Letting Go and Starting Anew - A Year in Review

Each New Year’s Eve I like to look back at the past year and take some time to reflect and learn from all I experienced. Last Sunday I participated in one of my New Year's traditions. Five years ago, my dear friend, Julie took me to her family’s church for an end of the year burning bowl ceremony. It’s where you release what is no longer serving you and make room for the new. Ever since, I have looked forward to this ritual each December. 

This ritual reminds me of an Ecuadorian tradition to burn “anoviejos” at midnight on New Year’s. Anoviejos are paper mache figurines that represent the previous year and are burned to release the old year and start afresh. The anoviejos can be range from super heroes to even political figures. 

Although I probably won’t be burning an anoviejo this year, one of the best examples of letting go today may be with this blog post. I had just completed and hit “publish” on a beautiful post that I spent the morning working on just now and then lost it! Puff! Vanished into thin cyberspace air. Devastating to lose my creative work but then I began to shift my perspective and see what a lesson it is of the very subject I was writing about. We just have to keep going and start fresh again. Just like the new year. I’m sad to not be able to share my original post with all of you but I did save an earlier version of the content so I will do my best to start again. (Like in life, huh?) And tonight I will eat 12 grapes at midnight, another favorite Ecuadorian tradition of mine.

So here goes...

Almost a year ago, I officially started my journey to become a transformational life coach. (In reality, I had begun this journey years before as I researched ways to better manage stress and help people around as well.) I met some of the most amazing and caring people in my coaching class. I also gained the experience and confidence to offer more workshops and even facilitate a session at an in-service day for support staff where I work. Professionally, I also got a new job that’s closer to my home and is in a more supportive environment with a window that has a few of a protected green area where I’ve seen deer, coyote, and even an owl. 

We took several trips to fun places, both nearby and far away. Our travels took us to beautiful, tranquil Whidbey Island to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary, to Yakima and wine country to celebrate the last of summer, to Portland to visit close friends and their babies, to Grayland, WA for my dear cousin’s graduation party.

We also found a little piece of heaven on Earth in Canoa - Ecuador and up above the clouds of Quito - Ecuador as we visited many wonderful friends and family. 

Our friends and family took us to most amazing places in Ecuador, like a waterfall hike by the famous Otavalo marketplace, fresh fish in Salango for Thanksgiving after an adventure in driving down the Ruta del Sol on the Ecuadorian coast, standing at the Westernmost point of South America and watching the sea lions sunbathe, driving over the Andes Mountains in 3 hours through some of the most breathtaking countryside I've seen, getting a little lost in the valleys near Cuenca but in the end finding a delicious traditional lunch, playing with wonderful children. We are truly blessed to have had the chance to spend 3 weeks in our second home of Ecuador this year!

My husband, Geovanny and I went on beautiful nature hikes and drove late at night to stargaze and see supermoons, Venus and Jupiter, and even the Star of Bethelem! We enjoyed parties with friends and family in our still new apartment and spent time by my brother-in-law’s pool over the summer. I got to see and hear the amazing orca whales pass right below while staying in an incredible house on San Juan Island with dear friends from middle school. I went on my first business trip flying to Spokane for a conference and venturing to see my dad in beautiful Idaho one evening as well. 

I trained with my best bud, Emily to walk my first half-marathon in September. (We completed it in a little over 4 hours.) I decided to take out most gluten, corn, soy, caffeine, and sugar from my diet (that last one is still a journey though of course). And I no longer have to take allergy pills everyday as a result! 

I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity and Divine timing to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends, help her feel safe in her journey to Heaven, and hold her family in love and light. My faith increased as signs from my new angel friend graced the skies over and over again before and after her passing. I feel blessed to have captured so many in photos, as they serve as reminders to look up more often and trust in a higher power.

I didn't blog as much as I had set out to do, but I did participate in another Fun-A-Day challenge last January. (My first Fun-A-Day challenge in 2014 inspired me to post a little blog nearly everyday of the year that year!) In May I posted nature pictures everyday for about a month as a way to dedicate time just for me. I also added 18 mini-collages to my collage book.

So what's in store for next year? Stay tuned! It's sure to be a bright and promising 2016!

Fun is in the Eye of the Beholder

Fun is in the eye of the beholder...

Could it be possible that having fun is all about perspective? 

I've been writing "have more fun" on my calendar each week for several months now and when I look back sometimes I think I did have some fun and other times I think "meh, I need to have more fun." "I need to let loose more." Or do I? If letting loose is fun to you, then yes. But if letting loose causes anxiety and makes you feel uncomfortable, then probably not. I don't know which it is for me. I think it depends on the moment. 

The life of an extroverted introvert is complex. We like having fun with others but we also enjoy having alone time. And if there's not a good balance of both, we're not a lot of fun to be around, in all honesty. At least in my experience I can get really grumpy if I feel overstimulated by too much interaction and don't have enough alone time. And the reverse is the case as well. I can get pretty grumpy with too much alone time too. 

I've been hearing a lot about functional medicine lately though and I think there might be an underlying cause to this grumpiness. (And it might not have as much to do with being extraverted or introverted as I think.) My gut instinct says it's more about worthiness. And a cultural belief possibly that as adults we're not supposed to have that much fun. "Grow up" and "be serious," "act mature," "don't be such a baby" are just some of the phrases that we hear pretty often. But aren't we losing the joy factor released when having fun, the fun that we had when we were kids, the joyous, creative, open-minded type of fun? 

Why is so much emphasis put on acting like an adult in this culture? Is working too many hours and feeling stressed out all the time really an ideal that we want to follow? 

Yes, we have more responsibilities as adults but do we really have to confront all of those responsibilities with grumpy, stressed-out, "mature" behavior? And what's so "mature" about feeling stressed out all the time anyway? Wouldn't it actually be more mature to be resilient and bounce back from day-to-day adult stressors through having more fun and creative time? Aren't we all worthy of that?

What does "to have fun" really actually mean?

As I've learned from Brené Brown, knowing the definition of the terms we regularly use can really shed greater light and increase our awareness of how we use these terms and ideals in our lives.

The Webster dictionary says that the word "fun" means "the feeling of being amused or entertained" or "something that is amusing or enjoyable : an enjoyable experience."

What do you find enjoyable? What does "having fun" mean to you?

For me, it can be a wide variety of things. I have fun creating art, taking pictures, writing, cloud watching, dancing, walking, laughing, telling stories with friends, listening to lively or beautiful music, traveling to a new place, sometimes cooking. :) 

Do you think some mundane things in life can be converted into an enjoyable experience or a fun time?

If I have taken the time to fill my self-love and worthiness cup up with beautiful affirmations, breathing exercises, creative expression, friendly connection, and love, then yes, I think it's possible. 

But if that cup is running low, the grumpy factor swoops in more quickly and even normally fun activities can feel like a drag. It's all about perspective, awareness, attitude, and self-love, huh?

Honoring Our Angels By Sprinkling More Life into our Days

On Day of the Dead or All Saint's Day, I have my loved ones in mind who are now angels. It's comforting in a way to imagine all my angels watching out for me. But I do miss their earthly presence. Their legacies of living life to the fullest live on though and their memory reminds me to have more fun. A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to myself about this exact subject. It keeps coming up. I think as adults we sometimes get very "adulty" and forget that having fun is equally--if not more important than getting all the "adulty" things done in our lives. Here's my letter:

Dear Self,

Your job now is to focus on relaxation and sprinkling more fun into everyday. Life is much too precious to go day by day only working and not relaxing or having fun while doing so. Life is about adjusting the lens we use to look at what’s going on and responding differently as our awareness grows and we see the sheer beauty that is available to us if only we look for it. There are little things that we can do everyday to relax more and sprinkle more fun atop our day-to-day duties and activities and routines.

• Create a calendar of all the fun things you do

• Track your gratitude daily for the simple joys in life

• Schedule time every week just for you and dedicate some time to what delights you

• Slow down and breathe, savor the moment when you can, especially when you become aware that you’ve been holding your breath or running around not really living this beautiful life

• Step back to enjoy the view better and see the bigger picture for perspective
• Pace yourself, especially when busy

In sprinkling these seemingly simple yet fun activities into our lives on a daily or even bi-weekly basis, we honor our loved ones' lives by living our lives more fully and having fun while doing so.

(This is my fun costume from Halloween this year. I was a travel bug. :-) It was really hard not to have fun while wearing this!)

Nestling into Fall and Dreaming Bite-Sized

I had the same amount of things to do today than I did last week and yet I didn't feel overwhelmed and I got stuff done. 

Overwhelm is a visitor that has paid me plenty of visits in this life. And as I begin to almost befriend it or take time to learn from it, I realize that when I let the overwhelm rain all over me, I don't get much done. It seems to paralyze me and thus more overwhelm comes.

On the other hand, after taking some time over the weekend to rest--and let's be honest, I even felt a little overwhelmed with personal and household projects--something shifted today and my focus was no longer on Ms. Overwhelm overstaying her visit, it was instead on slowly getting sh...stuff done. 

I know this. I've been coached around this and I myself have coached others on this very topic. It's what I preach--that if you break a big project down into smaller more bite-sized tasks, you'll first of all feel more successful because you've finally gotten something done on the path towards your goals, and you won't be overwhelmed with the sometimes enormity of your dreams. 

I dream big. And I also dream bite-sized.

Another topic that is related to overwhelm that I've been reading about for awhile now is being a highly sensitive person or HSP. Yes, I am an HSP. I believe deep down that we all are, but I have been blessed with hypersensitivity from the get-go. And with this gift comes overwhelm at times, from things that people who aren't as in tune yet with their sensitivity might not have ever imagined. They may at some point though experience flashes of it, especially when they're extremely vulnerable, such as in grieving times or times of illness. 

I, on the other hand, feel overwhelmed by sounds or noise, social interaction without quiet breaks to recover, or the TV or the radio. I'm more resilient and can bounce back quite quickly when I'm fully grounded and have taken time for me on a regular basis. If I take time to slow to my preferred pace, if I take time to do the things I really enjoy like being creative or outside in nature, if I take time to refuel my energy through quiet reflection time, then I don't feel as overwhelmed. 

I think these resilience building activities can help with any kind of overwhelm actually.

It's getting to the point when you stop embodying the overwhelm and instead start taking it one small bite at a time. That takes time and practice. And greater awareness helps the process even more.

My First 13.1 Miles

I think I got the bug. My friends warned me about the bug. 

I walked my very first half marathon on Sunday and the very next day I wanted to go for a walk. And two more days later, I've found myself looking up future races that I might want to sign up for. I love the idea of working towards a goal a few months out that will motivate me to train and regularly walk long distances while connecting with friends who will most likely do the race with me. It’s about wellness, discipline, movement, and friendship. 

I have always loved walking. It gives me time to reflect and collect my thoughts and emotions. It’s soothing to me. But I had never ever considered walking a half marathon! Then in April, one of my coaching classmates, Dena started talking about doing a half marathon in September and her enthusiasm was contagious. Several of us decided to sign up so we can have a little reunion a few months after our coaching certificate classes were completed. I signed up and then didn’t really think about it, because it felt so far away. Then luckily, Dena checked in and asked how our training was. 

This was kind of a new concept for me because the year before I did my first official 5K for my friend, Sarah’s birthday celebration, but that didn’t require as much training since I already walked 3 miles pretty regularly. Dena gave us a training plan which really helped break it down and make the concept of a half marathon so much more tangible. I’m so grateful. So the first goal was to walk 6 miles by July 1^st. Then 10 miles by August 1^st. Once we got up to 10 miles, we were practically there and the additional 3.1 miles would work itself out. 

So I wrote a visual to keep the half marathon goal in mind and put it by my work computer. It listed the date of the half and then the number of miles I needed to walk by a certain date. Of course, there is always room for humanness. I didn’t quite get up to 6 miles by July 1^st but sometime in July I was able to. And then I got up to 8 miles several times in August but didn’t get up to 10 miles until early this month. But I did it! I walked a half marathon this past Sunday! 

It didn’t quite hit me until the morning of that 3 years ago I wouldn’t have been able to even fathom walking so far. My chronic pain made it difficult to even stand for more than 10 minutes without getting achy and dizzy. It nearly brought tears to my eyes to think of the healing that has occurred since then. It may have been slow at times, but steadily I’ve gotten stronger and healthier. And now look what I can do! Wow!

A New Perspective on Pain

Three years after major abdominal surgery to relocate a compressed renal vein as a result of a rare syndrome named after the Nutcracker for its “nutcrackering” or clamping down effect on my vein and 125 hours of transformational life coach training later, I successfully managed my cyclical pain without Western medicine this month! This is a big feat for me on so many levels. I’m no longer dependent on pills as my savior when I’m in pain. This summer I’ve been focusing on prevention and self-care before the pain hits, which involves whole-life changes and new healthier habits the whole month long, not just when I’m in pain. I have significantly reduced my intake of:

• gluten because of its connection with inflammation which is known to cause more pain
• soy because of its ability to increase estrogen in the body which increases blood flow and when you have residual varicosities from the Nutcracker Syndrome, excess estrogen is not your friend
• corn due to its links with inflammation and consequently increased allergies, which I’m learning are most likely a result of my body being so inflamed over a long period of time
• sugar—especially refined—because of its connection with greater inflammation in the body as well—this one is especially challenging for me and one I could reduce even more with greater discipline and practice
• dairy, which I had already reduced quite a bit due to gastrointestinal discomfort that started over 10 years ago but which I sometimes still doctored or put a bandaid over with a Lactaid pill
• caffeine because it constricts blood vessels and raises tension levels which can result in increased pain

It’s a big undertaking and that’s why I think it’s been possible for me because of my life coach training. Of course I trained to coach others but I also reap the benefits, and taking on major life changes like this are beginning to seem much more manageable with experience and the tools I’ve learned. I am also incorporating suggestions that my naturopath made a long time ago that I finally feel like I can take on and by adding these self-loving activities into my week, I build up my resilience to stress and my response to pain comes from a calmer place. I remember to breathe through it and not resist or tense up. Through quick morning meditations, lymphatic dry brushing, Epsom salt baths, walking barefoot on the beach, and massage and acupuncture, I am beginning to find regular ways to ground myself into the moment, into gratitude, into trusting. It makes a big difference. It also helps me consider that pain is in our lives for a reason; it’s a messenger and I’m grateful for its message to focus on showing my body move love and dedicate time to improving my health and well-being.

Blogging From The Beach

This last year has been quite a year for changes. I changed jobs twice, my mom had a serious medical emergency, we moved again, we lost a dear friend to cancer, and I became certified as a life coach. Many ups and downs but a lot of lessons learned about resilience and perseverance. Patience and trusting. 

These past few months--really this past year--I haven't been as dedicated to my writing. Sometimes I think I might even be blocked. Creativity has flown in other ways though, through collage and photography mainly. I also miss creative movement. But I have done a lot of nature walking. 

Survival mode only gets you so far, and then you have to take time to regroup and focus on thriving again. So this afternoon I'm revisiting one of my favorite sights by the sea. Where I began my journey into blogging about wellness 2 years ago this very month.

In celebration of these past two years, I know I must be gentle with myself for all the beautiful and challenging changes in my life. I trust that as I bounce back from each change, my rebound grows even stronger and quicker and I can get back to feeling grateful for being alive.

And I pray that through this gratitude for life, my faith in my own inner-resilience will expand and blossom. As will my ability to trust in the inherent goodness of this amazing universe.

In a way, our day-to-day lives are like looking through a rolled up piece of paper and only seeing a very tiny piece of the greater, more expansive universe that makes up our lives. And at the same time, we can experience the most awe-inspiring beauty in that tiny piece which is our right-here-right-now moment that we're living in. Of course not all moments will be filled with that much wonder and beauty but the more we accumulate and take notice of, the better and more joyful we'll feel. 

You can almost imagine those art posters that were popular awhile back that were actually made up of very tiny pictures which created a beautiful larger picture as your view got wider. That's kind of like our lives, huh? I trust that the bigger, more expansive and beautiful picture is truly made up of these tiny beautiful and resilient/challenging moments that make up our lives. It helps put things in perspective and also helps give meaning to the everyday moments we live each day. Every moment matters and forms a tiny part of the greater picture of our lives. Even the ugly moments matter. They may not feel very pretty right now but with a little distance, they'll help form the most amazing image. No judgment, just tiny pieces of our painting that we call life. 

A Month of Wellness

Over the past several months, I’ve been tracking some positive habits forming in my life and this last month has been packed with wellness-rich activities to help propel me into excellent health and well-being. I also joined a wellness challenge at my work and offered to be one of the team captains, knowing that my experiences from life coaching would come in handy as I motivate a team of wellness warriors. 

Since the challenge began almost 3 weeks ago, I’ve had 3 massages, an acupuncture treatment (which I’ve actually been enjoying monthly for almost 8 years now), time on the inversion table with my naturopath, a new dry brushing practice every morning to activate and awaken my lymphatic system, plenty of cloud gazing and cloud photography, days of guilt-free rest (or at least aspiring to be guilt-free), 3 epsom salt baths, 2 barefoot walks on the beach, discovering foam rolling for stretching, salsa dancing with my handsome husband, reducing my gluten, refined sugar, soy, and caffeine intake, eating more dark leafy greens, collaging, art walking, picking blackberries, meditating every morning (with the inspiration of the Oprah and Deepak 21-Day Meditation coinciding perfectly with the start of my workplace wellness challenge), 7 neighborhood walks with my hubby, and several gatherings with good friends. 

You see, wellness is so vast; it can encapsulate virtually anything that brings you joy, makes you smile, helps you breathe more deeply, and makes you WELL.

Seeing the Signs and Always Looking Up

I'm seeing signs everyday lately. Signs in the sky, signs in nature, signs in birds and rabbits not being scared when I admire their beauty, signs of a feather, signs from the angels.

I believe that our loved ones who have transitioned from this Earth in the physical form are always with us in the spiritual form. And one of the ways they can communicate with us is through signs. I have felt a deep connection with nature since I was a little girl, but I think the first sign I can remember after a loved one passed was a beautiful rainbow I saw shortly after my grandma's husband transitioned. Then I saw a precious little hummingbird outside my apartment in the middle of November right before a snowfall after my dear friend, Jill passed. A day before my grandma transitioned, Geovanny and I saw the most amazing night sky from our apartment. It was brighter and clearer than we had ever seen it from the city. We even discovered miniature constellations we hadn't ever seen before. In the middle of the night after my grandma passed, we discovered the only light in our apartment was coming from the angel atop our Christmas tree. And as I mentioned in my previous post from yesterday, two weeks ago, several days before my wonderful friend, Autumn became an angel, I saw a giant angel wing in the sky.



Then the day after she passed I saw a complete angel with two wings lit up with pink and purple from the setting sun.

And since then, the floodgates have been opened. I've seen hearts in the sky, more angel clouds, dragonflies fluttering by me as I walk, an orange butterfly flying right past my car window, a mini rainbow with what looked like a dolphin cloud (and some saw a heart as well), a beautiful feather cloud, angel wings in the form of rays from the sun, a chorus of angel clouds as I sat on my friend, Jill's commemorative bench overlooking the water, a hummingbird cloud from the same site, rays of light shooting up from the setting sun as if we were in Heaven. 

And then this afternoon after a pretty busy and stressful day at work, as I walked by some beautiful gardens on my way to my car, I heard the beloved and familiar clicking sound made from beautiful little hummingbirds, so as I always do since Jill's passing four and a half years ago, I stopped and tried to spot the divine creature. To my surprise, there were two hummingbirds frolicking together by some gorgeous red flowers and they seemed unafraid of my presence. So unafraid that they flew right by me in one of their frolics. Needless to say I was mesmerized. Then one of them perched on a branch and proceeded to rest and commune with me for over 20 minutes. At times, she would fly nearby to snack on some of the yummy pollen nearby but mainly she stayed on the branch communing with me. I even got out my camera phone, which didn't phase the birdie one bit, and tried to capture some of the magic of this wonderful gift, this blessing, this moment with Spirit.



But that's not all. I am training to walk a half marathon in a few months with my coaching buddies from Seattle Life Coach Training, and I decided to walk 5 miles this evening. I walked almost a mile and saw some pretty red flowers, different from earlier, but my intuition told me that hummingbirds would like this kind too, and sure enough, there was another little hummingbird, this one littler and fuzzier who just sat on a branch near me and didn't fly away. I was able to get out my camera phone as well and capture this sweet spirit. 

This was only a 5 or so minute encounter, but it really reaffirmed to me that the hummingbird is indeed a gift from Spirit. And that at the very least three of my special angels, Jill, my grandma and Autumn were with me today. Three distinct hummingbirds, all unafraid of me and willing to commune with me for a bit. The hummingbird is said to be the messenger of joy. To lift our spirits. I feel very blessed to be witness to these many signs that my friends and family who have passed on are doing beautifully in a different realm, in the spiritual world, in Heaven. And I'm blessed to have them in my life and to have my spirits lifted by their amazing signs.

Choosing to See the Blessings

It's been almost a month since I last officially blogged but writing is almost a part of my being, a second nature for reflecting and digesting the joys and sorrows of life. I have had both this past month. My dear friend, Autumn became an angel a little over a week ago after battling stomach cancer. And yesterday I completed my 125 hour transformational life coach certification. Sorrow and joy. Joy and sorrow. The ebb and flow of life. The high and low tides of the sea. The darkness and light. Ying and yang are not fanciful, they are reality. And one of the most powerful take-aways from my life coach training--although there are so many nuggets--is learning to ride the waves and be grateful for even the low points, for it is then when we can take time to refuel and reignite our flame, our inspiration, and through that regain momentum to move forward in the direction of our dreams. The road to our dreams is beautiful with all its curves, twists and turns, ups and downs, and essentially it is life. So why not make the most of it? Why not reframe it into something positive? I am thankful for my momma who has always taught me through her example to reframe. When I would say I have to do something, she would always rephrase it as I get to do something. It's subtle but so powerful. A slight shift in the way we view our lives can make a huge difference. It can bring us up from the low points so that we can open our wings again and soar. I know life isn't all about soaring. We must be grounded as well. And what a perfect time to practice grounding when you're down low! But it is always equally essential to feel grounded and in our centers when we are soaring so that we can really feel every feeling and be conscious of the amazingness of our current situation. To feel everything fully is one of the greatest challenges and blessings in life.

I haven't had as much time as I wanted to really truly grieve my friend's passing this past week, but throughout each day, I see signs. They are everywhere. Beautiful angel clouds. Hearts in the sky. Little rainbows. Dragonflies. Butterflies. Birds. Pennies. Feelings of love and reverence when I look up at the sky. These signs bring so much comfort and I can't help but feel blessed to have such a wonderful friend. I know our friendship continues into the afterlife. And I am so grateful for all the signs. For being mindful and aware and even capturing many of the signs with my camera. For the angel clouds bring comfort and hope to all who love her. Thank you, Autumn, for lighting up my life while you were on Earth and now that you're in Heaven. You are truly LOVE.

In sweet honor of Autumn Knopp Stockwell

Adventures in Vision Boarding

I'm a boarder. A vision boarder, that is. I have been creating inspirational collages on a regular basis for over a year now and it has brought me great joy. I have led several collage sessions with friends and in the workplace and loved it. I loved inspiring others to express their dreams through art and enjoy the relaxation that comes with creating. And I have witnessed the power of making my intentions reality through putting them out there for the Universe to see through my own collages.

About a year ago, I started a vision collage book and have been adding to it little by little whenever inspiration finds me or when I want to invoke more inspiration and creativity in me. When I may have gotten so busy I forgot to express myself artistically. This is a wonderful outlet and has also shown me how vision boards come from deep within. It is almost like the scraps of colorful paper and the words and phrases flow from a higher space, and I get in the groove and time flies by as I create and create.

I thought it would be neat to read over my past collages and write out the messages formed in them, almost like poetry scrapped together by phrases and words that I was drawn to as I collaged. My inspirations are numerous and vary from free pamphlets and flyers to used and donated magazines of all shapes and sizes to my life coaching class lessons. One of my favorite magazines to use when I collage is the Oprah magazine though. 

Here are the wise words I've used to live by and form intentions from on the collages I created this past year:

Milagro, encuentrame ahora!

(Miracle, find me now!)

Cup of Grace, like a diamond:

Art / energy / play / feeling good / calling / bliss / patient / transcendence / way of life / Renaissance / happiness / savoring / deliciousness / peaceful / paradise / freedom / heart / thanks / true love / ideas / journey / abundance / joy 

Oh, beautiful life!

Conjuring a world of endless possibilities,

Defying boundaries.

Taking a leap.

Restore / Replenish / Refresh

Live your best

Find your balance.

Let go >>>>

What makes it awesome 

I imagined myself becoming a woman who was valued for the love she shared.

Passionate

Vigilant

Courageous

Bold

Resourceful

Driven

Fearless

Unstoppable 

Live like a yogi.

Made for my life

Sacred

Beauty

Special 

Soulful and heartwarming 

Breathing space

I say yes to joy 

Opportunity 

Goodness 

Uncork your inner artist

Share your joy ~ 

Life is better when viewed from the top.

~Kerry Boone

Start...

Celebrate life -

For life is a beautiful, fanciful thing.

...Finish

Do you ever feel like you're growing?

Beauty starts on the inside.

Make one simple change 

Love your willpower 

Best life now 

Here's to your health 

Warrior 

Move a little,

Live a lot

What's not to love?

Reach

Bursting with Life

Worth sharing 

Amazing gift 

Beauty 

Find your balance.

Whole body

M'm! M'm! Good!

Beautiful breakthroughs

Joy. Pride. Confidence.

Focus on the positive.

Just simple choices.

Life lessons 

There are no real rules. (Seriously, anything goes.)

Illuminate 

Do more of what you love.

Life your best life 

Inspiration / motivation / celebration 

Your body is a temple 

My healthy life 

I am

Fearless 

Purpose 

Compassion / respect / excellence / collaboration / accountability 

Vision 

Community 

Values 

Mission 

Keeping promises 

"I'm always working towards a balance in life."

~Alicia Silverstone

Awaken 

Inspire 

Feel good / live simply / laugh more 

Celebrating the Divine in all

Hello cozy

Delight

Crisp fall days 

The cozy coat - go full-on cozy...

Cozy-on-cozy is surprisingly chic.

My mantra

Changing the world

Creating art

Spark 

Mind - Body - Spirit

Experience it!

Something fun for everyone!

Creating adventure 

Inspire their passions.

Light up a life...

Shine on

Live your best LIFE

In every way. Every day.

Bright ideas

For awakening opportunity

Prosperity and peace.

Feel the love

Grandiosa

Aloha

Life is a special occasion.

Flowing 

Heart 

If you could change anything 

Share your story 

Build up the excitement.

What are your goals?

Focus on bliss

Inner balance ~ Outer beauty 

Bounce back 

Inspired hope 

Your guiding gift of faith is a blessing 

Serenity

Lift your spirits!

I say YES! to unexpected Miracles!

Joys!

Love!

Money!

And more!

(Mantra from Richard Seaman of Seattle Life Coach Training) 

Yes!

Art + Play

Love 

Smile 

All you need is Love

Surrounded by artists at play 

Music 

Keep a poem in your pocket 

Celebrate 

Home 

Discover artist / author within 

Keep calm and

At the heart of your creativity,

Embrace your strength 

Take your real love,

A miracle of diamonds 

To paradise 

Cocooned in coconut 

& Mangos

Like joy feels 

Hello, Sunshine!

Breathe breathe

Love

Journey to greater health 

Enjoy 

Well rested 

Making poetry

Refresque su vida!

Let your health shine 

Connect with nature, 

Nurture your creativity.

Just say Yes!

Find your signature strength 

Developing 

Confident 

Trust

Amaze your confidence 

Believe / love / imagine

Celebrating the power of expression 

Whatever your story you're the boss of you!

Make waves

Reclaim your life

For calm

Blessings are all around us.

Add some SPARKLE to your 

Matters of the Heart 

The Meaning of Life

Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.

~Mary Oliver, "Sometimes"

Dream

How to make your goals reality - for good! 

(Inspiration)

Grow!

Miracles

A hug a day

How does inspired creativity express itself through you?