Choosing You

What a long, strange Fall it's (already) been. I've really missed connecting with all of you via my weekly emails. And I could give you a bunch of proper excuses for my mini-hiatus. But the truth is, I took some of that outward energy and turned it inward. I set an intention to take some extra time to meditate, journal, take classes, network and explore. It's been an incredible time of growth, increased self-awareness and mindfulness.

I've also been fortunate to spend lots of time connecting with many of you through Human Design sessions. There has probably never been a better time to Choose You by learning more about yourself. In one hour, you get so many meaningful and impactful insights:

- discover and utilize your gifts
- tips for self-care, manifestation, alignment
- areas of strength and sensitivity
- how to best interact and engage with others
- the essence of your energy and aura

Some of my past Clients have said:

"I feel like I've been seen for the first time".
"This is 💯 spot on. I don’t know how this is so accurate based on my stars but it is".
"I felt both relieved and validated".

If you want to find out more about the value of a Human Design session, I'd be so happy to chat. Click here for one of my complimentary Info Calls.

I've got lots of other fun, helpful things in the works, including a Free Daily Alchemy worksheet and a December Intention challenge. Make sure to follow me on social at Instagram here and Facebook here & here.

All my best,
Lauren

Finding Flow

Last month I shared the idea of Riding the Current of the Current. In other words, letting go of the need to control our external situations and instead, using the innate power of our mind to shift into a state of flow. So what does flow look like when the world feels like a tidal wave and it seems like you are constantly treading water?

First things first. You cannot (at least, not for very long) successfully take care of others, if you are not taking care of yourself.

Every – Single – Day, we need to:

• Eat well

• Move our body

• Sleep enough

• Do something by ourselves, for ourselves

If this is something you are struggling with, please reach out and I’d be happy to help you learn the best way you specifically can find a sustainable plan for self-care.

Each person is created differently and knowing your Human Design will help you determine how to best sleep, eat, use your energy and find joy. Seriously, this is all easily available to you. Click here for a 30 minute Self-care Session.

When you are ready to open to the real life transformation that comes when you shift your mindset, here is one inspired action you can take. And it starts with using the healing powers of the earth.

Grounding: This technique is easy to learn and accessible in any situation. You use the weight of your body and just a few minutes of mindfulness to start feeling more calm and centered.

• Sitting: Close your eyes and sink into the feeling of support from all the points of your body that are touching either the furniture or the ground. Let the weight of your bottom, back and arms feel the connection against your chair, a cushion or the floor. Stay here, feeling consciously held by the physical objects around you.

• Walking/Standing: While you can do this anywhere, I love to do it barefoot on grass or other natural floor. Lift and spread your toes. Then push all four corners of your feet into the ground. Imagine roots spiraling from your feet and growing down into the earth. You can also push against any solid object, such as a wall or table to enjoy the stabilizing power of your hands.

Next week I will cover some suggestions for letting go of anger and setting intentions. In the meantime, remember that surrendering to flow takes practice, but the result is so worth it!

If you want to talk 1:1 about this or any other topic, book one of my 3 Free Connection Calls I offer each week! I'd love to help you find more ease and joy in the current moment.

To freedom and flow,
Lauren

Riding the Current of the Current

Imagine, for a moment, if this experience was your choice. Not the illness or suffering or division, but the practical day-to-day of what is happening inside your four walls. Inside your heart and head.  
 
What if you had decided to take this year and completely turn your existing world upside down? A year to mostly stay home and spend a lot of extra time with your family. A year when you would see only people who lived close by or those you really enjoyed and trusted. A year that would prompt you to question your priorities and discover your true values, hidden talents and underlying fears.
 
How would you be living right now, if you viewed every thought, feeling and action, as if you had intended this year to be exactly like this?
 

• Think about your time with family. Would you spend it feeling stressed, anxious and overwhelmed? Or would you feel relaxed, engaged and grateful?

• …Your time at home. Would you be excitedly going through your list of “rainy day” projects? Or would you stay lost in the time warp of not knowing how or what to prioritize?

• …Your time with yourself. Would you be reading, trying new hobbies and enjoying quiet reflections? Or beating yourself up for not getting enough done and then (mindlessly) crashing on couch for another night lost to TV and social media?

I know the first few months of this pandemic were incredibly stressful and in many cases traumatic. For a lot of us, the loss of control and absence of "normalcy" has shaken us to core, even mimicking the five stages of grief people can experience when they lose someone close to them.
 
So while the external circumstances might be outside our control, it is still our choice to live mindfully, with clarity and intention, rather than get swallowed up by the sea of uncertainty. When it comes to Control in the time of Coronavirus, there’s two pieces to the control puzzle for you to consider.

1. We were never really in control. Oh sure, you could put some plans in place, run through a to-do list and think you were managing it all. But there was always something – a sick child, a rainstorm, a broken appliance – that would break your rhythm and show you that we are always at the mercy of unexpected occurrences.

2. You still have control, over the only thing that has ever and will ever bring genuine contentment: this moment, right here and right now. Not in stewing over past negativity and missed opportunities, or anxiously awaiting a different future.

Next week I’ll provide some practical ideas on how to move forward with greater ease. Until then, consider this when you are feeling overwhelmed:
 
True joy is found in surrendering to the flow. The waves of 2020 will continue. And unlike the hypothetical planned year I suggested, we don’t know how or when this new paradigm will end. So will you take this opportunity to ride the current of the current? How can you reframe your current circumstance into one of choice?

If you are ready for this type of mindset shift, click here and let's talk. A 30-minute Intention Session can transform how you see yourself and the world around you.

With love, 
Lauren

Self Compassion + Announcement

I’m taking a break from Self-Discovery Summer to share something that’s been in my heart the last few days. The topics I’ve been writing about each week are really just opportunities to better know and ultimately accept yourself. The more you are truly connected to your heart, your soul and your special gifts, the more loving you will be to yourself. And that self-compassion allows incredible transformations to happen.

The healing and spiritual practices I’ve shared all have one thing in common: they ask you to put yourself as a priority. To carve out a few minutes of mindfulness so you can feel your heart beating and lungs breathing. So you can remember that you aren’t just someone’s wife, parent, child, employee. That underneath all the to-dos, emails and noise, (both in and out of your head), is a voice longing for meaning and connection.

It’s not a straight line from self-discovery to self-compassion. It’s a path with peaks and valleys, self-doubt, cultural and family pressure. But the closer you get to the heart of who you are, the easier (not easy) it is to re-center after you get bumped off-course. It’s in these places of calm, clarity and surrender that we connect to what really matters to us. When we can let go of the need for external validation and break free from the societal definition of what happiness and success look like.

For me, part of the path is a long coming transition from Lauren Ivy Health to my new brand…Open to Alchemy.

Open to Alchemy is both an invitation and an affirmation. It’s a deep call to bring a modern and accessible take on spirituality and share the magical transformations that are available to everyone, regardless of your age, stage or experience. I’m so excited about this, it’s practically bubbling over! More on this, including expansive new offerings coming next month!  

I’ll be back next week to wrap up Self-Discovery Summer, but I just wanted you to know that I hear you, I see you, I feel you. We are on this journey together. We can choose to create whatever life is calling to us. Those whispers are telling you that you are ready.

Xo,
Lauren

What type of Manifestor are you?

Manifestation is a topic that gets a lot of coverage in the personal development space. And it makes sense…the idea that you can make whatever you want happen is undeniably alluring. I’ve seen it described as everything from simply “the power of positive thinking” to outright magic. But not everyone is designed to manifest in the same way. Human Design teaches there are two distinct ways we are designed to manifest: Specific or Non-Specific.

As a quick refresher, these are the general principles of manifestation:

-       Have clarity on something that you want

-       Focus your energy (intention) towards that thing through visualization

-       Take inspired action to align with your goal

-       Set your desires free, releasing ego-driven attachment

-       Be open to receiving what you want or something better

Most manifestation guides will tell you to be super specific in order to attract exactly what you want. They suggest that if you aren’t crystal clear then you are more likely to settle for something less that comes along. Or even when something does present itself, you won’t even recognize it because you hadn’t gotten clarity on what you want.

But some of us are designed to be more active with the details and others are designed to be more passive.

If you are a Specific Manifestor, you are designed to take an active, assertive role in manifesting what you want. You benefit from brainstorming and visualizing each particular detail or feature and then creating lists of exactly each element of the thing you want to call in. Vision boards are another useful practice to find images, words and examples that help get Specific Manifestors in the vibration of excitement, abundance and gratitude.

If you are a Non-Specific Manifestor, you are meant to take a more passive approach to manifesting, not needing to know all the details. You are better suited to come up with a few desired choices or scenarios and then be open to knowing that one of those or something even better will come your way. Non-Specific Manifestors can lean on affirmations, mood boards and visualizations that evoke the desired feeling or experience you want to manifest.

So using the example of wanting a new home, here’s how it breaks down for each type:

 Specific Manifestor:

• Home Style: Brainstorm all the styles of homes then choose one specific style, even if that style is a hybrid like Modern Farmhouse

• Neighborhoods: Research the neighborhoods you’d consider and choose one that is your perfect spot, even your favorite streets

• Home Details: Make a list of all the details you want in your home including exact size, layout, price, features

• Action: Make a vision board or pin board of exactly what you want your house to look like

Non-Specific Manifestor:

• Home Style: Consider all the styles of homes that you’d like, focusing on how you feel in them and how grateful you are to be living there, hosting friends and family

• Neighborhoods: Be open to many neighborhoods, thinking more about the features you’d enjoy, like being close to a park or a friendly coffee shop

• Home Details: Envision yourself cooking, gardening, dancing in your new home, but without a specific attachment to what the home actually looks like

• Action: Make a mood board and create some daily affirmations that support the feeling you will have when you are living in your dream home

Ready to dive deeper and find out how you were designed to Manifest? Click here to order your free Human Design chart with Manifesting guide. And for more posts in the Self Discover Summer series click here.

The Wisdom in Animal Whispers

This morning while walking my dog Poppie, I witnessed something I had never seen before. A beautiful, silvery-gray feather was being gently and slowly guided across our path, as if an invisible person were moving it. I find feathers everyday and am very drawn to their messages, so I immediately stopped to take a closer look. Then I saw what was behind this magical movement…a tiny bee was lifting the feather by its quill and carrying it into the grass.

I stood there mesmerized by this incredible animal encounter and then raced home to do some research. Turns out, there is almost no information about this type of bee behavior. So did I see a complete anomaly? Welcome to the world of Spirit Animals.

Have you ever felt a connection to a specific animal, like a dolphin, that doesn’t seem to make any logical sense? Or maybe you have a recurring dream about a bear? Do you see hummingbirds everywhere you go? These seemingly disconnected experiences could hold some very powerful messages.

Based on Shamanic and Native American traditions, the terms Power Animal, Spirit Animal/Animal Spirit Guides and Totem Animals each have the own distinct definition and origin, but are often used interchangeably in popular culture. The commonality, however, is the idea that animals are incredible channels of guidance, inspiration and reassurance. These animals that we are drawn to or are seemingly drawn to us, present opportunities for self-exploration, increased awareness and mindfulness.

I’ve been attracted to butterflies for as long as I can remember. Their gorgeous colors, fluttering flight patterns and beautiful shapes have always captivated me. But more than anything, it’s their story of transformation and exploration that captured my imagination as a young soul-seeker. Fast forward to high school and college and butterflies filled my doodling sheets, adorned my room and my body in the form of jewelry and a self-designed tattoo. I still seem to find butterflies wherever I go...or maybe they find me. And every time, I’m reminded of my own power to be present in the moment, to evolve and to see the beauty in both the simple flower and the great adventures of life.

So the next time you are visited by a bear in your dreams, have a repeated or unusual encounter with an animal, take a few minutes to look up what that animal means. If you open your IG to a photo of a snake, see a news article about snakes, hear a friend’s story about a snake movie and then see a snake on a walk, rather than dismiss these as coincidences, you might want to explore the potential meaning of snakes (major personal change, energy shifts and healing are coming soon). I love Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer, but Spiritanimal.info is a good online resource.

Here are some links if you missed one of my other Self Discovery Summer posts on Yoga Nidra, Saging, Meditation or Gratitude. If you want to take your Self Discovery even further, I have 3 Free Connection Calls available each week to chat about any of the topics I’ve covered or any other healing/spiritual modalities you might be curious about.

Oh and that incredible bee I saw this morning, her message was one of the most profound, timely messages I’ve ever received. It’s time for creativity, productivity, collaboration and sweetness beyond your wildest dreams. Stay tuned for my major news next month!

Yoga Nidra, the yoga of your dreams (literally)

If you haven’t heard of Yoga Nidra, you’re not alone. In the ever-evolving Western Yoga universe, certain styles such as Flow, Power and Hot often get most of the attention. And it makes sense. For many of us, Yoga can provide the perfect two-for-one combo of strenuous exercise and mindfulness.

But if you are craving deep relaxation (hello, who isn’t these days), then get yourself to a virtual Yoga Nidra class asap. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from my first class, but I was all in when my amazing instructor Rebecca told me I only needed to find a comfy place to lie (eye mask and crystals optional). I have tried Yin and Deep Stretch yoga before, but while they are also in the Restorative category, Yoga Nidra is completely different.

The literal translation is Yogic Sleep, but it really cultivates a state between sleep and wake. In this twilight “trance” you can find incredible relaxation and allow healing from anxiety, stress and even trauma.

Starting with some beautiful deep breathing, Rebecca led us through the process of incorporating a Samskara, or repeated intention. We continued our body scans, with gentle prompts to find more surrender and deeper calm. Throughout the 30 minute session, it seemed like I melted away weeks of built up tension and I left feeling much more rested. Research suggests that one session of Yoga Nidra can equal 2-4 hours of sleep. And while it shouldn’t replace a good night’s sleep, Yoga Nidra practiced a few times a week can provide many of the sleep benefits insomniacs crave.

One of the things I love most about Yoga, is that there is a practice style to meet any of your physical and spiritual needs. And right now, an hour of self-care is exactly what I needed.

For amazing Yoga Nidra intro classes check out Rebecca Moulton and her incredible Sunday morning Chill series. Insight Timer also has beautful guided Yoga Nidra meditations created for sleep, healing and clarity.

If you missed a #SelfDiscoverySummer post, click through here for more info on Saging, Gratitude practices, Crystals and more.

Sage for Serenity

Feeling in need of some new energy? Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands. Luckily, one of the most powerful energy clearing tools can fit right in your palm.

Saging is an ancient Native American custom, more traditionally known as Smudging. It’s been used for centuries to clear the energy of a space, both by physically cleaning the air and by removing negative energy as part of a spiritual practice. It’s also a beautiful addition to any mind-body ritual such as yoga, meditation or journaling.

There are many different methods to formally using sage, but it’s also something you can easily incorporate on your own. You can simply burn sage while doing a walking meditation, use it as a time to reset your intention in your home or quite literally clear the air around you after some tense or rough situations.

Here are a few tips to get you started on a ritual sure to bring some fresh energy to your surroundings. Plus, few things will get your pets, kids or spouses attention more than coming towards them with a smoking bundle of sage.

Choose your Scent

Sage is easily accessible at any local health food or new age store and also available online. There are some other popular aromatics that you can use either as a substitute for sage or as a second part to a clearing ritual. In this second step, after you clear the space, you then burn another scent to put intentional energy into the area. Here are some additional options and their healing properties:

• Sweet Grass: positivity and happiness

• Cedar: purification and protection

• Lavender: calm and peace

• Palo Santo: grounding and clarity (note: make sure you buy Palo Santo that is being sustainably harvested)

 Create a Ritual

• I love saging as a weekly Sunday night ritual. It gives you time to be grateful for the time passed and also think about what you’d like to change or improve for the coming week.

• The 1st of the Month is also a beautiful time of transition to conduct a burning ritual, welcoming in the energy and excitement of what’s to come.

• Some people use the moon cycle, the solstice and equinoxes, or just whenever you feel like the energy in your space has become stagnant or negative.

So whether you are a saging newbie or experience energy shifter, I’d love to hear how you incorporate this meaningful ritual into your daily life!

Meditation Misconceptions

Most people fall into one of two camps when it comes to meditation. You either love it and it becomes a cornerstone of your wellness practice, or you feel like it’s not for you, perhaps assuming you don’t know how to do it right or it’s too hard.

I first learned about meditation when I started doing yoga 20+ years ago. My boyfriend & I tried a Friday night class at a New York Sports Club. The teacher was an older and very experienced yogi who valued Savasana (corpse pose) and repeated the mantra “quiet the mind, quiet the breath” as we sank deeper into rest at the end of our strenuous postures. It was the first time I experienced the elusive absence of thought and realized I had the capabilities to briefly silence my inner dialogue.

Since then, I’ve tried a variety of different meditation practices – from blissful week-long sessions isolated in nature to 30-minute lunchtime classes. Sometimes you experience a seemingly magical channeling of intuition. Other times, it feels like you run through your to-do list the whole time. But the secret truth is: any meditation session is a huge success. Surprised? Here are some of the most common misconceptions about meditation and how to overcome them:

• “Meditation means completely quieting the mind.” Sure maybe for Buddhist monks who’ve been practicing for their entire lives this is the goal. But a modern meditation teacher will tell you that just like you can’t tell your heart to stop beating, you can’t tell you mind to stop thinking. It’s about training your mind for increased awareness and attention. So release the expectation that your goal is a blank mind and you will open yourself to an entirely different meditation experience.

• “Meditation means dedicating hours a day.” There’s an old Zen saying, “You should sit in mediation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour”. And I get it…I once did a one-day silent meditation retreat and it was pure heaven. I also have days I feel like I can only squeeze in 5 minutes before bed. Fortunately research shows just 10 minutes a day can have incredible benefits, such as reduced anxiety and improved concentration. So don’t worry; the time you decide to spend is entirely up to you.

• “Meditation is sitting still.” Sure, lots of people love the stillness of their meditation pillow, back straight, hands resting gently. But for some of us, we need to start (and maybe stay) with a practice that involves movement. Luckily, there are walking meditation practices that are perfect for those who struggle with sitting still:

  • Use your yard or find a park that you can safely walk

  • Start walking, creating a path in either a square, rectangle or circle shape

  • Take your time, walking at a steady pace, focusing on your rhythm

  • Pay attention to your speed, the sound of your feet on the ground. This is great to do on gravel, grass or a regular concrete path.

  • If you can do this in bare feet it’s even better!

• “Meditation is a silent practice.” Guided meditation is the majority of my practice. There are literally hundreds of types of guided meditations from Body Scans to Self-Compassion. Meditations for activating your chakras and helping you find clarity for manifestations. Some people crave the quiet and I too love mixing in some silent practices, but I recommend letting the wisdom of trained teachers guide you and it will transform your assumptions about meditation.

• “Meditation is a religious practice.” Yes, Meditation, as a practice, is rooted in religion. But fortunately, as experts continue to uncover the many benefits, it has become entirely mainstream and accessible to everyone. Whether you tie your sessions to a religion or not is a completely personal decision. Your meditation practice is yours and yours alone.

Ready to dive in right now? I’ve got you covered. While there are so many fabulous programs available, here are some I recommend:

• I love the Insight Timer app. It’s free and there are thousands of meditations to choose from.

• Another great program for beginners is Ziva meditation. There are some YouTube videos available for you to try and they also offer a free trial.

• If you are really ready to kickstart your practice, you can also go the private route. I was lucky enough to enjoy a few sessions with Tiffany Andras-Myers from A Mindful Heart and it was incredibly personal and expansive.

As always, can’t wait to hear what you think of this chapter of the Self Discovery Summer series!

6 Ways to Create a Gratitude Ritual (that isn’t Journaling)

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is a practice that takes, well, practice. Some days it’s super easy to access those feelings of appreciation. Other days…not so much.

Now, more than ever, we can recognize our blessings of health, financial stability, friends and families. But what about when your child is misbehaving? The home is overrun with mess? Work is completely overloading you? Can you still access your gratitude then or is the glass only half-full when things are going your way?

Research shows gratitude can improve both your physical and mental health. It can help you have better relationships, handle difficult situations and generally lead to a happier life.  It also opens you to the Law of Attraction. When you are able to find genuine appreciation for all you already have, you will more quickly be able to manifest more of what you want.

It’s amazing if you can bookend each day with a written documentation of 10 things you are grateful for. I’ll admit it’s a struggle to keep a formal journal going. So if it’s not working for you, please don’t give up.

It’s time we debunk the idea that a Gratitude Journal is the only practice that counts. Here are some alternatives to expand your consciousness around thankfulness and find a practice that sticks IRL.

•  Use TECH

  • Make a new “Gratitude” note in your phone or create a collection of voice memos. Set a recurring alarm in your phone to remind you and each day record the first 2-3 things that come to mind.  It actually can be that easy.

• Have FUN

  • If you are more visually inclined, a gratitude jar is a great option. Grab a bunch of fun colored paper scraps and each day write one thing to add to your jar. Watch what happens when you literally see your gratitude expand.

• Get CREATIVE

  • If creativity is your jam, then the sky is the limit. We’ve done hand-written gratitude leaves in the fall and made paper hearts for each day in February. Any and all ways to add a fun and meaningful spin to gratitude is amazing.

• Get a PARTNER

  • Brainstorm who you can enlist to be an accountability buddy and then make a ritual you can do together. Always have Sunday night dinner with your family or a Wednesday walk-date with a friend? Add a gratitude element to something you already do regularly and you are more likely to stick with it.

• Make it the VERY FIRST THING

  • Before you get out of bed in the morning, say a silent moment of thanks for your night’s sleep (good or bad), in a warm bed, in a safe home. So many people don’t have this everyday luxury we often take for granted.

• Make it the VERY LAST THING

  • Few things can send you off to a more peaceful slumber than acknowledging all the sweetness you experienced in your day. This is also a beautiful practice to incorporate into your kid’s bedtime routine.

Cultivating more gratitude has been one of the most positively impactful shifts in my life. I’d love to see which of these ideas that you incorporate into your daily routine.