Give to Yourself and Change Your Life

Learn the wonderment of receiving.  And you learn this, my beloved, by giving. -Goswami Kriyananda

One of my yoga teachers, Kriyananda, says that the greatest lesson in life is to learn how to receive.  He says that the best way you can learn how to open your heart and truly receive life's greatest gifts is to give.  

Fear causes you to contract.  Love causes you to expand.  In order for you to truly expand, you must love yourself first.  Love yourself - mentally, verbally and physically.  The more you take care of and love yourself, the more you can give.  Allowing yourself to live your dreams and be authentically you is the greatest gift of love you can give yourself.

"I'm an artist."  It took me years before I could say that without cringing or laughing or feeling just plain weird about it.  I can now say it with confidence.  I can also say that I am actually living, for the first time, the life I've always imagined.  I'm the happiest I've ever been.  This doesn't mean I'm happy all the time or don't have bad days.  It does mean that I've learned a lot about myself in the last several years, and that my years of searching and exploring have helped me get to a place where I now know I am the creator of my own life.

If you want to learn more about my self-discovery journey, you can see it here.  What I want to share with you today, though, is what it means to live from the inside out.

We've all been there - knowing we need to make some big changes but not knowing where to begin.  Or maybe we know where to begin, but we don't feel we have the time, energy or resources to get started.  It's so easy to keep doing the same things over and over, until eventually we find that the years have passed us by, and we still don't know who we are.  We have yet to connect to a greater purpose.  We haven't found ways to maintain balance.  We continue to find ourselves with less time, less money and less energy.  Will it ever end?

When I was really stuck in the muck and feeling trapped and unhappy, I turned to the things that have brought the most clarity and comfort to my life - art, writing, yoga and meditation.  Through practice and dedication, I discovered one thing that was really bringing me down was that I was always looking outward.  I thought if I had the better job, or more money, another degree, nicer clothes, or a bigger studio - that this is when I'd feel happy and complete, and my life would be "perfect."  I knew deep down inside, though, that the true work, the magic, and the great change I wanted to see, would happen (and would last) when I turned my focus inward.

I truly believe that when we start to look within, and explore, discover and reflect through art, writing, yoga, meditation (or other quieting, intuitive practices), we can reconnect to our creativity and authenticity.  We are all born with the answers - on how to live a balanced, peaceful, joyous life - yet through our life's journey most of us get lost along the way.  It is through the practice of going inside that we can remember and find our way again.

Inside Out e-course is a creative adventure of self-discovery that allows you to be YOU.  It creates a safe place, one where you can fully explore your dreams, your true feelings and what your heart wants you to hear.  It reminds you that there is no right way to be you, and that the right path for you is YOUR path.  It helps you be ok with messy, uncertainty and letting go of perfect.  It encourages you to take healthy risks.  It gives you permission to explore the endless possibilities that are waiting for you.  It dares you to dream in big and bold ways.

I created Inside Out - the e-course - to guide you to go deeper, so that you can create the life you love.  You take the course in the privacy of your own home and at your own pace, but have the option to connect, share and grow with a like-minded community of fellow explorers.  (Which, I have to say, is an amazing part of the process!)  The course is 4-weeks in length, but the magical discoveries you make along the way will last a lifetime.  

The next session of Inside Out is June 21st - July 16th and costs only $59.  (That's just $2 a day!)  This is the last Inside Out e-course I'll be offering in 2010 as I'll be on maternity leave this autumn.

My first two sessions have been wildly successful and it has been a huge gift to me.  When I first offer the course, I decided that I would offer it if I had up to 10 people sign up.  To my amazement, hundreds of beautiful souls from all over the world have shared this experience with me.  

To give back, and in honor of One Small Change, I would like to offer a special this week.

If you sign-up for the course by next Friday, May 28th, 30% of your registration fee will be donated to NRI Global Charity Haiti. (They still need our help!)

Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about the course.  livefreely@mac.com

Your Personal Reflection:  What does it mean to you to live from the "inside out?"