love

Positive thoughts create positive outcomes- go after what you want!

Carrie Leave a comment

“You become what you think about most of the time.” – Brian Tracy

 “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Claude M. Bristol

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CMG original photo

I, like most humans, can worry about things.  There were times in my life that I felt there wasn’t anything else to do but either be in a state of bliss or be in a state of dysfunction and worry.  I know now that there is a way to be more balanced, to be more present- two things, meditation and positive affirmations.

Meditation provides me with a tool to become more present and by living in the present, more positive.  By focusing on my breath during meditation and allowing thoughts to arise and fall away, by coming back to my breath, I more quickly recognize the moments I fall into worry and distress or thinking about the past or the future.  Many times, thinking about the past or the future can cause people distress or do the opposite by taking you away to a fantasy of better times or a special moment you keep reliving but doesn’t exist anymore.

I have learned that my future is created in the moment.  What I do today, right now, is creating my evening, my tomorrow.  Live in the present and live it well.

Affirmations help me to live in the present in the best way I can and to feel good about myself while I am doing it.

We all have these negative tapes that we replay in our heads.  “My hair is horrible.”  “My clothes don’t fit right.”  “I can’t do this.”  As a yoga instructor, I even hear people saying them aloud!  “I am so out of shape.”  REPHRASE that!!!  “I am getting stronger….I am here doing yoga, I am soooo awesome!”

Affirmations are positive statements that you say to yourself, beliefs that you wish to change.  Some places that you could use affirmations in your life might be around your body image, your career, your relationships and your money situation. When do you hear that voice that says you can’t or you don’t?   Create positive statements for some of these.

If you hear yourself saying negative things around money, maybe you need to say, “Money comes easily and frequently.”  If it is around your body image, maybe you need to say, “ I have a strong and healthy body.”  Try some.  They aren’t permanent.  You can change them but say them daily, write them down and post them around your house.  We receive so many negatives on a daily basis.  We need to remember for every negative we must hear 10 positives to counter that one negative.

Note: affirmations aren’t LIES!  Some people have said to me, Carrie, I am 30 pounds overweight, how can I say I am healthy when I really am not?  I say, what you think and say is what you become.  Imagine yourself without that weight, imagine yourself eating differently, is it getting you to where you want by telling yourself how unhealthy you are?  I don’t think so.  Is worrying about a situation going to make it better?  No.  Think positive, create an affirmation for yourself and your life today!

Are you stuck in S.H.I.T? How to tame your dragon.

Carrie 2 Comments

The dragon within us (CMG original)

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

― Plato

I can easily get caught up in S.H.I.T.  For me, S.H.I.T is this feeling of being overwhelmed with my life, an inability to control situations, thinking that I have to do it all and then making that happen, wondering if anyone that is part of my life will just get their SHIT together and make my life easier?  Have YOU ever had this feeling?

S.H.I.T is an acronym that stands for Super High Intensity Thinking.  And although I’d like to say I coined this phrase, I did not.  An Al-Anon member who heard it from a speaker at a conference retold this story to me.  I’m still researching the source and when I find it, I want to give this person credit because this acronym has stuck in my head and is useful.

Super High Intensity Thinking is something I bet many of you can relate to.  I was just reading an interview of the author, Kelly McGonigal who has written The Neuroscience of Change, in the October issue of  Yoga Journal and she states that “Neuroscientists have found that everyone has a default state that the brain shifts into when we’re not fully immersed in an activity.  This state things about the future and past, makes judgments, and categorizes and compares everything.”  Ahhhhhh…. What a relief that is!  I thought I was just nuts!  Our brains are really hard wired with this chattering state and if left to its own devices, it would continue to go on this rampage.

How do you know when you’re in S.H.I.T. mode and how can you get out?  Ask yourself these questions: What patterns of your behavior tend to repeat themselves?  Do you have a default mode of thinking?  Is your default mode of thinking negative affirmations that sound like; “I can’t do it all,” “I am incapable, not loveable,” “I will always be alone”.  Or maybe your voice speaks to you like this; “People are always trying to screw me”, “How come all the jackasses are on the road when I am?” “ Why doesn’t anything work for _________ (insert your name here).”    It could be that S.H.I.T. not only sounds a certain way but may look a certain way.  Are you running around to every crisis that isn’t yours?  Are you fixing things that aren’t yours to fix or helping those that you think need helping?  This is all S.H.I.T.!!!

How do we get out of S.H.I.T.?  McGonigal states that “mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation can take us temporarily out of the default state of the mind and into an experiencing state.”  It’s about compassion, compassion for yourself and for others.  The brain will continually try and go back to its default stage.  It will remind you how uncomfortable mindfulness or yoga is and try to get back to its comfort zone… S.H.I.T. mode.  Knowing this, you can continue to focus on self-compassion and care.  Know that the only way out of S.H.I.T. is the awareness of it and then back to self-compassion and care.  AND once you begin to have compassion and care for yourself you can begin to see that everyone is just doing the best that they can given the tools that they have and you can start to feel compassion towards others.

With much love,

Carrie

Breathe in Balance #1

Carrie Leave a comment

Breathe In Balance isa work in progress.   Since I have not had a lot of time to write lately, please check out Breathe In Balance #1 for previous posts and ENJOY!

 

Quote for today:

“An authentically powered person lives in love. Love is the energy of the soul. Love is what heals the personality. There is nothing that cannot be healed by love. There is nothing but love.”
― Gary Zukav

True Love- “Boy and Dog” (CMG original) Port Wing, WI, Lake Superior 2012

Honor and Trust Your Gut

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Cherokee Park, October 2012 (CMG original)

I specifically remember times in my life that I had an inkling, a microsecond twang in my gut that I ignored. That microsecond cost me, many a times and for many years. It has taken me a long time to realize that those whisperings were coming from a higher source and that I need to find inner quiet in order to receive them.

At first, you may feel a feeling, literally in your gut. As a child you may have experienced this. Maybe you even got physically sick when things did not “feel” right? As an adult, it may be a soft whispering, a feeling of a heavy heart or “butterflies” in your stomach. Goosebumps may be a signal that something you are feeling is right on. Starting to notice these physical sensations is a start to tuning into to the higher vibrations of the Universe.

In today’s society, listening to your gut has become quite difficult. Society at large does not want us to be in tune with our Inner Self. There are distractions at every turn; TV, social networking, billboards, flashing lights, sounds. The ads tell us ‘you can be happy if you buy THIS!’ DISTRACTION!

Tune into your gut and tune out from the busyness all around you by taking time to be quiet each day. Personally, I like to get out into nature as much as I can but I don’t get to do it everyday. Some days I just find a quiet space in my home and focus on my breath. Light a candle, burn some incense, have a ritual to your quiet time. If you do yoga, do quiet yoga, move with your breath, do it slower than you normally do or sit longer in a posture. If a feeling arises, be with the feeling until it moves on. If a thought arises, let it go and come back to your breath.

If you haven’t ever taken time to be quiet start with 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes before you go to bed. You can do anything for 5 minutes!! Then, increase it over time. Try to commit to 15 minutes twice a day.

As you start to take time to be with yourself you will start to deepen the connection between your Inner Self and the Universe. That golden cord will strengthen and communication will be easier to receive.

Prayer for today:
“I ask that I be open today to be able to listen and hear my inner voice, the true voice of the Universe. Allow me to be quiet in my mind and heart so that I may receive the messages I need to hear.”

Namaste,
Carrie