• Honored to be published in Speaking Your Truth Volume II

    “ A profound glimpse into the extraordinary internal lives of ordinary women.”

    –      Jesi-Grace Dobosz

    Available for purchase here!

    What happens when you bring 43 women together to share their personal stories of triumph, tribulations, loss, and transitions?

    Women, like our mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues, and daughters. Women who have overcome obstacles, women who have experienced great tragedy, and those who have lost and found themselves again along the way.

    I am one of those women featured in this book! Get yours today

    Speaking Your Truth: Courageous Stories from Inspiring Women, Volume II captures the “fragility of life and how our inner strength, faith and courage enable us to overcome all obstacles and help others do the same.” – Becky Glück

    I am so proud of our latest book, Speaking Your Truth, being released today on Amazon. I would love your support in spreading the message, sharing about the book, and grabbing a copy from Amazon!

    In this anthology of courageous stories, you’ll capture the defining moments of women across the globe. You’ll hear stories of self-discovery, faith and spirituality, loss, and family.

    Grab your copy today, and share this work with someone in your life.

    “A brave and enlightening work that should be required reading for everyone.” — Alice J. Wisler

  • Sting and Trudie Styler: Yoga and an active sex life keeps us fit!

    Photo: Harper’s Bazaar

    Rocker Sting and Trudie Styler, his wife of 18 years, maintain their fit, youthful physiques by doing yoga every day and having an active sex life.

    TRUDIE RELEASES WEIGHT-LOSS YOGA VIDEO

    Styler, 57, who released a yoga exercise DVD in 2009, is launching another workout video called Weight Loss Yoga in March 2011.

    Both she and Sting, 59, have been doing yoga for 20 years, crediting their daily workouts with a happier marriage and an increased feeling of well-being in all areas of their lives.

    Despite their disciplined approach to exercise, Styler and Sting indulge their joie de vivre. “We’re epicureans; we believe in the good life,” Sting tells the February 2011 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

    Styler adds, “Eating’s pretty major; we have feasts at our house.”

    ‘WE LOVE TAWDRY SEX’

    Another major component of their happy marriage is plenty of “tawdry” sex.

    “I don’t think pedestrian sex is very interesting,” says Sting. “I like the theater of sex. I like to look good. I like her to dress up. I like to dress her up.”

    Trudie and Styler, who have been together for almost 30 years, have raised six children together and weathered ups and downs in both their personal and professional lives.

    Through it all, they’ve managed to stay in love despite the pitfalls of fame, fortune and temptation. So what’s their secret?

    “We treat every day as it comes,” Sting explains. “Relationships aren’t easy, and I don’t think they’re particularly natural, but we’re lucky because we actually like each other.

    “We love each other–that’s a given–but Trudie lights my world up when she comes into a room. I don’t take her for granted.”

    Communication is also key. “It’s important to have frank discussions about what the other wants,” Styler says. “To be in a relationship that is like a little lifetime, that’s a challenge.”

    ‘I DO YOGA 45-90 MINUTES EVERY DAY’

    And what’s Trudie’s secret for her youthful good looks and fat-free physique? In addition to regular Botox and facial filler injections, she does yoga, Pilates, cardio and ballet.

    “I practice yoga for 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half every day, wherever I am,” says Styler.

    “Yoga is the best holistic workout and body toner there is. It sorts out a chaotic mind and calms the body – it is how I de-stress, or stop myself getting stressed in the first place.”

    ‘YOGA HAS ENRICHED MY LIFE IN EVERY WAY’

    Similarly, Sting is a yoga devotee, saying it has helped him stay fit physically and balanced mentally.

    “Yoga has enriched my life by allowing me to improve physically; which is very inspiring, especially as you get older. I tour an awful lot, and being on the road is not always easy.

    Yoga is a great way to offset the downsides of touring by bringing much-needed peace and sanity into what can be a hectic life. Like music, yoga is a journey one that is long enough so you keep developing, and keep learning. I don’t see an end to it.”

    Trudie doesn’t believe in dieting, but makes an effort to eat well. “I eat organic food as much as possible, but I’m not militant about it,” she says. “If I’m a guest in someone’s house or in a restaurant, I eat whatever is on offer.

    “But I do have to eat regularly during the day because otherwise my blood glucose levels drop and I start to feel faint and become hypoglycemic. I usually have healthy snacks on me, just in case I’ve been too busy running around to eat properly.”

    Styler’s new fitness video, Weight Loss Yoga, comes out in March.

  • Jivamukti Focus of Month January 2011- Three Steps

    By Sharon Gannon

    My first real spiritual teacher was an alchemist. By “real spiritual teacher” I mean that he consciously gave me teachings and practices to help me understand the spiritual principles underlying all of existence. By “alchemy” I mean the ancient practice of transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. My teacher was a photographer by profession and his knowledge of chemistry was not only practical but metaphysical as well. I initially came to him because I wanted to know the cause of physical matter: what makes form form? Under his tutelage I studied the basic building blocks that constitute matter-the twelve cell salts. These salts, being crystalline in form, actually provide a mathematical or geometrical grid that attracts subtle vibrations and organize them into what eventually becomes manifest form. I also learned how to grow crystals in test tubes in a laboratory setting and assisted him in classical alchemical long-term projects that dealt with elemental properties of minerals, especially mercury and gold. He taught me the value of meditation and how to look deeply into ordinary things to discover essence, which included the investigation of words and their root etymological meanings. He infused our lessons with practical science, providing what he promised was an experiential connection to truth.

    During this time I was also drawn to The Theosophical Library, an occult library where I spent a lot of hours reading books about yoga, saints, Eastern religions and enlightenment. Several books stand out in my memory-all biographies: The Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahamsa Yogananda, and two books by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Tibet’s Great Yogi: Milarepa and Padma-Sambhava’s biography. After I read these, I professed to my teacher that above all else I wanted to become enlightened and asked if he could help me. He raised his already very arched eyebrows and slowly with a kind smile said, “first you must master these three things, which are by the way, basic to alchemy: 1. Cooking-You have to learn how to become a good cook; 2. Cleaning-You have to learn how to keep the place where you live clean and organized; and 3. Gardening-You have to know how to grow, nurture and care for plants.”

    I was incredulous at his response; it disappointed me, and at the time I wasn’t able to embrace his advice seriously as it didn’t seem “spiritual enough” for me. Cooking? I was an impatient skinny girl who found disdain in eating and was trying to reduce my food to a minimum and eventually live on air: how did he think that I could get into cooking, what possibly could be the point? Cleaning? Oh come on, that’s for housewives? I was a liberated woman! Gardening? How old fashioned-in the modern world we all live in cities; farmers grow crops, and landscapers deal with flowers and such; I’m too intellectual and spiritual for these types of pursuits. Besides, I didn’t want to waste my life in such ordinary activities; I wanted God/Self realization right then.

    My teacher taught by example and could often be seen in the kitchen mindfully preparing a vegetarian meal, focusing on each moment of preparation-scrubbing carrots, slicing cucumbers or measuring out rice as if he were in deep meditation. His living space was immaculate, sparse, Zen-like, with every item carefully placed and cared for. His altar was simple but beautiful. He often reminded me how important it was not to allow clutter or dust to settle on one’s altar, as it was the mirror for one’s mind. On most windowsills in his place you could find vibrant potted plants, and in the summer he grew organic tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs in window boxes.

    It took me many years to realize the wisdom of my teacher’s advice. Without mastering the seemingly ordinary basics of living, no spiritual maturity, much less real spiritual evolution, is possible. One has to first grasp the magic in the ordinary before the extraordinary dawns, and once it does the everyday is the same as it was before-only sweeter.

    -Sharon Gannon

    http://jivamuktiyoga.com/fms/index.html

  • Jivamutki Focus of the month – Sweeping The Dust

    By Ruth Lauer Manenti, from the Introduction to Sweeping the Dust

    pattram pushpam phalam toyam / yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakti-upahrtam / ashnami prayata-atmanah

    Whatever is offered to Me with a pure loving heart, no matter if it is as small as a leaf, a flower, a piece of fruit, or a sip of water, I will accept it. -Bhagavad Gita IX.26

    When I first went to India, I was eager to look at Indian miniature paintings from the sixteenth century. I had seen many of them in museums in the West, and I assumed that in India I would find the best collections. But the museums in India are poorly lit, so I couldn’t see anything. What I did find, though, was incredible artistic beauty in a hand-painted spoon, the tapestried seat of a chair, a clay cup, an embroidered shawl, a hand-woven man’s skull cap and carpets made from rags called rag-rugs. So I gave up looking for art in a museum and instead found it in daily life. Worshipping is like this also. We may look for God in the museum, church or temple, but God is not limited to such places: He is everywhere. But how do we find God everywhere? By treating everyone as God. And how would God like to be treated? In this verse, the Lord says bring me a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water, with devotion. He wants something unpretentious that expresses affection. If we can do this with everyone, we will know the meaning of this verse. One stick of incense, a single good word, food for one dog, memorizing one text, bowing down one time or one warm cup of tea-all are acceptable to the Lord. In 2009, my guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois passed away. Shortly afterward, I asked his daughter Saraswati for something that had belonged to him. She presented me with an old and worn-out shawl. It was folded in her hands, and she extended it toward me saying, “It was Guruji’s favorite. It is very simple. You will like it. He didn’t like the fancy ones.” This shawl, torn in several places, was a perfect offering. It greatly pleased me; in this way, Saraswati had pleased the Lord. Pleasing the Lord releases us of tensions. Making me happy made her happy, even in the midst of such a sad time.

    There is a man I know in India who doesn’t have any legs; he is cut off from the hips down. He has a piece of wood he has tied himself to, and he pulls himself around with his arms. He sits in a spot I pass and asks for money, yelling, “Amma, Amma.” He is calling me mother. He wants me to offer him kindness; he wants me to see God in those who suffer. Guruji once told me that that man was God, “disguised.” The word asana means a seat, something to lean on, a support. Offering someone support can take shape in a myriad of ways. These ways can be the threads that tie everything together. Offerings join the giver and the receiver spiritually. Sadly, leaves, flowers, fruit and water are disappearing as we destroy the earth. The best offering we can make in these times is to become vegetarian, a gentle diet that causes the least harm to plants, animals, the climate and human beings. If we continue to clear away the forests, trees, shrubs, prairies, meadows, marshes, grasslands, plants, roots, flowers, creeper and weeds, in order to grow one kind of crop to feed to animals who will be slaughtered, there won’t be any more leaves, flowers, fruit or water in our landscapes. Scriptures are prophetic with obvious and not-so-obvious meanings. Perhaps the Lord is telling us in this verse that leaves, flowers, fruit and water are offerings from the Lord for us to protect and offer back.

    My husband Robert and I live in a cabin in the woods. Often bees, wasps, flying ants, even an occasional snake come into our home. My husband knows how to handle these animals appropriately. Without upsetting them, he puts a container over them, slides a piece of paper underneath and carries them back outside. “Sweeping the dust” is a way of saying that taking care of the ground has value. Traditionally, the yogi has always sat on the ground. Only an elder or a greatly esteemed master would be given a chair. Everything rests on the ground. The ground is the support. It’s where we can sit together and tell our stories. “Sweeping the dust” is a metaphor. In that spirit, I offer this book, like a tiny piece of Guruji’s torn shawl. -

    Ruth Lauer Manenti, from the Introduction to Sweeping the Dust

  • The True 7 Wonders of the World

    Click here to watch and amazing video…

    At times we lose sight of what is truly most important to us in our lives.

    Watch this inspirational brief video that will help to remind you…

    Then, pass it along to inspire everyone you know and request that they do the same.

  • October 1st, 2010 by T. Harv Eker

    In the past the type of work we as humans did was based more on necessity than choice. You’re a farmer, or metal-smith, scholar, soldier, weaver—you did what you had to do, and circumstances were largely out of your control.

    There have also always been people who dreamed of being more than their environment, but breaking out of the path many were born into certainly had to be more of an exception than what is possible today.

    Things have changed. The internet, just as one example, is one of the greatest equalizers of opportunity ever! Anybody with a great idea, the skills and the resources can capitalize on a worldwide audience. Hopefully you’ve realized that but you know what? Out of habit many people still don’t.

    As a society we haven’t figured out that the necessity of “doing what we have to do” isn’t as ironclad as many would be led to believe; that we have way more options today and way more opportunity then we can even handle. Yes or yes?

    The fact is, though, most people do not love what they do for a living. They suffer through it. They do it because they “have” to do it, because they should do it, or because they’re skilled at it. I especially love that one.

    “But do you like what you do?”

    “I hate it but I’m good at it!”

    Are you supposed to love work? Yes!

    You know how we can make everyone successful? We’ll all just do one thing. We’ll all be internet marketers. Everyone will get rich, how about that? NO! It’s boring! Maybe not for you, but maybe for someone else who needs, wants and loves to personally interact with as many people as possible. The challenge for them is to find a way to get rich incorporating that into what they do or whatever their passion is.

    So it’s imperative to do what we love to do, what we truly enjoy. Joy is a clue from the heart, different from pleasure. When you invoke the feeling of joy you’re tapping into your higher nature, your truer self, and the source of your full power, your full creativity, your full wisdom.

    Passion creates energy. Energy creates enthusiasm. When you are passionate about what you do does that come through? Will people want what you’ve got? Have you ever bought anything or wanted to buy something from someone just because you liked that person, versus a person that’s got a really good product, but who shows none or—even worse—false enthusiasm? You don’t want to buy like that. It makes a huge difference for people.

    Human energy, at its purest form, is love. And that energy transfers just like any other energy. When you’re passionate about something, you don’t have to sell it. You’re simply educating others on something you really believe in, and their lack of enthusiasm doesn’t temper yours, but rather the other way around. If you don’t love what you do, then what the hell are you doing?!

    Now it’s your turn! What do you think? What are the barriers that keep people from realizing that there doesn’t have to be a discrepancy between becoming rich and becoming joyful in what you do? We want to hear from you!!

  • Juice Plus Facts- Great for Children too

    I have been taking Juice Plus chewables for about a year now and love the benefits they give me. It’s cut my colds and sick days in half.  I also have my daughter on them she loves the way they taste, and we receive her’s for free through the Children’s Health Study.

    To order yours click here.

    There are several aspects of Juice Plus+ that set it apart from vitamin supplements and other nutritional products. The facts below help explain the benefits of Juice Plus+ as a whole food based nutritional product and how Juice Plus+ differs from other products on the market.

    Q:
    Is Juice Plus+ a vitamin supplement?
    FACT:

    No. Juice Plus+ is not a vitamin supplement. Multivitamins contain a limited number of specifically selected vitamins and minerals. Often these vitamins are not even derived from natural sources. Unlike multivitamins, Juice Plus+ contains juice powders from 17 fruits, vegetables and grains, and therefore provides a far greater variety of naturally occurring vitamins, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients – even some of the fiber – found in the fruits and vegetables themselves.

    Q:
    How long has Juice Plus+ been on the market?
    FACT:

    Juice Plus+ was introduced in 1993, when most scientists and health professionals were only beginning to understand the importance of whole food nutrition.

    Q:
    Does Juice Plus+ replace the need to eat real fruits and vegetables?
    FACT:

    No. Juice Plus+ should never replace a diet filled with a wide and colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. Juice Plus+ is a convenient way for people to get even more of the whole food based nutrition that is so important to a healthy diet – and so lacking in our diets today.

    Q:
    How is Juice Plus+ made?
    FACT:

    Juice Plus+ is made from fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables, and is carefully tested to ensure that no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. The fruits and vegetables are juiced, and the juices are then concentrated into powders using a proprietary drying process that carefully maintains temperatures at levels that preserve as much of the original nutrient quality as possible.

    Q:
    Does Juice Plus+ contain added vitamins?
    FACT:

    Yes. While the predominant ingredients in Juice Plus+ are the juice powders made from fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables, other naturally sourced ingredients are added to that juice powder base. These include a proprietary fiber blend and several phytonutrients that are added to ensure more consistent levels of key nutrients from season to season. All ingredients are listed on the product labels.

    Q:
    How do I know that Juice Plus+ has been manufactured using quality practices and is safe to take?
    FACT:

    All Juice Plus+ products are manufactured in certified facilities under the most exacting industry standards and are 100% compliant with all applicable regulations for foods and supplements. To independently verify this fact, both the manufacturing facilities and the products themselves (Juice Plus+ Orchard and Garden Blend capsules and Juice Plus+ Vineyard Blend capsules) have been tested and certified by NSF International’s Good Manufacturing Practices programs and Product and Ingredient Certification programs.

    NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization that helps protect consumers by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, dietary supplements and consumer goods. They have certified the Juice Plus+ products per NSF/ANSI Standard 173, the only accredited American National Standard for dietary supplements and functional foods. These requirements include:

    • Product testing for contaminants and heavy metals,
    • Label and formulation review to verify that what’s on the label is in the bottle, and
    • Manufacturing facility audits to ensure they operate using Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

    NSF conducts on going testing to ensure that NSF-certified products such as Juice Plus+ continue to meet their rigorous quality standards.

    Information above found at http://www.juiceplusfacts.com/product.html

    To receive these great benefits and join in the lifestyles.. click here.

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