Hello!

Today, I’m sharing something that has the power to transform your relationships. It’s something I recently read from A Course in Miracles. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure if I should make this blog because it’s pretty deep. But, I decided it was important to share, because this one concept has the power to transform your relationships.

We all want happy relationships. Whether that’s with our intimate partner, parents, children, friends or colleagues. Well, A Course in Miracles says that any time there’s a relationship challenge, it can traced back to the ego. The ego has a way of finding things to get angry or upset about. When that happens, it places guilt on the other person. This then breaks down any sort of communication.

Imagine for a moment. When someone makes you feel guilty, what do you do? For me, I shut down. I don’t want to talk to the person for awhile. And so, you can imagine what making someone feel guilty does to the channels of communication. The Course suggests that you tune into yourself in those situations. Ask yourself, “Is this something that my ego is bringing up here?” 

The Course also talks about sacrifice as another way the ego places guilt on another. Have you ever said, “I did so much for so-and-so, and they didn’t even notice! They didn’t even say thank you or do anything in return!” This is sacrifice. It’s the idea that I am sacrificing myself to make others happy and they're not returning the favor. Again, if you put yourself in the other person’s shoes, can you see how this blocks off communication?

So I know this is a deep topic. It may even be a difficult topic because it requires self-examination. And that can be hard. But, I can say that the more you recognize the ego and work on tuning into your Highest self, that it does get easier. Stuff still comes up, but you’re able to nip it in the bud quicker. 

So, the next time it comes up, you can say to yourself, “Oh ego, I know you’re showing your head again. But, this time, I’ld like you to take the back seat. I’m going to let my Highest self drive this time.” Then, listen. What’s your heart telling you in this situation? This is the way to truly heal your relationships. Turn it over to your heart. Allow those lines of communication to be open. And, all you need to do is ask your ego to take the back seat. Let your heart guide you. 

Let me know your thoughts and experiences on this topic. Can you think of some situations when you let your ego rule? What are some situations when your heart led the way? What was the difference in those situations? How did each one feel? Leave a comment and let me know!

Sending you so much love on this incredible journey!

Love, Sheetal

Keep Reading:
Overcoming Fears
Metta: Transforming Loss into Love
I Choose Peace

What if you could throw away your to-do list and still get everything you want?
 
Hello!
 
Today, I’m giving you an inside peek into my planner!  Why? Because, Thanksgiving is around the corner and, before you know it, we’ll be at New Years! And so, I want you to have the tools to make this New Year’s different from past years. You know how it goes. New Years comes around. You think about your resolutions or intentions for the year. You set some goals. And, a month later, you find that gym membership is going to waste. You’re back to your old eating patterns. And, you’ve made little progress towards your goals. The time flew by! Well, I want to set you up for success in 2019!  So, today, I’m walking you through the planner that I used all year. It’s this planner, along with a system called RPM*, that helped me achieve my goals this year!
 
It's called the Panda Planner. This planner keeps me organized while also encouraging me to celebrate along the way. So, not only am I achieving a ton, but I’m also feeling great about it! Happy and fulfilled. And, isn’t that what we all want? Isn’t that why we run around all day doing all sorts of things? To get that feeling of being happy and fulfilled. Well, this planner helps with that! And, I’m going to walk you through it. Before I get started, in full disclosure, I’m not affiliated with this company at all. I just really love the product! So, here we go!
 
Monthly Calendar
First of all, I love that it’s not dated! That means, if you skip a day or two, no big deal! For example, I don’t use the planner on weekends. I like to keep my weekends free and flexible. So, I skip those days and I don’t have to waste any pages. Also, it has these prompts for the month:

• What am I going to focus on?
• What’s a habit I’m working on?
• What are my top goals?
• What distractions do I want to avoid?
• End of month review. What were my big wins?

 
These prompts are so helpful. For example, a distraction I’ve been working on avoiding all year has been stress and overwhelm. Those feelings drain my energy and I’ld rather use my energy to achieve my goals. The end of the month review is great because it forces you to celebrate! If you’re an achiever like me, then you’re familiar with that sense of finishing something and then going right on to the next thing. No pause to celebrate or to reflect. Just one thing to another. So, I love that this planner encourages you to take notice of all the awesome things you’re doing!
 
Weekly Plan
The weekly plan starts off with reviewing your past week. Again, encouraging you to celebrate! It prompts you to list your big wins for the past week. And, when I say “big win,” it can be anything that feels like a win to you. For example, I’ve often listed things like going for a run, because I’ve been working on staying consistent with my cardio workouts. Or, I’ll write something like “laughing like crazy with my husband,” because nurturing my marriage is important to me. Of course, I also list things related to my career and mission. But, I mention those first few wins because sometimes we forget that those sort of things are important and count as wins too! Success and achievement can only give us so much happiness. How we relate to ourselves and the people in our life, well, to me, that gives the greatest fulfillment. So, whatever it is for you, take some time to celebrate!  Also, celebrating what’s already great in your life is the best way to attract more of what you want! There’s a saying that “success builds on success.”
 
So, then it prompts you:

• How can I improve?
• Things I’ll do to make this week great. It gives you space to write things down for different areas of your life – personal, work, family/relationships
• What am I looking forward to?
• Habits I’m focusing on developing. So, this could be anything. Compassion for      yourself. Finding more moments of stillness. To meditate. To be more present. What is it for you?
• Learn something new
• Passion project.  I’ll be honest with you, this last one has been the hardest for me to stick with this past year. Doing something for no other reason than it’s fun! I need to do      more of this in my life, and every week I get a little reminder here.

 
Daily Planner
So, the daily planner continues with:

• What are 3 things I’m grateful for?
• What are 3 things I’m excited about?
• What’s my affirmation for the day? Where am I going to put my focus?
• What sort of exercise am I going to do?
• What are my top priorities?
• Daily schedule to fill in appointments or blocks of activity
• End of the day review.  What went great today? What can I improve?

 
This daily plan is by far my favorite part! Why? Because it focuses my mind to be grateful and excited at the start of the day. How amazing to start each day feeling happy and like you can’t wait for what the day is going to bring! The nature of these questions lead you to live each day with intention.
 
So, I love it and have been using it all year! Again, it’s called the Panda Planner and you can get it on Amazon. If you don’t feel like buying this planner, no biggie. Like I said, I’m not affiliated with them at all. I just love all the prompts that encourage you to focus and achieve while also feeling happy and fulfilled. That’s why I led you through all the different parts of the planner today. You can pick whatever pieces resonate with you the most and use it in your daily life.
 
I definitely want to hear if you use it though! What parts resonated with you the most? Which sections or questions are most helpful for you to think of each day? Leave a comment and let me know!
 
Sending you so much love, today and always!
 
Love,
Sheetal
 
*RPM stand for “Rapid Planning Method.” It’s a planning system developed by Tony Robbins. I’ve been using RPM along with the Panda Planner for amazing results all year! Leave a comment to let me know if you want to learn more about RPM. It’s too much to cover in a blog, but I’ll offer a free webinar if there’s interest!
 
Keep Reading:
Live With Intention
Time, Attention, Prana, and Love
Gratitude and Celebration

​Who doesn’t love a really great massage?  What if I told you that you can get a massage everyday without spending a dime?  
 
Well, you can!  And, its called Abhyanga.  In Ayurveda, Abhyanga is self-massage.  It’s a massage that you can treat yourself to as often as you want.  I’ve mentioned it briefly in some of my older blogs where I’ve given seasonal tips from Ayurveda.  Today, I want to go deeper to give you a closer look at what its all about!  
 
Why self-massage?
Massaging your body with oil is an act of self-love. That’s what Ayurveda’s all about.  It’s a beautiful system of practices of honoring and loving yourself.  Also, Ayurveda says that when you put oil on our skin and let it get absorbed, it releases toxins from the deep tissues of your body.  Another great benefit, especially in the Fall, is that oil grounds the energy of the season.  Fall has qualities of dry, cold, and rough.  What better way to bring in moisture, warmth, and softness than a warm oil massage?  These qualities of Fall can also affect your mind and emotions.  It can lead to your mind being restless, flighty, spacey.  And so, this massage also helps ground your mental and emotional energy so that you feel stable, supported, and calm.  
 
How to do self-massage
The technique is less important than just getting the oil on your skin.  The main thing is using a lot of oil and keeping it on long enough to get absorbed.  Sesame oil is the best type for the Fall.  It’s helpful to see this as an act of self-love because the thoughts and energy that we have when do anything is reflected in how effective the practice is going to be.  So, I suggest expressing gratitude for each part of your body as you massage it.  See this as a chance to be grateful for your body that works so hard for you day in and day out.    Now, if you wanna get really technical, you can use the Ayurveda massage technique of long strokes across most of your body and circular strokes on your joints. 
 
When’s the best time to do this?
Ayurveda recommends every morning.  I’ll be honest with you though.  I do it about 3x a week.  And, I prefer to do it at night before going to bed.  So, here’s the deal.  Ayurveda recommends self-massage as part of your morning routine.  Vigorous massage strokes can wake up the body and help with circulation, especially of the lympatics.  So, it’s great to do in the morning if that fits your schedule!  For me, I already have a pretty extensive morning routine, so I prefer to do it in the evening.  It helps me go to sleep.  It’s a great way to end my day by giving myself this act of self-love.  So, what I do is I massage my body, leave the oil on while I brush my teeth and floss (to let the oil get absorbed), then I take a warm shower to rinse off the oil. 
 
So, there you have it, dear.  I hope you try this out.  It’s really helped me a lot with things like getting a good night sleep, calming my nervous system, and relieving joint pain.  Let me know if you try it and what benefits you see!  Leave a comment below!
 
*Interested in learning more about Ayurveda?   Subscribe here to be the first to get updates about my brand new Ayurveda online course coming late 2018!!
 
Sending you so much love!

​Keep Reading:
What is Ayurveda?
Transitioning into Fall: Ayurveda Self-Care Practices for the Fall Season
Yoga Poses for the Fall

Hello!

Today, I’m sharing a yoga pose that’s great for the fall season! What makes a yoga pose great for the fall season?  Well, according to Ayurveda, each season has a certain energy.  The energy of the fall season is Air and Ether, also known as Vata. The Vata energy also governs certain parts of our body, including the hips and the colon. So, the pose that I’m showing you today is a reclined twist and it’s great for the hips and colon!
 
Benefits of this pose:

1. Improves flexibility in the spine
2. Great stretch for the hips
3. Improves digestion

 
So, let’s move through the pose now.  Watch the video, or keep reading…

1. Lay down on your back. Keep your arms by your side. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet to the ground.
2. Lift your hips off the ground. Shift your hips to the right and then lower your hips back down to the ground.
3. Take your arms out the side in a T-shape or Cactus Arms. (Cactus arms is like T-shape, except you bend your elbows so that your hands are up near your ears)
4. Let your knees fall to the left, maybe stacking your right leg over the left if that feels comfortable to you. Gaze up to the ceiling, or shift your gaze to look over your right arm (depending on what feels best for your neck).
5. Hold the pose here for as long as you like before switching sides

 
There you have it! Reclined spinal twist. Great pose for spinal flexibility, hip stretch, and improving digestion. Enjoy this pose during the Fall and anytime you want extra loving attention to your hips, spine, and colon!
 
Leave a comment below to let me know how you enjoyed the pose! Any challenges, questions, comments? Let me know of that too!
 
Sending you so much love!
 
Keep Reading:
What is Ayurveda?
Yoga Poses for the Fall Season
Fall in Love with Ayurveda