MA Demands to Know if its GMO!

http://www.marioninstitute.org/blog

Check out my article on GMO labeling initiatives in Massachusetts!

YOGA: A calming tool for the anxious mind.

Tanya Almeida

YOGA: A calming tool for the anxious mind.

Modern science has confirmed what yogis in ancient India have known all along. Yoga is healing. In fact, Dr. P Murali Doraiswamy, professor of psychiatry and medicine and Duke University, said that studying yoga should be a national priority. Doraiswamy told CBS news that recent medical studies show how yoga can “mimic the response of the best anti-anxiety drugs on the market.” 

That’s because yoga is more than an exercise. It’s more than random poses that turn the body into what seem like unattainable pretzel twists. It’s a breathing practice; an active meditation. It’s not just about the body or the mind. In Sanskrit yoga literally means union. It’s both.

Tanya Dumaine, the director and owner of Divine Power Yoga in Fall River agrees that it should be studied as a tool for healing. “Just by deep breathing five times, you’re already beginning to change the senses and you’re already beginning to calm and relax,” she said.

Her experience with yoga started back when she was a kid and her dad used to teach her karate. Part of this training was to teach all of his students yoga. Later, as a gymnast, Dumaine sustained a back injury and was drawn back to yoga to work the tension out of her back.

Her friend asked her to come along to a hot yoga class.  “I think I might die in that class,” she said. Yet, she went along and says she immediately fell in love with it. She decided then that she wanted a formal training in the practice. Already a gymnast, and black belt teacher of karate, she transitioned to studying yoga.

Dumaine teaches hot yoga, a form of yoga inspired by Bikram Choudhury, where temperatures are usually above 90 degrees.  She says the big difference with liking it hot is the detoxing. “It can definitely help you relax because your body is softening from the heat. Just like metal, you warm it up to bend it. It’s the same thing with your body, you heat it up and then you’re able to move deeper into these poses.”

The detoxing effects of hot yoga can lead to many healing benefits. Dumaine says, “Once that lymphatic system gets opened and the filters are cleansed, you’re able to process environmental stuff, things you eat. People sleep better. Once you begin to sleep better your body can recharge better. Sleep was a big issue for me and I sleep now.”

Danielle Flye, a student of hot yoga said, “I think hot yoga is a lot more relaxing because of the temperature. It’s more beneficial and more calming because of the heat. It just has a whole different feel to it. You sweat. I had to leave half way through my first class and drink a whole bottle of water. It gets you to relax.”

Another instructor of yoga who agrees with Doraiswamy is Kari Mofford, a librarian at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where she also teaches yoga.  She said becoming a yoga teacher was the best thing she ever did. “I just feel like a million bucks when I leave.”

Many Americans live sedentary lifestyles. Some have labeled this the sickest generation yet. Yoga can help with many of our modern ailments. “It’s easy for us to get tight, from sitting and not moving,” Mofford said.  “So yoga gives you space, physically, but also mentally. The breathing practice really calms the mind. That’s the pull.”

As for Dr. Doraiswamy’s claim that studying yoga should be a priority, Mofford agreed, “It should definitely supplement. It’s very healthy. I think the practice leads you to healthier lifestyles naturally, whether its vegetarianism or something else. You’re going to become more aware of your body and what works best for you.”

The placebo effect has shown that the mind can be a powerful tool in healing. “Think of yoga as a tool to help you focus the mind. The pose is not the most important thing. That’s the impact I see and that’s why people come back,” said Mofford.  “In today’s world being present in the moment; well, people have forgotten how to do it.”

Dumaine also discussed the mind-yoga connection. “It’s about being able to turn inward, to be still. So much will arise on your mat, or even in a seated meditation, but a lot of people don’t have the patience to sit mindfully, but they’ll come to a yoga class. Then they’ll have a sort of breakthrough, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. I like to say this practice is meditation in motion.”

Yoga’s calming effect on practitioners is what they seem to love most. “If you have a lot on your mind it’s very relaxing and when you leave you’re not thinking of all the stuff you were thinking of when you walked in,” said Flye.

Dumaine said that when her students walk out of her class, “they’re totally different. I tell them to take that awareness off the mat with you, see how long you can be in this moment and feel what you’re feeling even when you’re out there.”

Indeed yoga is more than just an exercise. As Mofford put it, “it gives you tools that you learn in class but you can apply to life. I think that’s the important thing. It’s a whole life practice.”

Many see yoga as a spiritual practice. It is not a religion, although some say it has the ability to bring the darkness to light. In the documentary movie, YOGA IS (a transformational journey), the filmmaker Suzanne Bryant used yoga to heal. She thought she had it all with a great career in New York, a fiancé, etc.… until her mother died of cancer.

After her mother’s death, she embarked on a journey of using yoga to deal with her grief and found that many teachers around the world claim yoga is a way to bring light to dark times.  They claim yoga can connect you to the universal power, or what some refer to as God.

Dumaine says one of the biggest misconceptions about yoga is that it is some sort of religion. “Keep your religion, it is what it is, we don’t even bring it up,” she said.  “I’m just trying to get you to turn inward and get to feel and get to know yourself better as well as learning how to be peaceful and sending it out into their everyday world.”

Maybe that’s why many feel it should be a national priority to study it. Not only does it heal the mind, body, and some say the soul, it creates more peaceful states of mind that are carried out into the world at large.

“The more people we get to be on that plane of self-love and acceptance and serving, the better we are, the better as a community, as a society we become,” Dumaine said.

Another misconception according to Mofford is that you have to be able to do a headstand or adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. She especially likes working with beginners, “I love getting them hooked, and taking the fear away.”

Yoga, more than any other exercise, is often referred to as a journey.  That’s because yoga is also a journey of self-discovery. Each pose that you struggle with can relate to something you’re struggling with in life. As you work the tension out of those areas, your life improves as well.

Dr. Doraiswamy may be onto something according to Mofford who says yoga is now available in some high school gym classes. “I think it’s great and I love seeing it go into the schools. I’m like oh I wish I had that in my high school gym! I would’ve loved gym!”

Creating a sense of community is another aspect of yoga. “I think it connects people,” said Flye. “People come in with all different problems and then everybody’s on the same page when you walk out.”

At Umass Dartmouth, there is a mix of faculty, staff and students that attend the yoga classes. “It’s like you get on your mat and everything else is left behind, everyone is there for the yoga,” said Mofford. “I hope students feel like they get a new community.”

Dumaine students find a similar comfort in her classes. “It’s such a great community here. It’s fantastic,” she said. “Because they’re serving something greater: it softens them. This practice definitely softens you.” 

Photo by: Ian Bothwell 

It's time to Wake Up Now ~ :)

Wake up sleeping beauty

There is no time more critical than this moment right now. Right now- humanity, our planet, and indeed the entire solar system are going through a momentous evolution. We are raising our vibrations from a limited 3 dimensional view of reality to a 5^th dimensional view.  Everything in our world, our natural environment, the sun, the stars, and indeed the entire universe, is connected. It’s all energy. It’s all vibrating. It’s all waves of potential reality floating in space and manifesting as matter in the 3-D world based on our thoughts and perceptions. Do you understand this yet? If so… good, you’ve done some serious work already. Keep going! If not… it’s time for you to open your mind and glimpse beyond the illusionary veils that you accept as your reality.

The most important thing to do while on this planet is to evolve spiritually and focus on love. For thousands of years negative energies have controlled our planet. Do you notice that when you go to the store or run in to your neighbor, that most people are pretty decent? Most people you encounter are generally good and kind hearted people. Yes, we all have flaws and dominant egos, but at the core, there is goodness. Yet, when you watch the news, look at world events, and see all the war and destruction that has permeated our planet for centuries, it doesn’t make sense why good kind hearted people create such devastation. There’s a reason for that. The typical humans that you meet are not the ones in control of the world.

Indeed, there are greedy, corrupt and some would say evil forces that have dominated our planet for centuries. I don’t mean demonic or satanic forces, I mean negative entities. There is always a balance to everything; it’s the yin and yang of the universe, the dark and the light. You’ve seen this scenario played out a hundred times in stories and Hollywood movies. The dark forces (bad guys) do terrible things and eventually the light forces (good guys) conquer them. It’s not much different than that. The thing is that these dark forces have held control over our planet for thousands of years through power, money, corruption and lies. They have stolen what is the right of every human being- to know their divine nature and be truly free.

How have they been able to get away with this? They control the money, and when you control the money, you have all the power. A small group of very wealthy elites actually control humanity. You might not want to believe that, but do the research and you will start to understand how far back this goes. There are bloodlines, there are secret societies, and there are extremely negative agendas. You can find this information for yourself; don’t take my word for it- it’s all out there for you if you wish to seek truth. They buy politicians. When they can’t buy politicians or a public figure tries to oust them, they are usually assassinated. Elected officials don’t really have the control- which is why politics never changes anything. They also control the media. They create and display the stories that you readily digest and accept as “reality”, when it’s far from the truth.

However, that’s really not the point because the negative forces are in their last days and they’re rapidly losing power. This is happening for a myriad of reasons, mainly because human beings are going through a huge spiritual awakening that is helping them to remember the truth.  The 2012 phenomena has been written about in many ancient civilizations. Study them. Ancient civilizations have keys and clues to unlocking the mystery of our world. Many believe this is the end of the world, but it’s the exact opposite. It’s the beginning of a NEW world that will be much more exciting, enlightened, and magical than we can presently imagine. 

In order to allow new things to come into being, you must let go of the OLD ways of doing things. That is what’s happening now. Indeed our political system will be overhauled. You can see evidence of the growing dissatisfaction with the current system by looking at the Occupy Wall Street protests. These protests are just the beginning. In fact we saw this in Egypt last year and many other countries as well. It’s happening all over the world now. This is the uprising of the human race against the forces that have enslaved us for far too long. 

Yes, trust me when I say that most of you are slaves. We are slaves to an economic system that keeps us working our lives away for the richest people while most of the population barely gets by. In America, we are richer than most, and have much to be grateful for. But that doesn’t’ mean that we must tolerate being manipulated and controlled. The old systems must be rebuilt and that means that economies will collapse, governments will be overhauled, old systems may fail. It’s Ok.

The worst thing you can do in these times is to react out of fear. Fear keeps you in a low vibration and through the law of attraction you will only attract and create more fearful, negative experiences. We live in a universe where THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS. Negative and fear based thinking will keep you living in a nightmare reality on 3 D earth. You must remember that nothing is as it seems, there is much going on behind the scenes. Stay positive and go within. Start to investigate. Stop watching so much reality trash TV (I’m talking to you Kardashians, Jersey Shore, etc). Stop believing (or better yet, stop WATCHING) mainstream media. Stop watching porn. Stop distracting yourself. Stop doing drugs and drinking as a way to escape. These are distractions. They will not help you ascend or find your higher self.

It is important now to meditate and reconnect with your divine source. This will bring you the truth that you seek. Indeed, most of the free time I have is spent researching, reading, watching informative movies, videos, etc, talking with and networking with enlightened beings to further fuel my evolutionary growth as an individual. It is important to seek truth. Do not blindly accept things as they are or think you know how the world works unless you have done some serious investigation. Our history books are lies. What we’re taught in school is not the whole story.

We are conditioned to think that we are powerless. Science tells us we are just a chance mistake in the universe- as if something this amazing and precise could ever be a random coincidence. Religion tells us that there is only one way to know God and to repent and feel guilty for sin. It’s nonsense. I say seek a spiritual path, but I don’t advocate for an organized religion. Many of the great world religions do have pockets of truths in them for sure, but they are not the WHOLE truth. They have been used to control and manipulate civilization for centuries. It’s another form of indoctrination and mind control. If you have defensiveness to that statement- ask yourself why? Just because your parents or church told you something your entire life, does that mean it’s true? No. They’re repeating what they learned- that’s it.

Science tried to figure it out by dismissing God and using provable data to make sense of the world. The only problem is there is a HUGE part of reality that exists BEYOND the 5 senses. We are only capable of experiencing reality through filtered senses that send impulses to our brains. There is MUCH more that exists BEYOND what science can PROVE with their limited technology. If you want some fascinating scientific discoveries look into all the alternative data that is available on suppressed technologies. Study quantum physics and understand that we are made of waves, not particles, and that those waves REACT to our THOUGHTS.  Neither the scientific or religious approaches contain all the answers. Go beyond them.  It’s crucial that you use your intuition, logic, and heart to discern what information resonates with you as truth.

While I think it’s important to seek knowledge, to lift the veils and discover the truth about how things really work on planet Earth… there is more to the story. Like I said, this all exists in the 3D world, yet we are interdimensional beings. (Here’s an interesting side note: when I typed the word “interdimensional”- my computer corrected me to tell me that’s not a word. The irony! Do you see that our language is not even equipped to fully explain the nature of our very existence? Our understanding is so limited that we don’t even have these words in our vocabulary).

Back to the point… the controlling limiting forces that have held humanity in enslavement for most of our existence are rapidly being brought to light. They will be defeated. On a physical level they can’t win (meaning they can’t continue their domination) for the sheer number of people that have awakened has reached a critical mass, and there are more of us than them. On a spiritual level, darkness cannot live where there is light. We are bringing in the light. Lightworkers know what I mean. We are actually illuminating the planet out of her darkness and evolving into a higher state of consciousness.

That’s why it’s so important right NOW to seek a spiritual path, to raise your awareness, to raise your vibration, to seek love and light. The more you do, the easier the transition will be for you to enter the New Earth. As I mentioned, if you choose to buy into the fear, the lies, the drama, the ego, and the doomsday potential reality, than that is what you will experience. We need to understand that two separate realities can coexist with each other. Our limited perspective doesn’t allow us to digest this concept easily, because we are trained to experience only the world that we can see with our eyes. If we understood that various levels of reality exist in different dimensions, vibrating at different frequencies beyond our scope of vision, this would be easier to understand.

Those that choose to stay in fear will live out that fear (through free will choice and law of attraction) in the nightmare 3D reality they have created. Those that choose to ascend, to evolve, to seek the truth, and detach from ego, will evolve to a new frequency, and will exist in an entirely new reality. Understand our DNA is being upgraded. Our bodies are adjusting to the new frequencies!

Be excited! The world is changing! Spend time in nature and listening to beautiful music to help lift your vibration. Pay attention to your diet. Factory farmed animals contain antibiotics, hormones, and worst of all FEAR. You’re digesting that. Think about what you put into your body as this is your vehicle for this incarnation. This is all a learning process and I’ve only recently started to seriously revamp my diet. It’s not about “dieting” to lose weight or fit an image of beauty. It’s about understanding that what you put into your vessel can seriously weigh you down vibrationally. Vegetarian or vegan diets seem to help with this process. 

I want you to know that everything I am saying comes from my heart with the intention of pure love. Maybe it can sound like a lecture- but it’s only to help those that choose to evolve. In life, we all have free will and choices. Some will choose to stay in Fear, and they have that right. However, as the speed of the shift accelerates over the next year, more and more people will start waking up. They will want answers and clues to understanding what is happening. There are many teachers and information available. Seek and you shall find.  

But the biggest teacher of all is… YOU. Meditation is the most important thing you can do. Clear out the clutter of your mind, quiet your ego long enough to listen. Really listen to what the universe is telling you. You will find all of the answers you seek within your very self. That self is connected to All that is- the DIVINE nature of the universe- its’ within you. IT IS YOU. There is no time except NOW… and NOW is the time for you to wake up, understand and remember who you are, go within, and be a part of the shift. Bring the love and light to the planet that you wish to see. Be the change. Be the pure divine love and light that IS YOU. Now is the time. You are STARS!!! It’s time to SHINE.

Peace and Love Fellow Space Travelers~

Tanya

Too much of a good thing?

My phone has been off for 3 days. I wasn't really too concerned with it. I really haven't missed it at all. I have also been significantly cutting down the amount of time I spend online, especially on Facebook. Last month when I was working a ton of overtime and overnight shifts, I was trying to pass time and was on Facebook often. I realized that this really is TOO much of good thing isn't it? I mean, when social networking really started taking off (even back in the day when MYSPACE was still relevant)... it was cool because I found all these people I hadn't seen forever. At the time I was living in a different state from where I grew up, so it was nice to be able to keep up with friends and family back home all in one website. I still think that it has positive benefits for keeping people in contact, networking, social interaction, event planning, etc. However, like all good things in life, there needs to be a BALANCE. I think our generation (and subsequent ones) is just too consumed with technology.

When I first started college (probably over 10) YEARS ago, I remember the campuses were much different. There were cell phones, but not like today, and texting was not widespread. I admit to being a big "texter", especially when I'm busy with other things and don't have time to make a phone call. But I digress... the point is years ago on campuses, people used to talk to each other. They used to start up conversations with people passing by, sit with someone they didn't know at the lunch table, etc. Last year when I finished up my degree, campuses were different. Instead of having a DONT TEXT WHILE DRIVING law they should've had a NO TEXTING WHILE WALKING rule on campus. Seriously. You wouldn't believe how many oblivious people I saw walking around NOT looking and texting while almost falling, tripping, or walking into poles. Remember the video of the girl texting who fell into a fountain at a mall? It was big on YouTube. People are just NOT aware of their environment, they are too overly attached to their "technology".

I'm not against technology, and I have no delusions that its impact in our lives will decrease anytime soon. I mean, I majored in communications technology! I definitely have an interest in it, and probably wouldn’t have a career without it. Technology, with its benefits and costs, is here to stay. Mostly I think it propels humanity forward in positive ways. However, it’s up to individuals to find a balance between all this electronic communication, and REAL LIFE that exists in a physical world beyond the computer or cell phone. Remember, real people? Real conversation with live human beings? Think about the fact that prior to the past few generations, most of our collective history has had none of this technology we now take for granted. While electricity was being discovered much earlier, it wasn't really mainstream in houses until the early 1900s. Let me repeat. 1900's. That is only around 100 years ago. What did people do before that? Before there was electricity we had to entertain ourselves in other ways. We had to use natural heat (fire) to keep us warm. We were still connected to the earth, the elements and to our planet. We were still connected to our families and communities because we had to be. There was no, "call me later", “text me” or “find me on Facebook”.

I'm not saying that was better, I'm just saying that some of us have lost an element of our humanity. Yes, there ARE nature enthusiast, etc, but I feel like a lot of us forget the true healing power of nature, or that we're even connected to it. We forget the feeling of being one with our planet, our world, our community. We forget to reach out to REAL people, organizations, causes because we can just "like" an article on Facebook and somehow we feel like we're involved. Guess what, (and I do this all the time, I'm no better by any means)... it's great to share information via the internet (i.e. articles, political opinions, etc) but that isn't enough. Nothing in life is going to change by clicking "share" or "like" on Facebook. We actually have to get off our lazy, complacent, self-indulgent, technology-obsessed, fat American asses, and DO SOMETHING if we really want to impact our own lives or the world at large. Facebook is a tool, a good place to stay connected, yes. But I feel like it becomes an addiction just like everything else we use to fill time, like drugs, alcohol, etc.

That's just how I feel about it right now. I wonder what people would do if Facebook shut down. How would they tend to their fake crops on Farmville? Oh the horror! Meanwhile if we ever faced a food crisis in this country most of us would have no freakin clue how to grow anything to survive. The irony is hilarious. I guess the point here is, as with most things in life, it's harmless in moderation. The key to most things, as I see it, is striking that elusive thing called "BALANCE". I strive to find this in many areas of my life. My relationships with others balanced with the relationship I have with myself. Balancing the amount of food I eat with the amount of energy I expend. Balancing the amount of time I work, with play and rest. Balancing the amount of time I focus on physical things, with my mental and spiritual worlds. Life is about balance. I think now I must balance my use of technology. I don’t want it to take over my world or my real connection to the reality… the BIG planet out there that exists beyond our safe online worlds.

The Journey~

The Journey~

As I was sitting on a flight to L.A. for the third or fourth time, I started thinking about how our lives unfold. I always said I wanted to travel and spend time in different places, and lo and behold, it had become my reality. Not only had I visited various parts of the country, even driven across it three times, but I had lived in another state for seven years! Yes, indeed my dream of experiencing different parts of the world had come into my existence, but of course it did…because I thought it into being. Just as we all do. It’s just that more and more I KNOW IT with every cell in my body, and it’s no longer just a belief… Our Thoughts Create OUR LIFE.

I went to church one Saturday. The Reverend who runs the church, Tom is a medium and an amazing spiritual teacher. I love that he doesn’t just read from the bible, but he puts it through a modern, non-judging context. The entire sermon was about 2012 and how there is all this fear surrounding the end of times. He read parts of revelations that talk about the end coming. However, he said that he believes (as I do) that this ending is just making room for a new beginning. In fact he did quote from the Bible saying “Heaven will descend upon earth”. This is because we are now creating a new earth, through higher levels of consciousness and awareness. This is a new phase in the development of human evolution, and we are just at the brink of our true journey here. Our real purpose is to feel and experience love, and once we realize this, and truly live it in our daily lives, then our lives, and the world around us, will become truly magical.

We all face challenges in life. We have all had our hearts broken, lost someone we loved, or had our hopes and dreams trampled on. We have all felt the pain in the darkness. But without darkness, we could not know light. And in the times of pain, in the darkest hour, that is when it is the most important that we have faith. We must have faith that all will be well, all will be taken care of, and that there is always a divine order to things even if we can’t currently comprehend the reason. So in my darkest hour, when I was crying myself to sleep at night, licking my wounds and holding my torn heart on my sleeve, I decided that this time, I would go to God. For once in my life, I would truly trust there was a purpose and a lesson to my challenge, and I would follow the path to higher understanding.

Almost immediately the right books, teachers, meditations, and music found its way to me. Or should I say, as I moved into vibrational alignment with my true nature, I started to attract these things. This propelled me into an even faster state of evolving, and feeling a connection to source quite strongly. I felt a constant presence around me, like I was being watched, almost as if occasionally someone would wrap me up in a warm blanket, and hold me tight. I was being looked after, and I could feel it at every level of my being. I knew without a doubt I was heading in the right direction.

This is the state I found myself in when I ended up in Reverend Tom’s Church of all Nations that Saturday night. He spoke about the shifting consciousness and other things that I read and thought about on a daily basis. I meditated on these ideas and pondered them so often throughout this time that I felt like he was speaking directly to me, although I knew he was reaching all of us. He did a healing ceremony, where some chose to go up and receive healing energy, and others just sit quietly in prayer or meditation, sending out healing vibrations. I felt uplifted, and there was definitely an energy in the room. It was electric. After the healing ceremony he looked up and me and my friend Shannon, who had been attending with me, and said how are you two ladies doing today?

Then he asked, “What is it that you would like to know”? Before I could even answer, he looked at me dead in the face, pointed directly at me and said, “You’re supposed to be a writer! There’s a book you’re supposed to be writing. And the angels are almost descending down on you and they’re saying, stop procrastinating… just DO IT”! And I immediately started crying. I cried tears of joy because I knew he was right, I already knew the idea for the book, and had even started writing it. And I also cried because I could feel the angels’ presence around me that day. I knew I was supposed to be there, and to hear this message, so I could know without a doubt, for sure with total confidence, that this was my purpose. So now I write this book for you. Because Reverend Tom told me the world needed it, and to please write it… I finally knew I must do my work, and go with god’s will for me. This is my truest nature that I can offer as a small gift to the world, to hopefully offer some light and hope to everyone in search of something worth believing in. All of these things I discuss are true for all of us, I am not special. I am part of the divine whole and just a unique expression of the same energy that resides in us all.

The Birth of a NEW ME

The Birth of a NEW ME

10/20/2010
Today I feel like I’m being re-born. Thirty years ago today I was brought into this world. I was the unexpected gift to a young, nervous, teenage mother. She struggled and sacrificed so much of her own life just to give me a chance at my own. I cry tears of joy and gratitude for her now, as I realize just how much she traded her life for mine. As a young child, I remember being fascinated with the world. Even at a young age, I wanted to know answers to universal questions… how did we all get here? Why? What was the meaning to life? People said I was an old soul, and somehow, I felt it was true.


My childhood was filled with many trials and tribulations. I witnessed a lot of anger, abuse, addiction, lack, negativity, and a general sense of struggle about life. I carried these beliefs with me through my teenage years. At that point, I was so frustrated that the world dealt me a shitty hand that I wasted many years in anger. I still to this day battle this negative emotion in my life, but have managed to decrease its power over me. In my 20’s, I was just like most young adults… trying to make my way in the world on my own. I was immature and thought I knew everything when really I knew nothing. I had my days of partying and just trying to enjoy the pleasures in life with no real purpose or meaning.


In my early 20’s I had somewhat of an awakening. I didn’t change overnight, but the pathway to greater understanding was opened. I realized I did not have to live in anger, poverty, hardship… and that I could actually LEARN to be HAPPY. I realized my thoughts had power, and I tried to switch to a more positive attitude. Over many years of practice, this attitude did start to bring more positive experiences into my life. I traveled the country. I am blessed to have family (and the most amazing best friend EVER) in California. I took many trips there. I drove across the country a few times. I saw things, places and people. I lived in Kansas City for 7 years. It was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me. I met some of the greatest, kind-hearted, laid back people I’ve ever met in my life, and still cherish them dearly.


Then last year, fate brought me back home. I came back to my roots. I had unfinished business. Things I had left behind. Issues I had run from, that I now had to face. For the first time in my life, I was challenged in relationships, and forced to make positive changes. I went to counseling. I forgave my father for abandoning me, and tried to reconnect with him. I released anger, and learned more effective ways to cope (as life taught me that punching people wasn’t exactly an acceptable approach!). The past year of my life has been one of the most challenging for me, as far as personal growth. I have always been on my own, and independent since I was a young teenager. When I came home, I stayed with family, and it was quite trying at times. I didn’t really have a direction or know quite what moves I wanted to make, and I sometimes felt stuck. But I managed to get through it. I went back to school. I made progress… but it was slow going.


Eventually life kicked me into high gear and made me realize a few things. I couldn’t sit around anymore waiting for life to happen. I was about to be 30, and really wanted a plan for my life’s direction. I feel I am meant to write, to uplift and inspire others to live their dreams. I feel I am meant to teach about the power of our thoughts and how we can (and do even unconsciously) create our own reality the way we wish to see it. I finally took action.

This is where things started happening really fast. I decided I wanted to live on the beach. I started to write affirmations… I am going to live on the beach. A friend reminded me that to manifest, we must write our intentions in the PRESENT TENSE as if they are already true. That week I wrote a list a bunch of times… “I HAVE A HOUSE ON THE BEACH”. By that weekend I was looking at the house, and the following weekend I moved in. It’s really amazing how powerful the universe is at delivering what you want, once you are clear and focused and AFFIRM IT IN THE PRESENT.

Now I sit here in such gratitude in my beautiful new house on the beach. I am not saying this to brag, because we all have the power to create whatever we choose. The problem is that we give our power away, we wait for others, we think limiting thoughts, and we don’t take action. I got out of my own way and took action, and that is the only difference. Also, GRATITUDE plays a huge role in this manifesting process because the whole time I was waiting, I was THANKFUL for the house even though it wasn’t even mine yet. If you are grateful for what you already have, the universe (call it whatever you want, higher power, God, Tao, Allah, etc) will give you even MORE to be grateful for.

So now here I am… 30. I never thought I would be here at this point in life. Not that I’m so accomplished or have a bunch of material things… but that I am in this state of mind, in this awareness, and enjoying PEACE in my soul. I have learned through all my trials in life, and am putting the lessons to work. I will be graduating college in about 2 months and I truly feel that life’s opportunities are endless for me (and all of us). Once I finish, I will be focusing on writing a book I’ve started working on, and generally spreading my message and communicating in any medium possible. I am interested in doing online radio, maybe podcasts, videos, etc. Who knows!? The point is… I am DREAMING. And I finally know that I have the POWER to CREATE THOSE DREAMS, because I just manifested something faster than the speed of light simply by believing in it. I don’t have great credit, or a lot of income, etc… but none of those things blocked me because I never WAVERED in my FAITH that it was MINE.

I am so blessed and grateful to share this journey with so many wonderful people. I have been supported through this process by the universe, and by amazing family and friends who have helped me in tremendous ways… THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to wish me a happy birthday today… it means more than you know. As soon as I cracked my eyes open I was welcomed to many blessings and wishes  It feels good to receive love, and know that I love you all right back! I have so much love that I want to share and I know the future is bright for us all if we will just stay focused on the positive things we wish to create. Thirty is the start of a new life for me. I am finally focused and FREE. Here’s to the best decade yet! Thank you all for reading and sharing. I love you! Much blessings and gratitude… and may JOY fill all of your lives!!

PEACE!!!

Tanya

Tune IN!

I’ve often heard that writers say, “It’s not the WRITING that’s particularly hard… but the SITTING DOWN to write”. Isn’t that always the case? It’s the DOING that sometimes gets us stuck. We can have grand ideas and a multitude of talents, but when it comes to putting them into ACTION to CREATE something valuable; this is where I have trouble. I find myself getting in my own way. Why? I think I get distracted by life too easily. I am often focusing on the wrong things. I’m not living in the moment. I’ve heard that depression comes from repeatedly reliving something painful from the past, and that anxiety comes from worrying about the future. I know I’ve done both. The key is always remaining in the present moment, and being grateful for the breaths you’re taking and what you have NOW. The power of NOW is not something to be taken lightly. This is always where our POWER LIES. It is truly the only thing we have. We need to cherish it, notice it, breathe it, and LIVE it.

Something else I’ve noticed about myself is that I tend to get fat and happy and lazy when I’m in a relationship. It’s like all of a sudden my meaning and my source of love has come from another human being. Yet many times I’ve learned the lesson that we first have to love ourselves, and that our true power comes from connecting with our source. So why do I always forget? Why is it so hard to implement? Is it because when we feel love from another person it is tangible? We can certainly hug them, hold them, and FEEL the love surround us. Yet, it’s transient. None of these things last forever. When we put all of our hopes into another person we most certainly lose our own power.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that I only seem to get motivated and inspired when I’m facing turmoil and pain in my life. I have been lied to, betrayed, and had my heart shattered and trampled on. But I have to ask myself, can I really place all the blame on the other person? Or how much of this have I ALLOWED to take place? Did I miss signs? Did I lie to myself about who this person was that betrayed me or what they were capable of? At the end of the day, it’s only me… looking in the mirror and trying to figure out what kind of life I want to create for myself. I can’t blame anyone else for that. I think women often fall in love with the fantasy of what someone’s “potential” COULD be instead of the REALITY of what someone really IS. And that’s my fault.

But even though my heart is reeling and I feel the pain of loss and betrayal… it is in these moments of dark despair that I find my light. It’s as if I am receiving a message, building my spiritual strength in order to handle all of life’s challenges that lay before me. And every time I get stronger, and I am more confident in my own ability to create something amazing. No matter how hard I get knocked down I will ALWAYS GET BACK UP. I am breathing, I am ALIVE, I am HERE and I have love and light to offer the world. I know we all face dark times; we all face pain, heartache, and loss. But I’m here to tell you that we CAN pick up the pieces. We CAN grow into beautiful human beings and find our passions. We can follow our heart and remember that there is JOY and PEACE out there if we can only change our perspectives.

Every situation is always only as good or bad as we PERCEIVE it to be. When life hands you lemons… well you know what to do! Don’t just sit there, squeeze the hell out of them and make something of it! We are only here on this planet for the blink of an eye, and then it’s gone. We have to CHOOSE to be HAPPY and find PEACE in every moment, no matter how bad our current circumstances may seem. They are only our CURRENT circumstances and the only constant in life is that THINGS WILL CHANGE.

You know it’s crazy because I’ve had a heartbreaking couple of days. I’ve had personal loss on many levels, and as many of you know, when it rains, it pours. Sometimes life happens and it’s just HARD. But I went to be lifted again tonight by the medium Reverend Tom at my local non denominational spiritual center… and he always sends me amazing messages. He reminded me that whenever we are in pain, it is only because we are disconnected from our source. IT IS ONLY BECAUSE WE ARE DISCONNECTED FROM OUR SOURCE! I know this to be true, because whenever I am in darkness, that’s when I finally seek the light! And as you seek, so you shall find.

When I get busy with life and distracted with day to day to do lists and drama, I forget to take time to meditate and pray. I forget to practice yoga or do things that make me happy, I just don’t make time for it. But when I stay in this zone, (of meditating and taking ACTIONS that make me HAPPY), I FEEL the connection to source stronger than anything material in this world. I feel love and warmth surround me with such force it feels like I could grab onto it. It’s honestly sometimes a little scary and freaky, yet amazing all at once. And sometimes it’s so moving I cry tears of joy. Tears of JOY stream down my face because I feel the love that surrounds me… that surrounds all of us at all times! We need to just take the time to feel it. If we can just SIT quietly in a room, without distractions, without mindless addictions, without noise… and just allow the energy to flow… we can feel it! Tap into it!! TUNE IN! Go on, give it a try... it may be a little hard at first but with practice, I promise you... it will be AMAZING.