Showing posts with label manifestation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manifestation. Show all posts

Friday, September 13, 2013

Obsessed with weighing yourself?


About a year ago, I realized my weight was running my life. I'd wake up and weigh myself right away. I'd have a morning BM and weigh myself afterwards. Following this, I'd go to the gym and weigh myself there before working out, and then again after working out. And because I was never sure if the scale at the gym was accurate, I'd weigh myself again upon returning home. The whole cycle would continue the following day. I was rarely happy with my body, and was constantly judging it by how much it weighed. If the number was higher than my 'norm', I would begin feeling heavy- even if it was only two-three pounds. If I appeared to have lost a couple of pounds, I was over the moon, and would literally feel lighter.




Consider the following questions and see if you can answer them honestly.

Are you obsessed with your weight? 

Do you have one, or more weighing scales in your house, and do you use them both daily? 

Do you get depressed when you've gained a couple pounds, and happy when you've lost a few? 

Does your weight govern how you see yourself and your body? 

Even if you wake up feeling positive about your body image, can the number on the scale change the way you perceive your body? 

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then perhaps you can consider taking a break from the scales. I know, I know- it's a crazy idea, especially if you are hooked. But some addictions are good to break. Let me give you a bit of my back story. One year ago I started to take my body seriously. I began working out with a trainer and during the winter of 2012,  I completed a fast of almost forty days. It was the third winter-time fast in a row of dramatic fasting I did. See my blog Confessions of a Spiritual Apprentice http://confessionsofaspiritualapprentice.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html 

Yes, I lost tons of weight, but I also lost a lot of muscle, muscle-tone and physical strength. I had laid off of working out with my trainer because I had no energy. At forty years old, my skin was sagging and loose fitting. With so much weight loss, yes- my clothes did fit better on my body. But when I took them off, I hated my weak and lifeless form. 

I struggled with this for many months. I slowly gained weight back and my addiction to 'checking in' with the scales began. I knew my daily diet would surely cause me to gain weight back. I got into working with my trainer again, and watched what I was eating. I decided tightening my skin, and building muscle tone would be my focus. The more I worked out, the more I became impatient about seeing physical results. My body didn't seem to be changing soon enough for me, so I relied on the weighing scale to tell me how to feel. 

Over many months, I started to see results. My shape started finding a new form. I was finally seeing muscle tone and feeling stronger in new ways. I would weigh myself in hopes of weighing less. Some days I would drop a couple pounds- but some days my weight wouldn't budge at all. I have now realized a few things: 

1) Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are loosing fat and building muscle, you may not see a significant shift in your weight. 
2) You can add up to three pounds over night- to your normal, or comfortable weight by eating a heavily salted meal. A lot of salt causes the body to hold more water, which equals more weight.
3) If I ate a large- (even healthy) meal, I would weigh more directly afterwards.
4) I would always weigh less after a health BM (bowel movement)

Your body weight fluctuates all the time. get used to it and put the scale away. If your mission is to purposely loose a lot of weight, please do so safely.. and then maybe put the scale away if you can.

After doing my internal work of re-patterning how I think about my body, and changing negative thoughts to positive ones. I stopped trying to loose more and more weight- and started to tighten and tone my body from where my body was naturally. I love to eat and my boyfriend is a cook, so there is no getting around starving myself. Besides, I want to enjoy a good quality of life with good food as a regular way of life. Don't you? 

Okay, heres the deal.. Rather than looking at your body, or weighing it to decide on how to feel about it- decide to pay more attention to how you feel in your clothing. You may be shaping up beautifully, but missing the boat if your eyes are glued to the numbers on the scale. You may have lost inches from all of the hard work you are doing, but if you don't take time to acknowledge it, you will be stuck relying on the numbers game. You are wearing a Beautiful Body- right now! Chances are, If you've been watching what you eat and working out... you have indeed shape shifted your form. So give yourself permission to embrace your body, applaud your discipline and be grateful for the body you  have. I know, sometimes we get off track and this can be a great excuse to be hard on ourselves. Do not let this ruin all the work you have done to this point. Pat yourself on the back, dust yourself off and get back into dance, cardio, bodysculpt- or boxing class! 

If your ok with not loosing a bunch of weight, but are interested in loosing inches... I highly recommend taking up yoga- besides creating a sleeker form, it will increase the balance and harmony of your mind/body/spirit. The more you do- the longer and leaner your body will become. 'Yoga strong' is a whole different type of physical strong that focuses on creating longer muscles by using your own body weight to play from. Here is one of my yoga videos below- watch and see if it is something you would enjoy. In closing, if you are indeed addicted to the scales, try- jut for one day, one week, one month, putting it out of sight. Tell your Beautiful Body how much you appreciate it and exhale deeply into letting go of your weight. Let it fluctuate-  maybe a little, maybe a lot.. you are human after all.
With Love,
Tuesday May Thomas

      Yoga Hip Opener Mini Flow with Tuesday May
   

I am not a certified nutritionist, doctor or therapist. 
Please consult your healthcare professional before participating in any
 lifestyle changes you may feel are questionable to your health. 
I am not responsible for any action you resume, You are- Make it pleasurable.
© Tuesday May Thomas 2013


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Power Affirmations

Here at I Love My Beautiful Body blog, your whole be-ing is acknowledged. Not just a body, you are your mind, emotions and spirit too. A beautiful body glows because of the illuminating inner thoughts and beliefs it 'runs' on. That's the secret! Just as a healthy diet and regular exercise are important parts of taking care of ourselves, so too are the diet of thoughts and words we think about ourselves and our lives.

Do you run off junk food thoughts? Do your thoughts about yourself and your life starve you of real sustenance? Do their nutritional value serve your well being over the long term? Or do they slowly leak toxins into the landscape of your reality; body, mind and soul? Think of all the inner 'recordings' that play over and over within yourself. Some have been playing for so long, we begin to belive them as truth. For example, "I'll never loose weight." "Nobody will ever love me." "I am unattractive." If limiting thoughts are allowed to run your life, they will slowly drain you of personal power and self love.  You will find your energy zapped. Reality will show up just as you personally prophesized- it to be. Be it positive, not so positive- or down right difficult.

Inner recordings are connected to the muscles of negative and positive thinking. Which muscle is stronger in you? The positive one, or the negative one? Is it easier to think positive thoughts about your job than your body image? Is it harder to think positive thoughts about your relationships, and easier to think positive about your body image? We are all different, and have different needs at different times. You may ask; "How can I begin to make positive changes in all aspects of my life?" My answer- "Power Affirmations." Learn conscious manifestation and transformation through your thoughts and words.

I have used conscious positive thinking for many years. It continues to help shape shift my life; mind, body and soul. While negative thoughts can lurk and even prove challenging to overcome, having a tool is key to transforming the old you (limiting thoughts & beliefs) into the new you- beautiful, powerful and unlimited.  The inner muscle of positive/negative thinking drives the thoughts you think about yourself. This in turn affects how you feel about yourself and this affects how you perform as you, or be (or not be) your Self.

Power Affirmations have helped me heal, make changes in life, and create new possibilities. Below is the first video in a series I created. May it to serve as a blueprint, from which you can create your own Power Affirmations.You can experience your Beautiful Body, Mind and Soul no matter what size, shape or age you are.

Love and Light,
Tuesday May



I am not a certified nutritionist, doctor or therapist. 
Please consult your healthcare professional before participating in any
 lifestyle changes you may feel are questionable to your health. 
I am not responsible for any action you resume. You are- Make it pleasurable.
© Tuesday May Thomas 2013

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Beauty, It's an 'Inside Job'

More than what you wear, and how you wear it. 
More than the size or shape of your body, and how you 'work' your body.  
It's how you wear self-love on the inside most of all.


So the negative self-talk has started again eh? Yep- because you gave into it a day ago. Ah ha, you let one harmful thought begin and it has multiplied. Now you are letting more and more negative thoughts slip through and rule your space and time. I know you know-whatever you spend time thinking about is gonna start 'blinking' it's way into your reality. Right through your very eyes. You will be making movies of what you think about in your mind. You will either create pictures of limitation, and perhaps self violence- or expansion, love and joy.  How many years have you beaten yourself up and re-played the same fears over and over and over? And how many times have you let go, thinking this is it. "I am finally free..", only to be revisited by a quaking reality that stirs and entraps your self confidence and beats it down until your sense of self is dulled and timid?
Be a Master of Your Time and Space. Stop. Now.  - How> First of all- Breathe.

Ok, heres the secret; feeling beautiful, being beautiful, and radiating 'beautiful energy' is an inside job. Yes, exercise and a healthy-diet help, but maintaining the essence of beauty is a full time job directly connected to where we allow our thoughts to meander. Feeling beautiful gets easier the more we practice and try on what 'feeling beautiful' feels like to us. Each person may experience it differently. 

Feeling beautiful can become a self sustaining reality, if we are disciplined in honoring the god or goddess within on a regular basis. Gifting yourself a spiritual tune-up when your personal vehicle, or body~mind gives you a sign it's time for a check-up is vital.. You may be riding high, feeling confident and free and then all of the sudden a shudder, a light within starts to blink. You may try to ignore it, but the issue won't go away until you have dealt with it. Just like the car you drive- maintenance is what you do for your car-right? An oil change every so many miles, maybe you need new tires, or the brakes need tending too. To keep your vehicle in a positive motion that will get you around in life hassle free- you gotta take care of it. In terms of the body~mind vehicle, you gotta do the work to keep the mind in a positive motion or non- motion, or else it can become ill, or function at lower ability than its optimum performance. The mind drives the whole movie of life.. Where the mind goes, we go- we follow. What we reach out to with our thoughts and emotions, reaches back to us; be it self-loathing, insecurity, happiness or trust. 

JEALOUSY, MISTRUST, BETRAYAL, SUSPICION, INSECURITY, SELF HATE, MISERY, ABUSE, DEPRESSION, DISTORTED BODY IMAGE, INADEQUACY & PARANOIA

If any of the above are part of your mental reality (meaning you spend much of your time thinking about how you are or could become jealous, mistrustful, betrayed, insecure, abused etc), you are being robbed of precious energy, mental strength and emotional stability. It takes just as much energy to concentrate on paranoid delusions, as it does to focus on more positive visions of yourself, life, and world. They each hold POWER, but the difference is, one gives you power and the other takes power away

As I mentioned here- in my first blog post at 'ILMBB', my ex slept with another woman a week before we were to set the date for our marriage (2010). I have been betrayed by a romantic partner in the past too, and I couldn't help but feel very insecure and angry at myself for letting this happen again.She begged forgiveness and insisted we continue with our marriage plans. After five years of living and loving together, this action threw me for a loop and I had to question whether my partner had a previous record of this behavior. Either way, this was this a sign telling me to walk away and never look back. That I did. And yes, a ton of healing took place. Months of 'day after day' crying, and howling and mourning filed my time. I cried for 'a life' I so deeply thought was the life I would grow into with my ex. But NO. Life had more in store for me. I had to let go and allow the old relationship to die, so my heart and soul could heal and be reborn. 

Why is it that those hurts and fear-filled traumas of our past can so easily be reinstated to the forefront of our minds? When I'm feeling weak, one hit of the inner voice saying "Is he looking at other girls?" has the potency to illuminate feelings of inadequacy and self-hate. These feelings and insecurities can harm our relationships, and make us feel not only un-loved, but un-loveable.  In order to truly feel the beauty of life and feel beauty from within, we must trust our choices, trust our partners, trust the past is over and done, and trust life's experiences to bring us closer to our true and beautiful self. What we do not have to trust are the voices in our heads that urge us to feel ugly, suspicious and unworthy of experiencing happiness, and beauty from within- and all around us.

There is room for all of us to be beautiful and fierce. Isn't there? YES! Then why so jealous and so afraid? Is it because of the past? Most have been hurt before- some betrayed, two timed, fooled, lied to and abused in some way.  That can bring us to a place where we are scared to trust- again. We may do some deep healing, dive into our souls and bring up old matters - and work to resolve them. And just when we are ready to trust again, and open our hearts more- a small incident could unravel all of the hard work done. But it hasn't really, it just rattled a thread that has come loose by your mind allowing negative thoughts inside the sacred temple of your trueself.. Don't get me wrong, where there is a real 'present-time' concern of being hurt by someone you love, you have different choices to make. But when your fear is driven by experiences of the past, and/or the thoughts cast out from a paranoid mind, that is different. 

Even though I have a healthy habit of instating positivity into my life at every breath, and even though my physical body is perhaps in the best shape of my life, and even though I have created the man of my dreams, I still stumble into feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and the fear of being betrayed again. No matter how good my new romantic partners are to me, old hurts of the past are ready and willing to pop back into the driving seat and move my life along in painful and limiting ways. Yes, even after mega-healings and ongoing inner work. My past has the power to rob me of my present. Does your past rob you of your present too? For all I/we have healed, there is more still. You may feel it too, and wonder how much longer can it go on- and WHY? Every time pain comes up- every time a painful wave hits, there resides an opportunity to heal from a new angle, perhaps with some new tools, or perspectives. When the shit gets tough on the inside- It is an opportunity for the YOU that is here, now- to become empowered and overcome who you were, or who the Fearful version of yourself tells you- you are. Step up.

Journal Time
Write out a conversation you could imagine in your mind. Hear 'your selves' speaking to each other, one is the Fearful you, and one is the Wise you. Listen in and take notes. You know the voices, they both exist if you listen close enough- one says nice things about you, the other says bad things about you. Write down what you hear. This is what I heard last night:

Fearful Self-
"I feel the past has robbed me of some strength, wisdom or softness I can no longer tap- insecurity looms heavily on my shoulders and I get down on myself. I project my insecurities onto my boyfriend's actions. I am scared he is more attracted to other girls."
Wise Self-
"Why so insecure? Why not relax into your personal power and beauty? What has happened in the past is no longer your truth, unless you allow it to be via your thoughts and projected insecurities. You must 'pen in hand'- write out all of your insecurities and turn them into positivities. Start there, that's a lot. When you get to there- read them aloud and get used to how these new positive thought forms feel. Allow yourself to acclimate to the higher mode of thinking, and you will eventually experience your new word forms as true."
Fearful Self-
"I can't do that, it doesn't matter if I write out this or that, because the past will surely repeat itself, and I will be hurt again. Because when I open my heart, I am betrayed and lied to over and over again. If I can somehow slip out of this relationship, then I wont have to deal with the next surge of these emotional complexities and he can go about his way and find someone more beautiful, attractive and confident. Yes- I will get out now. I will start carving my way out. I will make him/her dis-like me, and he will go away- so I don't have to deal with rejection, pain, father/mother issues, or most of all being betrayed again."
Wise Self-
"You have to stop thinking about these things so much. Place your attention elsewhere, busy yourself in other ways besides focusing on what could go wrong. Especially if there are no reasons for you to feel this way in your current relationship, by all means- pay attention to how you create your reality, and stop the defeating thoughts and words from cycling around and around.- Now go and do your written work; You must write out all of your insecurities and turn them into positivities. Start there. Read them aloud and get used to how these new positive thought forms feel. Allow yourself to acclimate to the higher mode of thinking and you will eventually experience being them too."

Does any of this conversation sound familiar? All of my Fearful Self words of sadness, expectation of the worst, and preferred loneliness -are aspects of an ego based and ego driven mind. When I say ego- I mean the 'I' inside of ME. It's the me me me me that can and does drive us crazy. We gotta catch that crazy bitch/son of a bitch and stop her/him in their tracks. You with me? Just last night I let myself get swept up in a hail storm of negative me me me me thoughts and feelings that started with me having feelings of insecurity and jealousy- that sprang to me hating myself, and having no self esteem or belief in my life - to then questioning why I am here at all. WTF? I was left feeling completely worthless and exhausted- and I was the only one who did it to myself. ME. Yes, the 'I', inside of ME. It's the 'you' inside of YOU too. There's the Fearful version of self- aka the Beast... and the Wise version of self- aka the Beauty. Pick one. Either way, it takes energy to feed and sustain it. With enough ammunition, each can become self sustaining and fulfilling prophecies. "I am ugly, unworthy, unloveable, jealous.." etc will become your reality. You may begin to seek out reasons to FEEL ugly, unworthy, unloveable and jealous- even if it is not true!

Equally; "I am beauty in motion, I trust life, I trust love, I am loved and respected by my partner." -will become your reality. Be it- maybe not with the partner you are with now. Meaning, YOU may not be ready to truly exhibit all of those qualities yet fully- but you are working on it by speaking it so. Or maybe the boyfriend or girlfriend you are with now is the one you will be making some serious breakthroughs with. Lucky you. Do it- express yourself fully, go ahead- get it all out. It takes a warrior to speak truth. Be a Warrior.

Our words and thoughts become real. That's why instilling positive messages into our minds and bodies, while paying attention to the words we speak over our selves and lives- can truly help to keep us FAR from the edge of hanging out with the inner Fearful 'Crazy' Beast. Words and thoughts have energy and energy is where beauty resides. Sure, pretty clothing or polished nails and make up can improve one's confidence and self esteem, but when the clothes go back on the hanger and all the make up comes off, who is left standing there? The real, vulnerable- you. Learning to love you is the most challenging and rewarding gift there is, in my view.

Lets do the work=-It's the shadow, the dark side, the Fearful self, the BEAST- that when conquered through choosing LOVE, Beauty, positivity and WISDOM- has no legs to stand on, and ultimately dissolves, giving way to the FREE and BEAUTIFUL YOU.

Transmute- Transform- Empower
Every time pain comes up- there is an opportunity to heal from a new angle, perhaps with new tools. It is an opportunity for the YOU that is here, now- to become empowered and overcome who you were in the past. The mind is a map (or trap). It displays the meeting of time, and 'spaces' throughout life. It acts as a blueprint for all perceived experiences to remain parked. Even when everything is perfect and flowing, would you find a reason to project negativity or fear-filled expectations into the backdrop of it all?

In the words of the 'Wise' voice-
"Now go and do your written work; You must write out all of your insecurities and turn them into positivities. Start there. Read them aloud and get used to how these new positive thought forms feel. Allow yourself to acclimate to the higher mode of thinking and you will eventually experience being them too."
Write out all of your insecurities and turn them into positivities. Remember, it's an inside job.
Here is how I got started:

I now transmute feelings of jealousy and insecurity into feelings of self-love and self acceptance.
I now transmute feelings of self hate into feelings of forgiveness of self and others.
I now transmute feelings of ugliness into feelings of beauty and strength.
I now transmute feelings of suspicion into feelings of trust and faith.
I now transmute feelings of betrayal into feelings of healing and ascension.
I now transmute feelings of misery and paranoia into feelings of balance and liberation.
I now transmute the past and use it's power to heal myself now. 

I LOve My Beautiful Body. Om and Goodnight...
Love and Light-
Tuesday May 




I am not a certified nutritionist, doctor or therapist. 
Please consult your healthcare professional before participating in any
 lifestyle changes you may feel are questionable to your health. 
I am not responsible for any action you resume. You are- Make it pleasurable.
© Tuesday May Thomas 2013

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Yoga, 'Pranayama' & Meditation ~ A Lifestyle to Enhance Calm and Personal Power




I'm excited to share the cornerstones of my life-style with you! Welcome to a mini Yoga, 'Pranayama' and Meditation introduction. Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation help me stay balanced, and keep my energy positively charged- mind, body and soul. An ongoing discipline of the above practices produces inner clarity, a steady calm, and a silent wealth of empowerment. This comes about by aligning the student with the ability to access their higher self, or authentic (true) self, and inevitably, one's personal power. Perform these techniques along with me- increase the ability to love yourself and your Beautiful Body more each day! 
Blessings and Enjoy,
Tuesday May



YOGA

Yoga gifts us a graceful connection to the body via the breath. It serves to root us within the authentic self, while blessing us with an aptitude to be present, grateful and conscious of our thoughts and actions. It connects us to an endless, universal supply of life force energy, or Prana. The video links seem to have trouble appearing on the IPad, so I've added direct links below. Please scroll down to continue viewing blog <3

 
  Hip Opener 


PRANAYAMA


Pranayama (pronounced as it sounds) is the name given to yogic breathing practices that serve to extend the breath and enhance ones ability to channel and store life force energyPrana is life force energy- the invisible energy that gives life and motion to all things and beings. The more prana or life-force flows through you, the better your mind, body and emotions can run in harmonic balance with one another. Nadi Suddhi helps relieve stress and anxiety brought on by over-thinking. When performing this breathing exercise, envision breathing life force energy into your system. 
                 
Pranayama Nadi Suddhi 
        

                                                                                   
MEDITATION


When I started meditating it was hard to sit still. I was bombarded by a million thoughts pushing my mind here and there. Having a picture to paint helped me keep focused. Train your mind to stay centered in the present moment and detached from the past and future by trying a guided meditation. The title to this meditation is 'Deep Healing Reiki Meditation', and is appropriate for all levels. Reiki is an ancient form of hands-on healing whereby the individual is recognized as a conduit for the flow of prana. 

Deep Healing Reiki Meditation- Video

Guided Meditation 




I am not a certified nutritionist, doctor or therapist. 
Please consult your healthcare professional before participating in any
 lifestyle changes you may feel are questionable to your health. 
I am not responsible for any action you resume.
© Tuesday May Thomas 2013