Energy Lessons

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Five Breathing Techniques to Calm Kids (and Adults too!)

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Five Breathing Techniques to Calm Kids (and Adults too!)

The foundation of any meditation practice is connection to the breath. Our breath not only nourishes our body through delivering vital oxygen to the blood, but it also acts as a current of energy that has the power to quickly and effectively calm our nervous system. Through slow, rhythmic breathing we can steady our heart rate, lower our blood pressure and soothe our nerves all at once.

But mindful breathing is not just reserved for meditation. It is an incredible tool that can help not only ourselves, but also the kiddos in our lives. Think about how much time children spend in the womb connected to the rhythm of the mother's heart and breath only to emerge into a world that can feel chaotic and discombobulating at times. The steady tide of the breath helps pull them back into the their natural flow and is an incredibly soothing way to re-center and reconnect.

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The Joy of Mindfulness Meditation (and How You Can Do It Too)

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The Joy of Mindfulness Meditation (and How You Can Do It Too)

This morning was one of those rushed sort of scenes in our household. My daughter's breakfast was still only half-eaten when we were supposed to be walking out the door, I was slapping hummus on her sandwich while barking at her to EAT, and my husband was running upstairs to take his first call for the day. 

Go. Go. Go.

It wasn't until I got home from dropping her at school that I caught myself in the frenzy of the energy. All at once I noticed that I felt anxious and clenched, and I found myself instinctively taking a deep breath and reminding myself to just be here right now in this moment. 

What the Full Moon Wants You to Know

What the Full Moon Wants You to Know

There's something undeniably primal that happens during the full moon. Teachers attest to rowdy kids, doctors report more activity in labor wards and ERs, and police officers confirm a spike in strange incidents. The moon's gravitational pull yanks at our tides and tugs on our own watery composition creating a stirring in each one of us.

Yet somehow we've forgotten our indelible connection to this celestial body and the very real effect it has in our lives. The following are the truths I whisper to myself each month as I set my crystals outside to bathe in the magic of our faithful friend. They are nurturing beliefs that when acknowledged will give you chance to pause, reflect and soak up the wisdom nature is effortlessly offering to each of us.  

The Simple Energetic Tool I Use to Release Negative Energy

The Simple Energetic Tool I Use to Release Negative Energy

I'm lying in a lounger with tan legs extended and small beads of sweat beginning to wistfully pool along my hairline. The sun is dangling overhead from bluebird skies, and the shimmer of water is reflecting in my sunglasses. With a cold beer in hand, tunes that swoon of summertime dancing from the speaker, and a friend of more than a decade by my side, everything feels right in the world. 

Except then it doesn't.

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Three Must-Have Crystals When You Travel

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Three Must-Have Crystals When You Travel

I am leaving the chilly mountains of Colorado today and jetting off to sunny Texas for a well-deserved girls' weekend with one of my all-time besties! The amount of joy exuding from my heart right now is off-the-charts, and I'm already envisioning poolside cocktails and long leisurely patio lunches. 

And even though my energy is sky-high, I never leave home without a little crystal support to see me through the ups and downs of travel and of being away from home. These three trusty crystal companions are some of my go-tos for stuffing in my bra or my carry-on and hitting the road.

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Three Ways to Nurture Your Psychic Abilities

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Three Ways to Nurture Your Psychic Abilities

"How do you know you're psychic? Is it something we can all be taught?" 

I was curled up in my favorite glider in the living room just a few days ago, and my friend was across from me on my dark charcoal couch peering at me with inquisitive eyes. I had been telling her about my recent experience with a Peruvian shaman, and suddenly we were neck deep in a conversation about reading energy, talking to spirits and traveling through dimensions. 

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Love, and Start with Yourself

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Love, and Start with Yourself

This is a love letter, an anthem.

It began as a gift to myself on this day of my birth. Somewhere along the way it turned into a lullaby to my most precious daughter. And finally it became this collection of sweet nothings for all of us. 

So listen, dear one. This is for you...

Your desires are beautiful, and they are right on time. Allow the longings of your heart, and pay attention to them. Dream big.

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The Earth is Alive

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The Earth is Alive

I feel so soft this morning. I am connected to myself and the whole in such a sweet, surrendered way. 

I’ve been noticing lately how hard my edges get when I am entrenched in the trappings of the mind. When I am consumed with my body or with money or with whatever other distraction the ego tells me is truth. But when I pull myself away and I feel into the soft spaces of myself and the earth, I realize how false it all is. 

I meditated on my connection with the earth this morning. I felt her beneath my feet, and I slipped into her steady warmth. I felt her core emanating vibrance and her waters fueling life. I felt a part of something bigger, and I released into it with relief.

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What Bean Tacos and Cold Beer are Teaching Me About Self-Love

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What Bean Tacos and Cold Beer are Teaching Me About Self-Love

I'm sitting on the balcony of our coastal condo and I'm staring out at the sparkling blue waters of the sea. Pelicans are chattering noisily to one another as they take turns nose-diving into the water. Small boats laze by, and the lap of the water is lulling me into a quiet, open-eyed meditation. 

All is well.

At least it should be. 

But I am not completely present. I keep glancing down at the rolls of belly beneath my thin blue tank top, and my mind jumps back and forth between the beer I'd like to have and the exercising I think I probably should be doing. It's a constant assault, and today it's been particularly exhausting.