“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you” Change is coming, and if you’re not ready, it will carry you wherever it feels because the force and the great awakening is inevitable. For … Continue reading
To Forgive
Category Archives: quieting the mind
Finding Your Inner Zen
photo ~ Leigha Hodnet
Eat ~ Pray ~ Swim
Earlier this week when I got out of bed and checked my phone, there were nearly 25 messages glaring back at me. Before my morning coffee I began to scroll and read the frantic texts. So much drama of a big fire that had broken out earlier that morning.
Wow, here we go again, I thought.
Moments later, as I sipped my coffee I stared at my computer trying to get a read on what was going on. There were so many dramatic images of the fires with the LA Times talking about 80 mile per hour hurricane winds for the next few days. All this first thing in the morning started to unnerve me. Looking up, I heard the trees rustling in such a way that I realized that one tiny ember from the fire could be quite problematic. I live in the Santa Monica mountains and there were two fires not too far from me.
“Damn, this is getting intense,” I said to myself.
What a coincidence, earlier in the week, I had booked a room in desert hot springs, so I proceeded to pack for my two day adventure. I thought, maybe it’s best to be safe and grab some stuff just in case I can’t get back in. After all, the year before when we were evacuated we couldn’t get back into the canyon for a week.
It was stressful as I rushed around with the sheriff’s department calling on the phone to tell us to start evacuating. One group text was discussing where the fires were and which roads were open and which ones were closed. When someone said, ‘zero containment of the Getty Fire’ my nerves were completely on edge.
Just about then my mind flickered back to a conversation I had with a friend over a year ago, that lost her home due to a fire. I remembered asking if she grabbed all her personal documents when she was being evacuated. “No,” she said. “But why not?” I asked. “I didn’t think my house was going to burn down,” she said, in a solemn tone.
Moments later I was packing my car with valuables documents, clothes but the most important possession of them all, was my precious dog, Violet. It’s interesting when faced with evacuation how much stuff you have that is not relevant at all.
As I drove down the canyon my stomach was in knots and I realized I was hungry, so I stopped in the local café to order some toast and juice. The mountain community where I live always rallies together in times of stress, so I talked to the locals about which road was best to take out to avoid the extreme traffic.
Once back on the road, I drove, until finally I made it out of the canyon. I tried to relax by using my breath to move through my anxiety, but I found it almost impossible to calm my mind. The what-if this, or what if that happens consumed my thoughts all morning long. I realized it was hard to find that inner Zen when you’re swimming in a pool of stress. With so much fear in the air grounding yourself seems light years away. And as an empath, I found it impossible to find my own center.
While I’m driving on the freeway the only thing I had was this breathing technique, so I used all of my concentration to pull my mind back in. With complete focus, I pulled my thoughts, feelings and emotions back to the moment. As I did this, I felt my muscles begin to relax as my mind came back to my body. All of the sudden, a peace washed over me as this presence filled my entire being.
Then I had a realization, geez, this would actually be perfect content to write about in my blog. I mean, after all, isn’t it in these challenging times when people need support to navigate their uncertainty.
Thankfully, I arrived at the hot springs unscathed, and immediately submerged myself in the warm waters of the pool. As I let my body sink into this surrender, I was filled with a profound gratitude. The only real peace it seems comes when you are able to tap into the Inner Zen that lies within.
“Each session with Shari has shifted my life. Some more than others but always in some way I come out feeling weightless, recharged, and in love with the world. Suddenly I can see with total clarity the gifts and possibilities of my own life. No two sessions have ever been the same because Shari meets you where you are, and works to free you from your burdens and blocks. Best of all, if you study with her for as long as I have, she gives you the skills and insight to do this work on your own. Her healing is always with me, and I carry it as a ray of clean white light I can visit anytime deep in my spirit. She will change your life, if you’re ready to work alongside her.” ~ Margaret Wappler
Staying Centered
~ Create time to connect to your spirit ~
While I was having lunch with friends the other day someone asked, if I thought things were getting worse on the planet.
I paused briefly before I answered. “It’s clearly more hectic with all the inflated egos, and I think everyone is starting to feel the anger that is rising to the surface.”
Some people say that the planet is going through a cleanse. While that may be true, it’s not just any cleanse were talking about here.
Each day I grow more concerned for the animals, the oceans and all of nature. As people are piled on top of each other in over-crowded cities, the rural areas are being destroyed. And if you’re paying attention there always seems to be some drama unfolding on the news. I believe the ongoing media frenzy is used as a way to distract us from what’s really going on underneath. However, I stay away from posting my opinions about conspiracies and political issues because when you say something about that, you can make yourself a target for the countless trolls that are just waiting to pounce.
What I will say here, it is extremely important to stay grounded so you don’t get knocked off your beam. But how can you stay physically, mentally and spiritually well in such challenging times as these?
Usually, when someone comes to see me for counsel or a healing it is because they are out of alignment. Many times these individuals have become so distracted with everything that they want to accomplish in their lives that they have lost their spiritual connection.
In some of my other blogs, I’ve mentioned how important it is to keep our frequency high. The most important way that I stay grounded is to connect with Mother Earth. Meditation is also key and just by doing deep breathing it can allow the equilibrium to balance itself out. Remaining humble is crucial so we don’t get snagged by our egos which can take us places we don’t need to go.
When we think of spirituality we can often think of white robes, candles and hushed voices, however, it can be even more simpler than that. For me, it’s about being whole. A huge challenge these days in a world that is constantly trying to fragment and distract us.
So, in this day and age it’s even more important to be mindful and have clear intentions of what your priorities are. It’s good to be asking ourselves questions like, how can I keep my mind and body in optimum health? How can I create a lifestyle that isn’t driven by fear, greed or lack? How can I stay balanced when chaos seems to be going on all around me?
I strongly believe the answer is to connect deeply to our soul that resides within. So, if we can take a moment each day to go beyond the mind and listen to our inner voice, that is the place where our true center resides.
Reversing the Aging Process
Last December a very close friend of mine died of cancer right after his 31st birthday. To watch his rapid decline was a sobering experience to say the least. The few conversations I had with him while he was in the hospital were simple, yet profound. He had always been the type of guy who loved to be close to nature. He loved surfing, hiking and spent much of his time taking beautiful photographs outdoors. In my last conversation with him, he said, “All I want to do is come home and watch the sunset.”
It was strange how I never grieved after he passed. It was almost like his spirit was telling me not be sad and go out to enjoy that sunset he missed. Not long after that, I went for a long walk and I left my phone behind so I wouldn’t be disturbed. While walking in silence, I heard a clear voice say, ‘live your life.’ I remember my teacher, Papa Joe, used to say that all the time to me.
As I reflected on my current mindset, I could see how I had been letting the overall negativity in the world get in. I knew I was capable of much, much more. I started to ask myself questions, how can I show up for my life more joyfully? As soon as I asked the question I could feel my heart opening. In order to find joy I would need to honor my life force. That’s when I made a choice to commit, by becoming the best version of myself that I could be!
I followed up by making an appointment with an acupuncturist. I listened to lectures on health and spiritual wellness. I watched countless videos by The Medical Medium, by Dr Eric Berg, By Subah Jain, Eckhart Tolle and many more. I was well aware of much of this information already, but the difference came from integrating it into my life. As I started to implement this new life style I started seeing radical results. I felt so much lighter and happier. I lost weight. My skin began to glow. Wrinkles smoothed out. My eyes were brighter. My energy level was through the roof. I slept well. My hormones leveled out. A fibroid I had shrunk completely.
I started to pay close attention to what was giving me energy or what was depleting it, and I would like to share some of that with you:
1.) Change your mindset. Old beliefs are like little monsters that keep you stuck in negative patterns.
2.) Finding a purpose is one of the greatest gifts in life. A purpose will align you with higher frequency.
3.) Although many resentments may feel justified, we need to get rid of them. Holding negative thoughts inside about people, places, or things will only create a vortex that will drain your vital energy. Often when clients get off my healing table they look like they they’ve just come back from a two-month holiday in the Caribbean because they’ve let their resentments go.
4.) I have always been mindful about my diet, but often used foods for comfort. Recently, I changed my diet from mainly proteins to eating plenty of vegetables. I start every morning with a vegetable and fruit smoothie. I don’t eat processed food. I removed all sugar, dairy, breads, eggs and pork. I look for foods that will alkaline my body and kill off any cancer cells and disease. Weight loss has not only become easier for me, its incredibly fun. While it may seem challenging at first, eventually your palette will change. You will actually crave food that is filled with more life force.
5.) Sleep is vital for cell regeneration, so if you’re not sleeping well it needs to be addressed. Do you have stressors that are disrupting your sleep? Have you had your hormones checked for any imbalances? Are you eating the right foods?
6.) Exercise helps renew cells while bringing oxygen to your blood. It is important to increase your heart rate in order to clear stagnation in your body. While doing exercise remember to listen to the body and not overdue it. Also hydrate and drink plenty of water.
7.) Sunlight is one of the best medicines for your body and the best times to absorb the sun is early in the morning or just before sunset. Taking in this natural source of light restores and gives the cells the vitality it needs.
8.) Being in nature helps to not only boost your cells, but increases collagen in the skin. Breathe in the air when you’re in nature because within it lies the fountain of youth
9.) Meditation. In such a hectic world it is critical that we find time for silence. Calming your mind through breathing and quiet frees you from the grips of a busy mind. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual beliefs are, only that you bring your awareness into the now.
10.) Stop doing so much. Do you really need to burn your candle at both ends? Slow down and smell the roses. How many times I hear people say “ I’m too busy”. For your life, health, well being. You see maybe we don’t have to do this only when we are sick and then fighting to live. Maybe we can do this because life is precious and we deserve to be the best.
11.) Gratitude is extremely important because it lifts the vibration in our bodies. As it was told to me by my teacher. Every morning and each night say, THANK YOU FOR MY LIFE.
I’m sure many of you are well aware of these things already, but hopefully this will serve as a friendly reminder so you can see the years of built up toxicity melting away from your entire being.
….
“There are many trends to health and healing, and many people claim they can help you . I’ve been led down some pretty dark paths. But no matter how much time or money I had spent on a health issue’s before working with Shari, I never saw much change or result. Maybe one new thing, like a diet change or new supplement. Only to find the symptom to disappear for a moment, but it always came back. I couldn’t keep up! The endless chase of the newest research or test left me drained, and sometimes worse off than before. So when I came to Shari I was riddled with health problems. I thought Shari would just be another one of “those people” (even though the story of how I came to know of Shari is epic unto itself). I was wrong. SHARI IS THE REAL DEAL.”
~Nicole Mcbride~
dreamcatchershari 