joy and Be Mine charms.

I also focused a lot of energy on my Body, Spirit, and Soul through the practice of yoga and am learning how to balance those opposing forces such as passive and active, dark and light, and Sun and Moon from the inside out.

Lastly, I am beginning to develop a deeper understanding of what Abundance truly means and how to see this quality woven throughout my life at all times.

This coming week I will be taking some time off from blogging to work on another project, but my shop Hint Jewelry will remain open.

I hope you have found some things to celebrate during the last year and are looking forward to what 2012 brings. Thank you so much for your generosity and sharing your presence with me. May you have a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to seeing you the New Year!

Comfort Your Cold with Faux Pho

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

Two things that I want to point out in this post:

Instead of reaching for chicken soup to ease your cold and flu symptoms, consider whipping up a simplified version of some scrumptious Vietnamese Phở.
If you like warm meals during the cold winter months, and find yourself reducing your raw food intake, think about redesigning your dishes in a way that makes them 50% cooked and 50% raw.

Faux Pho, Beth Hemmila

It's December and I have recently joined the other thousands of locals with the sniffles. I no longer think so much about curing my colds, but rather make them opportunities to see what kind of self-care would bring me the most pleasure. I use to enjoy a bowl of chicken soup, but after living in Portland, Oregon and eating lots of Vietnamese Phở, I've developed this dish into my number one comfort food.

Okay, so my Phở is not legit, but unfortunately I usually don't have the time to dedicate myself to making authentic broth and whatnot so I settled with what I affectionately call my "Faux Phở" and it is something that can be made in probably 20 minutes or less if you have all the ingredients handy.

Here is what went into my in my Faux Phở pictured above :

I sauteed lots of fresh ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil.
Added a can of beef broth (you can substitute vegetable or chicken) and simmered for about 10 or 15 minutes.
While the broth is cooking, I prepared my rice noodles according to the package and let them sit in warm water to soften for about 10 minutes.
Next I grated a carrot and chopped up some fresh celery. You can add any fresh vegetables you want such as parsley, zucchini, green onions, lettuce, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
When everything is ready, I drain the noodles and put them in a bowl with the broth and then top with my mix of fresh vegetables.

This Faux Phở is my example of making a 50/50 dish. Half of it is cooked and the other half is made up of a raw veggie salad. It's not a big conceptual leap because most restaurants serve a raw salad along with your meal, why not merge the two together in some way reducing the main dish by a little and bumping up the fresh vegetables a notch.

Here are some other ideas for 50/50 dishes:

50% beans and rice & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked quinoa or pasta & 50% raw veggies
50% boiled/sauteed potatoes & 50% raw veggies
50% cooked barley (or other grain) & 50% raw veggies

Right now I can feel raw foodies wincing in pain out there, but sorry folks not everyone is up for being a raw food rock star when it's cold outside :)

The other part of my Faux Phở that is incredibly delicious and soothing is the combination of garlic, ginger, and red pepper fakes. Heat your cold up and burn it out of your system. This makes me feel better every time. Never underestimate the power of ginger in your life! During the winter I'm always looking for ways to squeeze this spice into my dishes for an added kick. Or simply boil some water and poor it over a slice of fresh ginger and drink up.

If you are unfamiliar with Phở and are not sure how to pronounce it, please be sure to visit Wikipedia's site and click on the listen link. I use to gaily run around and pronounce Phở like "foe" and then one day was enlightened to the fact that is actually sounds more like "fah." Also, be sure to checkout a Vietnamese restaurant when you have an opportunity and try some real Phở to help inspire your own noodle bowls.