You're doing great, my love!

What a year this has been… Covid-19, Sheltering in Place, Business Shut Downs, Schools Closed, Large Gatherings Outlawed, International Travel not allowed, Anti-Racism Demonstrations, Fires, Hurricanes, Politicking… it’s certainly been a more challenging than normal time for most. (Thanks Uranus!!!)

With every challenge there is the breakdown… but then we have the breakthrough. We always end up on the other side, and with a perspective we could not have seen from our original standpoint. In my experience, this is spiritual growth, expansion, and at some point, not always right away, we realize that we’ve ended up in a better place.

I have been handling all of the above pretty well. I’ve somewhat smoothly transitioned my teaching and mentoring business to online. My newest challenge is that I just had (what felt to me like an intense) dental surgery. A tooth of mine developed 'Internal Resorption" - it was killing itself from the inside out. It had to be removed surgically. And, I will have another surgery in about four months to put an implant in. So I am currently healing from the first part of this process.

I believe that what we manifest (the wanted and unwanted stuff) is always a result or the effect of what we've been thinking, saying, feeling, believing, and doing. So, I've been looking within to discover what has been eating away at me on the inside.

What I've noticed is...

1. I’ve gotten lazy about consciously speaking kind, positive, loving things to myself. For some, this might be natural. For me, it takes self awareness and practice. So I have been drawn back to doing affirmations, which I’ve done a lot in my life, but not lately. It feels good to be saying positive and empowering words to myself again.

2. During the painful moments following my dental procedure, I heard my inner voice saying to myself, "You're doing great, my love. You've got this. I love you. You’re healing perfectly. Just relax and breathe, all is well." It felt soothing to hear these loving words, and I was grateful they came to me so naturally.

3. As I spoke those warm, nurturing, and encouraging words to myself, I viscerally felt the physical pain recede and the calmness take over. I was reminded that our words, our self-talk is SUPER POWERFUL!

I realized that this was what was eating away at me on the inside… I have not been loving or nurturing to myself while our world has been turned upside down. I have been in go mode…learning new technology, learning new practices, working on creating online programs (to be announced soon-ish!) I’d been keeping very busy taking care of my family and students. This uncommon dental situation has helped me see that I need this kind of soothing, loving, and healing self talk daily.

I imagine we all could benefit from consciously speaking to ourselves more kindly and with love during these interesting days. I am grateful to have learned about the tools I have returned to practicing today (affirmations, mantra meditation, breathwork) years ago. They are once again helping me begin to manifest more positive effects in my life…and to feel better now. I am reminded that our personal healing and growth is a lifelong process. And, that this lifestyle of healing can be easy, graceful, joyful and fulfilling.

As I continue to work on me and my stuff, I am feeling blessed to have had the opportunity to work with others as they navigate through their personal challenges. Transformation is just easier when you have someone to lean on. When you have a mentor to lend you a new perspective, to share tools with you that you’ve not been exposed to or been held with accountability to practice.

If you are noticing that you need more support than you usually do to get through these extraordinary times, it’s OK! Please, if you are suffering, reach out to someone. Reach out to me, if you feel moved. Let someone remind you that. “you are doing great, my love.” And do it before you have created anything unwanted, as I have!

I love you! I am here for you! You got this!

xo, Allyn

Abundance!!!

Happy February, my loves!

It's been a beautiful beginning of the year, and I am excited to share what's been going on, and what's coming up, with you!

A dear friend of mine, who I haven't been in close contact with for many years, invited me to join him for a 21-day Abundance Meditation group challenge facilitated through What's App. I was ready to focus on me after a festive and busy start of my year, so I accepted the challenge. I began to add this 15 minute meditation and 15+ minute inwardly focused task to my daily schedule and was really enjoying the experience until...

On day five of the challenge I was asked to create my own 21-day Abundance Meditation group. As you probably know, I facilitate meditation, breathwork, and yoga classes, daily - so the fact that this request brought up so much resistance within me was a little surprising. It took me two days to observe the feelings of resistance before I decided what to do. I chose to move through my discomfort with sharing someone else's free meditation program, which seemed counterproductive to my goal of earning a reasonable living through my offerings, because I am very committed to having a breakthrough in the area of abundance. I knew that part of the reason I was resisting inviting folks to join me for 21-days was my old and false programming of “they won’t see my value and won’t choose me." In my resistance, I knew that the energy of this untruth has impacted how my personal offerings have been received for years. So I started a group and invited a bunch of folks.

I have to say that facilitating my 21-day abundance meditation group was super fulfilling! We were guided to NOT decide for our contacts who would or wouldn't be interested, and were told that even 2-3 people opting in was enough to count as a group. I invited people who I know well and who have practiced with me in the past. Before I invited anyone, I connected inwardly until I was really OK with the possibility that only a couple might participate - and even if that was my mom and sisters, who are my biggest fans!!! I was delighted that about 15 joined, and 12 completed the challenge. Once that resistance was gone, it felt great to gift this three week journey to this sweet group. I was rewarded throughout and at the end of the 21 days by having the opportunity to support some as the challenge challenged them, and by hearing their gratitude and how much value they each received out of it.

What I learned through the experience of doing my own 21-days as well as facilitating my groups 21-days is that I have been functioning from a perspective of lack and limitation in my yoga teaching career. I have been very successful in all of my previous careers, and realized that I have allowed an industry wide false belief to infiltrate my mind - that you can't make a healthy living teaching yoga. On top of that are the personal false beliefs attached to my self worth, which are something like, “I can stand behind XYZ company/product and sell it easily, but it’s not OK to be boastful, so I can’t sell me/my offerings.” It feels so yucky to acknowledge and write that, which is great - means I am ready to be done with it! What also came to my attention through the experience is that, because of my lack consciousness, I have been too focused on “trying to make money” doing what I love. This was beginning to take some of the joy out of doing what I love!

So I got really clear about a few things, which I’d say are the results of this 21 day challenge/experiment:

• I know there is abundant value in the healing yogic practices I teach

• I have acquired an abundance of knowledge, wisdom, tools and techniques through the trainings, my personal practice, and the self discovery I’ve been dedicated to for the past 11 years

• I have heard, and know deep inside, that I am a really good teacher

• I acknowledge that I am gifted with intuitive intelligence, and have finally begun to trust it

• I have created a new practice for myself, which is… before announcing or inviting people to any new offering, I will give myself permission to NOT be attached to who opts in or opts out

• I honor my innate drive to serve others, and feel inspired to share my abundant gifts in the form of the following offerings

Click on the name of the offering to learn more and/or register. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

BREATHWORK 101 —> Friday, March 6, 5:30-6:30pm, at Santa Monica Yoga

VISION BOARDING & YOGA —> Saturday, March 7, 1-5pm, at Naam Los Angeles

ANCIENT BREATHWORK FOR MODERN LIFE —> Saturday, March 14, 1:30-3:30pm, at Santa Monica Yoga

YOUR ESSENTIAL SELF —> Begins Wednesday, March 25, 10am-11:30am, at your computer! (continues weekly at this time for 12 weeks - through June 10, 2020)

May you acknowledge and appreciate the abundance in your life!

With love,

Allyn