Author: Amelia

A few days ago, I stepped on a sharp beach stone that’s become nicely lodged in my heel, ouch!
At first I ignored the pain not realizing that somehow this stone is actually “in” my heel. I finally had to get busy and remove it. And while I work on removing it, there’s nothing else I can do because it requires both my hands, all my focus, and my concentration. This is the most irritating part because it feels like such a waste of time. But it’s become like a meditation. It requires me to reign in my senses and focus on one point . And, I have to calm my breath to keep my hand steady, and the pain manageable. So, during this “meditation” I realize this tiny stone has taught me quite a bit.

As I sit here, needle and antiseptic in hand, I think about what a pattern this is in my life… to ignore things that are irritating or uncomfortable until they escalate and demand my attention.
When things hit crisis mode, I’m mobilized into action but before that I often hope that whatever is irritating me will just magically go away.

But as they say, whatever you resist, persists.

So, as I sit here, days later, still trying to remove this tiny stone, I’ve accumulated quite a list of areas in my life that need attention.

Success….whatever that means to you, means fulfillment in all areas of your life, your health, your family life, friendships, career, finance and adventure!

I’m making a list of:
1. The difficult conversations I’ve been avoiding
2. Relationships I’ve neglected
3. Minor health issues that need some attention

What does your list look like?

What are the tiny irritants in your life, you need to address before they turn into a crisis?

Namaste

Gloria

PS: To register for updates about my upcoming online course, Heal Your Heart, please click here.

As I’m on the road quite a bit these days, I think about what “home” really means.

I no longer think of home as a physical location, but a feeling of being at ease.

That feeling of internal comfort can only be experienced through alignment.

Now alignment is something you hear a lot about in yoga, for instance in my video I posted from Nice, I explained that to keep your knees safe in crow pose, your knees have to track in the same direction as your toes. This will keep your body physically safe.

To feel “at home” in your body, there’s a different kind of alignment that’s required and that’s alignment between your thoughts, your words and your actions. The more you study and practice yoga, the more difficult it is to act or speak misaligned with your deepest values. And that’s a good thing because that discomfort forces you to “clean up your act”. If you want to be experienced as a kind and loving person, then your speech and actions have to match that desire.

Practicing yoga gives us an experience of peace, of being “home”. Knowing how that feels makes us crave that feeling more. The more you experience this peace, the less you can live with your misalignment.

Yes, practicing yoga will make your physical body feel good, but more importantly it brings you home to yourself. To find out more about this inward journey home, check out my new online course, Heal Your Heart.

 

There are two questions I’ve been asking myself and my students daily this summer.

The two questions are:
▪ What do you want to bring into your life?
▪ What are you ready to be free of?
What is it you want?
It’s likely not a thing. Something we all strive for is more peace, and more joy.

What is it that you want to be free of?
For most of us, freedom comes from releasing self-limiting judgments, outdated fears, and resistance to change.

I was at a celebration last night in a beautiful seaside village. The woman I was sitting with remarked, “you’re lucky you’ve found something that makes you happy. That is rare.”
My first thought was how sad it was that she considered happiness to be rare. I told her that I felt everyone knows what  makes them happy, it’s just that we’ve lost our ability to listen to our inner guidance.  She looked at me incredulously, “do you really believe that?” “I really don’t know what my life’s passion is.”

It’s difficult to find your passion when you look for it outside yourself. You forget the internal wisdom available to you in every moment. My next online course, Breakthrough Your Blocks, launching September 2016, helps you overcome what blocks you from your joy.

If you continue to seek answers outside yourself, you’ll never be fulfilled.To experience greater fulfillment you must commit to making decisions that feel right to you.The second you let judgment creep in, it’s over.

Can you get better at trusting your instincts?
You don’t have to impulsively act on every insight that comes to you, but pay attention to what you’re being guided to do.

Stop looking for someone else to identify your passions and your dreams.
You’ve known all along what brings you joy. Keep guiding yourself towards whatever that is.

Suggested Exercise:
Start recording your insights and review them regularly. Use your phone or carry around a small pocket size notebook. It might shock you to see how much wisdom you’ve been ignoring.

The answer has been there all along.

If you’re interested in exploring these questions in depth, my next online course, Breakthrough your Blocks , is being released September 2016.

Sat Nam,

Gloria

This is not the post I had intended to write.

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of a beautiful woman and Semperviva student, Lauris.

43 days ago, I asked Lauris to sit at the front of the room to share her yoga story because she inspired me so much. You can read her full story here.

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from my team, concerned that they had not seen Lauris for two days. They asked if it was ok to go to her home and look for her.

I reflected for a moment if it was our role to track people down if they skipped class but we all sensed something was wrong.

Our discovery was a sad one.

I’m grateful to be part of a community that cares that much for each other. To be amongst people that notice your absence and want to reach out.

So many of us have been touched by Lauris and she lives in our hearts forever.

Tomorrow, Monday night, we’re having an early Summer Solstice Party and I’d like to celebrate Lauris and what she has meant to our community.

May the long time sun shine upon you,

Gloria Latham

Find out more about my upcoming Chakra Series: A set of 4 online Kundalini Yoga Immersion and Teacher Trainings. Click here to find out more.

I’m not a morning person and yet I find myself willingly waking up earlier and earlier. There’s a stillness in the early morning hours that I have come to crave.

It’s a time to connect with my own thoughts before I become caught up in everyone else’s.

The night owl in me has issues with this, so I’ve stopped watching the clock.

I don’t want the clock to dictate whether I should feel tired. The only thing I’ll let the clock dictate is being on time for commitments I’ve made with other people.

These early morning hours, 2 ½ hours before sunrise are referred to as the “ambrosial hours”. In yogic scriptures they say it is the time where “auric protection” is strongest and prana/life force the most concentrated.

On a practical level, it’s the time of day where the rest of the world is still asleep so there is less noise and fewer disturbances; no one is looking for you at that time of day!

Before you head out into the world its important to do your “internal work”. As Robin Sharma says: “The way you begin your day determines how you live your day”.

Your internal work can include yoga, meditation, journaling…essentially just be with yourself. Connect with your values, reflect on what you’re grateful for and make sure the things you’re about to race out and do have meaning and value for you.

Don’t lose yourself by not spending time with yourself.

It takes 40 days to establish a new habit pattern, like waking up earlier.

I have lots of great yogic tools to share with you for installing the habit of yoga, mediation and self-reflection into your days.

You can learn more about these breakthroughs in my live courses, and online training.

May the long time sun shine upon you.

Sat Nam

Gloria

Find out more about my upcoming Chakra Series: A set of 4 online Kundalini Yoga Immersion and Teacher Trainings. Click here to find out more.

 

Wayne Dyer and I have been friends since I opened my mind to his work a couple of years ago. Although his books were available everywhere from drugstores to the BC Ferries gift shop, it took me years to warm to him. I’d look at his book covers that often had his photos on them, and think what kind of wisdom is some middle aged guy going to offer me? What can he possibly know about what I’m going through? One audiobook and I was hooked!

I was preparing for a course I was teaching and almost every Google search I did on the topic kept bringing up some work of Wayne’s. I gave in. I read a few articles, and then downloaded one of his audiobooks. I found his voice soothing. I found his words inspiring, and most of all, I appreciated how very real and human he was.

Here was a man who overcame adversity and addiction, to become one of the world’s most inspiring wisdom teachers.

Captivated, I found myself listening to his work often…turbulence on a flight, let’s plug into Wayne. Feeling a bit down and need a pick me up? Back to Wayne.

Robin Sharma says this:

“You become who you drink coffee with. Associate only with positive, focused people who you can learn from and who will not drain your valuable energy with complaining and uninspiring attitudes. By developing relationships with those committed to constant improvement and the pursuit of the best that life has to offer, you will have plenty of company on your path to the top of whatever mountain you seek to climb.”

This is why I choose to hang out with Wayne.

I regret that I will never meet him. I was late for this, but I’m grateful that his inspiring words live on.