Sharing our wishes, an open letter to our sons and daughters.

“Of course if you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin, you yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and so there is something more to the world again.” William Saroyan

The miracle that a child brings into the world is completely unmatched to anything we’ve experienced so far.  As we travel through the marvelous journey of life, one question, in particular, has resulted from our own personal enlightenment. “What can we do to improve our own lives and the lives of our future generations in synchronicity?”

A parent’s promise…

To our sons and daughters,

As the co-creators of our own future, we realize that our thoughts, words and actions are constructing an implicit framework for what will be the reality of tomorrow. We as parents have always wanted you to be brought into a world free from sickness, fear, war and inequality.

In the past, have expected that to happen through the age-old parenthood practice of “do as I say, not as I do”.  We’re now awakened to the fact that the world can become the better place we’ve all dreamed of if we be the change. We make a promise to realize that dream in our own lives because of our unconditional love for you.

We’re reminded of a story about a mother, her son, and their visit with Gandhi:

A Mother had been pleading with her son to break his sugar habit, but could not do so. As a last resort, she began a long journey to see her sons’ idol, Gandhi, with hopes that he could influence him. When she reached Gandhi, she explained that her son would not stop eating sugar

“My son eats too much sugar.” she explained, “It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi listened to the woman’s plea, thought and replied, “Please return in two weeks. I will talk to your son.”

The woman responded with confusion on her face and wondered why he not asked the boy to stop eating sugar immediately. She took her son hand and returned to their home.

Two weeks later, visited Gandhi again. This time, however Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said, “You should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health”. The boy nodded and promised he would stop eating sugar.

The boy’s mother was bewildered. She asked Gandhi, “Why didn’t you tell him this two weeks ago? Why did I have to travel home and then back again?” Gandhi smiled and replied, “Two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself.”

This story serves as a reminder of the declaration we make to you. We will free the world – starting with ourselves, starting today, starting now. Today is the day we make this promise of change to you.

We now take action and lead by example. We practice healthy lifestyles; lifestyles that will allow better futures, not bigger problems. We release our own internal fears from to create an external world without it. The global call for peace, love and equality that has been echoed through generations past will now be heard as we take our own individual responsibility and action.

We make you this promise because we love you and know that love can change the world.

<3,

Your Parents

Make the declaration to “be the change.” What do you wish for your sons and daughters? Add your own promise in the conversation below!

Restorative yoga is a term for yoga poses done with the full support of bolsters, straps, blankets, or blocks—allowing the practitioner to sink into the pose so they can be completely relaxed, absorbed, and present.

“The supported fish pose is a gentle restorative back bend. The goal is to relax and renew…”

Because each pose is held for five to seven minutes—some practitioners up to 10—many people cover themselves with a lightweight blanket to enhance the feeling of comfort and security.

The lengthy holds in restorative yoga teach our bodies to submerge into rest. This leads to a tranquil state where stress is released—the first step in healing. A consistent practice of restorative poses helps us to unwind and relax with ourselves; to be utterly still—excellent preparation for long periods of sitting meditation and quiet retreat.

An active person, when I first tried restorative yoga it was difficult for me to let go and remain still. But I soon came to appreciate the benefits of the rich nourishment my body and mind received. I also discovered it to be an effective prelude to a good night’s sleep.

As a stand-alone practice, I recommend an hour of restorative poses—asanas. As an accompaniment to your current practice, you may want to add 20-30 minutes at the end.

The supported fish pose is a gentle restorative backbend. The goal is to relax and renew. To enter this pose, sit on the floor with your legs fully extended in front of you. You may want to slip a bolster (or rolled blanket) under your knees for even more relaxation and comfort.

Place a yoga bolster lengthwise behind your back, keeping the bolster close to—but not touching—your sacrum. Your spine should be parallel to, and your head fully supported by, the bolster as you slowly lay back. Some practitioners like to place a small rolled towel under their neck for even more support. You can add height to the bolster with folded blankets if you feel any physical tension.

Lay your arms out on each side in a relaxed “T” position—palms up—for a receptive posture. Focus on “let go” breathing:

• Inhale soothing energy with a mental “let.”
• Exhale tension with a mental “go.”

This pose is a wonderful chest opener, providing deep stretches for the intercostal muscles between the ribs. If you find the stretch to be too intense, place a pillow under each arm for additional support.

One of my favorite restorative asanas is how I feel when I melt into the supported fish pose and mentally affirm, “I open my heart to the good around me.”

“Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Positive affirmations are one of the key elements needed to create the abundant, amazing life we all desire. As Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily”; so to create your best life, it’s important to create positive daily habits through a set of resources available for daily reference.

We believe that teaching children to be positive and recognize their own self-worth at a young age will help them develop into a powerful creator that can harness the true ability we all have inside us.  That’s why today, we’re sharing the book of Positive Affirmations, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen.

What we like most about this book is that it’s geared to appeal to children. They can learn about the law of attraction, and how positive affirmations work in a vibrant and engaging book they’ll want to read over and over.

We’re also GIVING AWAY two copies to two lucky winners at the bottom of this post!

Here’s how Connie’s book of positive affirmations was created:

“I painted the collection of whimsical paintings that comprise I Create My World, each with their own characters and interesting story, for a child to interpret using their unlimited imagination. I enjoyed making them, and it was fun and challenging thinking up new and interesting images.

After I had collected quite a few, I put them safely under my desk and moved on to other creative pursuits.

Fast forward years later when I was working with affirmations from Sanaya Roman’s books and also theories of the law of attraction as espoused by Abraham-Hicks.

One day, on my early morning walk, I had been repeating affirmations while concentrating on picturing the life I wanted to create. Soon after, I was enjoying the warm water of my morning shower when into my mind popped the words “The paintings under your desk go with those affirmations.” I had not been thinking about those paintings and they would still be under my desk to this day except for those words.

The ebook “I Create My World” is the final result of pairing those paintings with affirmations that encapsulate what I’ve learned in my spiritual studies.”

Here are some of the paintings from inside the book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enter to win a copy of the ebook, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can’t stand the suspense, and want to buy the ebook now:

You can get it on Amazon here

You can also get it on iTunes, here

Connie is also crowd sourcing to create physical copies.  If you’d like to contribute, click here

Do you practice daily positive affirmations and also teach them to the little ones in your life?  Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer:  We were provided with a copy of “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen for review purposes only.  All opinions of this book are our own.

Have you ever considered The Wizard of Oz to be a tale of leadership?

Imagine this…

There you are minding your own business when a huge tornado comes along and turns your world upside-down. You are transported to a land where little people sing in shrill voices, a woman wearing a gown appears from the sky in a bubble, a witch with hideous green makeup tells you that she is going to make your life miserable, and your family is nowhere to be found. The only thing you have to hold onto (literally) is a small dog named Toto who got you into this trouble in the first place. If he just hadn’t tried to bite the Maxwell House lady…

You know the story. But did you ever stop to think what great leadership skills Dorothy used to get herself out of that mess and back home? Would you have been able to do the same?

Dorothy as a Natural Leader

First of all, she knew where she wanted to go. She had direction. Even if it did start out in tiny steps going in a circle of golden bricks, the plain and simple fact is that she never stopped thinking about her goal. She wanted to go home, and nothing would deter her from that. Circles or no circles, crossroads or no crossroads, witch or no witch, Dorothy was going home. Period.

Secondly, she told everyone she met what her goal was, and even intrigued a few of them into adventuring along with her. Now, granted, this was quite the rag-tag group. A Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion might not be anyone’s first pick of partners on the journey to success. But, didn’t they believe in her? Didn’t they encourage her? Didn’t they help her get where she wanted to go? And they stuck with her regardless of the challenges she encountered. Not such a bad group after all. I daresay it was Dorothy’s conviction and good heart that kept them by her side and believing in her.

More Challenges

Next, she overcame the many obstacles that she encountered, no matter how daunting. No menacing trees throwing apples would stop her. And certainly, no poppy fields with sleeping potion could keep her down. No big, intimidating door would keep her out. And no witch would keep her locked up. No sirree, nothing was going to stop Dorothy from moving forward toward her goal. She focused her efforts and determined to get home.

Finally, she realized that the biggest part of the journey she had made was within herself. Regardless of how many miles she had walked, the real journey was in recognizing what was truly important to her. She understood the importance of family, friends, values, and the roof over her head. Everything else was interesting and at times glamorous, but temporary. True wisdom starts from within, and Dorothy learned this lesson.

Final Thoughts on Dorothy and Leadership

“You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power.” ~ The Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz

So, what do you think of Dorothy’s leadership skills now? She had direction. Plus, she attracted the right people into her life to help her get there. She overcame obstacles, no matter how large or small. And she realized that the largest part of her journey had really happened within. Not bad for a little girl.

So, grab your basket and your best blue gingham frock and take a few steps along the yellow brick road with Dorothy. She has a few things she would like to share with you about leadership. What do you think?

Many blessings,

Katrina

Pregnancy and labor can be a very overwhelming time filled with many emotions such as excitement and fear. While pregnancy is generally reflected in a positive light, the same cannot be said about labor, and this is all before the potential for postpartum pajamas and depression and everything that comes after the labor. There is a general sense of negativity that surrounds the labor experience. That’s particularly true when we talk about natural birthing. We hear of very few positive examples of natural, drug-free childbirths.

“The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve a successful drug-free childbirth…”

And, there is a lot of fear behind this type of experience and it is seen as un-normal.

With so little natural birth education passed along to mothers-to-be, it is no wonder that many women are not confident in their body’s innate ability to birth naturally without narcotics and why medical births are the new norm.

With C-sections up 53% since 1996, these procedures are being used on women with little or no complications. Common medical interventions include Pitocin, Epidurals and Cesarean section surgeries. The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve successful drug-free childbirth. This article will discuss how to practice for childbirth and take control of the birthing experience.

“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful; it’s that women are strong.” -Laura Stavoe Harm

How to prepare for natural labor:

Over the years there has become less and less of a focus on enhancing women’s confidence in the ability of the body during labor. Simply spending more time educating women on how to handle the birthing process, as well as fostering an environment to help make the mother as comfortable as possible, are healthier and less expensive alternatives to the interventions. These following methods may reduce labor pain naturally and help women to birth without interferences.

1. Surround yourself with a positive concept of birth

With so much negative energy regarding birth, it is not surprising that many women fear birthing the way it was originally intended. Hollywood has dramatized the event with depictions of women screaming at their husbands while begging the doctors to eliminate the pain. In addition to the negative portrayals, very few women themselves have positive birth stories to share and take it upon themselves to share these adverse encounters with other pregnant women.

“…many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences…”

]One of the best things an expecting mother can do is create their own perception of the birthing experience by avoiding any and all negativity. Labor does not need to be a dreadful experience and in fact, many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences. Seek out these women and listen to their empowering birth stories.

2. Plan and Visualize

Many mothers feel like patients rather than participants in their labor, by having a strong understanding about how birth and the body work a woman can take an active role in making the right decisions for her body. Creating a birth plan can ensure that the birthing environment is a positive one. Imagery and visualization are other powerful tools for women to practice prior to labor. Envisioning successful labor can help build confidence in the woman’s ability to birth naturally without medical interventions coming into play. Tight and tense muscles can prevent the body from opening, which is essential in order for labor to progress. Practicing imagery and visualization towards the end of your pregnancy and during labor helps to condition the mind and reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Increase knowledge & trust intuition

Read books, attend classes and become as up to date as you can on birth in general. By learning as much as you can about the process and how the body works the woman can be inspired to let nature run its course while trusting in the wondrous ability of the human body to do what it was made to do. Birthing is a very natural experience. In fact, women birthed without medical interventions for millions of years before modern medicine brainwashed us. Now, we believe that medical involvements were a better alternative than letting the body act naturally. By educating oneself on the natural progression of labor you are reinforcing confidence in the body’s innate power.

4. Be mindful of fears and emotions

Birth is such a life-changing event it would be impossible to not have fears and emotions associated with the experience. Ignoring these fears does no service. You must encounter your fears and work on releasing them through meditation and visualization. By acknowledging worries the woman is able to work towards overcoming those reservations throughout pregnancy to ensure a blissful birth.

5. Connect with Body, Mind, and Spirit

Yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise during pregnancy and combines gentle stretching, relaxation and breathing techniques. This ancient practice increases internal awareness and focus that helps create confidence and trust in your body while also bonding with your baby. It can lower blood pressure and prevents and relieves aches and pains that impinge on the body during pregnancy.

Yoga builds stamina, relaxes the pelvis, and helps the baby transition into an optimal birthing position. The relaxation response can significantly improve your overall health and well-being. Research shows that when people engage the relaxation response daily it can reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. And, it can also improve blood pressure, immunity, and self-esteem. Relaxation helps to create endorphins, which help to decrease pain during labor, whereas fear causes the release of stress hormones and catecholamine that can increase pain and duration of labor.

Meditation helps to create melatonin, which is released into the bloodstream during stress-inducing times. It also produces endorphins that have very powerful pain-relieving effects, similar to morphine. The more dedicated the woman is to her prenatal meditation, the less afraid she will be of preconceived pain prior to the onset of labor.

`This allows the woman to be less disturbed by any actual pain. Therefore, it creates feelings of joy. Frequent practice results in higher levels of endorphins during labor. Regular practice of yoga and meditation is essential to prepare the mind and body for labor.

6. Supportive Network

Making sure to have people around who support your decisions is extremely important.

Without health care providers, friends and family members to support your decision it can be very difficult. Create a strong support system for the positive birthing environment. This enables the mother to be the love and encouragement she needs.

Making the effort to practice regularly, becoming educated as much as possible and keeping a positive attitude are essential to empower the mother-to-be and ensure she can birth with freedom and joy. Just as one would prepare for a marathon, the same provision should apply to the biggest life-changing event that a woman will experience. In addition to helping make pregnancy and labor easier, these modalities also help the post-partum body recover quicker.

These techniques prevent and treat postpartum depression and anxiety by allowing the mother some time to herself to nurture her mind-body connection. With so many physical and hormonal changes going on during this time, it is beneficial for the mother to take some time to decompress and build awareness with her changing body to adapt to each new stage of motherhood.

Thoughts about life and personal growth welled up as I replaced our daughter’s car seat with one that would be more comfortable for her as she grew.  Our little girl was growing up fast and it seemed like only yesterday I had put that original car seat in.

As I completed the new installation, thoughts of the snake that sheds its old skin, or the butterfly that breaks free from its cocoon quickly bubbled to the surface. A reflection on life had been staring me right in the eyes the whole time.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl

How does a car seat connect with personal growth?

As children get older, many things (car seats included) need to grow right along with them in order to help facilitate that growth. To watch a child grow and expand (which happens very quickly, by the way), makes you think about your own personal growth as well.

As a parent, there are moments that give you a glimpse into the future or a memory from the past. Parenthood also gives you the ultimate perspective that our physical lives are absolutely limited, and we have to do what we can with the time we’ve got.  You see, the car seat was a perfect representation that growth happens, and sometimes it happens like it or not.

Maybe you’re comfortably nestled in and happy with where you are in life. You’ve released your full potential, but that’s ok, as long as you’re happy. True happiness is true wealth and the key to living the life YOU desire.

But what if you’re not comfortable?

What if you feel a tension inside that’s holding you back from where you want to be? If you feel it (and we’ve all felt it at some point), it’s time to grow, and release what’s prohibited you from reaching your peak. But you’ve got to be willing to get uncomfortable and start letting go of your current reality. If you’re really ready to grow, you’ve got to accept and look forward to what could be, not what is.

“…Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.”

When growth happens from the inside, the outside becomes unstable. Not because we’re acting in an unstable manner from our desire to change, but because the outside cannot stay as it is if the inside is changing. It will eventually change with us or be released from our experience, this is law. The world around us is simply a reflection of the world within us.

Sometimes, you’ve got to shed that old skin if you want growth to happen. You’ve got to break out of that comfortable cocoon that’s housed you all this time. Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.

So ask yourself, “Is there something still out there that calls me? What in the world do I still want to experience?” and if an answer comes to mind, congratulations! You’re still alive and have time to do it. Start today. Start now. You’ve got one go-around in this body and you might as well continue to grow until the sun stops shining!