Musings and Reviews of Metaphysical, New Age and Meaningful Writings

Archive for the ‘meditation’ Category

LOVE YOUR #CHAKRAS – DOWNLOAD A #FREE COPY OF THE CHAKRA DIARIES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY


Balance your Chakras, Balance your LOVE Life!

Do you want to spice up your sex life or feel more passionate, graceful, and creative? Unblocking your Sacral or 2nd Chakra may be the key. It is an especially important chakra for women to keep in balance, connecting you to your passion and to the Divine Feminine.

There are seven major chakras in our energy field that each affect our emotional and physical health in a different way. Two characters in The Chakra Diaries have unbalanced Sacral Chakras – one, a woman in her forties, Deborah has lost her libido, the other, Sarah, a young woman, is both unsure of her sexual orientation and promiscuous. Chakra balancing brings them back to a space of confidence and creativity where they are better able to trust their feminine intuition and make true love connections.

 Located at the lower abdomen, right at the cervix, the Sacral Chakra governs how we relate to others and the flow of our feelings and expression in art, music, dance and living. It is the seat of our sexuality, the pleasure chakra that turns us on and is considered by many to be the doorway into creation itself.

When this chakra is balanced, you can embrace creativity with open arms, whether it is expressed through dance, yoga, swimming, sex, singing praises to the Divine, painting to celebrate self-awareness, or cooking for your inner goddess.

THE CHAKRA DIARIES, FREE ON KINDLE NOW THROUGH FEB 16

The Chakra Diaries, novel life stories of people encountering the emotional, physical and spiritual problems associated with chakra imbalances, moves from tragedy to triumph as they balance their lives. To share in their stories and learn the chakra wisdom that led them to a happy ending, download The Chakra Diaries, free on Kindle.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

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Chakra Secrets to Self-Love and Energy Healing


I’d like to share my tale encompassing a rugged path through all seven chakras, a happy ending and an instant healing technique everyone can use. I invite you to download a FREE copy of CHAKRA SECRETS through Friday, Oct. 16.

Here’s a review of the book by a reader on Amazon.com:

 Chakra Balancing, Past Lives, Yoga and More!

“Began this book at Midnight, read straight through until 4 a.m. and waited until the light of day to review.

All of the cliches fit: cliff hanger, couldn’t put it down, fast-paced, brilliant writing…yes, all that with an important message: life is the same for everyone, we hurt, we grieve, we suffer, we have moments of joy and passion, and we are all subject to the same feelings.

We are born and re-born both physically, as in reincarnation, and spiritually, as in evolution of the soul…and there are very real modalities that we can employ to overcome our private agonies and move along our spiritual path to fuse with the light. That’s the simplistic version.

Author Becca Chopra put herself out on a limb with this autobiographical novel in which she introduces powerful, spiritual healing modalities in a very earthy way. She covers yogis gone wild, drugs, passion, longing, as she takes you on a breathless journey from actress to respected yoga teacher, an amazing roller coaster ride that introduces yoga, rainbow tantra, tantric gurus, macrobiotic diet, past life regression, acro-yoga, Ho’opono’pono and a very effective Huna Dynamind technique which can be practiced at home.

The storyline is complex yet unfolds simply and easily, propelling the reader right to the happy ending. And after all the twists and turns, one is certainly ready for that relaxing out breath and release.”

I look forward to sharing my story with YOU also – I invite you to download CHAKRA SECRETS – the Kindle version can be read on virtually ANY smart device.

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND MAY YOU ALL ENJOY THIS HEALING JOURNEY.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

Chakra Blog

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Staying Calm and Healthy During the #Coronavirus Pandemic


There are a lot of different takes on the Coronavirus.

One thing everyone can agree on, though, is that you have the greatest chance of staying healthy through stress management and healthy nutrition and lifestyle.

To share everything I’ve learned as a wellness counselor, I am offering my latest book FREE for download on Kindle this week:

The Chakra Energy Diet: The Right Food, Relaxation, Yoga & Exercise To Look and Feel your Best!

  • Part I provides secrets to remove the stressors that sabotage your health and your waistline.
  • Part II offers a quiz as to which of your chakras are most stressed, and the foods and activities to add in to optimize how you look and feel.

P1070587You’ll learn how to quickly increase your energy, reach your optimal body weight, and be healthier and happier by using chakra healing foods, stress-busting techniques, yoga, meditation and mindfulness.

Download The Chakra Energy Diet today and please share this FREE LINK with your friends.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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Six Ways to Reduce Anxiety


Guest Post by Sonia Brill, LCSW, for The Chopra Center

 

paradigmshift

If you are in an emotional rut—cycling from fear, anger, anxiety, and sadness—you are not alone. Every human being on this planet has been impacted in a few short weeks and, with that, comes strong emotions. The question is: What if how you feel today can help you transform every area of your life?

Here are some key steps on how to turn high emotion to your higher self.

1. Create Awareness

What pain is to the body, emotions are to the mind. Emotions are signals or cues that inform you that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. They arise in the physical body before they are registered in the mind and categorized as “anxiety.”

When you become aware of feelings and sensations in your body, you are able to lessen the experience of them. Why? Emotions are rises and falls of impulses in the body. The fastest way to settle emotions and create awareness is through meditation. When you meditate, you bypass inner noise and connect with the quiet that’s hidden under all stuff that goes through your head. When you meditate, your body and mind rest. At the same time, you become aware and boundless.

2. Ask Yourself This Question

When you are gripped with fear, the best way to break that hold is to challenge it with a question. Doing so leads to distracting your emotions and engaging your logical mind to create an association between the event and the emotion.

Ask yourself: “What makes my thoughts race?” Watching or reading the headlines. Working through the evening. Not getting enough sleep. Something else. Jot it down and begin to notice a trend or pattern. Start to become aware of how these patterns come together to create a habit or story that is holding you back from living a life you really want. Staying up late, for instance, can get in the way of getting a good night’s sleep.

3. Journal Daily

Journaling for no more than 10 minutes is very helpful. It brings into focus all that matters right now. Using a time-limit allows you to vent on paper without it taking over your headspace. Rather than using a laptop or mobile phone, write down what’s on your mind. The simple act of writing allows you to discharge pent-up tension.

At the end of the week, go over your entries and notice if you’ve had a change of perspective, idea, feeling, thought, or action. Simply highlight it. Review the highlighted part a few weeks later and notice the change.

4. Practice Gratitude

This one word captures it all. Gratitude is the single best way to harness the power of intention and get more of what you want into your life. Why? When a thought sticks in your head, it impacts your mood—even your day.

To incorporate gratitude into a mindful practice, find a comfortable place to rest for a few minutes. And take the time to reflect in detail about five to six things you are grateful for and loved today. Describe them in a bit of detail (e.g., being able to dip a chunky chocolate chip cookie into some yummy tea, having it practically melt in your mouth).

Journaling and gratitude go hand in hand; when you begin to focus your attention on what you love in your life, the issues that create worry fade into the background. How? As a human, you multitask but you pay full attention to one thing at a time.

5. Make a Paradigm Shift

Making a paradigm shift doesn’t take years. It’s not about stepping into a new narrative or reframing the problem so that coping is possible. A paradigm shift doesn’t seek to postpone or maneuver around what’s keeping you up at night; it creates a new possibility for greater self-sufficiency. When you have control over your thoughts, emotions, and actions, you feel good. The fastest way to create a paradigm shift isn’t about reliving the painful past, it is about bypassing it and creating greater good for yourself and others in your world.

Since your brain has the capacity to heal, adapt, and form new connections, the building blocks of self-sufficiency center around self-mastery that create habits to support mental hygiene. How do you do this? One way is through meditation. A report of the study from the Harvard Gazette published in Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging has shown that meditation changes the brain structure. When you shift from the external world to the internal world, you gain insights, information, and deep connection to yourself. It decreases anxiety and increases feelings of pleasure. As you trigger the pleasure chemicals in the brain, you decrease the overactivation of “fight-or-flight” response. There is no better time than right now to start meditating.

6. Create Emotional Safety

The fastest way to create emotional safety is to acknowledge you are safe right now. Although these are uncertain times, it is certain that this too has an expiration date. For most people, when they have control over their outcome, they feel safer. The fastest way to create emotional safety is to start turning your self-care into your personal mental healthcare. Make today the day to start a breathing exercise for two minutes, give yourself the permission to rest and kick your feet up for two minutes, or list all you are grateful for within two minutes.

Make mental hygiene a priority right now. Through some of the mental hygiene steps listed here, you can start to feel better and have more emotional security. Bit by bit, you can create the life you have always wanted—there is no better time than the present.

 

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

 

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Learn to Balance Your Chakras in Meaningful Stories #FREEKINDLE


Chakra Diaries Book CoverIn The Chakra Diaries, my first book, I shared how to balance your own chakras as you learn how these “energy centers” affect love and loss, health and happiness, life and death for the participants in a chakra workshop.

Rather than a non-fiction encyclopedia of chakra attributes and signs of imbalance, the stories in The Chakra Diaries show the miracles that can happen through forgiveness, love and energy healing.

Download it for FREE through Thursday, Oct 24, and you’ll learn about:

  • Chakra Meditation
  • Chakra Yoga
  • Affirmations for Chakra Cleansing
  • Crystal Chakra Healing
  • Mind-Body Healing

This is not a how-to book. As one reader said, “It’s what happens when you put ancient teachings and modern lives into the same kitchen and raise the heat while cooking up great emotion. The Chakra Diaries is a literary romance, but with emotional, intellectual and spiritual nuances that would appeal to anyone interested in love, especially enlightened love. The villains in The Chakra Diaries are ones we all try to avoid: cancer, lost love, false beliefs, but it is these very perilous obstacles that drive the stories and finally lift the characters into their higher spiritual states through chakra healing and balancing.”

“The best way to learn about the chakras is through fascinating real-world stories, tense with melancholy and wild with humor, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in the book.” ~ Honolulu Weekly

Whether you just love good storytelling, or want to be inspired, download The Chakra Diaries, and then listen to the MP3 CHAKRA MEDITATIONS from the book, so you can lie down and be guided to a place of relaxation and balance… at  www.theChakras.org. I play these 10-minute guided meditation at the end of every yoga class, during Savasana.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

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26 Ways to a Better Relationship: THE ABC’s OF LOVE #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


ABCs CoverReading The ABCs of Love may be the most loving thing you can do for yourself and your partner.

It supports you in transforming your relationship: if it’s already great, then it will help you make it even better, and if you’re stuck, or suffering, then it will be show you how to turn things around.

If you’re not as happy as you’d like to be in your relationship, you may think that you or your partner – or both – have fallen out of love. But this book shows you how, most likely, you’ve simply fallen into bad or just repetitive habits. And it provides advice on the new habits you can adopt to prevent relationship problems… savoring what’s good and fixing what’s not.

The first chapter in The ABC’s of Love is Attachment and the last is Zest, so you see where this is going and how many suggestions Diana Shulman offers to keep your motivation strong.

For example, what is your style of attachment? Are you, e.g., an Approacher or an Avoider? Knowing yourself and your partner’s styles of relating can help foster better relationships. Diana Shulman recommends celebrating our differences, developing compassion, patience and respect for each other… so you can live your life to its fullest.

Love

The chapters are short and full of inspiration, lessons, and entertaining and insightful examples from the author’s marriage in applying her own lessons and those culled from experts in couples counseling. 

Author Diana Shulman, J.D., Ph.D., is a psychoanalyst in Los Angeles with more than 25 years of clinical experience after practicing law for 10 years. Here, she answers my questions about The ABCs of Love:

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DIANA SHULMAN:

Who can most benefit from reading The ABCs of Love?

The ABCs of Love is a self-help book for anyone in a relationship regardless of milestones, age, or sexual orientation. Readers will find everything they need — quite literally, from A to Z — to avoid the landmines, repair wounds (both old and new), rekindle desire, and get happy again. So whether you’re young or old, dating, or about to celebrate your 50th anniversary, the vignettes, tools, and skill-building exercises in the book can help readers create the relationship of their dreams.

What is the most effective way for the reader to use this book to improve their relationship?

I recommend couples read the book from beginning to end and then zero in on the chapters and exercises they found most helpful, keeping in mind there’s no such thing as perfect. Fights are normal. All couples fight, some more unproductively than others, of course, but we all fight. In fact, what distinguishes successful from unsuccessful couples is repair — the willingness to look, learn, and promise to do better. The ABCs of Love is all about how to do this.

I really like the TRY THIS feature at the end of each chapter. Do couples need to answer the questions together?

Couples don’t need to do the Try This exercises together but if they can put their heads and hearts together to discover ways to get things going in a better direction, it’s a real plus. Having said that, if one partner reads the book and starts making improvements, it’s going to help the relationship. As you might expect from.the title, the topics are presented in alphabetical order starting with “Attachment” and ending with “Zest.” 

In Chapter F for Feelings, you cover how we deal with emotions. What would you say is the best way to handle them?

Emotions are sometimes compared to ocean waves and for good reason. They’re natural and powerful as they reach a peak and flatten out with a noticeable ebb and flow. Letting emotional waves pass through you from beginning to end isn’t about losing your temper or non-stop weepiness. Instead, it’s about slowing down, mindfully noticing bodily sensations, perceptions, and impulses as the energy rises and falls. If you take the time to let a feeling do its thing, options open up, angles you’ve never considered enter your mind, and new strengths begin to emerge.

When handled effectively, our emotions are a vital part of an internal guidance system. They help make us better decision-makers. While all this sounds commonsensical, as though it should be effortless, most of us are afraid of certain emotions. We don’t want to explore their energy; we want to avoid it. It’s what we learned and what we’ve always done, but given the downside of turning away, I say it’s time to try something else. Many of the exercises in the book are designed to help couples do just that and start growing again.

Can you explain The S.U.R.E. Thing to lessen negativity in a relationship?

The S.U.R.E. Thing is an acronym I came up with to help couples slow down and think before lobbing the next conversational grenade. It’s about reminding yourself that your partner has an understandable point of view — even though you don’t agree with it. Here are the four steps of The S.U.R.E. Thing:

S is for Slowing your breathing to calm your brain so you can think more clearly.

U is for Understanding your partner’s points or feelings by focusing on what makes sense (you may not like what your partner is saying, but it still makes sense).

R is for Reflecting back what you heard to show you’re tuned in, “It makes sense to me that…”

E is for showing Empathy. “This has been difficult. I’ve made it worse, and I’m sorry.”

Witnessing each other is calming as opposed to infuriating. If you hold back on speaking until your partner shows signs of feeling heard, you’re in for a treat. By waiting your turn, you create a real chance of having an audience when you continue the conversation.

What overall message would you like readers to take away from The ABCs of Love?

I hope readers will see their recurring conflicts as a doorway into closeness and connection. Whether dramatic or born of something more routine, these are the moments, brief or drawn-out, when we feel dismissed, attacked, ignored, or shamed. Revisiting moments of disconnection and conflict can be a gift, a passageway into healing, provided we do it wisely — meaning explore what happened with an eye toward the future and the past, an ear for both words and feelings, and an ever-growing awareness of blind spots, hot buttons, and mistaken assumptions. If we fail to do this, the gift goes unopened and will soon be forgotten, ensuring more of that pointless back and forth we know all too well.

How can readers connect with you?

Readers can find me on Facebook at https://facebook.com/ABCsOfLove and at my website: www.dianashulman.com

The ABCs of Love is available at Amazon.com.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet

www.theChakras.org

 

 

 

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Become Who You Truly Are: YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


You Can Transform Full Cover FINALrevWhat is your plan for transforming 2018 into your best year ever? Have you thought about it? Do you have a plan?

Imagine if you could have a year of inspiration mapped out for you. Well, Darity Wesley, a Modern Day Oracle™, has done just that for you. You Can Transform Your Life was written as a guide to support your personal and spiritual growth over the course of 52 weeks… so it’s a perfect time to start using it at the beginning of a new year. Of course, you can start at any time, go at your own pace, or even open the book at random for an Oracle message to answer a question on your mind in the moment.

The first Oracle message relates to Creating a New Way of Life, with the affirmation mantra: “I AM releasing the old so I can build the new…And so it is!!!” There’s also a circle for you to draw your goal or intention as a simple symbol.

Each Oracle message is followed by space for you to answer four questions of self-inquiry – to explore what the message means to you, to create your own personal mantra, to plan how to integrate the message into your life, and to direct your attention to any messages from your own inner voice.

The book’s design is so well thought out – I found that answering the questions and using this space to journal my emotions and thoughts on the Oracle message made it so much more powerful for me than just reading the message. This personal writing is therapeutic, helping you let go of the things that are holding you down, inviting you to freely express how you feel – which will make you feel better.

Spinx Darity with copyright

Love and Trust, my dear ones … Love and Trust! ~ Darity Wesley, Modern Day Oracle™

At the end of the 52 Oracle messages, there is a guided Personal Transformation Journal template that takes you even further, offering inspirational prompts for your writing. I think you will be amazed at how far you’ve come on your personal journey by the time you reach the last journal page, which prompts, “Free yourself from what is holding you back! Be who you truly are!”

For those seeking to go even further on their journey of transformation, Darity Wesley has designed a Companion Workbook for You Can Transform Your Life, that provides more in-depth questions for each of the 52 Oracle messages, bonus exercises to help increase intuition, spiritual strength and inner balance by exploring such topics as Tuning In, Gratitude, and Forgiveness, as well as practical advice on how to apply these tools of transformation to all areas of your life. It will be available on December 26.

What a great way to start 2018 with one or both of these books in hand or gifted to others!

Many thanks to author Darity Wesley for answering my many questions about her work here…

Can you explain what Oracle messages are?

I feel that the Oracle messages are communications written to stimulate and encourage thoughts and feelings that will support and assist us in our personal and spiritual development. I think of the Oracle messages as signposts. They point the way for our own consciousness, our own Soul self to discover, guide and change our behavior, our way of thinking, our way of feeling. Everything is possible and Oracle messages support whatever resonates with the heart of its reader.

What inspired you to become an “Oracle?”

In the late 1980s early 1990s I enjoyed a book by Shakti Gawain entitled Reflections in the Light. This book contained inspirational messages for every day of the calendar year. It felt good to think about or contemplate whatever she had written for that day. I liked it very much and thought it may be of value to others.

In 2006, I heard of the social media site called MySpace which was gaining in popularity in the tech industry I was working in. I put up a profile on MySpace and began posting what I called ~The Daily Oracle~: Inspirational messages by Shakti Gawain, Louise Hay, Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass and many others. I allowed my spirit to be my guide in picking what to post for each day. At some point in the postings, someone asked if they could receive the messages by email and I said “Sure” and began the email subscription service. I stopped posting on MySpace somewhere along the way but continued with the email subscription service sending the messages of others.

In August of 2012, my treasured friend of many years, Cristina Smith, suggested I might like to write the Oracle messages from my own spirit as opposed to using the work of others. I was flabbergasted and immediately rejected the idea that I do that on my own. “Who, me?”

That “suggestion” was a seed that grew and blossomed, so I faced my fears and decided to do exactly that. Well, to at least give it a try! So, on September 5, 2012, I launched Oracles from the Spirit of Darity. While that space was always there, within me, it was my friend Cristina who inspired me to become a Modern Day Oracle™.

How do you access these messages or divinations?

Having been on the path of self-discovery and inquiry for over 50 years, I have experienced much support from my angels, guides and Spirit. Because I have “tuned in” for so long and “turned up the volume,” I feel I recognize and, therefore, trust, the voice within me. So what I do is just tap into that place where I hear Spirit and say “What?” “What are the energies and directions for …?” I then write or type the words or directions that come through.

How can the reader best use your Oracle messages?

Each Oracle message focuses on some area of self and/or spiritual discovery. Since inner work is very personal, the Oracle message will simply help the reader’s own intuition look at what they need to look at in that area or what they can focus on as a tool, a process, a step to work on, integrate or a practice to include in their life to support them along the way. As I said earlier, Oracle messages stimulate thoughts and feelings for us to investigate or assimilate or even relegate to another time if it causes us any resistance when we are reading it.

That is what the companion workbook: You Can Transform Your Life – Go Deeper (available on Amazon on December 26) will add to the process. It is intended to help us navigate these changing times and facilitate our journey to becoming our True Authentic Selves.

What are the benefits of using the affirmation mantras?

Affirmation mantras are the seeds of our intentions. We use them to support us. The main benefit of an affirmation mantra is its ability to bypass the “monkey mind,” the “ego,” the “personality” … that part of ourselves that is “rational” and “controlling” and caught up in the illusion of the way it really is. That part of us which will surely tell us why it won’t work or why it is something other than “love and trust,” for instance, or “I firmly stand in my determination to …” or “I am kind to others and myself.”

Another benefit of affirmation mantras is their support of the transformational energies of self and spiritual discoveries. They help us access higher levels of awareness. No matter how you use them, affirmation mantras have the ability to bring the seed of your intention into full bloom to support what it is you are wanting to do, be or have.

What are the different ways readers can use your book?

A reader can use the Oracle messages in the book however they feel drawn to use them. The book, and its companion workbook, is structured as a 52-week program beginning any time you want, however, they can be used and applied randomly, you can skip around, and let your very own spirit be the guide. Mix and match or go in order. It is all up to the reader.

You write of the New Reality – can you explain that and offer an example of that in action?

The New Reality is a term that comes up a lot in the Oracle messages. Quite simply, it is a shift in focus. This shift is from an external focus, which has been the way of life on this Planet for a very long time, to an internal focus that is a new way of life. The New Reality is a focus on an internal, higher level of consciousness. That “higher level of consciousness” may be your own creative sovereignty or that of a higher power or energy or just All That Is, the Universe, God, depending on your particular belief structure. When we step into consciously allowing that creative power to move through us, rather than resist it or not acknowledge it, we find such things as fulfillment, balance, happiness. What you need, what you want, comes from within, not “out there.”

As more and more of us step into the New Reality, as often as we can, we will feel there is more to be discovered about ourselves and our world. That can bring a calm joyousness and excitement to our lives.

An example of that would be my personal experience when I came to the realization that nothing “out there” was really responsible for my happiness. Not money, not things, not relationships. No. Nothing outside of me. I realized I was responsible for making me happy. I am the creator of my own reality and I choose, from inside, my happiness. That is stepping, a wee step for sure, into the New Reality.

What brought you to the decision you say you made, “to wear my heart on my sleeve and the world can just get over it?”

I will never forget the experience so many, many years ago. I was 33 years old. At that time I was a person who wanted everyone to love her. Mostly because I felt so unlovable. I had no real sense of myself. My need for love and approval was so great that I was like a chameleon. I had no opinions of my own. I would assume the likes and dislikes of whomever I was with. I was a Republican with Republicans and a Democrat with Democrats. I went along with whatever was happening. God forbid I would say what I thought or felt in a social setting.

Having been exploring myself and growing spiritually for many years prior to this, I was not totally devoid of self-inquiry, self-discovery and spiritual growth and so this was, evidentially, my next step.

At that time in my Buddha year, 33, I had a life changing experience at the foot of Mt. Shasta in California. Part of that life changing experience was “I am going to wear my heart on my sleeve, allow myself to be vulnerable, people will like me or not like me but they will like me or not like me as I am.” No more pretending, no more affectation, no more not saying what I think or feel. Nope! I began to step more and more into my True Authentic Self.

What would you most like readers to take away from this book?

Whether someone desires a complete life makeover or just wants to learn new ways to feel more in harmony with themselves and their world, this book and the companion Workbook, provide processes, tools and practices to take your life to a new level. Self-discovery and self-awareness are critical tools for these changing times and absolutely support our evolution as conscious beings.

As we evolve as conscious beings, we not only change ourselves, we change the lives of those around us and as that change energy moves out to world, it changes the world. That is my desire for my readers. To grow and change. To feel better, to feel more alive, to feel more at peace with themselves and all that is going on in the world. To become more self aware and to grow spiritually. To become more and more who you really are.

How can one subscribe to your Modern Day Oracle™ messages?

If someone would like to subscribe to ~The Weekly Oracle~™ they can email me at Darity@DarityWesley.com. Simply put “Subscribe” in the Subject Line or go to our website www.DarityWesley.com and subscribe there.

You Can Transform Your Life is available now on Amazon, and the You Can Transform Your Life – Go Deeper Workbook will be available on December 26.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

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Mind and Soul Satisfying Puzzles: The Word Search Sage, Yoga for the Brain #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


Screen Shot 2017-11-17 at 10.32.21 AMThe Word Search Sage is the second book in the series of word puzzles, known as Yoga for the Brain, that offer a creative, fun, meditative respite from the busy chatter of the mind… while flexing your brain.

You can read my review of The Word Search Oracle, which won the 2017 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, and download a sample puzzle here.

The Word Search Sage takes you a little deeper into your thoughts and spirit, as the solutions to these word puzzles are called Meta-Thoughts, providing insights and deep wisdom.

I like to open the pages at random, and undoubtedly, Cristina Smith’s introductory comments on the topic of the puzzle and mystic Ingrid Coffin’s Meta-Thoughts are always relevant to my life at that moment in time. In fact, each word in each of the clever puzzles put together by Rick Smith relate to the Meta-Thought and help you discover your own truth, your own purpose in life.

For example, the puzzle on Love is introduced with a note that includes:

“Affirm your love for yourself. Shed all of the self-negatives that life has draped over you. When we fear criticism, we are not free to be ourselves. If we feel less than, our lives reflect that.”

The Love puzzle on page 30 is a little harder than those in the beginning of the book. You’ll see that after you’ve found all the applicable words in the puzzle, the letters remaining make up this Meta-Thought:

“Be thankful for being yourself.”

These puzzles sound magical and mystical and they are. I’m amazed at how they are both relaxing and good exercise for the mind, while providing inspiration and profound introspection for the soul.

MT Puzzle
Strewn throughout the book are also beautiful photos with words of wisdom from Ingrid Coffin, like the one above, “You are the finest puzzle in your life…. Enjoy putting yourself together.”

Enjoy this book whenever you need a little time to yourself, a break from work, to keep entertained while waiting for someone or something, or as a daily ritual to give you food for thought and inspiration.

INTERVIEW with Ingrid Coffin, author of the inspirational Meta-Thoughts you reach at the end of each puzzle in The Word Search Sage…

The solutions to the word searches in these puzzles are called Meta-Thoughts. Can you explain that term?

Meta-Thoughts are broader, more abstract thoughts that address life from a higher level than the thoughts we might have about what to have for lunch.  They are intended to be a bit cheeky.  Kind of like a sassy Jiminy Cricket reminding us that we create our own world and that much of what we create begins with our thoughts.

Where do you get the inspiration for the Meta-Thoughts?

I communicate a lot and hear myself saying Meta-Thoughts almost every day while working with other people. The trick is to catch them before they float away. I’m finally getting pretty good at that after more than 15 years of practice.

How can the reader best use these Meta-Thoughts?

I use Meta-Thoughts in a variety of ways.  Often I write them in my journal. Sometimes I just print them from my computer and post them in strategic places in my home and office. Of course, they are also there every Monday waiting for me on my phone.  The secret is to place them as a constant reminder of what I am working on.

For instance, if I am starting a new venture, I might post “First Feet. Then Wings” to encourage myself to start at the beginning and carefully navigate my way to successful completion.  Or I might choose “Have I left myself out of my schedule?” to remind me of my priorities.

The way you can use them is limited only by your imagination.

What do you think is the most important benefit of the Yoga for the Brain puzzle books?

Keeping your brain sharp and active is crucial to enjoying a long life.

Exercising the mind is the way to do that, and Yoga for the Brain provides the exercise it needs.

Personally, I use the word puzzles to help me relax at night and get to sleep, to keep me occupied in waiting rooms and on airplanes and just generally to enjoy a pause that refreshes.

Cristina Smith, author of The Word Search Sage, describes you as a “mystic.” What does the description mean to you?

Everyone is part mystical and part magical. The right-brained people are more mystical. The left-brained more magical. I am a right-brained, mystical person, which means I create the image of the result I desire in my own imagination, using my intuition as a drawing board.

Fortunately, I have been trained to work magically as well as mystically. I am able to take the vision from within my imagination and craft it in the physical world. In my opinion, a cooperative relationship between mystical and magical is what works best for everyone in all aspects of life. This is what I teach to those who work with me.

How can readers learn more about Meta-Thoughts?

It’s easy to subscribe to my weekly Meta-Thoughts.  Just go to http://www.Meta-Thoughts.com and provide your name and email address.

What other ways can readers connect with you and learn about your work?

In addition to my love of Meta-Thoughts and The Word Search Sage, I am an evolutionary astrologer, a teacher in the western esoteric tradition and the founding director of Blue Sky Ranch in Lakeside, California.  More information is available at http://www.ingridcoffin.com.

The Word Search Sage and The Word Search Oracle are both available on Amazon.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

The Chakra Blog

 

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Replacing Stress and Depression with Joy! Joy! Joy!: #BookReview and #AuthorInterview


Screen Shot 2017-11-13 at 7.34.25 AMThe subtitle of Joy! Joy! Joy! says it all. Read this book and you’ll discover 7 Mind Body Spirit Self-Help Practices to Relieve Stress, Reverse Memory Loss and Live Happy – I Did It! You Too Can Bust the Blues.

Ellen Wood, author of the award-winning Think and Grow Young, now shares how she transformed her many physical and emotional problems to remain peaceful and joyous by making these practices into daily habits: observing your thoughts, releasing toxic emotions, using affirmations, power posing, dry brushing your skin, meditating and doing something good for someone.

Her gripping memoir of depression, Alzheimer symptoms, cancer and other distressing situations are interwoven with how she coped, and then miraculously freed herself of chronic stress and the blues.

Ellen cites many experts and clinical studies that show how these quick and simple Mind-Body-Spirit practices help people remain calm, productive and joyful no matter what is happening in the world around them.

She also sprinkles words of wisdom throughout her story:

“When something bad happens, say ‘Something good will come of this,’ then expect something good and watch for it.”

You can take charge of your thoughts and emotions, says the author, for example…

“Stress doesn’t come from what’s happening to us, but from our response to what’s happening.”

The book is entitled Joy! Joy! Joy! because if you put these techniques into practice, you’ll find yourself, like Ellen Wood, filled with joy for no reason, with a closer connection to your inner knowing and to spirit.

“Love is often an action first, then a feeling. You love yourself by taking actions in the direction of your wellbeing.”

Ellen Wood, at 80, is an inspirational speaker and writer, and I encourage readers of Joy! Joy! Joy! to follow her blueprint, using the bonus Daily Practice Checklists in the back of the book to help you anchor new habits that will transform your life too.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Ellen Wood, author of Joy! Joy! Joy!:

What would you like readers to take away from your new book?

 In just minutes a day, by making these 7 mind/body/spirit practices into habits, you can change your life forever. If you’re stressed out and have the blues, and it seems like the whole world is going crazy, these habits can calm your mind and help you access inner peace and joy. If you are experiencing mild memory loss (and perhaps worrying about Alzheimer’s because a parent died of it), take heart: through these practices I was able to reverse early Alzheimer’s – even though I have the Alzheimer’s gene, APO-e4. Meditation alone has been proven in scientific studies to reverse memory loss, in addition to reducing stress, anxiety and depression, among other benefits. Some of these studies are cited in my book.

You write of reconnecting to your true nature. How does one do that?

By practicing Meditation (Daily Practice #6) and by experiencing “life” in the present moment through our senses (as explained in Daily Practice #7) – inviting our divine nature to see through our eyes, hear through our ears, taste with our mouth, smell with our nose and feel through our skin or fingertips – we can reconnect to our true nature. Observing our thoughts (Daily Practice #1), Releasing Toxic Emotions (Daily Practice #2) and Affirmations (Daily Practice #3), especially surrendering control and allowing our Inner Self to lead, are also techniques for reconnecting.

How can a person have joy – no matter what?

Our essential nature is JOY and we have access to that joy when we stay rooted in the present moment. Joy and love are innate. (On the other hand, HAPPINESS is dependent upon a situation or circumstance – often fleeting – that delights our human nature.) We suffer when we dwell on something terrible or regretful that happened in the past or we fear something that might happen in the future. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychologist and author of the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, survived and even experienced BLISS in the concentration camps of the Holocaust.

 Why is it so important to be in the present moment?

There is POWER in the present moment. And we can access that power when we still our mind and experience the NOW moment.

Can you summarize how we can love ourselves just as we are, when we want to be better people?

Loving yourself just as you are is part of the PROCESS of creating a more magnificent you. I’ll give an example of why I say we can love ourselves just as we are AND want to do practices to CHANGE the way we are: Suppose you buy an old house – one that had been neglected and has a garden that is nothing but weeds. Shortly after fixing up the house and moving in, you go to the nursery and bring home flower seedlings. As you stand there for a moment and look at that garden full of weeds, if you’re like most people, you won’t think: Oh, I hate this garden. It’s so ugly.

No. You feel a thrill of creation as you decide which patch of earth to start on. Then you kneel down and pull out the weeds, turn over the soil, dig some holes, put the seedlings in, cover the roots with earth and pat around each one with both hands. And you love the feeling of creating your beautiful garden. In fact, you love your beautiful garden already even though most of it is still full of weeds.

Think of yourself as a garden you’re creating. Love yourself just as you are as you weed and till and plant the seeds of a more magnificent expression of you. Celebrate every sprout and the eventual flowers. Loving yourself just as you are is essential for creating happiness.

How would you recommend this book be best used?

Read it all the way through once or twice, then commit to making those 7 practices into habits. In the back of the book is a section that contains 12 weeks of daily checklists to prompt you as you go about each day. (Or request a Word doc of the checklists by writing to ellen@bookofjoyjoyjoy.com.) Start with just two practices. Choose the two you feel will be the easiest for you to do for 21 consecutive days. Then after three weeks with the first two practices, add two more for another 21 days and three weeks later add two more and when you start your tenth week, you’ll integrate all 7 practices into your daily routine. If it works better for you, aim for 5 days a week for three weeks instead of 21 consecutive days. Check the box to the left of each practice to indicate which practices you’re working on that week. This is the process I used for myself beginning 13 years ago. It totally changed my life. I no longer need the checklists or sticky notes or other reminders. Well, actually I still have sticky notes in my life, like the ones on my desk that say, “Something good will come of this” and “What marvelous things do you have for me today?” Here’s one I recently put by my TV, “Where my attention goes, energy flows. (Do I really want to be stuck in politics?)”

To sample Ellen’s inspiration, sign up for her free gifts, including Affirmations to Grow Younger, plus sample Chapters from Think and Grow Young and Joy! Joy! Joy! at http://bookofjoyjoyjoy.com/. Both her books are available at Amazon.com.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

The Chakra Blog

 

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Author Ellen Wood, Becca Chopra, Becca's Inspirational Book Blog, Becca's Inspirational Book Recommendations, Book Review, Inspirational Book Review, Inspirational Books, Inspirational Read, meditation, Mind-Body-Spirit, Yoga & Meditation

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Yoga for the Brain? #BookReview and #AuthorInterview on THE WORD SEARCH ORACLE


CoverCombine a fun word game with profound insights, and you’re given a remarkable tool for spiritual development and self-realization.  The Word Search Oracle: Yoga for the Brain offers a creative, fun, meditative respite from the busy chatter of the mind… while flexing your brain.

What’s really unique is that each of the 60 word puzzles in the book is introduced by a philosophical Oracle on topics ranging from Fearlessness to Forgiveness.

And once you’ve worked out the puzzle, the words remaining in the grid make up a corresponding Mantra (yoga asana for the mind). These Mantras serve as positive affirmations to reprogram your mind for greater mindfulness, joy, health and love.

The Word Search puzzles provide cognitive training, cleverly disguised as fun. And the inspirational Oracles and Mantras help reprogram our thinking, replacing negative old thought patterns:

“…solving puzzles engages our ability to compare new information hidden in a puzzle with what is already dowloaded in our memory. As a result of our amazing neuroplasticity, neurons make new connections inside our brains, blending imaginative association and memory. We alchemize that data to pioneer new perspectives, conclusions and ideas… It is a kind of puzzle vision super power.”

TRY OUT PUZZLE VISION SUPER POWER, TODAY, FOR FREE.

Download and play with a sample puzzle from the book, titled Blessings, read the Oracle, find the hidden Mantra, and see how it can change your day:

Word Search Oracle Sample

The object of the game is to find and cross out all the words from the list below the puzzle. The words in this easy example can be found horizontally or vertically. Hidden within the puzzle is a secret message created by the letters not used. Place these letters in the blank lines to discover your Mantra… repeating this Mantra throughout the day will reinforce the Oracle Message about Blessing, and increase your awareness and appreciation of the good all around you.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, CRISTINA SMITH:

What inspired you to create the “Yoga for the Brain” books?

Travel, Sudoku and my brother were the inspiration for the series. A frequent flyer, I was bored with all of my reading material so, in true desperation, I turned to the puzzle pages of the inflight magazine. I saw the Sudoku and had an almost visceral reaction to them. My inner voice said something like, “Number puzzles- yargh! I don’t do those.”

Then I noticed how strong my opinion was of that innocent little puzzle and decided to try one. I was terrible at it. When my math genius brother Rick picked me up at the airport, I asked him if he was good at and liked Sudoku. The answer was yes. By the end of the visit, I decided to do an experiment. I wanted to see if I could train my mind to shift to a logic mode and learn to do Sudoku with a book of 300 easy puzzles.

It’s fascinating how sometimes the most unexpected things can trigger the deepest insights.

The most amazing thing happened. I delved into the puzzles and unexpectedly, deeply spiritual intuitive information came into my consciousness. Doing puzzles. I began to approach Sudoku as a path to spiritual awakening. It became a form of yoga. Yoga for the brain. I finished the puzzle book and suddenly, it became clear. I was writing a Sudoku book. I have been a freelance writer my whole career and have started numerous books. It was a totally crazy, surprising idea.

The Tao of Sudoku: Yoga for the Brain and our series was born. I asked my game creator brother Rick, to be the Puzzle Master and away we went! Since its publication, we have earned several literary awards. The book was so well received and we had so much fun creating the book, we decided to keep going. I invited my friends to play with me. Darity Wesley agreed so here we are now.

How did you work with the other contributors to the book?

The group synergy is an essential element of this book. Oracle Darity Wesley is my longtime colleague; Puzzle Master Rick Smith is my brother, and our Editor Extraordinaire is my lifelong friend Melissa Morgan. We collaborate, communicate and cooperate. We are highly supportive of each other’s expertise and perspective and enjoy highlighting our unique gifts. There’s a lot of love flowing in the veins of the entire process. Creating this book was an alchemical process. We all poured our best selves in to offer you our gold.

How would you recommend this book be best used?

The best way to use this book is one that feels right to you. It may vary depending on where your life is at in the moment. It could be used as a divination. Open the closed book and see what message comes to you. It could be used as a mindfulness practice. Notice perceptions and actions while doing a few puzzles and see what you can learn about yourself. It can be used as a personal mastery tool. You can pick a topic, work with the mantra for a period of time and see what happens. It is a wonderful way to entertain, maintain and train your mind. It’s great fun to do while traveling or waiting. Or you can just zip right through and enjoy the pure pleasure of puzzling.

What are the benefits of using Mantras?

Mantras are the yoga postures of the mind. They can quiet the mind so we can go beyond our brains to hear wisdom’s whispers. Like forms of hatha yoga, there are a variety of types and practices that can produce different results. They can help us shift our core beliefs by intentionally reprogramming our thought patterns.

Why did you use the Eye of Horus on your cover?

The cover of each book in our series, created by Rick, features a sacred symbol. The Yin/Yang is on The Tao of Sudoku: Yoga for the Brain. Our third book, The Word Search Sage: Yoga for the Brain, publishing in September 2017, will feature the ankh. The ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus on this book cover is particularly meaningful to Darity. It was part of the logo for her privacy and information security technology firm, Privacy Solutions, Inc., and now her A Modern Day Oracle™ logo. The Eye has a variety of meanings including protection, wisdom and health.

Please share your advice to readers.

Here are 10 tips to increasing your happiness quotient:

10. Nourish your curiosity.

9.  Offer your gifts.

8.  Give yourself credit for your successes.

7.  Fuel your love of learning.

6.  Think about what brings you joy.

5.  Be kind to yourself and others.

4.  Connect with your spiritual world daily.

3.  Remember you have a body.

2.  Have fun! It will sustain you as much as work.

1.  Know yourself better every day.

The Word Search Oracle: Yoga for the Brain and The Tao of Sudoku: Yoga for the Brain are both available on Amazon.com. To learn more or connect with Cristina Smith, see

https://www.facebook.com/CristinaEnergy/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9831520.Cristina_Smith

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets, Balance Your Chakras-Balance Your Life, and The Chakra Energy Diet
www.theChakras.org

The Chakra Blog

 

 

 

 

 

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author interview, Becca Chopra, Becca's Inspirational Book Blog, Becca's Inspirational Book Recommendations, Book Review, Inspirational Book Review, Inspirational Books, Inspirational Read, meditation, Reading Recommendations available on Amazon, Spiritual Books

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