Posted on

Learn This Easy Tool to Quit Self-Sabotaging

Thousands of years ago ancient rishis in India came up with the same conclusion that Socrates came up with centuries later: that the universe, including humans, is made up of energy and not matter. It’s been called chi in ancient Taoism and prana in ancient Ayurveda, but either way, it translates to, “life force”.

But in the 17th century, Newtonian physics, which was widely accepted as conclusive science, said that the whole universe is like a big machine, made of matter and nothing else, therefore so are we. Western Medicine is still stuck in this concept, even though the rest of science has moved onto quantum physics, which says that as you go deeper into an atom, it is revealed that there is nothing there but energy waves.

An atom, the building block of the human body, is like an invisible forcefield which emits waves of electrical energy – it is made up of 99.99% energy and only .01% matter. 

So if you want to have any impact on your experience of this life, you need to learn how to direct this energy, which can be done with your thoughts and the energy you allow in and around your body. In a time when chronic illness is rampant and anxiety is the norm, I think we could all benefit from learning this. Thousands of years ago in Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, methods were discovered about how to direct this energy to prevent and reverse chronic imbalances – and they didn’t have smartphones or Netflix back then! So it’s all the more important we all are proactive about managing our personal energy not just to stay balanced and happy, but to reach our goals.

I’ve worked with clients in the past who get really pumped up and excited in the beginning of a program because they have a really clear goal and see a path to reaching it, but then once the real work begins, they lose steam. 

When shit gets hard on a detox or another food protocol, and you’re sitting in front of Starbucks, craving your usual zap of stimulants, you’re going to need a “why” to turn your toosh around. 

Your why should be like your mantra – it’s going to be something you need to come back to every day to remind yourself why you’re putting in this work, because trust me, your inner-teenager is going to come out swinging at some point, demanding cheese-fries and diet-coke, and you’ll want to make sure you’re equipped to gently move through it. And to do this, you’ll need a WHY. 

  1. Sit down and think about it. What is the sacrifice you’re currently making? Have you cut out a food like gluten or sugar? Are you trying keto for a while? Are you on a strict protocol to reverse an imbalance? Are you studying for a test or working on a job/college application? Are you on a strict workout regiment?
  2. Once the sacrifice you’re making is clear, then ask yourself. WHY am I doing this? Maybe you’re doing Natural Infertility Solutions and are in preconception mode. Perhaps you’re on a weight-loss or autoimmunity protocol that requires clean eating and regular supplementation. Or maybe you’re working towards the career of your dreams.

I have to use my mantra almost daily. If I’m feeling rebellious and my inner-teenager tells me, “that second cookie is going to taste soooo good,” then I repeat my why: “I eat clean food and exercise regularly so that I can maintain a healthy weight and remain happy, energetic, and focused.” 

Does this work every time? Uh, no, talk to me two days ago after my third cookie. Sometimes my stress eating resurfaces – no one is perfect. But this practice has gotten me through countless detoxes and cleanse protocols that I needed to do to attain the current level of balance that is my new norm (and the new cookies of choice are homemade, organic and paleo, not Otis Spunkmeyer like in the old days, so, ya know, progress). 

Get clear on WHY you’re putting energy into a goal and come back to it when your defiant teenager wants to sabotage your progress.

I set reminders on my phone with my why to turn this into a habit, cause Lawd knows my teenager likes to complain. I keep telling her to go have fun with her friends, but man, she likes to bitch and moan. The more that you can see you why, the more your thoughts will be directed to it, and as a result, the more energy you’ll put towards your goal.

If you have questions about this process, don’t hesitate to reach out here or on Instagram or Facebook.

In vibrant health,

Posted on

Manifesting the Life You Desire

I’m currently sitting in a “sleeping pod” on the Northlink ferry from Aberdeen to Orkney and Shetland Island. There are two groups of people on this ferry: those who are on board for 6 hours for Orkney, and those that are on it for 14 hours for Shetland (plus boarding time which is 30-60 minutes prior to ship-off). I fall into the latter category. I’m on my way to Yell which actually happens to be another bus ride and ferry ride from Lerwick, the biggest city in the Shetland Islands.  I’m headed to my final destination- 3.5 weeks volunteering on an organic sheep farm through WWOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farmers).

I just finished my first WWOOF experience with a wonderful couple at Laikenbuie Holidays, 3 miles outside of Nairn in the Scottish Highlands. Peter and Therese have created a masterpiece of 150 acres filled with a poly-tunnel, sheep, hens, cattle, tons of pigeons, an organic garden and poly-tunnel, 4 holiday lodges, a caravan, and 3 homes that they’ve built from the ground up. They’ve owned the property for over 30 years and when they bought it the land was covered with gorse bushes taller than them. Now, it’s a magnificent retreat and absolute dream come true to stay on.

One of the beautiful ponds that my hosts dug after buying the acerage, It rarely felt like “work” being on this land.

While there I was treated like a member of their family. They asked me what I was hoping to learn and then catered the 2.5 weeks to those goals with enthusiasm, patience, and diligence. I wanted to see how a farm was run and learn as much as possible about organic gardening, and that’s exactly what they provided me with. I began each day by riding my bike down the short track that runs through the property to the garden where I collected the chard and lettuce for my breakfast smoothie and lunchtime salad. I would then make a protein shake with chard, chocolate pea protein powder, almond/coconut milk, and sometimes some fresh raspberries from the garden. Peter curiously asked for a small glass each morning after about the third day and I always enjoyed sharing it with him. Therese would partake sometimes 🙂 It’s definitely an acquired taste, especially if you’re used to typical breakfast food like porridge, toast, pastries, yogurt, cereal, etc. But I was delighted to have it each morning for the first time on my trip, returning to a daily routine similar to home, although I don’t have a vegetable garden (yet) that allows me to eat the greens minutes after they’re picked! What a delight it was to eat such fresh food- the way it ought to be for everyone.

Therese and Peter’s daughter, brother and sister-in-law, and their son and his partner. Such a lovely and down to earth family.

I learned so much while I was at Laikenbuie and was honored to be taught by 2 people who are living their passion. They work hard. I mean, VERY hard. There’s always something that needs doing on a farm and they have created a true masterpiece because of their unrelenting dedication and skill. I couldn’t have been luckier to find such warm hosts.

I had a realization last night while having a heart to heart with my hostess’s sister-in-law that I’ve been dwelling on ever since. I used to have chronic anxiety, especially when I was alone, and so choosing a WWOOFing location when there are hundreds to pick from was absolutely terrifying for me. ‘HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE?!’ I kept thinking. ‘What if my hosts are crazy or awkward and I want to leave after a couple of days? I’ve never been away from home for this long, let alone been traveling solo for weeks on end!’ Looking back I realize how much wasted energy was spent worrying about this. I’ve tried to keep my mindset in check the last year because I’ve realized how powerful it is, but the weeks leading up to this 2.5 month journey were wrought with anxiety and fear, even though I was also really excited and knew deep down that it was what I was meant to do.

I’ve learned recently that real change and growth don’t come without fear or probably even some suffering to get there. Breaching the boundary of our “comfort zone” is terrifying! But that’s where the yumminess of life happens, and that’s what I’ve not only learned but really felt in my bones the last few weeks on this journey. I’ve been away from home for over 5 weeks and am just now realizing how GOOD I really feel. The anxiety that was consuming me leading up to the trip was because my soul knew it was embarking into the unknown, which we all know is scary AF, but super necessary if you want to taste all the sweetness of life. Despite the fear, I kept on trusting that the universe would lead me to the people, experiences and circumstances on this journey that would offer me some wisdom as I continue down my life path.

And now? The anxiety is gone. I’m on a 14 hour ferry ride headed to Shetland Island, which is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London. On my own. Talking to strangers. Headed to an island with 996 people. And I can’t flipping wait! Me. Kendyl. Codependent used to be my middle name! And now I’m doing stuff like this because I learned to trust the intuition I was getting from the universe to jump into the unknown and leap out of my comfort zone. And ever since I’ve surrendered to the waves of life, I’m so much happier and lighter.

My favorite beach in Nairn that I biked to many times where I swam, meditated, journaled and did yoga. I’ll see you again East Beach!

Each one of the experiences that have lead me to where I’m at have been puzzle pieces leading the way to the life I’ve been working on manifesting. You know those moments that stick out for no apparent reason? The beginning of this journey was 2 years ago when I had a client tell me about her WWOOFing experience in Ireland. She shared how impactful and wonderful it had been for her and for some reason, I remember this conversation vividly- I couldn’t get it out of my head, even a year later. It was the only time I’d ever heard about WWOOFing and I believe it was one of those intuitive nudges we often overlook that can lead us towards the experiences that ultimately change our lives. If I hadn’t listened to the voice inside guiding me to look into WWOOFing, I wouldn’t have met Peter and Therese. I also wouldn’t have been able to travel for this long without working, but WWOOF is an exchange of room and board for volunteer work, keeping travel expenses minimal.

When you have a goal, whether financial, in your career, romantically, or a trip you want to do, get really clear about what you want, sorting out all of the nitty gritty details related to that goal and then release it to the universe/god/divine consciousness. Once you’ve set the goal, the puzzle pieces appear. The friend who tells you about this amazing coffee shop she went to and for some reason you can’t get it out of your head so you go and meet your soul mate there. Or the nutrition certification you keep seeing come through on your Facebook ads that gives you a feeling in your gut each time you see it, even though you see loads of ads pass by with no notice all the time- fast forward a year and you have a successful nutrition business instead of the soul-sucking corporate job you hated. Or the nudge to apply for a job you feel underqualified for but then kick butt in the interview and get the position.

Divine guidance flows through everything and everyone we encounter, if we only stop to pay attention. The puzzle pieces that help us create our dream lives are all around us, ready to be woven into the masterpiece that is your life. Get clear on what you want and then keep your eyes and ears open for guidance. You must have unshakable faith that this energy is headed your way. Ignore the nay-sayers and wet blankets in your life who try to keep you in your “safe” and secure life, even though you know there’s a better version out there. Do you really want to spend your life in a job, relationship or city that are “safe” but make you want to binge watch Netflix every day just to escape the chronic stress you feel?

Remember how powerful you are; you can create whatever life you desire. Just keep looking for your puzzle pieces no matter how scary it gets, pick them up, dust them off, and place them where they fit to build the reality you know you deserve. Beautiful, worthwhile puzzles sometimes take extreme patience, losing some pieces and then finding them again, a hissy fit, chocolate and taking your emotions out on your family/friends, but I find that the result is nearly always worth it.

In vibrant health,

Kendyl

 

See you in Shetland!

Posted on

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Life

A wise man once said nothing. -Proverb

I’m 13 days into my mum’s (@drkeesha) 40-day Abundance Practice and am experiencing the results already. The practice consists of doing a specific meditation for ten consecutive days and then repeating that 4 times until you reach 40 days, otherwise you start back on day 1. It’s a great way to stay consistent with your daily spiritual practice. Trust me, I have those mornings where I want to sleep in, thinking, “I’m sooo grounded right now, I don’t need to meditate today.” And then 5 hours later I wonder why normal things are overwhelming me more than usual. Some of us are slow learners…. cough, cough.

I’ve done the full 40 day abundance practice 6 times, and each time I do, I always feel more motivated and inspired than if I’m missing a day of meditation here and there. It’s amazing how powerful not speaking- just sitting in silence and focusing on your breath can be in making magic happen in your life.

In the abundance practice, you basically focus your awareness on abundance and divine energy and how it’s all around you (this could be physical abundance in your health, mental/emotional abundance, monetary abundance, career abundance, you name it) and change your mindset to really believe and feel this truth. Simple, right? Not really. That’s why having a guide to help rewire the automatic self-sabotaging thoughts is extremely effective, and that’s what the abundance practice does. All you do is read a short meditation -I like to write it in my journal as well- and then meditate for 5-30 minutes with this in the back of your mind and receive whatever guidance comes. It’s like tapping into the flow of the universe and attracting whatever energy you desire toward you. What you focus on you create more of. Trust me. This shit works.

These pictures are some of the abundance I’ve experienced recently. I manifested 2.5 months in Scotland and made it happen using the abundance practice. Better yet? I got to spend 2 of those weeks traveling around to the many sacred sites and stone circles in Scotland with my mom and bonus dad.

This is the Ring of Brogdar on Isle of Orkney, one of the amazing isles north of mainland Scotland. It’s an ancient structure, dating back to 3000BC that originally consisted of 60 standing stones (36 remain) and is believed to be a gathering site that forms a ring of stones around one of the many powerful energetic locations on the planet. Tapping into the energetic flow of universal intelligence/consciousness/god- whatever you want to call it- was easy there. It was like plugging in- I could literally feel a visceral change in energy when I walked inside the circle- a recharge of the soul- full of love, gratitude, nourishment, joy- it felt like all of the yumminess of the world converging in one place and it was all pouring into my being.

Mesa ceremony with mum in the center of the Ring was one of the most powerful mother/daughter bonding experiences I’ve ever had. Someone before us had left tobacco during their own ceremony. We didn’t move it, just added our own contributions. So lucky to call this mum mine.

And what this experience made me remember is that this yumminess is all around us, not just at sacred sites like Brogdar. Every time I sit down and meditate, or take a walk in nature, sink my feet in the sand, laugh with friends, eat delicious food, hear a beautiful song, see a devoted elderly couple holding hands- all of this is that catalytic energy that we can tap into to manifest whatever we desire in this life. But we forget because we’re too distracted and numbed out by our stress, electronics, media, dead/nutrient-lacking food, chemicals, and the rest of the 21st century that we lose focus of the beauty surrounding us. And then we feel sick, depressed, alone, anxious, and/or inflamed.

But the medicine for these imbalances is right there for your taking. All you have to do is focus your awareness on it. The laughter of a toddler, the vibrant colors of the forest, the way it feels to be held by someone you love, the stillness from sitting in meditation- that vibration, that feeling- you can harness it. Bring it close. You can soothe the worry of daily life with this medicine. Recharge your entire being with it.

And when you do, you’ll be amazed at how powerful you are. And you won’t be able to look back. You’ll see and experience abundance all around you. The goals that you’ve set your mind to- that promotion, the new clients, the vitality you used to have, the man of your dreams- all of those will start becoming your reality. It’s unreal how quickly it starts to unfold. It’s like we all have this superpower that we’re ignoring. Imagine what a wonderful world we would live in if each one of us took a few moments each day to tap into the life force of the universe.

Each one of us makes up a light in the constellation of the universe- like a grid of stars. When you tap into the energy of universal consciousness you’ll realize that if you don’t shine your light fully, you’re robbing the rest of us from experiencing it, and that my friend, is a damned shame. Don’t keep your light dim anymore. Ask for help. Sit in silence and receive the medicine from the world around you. You are the microcosm of the macrocosm of the universe. Let’s shift the tide of this planet for the better. We have to do it together.

In vibrant health,

Kendyl

If you’re interested in trying the 40 Day Abundance Practice you can get it here. Let me know what unfolds for you in the comments below!

Posted on

Gratitude for lunch

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein

I’ve pondered the concept of gratitude for a few years now. It first started when I realized the truth in what Einstein said. I can either choose to be apathetic or annoyed with life, or I can start to focus on the things that are miracles (big or small). And once I started paying attention to these things it seems like they multiplied. I realized that there’s always something to be grateful for. The sun that gives us warmth and light, having a roof over your head, family, music, chocolate (duh), education, etc. And even in the moments when it feels impossible to be grateful for anything, especially ones like when this hot tea that just spilled all over my clothes!… the magic is still there. The magic is in the person next to me rushing to help me clean up and asking if I’m okay. It’s in the barista who runs to get a mop and gets me a new, fresh tea. It’s community. Right? Even in those dark moments, I promise you, if you can attune and focus your energy to the joy and brilliance of everyday moments, you will feel so much happier for it.

I was reminded of gratitude today when I grabbed lunch at Chaco Canyon in Seattle. It’s a fabulous organic and vegan cafe with super healthy and tasty food. I ordered the Gratitude Bowl which is priced on a sliding scale of $3-11 based on what you feel you can afford. I was reminded of how grateful I am for my life and the path I’ve chosen. And it wouldn’t be a reality if not for mentors and coaches who inspired me to live the life I dreamt of. I leave in 20 days for a 2 month solo trip to Europe. I’ll be working remotely because I decided that traveling the world was what I wanted. There were so many obstacles along the way and people/society leading me to believe that a life like this was a fantasy. But with the help of amazing books and mentors, I know that I can design the life I want. And so can you. I learned to relentlessly focus my energy on the goal (traveling Europe for 2 months while still working as a health coach- aka the dream job) and to surround myself with good vibrations so that I would have MORE energy to focus on my goal. This was huge. Start to notice how the people, media, food, and energies your surround yourself with affect your overall motivation and energy. You know those people who just bring you down? Or how when you watch the news/other violent/depressing/dark media (it’s all the same, isn’t it?) you feel tired or deflated? Or how you feel like you’re in a coma after you kill half a batch of gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies while watching Friends during certain times of the month? (Me neither…)

We are energetic beings, and so the energies and vibrations we surround ourselves with will indeed affect our mood and vitality. Gratitude is one of the best ways to start raising your vibration if you feel depleted. If you’re in an emotional rut or stressful situation, take a moment to take a deep breath (deep, full breaths are how we move energy through our body- you should try it sometime!) and think about what you’re grateful for. Even if just for a few moments or a few minutes, if you do this, I promise you you’ll notice a positive difference in how you feel. If you want to be even more proactive about it, beginning and ending each day with an expression of gratitude will be like medicine to your soul.

You can have the life you’re dreaming of. The energy, the job, the partner, the living situation, health, and purpose are all there waiting for you to reach out and claim them. What you focus on becomes bigger: this is the foundation of manifestation. So focus on the goal with unrelenting attention and energy, and I promise you, it’s yours. Remember what Einstein said?

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Which way will you choose to live?

In deep gratitude,

Kendyl