4 Essential Elements For A Daily Alignment Practice

Having a Daily Alignment Practice is essential for living a balanced life. When we are in alignment with our Authentic Self life just flows better and Intuition is at an all time high.

Because we live in a third dimensional world that isn’t all sunshine and roses we need a clear open channel with our Divine Guidance. Then we can navigate the terrain and go through the day with as much clarity, focus, ease and grace as we are able to allow into our lives.

That is exactly what a Daily Practice allows us to do.

I’ll be honest and share that I am a bit of a rebel in this regard. I kind of fought having a daily practice because I didn’t want to HAVE to do something…I want to WANT to do something.

I still have to deal with this aspect of myself from time to time as it will tell me that I am beyond the need for a daily practice and I can stay in alignment just by “Being”. If this works for you…GREAT For me, not so much!

I totally get that for some of us it will take some effort to get in the habit of having a Daily Practice.

Keep in mind though that just as we wouldn’t brush our teeth once and figure we are done for life, or shower only once a month and be done with it, it is the same for keeping our body, mind and spirit clear and balanced, and for most of us that requires a daily practice.

Personally ~ when I fall away from doing my Daily Practice it isn’t long before a fog sets in and I get crabby, forgetful, easily distracted and disconnected from my Intuitive Self. The Divine Guidance that I have gotten so used seems to fad away.

That is why it is essential for me have a practice in my day and I encourage everybody that feels the Call within to start one ASAP

Whether you are just developing your own Daily Alignment Practice, getting back to one you already had in place, or looking to tweak your current one keep these elements in mind as you want to tap into these key areas:

1. Body ~ movement is important as well as proper rest and nutrition. For those of you that aren’t too keen on exercising, up until now, start slowly and build up. Simply going for a walk or dancing to some fun music for 5 minutes is better than doing nothing!

Nutrition plan need some improvement? How about adding one “healthy” thing to your meal plan and drinking one extra glass of water a day?

2. Mind ~ Reading as little as one inspirational or motivational paragraph a day feeds the Mind. Have some time in your car driving to work or doing errands? Listening to some educational or inspirational audios keeps the mind focused and expanding.

3. Spirit ~ Unplugging from the external world and plugging into your Authentic Nature is like recharging your batteries. It is essential to fill yourself up with your Life Force energy to go throughout your day. As little as 5 minutes a day is life changing! Even 90 seconds in the morning, afternoon and evening does wonders and remember, Consistency is key.

4. Shadow work ~ At least weekly do a check in with yourself. How did the week go? Were you present and on task or were you hurried and irritable? Anything come up that weighs heavy on your mind? Awareness builds consciousness and once you are aware of something you can make changes if needed. There are so many tools available to help you move through the areas of your life that are no longer working for you.

Do you have a Daily Alignment Practice that you love? I would love to hear what that looks like for you!

If you don’t have one yet and feel that it is important to begin one ~ what is one thing you can start to incorporate into your daily life today?

Make it fun and enjoyable and please leave a comment below and let me know what is going on for you!

Do You Allow Good Into Your Life?

I don’t know about you but since I have opened up to an expanded understanding of the way this Universe works, I have been very mindful about what I want to co-create in my life (most of the time.).

In the past I have often made things much harder than they needed to be.

Can you relate?

Nowadays  I am open and willing to have the events in my life be filled with  a naturalness and grace about them.  I have done a lot of inner work,  either by myself or with the help of a facilitator,  and I know that this Universe supports me fully and things will unfold with synchronicity when I am in alignment with them.

I REALLY got good at it.  I got so good at it I thought I had struggle and self-doubt pretty far behind me.

Imagine my surprise when I realized something I had been talking about for the past few years was handed to me on a silver platter and instead of appreciating it and being grateful I went straight into fear, doubt and worry!  And then I did it again in another matter!

I was reminded about this story I had heard a few months ago.  Have you heard this one?

The Wish Fulfilling Tree

There is a Hindu story about a wish-fulfilling tree. There was a man who roamed the world and in the course of his wandering he came to a forest and he sat to rest under the tree. A gentle breeze was blowing.

As he looked around the man thought ‘If I had a companion I would be completely happy’.

Now it just so happened that this particular tree was a wish-fulfilling tree.

A wish-fulfilling tree is divine and if a person sits beneath it his every wish is instantly granted.

So at that very moment a beautiful woman appears. The man is enraptured. She joined him under the tree and he thought ‘Oh. Thank you for fulfilling my wish. This is perfect.’

Then he thought ‘What a pity the two of us have to sit under a tree exposed to the elements. It would be much better if we had a house with a few bedrooms and a dining room equipped with all the amenities. Then I would lack nothing.’

And immediately the house he wished for appeared.

Delighted, he went into the house with his sweetheart, sat down, had a loving chat with her and then he said ‘What’s the point of living like paupers in this house? I would like to live like a lord. If only we had a butler and a couple of servants.’

In the twinkling of an eye a butler and two servants appeared.

The man called the servants and said ‘Prepare for us two delectable dishes.’ And before long the butler brought two trays of gourmet food.

The man tasted the food. Oh it was delicious.

Then the man began to wonder…

‘So what’s going on?

I wished for a wife and she arrived.

I wished for a house and got a beautiful house.

I wished for a butler and two servants and they appeared.

Then I wished for a delectable dish and they too materialized.

What’s going on here?

No way can this be happening to me.

No way.

I am just a wanderer. Now I have sat under a tree and look at all this. There is something wrong here.

This can’t be real. I can’t have this.’

And no sooner did the thought cross his mind than poof it all disappeared. 

Doubt has a way of sneaking up like that doesn’t it!?

The truth is that in a sense we are all sitting under a wish-fulfilling tree.

The energy that we send forth as a co-creator with life has a magnetic pull to it.

Some good questions to ask are:

What are you attracting/”pulling”  into your life?

If it isn’t necessarily what you want to experience take a peek at your thoughts, words and actions.

Are you feeling worthy of your good?

Are you allowing good into your life?

When it does show up are you grateful or do you start to think you don’t deserve it or it is too good to be true?

I’m very thankful that I recognized how I quickly fell back into some old patterns.

I invite you to journal your initial thoughts about the story above.

Where do you fall on the allowing and appreciation scale in your life?

I would love to hear what comes up for you!

 Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Knowing your are Worthy By Design

With Heart,

Jill Marie Chesrow

Dreams Really Do Come True…

The other day my husband and I were watching a music channel on TV called Palladia ~ “a state of the art, high-definition channel showcasing the best in music from today’s biggest artists.”    We were watching a band called Foo Fighters and seeing these guys on stage doing what they loved got me thinking about Dreams.

Not bedtime dreams but deep Soul Inspired Dreams.  As a soon to be Dream Builder Coach I am fascinated by people who are living their  dreams…especially BIG Dreams.

With the next set the Band was doing,  the most amazing thing happened!  There on stage with the Foo Fighters were John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin!!!  If you are a Led Zeppelin fan then you know how AMAZING it would be for a band to have them on stage doing a performance with them.

Below is a section of an article that was written by: Aislinn Simpson

7:16PM BST 08 Jun 2008

“Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl – formerly the drummer with Nirvana – told the 86,000-strong audience on Saturday that he had something special planned, saying: “Tonight this will be the show we are talking about for the next 20 years.”

Page and bassist John Paul Jones then appeared to perform two of their most celebrated songs: Rock and Roll and Ramble On.

An emotional Grohl told the crowd after the impromptu appearance: “Welcome to the greatest day of my whole entire life.”

It was the first time Led Zeppelin had appeared onstage since their hugely successful reunion concert in front of 22,000 fans at London’s O2 centre in December.”

Can you just imagine how Dave Grohl, as a young man, may have been dreaming  about one day playing with two of the greatest musicians ever from one of the greatest bands ever?   Now here he is years later living that dream!

The benefit of studying Dream Building is learning that there is actually a structure to building a Dream..who knew?  Well actually a lot of people know and it is becoming more and more mainstream.

I complete my certification in September and through taking that course, a dream I have had for the past four years  began unfolding in a way that I never saw coming It is the most wonderful, powerful business partnership that came to be and is almost ready to be unveiled…but not quite yet.

In the meantime I am so excited to share with you that I was a featured guest on the beautiful and very gifted Artist ~ Healer Hali Lynne Karla’s website:  http://www.lilywheelslide.com/ which was another dream of mine!  Thanks Hali!

Please stop by and check it out and write a comment.  I would love to hear from you.  Just wait til you see Hali’s beautiful and breath-taking Prayer Paintings!

Looking forward to sharing my Big Dream with you as soon as possible!  Until then…

DREAM BIG!

Playing The “Wouldn’t It Be Great If…” Game

I had a great idea the other day that I thought would be a fun exercise for my family.

If you are familiar with the

Abraham-Hickes material this will ring a bell.

I don’t remember exactly what they call it but basically to raise your vibration

they suggest it can be as simple as playing the

“Wouldn’t it be Great if…” game.

Simple right?

 I first read that a few years ago though  it took me awhile to actually implement it;  but when I did I can truly say I felt

better and synchronicity in my life increased.

And then I would stop doing it and forget all about it.

  It wouldn’t be long before old habits and patterns crept back in and I was back to feeling stuck at the level of effect in my life.

There is a fair amount of stress in my house right now for various reasons so I asked my family to play this game with me

for about 15 minutes a day for the next week.

 I thought it would be cool to track the shifts that I was sure would occur

over the coming week.

Doesn’t that sound like a fun experiment?

Well…they all looked at me like I lost my marbles and nobody wanted to play along

I was a bit bummed but I decided to play by myself.

 Can you guess what my first few lines were?

“Wouldn’t it be great if my family loved my idea?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if we played for the full week and everybody had great results?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if I wasn’t attached to if they wanted to play the game or not?”

Before long I had a smile on my face and felt like a million bucks

It really can be that simple at times can’t it!

My invitation to you this week is to try this simple game.

Let me know below if you have done this or something similar to raise your vibration and shift your energy.

If so what were your results?

If you haven’t played it I would love for you to give it a try and let me know how it turned out!

So…

“Wouldn’t it be great if everybody tried it and had a really great time and the energy shifted so much that it opened up the space for all kinds of wonderful amazing things to come into our lives over the next week???”

Have a great week and I look forward to telling you how wonderful my week went!

I LOVE who I am NOW!

Maybe you can relate to what I’m talking about …

 While looking in the mirror today, putting on some make-up to cover up some very tired looking eyes with circles underneath, feeling a bit squeezed in my jeans and wearing my husbands T-shirt to cover my bum, I thought about how I wanted to show up today in my affairs.

I don’t know about you but when I wake up I don’t say to myself “Today I am going to be crabby, tired, resentful, unforgiving, rushed, absent-minded, unfocused, unproductive etc…”

 Instead I think…

“Today is a brand new day!  Today I show up fully connected to my True Self and I  live,  move and have my being in joy and appreciation for this life I am living.”

“Today I embrace and embody my vision of _______ .” (fill in the blank)

At least that is the idea anyway.  But sometimes my joints feel pretty stiff in the morning if I haven’t been doing my Yoga regularly or if I ate not so healthy the days before and I can feel it really clear in my body.

Sometimes I’m not really looking forward to the day ahead and the tasks I need to do.

I go from that bright-eyed cheeriness to dragging my behind really kind of fast!  I know, I know…mind set is key and I know you know that too!

So as I take inventory on where I am in my health, wealth, happiness and creative self-expression and then look at where I prefer to be…I can pretty easily shift my focus to the more life affirming version of the life experience that I am ready, willing and able to embody.

But…when I’m shifting my energy, attention and focus to what I am wanting to experience,

 sometimes I forget to love and appreciate the way I am right now.

If my goal is to be confident and comfortable in my skin, feeling alive and energized and I feel  icky ~ I am told to put on the garment of what I want to be and act as if.

You have heard that a million times right?  And it is true…it is what will shift the vibration.

That is a Universal Principle.

The trick for many of us is how to do that and still appreciate where we are and not get stuck in

The Gap of disharmony 

This morning I went from positive to feel pretty low really fast so I put on the garment of what was in my heart’s desire…AND I appreciated exactly where I was.

I appreciated what I was able to do with the body that I have,  that I was in my comfortable house, that I had make-up to put on, thankful for the clothes that I had …even if I did feel the need to have a REALLY long shirt on, , and then I was thankful for my sense of humor!

Guess what???  I had a really great day!

The key is to:

1.  Acknowledge what doesn’t feel good or is ready to get even better.

2.  Shift your thoughts and get clear on what you want instead.

3.  Go back into the mode of appreciating what is right now.

4.  Staying in appreciation move into the excitement of what is ready to unfold and expand in your life and keep your eye  on the prize/the end result.

AND

Of course

5.  Act As If…

Move forward into your day from the Vibration of what you are bringing into form!

If you start going back into negativity…go back to appreciating where you are right now and go through the steps again.

How do you appreciate where you are and still look forward to getting better and better everyday and every way?

What Does Balance Mean To You?

I Am Peace, Balance and Harmony…

To me that is exciting, wonderful, and full of promise and adventure.  From that state I can do, be, have and give anything I want to in the moment and it will come from my Heart.

 No matter what is happening in my life, whether I would have previously judged it “good” or “bad” , when I come from that space, it would simply be an experience that I could fully engage in,  but at a different level of being.

Peace, Balance and Harmony fill me up and get me moving to be active in my life, to fully engage in my internal and external world.

In 2006 when I was taking my Reiki Level I and II training,  my teacher had us choose from a list of several  ”I Am”  statements that we would begin to embody over the course of  our training .   She told us to take our time and feel which one resonated deep in our Souls.  I Am Peace, Balance and Harmony immediately jumped out at me and I felt the sheer aliveness of it to the core of my being!

For the past six years I have successfully, and then not so successfully,  embodied that essence.  It keeps me going and pulls me forward at times when I feel that I just want to give up.  Of course  sometimes I flat-out forget that it is an option, an actual part of what I am,  and then I swim in the swamp for a while!!!

But for the most part I happily go along choosing and being peace, balance and harmony in my thoughts, words and actions.

 And then…suddenly Balance is getting a bad rap!!!  My beloved Balance is accused of keeping people stuck and is actually the problem with much of today’s disharmony and chaos they say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They say Balance is a myth and causes distress in society today

Oh my gosh!  I go back to thoughts of I must not know what the heck is going on in life.  Here I thought I was well on my way to alignment with my True Essence but surely I must be wrong if Balance is actually a bad thing and it felt so right to me!  First I panic but then my Inner Voice reminds me what Balance means to me, not to anybody else.  Balance to me feels good, like an old friend.  Balance keeps me centered when I get out of whack.

Balance doesn’t mean that I spend an equal amount of time in the different areas of my life:  self-care, , my family, my work, my self-expression, my household duties, my community and so on.  Balance means that I am aware of my whole being and I do what needs to be done in the moment.  That moment may extend to days or weeks that I focus on a specific area until it doesn’t need to be anymore.

For example I have been spending the past several months with my primary focus on my daughter and her well-being.  Some of my days are devoted almost fully to her and what she needs and where she needs to be.  In that care for her I might slack a bit in my own self-care and do just the bare minimum.  My work slacks a bit, my house gets a wee bit more unorganized and I don’t attend social functions that I normally would.

Other times I am working with clients and I get consumed in what I am doing and other things in my life get left undone or put on hold.  That doesn’t mean I am out of Balance as I will always be called to come back to the other things in my life that are important to me.  Balance is then like a friend that is gently calling me back when need be.

When I am continually being called by Balance to change things up a bit and I choose to ignore what it is saying… THEN I get out of Balance and it doesn’t feel so good and I am reminded that Balance is important in my life.

So to me Balance is an essential part of my life…not a bad thing that is keeping me stuck and suggesting that I must give an equal amount of time to all areas of my life…but that I ebb and flow in all areas of my life to whatever is calling for the most attention at the time.

How do you feel about Balance?

Is it something that you consider to be beneficial?

Or a burden that causes you stress?

Share your thoughts below!

From the Depths of Despair Comes the Power of Hope

I have been told over the past two years how strong I am.  My friends and clients have said they are inspired by my perseverance, positive attitude and inner strength.  Do they know I cry myself to sleep some nights?

Yes,  they know.

Do they know I have mini pity parties for myself…that I go into victim hood and “why me, why my family” mode?

Yes, they know.

And they know that sometimes I curl up in a ball,  in my bed and pull the covers over my head and hide for a while.  They know because I share my life with  them.  I am honest that despite my Intuitive abilities and all my training and gifts in various healing modalities that sometimes life events just suck.  Life here on planet Earth has bumps along the way and sometimes it knocks the wind out of you.  That doesn’t mean we failed.  It doesn’t mean we are being punished.

From my own physical illness, to the unexpected death of my mom who was like my best friend, to my 17-year-old son (who was already visually impaired) becoming Legally Blind-again, to my daughter having an eating disorder (I have her permission to share that in this space) and her  having to be admitted into an inpatient program 3 times in two months only to come out of it and eat 200-300 calories a day for the next 4 months.  She then became so physically run down that she got pneumonia and serious elimination problems and her blood chemistry was off.

Through the support of external friends and family and the amazing Internal Support from…from what?  From that inner most part of me that is connected to the vastness of this Universe.  That part of me that loves me and guides me no matter what.  The part that no matter how low I feel or how many times I think I can’t take it anymore…that part of me lifts me up.  That part of me sends a friend, an email or a phone call at just the right time.  It sends me waves of healing energy that I am fortunate to feel vibrate through my whole body system.  It fills me with strength, with the knowing that all is well despite appearances.  Filled with love I move forward, head held high, a legitimate authentic smile on my face.

From there I know that everything will be alright.  That there is perfect order even if I don’t get it.  A part that reminds me that on a Soul level…there is no right or wrong or good or bad.  There is an experience and I don’t have to move through it pretending I feel fine about it or that I am not hurting inside but that Grace is always there when I am ready to receive it.  I am reminded that I have many tools and gifts  if needed…tools and gifts that help me heal.

Then things turn around as we heal as individuals on a deeper level and are getting back into the flow of  life. I get my physical strength back, I miss my mom but have moved through the grieving process, my son gets used to his vision and the bleeding vessels in his eyes heal, my daughter makes the decision she can beat the nasty voice of an eating disorder and she eats a nutrient filled meal plan doing her best to tell that voice she wants a normal life.  She sets goals and has a vision for her life and takes actions steps to get  there.

And then…then I hear…”Mom I can’t stop peeing.  I go like every 2o minutes” she tells me.  She reminds me that is what happened the last two times her bladder stopped working.  The last two times she needed to have a catheter placed for 3 days until it kicked back into gear..  They told us it was due to her eating disorder.  But now…now she is eating right, exercising, and her system is stronger.  Now they tell me in a monotone voice that she has to learn to catheterize herself up to four times a day if she can’t empty on her own.  They tell us that she needs to retrain her muscles with biofeedback, and if that doesn’t work they may have to implant a device like a pacemaker to stimulate her bladder.  They say it may be due to Spina Bifida which they found by chance on an abdominal x-ray a few weeks ago.  ”Get an MRI and see a neurologist…the spinal cord may be tethered and may be the cause.”  They say this to me with their back turned to her.  The doctor leaves and the PA tells her to get undressed she will now learn to cath herself.

With only her hoody on my little girl lies on the table in the most vulnerable position.  Me on one side, gloves on and the PA on the other side…both of us helping her as she holds a mirror in one hand and her catheter in the other.  She gets an instruction on her anatomy and she successfully places the catheter.

Not one tear did she shed.  I fought mine back.  Three times she needs to practice doing this before she can leave.

Bag in hand full of catheters and other supplies we walk out in a daze.  I ask her if she is alright.  She says yes.  We make a few jokes.  And I tell her how proud I am of her and I hold back my tears.  We go to Jewel to get a few things for dinner.

We laugh and joke some more…and I hold back my tears.  Is she afraid?  Does she get what’s going on?  Will she give up on her life and figure she will just stop eating again?  Is she really that strong or is she just pretending to be fine.? Nobody at the doctor’s office  asked her if she was okay…if she wanted to talk about how she was feeling.  I ask again  now.  I tell her it is safe to feel her feelings.  Is she mad, sad, scared?

She is numb…she says she doesn’t know how to feel.  She eats dinner and goes to bed.  My husband withdraws and is quiet…and I go in my room and I cry…and cry some more.

I can’t do it I tell the Universe.  Why?  Things were getting back to normal.  No…not only normal but starting to thrive.  Nope…I can’t do this.  My baby can’t do this I fear.

Then…that feeling, that knowing…that inner peace that says…You can do this.  She can do this…you will all move through this.  Allow yourself to feel what you are feeling…acknowledge the pain, the fear, the anger…the whatever, and then…Let Go and breathe.   The Strength will rise up, the Grace and Love will fill you up…

From the Depths of Despair Comes the Power of Hope…or now…the Power of Knowing.

When we can connect to that Source of Life and tap into our own True Essence ~ whatever we call it…we will walk through the seeming shadows of our lives and come out shining.

Where in your life have you felt like you just couldn’t go on and then were  filled with Strength?

Please always allow yourself to feel what you are feeling…if you need help then reach out to your family, friends, Spiritual Center or Doctor…and your Source of Strength…It is always there.  As Faith Hill says in her song…”Just Breathe.”  Then you will be guided to your next safe step.

With Heart,

Jill Marie