Living in Hawaii does not exempt us islanders from getting caught up in everyday reality.  While island life does its best to distract us from our responsibilities and commitments, we can still get sucked into the grind and hustle. We, too, need to reconnect.

It’s not always easy to make this simple life in paradise work, but it’s absolutely worth it. As I find myself juggling jobs, relationships, and my own self-development, my sacred time with nature begins to suffer; it’s deceiving.

As I walk out my front door, nature already surrounds me.  I see the ocean from my house. When I look back – Palolo Valley reaches deep and high to the Ko’olau Mountain Ranges.  I notice it, but I’m distracted.  Driving into town, I will see mango-tree lined streets, plumeria flowers scattered on the sidewalks, and Diamond Head distinctly in the distance.  But I take advantage of it.  My eyes take it in, then, distractions in my mind take over.

An extra bathing suit has a home in the back of my disheveled car and has been clutch when I can steal a few minutes in between commitments to jump in the water at Kaimanas.

But even that feels like a shallow connection.

Yes, I was able to get my “fix” of Ocean time which always makes me feel better; but again, my mind was not focused on the sea and its restorative energy.  Physically, I got sandy and salty.  Mentally, my mind was with my damn phone checking [quote_left]”…I knew that if I wanted to reconnect, it was time to disconnect…[/quote_left]e-mails, sending texts, and making appointments.

I knew that if I wanted to reconnect, it was time to disconnect. TO me that meant PHONE OFF (or at least on airplane mode so I could still take pictures).

Yesterday, my roomie, pup Reeces and I decided to hike Wa’ahila Ridge up St. Louis Heights.  I noticed that the deeper or higher we got into a hike, the farther away “reality” seemed.  Weightless, I reach a place where time doesn’t matter, and agendas don’t exist.  I wasn’t thinking about the past, or planning for the future.  I knew that I was in the here and the now, the most beautiful and authentic location to reside.

Do yourself a favor and get out into nature this weekend.  Turn your phone off, leave the laptop shut and get on a trail.  Do you live somewhere with no trail in sight?  Go to a garden, lake, river, park, ocean, anything. REALLY tune into the beauty of creation.  Meditate in it.  Let it nourish your essence.  

You’ll end the day feeling more connected than ever.

That picture you see here comes from what was one of the most ancient symbols known to man. That symbol is based on the ancient Olympic symbol, which was a five-pointed star with five words around it at each point. Today’s symbol of the Olympics has changed to the five rings as we all know it. However, they dropped two of the words. Those two words are important pieces of the original five.

The Meaning Behind the Symbol

The ancients related the five-pointed star to the human body. When we stand with your limbs out, you see we are shaped like the star with five points – or aspects. That symbol and the words around it were based on the perfection of the human experience.  Those words in Latin were Citius, Altius, Fortius, Socius & Moneta.

Citius meant swifter mentally, while Altius meant higher emotionally. Fortius meant stronger physically, and we also have Socius and Moneta. Socius and Moneta were the most important.

Socius is what gives us our foundations, which on the human body are our legs. It gives us our legs to stand on, that allow us to move out and about throughout society to experience ourselves Mentally, Physically and Emotionally.  Socius is our relationships – relationships are one of the strengths of the human experience.

“A relationship that has never been tested often times is not as valuable as one which has been and has solidified back together into a new strength of understanding…”

Moneta was the ancient word for Trust. It’s trust that in relationships gives us our foundations or our legs to stand on, in our relationships, our families, communities, and throughout the world.  Most people don’t realize that today’s word for trust is where the word money came from – moneta became money. Money literally means the trust of relationships.

Ancient Teachings

Our ancestors realized an important fact. When trust is broken, you can heal it by learning to forgive, forget, and erase it from your memory. We don’t learn these things in a classroom today. And here’s another example. They used to target specific issues with certain types of foods to allow the emotional molecules to escape from the body. But as I said earlier, they no longer teach these concepts.

In the ancient world they would chose elements to symbolize things. For example, each planet was given an element to represent it.  The moon was silver, mercury was mercury, the sun was gold, and so on.

Trust is Golden to a Human

They looked for an element that would represent human trust, and also the trust of communities and nations. They eventually chose gold. And this was because they knew that gold turned purer when fired. In turn, it became even more valuable, and they knew that trust was like that.  A relationship that has never been tested oftentimes is not as valuable as one which has been and has solidified back together into a new strength of understanding.

These ancient people realized that gold could only be found where water existed… or once existed. The gold nuggets would deposit in the banks of the river. So when they built the buildings to house the gold that would represent the collective trust, they called them the banks as that’s where we deposit the gold just like nature does.

If you look at all of the languages of money or trust as it was known, it sounds just like you’re talking about water because that’s where gold was found. That’s why we have currency, float loans, capital gains, liquid assets, trading pools, cash flow and so on…

There are over 50 words dealing with money at the international level of what we call banking today that sounds just like you’re talking about water.

This is because the ancients that if you saw a wilted, dying plant but added water, the plant would thrive and come back to life. If you look at relationships it’s much the same. If trust is broken and you add or put trust back in, that those relationships can thrive and come back.

So looking at that symbol and why I designed it into our logo was because we don’t believe that fitness is just a physical thing. To be truly healthy and fit you need a balance of the 5 aspects. That’s because these represent the perfection of the human experience as taught by our ancestors.

So as we delve a little deeper, we hope to empower you with some information so you can bring lasting health into all areas of your life.

Sharing our wishes, an open letter to our sons and daughters.

“Of course if you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin, you yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and so there is something more to the world again.” William Saroyan

The miracle that a child brings into the world is completely unmatched to anything we’ve experienced so far.  As we travel through the marvelous journey of life, one question, in particular, has resulted from our own personal enlightenment. “What can we do to improve our own lives and the lives of our future generations in synchronicity?”

A parent’s promise…

To our sons and daughters,

As the co-creators of our own future, we realize that our thoughts, words and actions are constructing an implicit framework for what will be the reality of tomorrow. We as parents have always wanted you to be brought into a world free from sickness, fear, war and inequality.

In the past, have expected that to happen through the age-old parenthood practice of “do as I say, not as I do”.  We’re now awakened to the fact that the world can become the better place we’ve all dreamed of if we be the change. We make a promise to realize that dream in our own lives because of our unconditional love for you.

We’re reminded of a story about a mother, her son, and their visit with Gandhi:

A Mother had been pleading with her son to break his sugar habit, but could not do so. As a last resort, she began a long journey to see her sons’ idol, Gandhi, with hopes that he could influence him. When she reached Gandhi, she explained that her son would not stop eating sugar

“My son eats too much sugar.” she explained, “It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi listened to the woman’s plea, thought and replied, “Please return in two weeks. I will talk to your son.”

The woman responded with confusion on her face and wondered why he not asked the boy to stop eating sugar immediately. She took her son hand and returned to their home.

Two weeks later, visited Gandhi again. This time, however Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said, “You should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health”. The boy nodded and promised he would stop eating sugar.

The boy’s mother was bewildered. She asked Gandhi, “Why didn’t you tell him this two weeks ago? Why did I have to travel home and then back again?” Gandhi smiled and replied, “Two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself.”

This story serves as a reminder of the declaration we make to you. We will free the world – starting with ourselves, starting today, starting now. Today is the day we make this promise of change to you.

We now take action and lead by example. We practice healthy lifestyles; lifestyles that will allow better futures, not bigger problems. We release our own internal fears from to create an external world without it. The global call for peace, love and equality that has been echoed through generations past will now be heard as we take our own individual responsibility and action.

We make you this promise because we love you and know that love can change the world.

<3,

Your Parents

Make the declaration to “be the change.” What do you wish for your sons and daughters? Add your own promise in the conversation below!

Restorative yoga is a term for yoga poses done with the full support of bolsters, straps, blankets, or blocks—allowing the practitioner to sink into the pose so they can be completely relaxed, absorbed, and present.

“The supported fish pose is a gentle restorative back bend. The goal is to relax and renew…”

Because each pose is held for five to seven minutes—some practitioners up to 10—many people cover themselves with a lightweight blanket to enhance the feeling of comfort and security.

The lengthy holds in restorative yoga teach our bodies to submerge into rest. This leads to a tranquil state where stress is released—the first step in healing. A consistent practice of restorative poses helps us to unwind and relax with ourselves; to be utterly still—excellent preparation for long periods of sitting meditation and quiet retreat.

An active person, when I first tried restorative yoga it was difficult for me to let go and remain still. But I soon came to appreciate the benefits of the rich nourishment my body and mind received. I also discovered it to be an effective prelude to a good night’s sleep.

As a stand-alone practice, I recommend an hour of restorative poses—asanas. As an accompaniment to your current practice, you may want to add 20-30 minutes at the end.

The supported fish pose is a gentle restorative backbend. The goal is to relax and renew. To enter this pose, sit on the floor with your legs fully extended in front of you. You may want to slip a bolster (or rolled blanket) under your knees for even more relaxation and comfort.

Place a yoga bolster lengthwise behind your back, keeping the bolster close to—but not touching—your sacrum. Your spine should be parallel to, and your head fully supported by, the bolster as you slowly lay back. Some practitioners like to place a small rolled towel under their neck for even more support. You can add height to the bolster with folded blankets if you feel any physical tension.

Lay your arms out on each side in a relaxed “T” position—palms up—for a receptive posture. Focus on “let go” breathing:

• Inhale soothing energy with a mental “let.”
• Exhale tension with a mental “go.”

This pose is a wonderful chest opener, providing deep stretches for the intercostal muscles between the ribs. If you find the stretch to be too intense, place a pillow under each arm for additional support.

One of my favorite restorative asanas is how I feel when I melt into the supported fish pose and mentally affirm, “I open my heart to the good around me.”

“Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Positive affirmations are one of the key elements needed to create the abundant, amazing life we all desire. As Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily”; so to create your best life, it’s important to create positive daily habits through a set of resources available for daily reference.

We believe that teaching children to be positive and recognize their own self-worth at a young age will help them develop into a powerful creator that can harness the true ability we all have inside us.  That’s why today, we’re sharing the book of Positive Affirmations, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen.

What we like most about this book is that it’s geared to appeal to children. They can learn about the law of attraction, and how positive affirmations work in a vibrant and engaging book they’ll want to read over and over.

We’re also GIVING AWAY two copies to two lucky winners at the bottom of this post!

Here’s how Connie’s book of positive affirmations was created:

“I painted the collection of whimsical paintings that comprise I Create My World, each with their own characters and interesting story, for a child to interpret using their unlimited imagination. I enjoyed making them, and it was fun and challenging thinking up new and interesting images.

After I had collected quite a few, I put them safely under my desk and moved on to other creative pursuits.

Fast forward years later when I was working with affirmations from Sanaya Roman’s books and also theories of the law of attraction as espoused by Abraham-Hicks.

One day, on my early morning walk, I had been repeating affirmations while concentrating on picturing the life I wanted to create. Soon after, I was enjoying the warm water of my morning shower when into my mind popped the words “The paintings under your desk go with those affirmations.” I had not been thinking about those paintings and they would still be under my desk to this day except for those words.

The ebook “I Create My World” is the final result of pairing those paintings with affirmations that encapsulate what I’ve learned in my spiritual studies.”

Here are some of the paintings from inside the book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enter to win a copy of the ebook, “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can’t stand the suspense, and want to buy the ebook now:

You can get it on Amazon here

You can also get it on iTunes, here

Connie is also crowd sourcing to create physical copies.  If you’d like to contribute, click here

Do you practice daily positive affirmations and also teach them to the little ones in your life?  Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer:  We were provided with a copy of “I Create My World” by Connie Bowen for review purposes only.  All opinions of this book are our own.

Have you ever considered The Wizard of Oz to be a tale of leadership?

Imagine this…

There you are minding your own business when a huge tornado comes along and turns your world upside-down. You are transported to a land where little people sing in shrill voices, a woman wearing a gown appears from the sky in a bubble, a witch with hideous green makeup tells you that she is going to make your life miserable, and your family is nowhere to be found. The only thing you have to hold onto (literally) is a small dog named Toto who got you into this trouble in the first place. If he just hadn’t tried to bite the Maxwell House lady…

You know the story. But did you ever stop to think what great leadership skills Dorothy used to get herself out of that mess and back home? Would you have been able to do the same?

Dorothy as a Natural Leader

First of all, she knew where she wanted to go. She had direction. Even if it did start out in tiny steps going in a circle of golden bricks, the plain and simple fact is that she never stopped thinking about her goal. She wanted to go home, and nothing would deter her from that. Circles or no circles, crossroads or no crossroads, witch or no witch, Dorothy was going home. Period.

Secondly, she told everyone she met what her goal was, and even intrigued a few of them into adventuring along with her. Now, granted, this was quite the rag-tag group. A Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion might not be anyone’s first pick of partners on the journey to success. But, didn’t they believe in her? Didn’t they encourage her? Didn’t they help her get where she wanted to go? And they stuck with her regardless of the challenges she encountered. Not such a bad group after all. I daresay it was Dorothy’s conviction and good heart that kept them by her side and believing in her.

More Challenges

Next, she overcame the many obstacles that she encountered, no matter how daunting. No menacing trees throwing apples would stop her. And certainly, no poppy fields with sleeping potion could keep her down. No big, intimidating door would keep her out. And no witch would keep her locked up. No sirree, nothing was going to stop Dorothy from moving forward toward her goal. She focused her efforts and determined to get home.

Finally, she realized that the biggest part of the journey she had made was within herself. Regardless of how many miles she had walked, the real journey was in recognizing what was truly important to her. She understood the importance of family, friends, values, and the roof over her head. Everything else was interesting and at times glamorous, but temporary. True wisdom starts from within, and Dorothy learned this lesson.

Final Thoughts on Dorothy and Leadership

“You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power.” ~ The Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz

So, what do you think of Dorothy’s leadership skills now? She had direction. Plus, she attracted the right people into her life to help her get there. She overcame obstacles, no matter how large or small. And she realized that the largest part of her journey had really happened within. Not bad for a little girl.

So, grab your basket and your best blue gingham frock and take a few steps along the yellow brick road with Dorothy. She has a few things she would like to share with you about leadership. What do you think?

Many blessings,

Katrina

Pregnancy and labor can be a very overwhelming time filled with many emotions such as excitement and fear. While pregnancy is generally reflected in a positive light, the same cannot be said about labor, and this is all before the potential for postpartum pajamas and depression and everything that comes after the labor. There is a general sense of negativity that surrounds the labor experience. That’s particularly true when we talk about natural birthing. We hear of very few positive examples of natural, drug-free childbirths.

“The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve a successful drug-free childbirth…”

And, there is a lot of fear behind this type of experience and it is seen as un-normal.

With so little natural birth education passed along to mothers-to-be, it is no wonder that many women are not confident in their body’s innate ability to birth naturally without narcotics and why medical births are the new norm.

With C-sections up 53% since 1996, these procedures are being used on women with little or no complications. Common medical interventions include Pitocin, Epidurals and Cesarean section surgeries. The truth is that with the right preparation one can achieve successful drug-free childbirth. This article will discuss how to practice for childbirth and take control of the birthing experience.

“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful; it’s that women are strong.” -Laura Stavoe Harm

How to prepare for natural labor:

Over the years there has become less and less of a focus on enhancing women’s confidence in the ability of the body during labor. Simply spending more time educating women on how to handle the birthing process, as well as fostering an environment to help make the mother as comfortable as possible, are healthier and less expensive alternatives to the interventions. These following methods may reduce labor pain naturally and help women to birth without interferences.

1. Surround yourself with a positive concept of birth

With so much negative energy regarding birth, it is not surprising that many women fear birthing the way it was originally intended. Hollywood has dramatized the event with depictions of women screaming at their husbands while begging the doctors to eliminate the pain. In addition to the negative portrayals, very few women themselves have positive birth stories to share and take it upon themselves to share these adverse encounters with other pregnant women.

“…many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences…”

]One of the best things an expecting mother can do is create their own perception of the birthing experience by avoiding any and all negativity. Labor does not need to be a dreadful experience and in fact, many women who take a proactive role in their labor and make the effort to make it enjoyable have had very positive experiences. Seek out these women and listen to their empowering birth stories.

2. Plan and Visualize

Many mothers feel like patients rather than participants in their labor, by having a strong understanding about how birth and the body work a woman can take an active role in making the right decisions for her body. Creating a birth plan can ensure that the birthing environment is a positive one. Imagery and visualization are other powerful tools for women to practice prior to labor. Envisioning successful labor can help build confidence in the woman’s ability to birth naturally without medical interventions coming into play. Tight and tense muscles can prevent the body from opening, which is essential in order for labor to progress. Practicing imagery and visualization towards the end of your pregnancy and during labor helps to condition the mind and reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Increase knowledge & trust intuition

Read books, attend classes and become as up to date as you can on birth in general. By learning as much as you can about the process and how the body works the woman can be inspired to let nature run its course while trusting in the wondrous ability of the human body to do what it was made to do. Birthing is a very natural experience. In fact, women birthed without medical interventions for millions of years before modern medicine brainwashed us. Now, we believe that medical involvements were a better alternative than letting the body act naturally. By educating oneself on the natural progression of labor you are reinforcing confidence in the body’s innate power.

4. Be mindful of fears and emotions

Birth is such a life-changing event it would be impossible to not have fears and emotions associated with the experience. Ignoring these fears does no service. You must encounter your fears and work on releasing them through meditation and visualization. By acknowledging worries the woman is able to work towards overcoming those reservations throughout pregnancy to ensure a blissful birth.

5. Connect with Body, Mind, and Spirit

Yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise during pregnancy and combines gentle stretching, relaxation and breathing techniques. This ancient practice increases internal awareness and focus that helps create confidence and trust in your body while also bonding with your baby. It can lower blood pressure and prevents and relieves aches and pains that impinge on the body during pregnancy.

Yoga builds stamina, relaxes the pelvis, and helps the baby transition into an optimal birthing position. The relaxation response can significantly improve your overall health and well-being. Research shows that when people engage the relaxation response daily it can reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. And, it can also improve blood pressure, immunity, and self-esteem. Relaxation helps to create endorphins, which help to decrease pain during labor, whereas fear causes the release of stress hormones and catecholamine that can increase pain and duration of labor.

Meditation helps to create melatonin, which is released into the bloodstream during stress-inducing times. It also produces endorphins that have very powerful pain-relieving effects, similar to morphine. The more dedicated the woman is to her prenatal meditation, the less afraid she will be of preconceived pain prior to the onset of labor.

`This allows the woman to be less disturbed by any actual pain. Therefore, it creates feelings of joy. Frequent practice results in higher levels of endorphins during labor. Regular practice of yoga and meditation is essential to prepare the mind and body for labor.

6. Supportive Network

Making sure to have people around who support your decisions is extremely important.

Without health care providers, friends and family members to support your decision it can be very difficult. Create a strong support system for the positive birthing environment. This enables the mother to be the love and encouragement she needs.

Making the effort to practice regularly, becoming educated as much as possible and keeping a positive attitude are essential to empower the mother-to-be and ensure she can birth with freedom and joy. Just as one would prepare for a marathon, the same provision should apply to the biggest life-changing event that a woman will experience. In addition to helping make pregnancy and labor easier, these modalities also help the post-partum body recover quicker.

These techniques prevent and treat postpartum depression and anxiety by allowing the mother some time to herself to nurture her mind-body connection. With so many physical and hormonal changes going on during this time, it is beneficial for the mother to take some time to decompress and build awareness with her changing body to adapt to each new stage of motherhood.

Thoughts about life and personal growth welled up as I replaced our daughter’s car seat with one that would be more comfortable for her as she grew.  Our little girl was growing up fast and it seemed like only yesterday I had put that original car seat in.

As I completed the new installation, thoughts of the snake that sheds its old skin, or the butterfly that breaks free from its cocoon quickly bubbled to the surface. A reflection on life had been staring me right in the eyes the whole time.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl

How does a car seat connect with personal growth?

As children get older, many things (car seats included) need to grow right along with them in order to help facilitate that growth. To watch a child grow and expand (which happens very quickly, by the way), makes you think about your own personal growth as well.

As a parent, there are moments that give you a glimpse into the future or a memory from the past. Parenthood also gives you the ultimate perspective that our physical lives are absolutely limited, and we have to do what we can with the time we’ve got.  You see, the car seat was a perfect representation that growth happens, and sometimes it happens like it or not.

Maybe you’re comfortably nestled in and happy with where you are in life. You’ve released your full potential, but that’s ok, as long as you’re happy. True happiness is true wealth and the key to living the life YOU desire.

But what if you’re not comfortable?

What if you feel a tension inside that’s holding you back from where you want to be? If you feel it (and we’ve all felt it at some point), it’s time to grow, and release what’s prohibited you from reaching your peak. But you’ve got to be willing to get uncomfortable and start letting go of your current reality. If you’re really ready to grow, you’ve got to accept and look forward to what could be, not what is.

“…Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.”

When growth happens from the inside, the outside becomes unstable. Not because we’re acting in an unstable manner from our desire to change, but because the outside cannot stay as it is if the inside is changing. It will eventually change with us or be released from our experience, this is law. The world around us is simply a reflection of the world within us.

Sometimes, you’ve got to shed that old skin if you want growth to happen. You’ve got to break out of that comfortable cocoon that’s housed you all this time. Even the mightiest of redwoods would be but a bonsai if never freed from its restrictive planter.

So ask yourself, “Is there something still out there that calls me? What in the world do I still want to experience?” and if an answer comes to mind, congratulations! You’re still alive and have time to do it. Start today. Start now. You’ve got one go-around in this body and you might as well continue to grow until the sun stops shining!

I loved to read when I was a child. I would spend hours upon hours reading the Oz books, Dr. Dolittle books, Paddington books, Little House series, and Wrinkle in Time series, to name just a few. I got lost in the worlds that the authors created, and it was easy to imagine myself alongside the characters enjoying the happy stories and the journey with them.

“What’s fascinated me from the time I was a little kid was the way we construct our lives through stories.”
~ Henry Louis Gates

The best part was always the ending. Even though I usually didn’t want the books to end, it made me feel good to know that the characters resolved their differences, moved through their challenges, and came to a place of greater awareness and peace.

Did you ever notice that? In children’s books, the main characters are allowed to learn and mature through their adventures. They encounter obstacles and learn their lessons, then come to a place of resolution. They are “allowed” to be happy.

For some reason, as adults, we look for more complicated storylines. Adult books and movies are filled with infinite twists and turns, and lots of darkness. Often when movies are tested on audiences, it’s the ending with an unresolved situation that tests strongest. It’s almost as if we want characters to feel lost, hurt, sad, and alone.

Why do we like to make things more complicated as adults? Why are we attracted to drama?

Some of you may say that the books and movies merely reflect life the way it “really” is.

But is that true?

What if life is one big story and we are the authors? Or, what if life is far easier than we make it? What if life challenges really can be smoothed out quickly and with little effort? What if we are making it all far more complicated than it needs to be?

For me, it’s simple. I prefer living a happy story where people smile and treat each other kindly. Occasionally we even break out in a song and dance. There is little drama, and at night everyone sleeps safely and soundly. That may be boring to some, but it suits me just fine.

So, when we come to that fork in the road and one path has a character holding a hatchet and wearing a bloody hockey mask while the other path has a fun-loving group of characters laughing and skipping along the way, you know which one I’ll pick!

Happily ever after,

Katrina