Namaste'

I pray this museletter finds you feeling abundantly loved. I am loving the sneak peeks of fall weather, hopefully the winter will be kind this year :-)  I'm happy to have a quiet, peaceful moment to reflect after the whirlwind of back to school.  Back to school isn't only the time of year that my daughter back to a structured rhythm but it is also the time I buckle down with my own continuing education.  As she got her books and supplies ready for school I created a reading list for myself that included everything from books on yoga and bodywork to self-improvement and empowerment.  Though my daughter was less than thrilled to let go of the summer I was more than excited to get to work!  As I started gathering books I came across some of my first yoga books.  They were nicely worn and full of notes, highlights and many, many questions to ask my mentors and teachers.  Today, I am just as excited (actually much MORE excited) about yoga and sharing my knowledge with others as I was back then.  Little did I know my dream of doing yoga full-time would actually become a reality and that the blessing would be bigger than I could have ever imagined!  August 18th marked the 5 year anniversary of the Brooke Lane studio and it all began as a dream that I held in my heart and finally found the courage to share and move forward with.

I often tell the story of how my dream became a reality-- how I focused my thoughts on my goals and believed in my heart that I could own a studio.  I thought about how having a studio space would allow me to reach more people and share my message of happiness and healthier living.  Through faith, patience, loads of self work and the love and support of my family, friends and wonderful students I was able to open the doors of the studio in 2008. 

A few weeks ago a friend asked me to share my story with her co-worker who also had dreams of leaving her job and starting her own business.  She felt my story would serve as inspiration for her to pursue her goals.  I shared my story, including the successes and upsets, and the many tools that helped me stay on track and manage my thoughts and emotions.  We spoke about the power of prayer and setting strong intentions.  I also told her how important it was to keep mentally focused and thinking positively.  Reading inspirational books and talking to supportive loved ones who believed in me helped immensely.  After my story ended I invited her to tell me about her goals and dreams.  She immediately lit up as she spoke about her business ideas and how she too loved to help people.  I then asked her what she was doing to move her dream into reality and her energy immediately shifted.  She admitted that it was still in her head and began to list several reasons why all of the cards were stacked against her.  From financial stresses to the lack of a good support system the list grew longer and longer.  In her mind things seemed hopeless.  She tried everything from creating vision boards to reading countless books about the Law of Attraction, but there seemed to be no movement at all and she was frustrated and discouraged.

Has that ever happened to you?  Have you ever had a dream and the mere thought of it brought you immediate happiness and excitement?  And then as you begin to think about what it would take to make it happen your excitement turns to frustration, maybe sadness or even anger?  That was my story.  I thought about the studio for at least 2 years before I actually shared my dream with anyone.  I would ride by the property slowly and mentally visualize all of the things I wanted to do with it, all of the people I wanted to serve.  But before I even got to the end of the block my mind was full of reasons why my dream was all but impossible.  Joe Vitale, motivational speaker, coach and contributor to the movie The Secret calls this "counter intentions."  A counter intention is a belief that we hold that is the exact opposite to what our intention is.  In my case I wanted to purchase the property that the studio was located on.  I wanted to serve the members of my community and beyond.  But my thoughts (once I got over the excitement) were "we are in a recession, no bank is going to lend me money for my pipe dreams" and "what if I spend all of this time and effort getting things up and running and no one comes?  How am I going to pay my monthly bills if no one comes?"  

Counter intentions often leave us feeling helpless and hopeless, but they don't have to.  The first and most powerful step of overcoming counter intentions is to actually admit that you have them.  Once we admit that we have limiting beliefs we need to do the work to clear them.  Beliefs are thoughts that likely formed when we were young and at some point we have decided that they are true.  They come up over and over and carry weight only because we allow them to.

I shared with my co-worker's friend a powerful exercise that helped me when counter intentions would arise.  When a limiting belief came up I would write it down on a large piece of paper in all caps.  I would read the belief out loud slowly and repeat it a few times.  I would then ask myself why I thought the belief was true. I would write down the "proof" beneath the belief and read it a few times.  I started with my first belief: that banks would not lend money in a recession.  Of course this was false because I personally knew people who were able to borrow money during the recession.  I repeated the exercise every time I hit a mental or emotional roadblock.  If there was ever a belief that I could actually find some sort of proof for I would then ask myself if I chose to continue to identify with this belief and if yes, why, and I would write that down as well.  I felt powerful knowing I could choose not to identify with a belief that would defer my dreams.  This in itself gave me a feeling of freedom, a sense of hope.

We've probably heard the phrase "if I/he/she can do you, so can you!" and guess what?  It is absolutely true.  Whatever dream you hold in your heart can be your reality if you believe it can.  There is no dream too big that you can't accomplish.  If you find yourself stuck or trapped take a long look at what you are choosing to believe about the situation and write it down.  Write down the proof and if there is none, let go of the belief.  If you do find proof then take a stance and choose not to believe in it anymore.

As Mr. Bob Marley says - "Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!" I hope the rest of this week finds you living your dreams! Continue to be blessed and a blessing to all those that have the joy of knowing you.