Synchronicity

Definition "the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality" *from Merriam Webster

It was a long time ago that I learned about synchronicity. In my early 20's, I was introduced to the term by the book "The Celestine Prophecy". I had certainly experienced synchronicity before I knew it had a label, but it was the first time I started to think that perhaps many of the ideas I had tuned into were experienced by others. 

In short, I started to feel less alone.

When I first started noticing these occurrences, they were happening all the time. It felt like such a powerful feeling to know that my life was being guided by something much larger than myself. I also used it as an excuse in my younger days that there were some things in my life that were destined to happen, and that truly I could make no mistakes. The naivete of a 21-year old. Sending love to my younger self .... and a little pat on the head. (which I would have hated!)

In my 30's, I have experienced fewer synchronistic events, but they have been considerably more profound. Last weekend, I experienced one of these incidents, and it's too good not to share!

I had made a coffee date with a lovely yoga teacher I met in the Summer on Tuesday, but we had to cancel... 

Unrelated, my hubby & I had been meaning to take the kids snowboarding at Harper Mountain all winter, and finally booked it on Friday as they had the day off from school. 

The first synchronicity: This lovely yoga teacher ended up being the one giving me a snowboarding lesson. It felt so great to be on a snowboard again, and I had forgotten how much I liked it.

The second synchronicity: After the lesson was over, my daughter conned me into going up the t-bar with her, threw me off balance, and we fell over. My kneecap landed on the edge of her board, and I felt a searing pain ... I hobbled over to the lodge, and planted myself on a bench to take a look at it. The little incident ended up benching me for the day ... But then I saw the lovely yoga teacher, and she was done with teaching for the day ...

Wouldn't you know it? We ended up having coffee in the lodge!

The Universe engineered all of this perfectly for us! We ended up having a fantastic conversation and visit together - and none of this would have happened if I didn't hurt myself.

I strongly believe that there are NO coincidences in life. When you begin to believe that the Universe is on your side, working for you, at all times ... the World is Your Oyster. 

(And the secret is that you are the pearl, being perfectly formed and designed for the highest good of the Universe).

How to Stay True to Who You Are

You were born to the right parents, the right siblings, in the right place at exactly the right time. There is no one like you, and never will be again. You have an entire world inside you that you can share with others - a world and a perspective that can change peoples' lives. Whether you do this consciously or unconsciously, it is happening every time you have an interaction with someone.

It is up to you to become aware of what your gifts truly are. When you move from a place of certainty in who you are, there is nothing you can't do. The trick is to take a good look at your values & beliefs, to examine the actions you take every single day - and to see if anything is out of alignment.

We hear these things all the time - so why is it that we fall off the wagon, "forget", or just let go of practices that make us happy, balanced and fulfilled? 

I received these beautiful reminders at the Tony Robbins event I attended last week. As I've been to this particular event before the entire weekend was a reminder that I am the one in charge of my own life. I decide how successful I'm going to be in everything that I do.

I, for one, am getting really tired of the EGO mind that continues to tell me I can't do things. I know that I am absolutely capable of greatness - and there are so many people out there who have things to teach me.

Here is something that I say to myself before I teach: (feel free to steal it, or to create your own!)

I open myself today to become a channel for the energy of the Universe. Please allow this energy to come through me - Please allow me to be a messenger of the Universe, and to deliver to whomever I meet today exactly what the Universe has been trying to tell them. Please help me to put my own baggage aside so that these messages can come through me with clarity & love.

Coming Soon: Yoga Your Way - Click for MORE!

Namaste & Love, Nicole

Cultivating an Inner Sanctuary

When I think of a sanctuary, I imagine a large, open space with massive stone pillars, and billowing white curtains separating the space. I imagine the intoxicating scent of lilies, jasmine & magnolia flowers. I can see still gazing pools with lily pads floating on the surface. There is a beautiful swimming pool, and a few hot tubs scattered here & there. There are tables filled with artistically arranged food, and the purest water in crystal goblets. There is soft, angelic music playing in the background. I can receive Reiki, massage, sound treatments, or any other kind of bodywork imaginable - any time I wish. 

This is my inner sanctuary.

http://energyartistjulia.bigcartel.com/

You can have one, too, if you can dream one up. 

When I teach restorative yoga, I think of each moment in the class as cultivating this inner sanctuary. What would make you feel ultimately relaxed, comforted and take care of? If I come around during the class, what is it that you need from me? A gentle adjustment, a blanket to better support you in a pose, or simply a loving hand held to your forehead? 

How can I help you take care of yourself?

My mission in these very special classes is to guide you into a loving experience - but ultimately the experience is up to you. The only thing we can truly "own" is direct experience. The tricky part is that your thoughts, emotions and sometimes past experiences, can begin to change the way you view direct experience. 

I love teaching Restorative Yoga above all other forms of yoga, because it is truly about You. You become responsible for how much you are able to relax and release into the experience. You are responsible for ensuring that you feel physically comfortable during the class. And you are also responsible for your own inner sanctuary ... Using your breath to support the poses, focusing on releasing anything that no longer serves you. 

This language can sound strange for a long time .. but when you hear your yoga teacher repeating it enough times, you begin to try putting them into practice. And suddenly one day you find yourself at ease ... with everything. 

Yoga occasionally brings us profound moments of true silence, deep inner peace, and freedom. But in order to get there, we must practice. You can practice at home - even just for 5 minutes at a time - even just 10 deep belly breaths, or 3 Uujayi breaths, or a few Cat/Cows. 

And when you come to class, your body knows what's happening, and those openings are waiting to be experienced. 

Cultivate an Inner Sanctuary every day, by giving yourself moments of space and breath. Your body will thank you. Your mind will thank you. 

Here's to Inner Peace!

Love Nicole

Nicole Aracki is a yoga teacher in Kamloops, BC, Canada. Guiding You to the Light Within.
www.nicolearacki.com 
https://www.facebook.com/nicoleatmanyoga/# 

On Teaching Yoga

Last night a friend requested that I write about a day in the life of a yoga teacher ... all the ups, and all the downs of being in this profession of mine. I am pleased and excited that B requested I write on this subject, as it is an excellent opportunity for me to reflect on this role of "Yoga Teacher". 

For so long, this was what I wanted: To teach yoga full time and to immerse myself in leading classes for others. I feel privileged and honoured to guide people into their practice, and to offer unique ways to change perspectives on the practice and on the personal journey of the self. 

It is inevitable that I, too, would receive an education as I was so busy with teaching that I suffered with stress and a feeling of "no time" for me. The busiest week I had was 13 classes in one week - and to me, this was an enormous jump from a year ago when I was teaching only 3 classes per week! 

I love teaching yoga, and what I noticed when I began to teach so many classes was that the inspiration didn't run out. I feel constantly inspired by many things - my own personal practice, the way students react to what I'm offering, and the intuitive guidance that I receive is finely tuned now. In fact, I feel more inspired the more I teach! 

But what I also noticed is that if I don't take the time to clear my energy field after teaching a class, I begin to feel very heavy and tired in my own energy and I feel the need to hole myself up at home when I'm not teaching. There have been times when I hoped that I wouldn't see anyone I knew, simply because I didn't want them to see me in this strange state. 

When my schedule went over the tipping point, I felt exhausted, and had very little energy to do the things I normally do to take care of myself, like running. I didn't have much in me for the kids or my husband either, and honestly I knew that something would have to change. It wasn't worth it to do so much of something that I love, if it wasn't causing me peace, love and joy.

When I teach yoga, I open myself up to receive messages from my Guides & Gurus (who's names I don't know, and faces I've never seen). But I also open myself up to receive messages and guidance from the students in the class as well. If I'm not careful, I find that sometimes I pick up physical ailments in my own body - almost like catching a cold. I have to be proactive in taking care of Me first so that I have a strong energetic system that can fight off the energetic clinging of others.

How do I take care of myself? I believe that everybody has a "formula" for personal success, and for me it starts with self-care:

1) Daily Meditation - I practice for 30 minutes every morning as soon as I wake up. Sometimes it's breathwork, sometimes it's simple breath-focused meditation, and sometimes gentle yoga

2) Running - I try to run every other day, except when I'm training - which leads to my next component ...

3) Goalsetting - I sit down and set goals once a month! A few past goals: *feed my family with yoga $  ... *50 km Runs ... * Working at a certain studio 

4) Time Alone in Nature - I need time to go inward, to practice ceremony, and to fill myself up again with the energy of the Earth

5) Eating whole, healthy foods. Drinking lots of water. 

I recently let go of quite a few of the classes I was teaching, and I suddenly have time to focus on my self-care routines again. It is making such a difference already. I have the time and energy to run regularly again, I am able to enjoy my kids and my man again, and I am finding the time to reflect and slow down. 

As I head off to another Tony Robbins event, I feel myself buzzing with potential .. and I am SO excited to begin sharing MORE love MORE joy MORE connection and MORE peace with you all!! I have many exciting plans coming up in 2017, and I believe that all of my dreams will come true! Stay tuned in to all that is happening with me ~ Perhaps there will be a way in which I can serve you in the future.

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again my friends!

Love Nicole 

Leaving Home ...

I realized yesterday when I looked at the calendar that it has been a YEAR since we moved away from Quesnel. I find myself reflecting on how it felt to pack up all the things in our home, and how I didn't have any idea what I would encounter in the next days/weeks and months to come. 

And of course, had I known how crazy my life would become in the following 6 months, I might have thought about the move in a little more detail. I might not have even left the threshold of our lovely home in Q-town ...

But what fun would that have been?

I have been pushed out of my comfort zone more often than I would have liked in the last year. Driving the Coquihalla Highway through the winter 4 nights a week to get my daughter to her competitive gymnastics sessions ... living in a tiny old house in Merritt where the kids shared a cold bedroom ... in a less-than-desirable neighborhood ... where the kids went to school with underprivileged children ... and in a small town where I just couldn't find a sense of connection ... 

And also where I grew into bigger shoes simply because there was no other choice. Because I was "forced" to. 

It would have been so easy to stay comfortable in Quesnel, dreaming of a life that I likely would not have been able to attain without pushing through the discomfort. I simply must say here that I don't regret a thing. Even though some of the memories of the last year of my life are "unpleasant", I continue to remind myself that this was all By Choice. So many people go through life having things happen TO them, rather than Making Things Happen. And I don't think either way is better or worse. I simply believe now that I would rather engineer my life so that I can manifest exactly what I want!

Through all this difficulty, my husband and I manifested many things ...

* We are now living in a beautiful home that has a running trail right in the backyard
* I am now working almost full time as a yoga teacher
* We are finally taking the kids to Disneyland!
* I will be presenting a workshop at the Interior Wellness Conference
* We live in the Okanagan!

There are so many other little things that have happened, and there are too many to list here.

The point of my story is this:

Sometimes life gets hard, and things begin to happen to you that you feel (in the moment) that you cannot bear. But yet, from somewhere deep within you there is this wellspring of strength that you are able to draw from. A vast and unlimited supply of energy that nourishes you *just enough* so that you can take one more step, so that you can take in the next breath of air, so that you can live out another day in an upright position. 

When you purposefully push through the limitations you have placed on yourself, you say to the Universe - YES! YES! I can handle MORE peace, more love , more joy, more excitement and more satisfaction! 

Sometimes in life we want someone to tell us what to do in order to get to that place - but I tell you this here - YOU are the one in control, and truly are the only one who can answer these questions. Deep within your own self, you know exactly what you need to to in order to feel happy and alive ... and satisfied. 
Life is never really going to feel easy. And it's not supposed to. The point of all of it is to immerse yourself in experiences. Don't take second-hand knowledge and make decisions about how you're going to "be" in this world - 

Live your own life, and gather up your experiences ... 
Make mistakes and learn your lessons ... 
Be hard on yourself, and then forgive yourself ...

If you feel stagnant, unsatisfied or unhappy in any way - make some decisions about how you really want to feel in each day. Life is too short to constantly wait for something to happen. 

I send you Peace, Love and Joy ~ Namaste, Nicole

The Wait is Over!!!

After a long, Challenging winter of driving the Coquihalla up to 7 times a week (often twice in a day), of living in a tiny house where the kids share a bedroom, and the cat & the dog learned how to get along. After what seemed like a never-ending wait for a job offer my husband finally received. (In order to even apply for this job, my husband had to drive over the Connector to Kelowna for a job fair in the middle of winter - multiple times.)


There were so many times in this transition that I thought we had made a terrible mistake in leaving our comfort zone, our friends, family, and a huge circle of support. I wanted to quit and just move back "home" where I would know people walking down the street, where my smiles would be returned, where I would be loved and accepted.


But every damn day, my husband and I focused on the reasons we had for making this move, for stepping out of our comfort zones, for having a huge vision for our lives. We woke up on either side of the bed, and practiced gratitude together. We sent love out to everyone we know, and then to the world, the galaxy, and the Universe. AND we focused on goals. We both have lofty ones, and I honestly didn't know that I had such desires inside of me ... But these weren't "wishes" I was focusing on, these were goals. Goals require work. Personal work on the innerscape of my psyche and taking a good look at the imprints of beliefs that were overlaying everything I believe about myself. Not all of this is pretty, and I admit, I am will be untangling these beliefs for a while longer ... 


Through all of this, I reached the threshold of what I thought was all I could bear, and I would realize that there was another hairpin corner up ahead - it just looked like the top for a moment. So I had to hang tough, to be strong and to stay focused on what I wanted. I had to be stubborn and to want this new life badly enough that I would just. keep. going. The same way I do in an Ultramarathon. You haven't had enough until your faculties are dull and your mind is fuzzy, and you're forgetting to drink water, and then you realize you only have 5 kilometres to go. Then the beast comes out. And she did come out in me.


We made a trip to our Quesnel house to grab the last few things we had inadvertently left behind (and ran out of gusto, leaving a trampoline and other things - I'm sorry new owners ...). Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things. And I'm not sure when I really felt myself letting go of my Quesnel life. On some level, I envy those blessed souls who are able to remain, because I never thought I would leave. I watched others leave, and thought "No, not me, I won't leave this amazing place". I had everything I needed, but I felt a call to my name that there was a part of my journey that would need me to step up, and step out.


I haven't taken my final bow out of Quesnel, because I have friends there, and I love the running trails. I also intend to keep teaching at Edgewood Farm during the summer, as well as co-host a retreat with Veronica again. But I can tell you that I have some Major plans for our new home in Kamloops. We move into our new home Easter weekend!!!


I will be taking bookings for visitors starting April 1st ;o)


Thank you for all your love & support along the way.

Receive Your Lessons Well

Do you ever feel like you're learning the same lessons over and over? It seems that there can be many aspects to those BIG life lessons that repeat themselves (just in case you missed anything the first time around).


For me, I learn over and over that things don't usually happen when you WANT them to, but rather when it's meant for you. And I have found, and am finding, that this is unequivocally true. It seems as though the Universe sometimes says to me "Now, now, Nicole, try not to rush this ...".


Oh, the wisdom of childhood - my Mom always used to tell me to hurry up! Maybe little Nicole knew what she was doing ...


Having moved to a new place and all, I was feeling some difficulties in finding a sense of belonging. It is really hard to move somewhere where you don't know a soul! And I seem to forget that people need time to get to know me and to trust me. So I get a little impatient. Come on people - I am totally amazing, super fun, nice, gentle and very accepting!


I admit, I was starting to feel pretty frustrated about many aspects of my life - living situation, town, driving, and even work! I had one day where I felt like complete sh*t ... I was down in the dumps about all of it, and beginning to wonder if we had made a mistake leaving that comfortable Comfort Zone. I even went to bed feeling pretty down on myself.


Lo and behold, the following day, I woke up and made extra time to meditate, do yoga and to just get refocused. I went for a run in the snowy hills. I played with my dog. And I slowly began to think that everything was going to work out. The day after that, the good news started to pour in - and it wasn't just one piece of good news - it was one after another after another!


The clouds seem to be parting, and the ice slowly cracking across the frozen lakes of my internal winter, and I am finding my way home through my heart. And I realize that the way home is always through the heart - the route never changed, it was just something I had forgotten. But the Universe rewarded me with this flood of good news because I made myself ready for the goodness to come. Without being in that primed state, the news might not have come to me as clearly, or have had the impact that it did.


I think it's pretty human to not quite understand the messages we receive throughout our lifetimes. It is all part of the process to be young, impulsive, and to think we can force things to happen in our lives. But our higher selves always know what's best for us, what we need at any given time, and how to frame situations so that lessons can be learned. When you receive the gift of an epiphany about your life, it is a huge high that catapults us into the next level of our being.


My wish for you is that you receive your lessons well, for the highest good of everyone, everywhere.


Namaste ~ Nicole

The Best Year Yet.

I'm reading an awful lot about making 2016 the

Best Year Ever!!

 letting go of old crap that no longer serves you, getting healthy, getting fit, sharing love, Fully participating and being present in life.

I woke up this morning and decided that I simply want to live my life from a place of love <3 If all my actions come from this Seat of Love, I know that I have done my very best! Whatever this means to you, my friends, I honour your desire to change, to improve, to harness ... and most importantly to take the first step, because everything that follows after you take this crucial step is carried forward with a kind of momentum that you don't expect.


When you live without expectation of reward and praise, you open your heart up to the possibilities of self-healing, and you finally are able to say "I DID this. I AM amazing!" I know that I repeat this theme a lot, but for me to say this out loud in this public forum, I continually reach out to the world and continue to spread love, light and possibility to those who have agreed with me, but still seem to be waiting on the sideline.


Stop pretending that you're a wallflower, darling. We are all meant to Shine, to sparkle, to become the very best version that we can be. A version that the ghosts of our old selves will be so incredibly proud of. And when you are approaching the reward of self-love, you will want your old self to grab your hand - you will want to bring this version with you. And she won't be able to ... because at that point in time, she will slowly begin to fade away ... And the transformation will be complete.


I wish you the best year yet. I wish you love. I wish you peace. I wish you joy, and celebration, and the satisfaction that comes with a consistent practice that feeds your soul.


Happy New Year!
Namaste, Nicole

Living in the Nicola-Thompson-Okanagan

My weekly routine here in the Nicola-Thompson-Okanagan has really taken shape. I am now teaching 6 classes a week to people in their workplaces, at a photography studio, to children and to University students. It feels good to be a presence in Kamloops, and I have to say, I really like the city!


It's interesting how the Universe makes choices for you based on your perceptions of the world around you. I always disliked Kamloops because every time I was there, I got lost, could never find what I was looking for ... and it is so freakishly dry that I would feel a little panicky. I suppose that if you hang out in any place for long enough, it will start to grow on you and change your mind. Once I figured out a few things, I was liberated to start truly seeing this city for the beauty ... people are pretty darn friendly here! It's an interesting place because it's a big town and a small city, so you still get the connectedness of a small town, but the facilities and shopping of a city. I am truly enjoying my time there, even if it means driving so much to and from Merritt. (7 times a week, but only 4 days out of 7!) It's an easy drive, I get to drive fast (120km/hr), and it's 2-3 lanes the whole way, so you don't usually get stuck behind drivers. It's 45 minutes one way. Easy with good tunes, a coffee and your sunglasses, because 9 times out of 10, you will encounter sunshine along the way somewhere.


The trail running here is great too - there are some steep, long uphills - and I figured out the hard way that Kamloops trails, just like the roads, are easy to get turned around on. (Luckily, I was rescued by a local couple, of whom the woman's brother lives in Quesnel!) Some of the trees are absolutely enormous, and I see such tenacity in these beasts, when so many other trees in the area suffer for lack of water. Perhaps those monolith trees have been around long enough to have experienced more consistent moisture .. I am certain they have stories to tell.


Oh, and it finally dawned on me why it's called Kamloops - it's because all of the roads loop around each other, and that's why it's so easy to get lost! Once you get into the flow of the city, it's really not so hard to understand .. but I wouldn't be surprised if I get lost again. Soon.


Every time I drive down towards Merritt, about 10 minutes out, there is a sign that says "Welcome to the Nicola Valley". We must have travelled to this area a few times when I was a kid, because I always remember seeing that sign and saying "Welcome to my Valley!" Yes, indeed, the Universe has a funny way of presenting things to a person. I am ever grateful for the lessons.

Life as We Live It

Life is too short to wake up each day with aches and pains. And life is definitely too short to wake up every day feeling regret, shame or disappointments. You have the power inside of you to live your life in the most satisfying way possible, but it is up to you. No one else can choose your happiness for you.


Live As You Wish To Die.


No one wants to wake up ten years from now wondering where they went wrong, as they simmer in feelings of despair and hardship, fear and anger. What is it that you want?


"Live as You Wish to Die" is a mantra I have developed for myself, and I try to live this truth every day. I'm not going to lie - lately it has been more difficult for me. I understand that although there is a ton of uncertainty in my life, now is the time when I need to be most focused on what I want next. I understand that in a time of uncertainty, when the soil has been turned and everything looks messy, is the most incredibly fertile time there is. Each day I wake up holding gratitude in my mind for all that I have - a happy & healthy family, enough food in my belly and clothes on my back, an amazing job doing what I love, a great car that takes us safely from work to home to the kids' activities and so on ...


But today is every day. Perhaps today is my only chance to make my mark on the world around me. What if that were true? What should I do today that is different and special? How should I interact with those around me? Should I look straight ahead when I'm standing in a line, or should I be friendly to my neighbours, offering a smile or a little joke? Should I be interacting with the world around me? Should I try to spread a little sunshine today?


I try, every day, to live a path of Love and Joy. I strive to see through the eyes of love, and speak to others with joy and appreciation. I also try to treat myself with love and joy. I accept others for who they are, whatever that entails. I try to see the very best in every person I meet!


What does it mean to live as you wish to die? It means:
 
- That you live as if today were your last day on Earth


- One huge certainty in life is that we will all die, and I believe that how we live will greatly impact the manner in which we die


- Do you want to die in suffering, anxiety and pain? .... No?


Then STOP living your life in suffering, anxiety and pain. You have the power, and you have the control to take power over your worldly existence. It is up to you to live the life of your dreams. No one can do this for you. You are accountable for your own happiness.


Some people do not have the luxury of time when it comes to choosing happiness, and they are forced to show up in their own lives every day. Many people who have a terminal illness face the harsh reality of a limited time remaining, and absolutely must choose to enjoy each moment. What else can a person do when they could die in a matter of days, weeks or months? What would YOU do?


Live each day as you wish to die - In Peace, in Love, and in Joy, in Acceptance, in Mindfulness and in Wisdom.


Coming Soon ... a Udemy course titled "How to Die: At Peace and Without Fear". Created for those who have been given a timeline, and would like to find their way towards a peaceful and joyful passing.

Once Again, the Universe Responds

It's a funny relationship that we have with this bold and beautiful Universe, isn't it? She literally responds to every single thought and feeling that we portray in our lives, and we do receive everything that we give. I read something once that a woman will give gifts to people that she herself would like to receive ... Perhaps if we view the Universe as an actual being we can apply the theory to our relationship with her.



My own personal evidence of this theory happened to me in two separate instances in the last week:





1.  I was out running, after a particularly rough morning with my son, who is in the angry phase of our transition to a new town. I was running uphill for what seemed like an incredibly long time (20 minutes!) and didn't have a lot of steam to get up. I was definitely struggling, and my emotional morning wasn't helping me. At that time, I was saved by a text from a very good friend of mine (V). She sends me the most uplifting, happy and fun texts ever. I took the opportunity to walk the hills for a bit and yes, I totally texted her back. We went back and forth for a few minutes, and then I tucked the phone back into my vest and restarted my run. In fact, I restarted my day at that point, and started running with a smile even! I was feeling strong and happy, and the terrain of the trail began to change .. I started to see a lusher forest up ahead, and I smiled even more. One second later I looked down at the ground to see the prettiest little spirit quartz cluster. Of course I stopped to pick it up, and my mood instantly lifted even more. I ran for another minute or two, and came out to an open meadow of golden grass, where the wind picked up quite massively and infused me with life and with power. It was an absolutely magical moment.


It seemed like every time my mood lifted, the Universe delivered to me another moment to be grateful for.



2. Yesterday, I woke up like I always do by priming, meditating, practicing love & gratitude, and by visualizing my goals. One of my goals was to do everything in my power to spread joy and love, so that everyone who came into contact with me would feel this intention. I wanted the yoga class I would be teaching to be a joyful and relaxing experience for my students - in fact, I wanted it to be a highlight in their day. I wanted to drive the beautiful Coquihalla Highway gently and in the flow, as if I were taking care of the other people driving it. I wanted my kids to start their day feeling happy and relaxed. So I listened to music that made me feel happy and energized, and just buzzed through the day! I smiled at others without any expectations of what I might receive in return, and I genuinely tried to go through my day looking through the eyes of love.


And you know what? It worked! Yesterday was set up to be my absolute busiest, hectic, hair-straight-back day. My husband is out of town on a trip, and I was flying solo, dragging my son to Kamloops to burn off the 4 hours of gymnastics training my daughter was doing. We got home late, the animals were pining for attention, and the kids had a bit of trouble settling down ... but once the house was quiet again, I realized that I had done it. It hadn't been completely perfect, but it's not as interesting when it's "perfect".
At the end of the day, you will be rewarded for the kind of energy you put out to the world. And even if you have to fake it a little bit in order to get started, at least you'll be trying to be the best version of yourself. Happy doesn't just happen to you - You Have to Choose Happy!

After the Plunge

There is a funny thing that happens when you make big changes in your life. You do all the heavy lifting, the soul searching, the second-guessing, and finally make a decision to punch through all of it. You decide to take the plunge into something completely new, unexpected and different than anything you have done before.


What happens on the other side? Once the dust begins to settle and you are in a brand new place, it becomes time to rebuild your life. But there truly is a stagnancy when you realize you're sitting on a dusty piece of land that has yet to be prepared for the laying of a foundation. This is where habits come into play - and habits take time to develop. And it takes time for other peoples' habits to align with yours. And the process cannot ever be rushed.


These are the things I am telling myself as I try to settle into life in a new town, with a new job, and more of the same for my beautiful family. They look to me to be the Rock, the one they can hold onto during a stormy time, and they want me to have the answers. The truth is that I don't have the answers. The truth is that I am floundering too, and I would be lying if I said I haven't had moment of serious doubt about whether this was the right decision. My husband says I haven't been myself. I told him that it's going to take time for all of us to adjust to these big changes.


I will not lie, I miss the feeling of familiarity as I walk on the streets. I miss seeing people that I know in random places like the grocery store, dropping my girl off at gymnastics, running on a trail ... I feel a sense of isolation, of anonymity, and of transparency. I am used to being recognized!


But these feelings reflect the newness of the situation, and I'm not giving up, I am merely taking stock of what I am feeling in these beginning stages, so that I have something to reflect upon later.


I understand that now is the time to figure out what I would like my life to be like - there is opportunity here for a reinvention. And that is what I was looking for, after all.

Tricky Emotions to Shake

As many of you know, I had some pretty nasty anxiety issues a few years back. At the time, I would have given absolutely anything to rid myself of the suffocating sensations, and I did try many different techniques to shake it. Nothing seemed to work. I received spiritual healings almost weekly from a friend, I meditated, did breathing exercises, started exercising. Truly there was no quick fix to this debilitating condition, and the thought of taking medication never crossed my mind.

What I came to realize, after thinking a lot about faith and forgiveness this week, is that you must make a daily practice for yourself in order to sort through these tricky emotions. With my anxiety, I was able to eventually find a technique and daily routine that helped me work through this difficult time. It was also my circumstances that challenged me - two toddlers at home! Tricky, tricky time.

As I have been thinking about forgiveness this week, I realized that there are people and situations that I have been holding inside myself in a tight little ball, unwilling to let go of the pain of circumstances that caused them. I realize that in order to thrive in my life, and to be able to offer the very best that I can, I must release this pain in the spirit of forgiveness. I have done many rituals over the years to practice forgiveness, but I realized this morning that I must make this a daily practice in order for it to really work. I read something that said *"people do not have to ask you for forgiveness, it is something that you can do silently, close to your chest, and they don't even have to know." I absolutely love this perspective, because it means that I don't have to painstakingly make contact with people who are no longer in my life. I can love them for what they gave me in my life over the years. I can release the hurts and pay attention only to the joy and love and contribution they made to the person I am today. What a liberating thought!

http://www.lightworkerenergyart.com/collections/energy-art-prints-angels-healers-goddesses

So for today, I am working on forgiving and letting go of the past. I am working on healing the wounded parts of my spirit by making space for love where there was once pain. For years now I have aimed to live my life with love, peace and joy, and I have so enjoyed this beautiful direction in my life. With a daily practice of forgiving the past, I feel that I can be liberated energetically to channel even more energy into the life I have always wanted. And THAT, my friends, is Pivotal!

I realized as well that you can forgive people right in the moment as well. When my child takes his frustrations out on me by shouting or stomping up the stairs, I can forgive. When the person on the highway cuts me off in traffic, I can forgive. When I smile at someone and it is not returned, I can forgive. Every day I will release feelings of guilt, anger, disappointment, fear and sadness. I will offer love in the place of these destructive feelings, and I will do it again tomorrow if I have to. I forgive.

*The Traveler's Gift - by Andy Andrews

Getting Super Fit! 21 Day Fix Review

"Talent is nothing without hard work" - unknown.

As I look back on my life now, I can see that I've always been a natural athlete, but through most of my life didn't have the confidence in myself to believe it. I played many sports- Soccer, Softball, Field Hockey - but I always considered myself a cheerleader more than a teammate. I thought that sports were difficult for me, and easy for everyone else. I realize now that pushing out of the comfort zone is difficult for everybody! If you want to reap the rewards, you absolutely must put in the work, and believe that you can achieve absolutely anything.

I have gone through versions of this process a few times over in my adult life, and of course they weren't always physical challenges. When I embarked on marathon training, I began to turn a corner in terms of how I was thinking about myself. I think becoming a mother and overcoming so many emotional barriers in their first few years helped me to think of myself as actually being a strong woman. I've always been quite stubborn, to the point of it being a detriment, but I had never applied my stubborn streak to anything productive - In fact, I don't think I knew that a person could do that. As I look back at any coach I ever had, I now recognize the look in their eyes as being certain that I could achieve more than I was achieving. They did believe in me - many people did - But I didn't realize that strength is something that is developed over a long period of time, and it is important to stick to practicing one thing so you can improve!

The Olympians aren't people who simply had talent - they were people who recognized their gifts, and religiously practiced their skills, set goals, visualized results and achieved them! I had the pleasure of speaking with Brittany Rogers recently (Olympic Gymnast London 2012!), and she gave a talk to a room filled with young gymnasts aged between 6 - 16. She said she woke up on the second day of Nationals after a 16th placement the day before, and she had this thought "Why not me?". That day her performances brought her up to fourth place. That is truly inspiring to me, and it should be - to ALL of us! Why not me?

I have realized too, that achieving your goals doesn't have to be super complicated. Sometimes you just need to be told what you need to do. That was why I signed up for the 21 Day Fix Program. A childhood friend was posting some very inspirational statuses on her facebook page, and one day she (bravely!) posted before & after pictures from doing the 21 Day Fix. I was stunned at the way she had transformed her body. She went from having the Mummy tummy like I have, to having sculpted abs, toned arms and an enormous smile on her face. For several years I have just been trying to come to terms with how much my body had changed from having kids and getting older. I just assumed that my tummy would look like a deflated balloon in the morning, and an inflated balloon by bedtime. But her post made me think that there was hope for me - that I too could look the way I felt inside - happy, healthy, vibrant & alive!

I recently finished my first round of the program. I have lost 3 pounds, and 3 inches off of my waist! But it truly is more than the numbers. I can't believe that it only took 21 days to change my body so much! The beauty in the program is the simplicity of it.

-Workout for 30 minutes a day - Eat whole, healthy unprocessed food - Portion Control

Doctors have been saying it for years, but I needed to be told exactly what to do. Along the way I definitely had some emotional moments - the major one being when I realized what a profound effect wheat and sugar have on my body. My tummy puffs up like a balloon! Not only that, but wheat makes me crave sugar in a very serious way. I can't just have one cookie .. I have to eat 6 or 7 of them ... and then maybe one more. I felt incredibly sad when I finally realized this, and actually had a cry on a friend's shoulder. It seems strange that I should react so strongly, but food can be a very emotional thing for people, as it is the first thing in our lives that we can control. In the first two weeks of the program I had to make a decision to stay completely away from all sugar - not because the plan doesn't allow it, but because I recognized my addiction to it. Now that I've completed the first round of the program I can allow myself to have some treats, but it's best if I carefully prepare them myself so I know what's in them. http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ is my favourite for healthy sweets.

When you order the package, you receive

- 6 little colour coded containers for portion control
- an Eating Plan guide with the outline of the best foods you can put in your body, and how much you should be eating each day
- DVD's with 8 different workouts - each of them are 30 minutes, and there is a 10 minute Abs workout
- Shakeology Protein Powder
- a free Beachbody Coach! (my childhood friend)

If you have any questions about the program, I would love to answer them, point you in the right direction .... don't hesitate to comment on this post!




Before
 

After!

Before
 





After!
 





Letting Go ...

Most people have a tendency to try and control situations in their lives. Sometimes we experiment with trying to control people, pets, the weather, traffic, and line-ups. We all walk around with a moral code that we believe others should be aware of, and should adhere to accordingly. When people, pets, traffic, etc. do not behave in the way we want them to, it creates in us a feeling of uncertainty, rigidness and fear. And what can come out of this place, if we cannot keep such beliefs in check, are things that are not in the flow of a happy and balanced life.

It is not our fault that we slip into these patterns so easily, of course. The mind is an admirable opponent that is constantly coming up with new ways in which to create your reality. Your job is to work on harnessing this most amazing power of the mind in order to actually serve you in your life. Think about what kind of world we could live in if everybody everywhere were making an effort to use the power of the mind for good! It would be fabulous ...

But I might be getting ahead of myself AND my mind might be trying to control others again ...

No, we must begin with our own selves, of course, because all you can actually control in this life are your own actions. I am always working on my own formula for success, and I find that I must wake up each day and meditate. Sometimes it feels extremely challenging to sit still and to quiet the mind, but I am learning that a "scattered" meditation is actually productive too. It serves as a place where I can vent, emotionally and mentally. If I can just acknowledge my tensions, emotions and thoughts, it seems to diffuse them quite a bit.

There is no right way to meditate. There is only your way - the way that works for you, and this is where you can actually begin to harness this powerful mind of yours, because meditation does require a strong and stubborn will. It requires a drive from within to keep coming back to the breath, to remain focused on a mantra, to breathe into physical sensations. Sometimes you have to ignore that your back or hips are sore from sitting. And sometimes you have a breakthrough that allows you to actually surrender to the moment. Sometimes meditation is everything you thought it would be, and you may feel a deep and vast connection to something bigger than yourself. Sometimes you actually tap into a sense of peace and bliss.

Often we do not feel these beautiful experiences until much later, because the lessons take some time to be fully absorbed into our consciousness.

All of this is okay. Sitting for meditation each and every day gives a person the opportunity to see the patterns of thought that circulate in our minds. These habitual thoughts will shy away from the spotlight once they are caught, because once you recognize the trouble they are causing, it simply will not be worth it to hang onto them. You will have the ability to Let Go ....

And when you start with your own self and begin the art of letting go, the traffic, the weather, other people, pets and line-ups seem a whole lot less important and you can let go of that stuff too ...

Sincerely,
Nicole Aracki

Moments Between _ and _

There is a seeker in me that has always been there. I have great desire to go out and explore my world, both the world within my great mind, and the world around me - the one I create with every breath. I perhaps sound like a narcissist. But if being a narcissist means that I am fighting my way through my baggage, my promises (both kept and unkept), and navigating my fears and loves ... then being a narcissist is who I will proudly be. For all we truly have in this world is free will, faith and love. All other things are merely by-products. I want to soar and glide and dive-bomb my way into, around and through my short life here on Earth. I want to defy the limits and parameters that I confine myself to. Though I have found that those limits and parameters merely get forced out a little further each time they are challenged, they have not yet disappeared for me. Perhaps that is what death is for. Perhaps the purpose of the time between life and death is merely an opportunity for growth - an opportunity to finally allow the boundaries to disappear.

Live as you wish to die.

How do I wish to die? Which lessons do I want to take from this life to review when I am in my final moments? Will I feel any shame at the things I held back from in my life? Will I regret anything when I am nearer to the end? What waits for me on the other side of my current limitations?

And why on earth have I been holding back?

Tony Robbins is Kind of a Big Deal

Motivational Speakers were kind of a big deal in my formative years, but by formative I mean to say that I was a child, unable to understand the ranting and raving of a man in a suit standing in front of a projector screen. To see Tony Robbins on TV was nothing to me but something to giggle at, to mock and to copy into pretend play with my little sister.

So when my husband asked for the new Tony Robbins book for Christmas, I had a funny reaction to it - the first of which being surprised that Tony was still at it for all these years. Then I started to think about how long of a career that was - at least 25 years! After the book was finished, my husband (D) wanted to order one of Tony's online programs, and he seemed to gobble up anything he could find. During this time I too began to listen to the talks and do the quizzes, and was getting quite a lot out of it. This was alongside a 3 session mentorship I was partaking in with Kristin Campbell from Squamish. A few weeks later D started looking into Tony's retreats and seminars, and found one located in Chicago. He phoned their offices to ask a few questions. Then he and I talked about the details - how much it would cost, when he would be gone, what was involved. My husband went on to say that there was a deal going on where it wasn't that much more money for two people to go.

It looks like we're going to Chicago for a 4 day seminar! I am still in shock about it, and as time goes on I am really excited about this plan. This could be a life-changer!!

All my life I have strived for something more, for something different. As a child, I never liked to conform to authority - school, parents, rules, and all that - if someone ever told me I HAD to do something, I would do the opposite, just to exercise my own right to think and act freely. In my youth, it didn't even matter if I was rebelling against my own needs so long as I could experience the rush of the rebellion. I sometimes see this funny trait in my own children, and I have to say that while it may not make much sense to outsiders, I understand it completely. It feels nice to have something to push against sometimes, and I can connect the dots now to see that pushing boundaries is absolutely a necessary part of achieving great things. Of course, as children my own spawn will have to ride out the conformities of life for another 15 or 20 years - to pay their dues you see.

Sometimes change is a scary thing, but only because we are facing the unknown, and most of us hate that. The fear holds within it a great potential, and I would encourage YOU, reader to purposefully go towards that fear with your heart on your sleeve and a fire in your eyes. You are the only one who can change your life, reinvent yourself, or even just find that delicious contentment in your own skin.

Absolutely everything happens for a reason, without exception, but most of the time we have to jump in headfirst and wait for the reasons to come clear later on down the road. 

Why Tony Robbins? Why now? Why Chicago? I will let you know once I know!

The Future

When I was younger, I always wanted to know what was in my future. What was going to happen in two months, six months, a year or more? Wanting to know things earlier than I was supposed to was a huge draw for me, and I'm sure I did it because I wanted to feel like I was in control of my life. But I can see now that there is a big picture in life that I was missing completely. There is a serious process to each stage in life, and as I look back, I kind of laugh when I realize how perfectly my life events were engineered. It was like I was purposefully directed towards the things that would bring me the most success - both in love, and in career.

I look back on my twenties quite often, and will never forget the profound loneliness I felt for a few years. I was living in Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, and had the luxury of being near the ocean, of mild weather, and of the closeness to my parents if I ever started to feel homesick. But you can't go home every weekend when you've got to take a ferry and a two buses. It doesn't work as well. At the time, I was also working a job where I was verbally abused a little bit. My older self would have walked out the door on the first day. But I had to go through a process in order to realize that I felt really bad working there! It took a LOT for me to leave, but I'll never forget the day that I did.

It was just another day serving in the restaurant, and yet again was being called down by one of the owners. They had a very sarcastic, mean and deprecating way of speaking to their staff. They had a sneaky way of using the language of energy to excuse themselves from any responsibility by being self-deprecating as well. I see now the low self-esteem and possibly self-loathing that these unfortunate souls must have suffered from. So sad. But for me, whatever it was that was said that day set me off. I walked into the bathroom and had my fists clenched hard, my face was beet red and I wanted to scream! I tried to breathe and to calm down a little bit, but I couldn't. I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw a fierceness there, and I said to myself "Is it really worth it?" I answered myself with a no. I gave myself another look in the eyes and realized that I could just leave and never look back. So I did. I went out front, grabbed my little cash box, and walked out the door. It felt so good to have that kind of control over my life, and it made me realize on a very deep level that I always have a choice. It was something I never forgot.

All that frustration, loneliness and sadness helped me see that I really didn't want to be alone. It made me realize as well that I wanted to be around people who loved me and who would never hurt me. It helped me to dump the toxic people from my life, and then I realized that I could move to Vancouver - hey, why not? It was also around this time that my new relationship was deepening quickly - I was falling in love. I am still with that man today, and love him more with every moment that goes by.

I rreally don't need to know the future anymore. I have found such contentment in living my life phase by phase, and I would not take the opportunity to know what is going to happen next because I Love Surprises!

Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink

Water always takes the path of least resistance. So much like our brains will do under stressful situations - If you're used to living your life in a state of panic and anxiety, that is what you will likely cling to when shit hits the fan. However if you make the choice to get your brain into a relaxed state more often, you will have created grooves in your life that you can automatically slip into. We each know what helps us to feel relaxed on a daily basis, but it is often the thing that can save us from stress that we consistently move to the bottom of the list. Why would a person choose to suffer in this way? One could take about five minutes per day to simply breathe, meditate or stretch. That five minute investment could save your sanity in a stressful situation. When you know how to access that state of relaxation, you are free to make choices to react in a more neutral way to the crazy surprises in life. Knowing how to stay relaxed won't stop things from cropping up in your life, but rather will help you to lessen the effects that stress can have on a person.

I know all of this firsthand because of the crazy thing that happened on the way to a restful sleep ...


Night before last, my husband and I were just tucking into bed for the night when we heard a very strange sound. We went into our ensuite bathroom, and the sound was coming from the bathtub drain - it sounded like a rushing stream! We went into the crawlspace to discover some water all along one side of the foundation, leading to a drain in the floor. We freaked out a little. Or at least - I did!

We are truly not Do-It-Yourselfers. Some people have these capabilities, but we are so not those people. I would like to be, believe me, but when it comes to doing projects around the house my talents lie in the kitchen ~ See my website for more on that: http://nicolearacki.com/?p=635 ~ - mainly in the area around my KitchenAid mixer and the oven. So you can imagine how much I was freaking out that there was something out of the ordinary in the crawlspace at 11:00 at night. Anyhow, we discovered that there is a drain in the center of the crawlspace where a tube from the hot water tank goes - for overflow issues I guess?! Well, this drain when we lifted it revealed rushing water beneath the house. I guess this is pretty common, and it makes sense to me now that I think about it. At the time I was feeling pretty uneasy about this water under the foundation of the house - yikes!

Well, we checked around the perimeter walls looking for leaks or cracks or holes, and started to assess the situation. There was no current to the water on the floor, so that was a good thing. And it looked like the path of water led right to that handy drain in the floor. Also a good thing. So then, of course, we had to go outside to see ... what we could see ... at 11:00 at night! Well, there is standing water all over the place right now because we are having a very strange January melt around here! My husband tried to set up the sump pump, but the ground was frozen and the water wasn't deep enough to make the sump pump start working. We did what we could, but both agreed that we should probably just go to bed, and re-assess in the morning. Of course, morning meant Monday, which meant he was heading back to work.

Thank goodness I'm a "Cariboo Woman" now. Next day, I looked at that crazy sump pump and knew we weren't going to be friends. So I walked away from it. I looked under the deck to find a big puddle that had a current coming from the other side of the fence. So smartypants Nicole went to the other side to discover The Problem. The neighbor behind us had dug out the snow & ice from his ditch so the water wouldn't get trapped and cause flooding in his property. He dug pretty far - about twenty feet along the ditch. However he couldn't do my ditch too - I mean, it's nice to be neighbourly, but he shouldn't do my work for me! Well, the water came up against some firmly packed snow and ice, and took the path of least resistance - under the fence, beneath the deck and under my house of course!

So I dug and dug and dug the snow out of the ditch, which is really hard work you know! I pretended that I was digging for treasure, which totally made me feel better, and made me feel much more enthusiastic about it. I got to the culvert and the water was just sitting there, stubborn and unmoving. So I phoned Public Works. By the time I got home from teaching yoga and picking up kids, they had come with a digger and guys who are used to digging. They cleaned out the culverts and fixed it right up! I will still have work to do, I'm sure, but at least the water is going where it's supposed to go.

Maybe we are going to get better at the DIY thing. I suppose that the experience of the Surprise House Projects are what get people motivated to improve their homes and properties ... I know that my husband and I are already plotting our game plan to prevent future problems with the Spring Melt.