Happy Thankful Thursday beautiful hearts!  I found this post on Instagram yesterday and I can't stop smiling!  How amazing is it that you are here at this time on the planet??  Your presence is bonafide fantastic...only one of you to complete the mission of living YOUR authentic life!! 

As you delve even deeper into the interior world within, what is it that you secretly yearn for?  And as you tap into that yearning, how can you bring more of this energy into your life? 

At your very essence, YOU are a miraculous being who said YES to the grand adventure of living.  As you dive into the grandness of YOU, what qualities can you call upon to support your forward movement in your life?  Embrace your talents, your strengths, your power, your awareness, your ability to love, and so forth.  

Believe in your yearnings.  Trust your curiosity.  Embrace the arms of your community.  Listen to the whispers of self.  Follow the energy of your essence.  Inhabit your heart.  Honor your gifts.  Live.  Live.  Live.

On this day and everyday may you bring forth the gifts of self.  May you share your kind and beautiful heart with the world!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Our first priority is to serve others. In the process of doing that, if you think that you have to take a little rest so that you can serve more, then go take rest. Still, your taking rest is for the purpose of serving. That's how you should eat, sleep, rest, bathe, everything. You take a bath with a nice soap not just to make yourself clean. You have to come here with a clean body so that you won't send out a bad odor to others. It is for the sake of others that you are keeping your body clean. It is to serve others that you eat your lunch. It is to serve others tomorrow that you go and rest tonight. We should think, "Everything I do is aimed towards serving others, my all is for others. "If we can apply this in our daily lives then we don't have to worry about taking care of ourselves. Each one is already taken care of by everyone else.
Even being overly enthusiastic in wanting to serve more is the wrong approach. That's egoism. You should simply serve in whatever way you can. Don't try to show off. Don't pretend that you can do more than you are able to. A parrot can talk to you, but not a donkey. Does the donkey get upset over it? No. It's happy as a donkey. It need not try to copy the parrot and then cry, "Oh, I can't even sing or repeat anything." If you have been created as a donkey, be happy as a donkey, because you have a purpose. If you have been made something else, be happy that way.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi- Peace, Peace, and so much peace

Excerpt from -The Golden Present by: Sri Swami Satchidananda


May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” 
― Thich Nhat Hanh

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  A common buzz word amongst the spiritual/Yogic/aware communities is 'mindfulness.'  When you think of this word, what comes to mind for you?  As I look up mindfulness in the dictionary, I find the definition, 'the state or quality of being mindful or aware of something.'  As I sit with the essence of mindfulness I am drawn to the work of Thich Nhat Hanh in his book entitled, "You Are Here."  

Upon opening the first page the reader is greeted with a magnificent invitation, "Every twenty-four- hour day is a tremendous gift to us.  So we all should learn to live in a way that makes joy and happiness possible.  We can do this."

As Hanh extends this invitation to the reader he goes on to share that a basic morning practice of following his breath allows for him to live more fully and presently aware.  "The way to maintain your presence in the here and now is through the mindfulness of the breath."  

Perhaps take a pause and as you breathe in, say to self, "Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.  As you breathe out, gently say, Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out."

Find kindness and space in the breath in, and gentleness on the breath out.  Open yourself up to the possibilities of expansion and love.  Allow the energy of the breath to continually connect you with the present moment.  Allow yourself to abide in this moment without rushing to change or fix anything.  Be with all the qualities of the 'self.'  The mere fact that YOU are breathing is a miracle.  

As you move throughout the day and through your week, may you be encouraged to live more mindfully through your breathe.  Perhaps adopt a mantra that anchors you to the act of breathing in and breathing out.  

Wishing you all presence and peace as you make way for great joy and happiness in your life.  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Thursday beautiful hearts!!  Today I am so very grateful to announce that my sweet friend Lexi, LMT and I will be offering a Yin Yoga and Vedic Thai Massage at Studio Oxygen in Poland,Ohio on Friday July 1st, 2016 from 6-8pm.  The cost of the class is $25.00 and we hope to see many familiar faces as well as new Yogi's.  

As both a student of this amazing practice as well as an instructor, it always gives me great joy to connect with people on this level.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE YOGA and that I LOVE TO SHARE YOGA!  Yoga has been an integral part of my journey and growth process.  It has held a space of love and acceptance for me as I repeatedly show up on my mat.  Everyday is a chance to experience the newness of self- a different body than yesterday, a new set of circumstance, a constant changing state of emotions, and so on.   As Bernie Clark so beautifully stated, "Our goal in life is not to become perfect; our goal is to become whole."  The path to wholeness is paved with contrasts and duality.  

With that being said, Yin Yoga is a wonderful compliment to the 'physical, sweaty- muscular' Yang practices that we participate in.  Yin yoga offers us another chance to connect with our wholeness in a different way.  As one participates in the practice of Yin yoga, the focus shifts from the dynamic 'physical' practice of yoga into the tissues and ligaments of the body.  As you connect to the 'Yin' aspects of self, you'll begin to notice a space of allowance, resiliency, and care.   Our worlds are comprised of Yin and Yang aspects.  Can you look into your own life and notice when you need more Yang energy and when you need more Yin energy?  

In our Friday evening class we will be combining the subtle nature of Yin Yoga with Vedic Thai massage.  This fusion of mind, body, and spirit is intended to work the sen lines (energy lines) of the body.  Delight in the ancient folk art of Vedic Thai massage as you relax even more deeply into the healing postures of Yin Yoga.  
Vedic Thai massage encourages a small level of interaction between massage therapist and Yogini to reap the most serene benefits.  If you’re ready to relax and be transformed in body, mind and spirit, we can’t wait to see you Friday July 1st!  Space is limited, call 330-757-9644 to reserve your space or sign up on the MindBody app.  

May you be reminded today to share your gifts with the world!  It's not about being perfect, it's about finding ways to connect and re-connect with your wholeness!  Share this gift of self with the world!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In gratitude, 
​Sarah 

 


So what is 

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  Over the weekend I finished a remarkable book, Breaking Free from the Victim Trap: Reclaiming Your Personal Power, by Diana Zimberoff of The Wellness Institute.  I have been reading fragments of this book for months.  As I know notice the pages of the book I can't help but chuckle.  The headers are full of insight, chapters are highlighted with various shades of the rainbow, and sticky tabs fringe the edge of the book.  There is so much wisdom chalked into 165 pages!   I have found this profound wisdom to be life changing.  

I am a firm supporter that the Universe offers the most crucial pieces of the puzzle when we are ready for them, until then perhaps we fumble with the edges-trying to make something fit.  We see the totality of the picture, but we can't always be sure how it fits together.  How many times have you sat down to put together a puzzle and have found yourself frustrated or overwhelmed with the details?  Perhaps you repeatedly try to make the same combo work, but to no avail.  How is this puzzle metaphor like your life? 
 
It is only when we become conscious of another way that we begin to reap the benefits of awareness.  There are many awarenesses born throughout our lives at very divine moments.  An undeniable awareness for me in my personal work has been the ability to discover threads of the 'Victim, Rescurer, and Persecutor' energy.  Eek...a few years ago I would have felt shame about identifying these parts of myself, but owning them is powerful.  It is only when we own our shadows that we can change them- we can bring them to the light and heal them! 

These puzzle pieces have been essential in discovering the development of healthy relationships, self esteem, forgiveness, love, and this unending grace that appears as a natural benefit of participating in 'your work.'  This 'work' will be my work until I take my last breath.   How about you?
 
This book has helped me to identify when I have been participating in the 'Victim Triangle' as identified by The Wellness work.  This 'Triangle' is comprised of old programs that we have running in our unconscious.  While we run these old programs, we often recreate experiences that are long tied to outdated childhood thought patterns and behaviors. 

I'm profoundly grateful for this work and I want to share it with the world!!  This work heals, it cracks our hearts wide open, it offers opportunities to forgive, it allows us to live our lives in a more conscious way!!  Awake and aware my friends!  We are all in Earth School together!
 
Here's an excerpt from Diane's book that has the trifecta importance stamp!!!(highlighted, underlined and tabbed in my book!)

"...we are provided with relationships that give us the opportunity to heal or change the old unhealthy patterns of our past.  Whether the past is other lives, or the recent past of our families, is not the main issue.  Through our relationships we must learn to love ourselves and others; it's that simple. 
Just as in business the bottom line is money, in relationships the bottom line is love.  Love seems to be so difficult for us and yet it is so simple that children can do it better than we can as adults.  Why do we take such a simple basic feeling and complicate it with pain and hurt and fear?
We use it to manipulate others and control their lives.  We use it as a tool and a weapon in the battlefields of our relationships.  And what are all the battles about?  About love!!  Am I love able? Do you love me?  Do I love you?  Do you love someone else?  Instead of relationships being our battlegrounds, they must become our universities.  Within the walls of these universities we learn what self esteem is all about.  We learn that to love ourselves is the opposite of being selfish.  When we feel good inside, it is like having a we. That is filled with love; we have so much more to give to others.  When there is self-hate and insecurity inside, that is all we have to give to others." 
​We get so focused on making some else prove that they love us, all the while never being able to accept that we are lovable.  So many people feel unworthy of love that they destroy relationship after relationship, unable to accept the love that is there.  So loving ourselves is the key to successful relationships."  

May these words resonate with your heart and may you remember that the bottom line is all about love!  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” 
― Epicurus

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  Today I want to take a moment to invoke the energy of gratitude. As you begin your day, as you dive into the new week, call on the energy of gratitude to transform your life. 

Warning...here are some of the side effects of gratitude!  Take caution, gratitude may well change your life!!  Gratitude has been known to make your cheeks hurt from smiling.  Gratitude has also been known to cause your heart to grow exponentially (remember what happened to the Grinch on Mount Krumpet?).  Gratitude will take you out of the energy of being a victim and into the energy of being a victor!  Lose the story and step into your power!  Gratitude has been known to wake people up from simply going through the motions of their life and tune into their divine essence.  Autopilot allows you to miss so many moments of your life.  

Gratitude halts complaining as we realize there is more than enough abundance for all!  YOU are meant to be abundant in the spiritual, mental, emotional, financial areas of your life!! Gratitude has been known to transform our relationship to our bodies...check yourself out, this body is your vehicle to experience the physical world!  Why not offer yourself some love instead of hating up on your 'perceptions' of how you think you should be or look.  Gratitude dials the energy of our hearts into the 'love playlist' station on the radio.  Light the candles, embrace your vulnerability, show the world what your heart is made of!  We don't have time for the chatter of the ego mind when we are in a space of gratitude.  Gratitude helps us to lose our attachments to how we 'think' life should be (one of our first mishaps is wanting something other than what is).  This totally zaps your energy!

The list of life changing side effects could continue on and on.  When you tap into the energy of gratitude, you may very well change your life.  Where you saw problems, you'll notice miracles occurring.  Where you once struggled, you can now relax into the surrendered arms of gratitude.  Trust that gratitude has got your back!  Trust that at any time you can harness the energy of gratitude in your life.  

A great question that gets me back into the essence of this amazing energy is, "five years from now, will this situation/thought/behavior/person/etc still be swirling around in my consciousness?"  

Have an amazing kick ass grateful day!!  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Friday gorgeous hearts!  This beautiful SoulRocker is such an encouraging voice on the planet.  As he retraces his own ancestral steps, he asks a question that most all of us have pondered, "Who am I?"  He opens the dialogue in which we begin to find meaning in something that is perhaps greater than the 'self.'  We begin searching for a 'Self' that brings us peace and connection. Maybe this connection and peace arises from the grand temple of nature, perhaps this peace comes from God, Jesus, Buddha, (insert your belief here), perhaps it comes from holding a baby and being truly present, or maybe it arises when you are kind to your body?  Whatever the vehicle, the destination is the same- may we all walk towards the 'Self' that represents LOVE!  This benevolent presence connects us to the heartbeat of all that is!

Wishing you all an amazing day full of peace, love and understanding...and of course an awesome song to take you into your weekend!  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah