Hello Friends,
I truly hope that you are enjoying the holiday season! This time of year can bring out a lot of stress. You may be having a peaceful and enjoyable time — or you may be surrounded by people and incidents that push your buttons. Maybe you are one of those amazing individuals who can enjoy a peaceful and joyful time while being surrounded by people and incidents that push your buttons. (BTW, This is totally possible – read on for more details.)
If you’re somewhere in between, you might enjoy my to you this season: Holiday Relaxation: an 8 minute guided meditation practice you can do anywhere. Nice!
Surrender to your Life’s Purpose & Make the Force your Ally
Ego can be defined as an addiction to resistance. When we resist the present moment, our life energy pours into the depleting drain-pipe of anger, resentment, grief and negativity. (Not holiday fun)
When we surrender our need to resist “what is,” we begin to live in the present more fully. Instead of relying on our personal ego to solve problems, (and by the way, the ego is not good at “solving” problems) – we we align with life force. There is nothing more powerful than the truth. And the truth is, “what is.” Being in alignment with “what is” feels great.
For example, here comes Aunt Milly to criticize my life choices once again. Sigh. My ego would really like to resist this fact and give her a piece of my mind. Instead, I step back into “what is.” Aunt Milly is criticizing my life choices. How interesting. The sky is blue. Isn’t it lovely. The earth is turning. Life goes on. I go on. Experiences come and go. I feel content. I can still set a boundary with Aunt Milly, if I choose to do that. I can, in fact, set a boundary with or without the “help” of my ego. (Guess which way is more effective?)
Let’s take this a little further.
When we surrender to our life’s purpose, we align ourselves with prana, life force energy, literally co-creating our destiny. Does this mean everything always goes “your way?” No. Does it mean Aunt Milly will never criticize you again? No. What happens is way more magical than that. Unexpected support begins to show up from sources you never would have imagined.
A Magical Story
For example, here’s a little story about something magical – that just happens to be true.
Last month, my sister won the University of Vermont’s State Fair raffle and found herself the surprised owner of a registered Morgan horse. Consider the odds. This is the same raffle that I myself won over 30 years ago. Again. Consider the odds.
My sister is not a horse person.
My sister and I have not been close. But I have been longing to be closer with her.
“What are you going to do with your horse?” I asked her. She replied, “I thought I would give her to you.”
In Advanced Energy Anatomy, Caroline Myss describes this phenomenon as the way “spirit” works. Tell me something is impossible. “Oh, really?” The divine will reply. “Let me show you what I can do.”
As some of you know, this past summer I surrendered my life work of teaching Yoga to follow a calling in Equine Facilitated Learning. A sense had been building in me since 2012 that I was being called to work with horses. I am still not exactly sure what this will look like, but I am listening, and I am in.
And now, I have a little horse – Whimsical – to help me. (Yes, that is really her name.)
Was it convenient for me to sell my studio and leave my home and friends in Salt Lake City to take a chance on this dream? No. Has it been easy? Not exactly. Does Aunt Milly still criticize my life choices? Yes, even more than usual. (After all, this sounds totally crazy.) Have I cried? Yes. Has this leap of faith led to many personal challenges and upheavals? Yes. Has it been amazing so far? Well, yes. Actually. Yes it has.
Wishing you and yours a magical and joyous Holiday Season.
Love, Erin
Interested in manifesting your heart-felt desire? Hit reply to sign up for my FREE webinar coming this January. You will learn and experience the time-honored practice of Yoga Nidra, which helps us cut through the Ego’s chatter and get back to what really matters. Put “Let’s Manifest!” in the subject line and you’ll be on your way toward aligning more fully with your soul’s purpose.
PLUS, In January 2015, I’ll be launching a new program, Living Joyfully 101. We’ll explore ways of moving beyond our blocks and into a life of more joy. We’ll look at the things that get in the way of living authentically, and we’ll work with some amazing tools for moving past those obstacles and into living the life you want. If this sounds like fun to you, hit “reply” to this email and put “101” in the subject line. I will make sure you are among the first to hear more details!