When Healing Tattoos Talk…

Published on May 31, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

I want to share an amazing Chakra Booster experience I had while I was in Greece teaching my chakra workshops, but first, I have to give you a wee bit of back ground information.

My boyfriend, Blayne, and I have been enthusiastically wearing and sharing my Chakra Boosters Healing Tattoos since their inception.  Around the New Year, we both began to comment on an interesting phenomenon we had independently observed over time – if we were applying a CB tattoo to someone who had pretty strong energy in a particular chakra, the tattoo seemed to stay longer, and even slightly resisted removal when we went to take it off with baby oil.

Conversely, if we were applying a tattoo on a chakra that felt very weak, a crack line would appear, or the tattoo would wear off more quickly and easily than usual.

Since we both had experienced this, we thought our observations had validity, but we weren’t completely sure – at least, not until I had an experience with Adriana in Greece (her name has been changed for her privacy).

Adriana was a sweet and lovely yoga teacher at an Athen’s studio.  One night, after her class, I offered her a Chakra Boosters tattoo and she enthusiastically accepted – saying that she really needed a third chakra boost.  I proceeded to check her third chakra energy by holding my hands inches away from her solar plexus in both the front and back, and I immediately detected a palpable weakness.

I told her I would put two Chakra Boosters on her – on front and back – and proceeded to put one on the back.  I placed it on her skin and wet it as I had done hundreds of times before on others, and something happened that had never ever happened before – the tattoo practically shredded off her back.  Over half of it peeled right off!

Curious, I tried the front – and it peeled off too!  I then started investigating more deeply (I love investigating!) and asked Adriana if she had put on any lotion or oils that day.  Her answer was a simple “no.”  Okay, I thought, then I will try another chakra to see if it is her skin that is “rejecting” the tattoo.  If her skin is the problem, then no tattoo will stick.

I asked her which chakra she considered her strongest.  She told me it was her fifth, which was no surprise at all, since everyone in Greece seems to have a strong fifth chakra!  I applied the tattoo on the back of Adriana’s neck and it stuck beautifully.  Perfectly.  Wow, I thought, it wasn’t her skin.  It was the “relationship” between her third chakra energy — that was not just weak, but resistant – and the CB third chakra tattoo!

I decided to further my investigation by seeing if I could shift her energy and reapply the two tattoos.  The studio where she worked was closing in mere moments, so I gave her a quick Sitha Healing focused on the third chakra, and she said she could immediately feel her energy shifting.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to re-apply the tattoos.  But 48 hours later, I saw her at the studio and suggested we try applying the third chakra tattoos again.  She gladly accepted, and this time, they both went on perfectly – no peeling at all (though the back side did have a small crack – evidence of a bit of continued weakness there).

Many customers have written to me with wonderful, interesting Chakra Boosters stories – of neck and back pains disappearing (L.A.), dreams getting clearer and more vivid (Greece and Burbank), feet feeling more grounded (L.A. and the Bay Area), and headaches disappearing (Sweden), but this incidence with Adriana sticks with me in an even more indelible way because I saw it and felt it as it physically happened.  I witnessed the energetic and physical worlds interacting!

Skeptics often try to say that the mere idea of the chakra tattoos creates a positive result by causing the “placebo effect” for the wearer, and if that is the case, good. Healing of any kind is always good.  Nevertheless, this incidence with Adriana showed me quite clearly that there is a tangible relationship between one’s chakra energy and the Chakra Booster tattoos.  Our body has energy and intelligence in its very cells – as do the tattoos with their color, symbols and elements, and there is an actual relationship between the two.

Have you had any similar experiences with the Chakra Boosters Healing Tattoos?  If so, I’d love to hear from you!  If you aren’t sure which of your chakras are “strong” or “weak,” you can ask an energy practitioner or take the quick but thorough verbal test on the Chakra Boosters home page.  While not a perfect measure, it is a very good starting point.

Happy MOTHER Earth Day!

Published on April 22, 2010 in Science/Research, Spirituality and Yoga. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

As I sit in my little hotel room in Athens, Greece preparing to teach my Luna Yoga Workshop that honors the Divine Feminine, I can’t help but appreciate the beautiful “coincidence” of a Luna Yoga Workshop falling right on Earth Day — MOTHER Earth Day.

Jill Bolte Taylor

We say “Mother Earth” just as we say “Mother Nature” because all things natural and cyclical fall into the realm of the feminine.  For far too long, our “civilized” world has been living in a left-brain dominated, masculine tizzy — goal-oriented, time-bound, logically-dictated, and competitively-inclined (just to name a few).  And how has that served us?  We have many wars over essentially petty differences; we have squandered the resources of our planet and some of our governments still fear each other enough to amass weapons that could kill us all.

It’s time — no, wayyyyyyyy past time — for us to come back toward our feminine side — to honor nature and her cycles (our cycles), to allow for right-brain creativity, compassion and inclusiveness, intuitively-driven problem-solving and cooperative-orientation — more emphasis on that which draws us together as a planet and people than that which pulls us apart.

I honestly believe this will be our salvation.

Brain researcher, Jill Bolte Taylor (in photo above), who had the mixed fortune — “good” and “bad” — of observing herself having a stroke in her left-brain hemisphere, goes so far as to suggest that our right-brain is our gateway to the Divine, and I couldn’t agree more.  Watch this stunning video of her talking about her stroke experience, and see if you don’t agree.

Then, open your heart — better yet, connect with all three of your feminine chakras (pelvis, heart and 3rd eye), do some Luna Yoga, a few right-brain exercises, or just walk around trying to see the way in which everything is connected.

I guess I should point out here that we are not trying to replace the masculine with the feminine.  Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk reminds us that we very much need the masculine to function in our day-to-day lives (during her stroke, she could barely dial a phone!).

The Luna Yoga process is not about replacing our masculine with feminine energy, but rather about living more in balance — or even a bit femininely-biased after centuries of masculine emphasis — so that we may “Align with the Divine” and shift into a more life-affirming way of living.

I know, it seems like we have a lonnnnnnnng way to go before we will have a global mind set (oops, I mean “heart-set“) that will save this beautiful earth, but maybe we only have to close that tiny, little (seemingly infinite) gap in our brain.

Loving you…. Vicki

Let Go of Self-Sabotage & Spring Forward!

Published on March 25, 2010 in Shadow Work. 0 Comments

Spring has sprung and I am once again feeling the positive anticipation that comes with increasing warmth and light.  Every year, as this hopeful season comes around, I can feel my body literally lining up with nature, and seeking out sun, growth, romance (mating season!) and all things fertile and expansive.

So, it’s safe to say I take Spring Equinox pretty seriously.  It seems like the perfect time to set my yearlong intentions, because in the warm light of the new dawn, I feel hopeful, and anything seems possible.

But then, sometimes…. I find that soon after I set new, positive intentions, my actual behavior is not exactly lining up with them.  If I listen closely, I can almost “hear” another voice – or voices – contradicting my conscious intentions in insidious, sneaky little ways.

To better elucidate this process, let me indulge in a little metaphor… there is an exit ramp near a yoga studio I work at that recently got a new traffic light.  Before the light was installed, the end of the exit ramp simply had the word “stop” painted on the ground, forcing the commuter to stop, look, and then take the necessary turn.

The other day, I was coming to the end of this exit ramp and I could see that the new traffic light was lit up with shiny bright greenness, but my foot inexplicably pushed done on the brake and I slowed to a near stop before I realized why — nobody had painted over the old, partially-faded “stop” on the ground, so I was understandably paralyzed with indecision – the green light was beckoning on, but the word on the ground was clearly telling me to “stop!”.

Our old habit patterns and subconscious beliefs are like this.  They block us even when our best intentions — and the Universe itself — give us a big, beautiful green light to sail through.  We keep putting our foot on the brake, because there is an old “stop” sign within us that is contradicting our new intentions.

The opposite can be true as well:  the Universe can be inviting us to say “no” to something – like an abusive relationship or foods that harm our beautiful body – but we may keep on doing these harmful things, because our subconscious is giving us the continually green light toward self-abuse.

So how do you know when this self-sabotage process is happening?  It’s very simple.  If you have set conscious intentions in a very clear way, just look and see if your behavior is following your intentions.  If it isn’t, re-dedicate yourself to your positive, conscious intentions, and use one of these great techniques for getting at the ‘”stuff” underneath:

  1. Do Shadow Work – There are two very simple processes to do shadow work and two great websites to walk you through the process:  www.thework.com and www.debbieford.com.
  2. Find a good hypnotherapist or visualization CDs to listen to.  This is a simple, elegant way to reprogram the subconscious mind – and you get to relax through it.  Ask your friends if they know someone good in your area.  I know a good one here – and a Master one in Nashville (who can work with you on Skype).
  3. Many people use direct, physical body techniques like Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) or Tapping.  I honestly don’t know a whole lot about either one of these techniques – and haven’t used them myself – but want to include them here, because I have heard that they have helped many people.  You can definitely find resources online by doing a general search.
  4. Do Ho ‘Oponopono on YOURSELF.  This amazing Hawaiian healing technique is very effective when directed toward others, so why not aim it at your own lovely Self!  Self-love is a cure all for defeating thoughts and feelings that lead to defeating behaviors.  To practice Ho ‘Oponopono on yourself, hold a loving image of yourself as you say this TO yourself: I’M SORRY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU
  5. Wear Chakra Boosters Healing Tattoos – They work with your body’s intelligence, whether or not your conscious mind is involved.  And you can wear them consistently until you begin to shift old patterns for good!  But of course, you have to beware of your tendency to not reapply them (which would be a form of the negative shadow leading your behavior).

It’s easy to work with the conscious, but the subconscious is where so many of our real “decisions” are (unfortunately) made.  So this Spring Equinox, I invite you to do a little shadow dancing and bring your “darkness” out into the light.  When darkness and light meet, light always wins – just turn on a lamp in a darkened room and see what I mean!

A Valentine’s gift: 10 Quick Ways to Practice Self-Love

Published on February 13, 2010 in Self-Love. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

During Valentine’s, the traditional “couple’s holiday,” I feel it is particularly important to remember to honor your beloved Self.  Whether or not you are in a committed, intimate relationship doesn’t change the importance of the task of honoring your-Self.

After all, your primary intimate, love relationship mirrors your love relationship with yourself.  So it makes sense that your first investment in your relationship is always in you.

With that in mind, here are my V-Day suggestions for kick starting your love relationship with your-Self:

1)    Kiss yourself a dozen times right now – on your hand, on your knee (on your ankle if you are flexible enough :-D ) — or anywhere else you feel inspired!

2)    Write yourself a love letter.  Make sure and tell yourself all the unique qualities you love about you.  Actually mail it to make it more “official” — you’ll have fun receiving it in your mailbox in a day or two.

3)    Treat yourself to a nice relaxing bath complete with candles and soothing music (guys, if you prefer, you can drive to the edge of a lake or ocean and sit in your car enjoying the view as you blast your favorite rock music as loud as you can and literally scream the lyrics — or get out of your car and dance).

4)    Write  yourself 10 little, positive affirmation notes (quickies like “You Rock!”) and hide them in places you will naturally find them in the near future – in your drawers, shelves, on the back of your milk carton, under your pillow, etc.

5)    Give yourself a reflexology massage.  Sit somewhere comfortable and massage your own magnificent foot (remember all of your body is represented in different parts of your foot – you’ll feel good all over).

6)    Look in the mirror and tell yourself “I love you” over and over until you can feel the receiving part of you soften and really take it in.

7)    Turn up your stereo or iPod and sing your favorite love song loudly to yourself.  Don’t worry about how it sounds, just make it FEEL good.

8)    Write yourself a playful Love Poem – a haiku (5-7-5) or a “Roses are red, violets are blue…” is fine.  Just poouuuuuur that love out!

9)    Buy your favorite sensuous food and feed it to yourself, one juicy mouthful at a time – savoring every bite! (mangos, oysters, chocolate, strawberries or even mash potatoes if that is what turns you on)

10)  Wrap both your arms around yourself right now and give yourself a big, delicious, rockin’ hug (for at least a full minute!)

There, didn’t that feel good?  Now, you are ready for your partner!

Chakra Boosters Tattoos – On Front Or Back?

Published on February 7, 2010 in Chakras. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

A couple of people have emailed me with a very important question that I want to address today – should Chakra Boosters Temporary Tattoos be worn on the front or back of the body?

First, let me just say that hair can obviously be a problem in certain areas of either the front or back of the body – and if you don’t want to shave it off, you probably don’t want to put a tattoo there for the same reason band-aids are never fun to remove – hair and adhesives just don’t mix.

Simple, huh?   Still, I wanted to get that logistical point out of the way, before approaching the front-back tattoo placement issue from a place of deeper meaning.

The question about the placement of chakra tattoos is actually a very good one, because the energy fields of the front side and back side of the body are very different.  The front body represents the conscious part of us, the Individual (ego) Self and the future, while the back body represents the unconscious, the Universal (spirit) Self, and the past.

So, for instance, if I put the third chakra tattoo (confidence, decisive action) on the back body, I am going to heal old insecurities – perhaps ones that come from my childhood or a past life, while if I put it in the front, I will gain a boost to my confidence for things that are going on right now and in the near future.  For instance, I could lead or perform more confidently or more easily finish a task or project in front of me, without procrastinating or giving up.

The third chakra is the home of the ego self, so it is advisable to make sure that old confidence issues are healed (back body placement) before wearing the front on a regular basis.   If one is insecure from the past, but feels compelled to act confident and boisterous, it can come off as unreal, compensating or overbearing.

Of course, there is always the option of wearing the third chakra tattoo on both sides of the body – and I have personally done this quite a bit.  But wearer beware – the third chakra is the “caffeine” of the energy body (it deals with digestion and metabolism and carries the element of fire), so if you put third chakra tattoos on both the front and back of your solar plexus, and you don’t have a project in front of you to work on, you might feel a bit antsy or anxious, like a car spinning its wheels while stuck in the mud.

Now, let’s look at the heart chakra.  If you put it on the back body, you are going to heal old relationship wounds and grief.  While if you put it on the front body, you are going to radiate more love forward – expressing it and sharing it with those around you.  Again, it’s good to start on the back to heal yourself and fill your own cup first, so that when you share your love “forward,” it is from a place of overflow.

I think it’s simple enough to figure out the appropriate placement for the other chakra tattoos using the same principle – that the back body heals the past and the Universal or Spiritual Self while the front body moves one healthfully into the future and deals more with the Individual or Ego Self.

I think it’s interesting that the top three chakras that literally represent the spiritual (as one rises above the heart and starts to serve a higher purpose) present a particular challenge for front side usage.  The throat chakra tattoo (speaking one’s truth) is just biologically awkward to apply on the front, especially for men, due to the Adam’s apple.

Nevertheless, I did wear the throat chakra tattoo on the front once, when I was a guest on my friend, Martin Hulbaek’s radio show.  Interestingly, that show faired very well for moving me forward in my personal communication, because the Director of Spirit Quest Radio heard me that day and offered me my own show. Now I host “Personal Evolution with Vicki Howie” on SQR on Sundays at 2 pm PST.

For most people, the sixth chakra tattoo can typically only be worn on the front side, due to hair being on the back side.  My recommendation for both the 6th and 7th chakras is to wear them anywhere you want, since we are about 70% water and our systems are circulating and bringing the energy wherever it is needed.

Still, my favorite way to wear the 6th chakra tattoo is this:  right before I go to bed, I peel the plastic cover off of it and place it face-down on the space above and between my eye brows.  Then, instead of wetting the paper of the tattoo, I simply leave the paper on as I sleep.  In the morning, I peel it off and put it in a zip-lock bag to wear again the next night.  It always lasts me 1-2 weeks before losing its stickiness, and I feel like I get clearer mentally and psychically — while I sleep!

As for the 7th chakra, my favorite place to put it is on the upper back, at the “high heart” – in the space between the 4th and 5th chakras.  It looks lovely there and brings peace and calm to the system.  Of course, if you are bald, I highly recommend wearing the 7th chakra tattoo right on your crown – at the top of your head.  You’ll make everybody wish they were bald :-) .

Create A Better Vision Board

Published on January 5, 2010 in Vision Boards. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I’ve been teaching Vision Board Workshops for a few years now, and am still constantly amazed at the magic that takes place at these events.  People pick up felt pens, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks, and start playing with their personal visions of life.  It’s a profound process – fun, but very, very deep.

The process itself changes you – especially using the feng shui bagua as your template (as we do in the workshops), because it invites you to look at every area of your life – something most of us don’t typically take the time to do.

If you’ve ever considered making a vision board, I say, just do it!  And soon.  On a single day in the middle of this month — January 15, 2010 — we will experience a convergence of several, potent astrologically-driven events that all bode extremely well for creating a grand vision of what you want to manifest in your life:  a new moon, a lunar eclipse and Mercury (finally!) coming out of retrograde.  That’s right, all three are happening on the same day. It’s a veritable, planet-driven bulls-eye for setting your most heart-felt intentions!

So I will be facilitating two Vision Board Workshops in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17.  If you would like to participate in the group process, which includes visualizations and affirmations, please join us.  The details are on the “Events” page of this blog.

You can also do it yourself at home.  Either way, I want to share with you a few pointers I’ve learned along the way.   Enjoy!

Vicki’s 10 Commandments for Making a Great Vision Board:

  1. Be Playful  & Use Your Intuition – Don’t over-think!!!  Do what compels you – make what you like to look at.  You need to love your Vision Board because your feelings magnify the Law of Attraction.
  2. Use Positive Terms In The Present Tense – “Lose weight” becomes “I am in great shape”  “Get out of debt” becomes “I am prosperous.”  The Universe hears “weight” and “debt” and thinks you want more of them.
  3. Use More Imagery And Less Words - Images ignite the creative, powerful right brain, whereas words access the more logical left brain.  The real magic happens in the right brain.
  4. Include Yourself - Try to have photos, or your name, or some other highly personal element in as many sections of the board as possible.  It is very important that you let your subconscious and the Universe know this entire board is about you and your life.
  5. Stay UNLIMITED - You do not have to be “realistic.”  The universe works in mysterious ways, and we are calling on the Universe here.  Do no limit your board to things you think are logically possible.  One caveat:  if you are a super-logical person and feel you will never believe your board if it’s too wishful, then by all means, limit it a bit.  But realize it is for you, not the Universe.  The Universe is just as happy to give you a mansion as a condo.
  6. Make Your Vision Board Just For YOU – Future you, not past you.  Be wary of putting things on your board that you THINK you should want, that others want you to achieve, or that you USED to like or want, but no longer do.  Heed the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for.”  If you put a photo of a supermodel in your Love & Marriage area, make sure you truly want a partner who might spend more time with their mirror than you.
  7. Create Stand-Out Elements - Think of creative ways to give your board more dimension and make it “pop”.  Some examples are:  Glue on a lucky charm, single earring, beads or piece of nature (i.e. small seashell or rock).  Add a small dry erase board or mirror.  Glue an actual frame around something you want to emphasize.  Use a small spring, accordion folded paper or cardboard backing to extend any given image off the board.  You can also use someone else’s body with your head. The sky of your imagination is the limit.
  8. Stay Loose With The Bagua Boundaries – One client had her money float from her Wealth corner all over her board, and she has had amazing financial prosperity ever since.
  9. Stay Open To Something Better – Focus on what you feel, and leave it up to the Universe to satisfy that feeling in the best possible way (maybe better than you can imagine).  I suggest writing this phrase from Shakti Gawain’s “Creative Visualization” on the back of your board:  “This or something better now manifests for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways for the highest good of all concerned”.
  10. LOVE YOUR VISION BOARD – This was mentioned in Commandment #1 and is being repeated here, because it is the most important thing.  This is your vision board and it should express your tastes and desires so perfectly that you love every inch of it!  If there is anything on your board you don’t love, then let go of it.  Love is the litmus test.

Please feel free to use these “commandments”, share them with friends, or even re-publish them.  If you choose to re-publish, please include this text:

Vicki Howie, M.A., R.Y.T. is a yoga teacher, life coach and workshop facilitator who lives in the L.A. area.  She created Chakra Boosters Temporary Tattoos and hosts “Personal Evolution with Vicki Howie” every Sunday at 2 pm PST on SpiritQuestRadio.com.  She also teaches at local yoga studios, and facilitates workshops.  You can contact her at chakraboosters.com or sacredblissyoga.com.

Seeing Abundance Everywhere

Published on January 1, 2010 in Abundance. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Yesterday, my friend Blayne and I were celebrating New Year’s Eve Day in Sedona, AZ and we stopped in at one of my favorite metaphysical stores – Crystal Magic.  I bought a Laughing Buddha candle holder for my Laughing Buddha collection.  The happy buddha symbolizes and boosts abundance and good fortune.  When I walked out of the store, buddha in hand, I found a shiny dime at my feet.

Okay, I know a dime – shiny or not — doesn’t buy much these days, but finding coins is symbolic of more to come.  At least in my book it is.  And speaking of more to come… Blayne and I went straight from there to lunch at India Palace, where we were promptly seated at the feet of the Goddess Lakshmi herself.  A local artist, Paul Lawrence, had painted a wall mural that made it look like She was literally seated on the end of our table (see the posted photo).

I sat at the other (open) end of the table where there was no chair, so I moved it, before even noticing Lakshmi was there.  Then I looked up and was facing Her the entire meal.  Note the gold coins that spill freely from her left hand.  It’s sort of ironic that the word “lack” is even in her name, because Lakshmi is the Goddess of all things prosperous and positive.  Go Goddesssss!

I bring this up because recently my friend, Ed Mills, vlogged about “blessing all forms of abundance,” in his blog, “Evolving Times” and it made me think about how I have shifted my attitude about abundance in just that way.

I used to judge other’s forms of abundance in all sorts of subtle, counter-productive ways (using words like “ostentatious,” “wasteful”, and my personal favorite – “over the top”).

Now, when I drive through a nice neighborhood that is clearly elegant, but doesn’t “feel like me,” rather than turn my nose up, I acknowledge the level of abundance that is represented and say to myself, “in what way would I express this level of abundance?”

It’s a fun exercise! Suddenly, I realize that someone else’s large, suburban house in the Valley is their version of my more compact, modern beach house (a 3+2 would be perfect, with lots of windows, please) right on the ocean in Santa Monica (or Malibu would be fine).

In this way, not only do I not judge others or resist the energy of abundance, but I actually start to visualize what I specifically wish to create — and in that process start creating it on an energetic level.

Not surprisingly, as I have been practicing blessing all forms of abundance — prosperity has been showing up in my life more and more in fun, symbolic ways.   I keep “finding” (discovering) coins. And when I do, I consider it a wink-wink from the Universe saying, “More of this to come… keep your eyes open.” I say a heartfelt “thank you” as I pocket it — not just for the coin itself, but for its message of how abundance is right here in front of me all the time — if I just stay open to it.

I live just off Venice beach these days (thank you Universe!), so I walk the beach almost every day. And lately, the ocean has been giving me sand DOLLARS.   Now this might not seem too unusual of a thing to happen on a beach, but anyone who lives in the L.A. area knows that unfortunately, Venice and Santa Monica beaches are more likely to wash up empty soda cans and used plastic bags, than exquisitely, intact sand DOLLARS.

A couple weeks ago, Blayne and I were walking on the beach, and a sea gull dropped the biggest CLAM right near us. It was huge. And when we picked it up, it was alive and heavy. We marveled at how the seagull held this weighty, roundish object in its beak for even the shortest flight.

Amazing. I laughed. From sand DOLLARS to CLAMS (”clams” as in, the old term for money, moola, dinero, casharoony).   Blayne and I thanked the bird and the Universe for this lovely and inspiring message, and then we threw the clam way into the waves. We imagined it as a sort of investment… that this clam would go back and create a whole clan of baby clams.

In any case, blessing all forms of abundance – big, little, symbolic and literal –is a fruitful way to connect with the exquisite energy of prosperity!

Ed Mills of “Evolving Times” and I will be discussing this and other spiritually-oriented financial concepts on my radio show Sunday,  January 24 at 2 pm PST here:  http://www.spiritquestradio.com.

You can use the above link to access the launch of my new internet radio show,”Personal Evolution with Vicki Howie” this Sunday, Jan. 3 at 2 pm PST.  I will be talking about how you can take maximum advantage of the New Moon of the New Year (which falls on Jan. 15) by creating a Sacred Vision Board that encompasses what you want to create in all areas of your life in 2010.

I will also be leading two Vision Board Workshops this month on the fertile weekend of the New Moon.  Come create your Vision of what you want in all areas of your life (and don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what that is, as we explore your dreams and desires in the workshop).

VISION BOARD WORKSHOPS:

Sat., Jan. 16, 2:00 – 5:30 pm @ Yoga Blend, Burbank, CA — For more information, call (818) 954- 9642 or to register, click here.

Sun., Jan. 17, 12 – 4 pm @ Yoga Works, Valencia, CA — For more information, call (661) 799-2645 or to register, click here.

Beyond “Self-Help”

Published on December 25, 2009 in Chakras. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

When I was a teenager, my mother joined AA, started doing the twelve steps, and introduced me to the concept of “Self-Help.”    I became a sort of addict.  In any bookstore – shiny and new, or dusty and used – I could be found perusing through the “Self Help” section.  I devoured the works of Shakti Gawain, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dorothy Corkville Briggs, and Seth, just to name a few.

So the term “Self-Help” held a certain nostalgia for me – or more accurately, a comfortable familiarity.  But recently, while going through the process of what to name this blog, I realized I had thoroughly out-grown it.  In fact, I no longer even like it.  I’m fine with the “self” part, but “help” implies there is a problem that needs to be fixed – or worse, that if there isn’t a problem (that is, we don’t need “help”) then we need not engage in personal development.

It all boils down to this:  after numerous decades of “fixing” my “problems,” I’ve now discovered that it’s more evolution I seek than solutions to my “problems.” How do the two differ?  Quite simply, “helping” yourself or “fixing” means going from a negative state to homeostasis of some sort, whereas evolution is endlesssssssss.

I know I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

So welcome to “Personal Evolution”  – a blog about personal possibilities and all the modalities you can access to be the best possible you!

Just to give you a heads up, I will be writing about each of the seven, main chakras over the coming weeks – describing their characteristics (chakraristics) :-) and suggesting ways to boost and/or balance them.  If you are curious as the current state of your chakras, here is a quick and interesting chakra test you can take (warning:  take it quickly; don’t overthink!): Chakra Test