Eckhart Tolle & I go way back. Over a decade actually!

Funnily, it wasn't always this way...  You know this saying?
 
"When the student is ready, the teacher appears"
 
Well, this wasn't the case with Eckhart.
 
When I first came across his book, The Power of Now*, I had just moved to Melbourne and my cousin gave it to me saying, "I think you'll get into this." And he's usually right. But I just couldn't get into this one. In hindsight, I believe Tolle would have said at the time, I just wasn't ready.
 
Fast forward a few years when I'd started working at my acupuncturist's on reception, a client gave my boss the book and it sat on the reception desk before that one fateful day I decided to open it. The words on that random page hit me hard, and every other time I opened it, and thus began our relationship.
 
Soon after, Tolle next appeared in my life in audiobook form thanks to a friend. It was his latest book at the time, A New Earth*. I also discovered Oprah had started a book club for it and this is when my practice truly began. Don't ask me the exact lessons I learnt from the book because it was a very practical experience for me. But in a nutshell he teaches that the only moment of true power we have is this moment. Now! The more I practiced connecting to the inner sense (innocence?) of presence he talks about, the more it opened up within me and was guiding me down some truly magical paths, one of which lead to becoming a yoga teacher.
 
Some find it hard to listen to Tolle's unique voice and tone on audio. But as he often says when the awakening has begun within you, you'll hear these teachings in a new light. For me, every time I found myself emotional, stressed or scattered, I was drawn to taking a drive and listening to Eckhart. It would never take long with his guidance for me to feel myself, present and calm again. Our relationship continued for the rest of my time in Melbourne in this way and I lived there for 10 years all up.
 
But then life fell apart, got busy, and changed direction completely and somewhere along the way we had stopped connecting in the way old friends do. That is until now...
 
Not often does a spiritual teacher like Tolle come out to little ol' Perth, so after much deliberation over price, I bit the bullet and bought a ticket, as I knew in my heart I couldn't miss it. And of course, I'm so grateful I did.

It was like reconnecting with an old friend again. We clicked straight away, laughed easily and had many an ah-ha moment. It was the perfect reminder from Life of how much these teachings resonate for me and to reconnect with them. The biggest ah-ha was recognizing my love of yoga in so much of what he taught. 

So, in case you're curious,
here are 18 things  (only because I couldn't narrow it down any further) I learnt on my date with Eckhart...

• There needs to be a little crack/opening in the stream of mental chatter for consciousness to penetrate.

​

• Beyond the personality is a deeper essence of which you truly are.

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• Flashes of spaciousness, when we dis-identify with the voice in the head, keep us sane.

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• Once we can transcend above the stream of thinking and not identify with it as who we are then we can use thinking for creativity and manifesting and more.

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• True “happiness” comes from a deeper place inside of you connected to the essence of who you are, beyond the personality.

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• The question of “Who am I?” is nothing you can speak or think, but rather what is left when you let go of looking for yourself in thoughts.

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• You don’t have a life. You are Life!

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• Discover who you are beyond all the physical identification. Move from form identification to essence identification.

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• Accept each moment as if you had chosen it.

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• Suffering comes from what your mind thought about it.

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• Let go of the commentary and imposing thoughts on things – accept what is as it is.

​

• There are 4 Portals into Presence:

1) Get out of the mind and into the body.
2) Breath awareness
3) Awareness of sense perception without labeling.
4) The present moment
(note: it's everything we practice in yoga)

• The more you choose presence, the deeper you go into it, until it choses you and comes through you with time.​

 

• Allow presence to come through you into the world.​

 

• Presence is who you truly are​

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•  Success is to become a vehicle for consciousness and help bring it into the world.

 

• Don’t allow crisis to take you over, use it as an opportunity to turn up the volume on your light and presence​

 

• The "Now" is the narrow path that leads to Life. Become a Master of Presence. ​

​
I'd love to hear in the comments if you are a Tolle fan too? Is there one teaching in particular you love?

What can you do today to deepen your connection to the only real point of power we have....this moment! Now!

Have you ever taken a trip overseas that opened your eyes to a new way of being?

 This has definitely been my truth for most trips I've taken.

Travel awakens us. It opens our eyes, our minds and our hearts. 

Bali at the end of last year did this for me.

It was just the right space and place to bring things back into perspective in my life.

And 3 months on, I find it's time for a little reflection.

This is what Bali taught me...

Though Bali is a developing country and many have very little, it was humbling to witness how sacred life is to them. It was common to see women placing handmade offerings at the entrance to their homes and businesses in the early morning as I walked to breakfast after yoga. I even heard about ceremonies held to bless their cars and was lucky enough to experience how whole families live together, young and old, all sharing their lives in the Balinese compounds.
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Offerings and ceremonies were just one of the ways in which I witnessed the Balinese giving thanks for the bounties they feel blessed to receive. As many had very little and yet were still outwardly so appreciative of what they did have, it definitely reminded me how much I take for granted in my life. One custom in particular struck me. The first time I saw this was in the Ubud markets, where a lady had just made a sale and proceeded to run the Indonesian Rupiah note she received over every item she had in her tiny stall. After seeing it done a few times I learnt it is a custom they do in gratitude for their first sale and as a prayer or wish of sorts for more to come.
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Every moment spent in Bali really drums home that true wealth is not material wealth. I met the most gorgeous souls time and time again who constantly wore the largest smiles on their faces whenever I saw them. From the little lady who acted as my motorcycle taxi to the lady down the road who owned her own little warung (restaurant/store). By the time I'd arrived at Ibu Dayu's shop after 6am yoga for breakfast, she had already been to the markets, set up shop and would be blessing her shop with incense and offerings she'd made the night before whilst smiling and greeting her neighbours. She'd always respond to requests with a hearty "no problem", laughter and huge smile. 
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  It may be the spaciousness we get when we travel and leave our worldly cares behind that allows us the space to heed this next lesson more...follow your intuition. I knew I had a calling to go to Bali last year and I'm so glad I answered it. The whole time I was there I sensed my intuitive guidance more clearly, going with the flow of the day, recognising signs and taking little known laneways to beautiful hidden away places. My time in Bali definitely reminded me that, intuition is like a muscle, the more you use it and act on what you hear/see/perceive the stronger it gets.
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And the biggest lesson that lead to all the others....we're called Human Beings, not human doings for a reason. We're not meant to be on the go 24/7 and our bodies, minds and souls need time to BE. These moments of stillness and "being" are important to replenish, heal and rebalance ourselves. It's also in those quiet moments taken that creativity is often born and we hear the inner stirrings of our soul (aka your intuition talking). Before Bali I was feeling the deep need for a break as I'd been working hard all year, teaching almost every class that came my way 6 days a week on top of a second job. Bali provided me with the perfect space to take that break. Lush greenery, yoga classes every hour, juice bars at every corner... nourishment available for the mind, body and soul.

Although it has been 3 months since returning to the real world, Bali's influence on me has been life changing. Life may be as busy as before, but I'm all the more conscious of my spaces to be and how I choose to fill them now!

If you've on my mailing list or been attending my classes in Melbourne, then this won't be news to you.

I actually left Melbourne on the 13th June 2014, my home of 10years, and I have been driving up the east coast of Australia solo with my heart as my compass in search of a new home for the last 30 something days.

I had every intention of blogging and posting pics along the way, but to be honest, once I hit the road…the words left me. 

The purpose of the trip from the very beginning was to reconnect with my Self, my heart and my soul.

#heartsmycompass 

And as I embarked on this great soul journey, I found my heart wanted me to …
Focus more on the present moment, unplug from the outer connections and turn within.

So I became ultra conscious of how I spent my time outside of driving. 

If I was with others, I was present to them.
 
If I had a great view before me, I took it all in.
 
And if I had a space in time, I became very aware to enjoy it and not fill it.

Standing there texting or pulling out the laptop to write a post felt out of place. 

And when I did try, no words came.

So much inner inquiry has been happening, there's no words to describe it….yet!

I made it to Cairns on the 17th July, 5 days later than originally planned but just the extra time my heart wanted to really finish the road trip leg of this journey off well. And here I have since been resting and finding my "land" legs again.

As the dust settles, another shift is taking place. It's tangible. 

Words are coming back. As is my desire to stoke the fire here in my virtual home once again.

The more stillness I seek, the more the desire grows.

But I find the " heart rules" of the road still apply now. 

Be present to the moment, disconnect from the outer distractions, turn inwards.

My heart reminds me of my motto on the road, 
"What is for you will not pass you."

And I repeat my mantra, 
"Faith, trust & surrender."

With a White Light Healing retreat this weekend,  I know the inner journey is to continue for just a little bit longer.

 If I've learnt one thing form this trip that I can share with you now, apart from the snippets above, it is that,…
We are so much more connected to one another and this world we live in than we realise and the more we tune in to ourselves the more we tap into the innate wisdom we hold.

It's been a beautiful realisation and one I am grateful to have had the space to experience. And I look forward to sharing with you in up coming posts.

But for now as the sabbatical continues, until the end of the weekend at least, 
I'd love to hear from  you and what you have been up to whilst I have been away.

Has turning inward energy of winter brought you some beautiful Self-realisations too?

I look forward to hearing from you and sharing more with you soon.

In love and light always,
Txx

Ps: Until the next post, here are a few of the highlights 
{Sydney Harbour from the Manly ferry; Yoga on the beach; visiting Fraser Island}
You can see more trip pics on Instagram or Facebook where I attempt to keep in touch ;)

The season of Autumn is definitely upon us, though in typical Melbourne style it was sunny here the other day and rainy and cold the next morning and then humid that afternoon!

But if you do look all around you, you can see it.

The beauty of the leaves changing colour, the ground covered in leaves as the trees drop them, the shortening of the days and the lengthening of the nights!

It is such a rich sensual time, full of change everywhere.

Can you feel it?

The deeper I go into my yoga practice, the more I know undoubtedly that we are connected to one another, this world and universe we inhabit. The struggle for me is to find that balance where I flow with life as well as take action guided by my intuition, all whilst participating in this bustling world in which we live. 

Each season holds a gift for us on this journey of life. Spring beckons with new beginnings, Summer entices us out to play and experience and then Autumn and Winter are about the letting go and drawing inwards that you can see everywhere around you in the natural world at this time. 

But do you stop to actually acknowledge this shift within yourself? 

Or do you keep pushing, resisting and ignoring your inner nature that wants to flow with life?

These are the questions that have been coming up strongly for me this month. 

And as I have made the pack with myself to let my soul fly this year, I know this requires me to tune into me more, and I believe being in tune with the cycles of life is also a key. 

So how am I heeding the call of Autumn?
Here are my 3 go to practices to help me embrace this season:

Number #1 - YOGA
{Of course! Did you think this wouldn't be on top of my list}
Yoga gives us the opportunity to turn inwards and tune into our bodies and ourselves as is the calling of this season. Svadhyana is the practice of Self study in yoga through observation. The more we observe and listen to our bodies, ourselves and our environment the more we pick up on the subtle energies, signals and messages that we are constantly picking up from around us which our busy minds often distract us from hearing. 

DO IT: Now yoga doesn't always have to be about being on a mat or making it to a class. Why not make the simple pack with yourself to pause and tune into your body more regularly, be it even for one conscious breath. Try it now! Close your eyes, let you mind become aware of your body, sensations, feelings, the breath. Then ponder this, do you feel the urge to move in some way, have a stretch, lengthen the spine. Is the calling to move more or for more rest? 

Number #2 - MEDITATION
To be honest my practice didn't really exist until I signed up for the School of the Modern Mystic last year with the conscientious intention to strengthen my meditation practice. And boy did it do that. 
Meditation in great way to simply be with our thoughts, to watch them rise and fall just like the breath, and to be able to observe them without attachment or judgement, which allows us the opportunity to let go. Even on days that I don't feel like I've managed to reach any level of stillness in my mind, the simple act of sitting with the intention for one conscious breath, 5mins or half an hour has the positive effect of centring and grounding me.

DO IT: Now I know all the excuses for this one, because I have used them all myself! But I found a way to fit in more, particularly on busy days. I am a compulsive snoozer. I love the snooze button. So now instead of lying in bed wishing I could stay there longer, I use the first snooze to set a positive intention and then simply watch my breath. The second snooze is when I sit up in bed and meditate. Not ideal, but it works. Try it! At the very least I find my snooze meditations work a treat to start me off on the right foot. And when I have more time later in the day I usually work with this Chakra Cleanse meditation as it complements my Gita practice perfectly.

Number #3 - FOOD AS MEDICINE
Eating in tune with the season, is another way to tune into its energies. This is one of the advantages I find with eating organic food, depending on where you shop, you can't really get fruit and veg that is not in season. And this year I have the added help of Simply Replenished's Holistic Autumn Cleanse. I have never done a cleanse before but when Jasmine asked me to contribute to her program I jumped at the chance as I had been wanting to do her cleanses for a long time, and this allowed me to. Contributing alone got me thinking about the energies of Autumn and how I could embrace them more. This coupled with the amazing information Jasmine shares and my yoga and meditation practice has really helped me to tune in, appreciate the changes around me and within me and offered me the opportunity to slow down and really flow with the energies of Autumn.

 DO IT: As the weather cools down, try to embrace warmer, more nurturing foods for your body. Swap your smoothie for porridge, or add a little warm water to it so it's not so cold. I love how Jasmine has us commune with nature for at least 15mins a day too, she really does give you all the tools to not only cleanse the body, but embrace the season. 

Inspired to embrace Autumn with me??
Comment below or click the pics to get more details about my go to practices. 
Would love to see you in the Autumn Cleanse or will you join me for School of the Modern Mystics level one which starts April 7th. Yes, I loved it so much I'm doing it again! {Note: SoMM enrolment closes Monday 31st March}

Remember I am always here to help you with your home practice. Exciting news is that I am working on a way to make it easier for you to practice at home that may be a little more affordable than my current coaching packages. 
Sign up for updates to be kept in the loop. 

Here's to an Autumn well embraced & shedding the layers we no longer need!
Love & blessings,
Tx

You know they say, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. 
Well, gratitude has been on the radar big time.

There are no coincidences here. Well, definitely not in my belief.

The past two weeks in the course I am doing with Belinda Davidson, it's been all about the Heart Chakra, with one of the main ways to clear the Heart Chakra being, wait for it....expressing gratitude. 

Another Earth angel spreading the "be grateful" message was Alexandra Frazen, with emails landing in my inbox encouraging me to contribute to her World Gratitude Day Story-Contest, where we had to thank someone and share the story with her.
With World gratitude day being on the 21st September.

To be honest, though I could find things to be grateful for, I was struggling to really feel it. 

This was really obvious to me after a chat with a friend, as I noticed how gripped by lack I was.
It made me think of a passage {p.90, A New Earth} I had heard a million times from Eckhart Tolle where he says,

"The fact is: Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. You are withholding it because deep down you think you are small and that you have nothing to give. Try this for a couple of weeks and see how it changes your reality: Whatever you think people are withholding from you - praise, appreciation, assistance, loving care, and so on - give it to them. You don't have it? Just act as if  you had it and it will come."

The last straw was when I fell sick the very next day, early last week.
{Hence, the week long Monday Musing}
It really made me take a long hard look at myself, how I was creating this and how could I change it.  
Though some of IT {my life} I felt at a real loss to change.

I knew my body was under immense stress as things were kind of getting desperate in the need a new home and job areas. 

I know things would have been worse without my yoga, but I also knew I had to up the ante a bit.

In Gita style yoga, we talk about the immune system when we reach the 7th posture, here it is again...the heart chakra! 
{Starting to see the pattern yet?}

Above the heart sits the Thymus gland which plays a huge role in our immune system. 

So when the heart is full and loving, you're open to all of life and so too the immune system will be strong.
Hence, why practicing gratitude is one of the main ways to clear the heart chakra.

So I started the week focusing on my retreat and writing a post about how grateful I was for how wonderfully it all came together and what a good time everyone had.

It just didn't flow.
But I kept at it.. 

Focused on Tolle's words, at times I was simply being grateful for the fullness of my breath, or the breath itself, or I tried to focus on a healthy aspect of my body, like when my nose stopped running for teaching or an abundant area of my life.
These things helped to create a shift in me...

All this deep hard looking within could only serve to dish up one huge lesson in forgiveness.
Particularly as I realised the person I was struggling to forgive was myself for ending up in the predicament I have been in the past few months. And damn did I realise how hard I can be on myself.
I had 3 "teachers" show up on the same day highlighting forgiveness for me. 

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the heart and allows gratitude to soar once more!

So as I let go, bit by bit, little by little, I felt my heart soften and open.
At times, tears of gratitude came flowing forth from me. 
I felt compelled to express my love and gratitude for those around me that had been supporting me.

And then in what seemed like the blink of an eye, a total miracle occurred... 
I went from battling a cold on top of everything else and struggling to keep my chin up to being offered a secure place to live and a regular income that works in perfectly with everything else I do, all in a matter of a day.

Talk about one huge sigh of relief!

And just like that my cold lifted too.

It was a beautiful gentle reminder from the universe to say, 
"Keep the faith. You're on the right path. Miracles do happen!"

It truly was a miracle. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

So, I wonder do you too need a gentle reminder?...
Is there something you need to let go of that could be blocking the flow of what you really want/need in your life?

Have you noticed the Universe sending you signals to take a look at something in your life?

I hope my story serves to inspire you to listen intently to the whispers of your heart and soul.

All the answers we are seeking are there. 

We just need to pay attention.

Wishing your wildest dreams come true!

Infinite gratitude and love,
Tx

PS: If you have a wild dream you might like to check out this amazing woman. She planted a seed at the beginning of the year for me that has surprised me on so many occasions as things come to fruition.

The first time I heard this line was from The Wellness Warrior Jessica Ainscough's Lifestyle Transformation Guide.

It has come up many times for me of late especially as I prepared for the Top.YOU.Up One Day Retreat
{which so quickly came, went and I am now preparing for the next}

At the retreat I was blessed by 14 lovely ladies who had me  blown away and truly inspired by their recognition of the importance of self care and that they heeded the inner calling to join us.

But it got me thinking about all the little things we can do to ensure we feel our own love and top up our own tank all the time rather than just on one day.
I realised...

It's actually the little things that make the biggest difference.

Be it waking 5mins earlier to have a glass of lemon in warm water,
Pausing to really take in the fullness of the moment before you,
A conscious breath taken as you work furiously behind your computer,
Stretching as you wait for the kettle to boil, 
Lunch in the sunshine,
Your morning smoothie,
or
Even indulging in that top quality boutique chocolate.

So how would you finish off this line?
I love yourself enough to...

May you discover you have a list as long as a page or more of ways you can love yourself enough!
Try doing one a day over the week!

Please share your list with us or this post if you feel so inspired.

And to the ladies who made the retreat as magical as it was, thank you for blessing and inspiring me in so many ways.

Pocket Yogini love,
Tx

In Gita style yoga it is not so much about lots of physically challenging poses, 
rather its the intention held during them that is important.

But it was whilst having a play and trying this not particularly easy variation from the crane into my very first crane balance that I said to myself, ...

With my self esteem taking quite a blow in recent times this made me ponder,
...what if I changed every thought of "I can't" into "you've got this".

You know the saying when the student is ready the teacher arrives?...

...Well only a couple of hours after I posted this pic to Instagram my new mantra was tested.
 I arrived at my second ever Thermomix demonstration this afternoon to find my cousin caring for not just her baby, but that of another. And of course as I was trying to set up, both of them started to cry. Funnily, the other baby who didn't know me before today was drawn to me and would only stop crying if I held him. So there I was baby on hip attempting to set up for a demonstration I had only done once before.

And you know what, I kept telling myself "I've got this" and
I did !!

{see evidence below} ;)

So, what could you achieve this week if you kept telling yourself “You’ve got this!”? 

When you believe you can, you’re half way there. 

Energy follows thought. 

So this week, if a challenge arises, know that it only does so when the student{that's you} is ready. 
See what a difference it makes to tell yourself “you’ve got this!”

Because you do.

I believe in you.

May you believe in you too,
Txx

A day late...nearly two ;)

Oops. Better late than never right.

Not sure about you, but I was knocked around a bit last week during the "blue" moon.
{It's called a blue moon when two full moons occur during the same astrological sign}

It had me feeling pretty damn emotional and vulnerable.

But when the "storm" settles, through a lot of yoga and meditation, 
I always find these times are pointing me to the same lesson.
{to be honest, all lessons in life are about this really}

That is...
Let go of the little voice, the ego, as the quote suggests, the one that is hurt, defensive and fearful, the small you.
Rather sink beneath all that and connect with the real you, 
the spirit deep within, 
the part of you that knows the truth and is unaffected and unchanged by all these outer worldly happenings.

You know, the real YOU!

So let's do this.
I encourage you to join me in getting below the mental chatter to live from your heart!

Calm the storm that may be your mental chatter or emotional turmoil by any means that work for you.
For me it is yoga and meditation.

It will be a daily practice. 
Sometimes, as for me last week, it may become more of a moment to moment thing.
It will be the little things we do in those moments that matter most.
{Even one conscious breath, or a chat with a conscious friend, 
can be all that's needed to give you that sense of reconnection}
 
Keep on keeping on is the key. 

So, how can you do this for you this week? 
How do you connect with and love the real you beneath it all?

Please share with us in the comments below if you have something that works for you.
You never know who it may help or inspire! 

Wishing you a week of Soulful Heart Centred Living!!

Big love and lots of light for the journey,
Tx

Monday's Muse...Something to ponder through your week.

So what is it that excites your spirit?

Is there something in your life you are doing right now? 
Do you love what you do for a living?
Have you started a project or have a goal you are working on?
It may not necessarily be something big, it may be something small?

Whatever it is, you usually know it because it lights you up and you feel a knowing deep within you.

This quote sang out to me as I have been deep in my soul searching journey, since my recent relationship break down,
and asking those big questions of myself and the universe, "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?"

Yes, there are some life lessons being learnt from losing a part of myself in a relationship, 
but they all serve a great purpose... They are helping to bring me home to living from my centre and my own truth.

When you come from that space within you with faith and trust in yourself and life, beautiful things happen. 

Like I briefly spoke about in my lil bio, 
when it's happened to me in the past a light goes on inside of me, 
I feel it in every cell of my body and a deep knowing of "I've got to do that" occurs. 

It led me to move to Melbourne, become a yoga teacher, start a business, change my business name, connect with particular people, and have circumstances falling into place for me to put on my very first retreat.

As I seek to rebuild my life, trusting the inner spark and light once again becomes the journey.

Having a regular yoga and meditation practice helps this process for sure, but so does simply taking a moment to tune into your body through out the day and listening to the messages you receive.

When you drop down out of the mind, away from the mental chatter, and into your body you come home to you. It's a feeling you sense deep within you and know in your heart. It leads to inspired action. You simply know what you have to do.

We all have this. 

But often we don't trust it. We second guess ourselves. We doubt ourselves.

The practice is to keep coming back to your centre and strengthening your trust in it.

So this week as you go about your day, I'm encouraging you to take regular moments to pause, tune in to you and respond to the calls of your spirit.

Who knows?... It may take you down a road less travelled, or have you meet a kindred soul, or open up new opportunities you didn't think were possible.

Please share this to get others thinking about it for themselves.

And may we all have a truly inspired week!

Would love to hear about the times when you have trusted that knowing and where it has lead you? 
Or how pondering this has positively influencing your week?

Look forward to hearing from you as these are the stories that excite my spirit!!!

Sending love and inspiration,
Tx

Monday's Muse is a post to encourage you to... 
PAUSE & PONDER 

Each day for the next week. how could this little inspiration make a difference to you if you truly lived it?

What could you do, even in 5minutes for you, that your future Self will be grateful to you for?

A yoga class, time to meditate, the healthier lunch option?
or
A stretch or two, a conscious breath, a moment of mindfulness?
Whatever it is, it doesn't have to take long  to be able to change your energy, uplift or inspire you.

Plan ahead.
Think of a lil something you could do each day this week.
This is not to be something that will make you feel more pressured, or something to give yourself a hard time about,
but rather something that makes you feel more connected and loved from within in that moment!

Share it on Facebook, or regram it on Instagram to inspire others to join you. 
Or make it your phone lock screen, or print it out for your desk to help you keep it in mind during the week. 
 
Pop a comment below and share with me what you're willing to do this week 
or hashtag your posts with 
#mondaysmuse #pocketyogini

Can't wait to hear or see what you've been up to.

Big love,
Tx


PS: If you need a little help with this, maybe our Retreat is for you ;)