8 Ways to Have a Dream Holiday Season!

By: Michelle

 

We have officially entered the busy holiday season. The parties, the shopping, the cooking and the baking. Sometimes it just seems like there is too much!

This year let's try something a little new. I've got some ideas that might make this time of year go a little smoother. If you only pick one of them you will be making a positive change

1. Intention for the Season- Right now, sit down and take a few moments to get clear on the way you want your holiday season to unfold. What is important to you? How do you want to feel? How do you want your loved ones to experience the season? Set the mood for the days ahead.

2. Prioritize- You can't do everything, go everywhere and be everything to everyone. Take a moment to sit down and list out your top 5 priorities for the holiday season. Do you want to spend more quiet time with your family, bake cookies with your children, find a way to give back more this year, or is there a favorite holiday party that can't be missed? Make these your "A" list activities and if you have more things you would like to do, add them as "B" activities and only do those after your "A" activities are completed.

3. Cut Back- Get clear on the amount of gifts you are purchasing. Have you been feeling like its just too much? Its ok to cut back. Have a heart to heart conversation with your loved ones and explain your intention and your priorities for the season and let them know the onslaught of gifts doesn't fit in with your vision. Ask them to help you think of ways to make gift giving more special and help them to get clear on their priorities as well.

4. Daily Connection- Make it a priority that you spend just a few minutes each day connecting with your spirit. You can choose to meditate, practice conscious breathing  journal, walk in nature, set a daily intention, or pull a card from your favorite oracle card deck. It doesn't have to be a lengthy practice. Just a brief moment to center yourself, and connect to your higher self will help to ground and center you for the day.

I find working with my mandala is a wonderful way for me to get a deep connection in a short amount of time. We have created a Winter Harmony mandala that carries wonderful energy for this time of the year. It is a great way to for you to tune in during the holiday season.

5. Find Time for You- This time of the year is all about giving and it's important to find time to give to yourself. You want to make sure you are filling yourself up so you don't find yourself completely empty and drained at the end of it all. Schedule a weekly date with yourself to do something that brings you joy. Try to give yourself at least an hour. Take a bath with candles and some essential oils, read an uplifting book,  watch a holiday movie you love, head to a spa or create a spa in your own home. Whatever it is, make sure it's something that gets you excited.

6. Mind Your Body- With the holidays comes cookies, candies, and desserts of every kind. Be mindful of what you're putting into your mouth. Sugar can zap your energy and leave you feeling frazzled and cranky. Limit your intake of sugar as much as you can.  Practice leaving some behind so you can enjoy a wide variety of treats. One bite can often be just enough if you are being present as you eat and enjoying every bite. Be sure to eat protein with your sugar. This will help to keep your blood sugar a bit more stable. Add lots of leafy greens and sweet veggies to your meals to stabilize your cravings and be sure to drink lots of water to keep you hydrated.

7. Use Your Calendar- The calendar is my favorite tool to help me stay balanced. I personally use google calendar and sync it to my phone. I invite you to find a calendar that works for you. Use it for everything. Write lists, schedule your time ahead, plug in your pampering dates with yourself, use the reminders to help you. When I work with my clients, one of their favorite tips they got from me was to use the calendar preemptively. If you notice something that isn't working for you this holiday season, go forward in your calendar to next year's holiday season and write yourself a note reminding you what worked, what didn't, and any ideas you have to make it better. I know you think you won't forget but you would be surprised at how much you can forget in a year.

8. Practice Gratitude- Gratitude is such a powerful way to shift your energy and shift your life. Get in the habit of looking for what is working in your life. The more you do it the easier it is to recognize these moments as you go through your day. It is a magical practice and what better time of year to begin?!

What do you do over the holidays that could use some tweaking? What works? What doesn't? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.  

I wish you a peaceful, joyful holiday season filled with love and wonder!

 

Why was Super Soul Sunday an Awesome Experience for me?

By Jill

Today I watched my first ever episode of Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and I was glued to the set with my mouth open in total amazement.  The content of the show with guests Marie Forleo,  Mastin Kipp, and Gabrielle Bernstein and of course Oprah was at the exact frequency of our latest mandala entitled "My Heart Is Open."

Here is a little of my Oprah history ~ I really haven't been an Oprah fan for many years.  I saw a live show when I was 18 years old and sat right up front.  My experience of that show and the feeling I got from her was not a good one and I held that with me for a very long time. She was not friendly to the audience at all and when there was a break for commercials she would walk off set with, what I remember to be, a look of disdain on her face.  I felt she was totally phony and only put on a show for the camera.

As I matured I was able to realize that the topic of the show was a very sensitive one and it certainly wasn't  warm and fuzzy.  I thought that it was very likely that it could have  triggered something in her that brought up some stuff and she was doing the best she could in the moment and that is why she seemed so cold, distant and full of disgust.

But I still did not watch The Oprah Show even though I started hearing so many wonderful things about how she was changing people's lives with her content and the guests she was having on them. A bit odd since many of her guests were some of my favorite authors and teachers that had impacted my life in very positive ways.

Imagine my surprise when I was so pulled, what almost seemed to be against my will, to watch this episode.  Thanks to Marie Forleo since she was the main force that intrigued me to watch it in the first place.  And there I sat glued to the set in awe.

Just to give you a timeline on what had happened prior to me viewing the episode, here is how the sequence of events unfolded.  

On November 12, Michelle sent me the image of the latest mandala she created ~ My Heart Is Open.   On November 15,  I did the Quantum Level energy work on the mandala along with my reading of the energy message that this mandala radiates and represents.

 I was so moved by the powerful energy and message from this mandala that I emailed my friend in Australia and shared some of it with her.  In my email I said:

"The message in a nutshell was that our journey here is to open our hearts and as we do that and come alive and teach it to others...we will be living a joy filled life in Inner Alignment!  I'm sure I can't count how many times I have heard that before in some form or another...I mean really, could Joseph Campbell have said it any more clearly! I love that it is the energy that this mandala radiates!"

Now on November 18, I hear Oprah and guests talk about the exact  energy and message that this mandala carries!  

Okay so by now you are probably wondering why I am sharing this with you and what the heck my point is?  I promise I'm getting there!

Obviously I love what Michelle and I are doing with these amazing mandala's and I know that there are so many benefits to working with them.  I also know that our clients and customers have also felt the amazing energy and benefits of them.  Both of us are in total awe at how this work comes through us and is so Divinely Inspired.

What I am not convinced of is that we are marketing them properly as we are both very mindful about using manipulation or fear based marketing.  That doesn't feel right to us, we don't like it and we don't want to do that to you.

Having said that, after watching this episode of Super Soul Sunday I really want to get the message of this particular mandala out there in a BIG way and I am asking for your help. 

First, I invite you to purchase one for yourself to experience the energy first hand.  Only seventeen dollars for the download and that includes both my reading and Michelle's. 

Second, If you love it and it resonates with you, please share our website and information with as many people that you feel guided and inspired to, so they can purchase their very own.

The more people with their heart open, the more we are in Inner Alignment, the better the World.

Wishing you a Peace and Joy filled rest of the week :)

PS:  For those of you that do global work, if you haven't already printed out your free I AM Love mandala now would be a great time and you may want to include it in your work.  I have set up a Grid using the mandala to surround the Middle East with Divine Love for the highest and greatest good of all.  I wrote my intention directly on the area around the printed mandala and placed my crystals around the mandala.  Simple yet very powerful.

How do you use your Inner Alignment Mandalas?  Let us know in the comments below :)

With Heart,

Jill Marie

How Often Do You Smile at Yourself in the Mirror?

By Michelle

When I was young I had this thing about not liking myself very much. I only saw the imperfections and couldn't see to good things about me. I knew my nose was too big, my chin was recessed, I had an ugly profile, I had a moustache, and my waist was thick. I didn't like having my picture taken because I didn't want others to see what I saw when I looked in the mirror.

Looking back at pictures of myself when I was younger amazes me. I see a thin and beautiful girl. The thoughts in my head didn't match the reality at all.

As I got older, I started gaining weight and I'm sure you can guess that the weight was mostly in my stomach area. It's the old chicken or the egg question...were my negative thoughts creating my body?

As I gained the weight I started hating what I saw in the mirror even more.  Suddenly I could see what I couldn't see before and I wanted the younger me to come back. I didn't recognize this woman in the mirror.

I tried all kinds of diets. I did Weight Watchers, South Beach, went raw for a year, did a 92 day juice feast, and then spent a year on the Paleo Diet. Every time I lost weight and felt better but still I never liked what I saw in the mirror. It was never good enough.

It's strange because it was almost like I had a distorted reality. I couldn't see that I was as thin as I was. I remember looking through my closet and seeing the small sizes from the last diet and I was shocked. I literally said to myself, "OMG, was I really that thin?" Reality distortion at its finest.

Currently I have gained back the weight I lost on my last foray into the diet world. I realize I am on the higher end of my weight spectrum and in addition to this I can see that I am beginning to have wrinkles and gray hair. And yet a funny thing has started to happen. I catch myself walking by a mirror, catching a glimpse of myself and smiling.

Whoa! When did that happen and how on earth did I get here right?

I said to a friend the other day that I know I am not at my ideal weight and yet this is the happiest I've ever been in my life. I am not as focused on that aspect of myself. I've spent years clearing out the emotional pain I had been holding onto all of these years and in the process I've learned to see myself in a new light.

I see myself for who I am on the inside, who I am in the depths of my heart, even beneath the ego persona that I still show to the world at times. I see into my eyes and I see a spark there that has nothing to do with my physical appearance and over time that has changed the filter I see myself through.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't want to try to be the best I can be for my body but the thoughts that are leading me to want to make changes are shifting and morphing. I am focusing on being kind to myself, making choices that make me feel good and that nurture me. This is a whole lot different from depriving myself to get rid of the fat on my stomach that I hate.

Can you see the difference?

This week I am on a detox. I am eating clean. No sugar, no dairy, no processed foods, no caffeine, I struggled with the decision to do this because I'm good at diets. I can deprive myself like no one else. It's the moderation AFTER the diet I have struggled with in the past. I was afraid I would get swept away in this mentality again.

So on day 3 I am being present. I am eating in silence when I can. I am focusing on my thoughts and observing the way my mind likes to play tricks on me. I am watching carefully and by watching I am learning and growing.

I don't know what will happen after this week but I know for sure that no matter what it is I will like what I see in the mirror!

So, how often do you smile at yourself in the mirror?

Here are the winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered to win our Gratitude Mandala! Congratulations to our winners!


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"Know Thyself" Really Is A Key To Inspired Living

Have you ever caught yourself wondering why you do the things you do or why certain things work for others and not you?

There are so many depths to the Ancient Greek aphorism Know Thyself.  At the most basic level   knowing yourself, as the unique individual expression that you are,  is a key to inspired living.

This came up for me this month when I was talking to my good friend Linda Bolton.  We have so much in common it is amazing ;)  Linda is my go to person when I am looking for inspiring, deeply profound and life-enriching conversation...and to vent and process if I'm going through some "stuff".

The topic of taking action and "Just Do It" came up.  That energy doesn't always work for me and I never understood why.  In fact it has caused me great angst at different times in my life.  Thankfully the answer came when I began to take a closer look at my energy patterns and I discovered I carry a 'wait to respond' type of energy.

 Remember that we are all created equal and we are also created with these unique energy patterns that contribute to the way we experience our life and process our information.

It is important to know that we co-create our life experiences within this framework of our energetic patterns and we can get to know those patterns by exploring and studying systems that are already developed.

Some of the ones I have personally worked with are:

Astrology

Numerology

Archetypes

Life Path Numbers

Enneagram

Energy Profiling 

Angelic Blueprint/Human Design System

 These are not affiliate links.  I am sharing information that I have enjoyed and benefited from and thought you would find helpful on your journey.

We are told often not to compare and despair and judge ourselves or others, and when you look at it from an energetic viewpoint it is very clear as to why that doesn't work and only causes pain and confusion.

You can see this clearly when you look at me and my sister.  We are five years apart, we are both Aries, have the same Life Path numbers, have the same parents, grew up in the same house, and while we have some similarities we are so very different. Of course we are both awesome :), but the way we move through life is so very different. 

I could have spent many years wondering why I wasn't more like her and trying to "fix" myself to be more organized and what not, but thankfully I was more in-tune with my intuition so I didn't go there ~ well at least not for long anyway! 

Through studying both of our energetic patterns it became very clear as to just how unique we are in our self-expression and it is just perfect for each of us.

Over the years I have learned to embrace my energy patterns and utilize them in a way that works well for me.  I can focus on my strengths and when needed I can seek the support of others in my areas of weakness.  I no longer look at that as something that needs to be fixed or that I need to do things the way somebody else does them.

That doesn't mean that I give myself excuses for staying stuck ,or that I won't invest my time and energy on improving areas of my life. or learning new things...instead it  brings out even more creativity as to how I am going to move forward towards my goals and dreams.

Yes, Knowing Thyself is definitely worth exploring and a journey I recommend to everyone that has a strong desire to connect on a deeper level of being.

What systems have you explored that you find beneficial in your life? We would love to hear about them!

With Heart,

Jill Marie

The Great Gratitude Giveaway!

In honor of the month of November which is all about being thankful and our new Gratitude Mandala, we want to host a little gratitude giveaway here at Inner Alignment Mandalas!

We are giving away 3 instant downloads of our Gratitude Mandala which comes with readings from Jill Marie and Michelle as well as a special report that will give you some ideas on how to work with your mandala.

The giveaway starts today, November 3rd at 12:01am (EST) and ends on Saturday, November 10th at 12:01am (EST)

There are 4 ways to enter so have fun picking and choosing or better yet, do all 4! Just follow the directions below.

Share the gratitude with your friends and family and let them know how to enter!

We will be back next Saturday to announce the winners!

Good luck.

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**If you want a little help figuring out how to enter this giveaway, you can watch this quick video that will explain it all in under a minute.