2 fun strategies that help to leave old problems behind - check it out!

I love synchronicity, meaning that when you think, speak or deal with something more in-depth, you suddenly realize that this topic, person, group, community appears more often on your radar.
Has that ever happened to you? I'm sure it has.
The truth is that once we get interested or engaged in something (or someone^^) our brain gets wired to notice the topic of interest more and more consciously - and consciousness is the key word here!

I love these moments, when I think about something - as I had it yesterday with the topic of change and the new approach to dealing with problems or failure - everything I read and listened to afterwards, has dealt with the exact same topic!!! Coincidence... I don't think so!

Well, so much about my love-relationship to these small miracles (which always make me smile^^). The fact that the issue came up repeatedly after I wrote the last post, I decided that there is more that I have to say about this, and here it is ;-)

What do all problems have in common?

In one way or the other they have their sneaky roots in the past. Some are stronger and louder and we repeat them over and over again in our mind, with the effect that they (those sneaky problems) influence our being in the present; in fact, we cannot be fully present when we still dwell in our old problems or the failure that we did years ago...

We feel blocked to move on. We feel stuck with that problem FOREVER. We feel powerless to change. We think that we have tried everything and change simply does not work. We are terrified to get out of our 'comfort-zone'. (ironically we call it comfort zone, but it is really that comfortable??) One more... We might even feel embarrassed of having that problem, which leads us to hiding and concealing ourselves in fear of judgment from others.

Yuck - that sounds a terrible place to live from, doesn't it?

What is another thing that all those problems from the past have in common? They are IN the past, not the present - and that is the best thing about all this! THE PAST HAS PAST!!! That is the awesome and naked truth, because now all that is left for the problem to be there is YOU, and only YOU holding on to it!!!

I offer you some cures from NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) here, that have helped me in the past:

Oh, before I reveal some really juicy, fun and good stuff, I want to make sure that you are aware of the one single and most important prerequisite to be effective with those exercises: YOU'VE GOT TO WANT IT! You have to say with conviction: Thank you fear, problem, (fill in your blank), you've been around for long enough, I have learned my lesson - enough is enough!!!

OK, ready!? :-)

#1: Enough is Enough Pattern:

1. Think of five times where you felt having or even embarrassed by having that fear or problem.
2. Make a movie of all five scenes.
3. Put all 5 movie scenes together - one after the other looking ridiculous of having this fear!
4. Now, it gets really fun... make the pictures bigger and brighter, play circus music to it (my favorite and sooo effective :D) as you run the movie of all five times in a row looking ridiculous until you get more and more embarrassed!
5. Keep on doing it until you start to say to yourself 'OK, this is insane! Enough is enough!'

#2: Laugh away your Fears (very effective if you're like me - love to laugh ;))

1. Think of a time you laughed your a$$ off. A time you couldn't stop laughing. A time when you had to love so hard that milk came out of your nose (or whatever it was that you were drinking :D) Remember how that felt, what you were thinking and feeling vividly!
2. Keep going :D
3. Keep on laughing and dwell in the experience :D :D
   Still, keep on doing it -feel what you felt, think what you thought, see what you saw, and feel feel feel gooood!
4. As you keep having those giggles, begin to think about what you used to fear and notice that as you laugh at it how it begins to change in your mind - the shift in perception!

The best outcome will of course be accomplished if you follow both scenarios one after the other - the first is to really ensure that you are fed up with keeping that fear or problem around and #2 is a great tool to really begin to laugh about your problems.

What is it that we do about problems, addictions, fears that we have 'overcome' or 'left behind' (= they do not have an effect on your present, and YOU have put them into the past!)? Yesss, we laugh about them!!!

Why wait? Start now!

You deserve it :)

Can you think of one person in your life who could also benefit from these tips? 
Remember sharing is caring ;-)

I would love to hear from you, how it works and your unique experience!

Happy Easter =)

xoxo

About ChAnGe!

Wow, it's been a while...

Arriving back in Austria after spending 7 transformational months in NYC has been a process in itself.

'Gut Ding braucht Weil' is a saying in German that means that all good things take time to flourish/come out/reveal! And that's how it has been and felt for me for the past 4 weeks.

I am very blessed to have a family and friends, who welcomed me wholeheartedly and remained patient for my fully integrated arrival (sure, I was physically present, but I also had to let the busy NYC gal and conscious Sati-warrior arrive back in cosy Austria^^)

What I could actually say is that 'daily life' has me back - but what does that really mean?

Thanks to many amazing experiences my perception, awareness and consciousness of many areas in life have changed. Be it body-, relationship with myself and others-, conflict- and goal perception have transformed... to be very specific they are all ever changing.

 

 

With every decision we make, we change in a way. We let go of something old to experience something new. 

Now, this does mean that we dare to try new things, which in turn has us come out of our comfort zone and yes, we might 'fail' (important note: this is only a matter of perception!!!)

I listened to one of Tony Robbins' tapes yesterday where he brought this right to the point:

If I would ask you if you like to fail - sure, you would intuitively say NO (and think 'crazy gal' to yourself - and that's ok^^) Let me re-frame my question: DO YOU LIKE TO LEARN?

Hm, so as many things in life - a matter of definition! What does learning mean to you?

Tony's approach offers us a tool of handling situations that surprise us negatively, which he calls PROBLEMS ;)

I encourage you to rethink your model of approaching failure and problems - when we come from the place of being the curious student of life, failures all of a sudden turn into lessons and problems become the playground of experiences to learn from!

When you are courageous enough to take this new approach (and I know you are), you'll soon start to realize that you dock onto the same stations (aka problems), but your docking tools have changed!

So go for it and enjoy the worry-free student life :)

xoxo

p.s. good to be back *yay* missed the writing!

6 a.m. in NYC ;-)

I didn't think I could (would) do this...

In about 12 hours I will be up in the air - leaving NYC to go back home to Austria (returning time indefinite!)...

It is 6am and I'm wide awake, reflecting on my NY-moments and writing the last blog post in my beloved city...

Was it hard? Yes! Did I feel lonely and missing my dear ones in Austria at times? Yes! Did I have fun? YES! Did I enjoy it? To the fullest! Did I learn a lot? YESYESYES! Do I have a hard time leaving NYC? Oh, yeah! Am I excited to go home? Hell, yeah!

My NYC adventure started with going to an intenSati workout for the very first time on my very first day (actually the day I arrived in NYC) - having already signed up for leader training, to become an instructor. Kind of crazy, when you think that while being in Austria, I have decided to become an instructor for a workout that I haven't even tried yet - that was pure intuition that I followed and excitement for a workout that strengthens the mind-body-spirit connection!

God, was I blown away by what I intuitively signed up for - this was beyond what I could have imagined it to be. So much fun, joy, sweat, tears, love, faith, empowerment and oneness in one practice that has become my companion throughout the past 7 months!

My gut and intuition were right... and they most of the time are. But you have to dare and trust to make the intuition thing work. Dare to dream and go for your dreams - don't hold back, when your gut keeps telling you DO IT, you may consider your option to DREAM!

What will come with it is faith, trust and action - essential ingredients to make things work! The truth is that we always have a choice... to be faithful or hopeless... to trust or to doubt (a decision, ourselves, others)... to take action or to cocoon in self-pity and the belief of 'it is so hard'!!!

You might think 'right, this chick has lived in NYC for a few months and now she thinks she is Ms. Know-it-all' (your choice, hehe) - I'm not saying this is easy... there are days filled with faith, trust in the process and power *yay* and there are days where things go 'wrong', but once you catch yourself and CHOOSE to trust the process again, meaning that 'this is a lesson I need to learn in order to follow through and pursue my dream' - THAT is where the magic happens!!! This is the miracle!

Last weekend (Feb, 16&17) I got the unique chance to be at the Hay House 'I can do it IGNITE' conference, where Dr. Wayne Dyer told the story about an orange:

What happens when you squeeze an orange? - Sure, orange juice comes out, because that's what is inside!

What happens if someone pressures or squeezes you? Is it anger, defense, fear, doubt OR compassion, love, faith, strength, ...

What comes out of you is what is inside! The neat thing is, you can choose what is inside!

Gabby Bernstein also said it right: Real change happens when you allow yourself to see your crap. You will be given a tremendous amount of assignments - which represent the greatest opportunity to change and rise!

Always ask: 'What can I learn from this?'

Looking back, I was not always asking this question in difficult situations, but I can definitely say that I learned from all of them. It is all about awareness and consciousness about that we have a choice!

I AM deeply grateful and moved by all the beautiful people that I have had the pleasure of meeting and calling my friends - I hope to see you all soon, back in NYC or elsewhere in the world!

I can't wait to see my family and friends again after all these months *sooo excited*

Life is a gift and I love it ;-)

I will 'see' you all soon here, on Facebook, in person, Skype, etc.

Lots of love and have an amazing day!

Xoxo (last time from NYC)

The change-formula

Change is easy.

What is she saying there??? Yeah, sure...!?

Is that what you're thinking right now - I understand, but I still stand behind this statement 100% and let me tell you why:

I am someone who seeks and embraces change (be it consciously or unconsciously). I need variety and spice in my life to feel fulfilled, but it does not always mean that these times are easy. 

Discovering that you are unhappy or not fulfilled in a certain area in your life is painful. There might be times when you manage to suppress and deny the discomfort but sooner or later it affects your everyday life. In my case it is definitely sooner than later ;-)

What to do in such a situation??? Hm??

And there it is... CHANGE!

The reason why we think change is hard is because we associate the whole process of being uncomfortable and unhappy for weeks/months/years until we reach a certain point, where we say 'No more!' with it. However, the actual change is a simple decision to do, feel, speak or act differently with the goal to be happier than before - sounds great, right.

Here is what we need to make it happen:

1) Willingness: we can wish, want or desire something but if we don't bring up the willingness within us to put the stake in the ground for what we want to be happy, we will miss the chance to live fulfilled and with integrity. To be willing to change is to show up for yourself - and honestly, what is more powerful than that!?!!

2) Strong enough reasons: in order to be able to change we need compelling and strong reasons - we have to create leverage why we want to take this step. Start with WHY!!! Why, do you want to improve your health? Do you want to look more fit or sexy? Do you want to have that promotion or job? You have got to want it REALLY BAD!!! Commitment and focus are key - what you focus on you become!!!

3) Action plan (I call it passion-plan^^): What are the steps that will get you there? When we start to break our goals down, two powerful things happen: 1. we appreciate the baby-steps, which allows more successes on the way and 2. we allow more space to really enjoy the process, because LIFE IS ABOUT PROGRESS AND NOT PERFECTION!

With that in mind, change becomes effortless and fun instead of scary and unpleasant. Sure, the real outcome is uncertain, but what if we make shift the negative suspension to the excitement for a surprise... we all love surprises don't we ;-)

"There's something inside every human being that will make it click...that today is not like yesterday, and tomorrow will be different forever, and that process is an emotional hook." ~ Tony Robbins

Looking forward to your thoughts on this! 

Take care & love,

xoxo

Are you up for a challenge?

A challenge that will boost your health, your happiness and your belief in your own power!!!

I AM living fit & excited for a great health challenge this month :) are you?

Something miraculous and powerful happens when we start taking care of ourselves, of our health - you realize YOU ARE PRECIOUS :)))
I'm very excited for this month's challenge and I hope join me!

Let's make it even more powerful... I put mine out here in writing again:
1) no refined sugar
2) one green juice a day
3) no white flour

Let me know what your 3 challenges are, in the comments below!

Making yourself accountable for something is very powerful and enhances the probability to follow through and succeed!!! Isn't this what we all want!? ;)

I'll see you soon :)
Lots of love,
xoxo

Physical exercise: feel good and MORE...

Wow wow wow, today was an amazing day - I mean really!

I'm so fired up... I guess the close end of my time in NYC makes me embrace and appreciate every minute in this magnificent city even more ;) also I attended a great event today - an intenSati class that was followed by a lecture both led by Wendy Suzuki, intenSati leader and professor for neuroscience and psychology at NYU.

intenSati was AH-MAZING (as usual) and the lecture's topic was about Wendy's latest study: Can exercise change your brain?

Here is a little review of the evening and some food for thought ;-)

Hope you enjoyed the video!
All comments and thoughts on this are very welcome :-)

BE the master of your craft & life with passion!

Lots of love,
xoxo

Reflections & outlook :-) week 1!

Wow, amazing - week 1 of my May Cause Miracles journey is completed!

The past week has been about becoming miracle minded - that meant for me/my translation: Breaking free from limiting and fearful beliefs... letting go of self-doubt, fear, the 'I can'ts...' and the negative self talk that kept holding me back. In intenSati classes I called this voice the inner mean girl ;-)

This week I have (continued) built the muscle to consciously decide NOT to listen to my inner mean girl (= fear) and choose LOVE instead! This is also what intenSati is about and once I understood that personal development/growth is like building a muscle, committing to a daily practice has become effortless, even more it has become necessary and an integral part in my life!

The upcoming week is going to be about creating a new perception of YOURSELF!

Gabby is guiding the reader through the nitty-gritty of self-love (in the self-empowering way)! 

For me personally, self-acceptance and self-love are essential in order to have the strength to bust through your blocks and to pursue your inner-most desired dreams! Sometimes we are not even aware of the way we play small and that we let our inner mean girl/boy run the show.

Take a minute and ask yourself:

What would happen if you would operate from a self-accepting and -loving place? What would you be capable of achieving and believing?

I love asking these questions - psst... inner mean girls tend to be speechless this way, which allows you to listen to your authentic self!

Have a great week and I will be back with a reflection next Sunday!

Love & Miracles!

xoxo

MayCauseMiracles - Expect MIRACLES!

Today I expect miracles!

Being a student of A Course in Miracles, one of my most favorite definitions of a miracle is: 'Miracles are natural. When they don't occur, something has gone wrong.'

As I already mentioned in one of my video messages, a miracle is also a shift in perception! This means that if we choose love over fear, we set the ground for miracles to occur naturally!

Through the practices of this week - witnessing, willingness, choosing, forgiveness - we surrender our fear and false perceptions and are ready to let the miracles into our lives.

Love,
Alexandra

MayCauseMiracles - GRATITUDE is my attitude!

For the next 6 weeks, on Thursdays I will indulge in a full day of GRATITUDE!

I have picked up the attitude of gratitude as a daily practice a while ago - upon waking up I usually say 'Thank you' (for a new day, a new perspective, for the chance to do and think differently) - I picked that habit up from Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Wayne Dyer :)

Gabrielle Bernstein emphasizes the following in May Cause Miracles:

The ego loves to seek problems and focus on what we don't have!

When we focus on what we don't have, how can we possible be happy? How can we live freely with dissatisfaction with what is?

Dedicating one day of the week to become consciously grateful for the things and people you have in your live will free you from your ego beliefs and is a genius practice. Thank you, Gabby!

Today, the miracle worker is challenged to revisit the fear list from Day 1 and to acknowledge the learning and experience to be actually grateful for. Additionally, another gratitude-tool is the great gratitude list - What are the things you are grateful for in your life at this moment? (List 10 things!)

It is very powerful to see and understand that without the experiences, that you have perceived as fear and have created resentful beliefs, you wouldn't be where and who you are today!

All problems offer us the opportunity to strengthen our faith in love. It may be difficult to see that opportunity in some problems - but be willing to see growth and opportunities in all difficult situations. ~ May Cause Miracles

So, I challenge you, my dear readers to make a list of things you are grateful for in your life! And how could you turn one of your fears around and see love and learning instead?!

Thank you, my dear readers! You are on my list, by the way ;)
Love & miracles
xoxo

MayCauseMiracles - Only LOVE is real!

Hello my dear readers,

for the next couple of days I will be back in writing with you (instead of video-blogging) - I caught the flu and therefore I'm covered in sheets with tea and tissues! Enough of the whining - I'm the sneezing warrior^^

It is Day 3 of the May Cause Miracles transformation journey and I have taken or prepared you well for this piece (as I said I'm reading one chapter one day at a time!)...

Today it is important to acknowledge and really get that fear is only false evidence appearing real and that ONLY LOVE IS REAL!

There is always a choice to make - ask yourself, will I see this (situation, problem, feeling, ...) with love or fear? 

Let me assure you that there is always a loving perspective - even if you simply keep saying to yourself 'Love did not create this!' or 'I consciously choose love instead of this!'

If you go through your day and you manage to remind yourself about these few words a.k.a miracle mantras, you are in a great place to move towards your desires and goals! Because you cannot create from a fearful, doubtful and resentful place!

This passage of the chapter really got me:

Our fear-based minds believe that change is tough and self-reflective work is difficult. But let's face it: being consumed by fear is far more difficult than showing up for love - we're just tricked into thinking fear is "easier" because it's more familiar! ~ May Cause Miracles

So get your love-mind ON & expect miracles :-)

Love, health and light!
xoxo

Happy 2013 :-) new year, new style, new challenge!

**^^**HAPPY NEW YEAR**^^**

Hope you all had a great start into the new year :) 

Have you made some thriving resolutions for 2013? 

I personally looove setting goals, especially when the new year starts - it is like a new beginning, a re-birth! You can decide to do something totally new, with a new attitude and the power of a new-year's intention! Remember... your intentions create your reality, as Wayne Dyer says very wisely!

And I have decided to get one step closer to my goal and I signed up for Robbins-Madanes training to become a Strategic Interventionist! Master coach Tony Robbins and well-respected psychotherapist Cloé Madanes joined forces and created this amazing education for people who strive to become a coach and much more! Yay, coaching career... I'm getting there :-)

You might also notice that the design and style of my blog has changed - I find hummingbirds adorable and they have a glorious symbolism too <3 hummingbirds are known as messengers and stoppers of time, due to their incredible speed. Also the smallest bird in the world is known as a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. It is able to fly backwards, which symbolizes that we can look back on our past, but we must not dwell on it; we need to move forward. The hummingbird teaches us that we should savor each moment, and appreciate the things we love.

If you follow me on Facebook you might have noticed that I have picked up a new book from  one of my great inspirations - Gabby Bernstein's "May Cause Miracles"

Since this book is a 40-day guidebook with wisdom and ah-ha moments for every day, I decided to start a video blog about the journey!

I'm thrilled (and nervous) to present you my very first video blog... tadaaa... daddaaaaa...

Hope this received you well and let me know what you think in the comments below :-)

Love & miracles!

Xoxo

Searching, letting go and MIRACLES...

Visualizing, 

manifesting, 

vision-boards,

praying, 

meditating, 

affirmations, 

feeling, 

searching,

goal setting,

what do you do to get what you want in life?

I do pretty much all of the above and sometimes more than one at a time ;-) 

All of those are great tools to get clear on what it is that you want in your life. However, there is a chance that this is not enough! 

Hm... I used to be manic in searching for what I want, until I understood this:

Sure, it is very important and great to have a plan and direction for where you want to go and how you want to live your life. There is nothing wrong about thriving for a great career, the relationship of your dreams, the 'perfect' body, etc. 

By applying one of the techniques above, you want to achieve your goal the way you imagine it. You might think: 'What is wrong about that??' The answer is: NOTHING! 

But since it is a great goal that you want to achieve, as human beings we tend to obsess about our desire and become very impatient for it to come true. If you tell yourself: 'When is it going to happen...When, when, when?' that is when you are in the manic-search-spiral!!! 

We get hooked onto a certain outcome or goal that we block ourselves to the infinite opportunities around us! Through this ever-searching neediness, we will become desperate for the things to happen our way and we risk losing the faith in our power, if they don't!

What we need to do is free our mind from pre-set outcomes and let the universe do her thing - once we start to relax, miracles will occur naturally!

Have you ever 'given up' on a dream or a goal, by accepting your current state and suddenly your dream materialized?!? 

Again, it all comes down to being present and putting your full attention on the present moment. Seeing the opportunities right in front of you will be easy, because you are not busy looking to and obsessing about the future anymore. By letting go of your expected-future-reality, you open up to far greater experiences than you could imagine.

For attracting what you want, all you need to do is to set the intention - YOUR INTENTION CREATES YOUR REALITY! ~ Wayne Dyer

I set the intention to live a life beyond my wildest dreams - I'm committed to live in the present moment with curiosity, gratitude and openness!

What is your intention?

Hope you are enjoying your holidays :-)

Love & Joy

Reflections on expectations!

One could say expectations have been a loyal companion throughout my life. Where ever I could find something pleasant (!) to expect I did and I became really good at creating fantastic illusions around these expectations, be it in relationships, career, you-name-it... Of course, I was on a super-high when everything worked out, happy, strong, faithful, etc. 

But guess what happened when it didn't - crazy-town was the next destination. My ego/inner-mean girl would be supported in her strong belief 'You are not good enough' or 'If you would have done it this way, you would be happy now!' 

But what if you could be on that super-happy party of feelings all the effin' time!!! Note: if you CHOOSE to do so! Release your expectations - and here is why:

I personally had a hard time understanding why having expectations is bad; and then I found the answer by experiencing being expected to be or work a certain way myself. 

The truth is that the person, we put expectations on energetically feels that they do not act the way we want them to. But who are to tell the other person how to BE!?

Usually when we do that we come from a place of lack ourselves - we are unhappy with a certain situation or we want more than we currently have. The important thing we have to realize is that we are making the other person feel that they are not good enough, if they cannot meet our expectations.

Have you ever heard: 'You deserve better!' - Yes, you had some high expectations there!!!

 

Essentially we should be grateful for the presents the person gives us in the present (I love this beautiful word game^^). Of course, we appreciate the great feeling that we have of meeting someone or finding a new job or co-worker, but we crave for more, it's like sugar. We crave more and more and more and develop this story/illusion in our head, until we realize we have put our health (relationship, job, -self) at risk, because our ego's expectations might not correspond with the other person's plan or personality. And then we feel hurt, angry, not loved or resentful against the other person for not making us happy, while we know that HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB :-) read on...

Another thought why having expectations will not lead to the super-happy feelings is, there are things in this world that we have no power of controlling them. It is simply impossible to have full control about WHAT happens in our life - and here comes the biiig BUT, we can choose HOW we see and think about the things happening to us and what we will focus on. 

Rather than focusing on the future (projecting new expectations), focus on the NOW!!! 

I have to tell you this is a great challenge for me too because I have to say good-bye to my year long companion and invite the faithful dreamer in, who is able to handle situations and people from a place of gratitude and power over negative emotions.

The very good news is, life has become very light - my new companion is a really freeing and uplifting fellow :-)

I hope you all have a reflective pre-Christmas time, without having expectations - BE happy and grateful & watch miracles occur!

Lots of love,

xoxo

Giving is fun - Join The Great Give project!

Nur noch 15 mal schlafen dann kommt das Christkind!

This is what I used to say when I was a little girl, waiting for Christmas day to come - counting the nights that part me and the greatest night of the year ;-)

And today we are close to Christmas day, which I have to spend (physically) apart from my family for the first time in my life this year. This is a great challenge for me because I'm a great family-person and madly in love with the tradition of Christmas as being together with your loved ones and grateful for the great gifts we give each other (not necessarily of material nature^^) everyday.

My mother is the best in the world (to me and my sister^^) - she has sent me two beautiful boxes with Christmas decoration and the obligatory Adventkalender (actually there are 2 of them) ...

My favorite Austrian Christmas traditions have been sent to me *yay* Thank you!
I wanted to share this beautiful gift with you, but my greater intention for this post today actually is the following: A project that I joined today and would like you to participate in as well! It is about GIVING something to someone everyday!
Most of the time we come from a place, where we say 'What can I get??' rather than 'How can I give or serve?' Without realizing one important thing: the more you give, the more you get! And this is true for all areas in life - love, relationships, truth and wisdom, job, money, etc.
When the holidays get closer we get reminded of this more intensely... greater reason and opportunity to take action ;-)
Let's be honest, giving and making others happy feels good - and let's admit something else: WE ALL WANT TO BE HAPPY! Think about it...
When you genuinely give more, you will also receive more! 
So here is 'the Great GIVE' project, which was started by Abby Allen, intenSati lover, ad exec, yoga teacher, urban goddess warrior, who is on a mission to spread the magic of giving!
The challenge is to give something to someone everyday - whether you give heartfelt advise, a smile, a donation, a compliment, an expression of gratitude - just something that serves someone else and brings joy to their life! And report your great givings on this website: greatgive.us

Here's what I've been experiencing since I started participating in this amazing initiative:
The opportunities of giving are infinite if you pay close attention!!! This is very much related to my realizations about miracles ... It is great fun and joy to be able to say to yourself (or/and on the great give's website^^) 'Yay, I just gave something to someone' and recognize how it feels! I'm pretty sure veeery good :-)

Let me know if you are in - I'd love to share the giving all over the world! Tell your friends - make it a fun and engaging project and watch miracles occur! Christmas time is the time to share love <3

Have a wonderful week!
Love & Joy
xoxo

Do you see the miracles happening in your life?

Miracles are natural. When they do not occur something has gone wrong.

This is one of the principles of miracles in a meta-physical text, called A Course in Miracles, which has been repeatedly present in my mind lately. Feeling poised and ready for this, I officially started studying the course. It is a complete self study spiritual thought system that is laid out in three volumes - I began with studying the lessons yesterday (there are 365!)... One day at a time ;-)

But back to the daily miracles that are happening right in front of you... Are you familiar with synchronicity? I looove it! 

Have you ever thought of someone and the person texted, emailed or called you all of a sudden?! 

Or have you ever read a book, article or watched something and the information in there was the topic of your next conversation with others (not initiated by yourself, of course^^)!? 

Have you ever envisioned a situation, a desire, a wish, a feeling (fill-in YOUR blank) and all of a sudden you are living it!?

If you can answer all, some or at least one of the above (rhetorical) questions with YES - Congratulations, you have been experiencing miracles :-) YaY!!!

Do not freak out if you think that this has never happened to you, because it is simply not true! You were probably too busy or focused on other things to consciously realize it and now you are unable to remember it... Don't worry, your miracles are always there, you have to simply be open and curious to watch them occur.

What I want to emphasize on in today's post is really to make you aware of how much fun it is to see and honor the miracles happening in your life! 

The small miracles count too! When you experience this synchronicity of attracting people, conversations, events etc. into your life you immediately get a vibe of 'yeah, I AM powerful!'

A little story about one of my miracles this week... I had the intention to buy scented joss sticks this weekend, in order to create a nice atmosphere when I write my next blog post - so here I AM :)

And my dear dear friend Lucy (I love you and I miss you!) has sent me a gift box, which I picked up Thursday night...

... I was brought to tears of joy and gratitude by the sweet packaging and when I opened the parcel, guess what I found in there, besides some great heartfelt gifts: scented joss sticks of various forms :-))) sooo amazing! I really planned on buying them, now I don't have to and I am marinating in this feeling of 'wow, our energy is so strongly connected even if an ocean is between us' ... very emotional, I know but the point that I want to make here is that if you begin to see, honor and acknowledge all these synchronistic things (I call them miracles) happening in your life, you get more conscious about what you are creating - the good and the bad - and it is fun to say 'ha, look what I created there'! Plus, you become more mindful about what is happening around you! 

Life is not happening TO you it is happening THROUGH YOU!!!

With this I will leave off and wish you a wonderful weekend, lots of fun, love and miracles :-)

Xoxo

p.s. I know, I promised pics of the Christmas tree lighting... unfortunately there was no way getting close to the tree, too many people (even 3 hours before the show started!!!) - So we watched the miracle in a bar on TV ;-) xoxo

You get to choose...

Hello my dear readers,

hope you are well and enjoying the final weeks of 2012 :)

Here in NYC it got really cold and now that Christmas time is almost here, the city turned into a sparkling and glittery star - trees are covered in mini-light bulbs and Christmas decoration is placed all over the city! Tomorrow is THE day - the big Christmas tree will be lighted up - don't worry, if you can't be there, I will feed you with some nice pics :)

I'm sure it will be suuuper crowded tomorrow... so, I'm prepared for showing up with some good temper and patience. It is all about keeping your inner calmness in busy and stressful situations - my patience will be put to the test ;)

I have developed a pretty strong brain muscle to not let crowded places or cranky people get into my happy mood *happy-thoughts and smile* - But what do you do when something really stressful or bad happens? 

Unfortunately, we do not have influence on the things that happen around us - be it in your job, relationships, family, ...! Of course, we can act on the best of our ability to be a good human being, but certain things we cannot control - and often times 'just' thinking good thoughts won't help to improve your situation - and I'm talking about your own state of mind. 

Certainly, thinking positively does not prevent you from feeling pain (being left by your boyfriend or girlfriend, getting laid off, beating yourself up because you ate the whole box of cookies, *fill-in-the-blank*), but it is on YOU to choose what you will make out of this situation... will you go into the deep suffering state - sure every feeling and emotion needs attention and being with the pain for a while is more than okay, BUT what are you going to do next? Hide out and wait for better times OR take action!? 

Taking action means that you are stepping into your power to be the co-creator of your life. This can simply be that you say 'ok, this thing happened to me, NOW... What did I learn from it? Or how will I take the chance to grow and move on?'

The cool thing is you get to choose to be happy or miserable...

Take every breakdown as an opportunity to grow! Take every breakdown as an opportunity to rewire and recalibrate your energy! See every breakdown as the start of something new, and new is exciting because it means change!

This way you can be sure that you will have access to your full potential to fulfill your dreams and be HAPPY again :-)

Every breakdown is followed by a breakthrough! Trust in that!

Love,

xoxo

The HAPPY Diet...

... What? The words HAPPY and DIET together in one headline - yeah, sure... crazy-cr*p again, right!!! No thanks! I'm outta here...

You might want to hear me out on this one here, I promise it is worth staying!

Today's post is inspired by Gabby Bernstein's vlog The Lovetarian Diet, in which she talks about exactly what I translated into the Happy Diet. Now, both include the two beautiful concepts of LOVE and HAPPINESS - coincidently the two emotions everyone is looking for having in their lives. 

Achieving love and happiness is strongly interconnected to the thoughts we think during the day. Thoughts are the food for our mind! We have been educated that healthy foods, rich in vitamins and nutrients feed a healthy and strong body *yay* We also know that greasy and heavy food does not contribute to our physical and mental health *puh*

The same thing is true for the thoughts that we think every day. Every thought we feed our mind with is going to have an impact on its well-being, in effect on our happiness and love.
By allowing negative thoughts to flood our system we let them become our reality, and as I elaborated in a previous post 'We are THE co-creators of our lives' we give so much power and potential away - let alone the beautiful moments of pure happiness and  joy! If we only hold thoughts of anger, self-criticism, judgment, jealousy, fear, _________ (fill in the blank!), how can we possibly expect to experience happiness and love 24/7!?!?!?
We do not expect our digestion system to easily digest crappy foods without longterm consequences - the same applies to when we keep thinking negative thoughts of "I'm not good enough! Others are better than me! I can't do that! Me???" - we feed our minds with heavy take-ins and expect to become more and more happy in our lives... Guess what, this does not work!

Being living proof that this diet works within a short period of time, I would like to share my routine with you :) all you need is commitment, faith and determination!

1. Breakfast: Meditation! Upon awakening I listen to a nice guided meditation that prepares me for the day ahead. Meditating is a great way to center in and ignite your personal greatness to spark into the world! You can consciously choose you thoughts and attitude - choose love instead of fear! Variations of this breakfast can be: morning work-out, journaling, reading in your fav book, waking up saying 'Thank you!', ...
2. Snack: Do something good that serves others! Does not have to be something huge, but a nice gesture to someone you know or don't know. Can be a nice text or email to a loved one, which you know will make the person smile. Or you hold the door for someone, smiling at a stranger or give up your seat on the subway for another person, who might be not as agile.
3. Lunch: Move your body! Get active, work-out, walk instead of taking the bus or elevators, sweat, smile and be proud of your accomplishments :) intenSatiiiii *yay*
4. Snack: Listen to uplifting music! What is the simplest and most efficient thing that will bring you out of a baditude?? MUSIC *yay* create your playlist and listen to songs with positive lyrics and energetic sound! I'm actually listening to my "Happy playlist" right now ;)
5. Dinner: Journal! I used to be a journal-avoider, was considered as waste of time... I couldn't be more wrong! We are used to writing down every important piece of information when we listen to a lecture or our boss telling us what to do next - How do you know that what your emotions and feelings tell you is less important?? Our minds are sort of our bosses... but here it is ok to question our thoughts! One thing is sure, our mind is probably the most adaptable boss we will have - so take advantage of it and choose to hold loving and happy thoughts and write them down! Also if you are not feeling all easy-cheesy-super-happy... JOURNAL, because it will give you the chance to look at your feelings on paper and I've experienced it multiple times that I had to start laughing at my anger/anxiety etc.

One more important thing: make GRATITUDE your WATER!!!

Adults should drink 2-3 liters of clear water per day, this is how important gratitude is in our lives. We can be grateful for sooo many things, e.g. to live in a healthy body, to be able to read this post right now ;) etc. Gratitude is a powerful tool to become conscious about how many things we have we can be pleased to have, but tend to take for granted! Showing appreciation for things and actions of others will attract more happiness, love and blessing into your own life!

Who joins me on this miraculous diet?
I AM a Happytarian!!!

Love, xoxo

p.s. in a state of love and gratitude our bodies are able to digest and take in the actual food in much more gentle way, that vitamins and nutrients can be processed to their highest potential = A happy soul equals a healthy and lean body!

Song for this post: Colbie Caillat - Think good thoughts

Thoughts and reflection in difficult times!

I am up since 7am, watching the news and getting as much updates on what is going on around the city! Sandy hit hard! No public transport since Sunday 7pm, train stations and streets are flooded, half of the city is without electricity and heating, ... I do not even want to get started on the devastating damage Sandy caused in the very South of NYC and New Jersey *terrible* 

The preparation started on Sunday already - I was having a wonderful brunch on the East side with one of my dear friends and as I was making my way up to my apartment, the thought of "oh, grocery shopping might be a good idea" crossed my mind ;) I was passing by people lining up in front of stores and still I wasn't feeling any pressure of moving faster to get into a super market - obviously the lines were in front of super markets to get prepared with water, food and other supplies for the upcoming and uncertain days...

Well, I spent about 1 1/2 hours in the super-market and I wasn't even sure what I was really preparing for - We don't have hurricanes in Europe!!! Fortunately everyone in the store was very calm and I could not sense any feeling of impatience as people were lining up through the aisles! Here is my survival cart ;) Got my veggies, water and coockies^^

So, I'm watching the news today, which I couldn't do for longer than 5 minutes yesterday!!! I felt really nervous about what is about to happen to a city that is with its surroundings inhabiting more than 20 Million people! This uncertainty was such a weird and insecure feeling... Obviously most stores and business were closed, so everyone was hiding out at home waiting for the storm to hit!

I couldn't be more grateful for my housing situation! (apart from the big old tree that we feared could fall on one of the surrounding buildings ;) but it didn't *yaaay*) and we taped the windows... just in case ;) 

Up here on the Upper East Side not much damage has happened - this morning I went outside and apart from small trees on Park ave everything seemed pretty calm! Totally different situation in the south of Manhattan, the other boroughs and New Jersey! If you follow the news you see the devastating outcomes of this hurricane! Being that close to a natural disaster like that, makes me aware and conscious about the necessity of being grateful everyday for waking up WELL AND SAFE!!! 

I'm sending prayers and love to every person out there who is affected to much worse degrees! May they have the strength and faith to move on in this terrible situation of loosing their homes, cars or of facing other major difficulties the storm might have caused!

I was watching Oprah's 'Life Lesson' on Sunday night! It was an inspiring show on the power of the words I AM with Joel Osteen. "What follows the words I AM will come look for you!!!" Oprah emphasized on the importance and power of gratitude in that connection as well - Saying the simple words THANK YOU, DANKE, MERCI, GRACIAS, Cпаcибо, GRAZIE, ευχαριστώ, ... in the morning before getting out of bed will make you aware that you can be grateful for just waking up in a healthy and strong body, a safe room and that there is a new day ahead of you! I believe that having such an awareness helps in dark hours as these were last night and still are for many people close to where I am right now!

Oh, I am getting spiritual again ;) but the truth is that this is all interconnected and even if we are not out there helping to cleanup, we can at least take care of having positive and faithful thoughts towards ourselves and others!

May everyone be safe in the aftermath of the storm! I hope that all of you are well and receive the help needed in case of emergency!

I AM so incredibly grateful for my family, all my friends and friends of friends who contacted me or contacted each other to find out if I and NYC are alright :) YOU ARE amazing - Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I love you and I miss you!

Xoxo

Spirit Junkie Sati = RoCkStAr-Awesomeness

Yesterday morning two powerful, beautiful and inspiring practices merged! 

intenSati and Spirit Junkie are both spiritual practices that have a common goal: to pursue happiness and strengthen our believe in miracles, by eliminating fear and doubts (the EGO) from our mindset and attitude!

For me personally this combo is magical - I am practicing intenSati joyfully and extensively (as you know^^) and I am reading and fell in love with Gabrielle Bernstein's book 'Spirit Junkie'! 

Spirit Junkie is telling Gabby's story and journey of how she became a miracle worker and spirit junkie and in her book, Gabby introduces the reader to very accessible ways to arrive at this desired, miraculous state of happiness and joy!

So, Patricia Moreno and Gabrielle Bernstein teamed up to host a Workin' it out event, combining both methods and bringing together communities, which left all participants to be inspired, sweaty, happy, smiling, transformed and grateful!

In today's post, I will let the pictures speak for themselves and let you become inspired by Gabby, explaining the affirmations of the intenSati workout!

The Power-Duo: Patricia and Gabby <3

Hildie and I *yay* <3

Tamara and I <3

Team Celebrate SatiSistas :) xoxo

Gabby is ready for the gospel and workout!

Warming Up & having fuuun :)

Gabby and I *yay* :)

Patricia and I <3

Gabby Gospel - We need more light-workers! Accepting and shifting from body identification to spirit identification! When you express your truth, you are a teacher!!! 

Egoeradicator *amazing* #Kundaliniyoga

Egoeradicator!!!

Thanks for making this miracle happen :)

Let's get sweatin' :D

Today is the day I embrace change
I choose to love myself again
My mind is free from false beliefs

I’m willing to see the truth about me
I’m letting go of fear I release all doubt
I’m a messenger of love I kick the ego out

I’m guided by love I’m full of gratitude
I’m loving my body and my new attitude

Thank you both! It was ah-mazing! *big-smile*

Photo sources: my phone, Gabrielle's & Patricia's social media channels (Twitter, Facebook)

My first intenSati class!

Yesss, I taught my first intenSati class :) it felt sooo good! I am still on this vibe teaching this class gave me! Sure, I was very nervous at the beginning, but the fact that I had one student, who is my dear friend too, took off a lot of pressure about getting the music and cueing right... I still need practice but, IF IT DOESN'T CHALLENGE YOU IT DOESN'T CHANGE YOU ;)

I was so psyched about teaching yesterday and I want to share my intro with you (almost as if you were there too ;D):

Hi dear warriors,

My name is Alexandra, i am from Austria and I am so grateful to be here today with you :)

How are you feeling? Energy level???

This is intenSati - it is made up of the words intention and Sati, which is the Sanskrit word for mindfulness.

IntenSati is the practice of combines powerful affirmations with intense exercise that make you feel and embody those affirmations.

My Personal connection - First read about the practice in German fitness magazine & first day in NYC 25th of July: where it all started @ the Workin' it out event! I knew I had to become an intenSati leader!

I am so happy to be standing here today... This is my first class and I'm nervous ;) 

Today's series is called the Warrior series and I love this series... There are so many powerful affirmations in there! And for today I picked the very first one, which is YES I AM COMMITTED TO LIVE A LIFE I LOVE (repeat) And for me this is such a powerful and strong affirmation, especially because I became clear about something in my life the other day, which caused me to shift my mindset towards many aspects of my life immediately... and that was that I tend to settle with OK states - that might be having an having an OK job, OK love life, following an OK diet, earning OK money, etc. 
How will I ever be able to truthfully life the life I love if I settle with OK!?!?!?! 

We all have visions of our dream job, home, love etc in mind, which we will block by settling with OK! Can you relate to that a little bit?! 
We have to be true to ourselves and others and allow ourselves to be unapologetic about what we really want! Honesty, clarity and having the right attitude are the key ingredients! Having faith in your miracle to come true is also essential - it might not come at your desired schedule but it will come!!! Have faith!

So tonight I want to call your unapologetic dreams and desires *MIRACLES* into your life!

Sit up nice and tall (close your eyes) and think of one area in your life where you settle with ok and now imagine that this area becomes uplifted, gets a little push (whatever that might be) into the direction of the desired state! 
And when you are ready come up into standing in ready pose and keep that image of your dream in the forefront of your mind!!

WarmUp...

Yay, that was the prepped intro for the class :) It was AWESOME! 

I am looking forward to have more Warriors join me on my weekly journey of teaching, having fun, being happy and training to be the change!

Warrior power :)

Next class, tba ;)

Love love love, xoxo

p.s. Today is the Spirit Junkie Sati event with Patricia Moreno and Gabrielle Bernstein - two powerful women, who inspire me a lot! Stay tuned for that in my next post...