JUNE 2016, ISSUE 11
THE DANCE OF
FREEDOM
BEING FIERCELY
YOU!
COVER: CHRISTINE MISKINIS
BODY LOVE
YOUR TRUTH VOICE
INTERVIEW WITH
MADELINE 1 STUART!! JUNE ~ 2016
The mission is to change the lives of every person open to discovering their souls purpose and living a life they didn't know was possible for them on an individual level.
At BellaMia, we believe every woman is beautiful. Editor-in-Chief: Mia Saenz Assistant Editor-in-Chief: Amanda Rhymers Art Director: Charlotte Hayes Creative Consultant: Dana Canneto Editor : Amanda Rhymers Me Director: Dr. Mary Pritchard Lifestyles Director: Sharon Otness Fashion Editor: Linnea Duvall
This publication is published bi-monthly For advertising please contact BellaMia magazine
BellaMiaMagazine@gmail.com BellaMia is a publication of BellaMia Inc. BellaMiaMag.com BellaMiaMagazine@gmail.com
JUNE 2016 Body Love
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Your Truth Voice
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Awaken You Fighter Spirit
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On the Cover Model: Christine Miskinis
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Photographed By: Heather Brand November ~ 2015
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Most Beautiful Girl in the World The Great Cover-Up
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Madeline Staurt
Easy Summer Entertaining
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D
ear BellaMia Readers,
At BellaMia we love to bring you different and important content. We have several new items to share with you this month. Our cover model is Christine Miskinis from “Rock it out, Woman”, where every woman’s voice deserves to be her. Christine loves to ask, ‘Where do you stand in your power?’ We have Featured in this issue several different Body Love/Image interviews. These Features share the journey, the struggle and the success of these different Body Love Companies and their founders. We are also excited to share that we are featuring Madeline Stuart with an update interview on her first year in her modeling career. This past year has been a hugely successful time in Madeline’s life. Body Love is exceptionally important across the globe and we are dedicated to bring you interesting and progressive role models.
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As always we want you to know at BellaMia we encourage you to embrace who you are, and we hope that this transformational issue blesses and serves you well. Your beauty isn’t just skin deep and neither is BellaMia. Take your deep dive into your magnificence and into the timeless truth that every woman is beautiful.
lessings and Love,
Mia
Mia Saenz, Editor and Chief BellaMiaMagazine@gmail.com JUNE ~ 2016
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A moment of silence... to reflect and remember those who were violently silenced on June 12th, for the families, friends, LGBTTIQQ2S community, Latino community, and all people affected in so many ways by this tragic event. A moment of silence because we are listening. A moment of silence because we hear.
B Me ella
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Freedom he Dance of
“You can become the one who shines through the many.”
Kimberley Heart
This was a message I received from my mentor this morning. What a way to begin my day!
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This simple life altering statement made me extraordinarily joyous. It lifted my consciousness once again and reminded me of my need to be absolutely responsible. You see, I have learned that the most responsible person in the room is the freest person. The freest one has the self-empowerment to shine.
What about you? Do you want to be one “who shines through the many”? Are you willing to have that level of dignity, responsibility and joy in your life?
Shining, for me, means honoring ourselves, being responsible with joy and happiness, working together, and letting go of a past that does not service us. Most of all it means that we find ways to be more loving to ourselves, and more loving in the world.
I know it matters to you. I know you want to be more, have more, do more. These are wondrous goals. Unlike that little voice in your head that tells you those desires are selfish and not worthy of you, I maintain that these drives/goals are necessary, they motivate you to be willing to shine.
The Iworld needs realized, as you! I Thefaced worldmy needs me! fears, If that not us, who? we then too often Don’t wait. trivialize love, For many these are very hard and confusing times. When you and I are willing to be “one who shines through the many,” that means we don’t just look at what is, we also imagine what can be. It means we stretch our personal possibilities and work to move them into potentials. The world needs us to do so. The world needs you! Yes, it absolutely needs us to hold on to our integrity and dignity. The world in its chaos is demanding that you and I hold the line, that we step up and claim ourselves to be ones who will shine. If there is no light, if there is no one who will consciously shine, how will the world see its way through the chaos? Who do you think will have the courage to stand and shine? I want to be one of those beings that claims the responsibility, that is willing to do the work that deepens my understanding of myself and the world. I feel privileged that I have the opportunity to shine. What about you? The world needs you! The world needs me! If not us, then who? Don’t wait. This is
our time. This is our moment. Stand-Up. Work together. Hold on to your dignity and treat others with loving kindness. Grab on to your persistence and dream, even in the face of others pain, DREAM BIG. In the face of others’ confusion trust yourself. When you’re wrong forgive yourself and make a new choice. This is our time, this is our day, we can meet the challenges of our world and the world if we will be absolutely responsible, and consequently absolutely free. So, Step-up and shine, everywhere you go will be that much brighter because of you! ~ Kimberley Heart www.Getlove.com
Body Love
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Claire Sierra, MA
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June ~ 2016
The true vitality and aliveness of our body is an incredible untapped source of feminine power.
have a body. I’m grateful—mostly. It’s pretty impossible to be here without one. And looking objectively, as bodies go, I’m fairly lucky. I’m healthy, (mostly—a few issues here and there) agile and active. Asthma, which I struggled with in my 30s and 40s, has abated. And according to my doctor, I’m within the normal weight zone (body mass index, etc.) But I must admit I haven’t been feeling the Body Love lately. Last year we made a major move. (I mean, a full-on life transition) and I put on a few pounds (ok, 10 or 15 to be not so exact) My yoga clothes still fit, but the rest is pretty snug. I know this big shift has been stressful, my living space is not
optimal, and so my eating has not been so great. So what? What’s a few extra pounds on an otherwise healthy woman? It doesn’t feel right: I don’t feel like me, happy in my body. And yet I know that hating my body and my situation is not the solution. How do we love and appreciate where we are at, when it’s not where we want to be? How do we accept ourselves and the choices we’ve made, when it’s resulted in situations we are not happy with? That’s the dilemma —and the path. For thousands of years women have been blamed and shamed for the ills of society because of our
bodies. We’ve been labeled heathens and temptresses because of our potent sexuality and the allure of our bodies. So we did the only safe, sane thing: we distanced and disconnected from our messy bodies. Eons ago we learned to hide, control, deny and minimize ourselves to make our messy physicality go away. So no surprise, most women have a mediocre if not poor relationship with their bodies. How ironic! It’s the most basic thing about you—it’s who you are.
What if you were to love yourself 100% completely just the way you are?
While, of course, you are also mind, emotions, and spirit; you are intrinsically in and of your body. You cannot get away from it and still be here. So we attempt to subdue our animal nature with methods to reduce, primp, and polish ourselves into acceptableness. Our feminine essence, the spark of radiance we intrinsically are—is within us. And yet all the focus is on the outer shell. We’re missing an opportunity.
We must somehow come to love the body challenges that we have been blessed with.
The true vitality and aliveness of our body is an incredible untapped source of feminine power. Our ability to create life, and many other things (bread, art, gardens) comes through our magnificent bodies. But if we are constantly in a state of denial and self-rejection, we deny that creative, expression. We must somehow come to love the body challenges that we have been blessed with. Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, it is a lesson, a teacher and therefore a blessing. What if you were to love yourself 100% completely just the way you are? Loving and accepting doesn’t mean being resigned to what is. It just means stopping the hate on your body—because when you do that, you’re hating yourself. And that’s never going to be fruitful or empowering, is it? So here’s a guided meditation and journaling practice to bring you into deeper relationship with your body. Take a minute to close your eyes, breath and get quiet. Tune into your body, that lovely luscious animal self within. Breathe into ALL parts of yourself. Even the ones you’ve been unhappy about. Observe if there are places you avoid or ignore (the too-fat belly, tired eyes, or annoying knee that won’t cooperate.) Notice any shame, disappointment or anger you feel as you relax into to those off-limits places.
Send some love and appreciation for the ways they’ve protected or served you (even if you don’t know what that is.) Ask these parts what they are trying to teach you. When you get a sense of what that is, wonder about other ways you could provide that for yourself. At first this can seem hard—you don’t consciously want the problem your body gives you. But ponder it a bit. There often are unconscious messages hidden in your tissue that are ready to be revealed and released. And that can be very freeing. For example, if extra weight provides you comfort or protection, is there another way you could give yourself that? If your asthma is a suffocating sadness from unprocessed loss, could you talk to that person, or let it go? Or if your knee keeps you from having to clean the house, could you just hire someone anyway, even without the pain? Let your mind be creative. Be gentle with yourself. This can be hard to unearth without someone guiding you. End the siege against your body. Find tiny, simple ways to reclaim love and adoration for the amazing vehicle that carries your spirit around. That’s a path to Body Love. -Claire Sierra, MA www.MagdalenePath.com
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Your Truth Voice
By Dana Canneto
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hat is YOUR truth voice?
I have to ask myself that very question at times. After years of conditioning and always speaking in a way that will please others or in the way that I “should” be speaking, I sometimes lose site of my truth voice. We all do it yet some more than others and yet there are some who still don’t even realize what their truth voice is. Your truth voice lives in your heart. You know, that voice that speaks through intuition and love, the voice that comes out with a sense of power and magnetism to all who hear you. When you’re not speaking from your heart, you aren’t speaking to what’s in alignment with your soul.
I can remember as a young girl, when a teacher would ask a question I would pray over and over and over in my mind that they didn’t call on me. To speak up in class was one of the most frightening things to me as a child. I was petrified of being judged or not saying the right thing, being wrong and made fun of. We learn at such a young age that if we speak up and we’re not speaking in the “right” way others expect us to in order to fulfill their need(s), we get penalized so why speak at all? This can carry on through adulthood especially if we have a hard time holding JUNE ~ 2016
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boundaries for ourselves and we’re constantly giving our power away, saying “yes” when we mean “no” and “no” when we mean “yes”. How many times have you done that? Perhaps you put yourself in relationships to where you are never able to use your voice in the way that feels empowering or you enter a career and find yourself not able to share your voice in the way that you desire. When we hide from our truth voice we literally die inside and over time as the suppression thickens, we lose our sense of self completely and it takes that much longer to wake up to understanding what your truth voice in essence is! I experienced this! I didn’t realize how much I was holding back and not communicating through my heart. I was communicating solely through my mind to what others would want to hear so that I could resist conflict, feel connected and most of all loved and adored.
Below are a few gentle tips towards tapping into that truth voice of yours and letting her be heard and expressed.
1. Get quiet with yourself in a comfortable space, light a candle if you’d like.
2. Place your dominant hand on your solar plexus,
which is right above your belly button almost to the rib cage and your other hand placed on your heart.
3. Ask yourself where you are not fully utilizing
your voice. Is it with a person, a circumstance?
4. Now ask yourself, “why”? Ask your heart why
you are not fully utilizing her voice and allowing her to speak. Give her time and trust the answer.
5. Once you get an answer, ask your heart what it is she would like to say.
6. Now ask, “How would it feel for her to speak that through you?” Let your heart answer.
7. Listen intently and feel the response deeply.
How does it feel to you? Scary or perhaps less scary than you thought?
What I have come to know is that I would rather speak my truth voice and possibly have to deal with conflict than not speak my truth voice at all and feel the suppression of my heart and soul.
8. What would it feel like to actually speak your
Where in life are you suppressing your true voice? Where are you holding back from truly hearing her and allowing her to speak? Perhaps you are not even sure where to start?
10. Whatever came up for you in number 9,
truth? Let your heart answer.
9. What do I require as my next step to feel safe
speaking my truth voice? Again, let your heart give you that answer.
move forward and take action on that very thing that will help you in expressing your truth voice with this very situation.
Where in life are you suppressing your t rue voice? 14 JUNE~ 2016
You can utilize this same exercise over and over again as a way to build your truth voice muscle. She’s in there waiting to be expressed. The more you allow your true authentic voice to be spoken, you open the portals to something beautiful within you. You will step into a new place of empowerment within yourself and your being. Rejoice in this and let your truth voice roar. The world is waiting to hear you! ~ By Dana Canneto www.danacanneto.com
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Being Fiercely You By Patty Alfonso
I have always been fierce.
Growing up I was told that I was “too much”? I was told I was intense and uncontrollable. The things is, I was told these things as if there was something wrong with me. I grew up with the sense that my fierceness was aggressive and abusive. For many years I turned myself down and shut myself off so that others around me would not be uncomfortable.
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Turns out…That really didn’t work for me! Have you ever done that? Cut off pieces of you in order to make others feel comfortable? Shut yourself down in order to fit in? Is that working for you? Let’s look at this word fierce, shall we? The current definition of fierce is: having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness. If we look at the etymology of the word in a dictionary dated prior to 1946, the definition of fierce is: proud, noble, bold, mighty, great. Well that sounds more like it! What if this is one of those lies we’re told in order to keep us small and controllable? That we’re aggressive and ferocious? I know people have been accusing me of that my whole life. What if people are always accusing you of what they themselves are doing? I mean, how kind is it to ask someone to not be them?
What energies would be available to you if you embodied all of you? What could you change and create if you chose to fiercely be you? There is a fierceness that is required in order to create a different world. A different reality. Martin Luther King, Jr was fierce. Rosa Parks was fierce. Joan of Arc was fierce. Nelson Mandela was fierce. Ghandi was fierce. See a trend here?
As an Access Consciousness® Certified Facilitator, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with these amazing tools to empower my clients into creating the life they know is possible, beyond what this reality dictates. I’d like to share with you some of the questions I’ve used personally and professionally to facilitate change. What if you could be fierce with your creations and your business?
Most of the greatest social changes that have occurred have been created because one person had a fierce point of view that something needed to change. A true leader forges a new path even if no one else is willing to go on that journey with them.
Have you ever had an amazing idea and then you shared it with someone else who didn’t “get it” and so you didn’t create it? How many times have you given up you in favor of someone else’s point of view or projection?
We all have gifts and abilities that have the potential to create great change. Are we allowing ourselves to embody them? Or are we hiding because we don’t want to upset anyone?
What would the world be like today if Martin Luther King, Jr. had given up on his dream?
What if there is another possibility available?
What dream have you given up on that if you chose to create it would change everything?
What else is possible you haven’t even imagined yet? JUNE ~ 2016
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What if you could be fierce with your awareness and your choices? What do you know that no one else knows that if you allowed yourself to know it, be it and have it would change everything? We are so much more aware than we give ourselves credit for. Also, each of us has a gift that only we can give to the world. Sometimes, we don’t even know what that gif is exactly. I know I’m still uncovering my gifts and abilities! What if, everyday, you could make one choice that will bring you one step closer to uncovering the magic of you? That’s really all it takes. Choice. A choice will create a new set of possibilities for you and if you chose something everyday, where would you be in a year? What if you could be fiercely happy? What if the purpose of life was to have fun? How much fun can you have creating the life of your dreams? We are taught that we must “work hard” in order to create. Is this really true for you? I know if I “work hard” things just get….hard! When I’m having fun and following the energy of what is light and true for me, things are easy! I wouldn’t choose that for what reason? What grand and glorious adventure can you have today? What if you could have and be you with such fierceness, that nothing could stop you from being all of you? With Fierce Gratitude,
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~ Patty Alfonso, CFMW www.PattyAlfonso.sexy JUNE~ 2016
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BEditorial ella
Q&A with
Ch ristine iskinis
M
BellaMia: What is it like to empower
w w w. ro c k i to u twom a n.co m
other women by using their voice?
Christine: Empowering other women to
use their Voices is very sacred work including all aspects of Body, Mind and Spirit. I refer to it as being a Midwife for the woman’s Soul because the Truth is that the Voice originates at birth, with our first Breath of Life, as we exchange and express our experience through crying out loud and continues to bridge our inner-world with our outer-world. The development of one’s voice is a process of first recovering the authentic voice, a woman’s true expression of her essence. It involves getting clear on the stories that are a part of her voice, the ones that have shaped how she
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shows up as a woman and it also includes the sound, tone and language she uses for self-expression. A woman who is Rocking her Voice is one who is living and expressing in a high vibration. She’s “in-tune,” with her desires, her truth, her values and is creating her reality by BEing her greatest version which is mainly about being true to herself in every moment. I am there to facilitate the process of living in Truth so that she can Step Up, Show Up, Speak Up and Rock it Out!
BellaMia: You used to compete in
Beauty Pageants. How old were you, and what was your experience?
Christine: I entered into Pageants
when I was 17 & 18 years old and I had two reasons for wanting to do them; both connected to my Voice. The first was that I wanted to have a platform for sharing my talent of singing and the second was that I wanted a platform to create an awareness around The Awareness and Prevention of Child Abuse. My experience with pageants was a wonderful one! I met some amazing girls who were also heart-centered and driven about what they wanted to create. The atmosphere was empowering, the directors were caring and extremely knowledgeable and professional. I remember the talent section of the pageant being very easy for me, as I was already performing and training as an singer/actor. The interview process was the most uncomfortable portion because it felt very rigid and structured to me in the way that I was instructed to deliver my speech. I also found it stressful not knowing what to expect, being asked questions on my topic by a panel of professionals and not having the experience of being interviewed before in that way. I was proud of myself for having the courage to show up yet at that time it felt inauthentic to try to come up with answers that “sounded” good or were “perceived” as intelligent on the spot. I learned that in order for me to fully be in my power when communicating, I needed to be connected to my own truth, my heart and my awareness and speak from that place.
BellaMia: You healed yourself of Being pre cancer. Share with us about your journey.
Christine: I suffered from a lifetime of digestive
issues and even came into the world as a colicky baby. I was always tired and had many stomach aches growing up. Eventually I was diagnosed with IBS and put on medication but found that there were no improvements in my health. After suffering from awful stomach episodes which lasted 12-16 hours and caused me to rush to the emergency room, in the middle of the night, a few times I month, I finally decided it was time to take control of the situation. Shortly following that my ENT shared that I had
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developed “Barretts’ Disease” which is a precancerous condition where the stomach cells grow up into the esophagus to protect it from the acid. This condition is seen in people who are 70+ and here I was at 24 with a longer life-expectancy with no remedy, cure or treatment, other than closely being monitored and having biopsies done a few times a year. That day in the doctor’s office, I was scared for my life because I didn’t know anyone else who had Cancer at the time (this is over a decade ago) who was living a healthy life. I can remember my mind racing with thoughts as I tried to figure out a plan but I was left with nothing. I honestly didn’t know what to do. At that moment I could feel my Soul fill out the inside of my body, as if I had been awakened and everything was quiet. I heard my inner-voice say, “Go off and allow your body to heal. All is well.” I left the office that day with an inner-knowing that everything was going to be okay and in just a few days I was contact by a family friend who recommended I work with a specific woman - a holistic nutritionist who had left her job on Wall Street, went back to school to study nutrition and healed her own son’s digestion and fully recovered his health. I knew this was my mentor! Within 6 months I was feeling amazing, had no more stomach episodes and developed a whole new level of excitement for the truths I had discovered about nutrition and holistic living. In fact everything changed for
I didn’t know anyone else who had Cancer at the time (this is over a decade ago) who was living a healthy life.
me when I changed my diet. By clearing out the chaos that was happening within my body, my mind and emotions became clearer too. It was a catalyst that I desired to share with others, and as a school teacher at the time, I started sharing what I knew with other moms. I returned to school myself to study nutrition and became a Health Coach with a business called Moms Coach for Life and as my own life and business evolved, I was working so closely with women and recognized the need to fully support the whole woman in her life. I was inspired to empower women so they could powerfully lead themselves while also leading their families and communities. This is why my current transformational coaching business, Rock it Out, Woman was created.
Medicine, Politics, Businesses etc, with their Voices we will experience a huge shift in our world.
BellaMia: What do you want to tell every Woman?
Christine: You are powerful beyond
BellaMia: Tell us your vision of what
you’d like to see the feminine movement growing into.
Christine: The feminine movement is
already happening and growing right now within each of us. As women continue to wake up to the truth of their own lives, who they are and what they really desire for themselves, their children and our world, they will continue to step into roles of leadership where their voices will be heard. As women begin to infiltrate the systems that are already in place in the Education,
what you have been told, what you’ve experienced and even what you believe. You are the giver of life, a mother, a sister, a daugter, a lover, a healer, a creator, an artist, a scientist and so much more! Every moment, hardship, and pain no matter how big or small has crafted you into the woman you are today. You are whole and complete in this and every moment. You don’t need to be saved or fixed. You need to know yourself and your own power so that you will not only see what you are capable of but also begin taking action in living your life fully and free! There is no more time to sit around waiting or to become complacent with your life. We need you to be the fullest expression of yourself and to start showing up and speaking up and taking a stand for what you believe in. We need you to literally say, “Enough,” to the things you see around you that are no longer serving you or our society. We need you to begin rocking your voice and ruling your world because our world needs you now. Right now.
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Madeline St uart
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BellaMia: Madeline tell us how you
feel about your experience modeling and becoming a celebrity?
Madeline: I love my life, I get to travel
around the world and meet people, when we go to new countries now we always visit schools which is great as I get to meet lots of other teenagers. I have learnt so much in the last year and have so many great memories.
BellaMia: How has your life changed? Madeline: Well we are never home now, in
the past 12 months we have been home about 12 weeks, we are just about to head off again and this time we are heading to South Africa and Uganda to promote disability and inclusion, unfortunately in Uganda they believe people with disabilities are a sin and are not treated very nicely. I will be taking part in a huge fund raising event and I will be modeling in from of about 2000 people.
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BellaMia: What are your next steps in
life and in modeling?
Madeline: I think I will just continue
doing what I love best, helping people and modeling, I really don’t want to stop yet as I am having so much fun. I would like to start doing some jobs in television if possible and my mum and I are going to start travelling and doing inspiration speaking and modeling together.
BellaMia: If you were a genie, what
would you wish for?
Madeline: That everyone would be
kinder to themselves and other people, that people would start realizing that money can’t buy happiness and having cool shoes will not make you socially more likable. I think that we need to slow down a little and concentrate more on our families and our planet.
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BellaMia: What modeling gig was
your favorite to do.
Madeline: NYFW of course, I love NY
and I want to do it again so badly.
BellaMia: After a year of modeling do
you still get excited before a show?
Madeline: Yes it is amazing, I just get so
excited that I can’t sit still. When I am on the catwalk I am my most happiest.
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The Journey to Being All of Me By Patty Alfonso
I’
m about to tell you something I’ve never had the courage to say out loud before…much less put it in writing for the whole world to see. This is my journey. My adventure in re-discovering the joy of living, the joy of having a body and the ways in which dancing contributed to the creation of the life I always knew was possible. When I perceive the energy of who I was when I was younger, I get the sense of total freedom, joy, exuberance and ease with my body and my being... Until I was 3. When I was 3 years old, my family decided that there was something wrong with me. They decided that I was a problem that needed to be fixed. I was one of those kids who couldn’t sit still. I never did what I was told and I always said the things no one wanted me to say. In essence, everything I did was wrong. Eventually, I started to believe that there was something wrong with me. I made myself small enough to fit into a tiny little box where I could hide from everyone around me. I even began hiding from myself. This form of hiding became what was normal to me.
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I figured if I could hide me and just be what they wanted me to be that everything would be ok. The thing was that no matter how much I hid, no matter how small I made myself, I was still the problem that needed to be fixed. The crazy one. The black sheep. For the first 30 years of my life I got comfortable hiding in order to please those who felt uncomfortable around me. I hid behind drugs, alcohol, parties and abusive relationships. I cut myself off from life and the expression of it through my body. Relationships, work, sex, play – everything was dull. I shut out the awareness that my body was capable of giving me in order to not be present with other people’s judgments of me. The shutting down of my being began to be reflected through my body and, eventually, I was in total lock down. My body no longer moved with ease in the world and there was an overall sadness that permeated everything.
I knew I was slowly dying. I had a little voice in my head that kept telling me if I kept choosing this life I would die not having done what I came here to do. A year after I began hearing this voice inside of me, I made the demand to awaken my senses again, no matter what it took, no matter what I lost and no matter what I had to change. I knew I had something special to gift to this world and I would not leave without expressing that gift. I started searching and I met Dr. Dain Heer, an amazing man who became my friend and mentor. He asked me a question that would change my life forever:
What if there is nothing wrong with you? WHAT? It rocked my Universe as I had believed my entire life that there was something wrong with me! As I continued to ask myself this question, I became aware that what I believed was my greatest weakness, the ability to see and say what no one else could see and say, was actually my greatest strength. So I asked myself: If there is noting wrong with me, what would I like to create? No one had ever asked me what I desired to create. This question opened up a new world of possibilities for me and I began creating my life the way I had always known was possible. I started laughing, playing, and having fun again. One of the first things I created in my life was pole dancing classes. For the first time in 35 years my body was happy again. The JUNE ~ 2016
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space the classes provided for me to move with my body was priceless. I began to be in complete allowance of the way my body chose to express the caring, kindness, healing and vulnerability of who I truly was.
the world. I am out of debt, I’ve generated over $500,000 in cash over the last two years. I have traveled to over 15 countries and have created the relationship I always knew was possible with an amazing, caring, kind man.
I knew there was even more to be opened within me. In my journey with Access Consciousness®, I became aware of the barriers I was using to block everyone out. I became aware that the only place I was allowing myself to express my sexualness was in my pole dancing class.
This is truly just the beginning for me. I don’t say all of this to brag. I say it because if I can do it, I know you can do it too. We all have something inside of us that is unique to us.
Then Tantra came along. Charu, my tantra teacher, held a beautiful space for me to begin exploring what was pleasurable to me. Turns out, after all this time I had no idea what pleasure was or how to have it! The tantric exercises facilitated the opening of my body and the release of all the energy I was holding. It also created more awareness of who I was being in my relationships and the things that I needed to change in order to be happy. In 2012 I created the business that had been hiding deep within me for lifetimes. I took the things that brought me and my body the most joy and I put them together to create something that didn’t exist in this reality. Pole Dancing For Consciousness™ became an invitation to a new way of being with the world for everyone who chose it… including me. I went from hiding in a tiny little box to a global business with clients from all over the world. Since the creation of Pole Dancing For Consciousness™, I’ve created 2 other programs and am facilitating classes all over
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We all have something that we are here to gift to the world. What gift are you hiding from the world? Are you ready to come out and shine?
JUNE ~ 2016
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D ana Canneto 32
JUNE~ 2016
Q&A
BellaMia: Tell us a little background on
your journey into your body and self love.
Dana: I use to say that my journey started
the year I left college however looking back now I see it started way before that yet the physical manifestations of my struggle didn’t start until about then. In high school I was always thin and didn’t worry so much about my body however I do see now how I used my body as a way to define myself meaning, as long as I stay thin and dress the part and represent “perfection” on the outside, than I will be accepted. I was always extremely hard on myself. Then the year before I was leaving for college came and I had gained about 40lbs. I can remember being in denial over it until the night came when a close guy friend came over and squeezed my waist side and said jokingly “what’s this? You better do something about that”. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life. “I was found out”. I was not perfect after all. I made a pact in that moment that I was going to figure this out, I was going to lose it no matter what. I dieted and exercised and nothing was working. I ventured off to college feeling insecure and unstable and can remember comparing myself to every girl I met. I drank a lot to mask my insecurities and played out to be the fun social girl. It wasn’t until my last semester when it was time to graduate that I really became depressed and lost knowing I was going back home into the “real world” still unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. Once I got home, I decided to take all my “free” time and focus on me, my body and getting “thin” again. I exercised daily, sometimes 3 hours a day and continued to eat very little. It became my drug and as the
compliments came in over my weight loss, I felt my sense of worth return. This then lead to 5 year battle with anorexia until the day I had to call an ambulance on myself after passing out several times in my apartment. I was hospitalized for about a week and put on a strict regimen thereafter. Since then, after years of trial and error, healing my body, working with mentors and spiritual coaches and deepening my relationship to myself, I have been on a very long and windy journey but I will never regret one bit of it for It’s made me who I am today and has given me the gifts and ability to work with women who are struggling in how to love themselves and be in their bodies feeling safe and secure. JUNE ~ 2016
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BellaMia: What is your big why? Why is this
bodies which is not true at all. We have our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual body. It wasn’t until I landed in the bliss of Dana: I know what it feels to be in such turmoil connecting with my spiritual body that I with yourself. I was there to the fullest extent. So landed home, that I could see my divinity as bad I even went into a tailspin of depression, anx- well as the divinity in others and the world around me no matter what iety and many other health circumstances I was facing. complications over it. I was It’s about getting to know not connected to a deeper the source within us, our NOTHING part of myself. Along the path spirit and calling on that of life, I had lost my light, my lights me up when we feel stuck and inner star and my divinity. I trusting in that knowing forgot who I was on the soul more than to deep inside of us. That level due to my attempts to be see women is beauty, that is truth. what everyone else wanted me It’s my belief that spirit to be in order to be loved and empower speaks through us by way accepted. NOTHING lights themselves to of our emotions and our me up more than to see women symptoms and if we aren’t empower themselves to go for go for what they listening to them, we are what they want, to know they want... turning our back on spirit are worth it and to use their and ourselves. We need gifts as sensitive beings to the this connection to feel that highest good of their well-being. I want every women to know they are whole sense of security and inner love and from my even when they feel broken, to feel beautiful and experience in myself and in working with connected to their inner light so that they can walk others, once that connection is developed their divine path, reclaim their feminine power and and solid, nothing compares, it is bliss, it is step into their truth. I believe every woman has the faith, it is home. right to embody her beauty inside and out, it’s her birthright, it’s our birthright! No one needs to go BellaMia: Where did the name “Body through life feeling anything less! Awakening™”? work so important to you?
BellaMia: Can you talk a little bit about the
spiritual aspect of your work and how it ties in with our body?
Dana: Yes this is the part I love most. Most of
us walk around thinking we are just our physical
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Dana: I was walking one day in early 2014
and it just came to me and stuck. I had no idea what it meant but knew I had to use it somewhere. I held onto it for quite a while knowing it was channeled to me for a reason. Then in 2015 when I started to rebrand and redo my website I knew it was time to bring it to life, the understanding of what it meant
Dana: I like to think of
started to unfold, it all started to make sense as 2014 – 2015 was when I had my biggest and deepest awakening followed by a painful yet beautiful rebirth. That was when it all came rushing in as to what Body Awakening is all about. It’s about waking up your body to the truth of who you are in your truth, beauty, power and purpose.
BellaMia: What type of modalities do you use? Can
myself as the Body Awakening Alchemist. I have several modalities I use with my clients and really all depends on what they require. I use modalities that touch on all levels of the body from the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual through nutritional guidance with my health coaching background, energy healing through distance or on-site Reiki or Magical Awakenings™ healing system, intuitive guidance, energy reading and coaching, spiritual life coaching, inner child work, meditation, body movement and using the body as well as the gateway towards understanding one’s truth and divine path. I love versatility and being playful because as much as it might feel sticky or hard, I always want to make sure my clients walk away from our sessions feeling empowered and inspired every time and it works! I guide women on a magical journey towards their light, their beauty and magnificence so they can finally heal from old wounds, trauma and truly heal their relationship to their self and their body.
you give up a few tips?
JUNE ~ 2016
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BLifestyle ella
W
Awaken Your Fighter Spirit
hen you commit giving 100% to your projects and challenges, you leave no room for regret when it’s time to move on. Projecting 100% effort in all areas of our life will certainly leave us with an overall sense of fulfilment as our happiness has the potential to come alive. Have a think about genuine giving for a few moments. When you focus on giving, you lose your neediness, and when we work within this mind set your sense of love can only grow greater and more powerfully!! Now think fitness and your thoughts within this area? Is it weight loss? Are you exhausting yourself thinking about losing weight? Fantastic you have now had an awareness of what density over rides your fitness goals. Let’s scrub weight loss by creating a healthier challenge, one that will deliver results, and explore your competitive side offering many benefits such as; feeling mentally charged, focused, and confident!! “When we genuinely give and fuel our body with love, we magnify our beauty.” This month I had the pleasure interviewing 32 year old professional Muay Thai fighter Ryan Hurley. Not only is Ryan professional he holds the title belt, and ranked number one fighter at 75kg in Scotland participating in 26 fights over
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June ~ 2016
By Suzanne Taylor
an eleven year period he has only been beaten once, has drew twice, and the rest were wins. So let’s find out what keeps our fitness professional motivated, and what his fitness regime entails. How often do you fight Ryan? I only fight about twice a year due to my level within the sport and was hoping to take on a fight when I was in Thailand last month, but had to return home early due to illness. Can you describe your training routine to me when you have a fight lined up: You can look at it like an eight week book camp where I train every day; I run in the mornings for at least two hours, and then back out in the afternoon for another run as these are my fat burning runs, then I either hit the gym in the evening, or do intense core, and finish with a 90 minute Muay Thai training class. I also have a personal trainer Liam McGrotty, and train with Liam twice a week. “Train hard fight easy. I always put in 100% effort and my focus is on my opponent.”
Do you still experience fear as you enter the ring? Yes all the time it is the fear that makes you win. I have sustained a lot of injury over the years, and have metal plates in my leg, it is a hard sport, it is the hardest sport. Is this your full time job? Unfortunately not- it doesn’t pay out a lot of money and I rely on sponsorship to cover my flight costs for Thailand and personal equipment/materials that I need. I have my own landscaping business so I work around that. Muay Thai is my hobby!! Can you share a little information about your diet? I work with meal plans which are all set out for me. I normally start with eggs in the morning, and eat steak, venison in the evening. I do not take protein shakes there is no need as my daily intake of nutrients is within my food. I do put
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electrolytes into my drinks everyday as I sweat that much this replaces my salt so I do not cramp up!! What would you like to leave my readers with? Martial arts training needs dedication; not everyone who takes up the sport will fight some will join a class to keep fit, and others to keep themselves protected. Fighting requires commitment and wholeheartedness; when you win your fight you feel an overwhelming sense of release and then you hit a high, and your confidence will rise. When we push ourselves to become more and set challenges ‘Yes’ our esteem and confidence will rise for sure. But many of us do live within excuses, and excuses are the number one cause for failure. When we learn to get over our excuses our life will change, and I would love to use Ryan’s 8 week boot camp description of his training to help you push through any mental, emotional, and physical barriers that are blocking your pathway to wellness!! I am in no way suggesting that you go into fighter’s training mode; I am giving you a method that will transform your current circumstances. From walking to running, dancing, or core sessions, you decide what exercises, or sports would fit into your daily routine, and make a weekly plan. It is a good idea to keep a diary of any emotions that may surface, the changes within your fitness levels, sleep patterns, and an overall
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wellness journal clearly showing you visible results. A before and after picture is always a great idea- scales are not!! Your wellness challenge should awaken your fighter spirit with its mantra ‘Just for today I do not live in excuses’ your workouts that you choose should tackle your weakness, and your focus should be on mental strength, confidence, not weight loss. I believe in you!! ~ Suzanne Taylor zenstretchworkshops@gmail.com
JUNE ~ 2016
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The Great Cover Up!
I
By Linnea M. Duvall
just returned from a 7 day cruise with Fathom Impact Travel, and my cover ups were my best friends and wardrobe allies. I felt beautifully dressed and elegant, poolside to casual dining and lounge areas, as well as just strolling round the ship, from deck, to coffee shop, to library. You can do the same! But the trick to The Great Cover Up is; think outside the box. A cover up can be so much more than just a lacy or casual shirt thrown over your bathing suit. It can take on all the elegance and Êlan you want simply by choosing fabrics and colors that compliment what color scheme(s) you have packed. I’ll share my cruise cover up wardrobe with you, as example. I packed two different turquoise bathing suits, one a bikini, the other a terrific turquoise, navy, and white striped maillot. A bright, multi color geometric print pareo was, (reference pareo in Bella Mia July 2015 issue, The Sarong), the perfect cover up for the turquoise bikini, and when crossed in April ~ 2016
front and tied round the neck could be worn straight from the pool into the buffet dining room for lunch or a snack, or to curl up in the Library with a good book, or to settle into the coffee lounge for a pick me up after sun bathing, as well as into the lounge for a drink and music before dinner. In every situation described, I felt elegant, feminine, comfortable...and covered up. The perfect, easy footwear; jeweled turquoise flip flops I packed to compliment the color scheme. With the striped maillot, I packed a simple but beautiful long, floaty skirt that rested
just on my hips and had swirls of turquoise and dark blue shot with silver threads that ran up and down the skirt. When I pulled that on over the striped maillot, it looked like I had on a skirt and tank top, and again, could easily and elegantly, (and comfortably) make the rounds of all the same locations mentioned above, with the same jeweled flip flops.
I could wear either of these looks into any area on the ship, with the exception of the fine dining room.
Now because I was on a cruise where I would be near water all the time, I packed more than one color scheme of swimwear and cover ups. So here goes the rest. I packed a leopard print maillot with gold passementerie. To cover up that, I had a leopard print pareo that I could tie round the waist as a long skirt, or round the neck as a loose dress. And I also had a long empire waist caramel dress with an ivory lace back that worked perfectly with this bathing suit. I had packed black jeweled sandals that completed these looks, (and many others looks, as well). Again, I could wear either of these looks into any area on the ship, with the exception of the fine dining room. But you would want to dress differently for that anyway! However, I did tie that leopard pareo into a strapless top, paired it with a black skirt and wore it into the fine dining room with a simple necklace and black kitten heels. So my cover up did make it into the fine dining room! As I said above, my cover ups were my wardrobe allies! JUNE ~ 2016
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And last but not least, I packed a gold metallic bikini...yes, I did! Because why not? YOLO! Right? You only live once. And my cover up for that was a Ralph Lauren black parachute fabric rain jacket with all kinds of snaps and zippers in gold, paired with that black skirt I had just worn in the fine dining room the night before. I first saw that jacket displayed just that way, as a cover up over a gold metallic bikini in the Ralph Lauren store, and vowed to wear it that way, as well. And I did just that on this trip. Plus, that jacket served as my rain coat for the days it did rain!! So my cover ups were JUNE~ 2016
dresses, and skirts, and tops, and rain jackets, and vice versa. And yours can be the same; that feminine, that elegant, that versatile, and that comfortable. Think outside the box, compliment the color scheme(s) of your swimwear, choose beautiful butsimple fabrics that breathe and dry quickly, and you will have mastered The Great Cover Up. ~Linnea M. Duvall www.linneamduvallmft.com
GLAD RAG BAGS Good for the Earth. Good for Women. GOOD FOR YOU! Sophisticated, elegant, unique upcycled designs with a great ethos for women and the world. www.gladragbags.com
June ~ 2016
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Gardener’s Creamy Soap & Scrub
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Ingredients: • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil • 1/4 cup mild non-toxic liquid soap (Dr, Bronners Castile or dish soap) • 1 cup organic sugar Add all ingredients to a pint wide mouth jar Mix well
Add the following essential oils if desired: • 10 drops rosemary oil • 10 drops peppermint oil • 2 drops tea tree oil Mix thoroughly
~ Sharon Otness www.sharonotness.com
Easy Summer Entertaining
Sharon Otness
I
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June ~ 2016
f the thought of entertaining puts you in a cold sweat, then hosting a party in summer may be the perfect time for you to “give back” to the hosts that have invited you all year long. The beauty of summer entertaining is it’s laid back vibe. Forget all of the rules of matching china, setting elaborate tables and a sit down five course meal. In the spirit of being laid back and creating a party environment that makes you less stressed and your friends and family thinking you are a pro at this I am gifting you more inspiration than a “How to”. First you want to make sure you have places for guests to sit. Be creative. Besides traditional patio furniture sets you can use old cots, furniture repurposed from inside,
camp stools, even sturdy logs or large pieces of driftwood. Just add colorful cushions and throw pillows and drape with throws for guests to use when the evening chills. An umbrella (or two) helps to ground a space, provide shade and ambiance. They add height to your outdoor “room” and allow you to drape them with lights. For easy clean up and fun drape dining tables with kraft paper. Provide your party guests with crayons or markers if you like. This is a perfect time to use that mismatched tableware. The more colorful the better! Wrap up cutlery in a napkin and set it in a basket so the wind doesn’t blow them away.
Have fun with simple decorations. Sand, shells and driftwood for a beachy theme, small flags for the holidays, pineapples, coconuts, paper leis, succulents, flowers in pots, and cool leafy greens in assorted glas containers all add an easy ambiance-no need to overdo. For evening think lighting. There have never been so many fun and inexpensive choices. Paper lanterns are always festive. Try the new solar fairy lights draped thruout your space, candles in pots with sand (or try the new battery operated candles for safety), and glowing lanterns for hanging, on table tops or on the ground. Try lighting the entryway to lead the way to the festivities. Set up a firepit for easy ambiance and to end the evening with smores and stories. When it comes to food, again keep it simple! Unless having a clambake or luau is your thing, just fire up the grill. I like to use the grill for everything. Nothing is more festive, colorful,
easy to tailor for different dietary preferences than skewers. You can thread them with marinated meats of your choice (great to do ahead of time), veggies of all kinds and even fruit! Have you tried grilled peaches? (swoon). If you want sweet treats, cupcakes, brownies and cookies are simple to offer with a minimum of fuss and who doesn’t love them? Set up tables (or stations) in several places to encourage your friends to roam and help themselves as much as possible. You can have a lemonade (or sangria) stand, make your own spa waters (sliced cucumbers, citrus, berries and herbs), simple drinks (you do not need a full bar) like beer and wine and a dessert bar (which can be fresh fruit and cookies. One more quick tip for food. If you are hosting a potluck (hello easy) set up a kiddie pool on a picnic table. Fill it with ice. Have guests put their dish on the ice. Easy peasy. Keep it simple, enjoy real food cooked simply, relax and enjoy your summer! ~Sharon Otness www.sharonotness.com
Sea Salt Truffles
By Sharon Otness www.sharonotness.com
Dark Chocolate Ginger Fig
Ingredients: • 2 cups dried mission figs (I used ½ figs and ½ dried plums • 2 T. Chunky Almond Butter • 1T. shredded ginger • 2 T. Water
Place first 4 ingredients in food processor, process until smooth adding extra water if needed. Put in bowl and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Once set, roll into balls. Place back in refrigerator and melt chocolate and coconut oil until smooth. Dip each ball into melted chocolate. You may keep them in the refrigerator or freeze.
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips • 2 tsp. melted coconut oil
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• Flaked or Himalayan sea salt (pinch on each JUNE~ 2016
Makes 15 or more truffles
STRAWBERRY MINT SMOOTHIE Refreshing light smoothie for hot summer mornings. Add a scoop of plant-based protein for a post workout smoothie.
Ingredients (serves 1) 1 cup cashew milk ½ cup coconut water 2 Medjool dates, pitted 1 cup fresh strawberries 1 tablespoon lucuma 2 tablespoons hemp or flax seeds 1-2 tablespoon basil leaves, packed Handful fresh mint Juice 1 lime Ice
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~ Kat Maeda, INHC, CMWA JUNE ~ 2016 www.katmaeda.com
BMan ella
“
“I
love women because she is an example of perfection in such a plethora of ways. Every woman has her specific genius. A woman’s grace and compassion inspire men like me around the globe. God doesn’t make mistakes, it’s really that simple. Women drive civilization”
BB rad
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ergersen
Founder of AlexandersGrace.com
Cara Cara Orange & Raspberry Popsicles Ingredients: • 2 cups of juice from Cara Cara (or blood) oranges • 1 cup coconut water • 2 T. grated orange zest • 1 cup raspberries
Directions: • Add the juice, coconut water and orange zest together. • Set aside 2 fresh raspberries for each pop. • Blend the rest of the raspberries with the liquid • Put the fresh raspberries in each mold. Fill with the orange blended mixture. • For truly adult popsicles you can add a liqueur like triple sec. (but they won’t freeze as solid) • Freeze for 6-8 hours
~ Sharon Otness www.sharonotness.com JUNE ~ 2016
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LIME KISSED CAULIFLOWER RICE (Makes 2 Servings)
This is a perfect light side dish to go with grilled chicken or fish and is cooked so quickly it won’t heat up the kitchen
Ingredients • Ingredients: • 1 head cauliflower • Sea salt to taste • Black pepper to taste • 2 tablespoons coconut oil •
or extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder • ½ teaspoon ginger • 1 lime, juiced
Directions: • PROCESS THE CAULIFLOWER. Place the cauliflower into a food processor and pulse until it has a grainy-like consistency. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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• SAUTÉ THE CAULIFLOWER RICE. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add coconut oil or olive oil when hot. Sauté cauliflower in a pan with oil and seasonings. Top with lime juice and toss. Serve immediately. JUNE~ 2016
"Living Life on a Natural High"
www.sharonotness.com June ~ 2016
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GRAIN-FREE MUESLI WITH COCONUT & BANANA Awesome breakfast option for those who want a cereal-type breakfast and are following a Paleo/grain free diet Serves 2
Ingredients: • ½ cup mixed seeds of choice • 1/3 cup currants • 4-6 tablespoons coconut flakes • ½ teaspoon cinnamon • 1 small banana, sliced • 3 tablespoons goji berries • 2 cups almond or cashew milk
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~ Kat Maeda, INHC, CMWA www.katmaeda.com JUNE~ 2016
R
ainbow Bowl (Serves 2)
By Kat Maeda
Salad
• 2 cups wild arugula • ½ cup cherry tomatoes,
halved
• A handful steamed
asparagus, cooled or chilled
• 1/3 cup sliced radish or
diced orange pepper
• ½ cup sliced zucchini • ½ avocado, sliced • ¼ cup seeds of choice • Salt and pepper to
taste
D ressing:
• 2 tablespoons
teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 -2 teaspoons Dijon
mustard
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive
oil
• Salt and pepper to
taste
Enjoy a rainbow in the summer – we should include a rainbow in our diet every day. Refreshing and light, this is perfect by itself for a light supper and can also be topped with grilled chicken.
D irections:
• Whisk dressing together, set aside. • Place ingredients in segments in a
bowl.
• Drizzle dressing and seeds and enjoy.
~ Kat Maeda, INHC, CMWA JUNE ~ 2016 www.katmaeda.com
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BERRY BOWL WITH LIME & MINT Refreshingly light with flavors that will burst in your mouth. Enjoy by themselves or served with a scoop of coconut ice cream. Ingredients: (Servers 2)
• 2 cup mixed fresh berries • Juice 1-2 small limes • Zest ½ lime • 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup • 2-4 mint leaves, thinly sliced • Good pinch of salt
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~ Kat Maeda, INHC, CMWA www.katmaeda.com
How would you like to unleash your strengths to maximize your personal & business performance? Jimbere Coaching and Consulting uses proven, action oriented, research based applications in the areas of coaching, change management and positive psychology to help move you forward.
Sign up for your free video series on Coaching Myths & Tips Change Management Tips Positive Psychology Practice Tips
www.jimberecoachingandconsulting.com JUNE ~ 2016
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Turning Your Pain into Empowerment By Kellie Valenti
B
eautiful bodies that reside in pain are not where God created us to live. Each of us has been given a temple, our bodies. What we do with this temple is up to us. Are you loving, kind and accepting or are you hit and miss with your health? Let’s explore this a bit, shall we? Recently I met a beautiful soul that has had inner struggles for over 30 years. You see, she struggles with an eating disorder that has enslaved her for a lot of her adult life. While I can’t pretend to know all she’s felt and dealt with over this long journey, what I do know is that she’s been brought into my path for a purpose. While my specialty isn’t eating disorders in a traditional sense, there is healing to be done that I can help with. You see, I’m known as The Gut Lady because I provide hope, health and healing. If you were given the tools to provide all of these things, would you succeed and be empowered? You bet.
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Anytime we are given a blueprint or a road map to follow it’s much easier to get onto a course of action and feel like we actually do have hope, where perhaps we didn’t see it before. I find that a lot of us don’t really like change, am I right? We are creatures of habit and comfort, even if our current situation is painful and uncomfortable and that’s because it’s familiar. When change actually happens is typically when we hit rock bottom and then realize that we have to do something and figure out how to change our current situation. The pain is just too great. This is when my new friend came into my life. She had recently been hospitalized with a severe infection and the treatment was really strong antibiotics. Her already
small and frail body just didn’t have the strength to bounce back properly. Her angel of a friend, suggested she talk to me and so we met.
Perhaps you have no idea how to start. Let’s empower you then, shall we?
Do you know how hard it is to reach out to someone you don’t even know and bare your soul? For most of us, that fear alone will keep us stuck and sick, until we’ve figured out that we have to move mountains to get better. There is power in taking that first scary step and facing our demons head on.
2. Seek out trusted mentors or health professionals to
For my new friend, we began our journey of hope, health and healing together. We’ve celebrated small victories and some big hurdles in our short time together and I’m so proud of all she’s accomplished. The reason I’m sharing all this with you is that I know there are others out there who are sick and tired of not feeling well and chalking it up to age, or telling yourself you’ve always had these issues or some other lie, when your intuition tells you something else.
1. Start by coming to terms with the fact that you know you need help.
get you onto a good healing protocol.
3. Educate, educate, educate yourself. I can’t stress this enough. When you take in knowledge, it’s power and with power comes action.
4. If you hit a stone wall in your healing process,
don’t give up. Get up, brush yourself off and go at it again. The determined always reaches the goal.
5. Trust your intuition. It’s a strong guiding light. If
something seems unrealistic, it probably is. Keep seeking until you find a right match for you. We all have a sense of what is right for each of us and not everything is a one size fits all, and that includes health and healing.
I leave you with this thought. You are worthy and you deserve hope, health and healing. Isn’t it time you turned your pain into empowerment and took that first big scary step? To your health, Kellie Valenti www.livelifeyearsyounger.com
BNew ella
»» Take a few moments before you get out of bed each morning to focus internally on the qualities you desire in your life.
Paradigm
»» Use your inhale to pull your awareness inside. »» Imagine an inner river of light flowing up and down the front of your spine.
Cups of Consciousness
A
By Aleya Dao
fter five months of going deep within the flow shifts in June. The energy starts to move more quickly. There is an energetic wind that is now coming onto the planet that will move you forward in the direction you are pointed. At this time it will be very important to focus on what you want, not what you fear. One of the best ways to make sure your life moves forward in the direction you desire is to do the following…
»» Use your breath, intent, and imagination to activate the qualities you desire in this inner river. For example: You want more support, love, or joy in your life. Imagine those vibrations flowing like a current in your inner river of light. »» 5. As you connect with these inner energies know that it will eventually and inevitably be reflected in your life.
To help you move for forward in a positive direction I am sharing two Cups of Consciousness meditations this month.
1
Cup Find the Flow During the Acceleration st
https://aleyadao.box. com/s/6sq9tg02ty06utiypwuz As the energy speeds up manifestation can happen more quickly when you hold an intention clearly. If you are out of alignment in any area of our life it will become evident quickly. Move into alignment. Find the center of the accelerated current and ride gracefully, as well as manifest your intentions. This first cup helps you‌energetically locate all limitations and release them. Locate the stream of light that is coming onto the planet at this time and move into the middle of this current. Tones to link you into the center of the current
The first cup will help you move into flow as the energy accelerates. The second cup will help you release fear and move into trust. .
2
Cup Trust: Flow Without the Fear https://aleyadao.box.net/shared/xhkkh6rxscdcylbeg4i6 nd
Use this second Cup to release limitations, depression, fatigue, resistance, and find a deeper flow of support and freedom. Release all of the areas where you have held back from being all that you can be. After incarnations of pretending to be small, meek, insignificant, and apologizing for taking up space, it is time to shine and “be all that you can be.” Use this meditation to find the flow, locate all the energy, grids, belief systems, and agreements for being less than, and move into the greatness of your essence from a place of humility, love, appreciation, and gratitude.
»» Locate any area where you are suppressing, restraining or holding back, in relationships, finances, right livelihood, spiritual growth, diet, or exercise. »» Place healing holograms around the blocks and move this energy into a gracious flow. »» Align the crystalline structures in your crown to the consciousness of flow and radiating the greatness of your essence. »» Be surrounded by the Ascended Masters and have them model to you how to be all that you came here to be. »» Have you from the future as an Ascended master work with you in dream time to help you release the blocks that are holding you back from being all that you have the capacity to be. May you move into energetic alignment and enjoy the ride. For greater support with the energetic weather go to:
www.CupsOfConsciousness.com
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-Aleya Dao June~ 2016
MAY ~ 2016
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S
et new Newrules: Beginnings in The Golden YearsChange the game
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Lorraine Cohen
When you take time to nourish yourself, body, mind, and spirit, the people in your life will get the best of you, rather than what is left of you. ~ Lorraine Cohen
JUNE~ 2016
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he If you ever fantasized about spontaneously packing a bag and running away from all the people and responsibilities that keep your life in a whirlwind of busyness, have tos and shoulds you are not alone! As women we wear many hats: spouse/partner, daughter, mother, entrepreneur, care-giver, problem-solver… We’ve been taught to assume these roles to be “good and loving” nurturers; to place the needs of
others before our own, often at our own expense and well-being, so we are not seen as being selfish and unkind. How often do you make decisions based on guilt and fear rather than feeling the freedom to say yes with love? How often have you pushed yourself and your body to the point of exhaustion or burnout out of a sense of responsibility? Just because you have been taught to believe something does not mean those beliefs are meant to dominate your life unless you let them or consciously choose them.
Are you feeling a nudge t o slow down or t ake a pause from all t he “doing”? A few weeks ago I came down with flu-like symptoms and was flat on my back for several days with fever, headaches, and a croupy cough. While the initial symptoms passed quickly, I felt physically and mentally exhausted with my body screaming for rest. My mind yelled back, I have things to do! I felt bombarded with thoughts about being lazy, unproductive, and being irresponsible about taking much needed time and space for healing. Self-care, pleasure, and quiet time for stillness are essential components to showing up to the people and things in my life that I value. So with a deep breath I made the decision to take a mini sabbatical for healing and renewal. After some very brief periods of guilt, I began to enjoy the spaciousness of each moment to unfold spontaneously with minimal planning and lots of rest. After 11 days of “ME” time, I felt excited and ready to pursue new creative opportunities with a fresh perspective. Are you feeling a nudge to slow down or take a pause from all the “doing”? If you are running on empty, what do you have to share with others?
If you are running on empt y, what do you have t o share wit h ot hers?
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Here are four self-loving and body nourishing ways to set new rules and change your game to keep you at your essential best.
1. Unplug especially from technology and being online. For many, dependency to technology has become an addictive practice. If you are feeling a little panicked at this idea, take that as a sign that you may need a tech detox to help you reconnect with yourself, your body and the magnificence of life all around you. Remember that technology is meant to be a resource not a lifestyle.
2. Plan a mini sabbatical or a longer one
if you can. Schedule guilt free pleasures for re-energizing and renewal, bodymind-spirit. Meditation, walks in nature, indulgent pampering, mindful eating, naps, and nurturing connections with close friends‌.Ignoring your body’s needs has consequences including your health, mental acuity and happiness. Prioritizing personal time for recharging and renewal is an act of self-love. So if you know you need more self-care, drop the excuses, make the decision and take the next step. Without action, good intentions go nowhere.
3. Make it a habit to stop, take a breath and
connect with your body throughout the day. Notice your physical sensations, stress level, your thoughts, self-talk and how you are feeling emotionally. Your body is continually sending you messages that can be easily missed when you are constantly running. So check in often and give yourself permission to alter your day if you really need to. Feeling relief is one of the first signs that you are honoring your needs!
4. Carve out space to reflect on the rules
you live by -the ones that you have been taught and especially those you have self-imposed. Change the rules. Be willing to dump, amend or change the shoulds and ingrained beliefs that are not heart fulfilling and life expanding. Replace the idea that life has to be hard with the decision for it to be fun. This is your life to live on your own terms!
Last- when you know you are entering a more active and stressful period, prescheduling things in advance will help you sustain balance, stay centered, and minimize drama. Slowing down creates space to come back to the basics of what matters most to you. Do what brings you joy and nourishes your soul so that you are living a choose to rather than a have to life! Lorraine Cohen http://lorrainecohen.com
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VISUALLY TELL YOUR UNIQUE STORY!
FROM REAL TO SURREAL:
photography, photo-manipulation/ enhancement, graphic design, logo illustration, layout design, BellaMia art director, and general visual art creating addict!
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Make The MOST Of Every Day “It’s The Hot Pink Form!”
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Tina Ketchie Stearns
Feeling Good About Looking Good This Summer
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ou have very likely heard people say, “Make the most of every day”. But I’m not talking about that well known saying, albeit a great mindset I try to keep every day. I’m talking about the hot pink MOST form your doctor should have in his office. MOST is an acronym for Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment. Some states including California call it POLST - Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. You can see a sample of the MOST form at this link - https://www2.ncdhhs.gov/ dhsr/EMS/pdf/ncmostform.pdf In the April 2016 issue of BellaMia, I talked about the importance of Advance Care Planning, which involves the 3D’s – Decide, Discuss, Document. DECIDE what you would want your healthcare provider to do, or not do, under various situations. DISCUSS your decisions with your loved ones, healthcare providers, spiritual leaders, and anyone who should know what your wishes are if the day comes that you are not able speak for
yourself. Then DOCUMENT your wishes by completing a Healthcare Power of Attorney and Living Will. (You can find these documents and print them for free at http://www. gotplans123.org/.) It is called advance care planning because you do this well in ADVANCE of a serious illness, when you are happy, healthy and living large! So what is the MOST form and when do you need it? The MOST form is appropriate when there is a serious diagnosis and “the surprise question” applies. The surprise question is, “Dr. Jones, would it surprise you if Ms. Smith were still with us this time next year?” If Dr. Jones says, “Yes, that would surprise me”, then it’s time for Dr. Jones and Ms. Smith to complete a MOST form by having a conversation about the kind of medical
treatment she wants, and the kind of treatment she does not want. (It’s probably also a good idea to contact your local hospice for information about their special kind of care and support.) It would be wonderful if we were never faced with the sad reality that a loved one is nearing the end of their life. But the circle of life requires babies to be born and people to one day die and move on to the next dimension, where I like to think we have many wonderful lessons and experiences awaiting us. When there is a serious diagnosis, the MOST form is a wonderful tool to help doctors have thorough, meaningful conversations with their patients so they approach the plan of care as a team, both clearly understanding what course of treatment the patient wants under various conditions, and under what conditions the patient does not want treatment any longer.
– the gift of peace of mind knowing you made the decisions and no one has to guess what to do. Especially in the face of a serious diagnosis, you can make the most of every day by talking with your doctor and completing a MOST or POLST form with them. If the doctor does not bring it up, you bring it up. Tell your doctor, “It’s the hot pink form!” Here’s to your health, happiness and making the MOST of every day! ~ Tina Ketchie Stearns http://www.gotplans123.org http://gofreepants.com
The difference between Advance Care Planning and the MOST form is this – advance care planning is scenario planning for an unknown situation that may occur in the future, but the MOST form is a doctor’s order related to a known serious medical condition. In order to make the most of every day, please take the time out of your hectic schedule and have the discussion with your loved ones about what your health care wishes would be should the day come that you cannot speak for yourself. Do not wait until there is a health scare or crisis that leaves everyone wringing their hands trying to guess what you would want. Anyone 18 years and older should have their advance care planning documents done. It truly is a gift to your family
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The Seasons of Life
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Carolyn Gervais
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remember from six years of age feelings about the changing stages up to when my maternal grandmother of our bodies over time. Do we passed on, that every time I asked her see those changes as positive and what her age was, she would always tell if not why? We live in a world of ego sensationalism where a woman me, “I don’t know honey. I chose or man’s self-esteem and inner to forget my age years ago. sustenance can come from I really don’t remember”. flattering attention about That was pretty strange good looks, talent, body to me as a child and How do we structure, and success. still remained so If one feels void of any get off the ego even though I was or all of these charactwenty-one when train honorably, teristics, the human she died. I didn’t ego loves to inflict the yet understand how with dignity and pain of self-guilt, shame integrity? uncomfortable it and debilitating anxiety could be, later in life, and depression. to be asked my age. Most twenty-one year olds can’t How do we get off the ego wait to tell their age; after all it’s the train honorably, with dignity and age at which we believe we’ve reached complete adulthood. Twenty-one is integrity? We need to activate our synonymous with being and doing soul-awareness and realize that crazy things; ingesting anything what we perceive as body changes, called food, and often the excuse age are taking place only through our for substance abuse in all forms. It’s and the world’s perception of what about fun, experimenting, discovery, we choose to believe. attention seeking, and learning about boundaries. Of course there will Think on this: Have you ever always be those who refuse to mature wondered if long lost tribes, living past twenty-one. in an unknown wilderness without knowledge of “civilization”, gave There comes a point around fifty, much thought to how old they when we feel a need to sort out our
were? I’m sure they didn’t. Every day was just another day, another season of life. Fearing and denying our age is a ball and chain. Life isn’t about age it’s about the seasons that help us grow and change on all levels, levels that take us into new ways of living and being in human form. Science teaches that the seasons each year are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. This tilt of the axis cannot make us old or young, but our perception of it can cause us to believe we are young; maturing, older or old. Just like nature and the seasons: Spring of life brings forth new life (young/unknowing). Summer activates growth of new life (experience/maturing). Autumn expresses what’s been learned (knowledge/maturity). Winter draws life essence inward to prepare for rebirth (wisdom/ renewal). If we had never seen our reflection in a mirror or had reason to care what we looked like to others, maybe our body changes would have been seen merely as natural beauty. After all, nature changes all the time with its cycles of life; a plant or tree can lose all its leaves every winter and in the spring new leaves grow back. The body has seasons like nature, to where it lives, appears to die and comes back in a new way of being as soul essence recycles itself into something different; as we progress, expand and express more and more aspects of the creative force that gifted us with free-will to choose.
No one wants to be patronized, coddled, talked to as if deaf, treated like their mind has gone bye-bye, spoken to as if a child, or helped when not asked: unless help is truly needed. To preserve our own dignity and self-respect, we must let people know what we need and don’t need at any stage of our life. What will always be the defining reason we are here: is that as long as we wake up every morning, no matter what age we are, we need to go about living and planning out each day in such a way that we feel the creative energy of life fill us and inspire us to do what we can for others and for our body, mind, heart and soul. It is with that bounty we make the world a better place. Be proud of the life you have created; know that beauty comes in many ages, colors, shapes and designs. We all have something that makes us beautiful to others, inside of us. From the depth of our being beauty comes through our body, thoughts, feelings and personality just by doing what’s good and right for all life. Embrace that and know that is our truth. Carolyn Gervais www.awakeningyou.com JUNE ~ 2016
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Love Infusion
Reflections on Healing the Rift Between Love & Money
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Rebecka Eggers
n the central stage, a pitiable drama is playing out.
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Despite its contemptible inadequacies, it has cast a powerful spell over us all. This scene is wildly magnetic more for its repugnance than even its entertainment value. The central players have become banal caricatures of human beings. In their obsessive hunger for power, money, status and unmitigated control of just about everything, they have given money and wealth a bad name. With their gilded mockery, these hardhearted, stiff-minded thespians have cast before us the ultimate, inverted, false idol. It commands not our adoration, but our rabid contempt. In our wide-eyed consternation, unable to come up with a better means of distinguishing ourselves from
this shameless display, we have learned by its example to hate money and wealth and everyone who has them. In the ultimate turn of false logic, we have assumed that the two bit hustlers up there on the main platform are worshiping money. We have bought into the idea that money is the root of all evil and that a rich person cannot easily cross the threshold of heaven. In our confusion, we keep drinking the bitter antidote for what we are convinced is the poison. We cast all our adoration on the noble underdog, the long suffering outsider, the desperately
hungry, yet (apparently) soulful pied piper. Like bewitched children we follow him to the edge of our own destruction. Careful now. One more step in that direction and the whole thing might just be over! But it needn’t be.
Oh my! They are singing love songs to their money. Just look how it grows.
Just a moment ago, I found the courage to turn around! Instead of worshiping in the East and casting all my attention into the face of the wind, I now find my gaze is held fast by the watery ways of the West. The wind is at my back. It is propelling me forward. Ah, I see I have peaked your curiosity too. Now you have also broken your perverse entanglement with the false narrative, if only for the briefest of moments.
Well who would have ever guessed it! There’s a whole crowd over here softly gyrating to the sound of something akin to a love song. They are holding piles of gold in their hands. No one’s ever going to believe any of this.
Hey. Where did you go? Now there’s a terrible, thick mist over everything. It’s like walking through over-cooked beef stew. Yuck. Just a
moment ago, I found the courage to turn around!
Quick! Fix your gaze. Just ahead I see a bridge. Over there under the acorn tree! Rest your eyes on this emerging passageway. Here, take my hand. No! Don’t even chance a furtive backward glance. This moment is too fragile for that. Can you hear the music drifting across the ravine? What a harmonious tune. Catchy too. Oh look! There’s a woman dancing. Golden snakes and silk chiffon! I love it. Ooooh, see that man over there feasting on plump red grapes? Those look so good, don’t they?!
Don’t you do it. Don’t you listen to that voice I hear floating on the wind.
Later, he says! When you have some gold of your own, he says! Your clothes aren’t nice enough. Your are sporting a very out of date coiffure! You’ve put on a few pounds, haven’t you? Chiffon? You really think you can pull off chiffon? Ha! He’s not whispering now. He’s shouting at the top of his lungs. You don’t belong here! Oh that is a low blow. His best line so far: One whiff of that gold honey and you’ll become just like us. Oh drat. He’s one of those malignant troupers from over there in the East. He wants to take control of our favorable winds. JUNE ~ 2016
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Quick now. Answer me. What’s next? How bad do you want to join in that nectarous scene we just witnessed? That’s what I thought. Pretty damn bad. Shut him down now and keep walking. Take my hand again. That’s right. You can do it!
Just dip your fingers in. Can you feel it? That’s your suffering draining away. That’s your angry, antagonistic relationship with money leaving every nook and cranny of you. Ah such sweet relief. Now nod your head. Yes! The attendant’s carrying all that anguish away. There’s no more need for deprivation. As if there ever was! Here come the man and the woman. One comes bearing silver and the other gold. This is the last portal. Let go of my hand now. This is yours to do.
The mist is lifting now. There’s an altar just ahead. Will you make the sacrifice?
Lavish them with love. Sing darling. Sing them a delicious serenade.
Control! The price you pay is control. There’s a bucket for your mind, one for your body, another for your emotions, and finally, your spirit. The choice is crystal clear! This is your new devotion or it isn’t.
I know. It’s not just the money is it? It’s your love soaked emotions. I feel it too.
Oh look how the treasure grows.
My heart is just drenched in the sweetest kind of contentment. Luxurious! Love! Yuuum. Is that a pinch of ecstasy? ~ Rebecka Eggers www. rebeckaeggers.com
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Allowing Our Voices to SHINE! By Connie Costa
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The last year of junior high, I remember it still remember that gut-wrenching being the easiest of the three. That’s because feeling. The feeling of being painfully embarI decided to pretend I was more like my rassed that I had to eat lunch in a bathroom classmates. I thought, “I’ll just stall. At the time, it seemed pretend to be like them so they like my only option. After all, will stop making fun of me and eating alone on the benches accept me.” It worked a little would have been even more But deep and eased up the bullying. But painful and embarrassing inside I knew deep inside I knew that wasn’t than eating next to a toilet. I the answer. still have nightmares of junior that wasn’t high. I had just moved here When it was time to choose the answer. from Italy, and was very shy. a high school, I knew that I I looked different, I spoke wanted to choose a school differently, and I was different that accepted and celebrated from my classmates. I became diversity. I choose Notre Dame Academy an easy target for bullying. No one wanted to in West Los Angeles. At the time, I was not be my friend or even associate with me. I was aware of Spiritual and Universal laws, but I terrified of lunch and recess so I would hide did make a decision to NEVER allow myself in the bathroom. Everything I said was ridito go through that again. I was unique, fun culed. Every day, I felt stupid. and different, and I just needed to make friends that would love me for who I was. I quickly learned to silence myself. My I no longer wanted to put up a façade. I voice and opinion did not matter. Anything I quickly became friends with a great group of said, no matter how trivial, was made fun of. I girls that shared similar interests. The story wanted to be invisible.
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has a happy ending because we became a very popular group at school. I am eternally grateful to my high school, because I feel that it’s where I really started to shine. Suddenly, my opinion mattered. I could be who I was and I was loved and accepted for it. Being bullied is very traumatic. I wish I could tell you that in high school all the damage the bullying had caused was magically cured. It wasn’t. To this day, I know I am still working on my self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence. But I strongly believe that everything that happens to us is part of a divine plan. And that EVERYTHING that we go through is for our own good. Being bullied taught me to be strong, to stick-up for myself, and it later taught me to love myself for who I am. It taught me that even though one group might not accept me for who I am, another will. Now more than ever, I know how important it is to find your tribe. Hang out with people that support you, embrace you, and share similar beliefs and interests.
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The combo of junior high and high school, taught me that it was ok for me to voice my opinions, and that if people didn’t agree with me, it was ok. The most important thing was for me to voice my opinion in the first place, and even though people might not agree with me, I was not pretending to be someone I wasn’t. The pivotal part of me allowing my voice to be heard was the moment I decided that I was no longer going to take it anymore. I specifically remember making this decision. I had a voice, and I was going to use it. I had ideas, thoughts, and opinions and I was no longer going to allow anyone to make fun of them. I am who I am, and I make no excuses for it. What you see is what you get. If you feel that your voice is not being heard, I encourage you to make the decision TODAY to change that. You can, at any given moment. The decision is yours. What you have to say matters. Some of us are afraid to shine. Some of us are afraid of sounding stupid. Whatever your limiting belief is, now is the time to get over it! Today, I am a motivational speaker. I inspire
thousands of people through my opinions, thoughts, and ideas. I inspire them through my voice. What you have to say is unique. Most worry that what you have to say, has already been said. This is nonsense. Even if you and I say precisely the same thing, some will resonate with you and some will resonate with me. That’s just how it works. Moreover, do not worry about people agreeing with you. If everyone agrees with you, you are not being true to yourself. Just like I wasn’t being true to myself the in last year of Junior High. Today, I celebrate being unique. I love my opinions and I am eager and ready to share them (just follow me on social media and you will see it for yourself). I bless the fact that I was bullied. I am who I am in large part thanks to that painful experience. Everything we go through is for a reason. Now I can help others on letting their voices shine. We all have a unique mission and a purpose. It needs to be voiced. If it’s not, the Universe will find a way to make you voice it. As I mentioned, God has a beautifully designed plan for us. Our life is divinely guided. Let’s start trusting more, and feel confident about our unique voices being heard. People are waiting for your message! They are waiting for YOU!
Are you ready to shine? ~Connie Costa www.ConnieCosta.com
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Saying YES to Radical Joy! By Jennifer Jimbere
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adical Joy is exciting to some, but it can feel daunting to others. I love learning and sharing knowledge about leadership development, change management, positive psychology, and how to flourish financially. People say, “I read like Google is going to crash.” I do read, all the time. I am always taking courses and continually developing, honing my skills. We are all creative, capable, wise and good. Our personal growth needs to be a priority if we are to become our best selves.
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The journey to joy is one where you lean forward into the unknown, peeling off what no longer serves. It is about the journey, and that journey is never ending. It’s a journey to self-discovery, health and success. I am privileged to work with individuals, teams and organizations to help unleash strengths and maximize performance. We leverage a tool called “The Circle of Personal Perspective”, which helps to identify levels of satisfaction in all areas of our lives. This tool helps individuals to self evaluate where they feel they are in relation to each of the areas, supporting their awareness of where they want to focus their efforts to increase their personal and business performance. Most of my life I have been happy with almost all areas of my life, all but one. This area, over the last 15 years, is health and fitness.
I have always acquired more, been able to do more, been awarded promotions, and have had great confidence and courage. I am blessed with great friendships and a wonderful husband of almost 20 years. We have our healthy handsome son. We were not blessed with another childbirth, so we are going through the process of adopting a second son from East Africa. My development and learning efforts have been focused on leadership, team dynamics, change management, positive psychology, and others. My efforts were never focused on health and wellness. In fact, I only recently picked up “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis to see what I could learn from his research. I am just beginning to become more aware of food sources and starting to count colours instead of calories. It is time for me to find a way back to me and find ways to support others in doing the same. If you feel well, nothing really makes you focus on your health. There were no immediate health concerns or doctors visits which prompted this shift in focus for me. I just know that at times, I was sitting on the sidelines and I do not want to be. That is not who I am! I was the captain of several sports teams growing up and was very active. That changed when I went to University and moved away from home. I had a busier
schedule which equaled faster meals and not really paying attention. Those habits carried on into my work life. I never really got back into health and fitness on a consistent basis. It is time to get in the game. Alongside you, I am eager to take a journey to a JOY FILLED life. In all areas, without any limitations. I want it all. I want to have a circle of personal perspective that is rated with high satisfaction in all areas: spiritual, emotional, relationships, financial, professional, friendships and wellness. The Radial Joy Seeking Women’s Club is an online community like no other. A place you can come to seek resources, inspiration, tips and kinship to focus on your mind, body and spirit. We all have at least one area in our life we would like to improve. I have a deep sense of gratitude to have an opportunity to positively influence the lives of women around the world, while also gaining the support I need to become my best self. If you’d like extra support take a look at: www.radicaljoyseekingwomen.com Jennifer Jimbere www.jimberecoachingandconsulting. com
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The Most Beautiful Girl in the World:
A Tribute to How Women Should be Treated By Christine Miskinis
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here is a change in tides, a movement in transition that’s happening right now in our world and with the recent passing of Prince we are reminded that it’s been a long time in the making. Today, women have access to power but we must claim it for ourselves through exercising our voices in our lives, our relationships and our work. Prince used his own Voice in the song, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” to remind us of how God created us and how we should be treated. Take a moment to allow theses lyrics of the song to marinate in your heart and bridge the visions of sexy and sensual with love and devotion. It’s clear he is singing about how to honor women because even as Prince, he speaks of bowing down to them.
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Lyrics of Devotion from the song: “I could bow and feel proud in the light of this power, oh yes” (bow down) ‘Cuz baby, this kind of beauty has got no reason to ever be shy ‘Cuz honey, this kind of beauty the kind that comes from inside You’re the reason that God made a girl
In the music video we are entering “The Beautiful Experience” which represents all aspects of being a woman, through hardships and pain, love and joy. All parts of being a woman are included along with the representation of all types of shapes, ages, sizes and ethnicities. We watch women achieving their goals, getting married, in labor, becoming president and making their dreams come true because the beautiful experience is whatever we make it. True beauty comes from within but that is not where it stays. Each woman actualizes her own dreams while Prince looks on in admiration. Each woman experiences beauty as she experiences her dreams coming true and perhaps this is because it is when she feels most beautiful. To be a woman is a beautiful experience as there is great depth and variation on all the roles that we play in life. Today’s woman has even more available to her in achieving her greatest desires. This song is showing us that it all happens simultaneously. We are beautiful when we believe that we are and we are moving towards expanding into our greatest
versions of ourselves. However, remember this, women don’t have to “wait” until the goal is achieved to have a beautiful experience. Perhaps if we just love, respect and honor ourselves and each other, we will bring more beauty into the world. What if you could walk around as the goddess you already are and spread your beauty wherever you go? Can you imagine for a moment how this would change your experiences of life? How would this also change the experience others have with you, like your children, spouse, lover or friend? In honor of the passing of Prince, I invite you to play the song, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” as you imagine him singing it privately just for you. In reality, this is exactly what he has done. Play it again and again. Play it every day until you come to know what it’s like to be the most beautiful girl in the world! Watch others bow to your greatness (literally or figuratively), as you continue to actualize your dreams. This is your be-you-tiful success, your beautiful life, and your beautiful experience. Now, go and rock it out, woman. ~Christine Miskinis www.rockitoutwoman.com
Aries
21 March – 20 April
Taurus
21st April – 21 May
Over analysing will destroy what has the potential to build momentum especially around your career. The timing at the moment is perfect for manifesting desires only connected with your heart; and once you feel the difference expect an explosion of work related tasks to follow. You are on the edge of succeeding. Align with your soul’s mission!!
As I step into your vibration I am feeling indecisive with food, and fashion, I feel a little agitated like a snake shedding my skin- this will be felt around the 5th only lasting a few days, then expect to really embrace living in the here, and now as a calmness flows through you gracefully. A month for expressing and coaching others; your advice will be powerful. Synchronicity will heighten!!
Leo
24 August – 23 Sept
Virgo
24 July – 23 August You can sense the magic creeping in this month Leo as you take advantage of some well-earned time out before the 16th of the month, travel plans are most definitely on the cards for you. As I step into your vibration I am experiencing a withdrawal from a certain someone, or group. You understand that not all thoughts should be expressed especially at the nurturing stage concerning an idea- be prepared to experience broodiness and emotional outbursts by the 23rd!!!
Sagittarius
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Breathe easy Virgo as you find yourself lost in the woods dreaming and connecting with your inner child, the magical part of your personality. An effortless month ahead for you as you turn straw into gold, but more of the happiness stuff is on your mind. You want everyone close to you to be happy which will bring them closer to your heart this month on a deep emotional level. A month for connecting with your beautiful self!!
Capricorn
23 Nov – 21 Dec
22 Dec – 20 Jan
A lot of surprises in store for you in June Sagittarius as I step into your vibration I am experiencing a little miracle followed by another one, and so on. You make your own luck Sagittarius, and when you fully understand this you will shift into the mind set of someone who can create, and achieve simultaneously. Boredom is a thing of the past, on your march get set go!!
Fight any fatigue that invades your thoughts Capricorn at the start of the month but expect to be a busy bee after the 7th. You are being advised to take your time, do not over accelerate, and have the awareness of what you give out to the community is enough. As I step into your vibration I do feel a little fragile followed with emotional upsets. Embrace and nurture you with the loving energy that you are enough. All good things come to those who wait!!
Gemini
Cancer
22 June – 23 July
A fun and playful month ahead for you Gemini. It is important to take note not to over spend, or dive into a contract that may unsettle you in the fourth coming months. I can feel our Gemini tribe being open to romantic gestures this month with the energy that engulfs you expect commitment, and possible marriage proposals. Be at the ready to cut ties concerning a past relationship!!
I feel ready for change as I step into your vibration Cancer. Deep rooted fears dissolve as you accept a challenge that will take everyone by surprise. Be faithful to your dreams and remember you are the co-creator the one in charge of your destiny, but at the moment the heavens are amplifying your thoughts as I see a rainbow of colours burst around you beautifully. Get ready to dance in killer heels!!
Libra
Scorpio
24 Sept – 23 Oct
24 Oct – 22 Nov
Not necessary an emotional month Libra but one where you feel as though you have stepped into a time machine. Nothing to worry about as I step into your vibration I am taking a trip down memory lane with several loving memories flashing before my eyes. Be at the ready and alert as an old flame invades your aura. Learn from the situation, and learn more of what love means to you. You are worthy!!
How can you cancel out your formal projections is the question. It’s simple you can’t. What is done is done Scorpio so take a deep breath fight your stubbornness, and face your fears. However a new project may just hit the market in the form of gold dust so act upon intuition believing in all that you do without over thinking, and embrace the wealth that it will bring!!
Aquarius
Pisces
21 Jan – 19 Feb
20 Feb – 20 March
Fertility is powerful this month Aquarius as you are strongly pulled in all directions especially up until the 10th. When we are nesting we embrace our femininity beautifully although feelings of frustration may arise- blast the energy into any area you would love to see grow within your destiny path especially within the next four months. Make that call!!
FAs I step into your vibration Pisces expect to be the entertainer throughout the month of June as everyone seems to be warming to you and the good vibes you will be giving off. A little dreamy throughout the month with a more relaxed attitude towards life; be at the ready to invest your time into a project that will instantly create movement within your cash flow chart. Accept with love!!
JUNE ~ 2016
By Suzanne Taylor ~ Angel Channel ~ www.angelstartherapy.com zenstretchworkshops@gmail.com
22 May – 21 June
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Bella People