My Come To Jesus Moment

There’s only one name I call on for spiritual protection; Jesus Christ.

I’ve been a false teacher these last few years, and I have to make it right. To those who are finding my blog from this date forward, I’ll explain that I had up until recently been providing energy healing work called Akashic clearings. Moving forward I am in a new season. I intend to write here, but I don’t have a clearly defined niche at the moment. Just me, living and growing out loud.

A few weeks ago I experienced a nightmare in real life. To honor others involved I will not and cannot share the story in detail. It has to be vague. I’m sorry if that’s frustrating or off putting.

What I’m open to sharing and what I feel is important to share is that in real, awake, non meditative, non metaphorical, non spirituality related life - I spoke with evil.

In the moment I was strong and instinctive. I called on Jesus, I prayed in full faith and He ended the nightmare.

I was shaken to my core. I am forever changed and humbled by the grace of God. In the moment my bravery and faith kicked in, but afterwards the reality of how terrifying the event was set in. I’m still healing.

I had an immediate knowing that the Akashic Records were the portal it came through. But of course I didn’t want to believe that.

So I prayed that God would give me the signs I needed to know for certain. The signs came in clear as day. The signs came through my dreams as well as different people in different conversations saying the same exact messages to me.

This story is layered and the aftermath is a process. Healing is a process. I’ve thrown out all my occult related books and I’m in the process of removing all of my branding and calls to action related to the work I was offering.

I am deeply sorry for guiding from an unholy space.

In terms of positive mindset, living in alignment with God, soul truth, and love, I know I’ve spoken from my heart in what I believe to be true. It has always been and still is my intention to spread love and empowerment.

Where I went wrong was engaging with and leading from a space that is not the pure space many claim it to be. I am sorry. I am working on forgiving myself and accepting the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

True Beauty, Inner Truth, And Expression

Soul journaling is a powerful way to slow down and connect with your deep inner truths.

My creativity doesn’t come from the aesthetic of my waistline.⁣

Let me try that again:⁣

My creativity doesn’t come from my aesthetic at all.⁣

Yes - I like being pretty. I like being strong. I even like my waistline. ⁣

But I am utterly exhausted with the aesthetic obsessed culture of social media. ⁣

So here is a picture of my reality. I just finished a brisk walk, short run, and a little bit of toning. My body is asking me to not push my energy to exhaustion.. and I’m listening. I’m being gentle with myself.⁣

Now I’m writing. Hair 2 days unwashed and now full of sweat. Belly folding because I’m a human. ⁣

I haven’t had the space to just be with myself to this capacity in a few weeks. Next I’ll be showering and making myself more - dare I say it - stunning (or professional), for a client session. But I caught a glimpse of my sweaty, stinky, crazy haired self in the mirror and thought, “I wish there was more of this on IG.” ⁣

Being a human is not about being an aesthetic. Having a business and being a brand are not the same thing. ⁣

⁣Can we bring reality back to social media?⁣

Can we celebrate art and aesthetic as something different than an avatar?⁣

I’m imperfect. I’m learning. I’m taking action. I’m growing. And I like who I am. Red spots, folds, and all.⁣

Because under the aesthetic is - me.⁣

And while my true self likes pretty clothes and makeup as one means of self expression, that’s a very small part of who I am and what I’m capable of.⁣

Same for you.

The deeper Self, my soul self wants space to be, reflect, and express her truths. As a society we have let our preoccupation with image overwhelm our most valuable commodity — space and time.

This is the path of learning to honor our feminine desire to be beautiful, feel beautiful, and express beauty in our outer essence and image — while allowing this outer expression to stem from a space of deep truth within.

Beauty truly comes from within. It’s a resonance and a glow.

5 Steps To Stop Snacking Or Binging At Night

I'm often asked about how to break the habit of snacking after dinner or over eating at night. There's obviously more too it than I can share in a ten minute video, but these 5 steps if employed, can absolutely shift your current reality beyond your wildest expectations.

We tend to put a great deal of focus on food as the bad guy, when in reality, food is a fall guy.

Everything I teach will bring you back to radical self love, passion, purpose, and responsibility for yourself that feels like partnership between body, mind, and soul. 

That is the real trick. And it's not actually a trick... it's called living fully. 

When you learn to shift focus off of thinness, dieting, and following arbitrary rules (that constantly change in favor of "frankenfood science" rather than true health and wellness), it's as though a veil or fog lifts. Food is fuel. It's not an enemy.

Food is wonderful, delicious, and can help you reach your goals! The only goal food can't help you with, is trying to avoid it. 

This video will help shed light on how you could be using food to meet your very real human needs at low levels. This is how food becomes the fall guy. Then you can use the journaling prompts in the video to help you map out higher level ways to meet those needs.

When your body is nourished with nutrients, your mind is nourished with entertainment and intellectual stimulation, and your heart is nourished with love, connection, and purpose, snacks and mindless eating happen less and less often... until you have finally nourished yourself to a healed cycle.

If you have questions or comments, please comment below, or send me a direct message. :)

I always send out a special tip or journaling prompt to my email list with all my new blog posts and videos! If you’re ready to create real healing and growth in your life, sign up to receive my free ebook, 11 Steps To Love Your Body Now! The ebook is full of great information to get you started, AND you’ll be added to my email list so you can start receiving the bonus prompts and tips I send out.

Becoming Body Confident - Losing Trust In My Body (Part 1)

Gymnastics photo, age 14. Very much in the middle of my struggle with health.

Someone asked me today what my story is regarding becoming confident in my body, and when did I decide to do deeper inner work to strengthen my pathway to confidence.

The answer is a multi layered set of stories, and I’m excited by the challenge of putting it all into words. My confidence in my body is completely entwined with my spiritual, emotional, and mental development. I had a few growth spurts, and when I look back on my path, I can see how I was taking a few roads to growth all at once.

I’ll start at the beginning.

If I was anything as a kid, I was body confident. I was madly in love with ballet and gymnastics, despite the fact that I didn’t have the body or natural skill for either. They made my heart happy, and that translated to freedom in my body. I felt innate freedom to express myself through movement, and I learned to defy realities like gravity, and inflexibility. With hard work and dedication I could develop skills that were impossible to the majority of my peers. In my body, and with my body, I was fearless. My body was my favorite friend.

It was like a playground built into my existence. I felt limitless. I don’t know how else to describe it.

Fast forward to middle school, that’s when my health started to notably decline. I was checked by a doctor and my health was deemed “normal.” But it wasn’t normal. I felt like I was wearing ankle weights while tumbling. Everything physical was harder, not to mention I was exhausted all the time. I yawned all day, I was mentally sluggish, and I caught every cold and flu that went around. I felt betrayed by my body… but also like I knew I couldn’t accept this as my new normal.

I cried at practices a lot during this time… the only place outside of my home where I would have full on, ugly cry, breakdowns. I did all the conditioning. I didn’t cheat. I worked hard, and yet my body would not go over the vault, and some days my body refused to participate in tumbling drills.

I didn’t quite blame my body. I just thought something was inherently wrong with me. The gym was the one place in the world where I had felt like I fully belonged… and yet there I was, failing over and over.

In high school it got worse.

I had to drop out of track because I couldn’t run a single lap around the track without doubling over wheezing. Then during a swim meet, I did the unthinkable. My coach had signed me up for a race I simply couldn’t complete. I was struggling to breathe, and finally just got out of the pool. I walked to the showers while my competitors finished their race. I tried to wash the failure and shame off of me. I tried not to completely break down… but my illness wasn’t visible, and it wasn’t diagnosed. It didn’t make any sense that I couldn’t complete this swim. I just looked like a quitter - and I felt like one.

Far beneath my emotions about all that my body wasn’t doing for me, I still felt this small voice of truth letting me know that this burden on my body wasn’t normal and it wasn’t a long term reality. That was my intuition guiding me, giving me hope.

Can you relate to this? Maybe it’s not athletics for you - it could be that you developed acne, or your energy level tanked, or you put on weight in a way that doesn’t reflect your lifestyle. There are countless ways this kind of burden presents for each of us.

In my next post I’ll talk about how I found the answer I was looking for, and how it completely changed the course of my life for the better.

In another post I’ll dig into all the experiences I had during this early part of my iife where I had to create strong boundaries for myself. I had to stand up for myself when adults treated me unfairly, and as I created space for my healing.

My journey to good health was also a journey to my freedom in my voice. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Why Am I Bored All The Time? | Boredom & Quarantine

The Six Human Needs: Uncertainty & Variety

Hey Friends! In this video I break down the human need for variety and how being cooped up during quarantine may have you feeling extra aggravated. Variety is the spice of life - this may be why you keep reaching for snacks… it breaks up your day, right?

It’s okay if you’re eating more than normal. It’s even okay if you put on a few pounds. You are not your body. However, I do want to provide you with tools and insights to help you maintain mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical balance. When you employ the tools I’ve been sharing in my 6 human needs video series, you empower your soul self to be the boss of your ego self… this ultimately feels more aligned and peaceful.

Have a listen, and let me know if you have any lightbulb moments! I love hearing from you! Do you have any mind, body, soul related questions that I can answer? Comment below, or send me a direct message here.

Are You ready to love yourself deeper than ever? Snag my FREE ebook 11 Steps To Love Your Body Now!

Are you thinking about working with me to deepen your relationship with your inner self, body, and purpose in this life? I’d love to connect with you! Schedule your FREE breakthrough session here!

Love & Light to you,

Natalie Pfund

Integrative Wellness Coach in Honolulu, Hawaii

Virtual and in person coaching and courses to meet you where you are!

Overcome Insecurity & Perfectionism | Find Yourself ~ Love Yourself

Kahala Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii - Swimsuit by Pualani Hawaii (link below)

I used to think all my perceived failures were a reflection of my shortcomings. Proof that I wasn’t worthy of what I wanted. ⁣

⁣
I remember being so insecure in middle school that I would stand perfectly still, trying to be casual. Perfectly casual. The ballerina in me didn’t know casual, so I tried... and someone called me out on being stiff as a board... and I was a failure at being casual. ⁣
⁣
Then I was a failure at getting a boyfriend. I thought it must be that I wasn’t pretty enough - perfect enough in some way. Maybe I needed better clothes, better hair, a better nose, or just to be a more normal person.⁣
⁣
But then my reality flipped - when I learned that the pool of guys I was trying to be seen by weren’t the kind of guys who valued wild women... and even though I’d tried for a lifetime to fit in, I’ve always been a wild woman - more tapped in to the unseen world than I understood. ⁣
⁣
But people knew. Others could sense my depth, and didn’t want to see the mirror I offered. We have a fear of depth, us humans. The darker the water, the harder to predict what’s underneath. ⁣
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And then one day - at my very first acupuncture session, the practitioner helped me understand that I was carrying burdens that didn’t belong to me. (Anxiety that caused an ulcer at age 22). He taught me how to surrender other people’s stress. He taught me how to own what’s mine, to let go of what’s not mine, and empowered me with some dietary healing tips. That was a tremendous new beginning for me. ⁣
⁣
This marked my second wave of emotional and physical healing that lead to more spiritual clarity on my next few steps. Translation; it felt like lightheartedness, confidence, and a level of comfort in my body that I hadn’t known since childhood.
⁣
Now I teach my own system to help women find this kind of confidence and comfort. I’m offering 50% off my course Love Your Body Now. It will zoom you though a decade’s worth of personal growth. Plant the seeds, water them, and let yourself bloom!

Schedule your free breakthrough call by tapping the button. :) On our call you can ask me any questions you have about one on one coaching, my program, and me.

Perfectionism and anxiety are often closely entwined. Where there is a standard of perceived perfection, there will often be failure. This is a setup for a very stressful and emotional cycle of existence. You don’t have to carry all this weight… but in order to let it go, you have to learn the tools to do so, AND employ them.

That’s what my course teaches. I call it Love Your Body Now, but it’s about so much more than your body. It’s about how we humans approach life. Unfortunately when we strive for perfection, our bodies often end up in the line of fire. Either with physically abusive tendencies toward them; starving oneself, working out to complete exhaustion, earning food, etc… Or mental and emotional abuse: negative self talk, self loathing, expecting the worst, etc…

This can all be changed and healed with time and practical investments of self and energy. You have to learn how to change the reality you understand in your mind. Then everything (yes everything) else changes for the better.

You are an incredibly powerful human. Wherever you are on your healing journey, you’re even more powerful on the other side of whatever fear is slowing you down.

Call me. Let’s talk. :) I want to help you get there… To that beautiful place in your mind, where you understand your body as a friend, a teacher, and vessel for your extraordinary spirit.

Love and light,

Natalie Pfund

Integrative Wellness Coach

Love my swimsuit? It’s by one of my favorite companies. :) Check them out! This is not sponsored, I just want to share the love: https://www.pualanihawaii.com/

The Six Human Needs During Coronavirus - Identify Why You Do What You Do (Part 1)

Hey Friends!

We all know that globally we are in the middle of something huge. There’s a great deal of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty surfacing as we all face variations of the same life changing experience.

When we are in fear, we tend to make short term choices… this is totally normal and find, however, these short term band-aide choices often become habits. Habits are really hard to change. Unless you understand what’s driving them.

Enter through stage left - The Six Human Needs!

• Love and connection

• Certainty

• Uncertainty/Variety

• Significance

• Growth

• Contribution

We are all meeting all of these needs with every single choice or non-choice (still a choice) we make every day. The twist is that we can meet these needs very easily at low levels. However, with a little bit of understanding and awareness, you can just as easily shift your choices to meet your needs at higher levels.

This is a simple but life changing concept. I hope you’ll join me by watching the video to learn more about all six human needs as well as go a little deeper on Love & Connection.

This is the first video in a brand new series about the human needs and their relationship to our current situation - being quarantined and socially distant due to coronavirus. I know that this experience is an opportunity for many people to go inward… to do the inner spiritual and mental work they haven’t had time to. I challenge you to use this time to heal, recharge, and grow.

When we get to the other side of this, our country and our globe is going to need your love driven creativity as we put the pieces of our economy back together. You are an important part of the health of our planet, and humanity. Let’s use this time to strengthen you from the inside out.

Also, I want to support you in any way I can during the covid19 pandemic, so I’m offering a FREE 1/2 hour healing and clarity session to anyone who needs help grounding and seeing the beauty in the bigger picture.

This session will provide clarity on your next few steps in caring for your mental, spiritual, and physical wellness, as well as help you identify your unique and important role in the community moving forward. This is for you if you’ve been feeling stress, fearful, anxious, confused, lost, or helpless… or anything in near, or on the spectrum of being off balance or out of sorts. There’s nothing wrong with these feelings, but they can be an invitation to explore love based next steps. All you ever need is one next step. Hop on a call with me, and we will get you some clarity.

Love and light,

Natalie Pfund xoxo

How To Align Yourself With Sustainable Health In Mind, Body, & Diet

I planted several cilantro seeds when we moved into this house a few years ago. A small few sprouted, but none of them survived. I planted more. Silence from the dirt.

Time went by and I planted more cilantro seeds. Still nothing.

Then winter hit… lots of gray sky and rain… the opposite of what I thought cilantro would want. I noticed a few weeds growing in this bin and went to pull them.

Growing among the weeds, I found my little cilantro friend!

Immediately I saw the metaphor. I’ve been planting a lot of seeds for myself the last few years… and while I’ve grown and made lots of progress, my seeds haven’t taken on their own life.

This little sprout has a two fold message for me:

1. You never know when life is going to surprise you with exactly what you’ve been working toward. Gifts can sprout up out of the dirt even after I’ve given up on the project or strategy delivering.

2. Maybe I would have had more success if I had researched growing cilantro in Hawaii more thoroughly. Maybe I’ve been stunting my opportunities for growth by taking a fast and less efficient route..

This reminds me of working with my clients…. We all have goals that we want to find the magic - overnight answer for. But if you’re betting on magic, you have to wait for magic’s timing.

If you’re willing to do some research and map out a plan of action, there’s far more likelihood of little dreams sprouting up.

Let’s take weight loss as an example. If you want to lose weight, many people start with what media has taught us are the two fastest ways to lose weight:

1. Reduce calories.

2. Exercise more.

Unfortunately this strategy rarely pays off in the long run. The body needs nutrients, so calorie reduction only makes the body stressed out until it reaches a breaking point and gives you ALL THE MOTHERLOVING CRAVINGS! That’s when my clients blame themselves for falling off the wagon and eating something considered unhealthy… and potentially dropping into full binge mode.

Similarly, exercising more will often make people hungrier. The body is used to maintaining a set point, so if you burn extra calories, but you don’t change your relationship with food, you’ll eat more food, and they will be less likely to be aligned with the body’s genuine cravings.

What do I mean by genuine cravings?

We all know about cravings, but the general conversation around them is that cravings are evil little devils that have come to murder your dreams of being thin enough.

The body craves what it needs: fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

It’s the body’s job to tell you what it needs. It’s your job to train your mind and your tastebuds to desire unprocessed, whole, and properly sourced foods.

If you never take the time to learn about proper nutrition, then you’re a slave to the processed food cycle that goes something like this:

• Eat too much of nutrient void foods that cause damage to the digestive tract.

• Feel bloated rather than satiated. (I didn’t know the difference until I healed my gut at age 23.)

• Suffer digestive upset.

• Stress to body’s digestive system.

• Stress to all the body’s systems as they cannot get what they need if food is void of nutrients and digestion is poor.

• Stress to the mind as you blame your own will power for failing you, when it’s really a whole system and environmental failure that probably started in childhood.

Cravings aren’t causing this cycle. Lack of proper education on nutrition and physiology in the general public is causing this cycle.

What do you do?

Learn about proper nutrition, and map out a plan to slowly shift your diet (eating style) to something unprocessed and nutrient dense. As you teach your mind and tongue to accept a new reality, over time you’ll find yourself ready to focus on more involved changes like healing the gut.

This process takes more than one choice one day.

When I first decided to make a shift in my eating style - I gave up dairy when I was 19 - I knew I couldn’t just quit cold turkey, so I experimented with it until I was certain it was giving me negative symptoms. Then I set the intention to quit dairy over the course of a year. I mapped out my plan, and I gave up dairy one food at a time… Until one final day when I took my last bite of an old fashioned donut, immediately hit an energetic brick wall, and said to myself, “Yep, last time I do that.” And it was.

It’s not about the quick fix. Aligning yourself with sustainable, good health or weight loss (the two are not always connected btw), requires a long game mindset and a long game plan. - Similar to my cilantro situation. ;)

That’s why I developed my Love Your Body Now course. It’s designed to align you mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically with long term changes so you can learn to tap into your own intuitive intelligence. Learning to identify the nutrient dense foods your body is craving will change your entire life… and the days that you want to indulge in a less nutrient dense food - you’ll have developed so much trust in your body and your mind, that it won’t be an event that generates fear and anxiety.

You can have a beautiful, symbiotic friendship with your body, and I’m here to guide you on that path. Please reach out with any questions. You can sign up for a FREE breakthrough call here. I love these calls because it give me a chance to get to know you better, as well as answer questions you have about my course and coaching style.

Thanks for reading! Talk soon!

Learn anything new? Leave me a comment letting me know what you appreciated!

Thanksgiving Centering Meditation

Happy Holiday Friends! I hope this meditation helps you start your day in a beautiful way. Have fun, and play safe out there! :)

Meditation For Self Love And Acceptance

Hi friends! Turn on your favorite meditation music, make yourself comfortable, and settle in for some truth and nourishment! You can lay down in savasana with palms up. You can rest your right hand on your belly, and the left hand on your heart. Or, you can find yourself in a seated position.

Let me know how your experience with this meditation goes, or if you have suggestions and ideas for my next one. :) Enjoy!

I found this GREAT new board game made for women, by women, called Sparked! From soulful conversations, to juicy surprise and laugh-until-you-cry-moments, you never know what will be sparked! Check it out! (This photo contains an affiliate link for a product that I enthusiastically support).

10 Signs Your Breakdown Is A Breakthrough Waiting To Happen

You know those times when it seems like everything you've been working toward is failing miserably? It's as if your feelings seem to be amplified through millions of molecule sized megaphones?

As a full time new mom, and a full time owner of two new businesses, I'm still in the learning phase of balancing both parts of myself. Both separately, and together.

This time last week I had ALL the feelings imaginable. (Actually lots of people were feeling that new moon).

I felt like I was a total failure, headed down a steep path to ALL the failure in the universe.

I had suddenly come to the end of my ability to hold my sh** together in its gracefully decorated package: Me - showered, dressed, and hustling hard with a baby on my hip and a smile on my face. I didn't even realize how much I'd been feeling deep inside, for so long, until I began exploding words all overy my handsome boyfriend. Like a hero, he calmly listened to me release all of the things that weren't working.

Then, together we created a plan that would work. I needed regular, uninterrupted work hours, and we found a way to carve them out of the schedule for me.

What he and I both know is that feelings don't define reality. How you respond to feelings is what shapes your reality. I had a choice: celebrate misery, or build a logical path to guide my emotional state to peace.

I bought a big family calendar and filled it in. We took action together to create more clarity around what was not working, and what will work as we move forward in this crazy dance called life.

Below is my list of ways you can tell that you're on a break-through path, rather than being stuck in a paralyzing breakdown.

1. You can see how fear has been holding back a truth that needs to escape for your sanity. You are willing to face that fear head on.

2. You can trace the winding trail of feelings deep within you, back to love and self protection.

3. You may hate being in the thick of it, but you know you must make your way through the ugly in order to put yourself in a new place.

4. You are ready and willing to let go of old habits and “normals.”

5. You are ready and willing to dive into the unknown.

6. The list of what’s not working is pouring out of you like the influenza.

7. You find yourself craving with your whole being to write the opposing list of what it is you need, and what will work.

8. You genuinely want to free yourself more than you want to wake up each day living the comfortable norm that you’re drowning in.

9. You already started writing those lists, so you can carve out the time and energy you need moving forward.

10. You come back to your breath, love, and forgiveness. Letting go of hurt and anger, so the past can transform into the energy of strength, and the future can unfold from the embodiment of purity and grace.

If you made it through the list and it sounds amazing to be able to find the breakthrough in your breakdowns, but you're not sure how to navigate it on your own, click here. Sign up for your free Initial Consultation today.

Every challenge in your life (mine too), is an opportunity for change and growth. What we see, and how we handle everything comes down to perspective and choice. I would love to coach you as you begin your big shift in perspective.

You are worthy of love and abundance. I'm here to help you believe it so much you live it effortlessly.

Thanks for reading, make good choices, & talk soon! :)

Like what you read? Tell me in the comments!

Your Body Is Not A Prison

You are not a prisoner of your body.

Media and advertising would have you believing you are. Actually, convincing you of the imaginary wall called, “your body’s shortcomings,” is a multi-billion dollar industry. You may even work in advertising and still fall prey to the ever present message that you are lacking. Miserably.

You are not a prisoner of your body. You are not defined by your body. You are the life inside your body. If there’s anything that can be learned from the flower growing in the cracked concrete, it’s that life doesn’t accept imperfection and difficulty as an end all boundary. Rather, life seeks and finds the route that leads to opportunity and growth.

The walls of your body, your skin, and your limitations are obstacles specifically designed to be overcome by you. You are meant to find the crack.

You are meant to embrace who you are and what you have. Fully. Deeply. Genuinely.

Make friends with your Self.

You’ll start to realize that what you lack cannot be bought. What you lack is not perfection. What you lack isn't even in the magazines.

The feeling of lacking comes from a deep need to connect with the Self, and to give from this pure place. To contribute meaningfully to society, and ultimately, to feel like you matter.

Making friends with your Self will dramatically change your expectations from your body. You will find that your body has likely been trying to speak to you for years about your truth.

Making friends with your Self doesn’t mean all your limitations melt away. It’s your perspective that melts into a new mold.

Your limitations, your pain, and your walls illuminate your greatest gifts once you find the right angle. It's from this angle that you'll see how you can really make a difference to those around you. This is where you'll find your path to passion, purpose, and belonging.

You are not a prisoner of your body.

Whatever your supposed flaw, however difficult the obstacle, the prison is in the mind.

The mind is the one who buys into the media. The mind is the one who decorates the merry-go-round of anxiety with webs of lies. The mind is the one who celebrates wallowing at the base of imaginary walls.

The mind is like the big brother who is not mature enough to be left in charge of the younger kids.

How does one escape? By deciding to overthrow the negative navigation of the mind. You escape when you decide to rebuild the pathways with heart based intentions - funded (of course) by taxes on the mind's wasteful use of anxiety.

Retrain your pathways with:

Breath, words of love, compassion, and friendship to your Self.

Assume your burdens, or symptoms are a conversations stemming from a place of love. "What is my body trying to teach me?" Ask yourself this question. Breath into it. Let it go, and refocus yourself on love several times a day. This creates a pathway for opportunity and growth - whereas, the mind tends to accept symptoms as a concrete slab.

Speak love into yourself until you know that your life is love. This may take weeks, months, or even years to fully set in. Start the conversation anyway.

This is how you set your Self free. This is how you learn to appreciate your body. This is how you can more fully embrace this life.

Your body: your friend, your teacher, your teammate =  your freedom.

This is not always an easy to go alone. If you want support in your journey to retrain the mind, visit my Consultations Tab for your free Initial Consultation. Underneath your obstacles, you'll find your greatest truth and joy. Let's uncover them!

Thanks for reading. Make loving choices. :)

Identify? Like this message? Leave a comment, and feel free to share!

This Conversation Will Actually Boost Your Metabolism!

Have you ever noticed that the exact millisecond you decide it's time to take control of your life and "eat healthy," you suddenly HAVE to have all your favorite foods like RIGHT NOW? Scarcity mindset can morph you into a stage 5 clinger (even... no especially to - food) if you're not careful.

How do you overcome this feeling that all will be lost if you choose a salad just this once? The answer is simple. Logic. Start holding this logical conversation with yourself every time you reach for a snack or meal. By simply asking yourself a few questions, you may find that you're not hungry, so much as you just need to drink some water, or get outside for some fresh air and change of scenery.

To begin, sit down and take 7 - 10 deep, slow breaths. When you've met yourself in the present moment, make your way through these questions. Be honest - you'll know if you're fibbing.

1. Am I actually hungry?

2. What’s the vitamin and mineral content in this snack/meal?

3. How much progress have I made on my hydration goal today? *You're aiming for 1/2 your body weight in ounces, right? That's what I thought... go fill up. ;)

4. Am I bored?

5. Am I looking for a distraction or an escape?

6. Am I stressed out?

7. How will I feel after eating this? Energetic, tired, bloated, guilty, satiated...?

8. How does this snack/meal benefit my bigger goals?

9. Do I have any preconceived judgements about this food? Do I innately believe that this is a "good" or "bad" food?

10. Am I at complete peace with where this food came from, and how it will nourish me? Am I secretly shaming myself?

11. Do I love this bite? Do I love this seventh bite?

12. Do I need to finish this to feel perfectly content? Or, will I be happy see someone else enjoy the rest, or to save some for later?

This quick and easy check in with yourself will help you identify:

• If food is really what you want in this moment.

• If you're eating for the wrong reasons and/or sabotaging your goals.

• If you're giving yourself a stress response by harboring mixed feelings about what you're eating.

• When you're satiated/satisfied and it's time to move on.

When we are not at peace with what we choose to eat, we induce an innate stress response that slows digestion, makes it difficult to assimilate nutrients, and ultimately hinders our metabolic ability.

Do you like the sound of that? I didn't think so. Choose to be at peace with how you nourish your body and morale. It's okay to indulge, especially when you're truly letting yourself enjoy it!

If you find this post useful, please share it with a friend or 900 (give or take) who may enjoy the mindset shift as well. :)

If you have questions about what steps to take to develop more peace in your relationship with food, check out my consultation page to schedule a free Initial consultation and find out how Life & Nutrition Coaching can help you reach your goals. 

Thanks for reading, make peaceful choices. :)

"I’m Not Racist, But…"

I’m not racist,

but I used to be.

 

I’m not racist,  but unfortunately I am racially and culturally ignorant. Recognizing the difference means I try to keep my ears more open and my mouth more shut.

I grew up in a predominantly white town. Any given year, there were (I think) fewer than ten kids belonging to racial minorities in the whole high school.

Except for the Mexican students. We had quite few Mexican students, but they didn’t seem like regular students. They kept to themselves. Looking back I guess the real separation was based solely on language and culture. We all tend to find comfort and community in what seems familiar.

I was an ESL aid for a few semesters. I never thought I was racist. I chose to be an aid in that class, but…

There was a but.

I was different.

This was the first experience in my life where I was the minority. It felt weird at first.

I was there to help with language related homework, but soon many of my peers were patiently helping me with my Spanish homework. Over time friendships grew and I always looked forward to that class. It was fun. It was comfortable. I liked the way the language barrier kept me present in conversation. I had to focus harder to communicate in simpler ways, and that somehow made the connections more sweet.

One day we were having a party in class and I was blown away by everyone’s efforts to make me feel included. I told the group how thankful I was to be so warmly included, and I’ll never forget what Cesar said back to me,

“Of course we want to include you. We all know what it feels like to be the different one.”

I’m so glad he said that to me. He humanized both of us in that moment. Now that I’m thinking about it, that might be the single most important thing anyone said to me in high school.

After that party I felt like they were my friends, but there was an invisible line I didn’t know how to cross. Most of these students ate lunch down the hall from me. Sometimes they’d walk by me and smile, and I’d smile and wave back.

But:

They never invited me to eat with them.

I never asked if I could join them.

I never asked them to join me.

What I failed to realize is that outside of that one classroom where I was the minority, I was not the minority.

I should have offered my friends the same warmth and inclusion that they offered me, but I didn’t. At the time, I didn’t know how. I didn’t know that my non-action was an action. "They kept to themselves" because I didn't invite them into my other social circles.

There are countless ways I can muddle this story with my own insecurities and social anxieties, but I know deep down that I should have done better.

A few years ago, a younger sibling described her parallel experience to me. We were both overwhelmed with guilt for going along with the social rules we were familiar with rather than acting unabashedly from a place of love and humanness.

Acknowledging our shortcomings is the gift that will allow us to behave more responsibly moving forward.

I am still probably racist.

Not consciously, and definitely from a place of ignorance rather than aggression, but I am guilty. Ignorance is not an excuse, or something to brag about. There is so much about culture, religion, and politics that I simply don’t know. Pretending to know would be a lie, and when you live in a lie you have to hustle harder to defend that lie.

I choose love. I choose to learn. I choose openness. I choose compassion.

Change in this country and on Earth, will not happen if we all refuse to own our ugly moments. The thing about ignorance is that by definition, you don’t know something. So as you learn, acknowledge your history of ignorance. Your past does not define you. The present moment does.

So choose to learn daily. Choose to connect better with yourself in order to connect with the people around you. Choose to forgive your past as you move forward.

Think of those moments where you've felt different, and choose not to make anyone else feel that way.

Choose inclusion. We are all human, and deserving of love.

Thank you for reading! Identify? Like my message? Please share. :)

Make good choices :)

Through Myself, To My Self - Reclined Hero

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken." ~CS Lewis

"Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid. Having courage and showing courage means we face our fears. We are able to say, 'I have fallen, but I will get up.'" ~Maya Angelou

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change." ~Brene Brown

It's no small wonder this posture is called Reclined Hero. This posture is a brave display of vulnerability. No one over the age of seven, and in their right mind, would throw themselves into such a shape without great care. It takes a certain amount of time and a purposeful set of steps to get into -- and out of. Once you're in, you're vulnerable - physically and energetically.

To be vulnerable is to be courageous. Somehow in our society, we've lost touch with that concept. To be vulnerable in this posture is to sit in stillness with an open heart, while completely defenseless to outside elements. Our culture doesn't teach us this. Our culture trains us to avoid this at all costs:

To always be busy.

To always have background noise.

To always have an escape plan.

To buy your way out of discomfort.

To invest in the latest.

To peacock bigger.

To speak first.

To be strongest.

To fake it until you make it.

These are not all horrible or entirely damaging rules, but they aren't genuine to Self constructs either. You cannot be your Self if you're busy being several other things on the way.

There is no "on the way." There is here, and there is now.

The reclined hero is reminder to settle into the moment:

To choose stillness.

To chose quiet.

To create freedom from the inside out.

To own my feelings.

To invest in who I already am.

To know I am enough as I am.

To listen with intent to understand.

To know I have the strength I need.

To know that I am not, what I am not.

There is so much instability and ugliness happening not just in this country, but in the entire world. If we are all afraid to sit with ourselves and our own personal battles, how will we ever find peace? There will be no change in this world without transformation within each of us.

We can all always become better, and the solution is the most simple thing.

The solution is to simply be you. To simply be love.

Not kind, not generous, not something else -- you don't even have to create it. You just have to be love, and the rest will take care of itself.

That is vulnerable.

That is courage.

That is heroic.

"The best way out is always through." ~Robert Frost

I'm learning more and more, that the way to reach the things I've been grabbing for, is to simply be myself. To work through my feelings with a willingness to feel and an earnest desire to learn, to grow, and to expand.

Through myself, to my Self.

Thanks for reading, make quiet choices. :)

What do you think??? Lmk!

To Love Your Self is Everything

A few nights ago I gave the girls I nanny two small triangles of watermelon each for dessert. I felt the serving was a bit modest and assumed they’d both demand more. The rationed servings were really just my selfish attempt at inducing scarcity mindset in the girls. The third slice can make a world of difference regarding whether or not dessert becomes a highly esteemed event, or, dispensable art supplies.

You can imagine my surprise when the 3 year old squealed with delight, “Auntie Natalie, why did you give us two watermelons?”

I put on a tone like I thought the serving was generous too, and told her that of course it’s because I love them so much. When I grabbed two triangles for myself she asked why I gave myself two slices. I answered with a wink,

“Because I love myself.”

She tossed her head back for a full, hearty chuckle - then with the same playful tone usually reserved for “Silly Auntie Natalie,” she singsonged,

“you can’t love yourself!”

I was struck. It only then occurred to me that though I often tell both girls to think of all the people who love them, and all the people they love, I have not thought to specify including themselves. *Apply palm to face... nanny fail.

They are young, and pure, and joyful. Their sugar and spice runneth over like a hippopotamus in a bathtub. I figured they loved themselves innately; that self erosion, insecurity, and fear were later learned (or projected) traits that wouldn't require tending for a great while longer.

In three seconds I had about 4 million thoughts, and realized whether or not self love is innate, every precious person on this earth can benefit from understanding gratitude and energetic abundance. Even if children do fully love themselves, teaching the articulation and good habits to sustain that positive relationship with the Self can be —

everything.

Finally my thought train pulled back into the station, and I responded,

“Oh yes I can love myself! And you can love yourself. And you should love yourself!”

I asked her if she did anything that day that she enjoyed, like swinging, or sliding, or teeter-tottering. She said she had, so I asked if she thanked her body for letting her have all that fun.

She got really quiet as she thought about this concept. I explained that it is a gift to have a body that takes us from place to place, and hands and feet that walk, and grab, and play, and do - as we please.

I tell my yoga class all the time to look in the mirror and spend a few quiet moments honoring and celebrating their incredible bodies, and the unique life that lives inside.

But.

I don’t do it enough for myself. I love guiding others in it because I know how powerful it is to love and appreciate yourself.

But I don’t do it enough for myself.

Today, that changes. Today I will sit in quiet and appreciate:

My hands and feet that go and do.
My guts and organs that selflessly toil.
The health that I have.
The strength that I have.
And lastly, I will take a few moments to honor as a whole, the way that I look. My image.

This body isn’t me, but it is my home for this life.

I am thankful for this body.

Flaws and all — It’s been with me through every chapter. All of my physical flaws and hardships, have proven to be illuminating both inside my Self, and outside in the world.

It’s like every closed door; everything that has made me different, insecure, and unlikable, has opened four windows to something greater.

Loving myself is the only way I can truly see past myself.

This is your permission to steal yourself away from whatever you're doing and find a place to create quiet within you. Breathe, and cry, and smile. No matter what you're going through right now, find something (anything) you love about yourself, and breathe into it. Really - fully - breathe into it.

Notice how celebrating yourself sets you free from the inside out. Rinse - repeat.

What do you think? Does this resonate? Tell me about it... :)

More to come. Thanks for reading, make kind choices. :)

Share and subscribe!!!

Time To Jump!

Powerful pose was one of my least favorite poses until about a year ago - when I realized its power.

I was brainstorming about imagery, metaphorical meanings, and energetic flow of postures when I had one of those epic light-bulb moments. I always thought powerful pose lacked elegance. I didn't think it was pretty or comfortable, so I never gave it much respect until I realized how similar the stance is to the a position I practiced moving through millions of times as a child. Powerful pose is the "potential energy position" right before jumping into a back-hand-spring. If I'm being honest, it's the "potential energy pose" right before I would jump backwards onto my head and sort of flail-bounce to my knees or feet. ;)

Powerful pose is a manifestation of energy. Feet fully grounded to the biofield of the Earth, legs full of strength (and building strength), heart center and open palms reaching upwards, and the gaze fixed on the infinite possibilities of the universe.

This posture has become an inspiration for me... a place to decidedly reinforce positive pathways in my mind and body, and let my qi flow freely. I'm on a precipice right now. I'm about to jump into the life I've always wanted. I'm about to jump into my Self. And I'm scared.

You see, I'm realizing how often I sell myself short. I've been mentally cock-blocking my greatest potential for several years now. Deep down it's hard to believe that my most innate qualities are exactly what I'm meant to share. How can it be that simple? It has to be harder than just following my heart, right? Why do we tend to discount our greatest gifts? When does humility become insecurity? When do we start hiding behind self imposed stipulations based on fear?

Don't I have to be ten other things first? If I prove myself in these ten other ways, then I'll feel confident to step forward...

When my house is clean, I'll be ready.

When I lose 10 pounds, I'll be confident.

When I get my PhD, I'll be worth hearing.

When I am perfect, life will fall into place.

When the door opens for me, I'll close this door I'm standing in...

I think I'm not alone in this battle, and that's what I'm loving about Utkatasana right now. Sometimes you have to step back and honor the strength, power, and potential you've already developed, while decidedly opening yourself energetically and emotionally to the unknown - to the current moment that so quickly becomes magnificent future.

I will never be ready. I will never be perfect. My house will never stay clean. Documents are not proof of, or standardized measure intelligence and human worth. Doorways are only for standing in if there's an earthquake.

Now is the time to jump forward. Who's coming? Identify? Tell me about it in the comments! :)

Here's a list of some of my favorite quotes that always light me up:

• “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”-Anais Nin

• "Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we are already, and become it." -Steven Pressfield

• "Yoga is not about touching your toes. It's about unlocking your ideas about what you want, where you think you can go, and what you will achieve when you get there." -Cyndi Lee

• “You are nature. You are already perfect, peaceful, and powerful. You don’t need to become anything. You simply need to remember yourself.”― Vironika Tugaleva

• "Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” -Danielle Laporte

• "If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” -John Lennon

• “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”― Cynthia Occelli

• "If you can change your mind, you can change the world. Before you can be creative you must be courageous. Creativity is the destination, but courage is the journey." -Joey Reiman

• “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson

• "If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything." -Thich Nhat Hanh

• "If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud." -Emile Zola

• "The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style." -Fred Astaire

• “I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories... water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.”―Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés,

Thanks for reading! What are you jumping for? Make powerful choices. :)

Hydration - Health - & Painless Periods!

It's the second day of my period, and I'm feeling lucky!

Noooooot lucky enough to go on a shark dive, but ummm, I feel pretty pleased with my situation.

Two incredible things have happened to me today.

I was scooping myself some power chocolate pudding (this recipe but with added chia, coconut, and hemp seeds) when I knocked my bowl off the counter (periods make me clumsy). My maternal instincts fired up, my turbo-boost powers auto switched on - my thighs lurched forward to guide the bowl's descent into a stunning 10.0 landing on my stool. The chocolate was unharmed.

Miracle shit.

The second thing is the more important thing, and the reason you know about my moon cycle. The second day of my period is when I experience all the discomfort we associate with periods. A few years ago, I was on a zero sugar (save for veggie sugar) diet. My period symptoms literally disappeared. I only felt a wee bit of pressure down by the (ahem) secret entrance.

Since then, my cramps/pain symptoms have never been as bad as they were before my sugar free diet, but my symptoms did come back as I've tried to fit in socially... eating things I wouldn't if making friends, having interpersonal connections, and sharing laughter weren't a thing. But they are a thing, and in the name of acting totally cool about things like conventional soy sauce in public situations, I've been continuously burdening my body (I'm sensitive to gluten). I knew it was time for a change, but I'd been putting off doing a rigid cleanse. I like eating, and I love freedom.

February first the answer fell straight into the palm of my hand!

Terry Givens was hosting a water challenge starting that day. Accepting the challenge was a no-brainer. I didn't even try to argue with myself, as I had been chronically dehydrated for quite some time:

• I know I never drink the proper amount of water.
• I teach hot yoga.
• I love coffee.
• I love wine.

Dehydration happens. But it's not cool.

I know full well, that when you're dehydrated your body simply cannot function as it's meant to. Dehydration impairs your body's ability to function properly on a basic cellular level. This effects everything! Everything.

For the challenge you're supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces daily for 10 days. Knowing my level of commitment and devotion to certain diuretics, I decided I would drink 80 ounces daily. That's 10 extra ounces of water... but it's a clean finish of two fills of my hydro flask. Health, clarity, and convenience. I'll take it.

I got really bloated the first few days. A tell tale sign of a chronically dehydrated body having to relearn filtering and appropriation. I decided to stick the course not matter what. After day 3 the bloating went down mostly, and I was comfortably drinking my 80 ounces.

Due to the nature of a challenge, my mindset shifted. I had been in the habit of thinking:

• "I'll finish my water later."
• "I'll just have a snack first."
• "I already drank quite a bit, I'm probably okay for now."
• "I'm about to get stuck in an appointment (or fill in your own blank), and I don't want to have an excretion emergency."

I had all kinds of excuses, until I decided to shift my mind.

Setting a goal to finish 80 ounces of water made it a priority. I began reaching for my water before snacking. I quickly realized how often I'd been distracting myself with food when my body was craving water. This felt great, and I noticed some immediate changes:

• My skin was looking healthier.

• My digestion improved drastically.

• I stopped craving empty calorie snacks. Chips are chips are chips. Gluten free is still empty calories.

• I felt satiated.

• My stomach was looking flatter daily.

I felt empowered! Around day 7 a friend asked if I was excited about the end of the 10 day challenge. I looked at him like this:

"WUT?"

Why on earth would I stop drinking the amount of water I'm already supposed to be drinking, especially when it's clearly having a positive impact on my body? I told him I plan to never stop this water challenge. Duh.

You're still wondering why I told you so much about my cycle. There is a reason, and it's not just because I love talking about blood...

It's the end of the second day of my period, and I have had no pain. Zero. Not even pressure. On a scale of 1-10, I have a 0 for menstrual pain.

God bless water. Hydration is happiness. Happiness is a warm gun. Water is a warm gun. Save the world with water guns.

#makeperiodsgreatagain ;)

Did you participate in the challenge? Want to start - or keep going? Talk to me!

Thanks for reading, make hydrating choices. :)

But I Don't Work That Hard Anymore (Perseverance Problems)

I have a friend who always knows when I’m going to contradict or oppose myself. I’ll stop mid thought and she’ll immediately say, “why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?”

I hate that about her, and I love it. It means she knows me, probably too well. This post has a few of those “buts,” so bear with me as I lay out some current thoughts.

I was on a roll for awhile trying to learn to ollie. I practiced a few times a week for about a month. At the ripe age of 31, I am for all intents and purposes, perfectly capable of succeeding at this basic skate trick.

But.

But it didn’t come easy, and I lost my motivation. Failing isn’t super fun.

It’s also not fun to fail over and over again during my few and precious hours of time off. Time off should be spent charging my biofield with my feet in the sand or being actually productive right?

Well yeah, sure. That’s one truth.

I consider myself to be a person who has challenged many of my fears. I’ve stepped out of many of the boxes I used to find comfortable identity in. I’ve been pretty bold in following my gut and taking my own non-traditional path.

But.

I’ve really only faced safe-ish fears.

My highest Self was never comfortable in those boxes. They were just familiar.

This path always felt natural.

I haven’t actually faced my biggest fears.

Here’s where I’m wrong about ollies, and practice, and failure:

I haven’t made myself an absolute beginner at anything for at least ten years.

When we are young, life is new. We are beginners at everything.

As a child I overcame failure on a daily basis. Sometimes that failure came with tears. Sometimes it came with smiles. Sometimes I succeeded and celebrated and shouted with joy! I probably demanded that a sibling or any proximal warm bodied entity "watch what I could do."  Then immediately moved on to the next goal; only to begin failing again.

This is a huge and incredibly important part of childhood.

Every adult skill we boast was learned at some point. We tend to take these skills for granted. We forget how hard we worked.

I don’t work as hard for myself anymore.

I don’t feel as resilient. The only brain I have, now resides a few feet higher off the ground than it used to, and I have developed a healthy level of respect for gravity.

Many of the tricks I learned as a child or teen are deeply engrained in my brain and muscle memory:

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Walking
• Running
• Cartwheels
• Backhandsprings
• rollerblading
• bike riding
• adding
• subtracting
• multiplying
• etc…

All of these skills took time, practice, and failure before the sweet taste of success. All of these skills have felt easy and natural ever since I stopped failing at them.

But.

I don’t work that hard anymore, and that is why learning to ollie... err... failing to ollie is time well spent.

I'm realizing that in a way, I've been quite lazily riding out the strength of mind I developed in my youth. This is fine, and probably a regular and natural human occurrence as we transition into adulthood and start taking on more serious responsibilities; like working, paying bills, working out, and tidying up, so we can extend time and freedom to our children to play, fail, learn, and grow.

I want more than that. Life has to be more than that. So I will play, and practice, and fail. I will build up my resilience.

Persevering through failure builds strength of spirit.

When I can take failure in stride, then I can face and conquer my real fears.

That is when I'll be free. That is when I'll be "live streaming" my infinite potential. ;)

What do you think? Can you identify?

How are you strengthening your resilience?

Share your story, or struggle, or fear in the comments. Let's get our chatter on!

Love it?? Share it!

Thanks for reading, make strengthening choices! :)