Posts Tagged ‘feeling good’

This feels good!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

appreciation_01Day 21.

I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks since I started this challenge.  Life goes by way too fast, which is why there’s no point in stressing, worrying, doubting, complaining, etc.  It’s all a complete waste of time.  Just think how different your life would be without doing all those things.  How different would your life be if you enjoyed every moment…if you took in all the little things that life offers you at that moment (good and “bad”) and were just totally grateful for it?  That’s what this challenge has helped me realize.

I’m understanding that what I consider problems or issues or stress or crazy situations is just my perspective of it.  When I shift my perspective to a more positive one, I get different results.  If I just shift my perspective to a grateful one, it changes the entire circumstance.

This challenge has made me feel better, and I’m so grateful for that because I know that feeling good is what it’s all about.  Don’t we all just want to feel good?  Doesn’t our life basically boil down to that one statement…I want to feel good!

When I would get irritated with toys strung all over the house, I would think how grateful we are to have all these toys.  When I want to honk & cuss at the car in front of me for not going fast enough, I would think how grateful I am for being safe and how grateful I am that I get to go wherever it is that I was headed.  When I had to make a choice, I was grateful that I get to make a choice and that I have options.  When I didn’t feel like making dinner, I was grateful that I had food to make, that I had a house to cook it in and clean dishes and gas to heat it.

This feels good!

This gratitude challenge has made me stop, take the time, and write about my gratitude.  I’m so thankful I did.  It puts things in perspective.  I realize more and more everyday just how great I have it, just how great my life is.  It has given me peace, and allows me to just relax and take it all in…to enjoy the now moment.

This feels good!

As you know (or maybe you don’t), I’m a HUGE believer in the Law of Attraction, where like attracts like.  When I have a feeling of appreciation it’s an energy that I radiate.  That energy is drawing to itself more energy of the same quality, so more things are coming into my experience for me to be appreciative of.

This feels good!

The challenge ends today, but I will never stop being grateful.  I will continue to write in my gratitude journal, and I will continue to be open to receive more good things in my life.

WOW – THIS FEELS GOOD!

(And thank you so, so much to everyone that reads my blog!)

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I can taste the goodness!

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

96608743_5dcb8bbfb3Day 10 & 11 of the 21 day gratitude challenge – yes, I skipped a day.  I guess I was just completely present and lost track of a day…or I was too tired last night to write :)   Either way, I was grateful for my busy day!

Okay so day 10’s assignment was to pick one of my five senses to focus on and take note of how many gifts come to me via that single port.  I chose (drum roll) my sense of taste because I, of course, love to eat!  I could have gone the route of tasting processed chemical laden food, but instead I chose to focus on real food.  Food that comes from a plant or an animal.

Real food is so incredibly good.  I’m so grateful to be able to taste, and to be able to differentiate between foods.  I made a pineapple salsa yesterday and OMG…so good.  All that was in it was pineapple, cilantro & red pepper flakes, but the combination of the sweet and spicy was so delicious.  I put it over shrimp.  Wow, I’m so thankful that I am able to put food in my mouth (can use my arms and hands and can chew, rather than being fed through a tube) and can taste it.  There are so many great foods that are natural.  I’m not only grateful that I can taste it, but that the universe provides it!  We can live a wonderful, healthy life by what nature provides us.  We don’t need processed food to live, and for that I feel a great sense of appreciation.

I’m so thankful that I can taste things and decide whether I like it or not.  I have a choice.  If I decide that I like the way something tastes, I can have more, and I can completely enjoy it.

I love that I have choices and can taste different flavors, that mother nature provides us with everything we need, and that I can enjoy it.  Our sense of taste is so awesome, and I’m so grateful for it!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Day 11 is to see the world through the eyes of a child, and to think about the things I take for granted on a daily basis.  Then, to express gratitude for everything down to the basic necessities that sustain my current life.  This one is easy because I have 2 kids under 4 and I think about this a lot.  I think about being brought into this world knowing nothing.  Now, let me back peddle a little…I believe babies know a lot.  I think they are way more connected to their sense of Self then we will ever be.  But, I’m talking about not knowing what things are, not knowing how to speak, and experiencing life for the first time.

This really goes back to the 5 senses.  It’s incredible to see a child’s face the first time he tastes a banana, strawberry yogurt, or a piece of candy.  I love to watch the excitement in my children when they see something for the first time.  This past Christmas when Max, my 4 year old, started to understand Santa…just priceless the look on his face when he saw what Santa had brought him.  I’m so thankful to have been able to experience that through his eyes!  I’m also so thankful to have been able to provide as many toys as we did.

Miles, my 2 year old, got a little plastic harmonica for his birthday.  When he heard the sound it made, he completely fell in love with it.  I’m grateful to be able to hear beautiful music, the croak of a frog, the ocean waves crashing in, my children’s laughter, and Miles trying to play that harmonica.

It’s really cute.  Max has just now began to notice that some things stink.  It used to never bother him.  I’d ask “doesn’t that stink?” and I don’t think he really knew what I was talking about.  Now, if he even thinks Miles has a dirty diaper he covers his nose.  I even had him tell me that I smelled good after spraying on perfume.  Our sense of smell is really cool.  I’m thankful that I can smell good food cooking, that I can smell a great candle, and that I can smell something to know if it’s still good or not.

I remember going to my Dad’s house every other weekend as a child and when I’d get there I would notice that my clothes smelled like my mom.  That was so comforting to me.  And when I’d get back home (to my mom’s house) and smell that same smell, I knew I was home!  I just love that smells can remind us of things.  The ability to smell is typically a sense that I take for granted, but really it’s such a blessing.  Thank you, Nose!

I’m thankful for textures and that I can feel.  There are lots of touch and feel baby books, and it’s really neat to watch those little fingers feel.  Since I have 2 little ones in my lap when we read books they both want to feel it.  And now it’s a matter of who goes first.  It’s so funny.  They make me want to feel it and to experience the bumpiness, roughness, or smoothness like it’s my first time.

I love and appreciate that our bodies have the capability to feel.  I’m thankful that I know when I feel good and when I don’t.  I love it that I can feel my emotions and that feeling is a guide.  I’m so grateful for this guide because I know that all I have to do is feel good and everything else will fall into place.  Thank you, thank you for this guidance system.

In summary – I’m thankful for pineapple salsa, Santa Claus, harmonicas, my nose, and touch & feel baby books!!

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Appreciation.

Monday, September 14th, 2009

appreciate

According to Webster’s, appreciation is defined as an expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude.  But more than that, it’s a feeling!  It’s a feeling of being in awe, a feeling of something having great value, and a feeling of positivity.  When we have true appreciation, we are energetically vibrating at a high frequency.  When our energy is vibrating at a high frequency, we attract more of the same…which means we attract more things to be appreciative of.

I think Abraham-Hicks says it beautifully:

The key to experiencing the absolute absence of resistance; of achieving complete alignment with all that you have become and all that you desire, and of bringing to your physical experience everything that you desire – is being in the state of appreciation.

Here’s a few ways to appreciate.

1.  If you normally have a negative emotion about something, start to feel appreciation for it instead.  It may take some time, but eventually that negative feeling will fade away and your appreciation of it will become more dominant.

2.  Feel appreciation for something you want to have in your life.  While you may not currently have your desire, act as if!  Appreciate as if you’ve already achieved it.  The Law of Attraction doesn’t know time.  It only knows the present moment, so in this moment act/think as if you already have what you want, appreciate it, and you will attract it.

3.  Write in a gratitude journal.  Write down things you have that you are grateful for, as well as things that you want.  Read back what you wrote down, and when you read it really feel the appreciation.

dsc_0024Another thing you can do to cultivate a sense of appreciation and to keep that feeling alive throughout your day is to use one of my “Be Charmed” charms.  I have one on my purse and use it as a reminder to be present, connect to my Self, and just Be, but now I think I’ll use it as a reminder to feel appreciation!

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Love These!

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

peaceambrOkay, so I’ve been busy making bracelets.  Not any old bracelets, but ones that mean a lot to me!  My intention in life to always feel good, and to help others feel good, so I was inspired to make “feel good” bracelets.  Besides having the wrist wrapped in healing gemstones, I’ve also added a message.  I love seeing “Be Here Now“, “Celebrate Life“, “Hope” “Strength & Courage“, etc as a reminder of how to live life.  So…I hope you love these as much as I do!  Click here to see them all!

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The Results Are In!

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

happiness_by_wint3r88

So I want to follow up to a blog post I did a little over a month ago.  I, along with some other lovely internet people that I don’t really know, committed to a 30 day giving challenge.  Basically the idea was to give for 30 days…give a smile, kind words, a helping hand, just whatever you can give at any moment.  Here’s the actual post if you’d like to read it: CLICK HERE FOR 30 DAY CHALLENGE POST

I’m a pretty nice person in general (anyone that knows me can attest to that, but don’t ask the following 76 people…  j/k) so giving a smile or kind words wasn’t much of a stretch for me.  But I wanted to do the challenge because I wanted to see what it would be like to be aware of the giving rather than just going about my day.  And, I wanted to see if I could give more than I usually do.  Here’s what happened:

The first day was really good.  I smiled more at people and was kinder on the roads.  The second day was more interesting.  There was a guy in his car that was pulled way out from where he was suppose to be.  As I drove by him I gave him a dirty look and threw a hand up in the air meaning WTF!  As soon as I drove past him I realized what I had done.  I felt awful.  Did he really deserve a nasty look & a WTF sign (I didn’t flip him off if that’s what you’re thinking…just you know, a WTF)?  I mean, we all make mistakes, right?  I’m sure there’s been a handful of times that I’ve done that exact thing.  I wanted to turn around and give him a big smile and a “I’m so sorry” wave but I didn’t.  I thought that might be a little weird…he might have even given me a WTF sign then!  HA  I did, however, apologize to him and wish him well in my mind.

A few days later I was taking my little Max to school.  We were driving down the alley and there was a huge trash can in the way.  I decided to drive around it…after all we were running a bit late.  But, as I’m driving around it I’m thinking to myself “I know what I need to do.  I need to move it out of the way.”  I didn’t!  Again, I felt awful.  Luckily, it was still in the middle of the road on my way home from taking him to school so I was able to redeem myself!  (It’s an even better feeling when you give without someone looking.)

I loved doing this.  It’s such a good feeling to make someone’s day and to just be more polite in general.  I gave several spirit jumps (sending a small gift to a cancer patient to lift their spirits), and I always did my best to make the cashier, at Target, Walmart, or wherever I was, to feel better about their jobs (especially if I could tell they were just totally beaten down).  Being aware of what I was giving made me feel a sense of lightness, like everything is good and I’m not weighed down by negativity.  I just felt happier!

On the other side of the giving coin is receiving!  Here’s what I received out of this challenge:

–People were so nice to me on the roads.  I was going first at stop signs, people were waving me in to get in front of them, & I was even given a parking space when we both got to it at the same time!

–My husband took me on a surprise date because he wanted to let me know how much he appreciates me!

–On our date we went to an awesome sushi restaurant (Kenichi) and our entire bill was comped!

But…most importantly,

–I felt good.  I felt happier.  Period.

If you have stories on giving & receiving I’d love to hear them.  If you took the challenge with me, what did you experience?  Make a comment.

Now, let’s go out and keep giving…what have you to lose? :)

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I love my new shopping cart. Thanks, Ryan!

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

With the help of an amazing IT guy, Ryan Meinzer, I am proud to announce the relaunch of my website.  Actually, it’s  just the shopping cart area of my site.  BUT — I do hope you’ll check it out (and Ryan…he’s fast, efficient, easy to understand (he is an IT guy afterall), and can totally hook you up if you need any help in this department.  And, he writes a really good blog too!jadenk)

Getting back to me…haha  As you can tell by the name of my company, Self Symmetry, I’m all about finding balance.  I believe that when you find balance; physically, mentally, and spiritually, that you are completely and wholly healthy!  I’m also all about feeling good.   If we can get ourselves feeling good all the time, then our lives will be free flowing and easy.  (I’m not saying that we shouldn’t experience any other emotion, but just that our dominate state should be good and positive.)

With my strong belief in finding balance and feeling good I teach yoga, make jewelry, and now this blog.  If you’re in Dallas/Plano, I would love to have you come take a class of mine.  See my schedule for details.  If you’re not in Dallas, then just go check out a class in your ‘hood.  It’s really amazing, transforming, and healing.

If you’re interested in jewelry, browse around my new shopping cart.  I hand make everything and use semi precious gemstones.  Gemstones have healing properties to them.  They are from the earth, so they hold all kinds of positive energy…making you look good and feel good!  I attach a card to each piece of jewelry describing the stones used and what they do for you energetically.  Because of this, they make awesome, thoughtful gifts (Mother’s Day coming up…hint, hint).  However, if you don’t wear much jewelry, check out BE Charmed!  Who can’t use some extra positive energy?  Side note:  Guys…I don’t have any man jewelry on my site, but I can make you something.  I’ve made several pieces for guys so just email me and we’ll come up with something really manly!

If you’re reading this, then you found my blog.  Congrats!  I would say this blog is on the spiritual side.  It’s about my attempt to live life to the fullest, and all the things that I’ve learned and am still learning.

So there you have it…my shameless self promotion.  I hope you leave my yoga class (or any yoga class) feeling good.  I hope you feel good wearing my jewelry (I know you’ll look good!), and I hope reading my blog leaves you feeling inspired, hopeful, and optimistic!

And Ryan, you rock!  I can’t thank you enough!

Balanced and feeling good – Love, Kat

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Spiritual Warrior

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

pix_021I have a lot of favorite yoga poses, but if I just had to pick one it would be Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II).  It appears fairly simple, but so much can be achieved in this pose (so much can be felt in this pose if you hold it long enough!!).

At first, it’s all about just trying to stay in the pose while your thigh and shoulders are screaming at you, but once you find proper alignment and connect with your breath, Warrior II is so peaceful.  It’s like a peaceful warrior; strong, focused, and courageous!

With practice, you begin to feel how strong the thigh is and come to appreciate it, and the shoulders are there, but you’re relaxed.  This feels good.  You keep holding.  Then maybe it’s not so good, but wait I’m thinking about my thigh.  Breathe!  Okay, feels better.

As thoughts like this go on in your head, you must remember to breathe.  It’s with the breath that this pose becomes meditative.  And, it’s the breath that allows you to relax when you’re in an uncomfortable position.  It’s the breath that allows you to just be in the pose, rather than doing the pose.

Here’s some alignment points (based on the picture above):

  • The left leg is bent to a 90 degree angle.
  • Weight is on the center of the left heel, and the toes relaxed (knee is stacked over the heel).
  • Open the hip by taking the left knee towards the left “baby” toe.
  • Lift the left hip crease off the left thigh (this will help get the spine vertical).
  • Outside edge of the right foot is grounded down.
  • The spine is extended upward in a vertical line.
  • Arms are open out extending in both directions, feeling the arms strong and long (so to gain space in the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints).
  • Shoulders are relaxed down, away from the ears.
  • Gaze is out over your left hand.
  • Hold & BREATHE.
  • Then hit the other side!

Physically, Warrior II will increase your stamina, and strengthen your legs, ankles, and arms.  It’s great for stretching and opening your chest, shoulders, hips, and groin.  It relieves backaches, great for flat feet, and get this…infertility!  It even helps with carpal tunnel and sciatica.

Practice Warrior II often…it’s a great spiritual teacher!

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BE Charmed!

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Lipstick used to make a symbolic kiss.
Image via Wikipedia

If you were to walk into my bathroom right now and look at yourself in the mirror, not only would you see your beautiful self but you’d also see this:

Gratitude

$$$

What is your relationship with the present  moment?

Abundance

Ease

All you have to do is feel good now!

Only good things come to me!

What do I want?

I wrote all this on the mirror with red lipstick so that while I’m brushing my teeth, my hair, or washing my face I can be reminded of these things.  I love starting & ending my day with the awareness of the present moment, the awareness of all I have to be grateful for, and the awareness of the things I want to manifest in my life.

It’s so easy to go throughout the day and never once be conscious of your breath.  For that matter, it’s so easy to let weeks, months, and years go by without ever getting out of your head.  We tend to live in our thoughts, and when we do that we’re either thinking about the past (I can’t believe he said that to me!) or worrying about the future (if I don’t get this job, how am I going to pay my bills?).  There’s such a peace when we get past all that head stuff!

Being a yoga teacher and a student to spirituality, I know to pay attention to my breath and get present, to notice how I react to things, and to be aware of how I am thinking and how I feel, but it takes more than just knowing these things.  It takes practice…and lots of it!  I’m not going for perfection, just that place where I’m in touch with my Being.  That place where my Being (true Self, Higher Self, Spirit) is leading me in all I do so that life is easy and I’m just going with the flow.  I want to be in a place where opportunities comes my way and I’m awake enough to see them.  I want my actions to be inspired by my Being, not a reaction out of fear or stress.  I want to always be learning.  And, I want to live in peace!

I say all that to say this:  I have created another way (besides my bathroom mirror) for me to remember to connect to my Being.  I started making charms that I call BE Charmed.  These charms can hang from just about anything.  I have one on my yoga bag, one on my diaper bag, and one on my handbag (they make great keychains too).  The idea is that when you see your charm you connect to your breath and find your stillness.  You’re not thinking, not judging, not doing, you just BE Charmed!smokeyquartzcharm-prv-lg

If you’d like to be reminded of the present moment, or even have a personal affirmation you’d like to repeat, then these are for you!  You can either order one, that I’ve already made, from my website or send me an email and I’ll custom one for you.

Until next time, Be well and BE Charmed!

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Practice Awareness and Stress Less

Monday, March 9th, 2009

freeimages.co.uk light and pattern imagesAwareness – I love this word.  For me it’s what has changed my life.  Well, not that my life has changed so much necessarily, but how I look at my life has changed.  Well okay, maybe it has changed my life!

Awareness has made me see things more clearly.  It’s the awareness I have of my breath and the awareness of what’s going on in my head that has given me the freedom to live easy.  It’s awareness that has given me the freedom to live stress free.  Yes, I said it…stress free!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect.  I do have moments of stress, but it’s just for a moment.  When I become aware that I’m stressing, I stop.  I realize what’s going on in my head (I’m making up crazy scenarios of what I think is going to happen but never does), and then I decide what to do.  I can either keep freaking out, or I can change my thoughts to more positive ones.  I can choose to shift my thoughts so I relax.  For example, I think about the love I have for my kids or all the things I have to be grateful for.   However, if the situation that is stressing me out has a really strong pull on me (I’m sure there’s lots of that going on in this “bad” economy…that’s another blog topic!), and I can only think of my loving kids for so long (haha) then what I do is I keep coming back – coming back to my breath, coming back to my happy thoughts, coming back to my awareness.  Eventually, you realize that the stressful situation is either out of your control or something that you can act on (when the time is right).  BUT, either way you must become aware of how that stress has a hold of you (how are you reacting to it?).

If it’s something that is out of your control, then that’s just it.  You become aware of that fact and then you let it go.  If it’s something that you can act on, then staying aware will keep you in your positive thoughts (if that’s what you choose).  Those positive thoughts are crucial because that’s what will give you the inspiration for your actions.

There’s also an awareness of how you feel.  Physically, you become aware of how your body feels (this is where I plug my yoga classes).  My body holds a lot less tension because I’m aware when I have my shoulders scrunched up to my ears, or when I’ve got worry wrinkles on my forehead.  But then there’s also this awareness of how you feel emotionally.  When you get down to it, there’s really only two emotions, good or bad.  So if you can always get back to feeling good (positive thoughts feel good), your life becomes easier.  Believe it or not, life really is simple!  It really is easy!  It really can be stress free!

It just takes practice.  Awareness takes practice!  It’s a continual remembering to be aware.  So the more you practice being aware, the more you remember to do it.  The more you remember to do it, the more it becomes a part of your life.  The more it becomes a part of your life, the better your life becomes.

If you want to live a stress free life like I do, awareness is one of your best friends!

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It’s always sunny & 70 in Katland!!

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

worried_man

Think about this scenario for a moment…every month your bills are due, and every month you’re worried about not having enough money to pay them.  In your mind there’s constant worry.  Every time you buy something (lunch, gas, or a cup of coffee) there’s anxiety as you hand over the money.  You’re in a constant state of feeling lack.  This feels horrible, right?

Now, think about this…every month your bills are due and every time you write a check, pay online, or use your debit card you feel gratitude for having the money to spend.  You reflect back on what you’re paying for and have great appreciation for whatever it is (how great is it to have electricity, food, & water?).  You know there’s always a flow of money coming in and money going out.  You have a feeling of abundance and you know deep within that you’ll always have whatever it is you need at that moment.  This feels good, right?

You can always choose to feel good.  It takes no more energy to feel the second scenario as it does to feel the first one.  In fact, I would think the first scenario would take a lot more energy, and it’s such a draining energy at that.  The second scenario may take more discipline, but I would way rather be disciplined than have that negative, stressful, draining energy.

I think back to my younger years right after high school (sounds funny for me to say that as I still think of myself as young!).  I had a roommate who would always worry about how we were going to pay rent.  She had a hard time sleeping, and I know now it was because she worried so much!  Sometimes she would ask me if I’m worried about it and my answer to her was always no.  This would freak her out!  How could I not be worried??  One day I turned to her and asked her if we’ve ever gone without paying our rent.  Her answer was “no”.  I told her this is why I’m not worried.  We’ve never gone without paying our rent.  We always ended up getting the money (we both waited tables at the time).  I remember telling her that I had never gone without, so I just wasn’t worried.  I knew I would get the money somehow.  I didn’t always know how I was going to have enough, but I always did and that’s all that mattered.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU WANT IT!  When we begin to understand that it’s all in our mind, we then realize we can live our life however we want.  We can live in stress, worry & anxiety or we can live in freedom from those things.

sunny-beach-palm

My husband always tells me “it’s sunny and 70 in Katland”!  He jokes with me about it, but I seriously take it as a great compliment (thanks, Honey!).  It’s your choice.  Do you want to live where it’s sunny & 70, or dreary & 48?  Do you want to live in constant fear of lack or in continual abundance?

There’s really nothing to worry about!  If you can keep your eye on what you want, if you can keep your mind in the light rather than the darkness, and truly believe that all is good then I promise you you’ll always have what you need (if not more)!

It’s all just a perspective!  You choose how you want to perceive something.  I’m choosing sunny & 70!!

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