by Alexandria Barker | Jan 10, 2021 | Law of Attraction, Yoga Articles
Yoga for weight loss? Sounds like a bit of a (ahem) stretch, doesn’t it? I mean it’s not like running a marathon, or taking a high intensity cardio program at a gym, so logically may not be the first weight loss activity that springs to mind. But it can be an effective tool to have in your tool box nonetheless. Here are 7 ways yoga can help you lose weight.
- Though it’s a gentle form of exercise, yoga still is an aerobic activity. Your muscles are working constantly for the whole class, (except for savasana the final resting pose) lengthening and strengthening and doing core work (except for savasana the final resting pose)
- Yoga reduces binge eating because it teaches you to be present and deal with the emotions that cause overeating
- Yoga helps you stop gaining weight. A four year study showed that people who participated in yoga one day a week lost five pounds. Those in the group that didn’t do yoga gained 13 lbs
- Yoga lowers stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity, signaling the brain to burn food for fuel rather than storing as fat.
- Yoga teaches you to love and accept yourself as you are now, regardless of your shape and size. This loving acceptance will help you stop punishing yourself with bad food choices that lead to weight gain.
- Yoga encourages you to love your body for all it does for you rather than despising it for not currently conforming to your view of what it should be
- Yoga’s inward focus makes you more aware of how your body feels throughout the day. It has the power to shift how you feel and think about your body which can stimulate other positive behavior, such as eating when you are hungry (not when the clock says to) and stopping when you are full rather than continuing to eat till you are over full.
So there you have it – 7 ways Yoga can help you lose weight. With the added bonus of helping you love yourself more! Yoga anyone?
by Alexandria Barker | Jan 10, 2021 | Healing Crystals, Law of Attraction, Spiritual Healing
Have you had your power water today?
Drinking Water:
- Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids
- Can Help Control Calories
- Helps Energize Muscles
- Keeps Skin Looking Good
- Helps Your Kidneys
- Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function
We are 70% water, so small wonder it has such an impact on us. But why just drink water when you can drink Power Water!
Masaru Emoto, featured in ‘What the Bleep do we know?’ is a Japanese author best known for his claims that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water.
After years of research, Emoto concluded that high-quality water forms beautiful and intricate frozen crystals, while low-quality water has difficulty forming crystals.
Emoto demonstrated that positive changes to water crystals can be achieved through prayer, music, or by attaching written words to a container of water. The beautiful image to your left is a water crystal from a container that had the word ‘Love’ on it. In his experiments, water with words like ‘I hate you’ on it had distorted, ugly images.
Why not put his research to work for you?
Follow these simple steps to get the most from your water:
- Fill a 2 liter glass jug with the highest quality water you have access to
- Tape the words ‘Love’ or ‘Joy’ to the container
- Hold the jug and project thoughts of love and gratitude to it
- If you know Reiki or other energy work, send that energy to the water
- Select a special glass to designate as your personal water glass – crystal preferably
- place crystal bracelets around the glass (or around a plastic water bottle)
- Use what ever crystals resonate with you, but if you’re using a plastic water bottle, be sure to include an Amethyst bracelet to purify the water of any toxins from the plastic.
Every time you drink, say ‘thank you for this water’
With this practice, you will continue to reap the benefits of gratitude as well as the myriad benefits of drinking more water – and, depending on the crystals you choose, you’ll be infusing the water with those qualities as well.
I find that adding a bit of ceremony to something I normally would take for granted encourages me to drink more, and feel special doing it! Try it, and it’ll do the same for you! Let me know how you make out!
Love & Light, Alexandria
by Alexandria Barker | Jan 8, 2021 | Law of Attraction
September, for me, feels more ‘new year’ than Jan 1. It triggers the urge for action; the ideal time to assess goals and decide what to start, stop or continue.
Is it time for a new diet and exercise regime? If so, which one? For many of my clients this is a big question. With so many choices, how do you know what’s really right for you?
I want to share how you can use the most powerful law of the universe to your benefit, because the truth is, unless your actions align with your predominant thoughts and core beliefs, you’ll just be spinning your wheels.
The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like; everything is energy, and things of a similar vibration attract to each other. Everything begins as a thought which, when thought upon more, becomes a powerful creative force drawing more thoughts that match it.
If continued, this energy will expand and you’ll begin to notice conversations, circumstances and events that match it also. And while taking action is absolutely part of the law of attraction (built right into the name), to have the kind of effect you want they must be inspired actions that feel good to you.
Forcing yourself to do things you dislike won’t get you there! You must either adjust the action, or the way you feel about it.
Let’s say you’ve decided to lose weight this fall. For many this means harboring critical thoughts about their body, feeling fat, daily weigh-ins, taking measurements, and chastising themselves for each perceived failure.
If this is your focus, guess what you’re attracting? More of the same. More punitive thoughts, more reasons to feel fat, more opportunities to judge yourself not good enough.
No amount of exercise is going to turn that around for you, my friend. Forcing yourself to jog will not net the results you want. Consider instead the LOA-friendly method – take time to connect with yourself through quiet contemplation. Flow love to your body, listing all the things you adore about it exactly as it is now. Appreciate how great it is to be here having a physical experience, with all that entails. Delight in your senses and all they allow you to do.
Thinking of your body as your companion through life with its own consciousness, ask what it needs from you to keep it in peak condition, being open to receiving the answer in whatever form it comes.
Maybe it would like to try a different approach to eating. Perhaps it would like more exercise, but prefers yoga, walking or swimming to sweating it out at the gym. Give it what it wants, and the resulting good feeling will radiate out and return with many more positive feelings and life experiences.
Everything responds to love, and deliberately loving yourself more will do more to promote health and longevity than any other action you can take!
For more helpful hints or to engage my coaching services please visit http://www.AlexandriaBarker.com
by Alexandria Barker | Jan 3, 2021 | Law of Attraction
If you want your life to be different, you have to break the habit of ‘telling it like it is’ and start telling a new story. What better way to that than scripting?
Scripting has got to be one of my favorite tools in my Deliberate Creator tool box. Abraham talks about Scripting as a process for transforming your life. I find it to be very effective, as well as fun.
Essentially, you imagine yourself to be a playwright creating the story of your life. Lets break it down into steps.
I like to keep a specific journal just for this purpose, divided into different sections for each primary area of my life such as relationships, career, health. Carve some private time in your day, and sit quietly for a few minutes thinking about what you want the outcome to look like in a particular situation or part of your life.
Let your mind go, imagine a scenario where you already have what you think you want, then write about your day as you would like it to be then. See yourself arriving to your work place, walking through the door, greeting co-workers, anything that comes to mind.
I like to keep this part general enough that it doesn’t interfere with the fairies of the Universe creating something for me that I can’t yet conceive of. Try not to get bogged down in too many details, but do keep the end result juicy. Ultimately you want to feel happy and fulfilled, so focus on that. But feel free to include details that get you excited about the final outcome.
I’ve personally had some amazing things happen as a result of scripting, completely turning situations around, and I always recommend it to my clients.
Here’s what Abraham has to say about scripting in the book Ask and It Is Given: “Pretend you are a writer and that whatever you write will be performed exactly as you write it. Your only job is to describe, in detail, everything exactly as you want it to be.”
By playing this game lightly you’re less likely to activate limiting beliefs. You accomplish the two things necessary to achieve anything; you focus on your desire, and offer no resistance.
“Things you have written will begin to occur in your experience as if you’re directing a play upon a stage. You are the vibrational writers of the script of your life, and everyone else in the Universe is playing the part you have assigned to them. You can literally script any life you desire, and the Universe will deliver to you the people, places and events just as you decide them to be. For you are the creator of your experience – you have only to decide it and allow it to be.”
Happy Scripting, and please share your successes here with us! 🙂
Love & Light, Alexandria
www.alexandriabarker.com
by Alexandria Barker | Jan 3, 2021 | Law of Attraction, Meditation, Spiritual Healing
Ahhh. Meditation. Is there anything as soothing and relaxing as clearing your mind while you just sit and breath?
You feel better just contemplating all the health benefits it gives you; reduced stress and anxiety, lower cholesterol levels, restful sleep, reduced blood pressure and more.
So you carve out a bit of ‘me time’ and get nicely settled in, prepared to gift yourself with this mental vac-kay. But, just as you are about to achieved total zen, somebody barges into the room to see what you’re up to, forcing you to stop and put their needs ahead of your own or sit there for your allotted time anyway, stewing in your juices instead of basking in serenity.
I feel your frustration. In fact I shared it often, until I decided to create my own sacred space where I could enjoy my spiritual practices uninterrupted. Today I want to share how you can do the same in an afternoon with a small space.
Having a special place to meditate is key to establishing this healthful habit. First, it helps you avoid the trap of squandering your precious time wandering from room to room deciding where to sit, noticing all the other things you “should” be doing instead, like housework – thoughts that take you right out of your zen frame of mind!
It also acts to condition your brain. Your mind and body EXPECT to be calm and quiet here, so you won’t encounter as much resistance to your practice.
In my case, I reclaimed a spare bedroom’s 4’ x 4’ closet, completely transforming it into an environment so beautiful and tranquil I can hardly wait for the daily opportunity to sit and sooth my spirit!
To begin, I completely emptied the closet, disposing of or finding new homes for its contents. I gave the interior a fresh coat of paint, hung sheer curtains for a door, strung white lights along the ceiling, and installed a wind chime at the entrance.
At each of the four corners I placed Hematite crystals (known for their grounding qualities) and some large Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz and Amethyst crystals I chose for their healing energy.
I covered the whole closet floor with quilts, turning it into one big pillow, and hung inspiring pictures on the walls. In one corner sits a “tree”, a vase filled with cut branches, decorated with fairy lights and crystals hung as ornaments.
An aromatherapy mister at the entrance adds mood and fragrance. Then, with my I-pad set on meditation music, I happily retreat from the world, to emerge refreshed and renewed 20 minutes later.
You can easily create something similar yet uniquely your own. Then, with your ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, you’ll be all set to boost creativity, enhance your immune system and counteract the ill effects of stress, all by simply sitting and breathing. Ahhh.
As a yoga and meditation teacher, reiki master and life coach, I’ve learned how essential meditation is to my life! Having a peaceful happy mind begins with meditation, and this peace is reflected in your outer life! Try it yourself, take the 10 day meditation challenge and feel the difference!
Simply commit to meditating for 10 days in a row, and share your experience in my private Facebook group
by Alexandria Barker | Jan 3, 2021 | Best Stress Relief Activities, Law of Attraction
Affirmations are the best stress relief activities!
Affirmations are very powerful tools for bringing about the kind of life you want. They also are best stress relief activities. However, they have an evil twin – what I call the dark side of affirmations.
Basically, affirmations are thoughts you choose to think because you want the results they’ll produce. Created correctly, using positive, powerful words in the present tense repeated often, they produce the effects you want by convincing your subconscious mind the conditions they describe are in fact real.
For example, let’s say you’re stressed about money. You need financial stress relief activities. You know everything begins as a thought, you want to create more wealth in your life, so a positive affirmation would be, “Money now flows to me freely from all directions,” or “I am now rich beyond my wildest dreams,” or “I am wealth. I am abundance. I am prosperity.”
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