I am going to reveal something to you that I kept secret for years. It is something that had a strong grip on me. Something that made me lose all reason and made me feel out of control.

Because of it, my weight ‘yo-yo’ed up and down. I had low energy, poor digestion and felt so guilty.

I am a recovering SUGAR ADDICT.

After a long day of ping ponging back and forth as a freelancer, being behind my computer screen for far too long and worrying about my future career, I got intense cravings for sweets.

I was desperately looking for a reward for my hard work and some ease from the uncertainty I faced monetarily at the time. I wanted to change my experience – find relief- quickly and the quickest way I found was to treat myself with sweets.

Every night I raided the cupboards for anything and everything sweet. I never carried pre-packaged sweets in my home so you can imagine what that left for me… a super quick desperate fix: spoonfuls of granulated raw brown sugar, honey, or preserves straight out of the jar.

Let’s not forget weekends… I bought all sorts of desserts  and baked goods. My husband and I went through half pints of ice cream and packages of cookies like there was no tomorrow. This was a mardi gras of sorts promising I would abstain from sugar the next day.

It felt great while eating. After the sweets were inhaled, I felt awful physically and emotionally, like a totally FAT ASS… I HATED the roller coaster of cravings and the way it made my body look and feel.

It turns out sugar, when processed by your body, actually stimulates the reward centers of your brain. Even worst, like a drug, you build a certain tolerance to it. The more you have it the more it takes for you to find that sense of pleasure from eating it.  Over time you consume more and more of it to get the same amount of gratification.

When you eat a lot of processed sugars your body produces insulin to sweep away excess sugar from your bloodstream. When you are producing insulin your production of glycagon lowers. It is the only known hormone in your body that carries lipids (fats) from adipose tissue (fat tissue) in to the bloodstream for energy. This means that high insulin production shuts down your body’s fat burning mechanism. You can imagine what these binges do to wreak your health and figure.

Thankfully with a lot of inner work I now LOVE my body. I honor it for all of it’s wisdom. Where there was guilt I replaced it with deep listening and this is how I slowly started to heal my sugar addiction.

In the following video I will divulge…

The questions I ask myself BEFORE diving head first into a tub of ice cream that nip my sugar cravings in the bud

What to eat instead to satisfy your sweet tooth WITHOUT wrecking your body

The kind of food that actually helps you REDUCE your sugar CRAVINGS dramatically when used during a sugar
detox

I use these tips regularly especially when I relapse.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Try them out and let me know how it goes for you! Feel free to comment with questions.

Like this video, share it on Faceboook or Twitter.

To your natural weight loss success,

Yeli

XOXO

I woke up feeling super sleepy this morning, blame the full moon today or a bad night’s sleep…

I had a lot of studying to do. I was fixated on how many chapters I wanted to go through before lunch time. My brain and attention spam were not cooperating. I kept rewinding my training videos to the parts I had spaced out on – sometimes re-listening to certain parts more than twice…

I was getting no where. Fighting sleep was making me feel even more drained and unfocused. It was burning up all my will power to stay up. Will power, I wanted to cash in on for some study time… I felt cranky and scattered. Normally I would have stopped and just taken a nap, but I couldn’t afford it.  Tomorrow I have to wake up at 5:30 am; if I napped I’d be unable to go to sleep early tonight.

I took a break, to cook lunch for my husband and I. I was hoping that diverting my attention to something less cerebral would help. Once we finished eating… I told Steve “I am grinding my gears here.” He says ” Leave the house. Come on get dressed. Let’s go!”  In my 3 year old whinny voice, I replied ” But I don’t want to… I barely have the gumption to shower and change I just want to sleep soo badly”. He was firm and I crankily complied. I knew he was looking out for my best interest…

My plans were to walk in the sun for a little bit, hook up my TouchPad to my local Starbucks’ Wi-Fi  network to get some work done. At least there I knew I wouldn’t be mocked by my comfy bed. I headed to the coffee shop  and was ready to buy some tea –my way of paying rent for the time and space I planned to take up at their store. It was packed with a line 10 people deep. All the chairs and tables were taken. Well that wasn’t going to happen! I walked right out and decided to head back home…

On my way home , I passed by the Spa & Nail Salon.

I got the brilliant idea to get a 10 minute back, and shoulder rub. I caved and stopped resisting. If my body wanted sleep and I couldn’t provide it the least I could do is give it some relaxation and enjoyment.

The monkey body needs what it needs and wants what it wants. The more you fight it the wost things get. Our body is wiser than any logic your mind can muster up.  Guess what? I got my massage and walked out of there feeling rested, clear headed and utterly refreshed. It was a magical! The body is always right.

Many times we become really rigid and goal oriented. We go go go, and burn out quicker than we produce. We forget that our productivity is only as good as the condition our bodies, minds, and emotions are in. Everything from the food we eat, the quality of our sleep and relaxation, to the people we surround ourselves with affect our creativity, concentration, and productivity… If our monkey isn’t happy, its not going to participate, nor be fully engaged in the task at hand.

The moral of the story…

Listen to your body.  It knows when it is off center. When you feel cranky, tired, bored, or  frustrated listen… It’s time to change your pace and take time to recharge and reconnect with yourself. Don’t resist it. Pleasure, play and relaxation are your biggest allies in being on top of your game.

Make breathers part of your day to day.

Incorporate fun or relaxation in to your daily routine. It feels counter intuitive but for that hour you relax or play you’ll feel like you got back four.

Try it

For the next 2 days check in with yourself every few hours and see how you are feeling. Notice when you are feeling in the flow and expansive, or feeling limited, blocked, or narrow. When the latter is true, get up and give yourself a breather.

Ask your body what it needs. Take a 5 or 10 minute walk outside. Shake it out and get into your body. Do some stretches. Let your feel good hormones take over to replenish you. You’ll come back with more insight and clarity, than you could have expected.

I leave you with this…

Where can YOU afford to ADD more pleasure in your day to day work? Where do you feel your iron fist, and militant rules are TAKING AWAY  from your natural sense of creativity and productivity?

Let me know if you find this helpful and how these tips works out for you. I love hearing back!

Think some one you know  would benefit from reading this blog? Share the love and forward it to a friend.

Until next time.

Your pleasuretunistic sister in crime,

Yeli

PUT ON SOME WEIGHT OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND?

Don’t fret…Skip the dose of guilt and post binge starvation. You are no less of a person. Deprivation isn’t going to help you. It will just make your beautiful body rebel to show you who’s boss and how it should NOT be treated. So, add a shot of spunk to your routine to get yourself back on track!

Ups and downs happen. They are a natural part of healthy weight loss and maintenance. Remember its how quickly you recover that makes the difference.

TODAY: GET BACK ON TRACK!

Take a deep breath. Feel your body. Acknowledge your body’s wisdom and its infinite potential for change and evolution. Put on a flirty pair of earrings. Dab on some lipstick. Wink at yourself in the mirror, and proclaim your sass!

Add an extra helping of greens to your plate at every meal and take on some pleasurable movement: swim, walk, skip, bike, dance, jump rope. Be kind & love yourself . You are well on your way!

I hope you find these helpful. If you want more tips and tricks for healthier living, sign up for my free newsletter!

Sending you my love, and unconditional support,

Yeli

XOXO

Got questions? Leave your comments below. I am here to support you.

Working without  much structural, financial, or emotional gains has been the cause of much frustration and feelings of helplessness as of late. I’ve been feeling depleted. Some distance between my Self and my challenges is highly called for to gain perspective.

Having my nose buried into my entrepreneurial woes isn’t helping anyone get clearer on anything. It is time for some soul food and time away from my computer. It has become so easy to get sucked into work without taking care of my emotional nor mental state.

Synchronicity…

Yesterday night my sister and I were  at Gobo’s for a soul date of much needed reconnecting & bonding. I told her “I need a business coach, I just can’t afford one right now”… After perhaps a good 20 minutes or so later the lady next to us says… “I am sorry I was really trying to tune out of your conversation, but I heard “business coach” and “need”.  I have to ask. Are you looking for a business coach? I am a business coach”…

When the student is ready, the teacher appears…

After a pleasant exchange that was about a little bit of everything (travel, Brazilian hair straighteners etc), she gives me her card and tells me. “Check out my programs and at the least just call me to reach out…” I guess the old adage is true.

Angelina actually resides in Hawaii and wouldn’t of been sitting by me had she not missed a flight and had a serious lay over in NYC. I wouldn’t of been there had my sister not just flown in from Peru. You got to love synchronicities… This would of never happened had I stayed home behind the computer stressing about work, and answering emails.

Not only was my heart filled with love for my sister as we enjoyed our date, but I had this serendipitous encounter with a new potential health coach…The universe seems to be saying”You have options just show up for yourself”

“To paint a perfect picture, be perfect and paint naturally”

Go out in to the world and show up for yourself. If you need down time take it, no regrets. If you find you are running your gears on neutral, what you are doing right now is not working for you any longer. It is a time to change perspective. Offer yourself space to see things more clearly.

Feed your soul. That might mean peeling yourself away from your desk for dinner with a friend or taking off for a week-long retreat. Nourish your soul, body and mind then paint naturally.

You never know what opportunity, adventure, or fresh perspective might arise when you give your inner self the space to breath and enjoy the gifts you already have before you now.  Let go of the “I’ll be happy when…” and replace it with “How can I make myself feel happy right now”. You’ll find answers from unexpected places.

Life is an adventure and you’ll never make it to your next pit stop if you freeze and hide behind your worries…

Your partner in crime,
Yeli XOXO

As newly weds, my honey and I did a lot of celebrating this weekend…For us celebrating involved eating delectable treats. I decided to let loose and enjoyed some wedding cake and other baked goodies…Oh my!

Oh dear heavens my vanity is showing!

This has landed me with a juicy cystic pimple the size of a grape. Well…not really but it sure feels that way.  It walks into a room before I do. Have I grossed you out yet?!  I am…Ugh. Not sassy at all  especially when your are making a first impression at work, or dare I say a first date.

How have I have been treating this uninvited guest?

Yogicly… After fretting with it and mistreating it for a few moments of  mindlessness, I have welcomed it in with open arms and a daily dose of ahimsa (non-violence) .

I embraced the little sucker. It is a perfect little messenger. It recounts the story I have heard many times before: “Eh yo! We don’t like gluten at all. Remember?” Every time I have flour BAM! I get a zit almost guaranteed.

Why in the heck did I have cake when there are delicious gluten free options to explore? I somehow thought I could outsmart my body just this once, instead of going all the way down to Baby Cakes for a treat, but the body’s wisdom can’t be messed with…

So what is a gal to do to  nurse her skin back to health?

Get back on the saddle: The Internal Formula

Detox

Drink 8 glasses of water to hydrate the skin and help along its detoxification.

Reduce inflammation

Go back to eating  CLEAN! Stay away from processed foods, especially flours. Eat stuff that is as close to the way nature made it. The kind that doesn’t require a nutritional label.

Up leafy greens intake, and fruits to ensure  the proper consumption of vitamin A, B, C, E, and Zinc. These are all great antioxidants for your skin.We’ll call them the “FAB FIVE” . Taking a multivitamin doesn’t hurt either.

Eat fish or drink an Omega 3 Supplement.

They don’t call it beauty rest for no reason…

Snooze for 8 hrs no questions asked. This is the most important part of the day for rebuilding your cell tissues and everything else for that matter!

Getting back on the saddle: External Formula

Detox

Sweat at least once a day to help release toxins from the skin

Cleanse your face with a non-sulfate, non-alcoholic, non-paraben laden gentle cleaner. Why? These irritants strips your skin of its natural moisture causing your pimple to further flake, crack and look awful. Furthermore, paraben’s have been shown to cause cancer in lab studies. How did this junk ever get into our darned face wash anyway?!

Various times during the day, brew green tea and put the warm tea bag up against your pimple. It will help reduce swelling by 30%. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. We love you green tea!

Spritz a mix of witch hazel and rose water on your face through out the day to tonify your stretched out little patch of skin.

Fight the urge. no picking!

It will cause your skin to get infected, irritated , and may cause scarring. Better prevent any of that by sitting on your hands and keeping still.

Conclusion:

Listen to your body. Observe it’s reactions to certain foods.

A lot of us have hidden food sensitivities/allergies and don’t even know it. Your acne may not be caused by a sensitivity to gluten like me but it is more than just acne. It is a symptom to something bigger. Pay attention. Remember your outsides reflect your insides. Become your very own Matt Lock.

Once you notice what foods you are sensitive to, do your best to act out of integrity and  in service to your health and well-being. The second you catch yourself veering of track just jump right back in with both feet. Don’t skip a beat. Be kind to yourself and do what you have to do.

These are few quick tips to clear out your skin after a minor breakout and always. I hope you find them useful! Please comment with your experience using these below.

So long for now…

Cheers to your radiant skin and healthy, fabulicious, beautiful bod inside and out,

Yeli
Holistic Lifestyle Coach and your Partner in Crime.

Lately I realized that I am a person of influence amongst my peers. As I walk my talk, more and more people are gravitating towards me. They want to know what is going on in my life and how they can do the same…

I am one of those who enjoys bringing people along for the ride. When I am happy, I want others to get in on the magic. They ask and I divulge. They seek help and I lay it all out on the table for them. No bullshit; simply a genuine desire to see people blossom into the wonderful people I know they are.

I am BIG on free expression and self-realization. Whether that for you means, painting, making music, being a great mom, opening up a flower shop, gardening, working for a non-for profit, it does not matter to me. It’s whatever floats your boat. It is all an expression of passion and your highest creative vibration. This also happens to be the very thing I struggle with…

Some of us, yours truly included, have been conditioned to think that power is a bad thing. When we think of power we freak out… We think of nasty people who exploit others for their selfish gain i.e. Haliburton, Enron, etc. We somehow forget to think of the powerful and visionary souls like Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. who paved way for radical change in our society. Peaceful warriors…

Warning: speed bump up ahead!

For some one like me, realizing how easily we influence others by nature, freaks us out. We have a great respect for power and know that “With great power comes great responsibility.” and that is enough to send us running for the hills of fear driven anxiety.

Subconsciously, in our realm of unlimited possibility, we know that we are per-qualified for the job title “agent of change” (as coined by Twee Merrigan). We are scared shit-less that we are fit for the job. We know of our capability to lead the masses and are afraid of the commitment and responsibility that it would entail. In our streaks of clarity and aligned expression we recoil with a hefty dose of self sabotage…

The world is at our feet, yet we choose to play a perverse game of hide and go seek. Our small minds take the helm. It fills us with fear of letting go of the ostensible freedom that comes with mindlessness. It’s the wonderful illusion that we bare no responsibility for our reactions, mindless choices, or turns of fate. Not being accountable to your deepest desire also means hiding way from the public radar, where our failures and imperfections go stealthily undetected.

Think of your mind as a happy bachelor/ bachelorette. It’s desires are to run free and wild, a concept that sounds very alluring. It’s seduced by the illusion of freedom. It opts for distractions and entertainment vs. deep seeded love, truth, and fulfillment.

The mind easily becomes distracted by the dancing gestures of our lives and becomes intoxicated with a lust for things outside our being and control. It runs away from the realest, most raw and intimate relationship in our lives, our relationship to Self.

Skinny dipping…I am baring it all the bad and the ugly!

For a few years I felt anxiety creep up within me. These illusions were not enough to sustain me. There is a discord between deep seeded wants and the mind’s superficial wants. These two sides of the same coin duke it out in the battle of Armageddon. Each takes reign in quick alternating successions. The internal turmoil leaves me feeling very Jekyll and Hyde, in-congruent, heavy, depressed, crabby, and defeated…

When we are on our path to alignment our mind wants to rebel. It throws tantrums and does its mighty best to veer us off-course. It wants to keep us safe in our comfort zone, far away from expansive visions of growth and change.

It persuades us to believe we are not strong enough to step up to our greatness. It wants to avoid getting hurt in the advent of future failures and disappointments.

Our deep seeded wants are a whisper and our brains yearning for distractions are a loud piercing shriek. It is no surprise the mind often wins the battle. When you allow your brain to win over your hearts wisdom you end up, in my case, 10lbs heavier with a serious case of the blahs.

We self medicate to distract ourselves from the intensity of these emotions. For some it might mean mindless hours zoning out in front of the T.V., shopping, getting drunk or high, and for others like me, its over-eating. This self medicating is a form of self-sabotage.

Our minds don’t want to admit that we have something of value to others, because it would mean stepping up to the challenge and taking on personal responsibility.

When you take on personal responsibility your doing takes on meaningfulness. It governs your every decision. You move forward with core alignment. You expose yourself in your rawest forms to the world.

Being that vulnerable, and committing to your core vision puts your mind into panic mode because your barriers and walls are no longer protecting you.

Deep breath now… I’ve never shared this publicly.

Some of us (um… me) can become overwhelmed with the feeling of fear that sometimes arises when we are meant to be doing something big and are not fully nurturing it.

In moments of mindlessness, to soothe the intense feelings, I hid and stuffed my face in the attempt to numb out my emotions and dull my awareness of the big vision I am to manifest into reality. This was always followed by guilt, embarrassment, and total shame of my weight gain. I totally wanted to hide behind a rock and disappear for a while.

Here lies the challenge…

Can we embrace this intense emotional energy and transform it into a cathartic experience, one that can become a catalyst for insight, growth, integrity, and change? Can we walk through the fire of intensity to help us purify our intentions (what we in yogic terms call tapas.)?

Emotional King Fu: A mindfulness exercise and 10 questions to snap you out of  self-deprecating cycles:

The next time this anxiety arises…put down your remote, credit card, cigarette, glass of beer/wine/booze, joint or in my case scoop of ice cream and feel your body. Grab a piece of pen and paper. Find a comfy seat or lay down on the floor. Breath deeply until you feel settled in your body.

Does this seem impossible to you?..

Try laying face down on the floor with a hard thick bolster on your lower belly. You can also use a Mexican blanket. Fold it over as many times as you possibly can vertically then roll it down horizontally as tightly as possible. Use a shoe lace, string or thick rubber band to keep it tightly bundled. Place it in your lower belly.

To connect with your body, practice this breathing pattern.

Breath in deeply through your nose for 4 counts. Hold your in-breath for 4 counts. Release your breath out your nose completely for 4 counts allowing the weight of your hollowed belly to fully sink on to the bolster. Retain the out breath for 4 counts. Repeat this for 6 to 10 cycles of breath.

This might feel intense but it will calm you down and bring you to presence. Breathing deeply while using the bolster stimulates your vagus nerve. It runs from the base of your brain to the stomach. It will slow down your heart-rate, and blood pressure creating a calming affect on your entire nervous system.

When you are finally settled in your body, lay on your back. Place one hand on your belly and one on your heart.

Ask yourself:

• Where am I feeling the anxiety? Does it have a shape? A color? A temperature?
• What am I resisting?
  

• What do I need right now?

• Picture yourself at a time you felt empowered, in the flow. Do you remember how old you were? What you were wearing? What colors, textures, smells, sights, and sounds where around you? Was someone there with you?

Sip in the essence of that moment and feel it in your body. Fill yourself with gratitude for that moment.

Take 1 to 2 minutes to write down 10 characteristic of yourself when you are in your flow at your highest vibration. Affirm to yourself that you are always these qualities. Welcome those feelings and allow these states of being to immerse you. Take this as an opportunity to reconnect with your essence.

• How can I serve my core vision?

Perhaps you need to take a walk around the block to clear your mind, meditate, journal, or maybe its time to take action. Email that perfect contact, about the opportunity they offered you and you chickened out on…

• Are my feelings of anxiety due to a lack of support?

Have I taken on too much and have forgotten to ask for help?

• Are my feelings of anxiety due to a lack of clarity?

Perhaps journaling about your core vision would be helpful. Break down your big vision into teeny tiny bite sized baby goals. Slow down and give yourself some time for introspection.

• Am I so focused on achieving that I’ve spread myself too thin?

What non core-nurturing activities can I delegate and or let go of in my life to create more space to recharge my batteries with juiciness, acknowledgement, fun, and synergy

• Are you being hard on yourself for your self-perceived short comings…? Are you self-sabotaging as a form of punishment?
  

If so… Close your eyes. Sit and connect with your breath. Surrender to this very moment. Feel the clothing on your back. Feel your breath. Be gentle with yourself.

When you feel settled in your body say to yourself, “I feel your fear. I am deeply sorry for masking your feelings and sabotaging you. I will ask for support when I need it and I will elicit help from those who are wiser and more experienced than I. You deserve to express what I want. I love you unconditionally and will support you in expressing our truth.”

Find one or two ways to acknowledge yourself for all your past accomplishments. Start to take delicious care of yourself so that you can continue to accomplish many more by being who you are not doing what you think you are supposed to be doing.

• Lastly ask: How else can I help you?

Sit in silence and let that question linger in you. No need to answer the question logically. Let your subconscious take over. Perhaps after weeks or even a day or two of asking these same questions you’ll receive amazing insight.

In conclusion…

Know that you are resilient and strong enough to bear anxiety and fear.

These emotions are  a sign that you are growing, and busting out of your shell. It is a red flag that it is time to step out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying “Everything you want is just outside of your comfort zone.

You are not your emotions.

You are the vessel that experiences them. You have a choice to react to these emotions by sabotaging yourself, stuffing them down, or you can be mindful of these emotions and take conscious action.

“Practice and all is coming.”

The practice of mindfulness allows you to explore levels of love, growth, abundance, and health you never imagined possible. The trick is you’ll have to practice this every chance you get, over and over again until it becomes ingrained in you. It is just like building a muscle. Over time you will get stronger and stronger.

You are your own best guru.

Every time a tough emotion comes up take your anxiety as a sign that it is time to slow down and listen deeply. Come up with your own questions to aid your healing.

I have lost 10lbs using these tools.

No I am not perfect! Yes, I sometimes react to these emotions and go down the dark path of self-medication through over-eating, but it no longer has a hold on me for more than a few hours once in a blue moon.

In the past, I’ve spent full years of endless emotional stuffing and sabotaging. Now, I catch myself almost instantly, I slow down and go deep into these feeling to reconnect to the real issue at hand.

Are you allowing yourself to be lead with your mind’s small thinking shenanigans or are you leading from a space of expansive wisdom and trust in yourself?

Would love to continue this conversation with you. Please leave your comments below. Feel free to share what you struggle with most. This a community of non-judgmental peeps. Share to your hearts content.

Thanks for reading!

Bare-naked and in loving gratitude,

Yeli
XOXO

S.O.S. The Shiny Object Syndrome, and the need for some serious S.O.S (help)!: Tips to refocus your attention and find guiltless play for the sassy entrepreneur.

For a short while, at least the last 2 or 3 days now, I have suffered from this pesky syndrome. I have done a little bit of everything, and have accomplished a whole lot of nothing…

I am falling behind on my homework for my business coaching classes, and my self-imposed due dates for creating videos & articles. I’ve been sequencing, teaching, doing some volunteer work, doing my very best to practice presence in my relationships and let’s not forget, shuffling papers and wasting time with any shiny new thing I could find. Oy…

Why?

Just so that you can begin to understand my overwhelm with my homework, it is heavy soul-searching-kind-of-stuff (i.e. creating “your empire chart” & “vision statement”).

The feelings of taking on these daunting tasks were palpable this past week. I felt like I had no time to do anything. Guilt took over. I ended up working late. It ate into quality time with my fiancé.

Side Note: This definitely fizzles out the heat in the bedroom. You can imagine how this makes a relationship suffer… Ladies, your ability to chill out and enjoy yourselves are your biggest aphrodisiacs, and your most feminine qualities.

On-going haphazard scheduling of work can take a toll on your relationships. Let’s not go down that route. The second you catch yourself in beast work mode spice things up. Make room for more down time and enjoyment right away. Find a way to get your work done in a fun and stress-less way. More tips on that coming up.

Feeling clear, fully expressed and inspired makes you more confident, playful, and open to intimacy with your partner. The alternative is a bitchfest/open mic hour (not sexy…). Noun Bitchfest – a rapid fire succession of complaints and expressed angst about your day to day struggles. You feel so bothered and angry that your supportive significant other feels he could barely sneak in a comforting hug or a “its going to be okay” into the mix.

When you are in the flow it makes you more attractive to the opposite sex. Get rid of half-assed guilt-filled down time, and embrace more guilt-less down time! It is worth it, and the best thing you can do for your work life and relationships. That I can guarantee! …Ends Side Note

The Elephant In The Room

As I noticed this pattern of procrastination, I realized this was my brains way of protecting me from working to exhaustion and avoiding the fear that “maybe stepping up to my biggest vision would mean giving up down time & playtime with family and friends”. I noticed I’ve been forgetting to take breaks, further feeding my fear of having no down time. I was creating the very reality I was running away from by procrastinating and allowing my work to pile up.

I took a step back from my brain’s shenanigans . I took a moment to get in touch with this very instant, and collected myself by checking in with my breath, & my body.

Doing the best that it could to protect me from this downward spiral of “stank” feelings, my brain was putting me “on notice” (as Stephen Colbert would put it), basically a full fledged time-out, only offering me the attention span of a gold fish. It was on strike until further reparations were offered. It’s signs read “We always work for pleasure never for stress nor grief you SLAVE-DRIVER!”, “We are over-stimulated. That’s enough!”

Eureka!

When you work for yourself, you have the privileged to make your own choices and create your own destiny. I have CHOICE. Heeelloo…Earth to Yeli!

(Enters Morpheus at stage left: “Yeli, you are the one.” Exits Morpheus at stage right) I am the master of my creation. For someone otherwise insightful I can have my dull moments of playing small.

I can either take on jobs or NOT depending on whether or not they will nourish my higher goals. I get to be selective. If something does not fit with my higher vision of helping thousands of people change their lives while making a great income, and still having time to enjoy my family and friends, I can turn it down. I don’t have to take on every opportunity. I don’t have to compromise what is important. (Isn’t it funny how we know things yet lose our way from time to time?)

So I heard it’s message loud and clear: TAKE MORE QUALITY BREAKS and HAVE MORE FUN IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO INCLUDING WORK! LIVE LIFE NOW, AND RE-ACCESS THINGS ALONG THE WAY.

Good quality breaks actually make you more effective. Time spent in avoidance of tasks does NOT count.

Here are the tools I am using to embrace my inner rockstar and bringing it at work!

Get Out of Your Head!

1. Stop… Take a 5 minute breather. Let go of your worries and thoughts for just 5 measely minutes. (I promise they will still be there when you come back.)

• Reconnect with your body and your breath. These are the 2 key access points to reconnecting with the present moment.
• Close your eyes. Feel the clothing on your back. Feel your heart beat against your chest.
• Take a few deep breaths.
• After a couple of minutes, slowly open your eyes. (If you work from home try this while laying down on the floor with your arms and legs outstretched to your sides, what we call in yoga Sivasana. By all means you can still try it seated at your desk.)

Note: Set a timer; don’t fall asleep! It has happened to me.
• Notice your surroundings and come back to this very moment.

Celebrate

2. Ask yourself “What are three things I can do today that would enhance my well-being, and make me feel replenished so that I have more to offer?”

• Write ‘em down with no judgments. They can be low cost things like taking a bubble bath, giving yourself a foot rub, watching the sun set, taking time to sip on a warm cup of tea. Or… It can be a splurge that you can afford from time to time like getting a massage or pedicure.                                                                                       The key is to do these mindfully with the intention of sipping in every moment of that experience as fresh and new. It’s function is to hit the refresh button so that you can come pack to your day to day with a fresh perspective.
• Use your list as a way of celebrating your hard work. Keep updating that list as you think of more things. Schedule them into your day, EVERY DAY! If you don’t, I guarantee you will lose your mojo. If you don’t feed the goose (that’s you) that lays the golden eggs, how are you expecting to get any new eggs?

Clear Out The Cobwebs

3. Notice your thought patterns about your to do list. What are you resisting? Write it out. Don’t run away from any feelings of discomfort. Embrace the feelings. Sit with them. See what your resistance or fears are telling you. Then, free that resistance by consciously building what you want, not what you don’t want in your day to day actions.

Be a mindful creator of you day. Know that you are in charge of your process, your reactions and your life. See if what you’re doing is in the service of what you envision for yourself. If it isn’t then change you course of action. If it is, then step into your greatness. Do what you have to do and allow yourself to play BIG! You carve out your reality with every action that you take or do not take.

Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix

4. At the beginning of everyday, create a list of the things that you have to do. Do you feel like you have no time? Are there any things you spend a lot of time on in quadrants iii or iv? If so drop as many of these as possible. These are your biggest time wasters: chatting on the internet, texting, facebook, twitter, checking email, watching t.v, answering the phone when you really don’t have the time to etc. That is what voice-mail is for. Use it!

Schedule 20 minute gaps here and there to take care of such trivial things or don’t take care of them at all. Start to notice how much time you are spending in those 2 quadrants iii, & iv. They zap your time without you even noticing.

Now you are left with only the high quality activities you need to get done from quadrant 1 and 2 both urgent and not urgent important tasks that will bring you the most benefits: an improved quality of life, sanity of mind, and greater feelings of satisfaction/fulfillment in your career, and life.

“Practice and all is coming.” Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

How awesome would your life be if you could focus on quadrant 1 and 2 activities for just 2 to 4 hours a day, how about 6 to 8 hours, how about consistently everyday? Think of the quality time you’d spend with your love ones, with your clients, in your career, in making yourself a better person. It would create quantum change! Practice this to the best of your abilities everyday.

“Your power to choose the direction (or focus) of your life allows you to reinvent yourself, to change your future, and to powerfully influence the rest of creation.” Stephen Covey

Well doesn’t that sound ideal, but come on! I can’t sit still for more than 10 mins at a time…How the heck am I suppose to accomplish this? Enters Pomodairo to save the day!

The cure to S.O.S. is Pomodairo. It is brilliant, my biggest most effective tool in getting quality work done. It is a system of time management. You work in 25 minute cycles with 5 minute breaks in between. After 4 cycles you get a 20 minute break.

Once the clock gets going something happens. Knowing you have a set amount of time to focus on one task triggers something in your brain. It feels more like a game. You naturally tune everything out, and become more present. You are instantly in the flow and can get tons of work done. Three, or four hours of laser focused work becomes more productive than a regular full 8 hour work day! Seriously.

There is a free app you can install right into your computer and it is nothing short of amazing. Sometimes a task seems daunting but broken down into smaller pieces, and 25 minute windows of time things become way more digestible!

Here is the link: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com./ or you can download it for google users here: http://code.google.com/p/pomodairo/

I am in my superwoman mojo because of it right now. I’ve been using it all day. I shut down my email, facebook, twitter, phone and all other distractions. The trick is, no matter what happens when that 25 minute cycle ends…STOP what you are doing and take a break to celebrate! You’ll come back feeling refreshed and on top of your game every single time.

So far my 5 minute breaks consist of playing loud music (say “Temptation” by New Order), dancing around my studio and singing at the top of my lungs, and shoulder stretches.

Have fun and spice it up! Besides, this is your life’s work. Make it pleasurable and worth it. Now off you go. Try some of these out and let me know how these work out for you. What are you going to be doing for your 5 minute pleasurations?!

Leave your comments below.

Until next time!

To your ferocity and greatness,

Yeli

XOXO

Number of Pomodairos to finish this post: 7. Can you tell? I am not much of a writer. All I can do is offer what I have to share. Grammar and spelling mistakes are often free side orders, on the house

I am not a fascist! Wait. What? Ooh..Fascia..

Your body’s muscle fibers are all interconnected by a clear sheath of connective tissue called fascia. It holds the shape of your muscles and organs, literally keeping you together kind of like Spanx do!

This soft tissue can become restricted by inactivity causing pain, muscle tension and other unpleasurable symptoms. If you are a cubicle dweller, and sit behind a desk all day chances are you have tight fascia all along your back body, starting at your hamstrings. In the long run this constant state of flexion in your hammies, while seated, will restrict your healthy range of motion and cause other side effects.

Why Stretch Your Hamstrings?

As with any muscular dis-balance, having tight hamstrings sets off a chain reaction of misalignments that travels all the way up your spine. Tense hamstrings pull on your sitz bones, causing your hips to come out of alignment. (Ouch! back pain anyone?) Your pelvis ends up with a posterior tilt (backward tilt); to follow, your tail bone tucks in between your legs like a recently shamed puppy. Your shoulders round. Your head juts out. ( A side of tension head ache for you Sir?) Not a pretty picture! These mechanical stressors in the long run can even compromise the quality of your breath.

The solution…

How can you prevent these symptoms? The key here is to lengthen the hamstrings and strengthen them to support that new found space you’ll be creating. Get moving. Your body and life will thank you. Not to mention how much more attractive you will be with your new upright and confident posture (wink, wink, elbow, elbow) Build some mindfulness in your day to day routine to make time for movement/stretching.

Remember your body is the only vehicle you have to express your greatness to the world. If you are constantly feeling restricted, tense in your own body, you are less likely to feel inspired and on top of your a-game. Try out this at-home yoga sequence to get things going. All you need is a non-slip surface to practice on, a wall, and maybe 2 blocks or phone books. Make sure to warm up with at least 6 Sun Salutations before you attempt these stretches. Just in case you have no idea what sun salutes are this is the link to my beginner-friendly sun salutations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za7U8Yxl2So

Part 2

Try it out and let me know what you think. I am always looking forward to your comments!

In service with mucho gusto,

Yeli

Your health and lifestyle coach

XOXO

Can I just tell you? I had a moment with my breakfast this morning. It was so good that I felt both deeply grateful and effervescent while drinking it. I was literally giggling in delight and nothing short of stomping around in joy. You can ask my fiancé Steve if you don’t believe me. So as you can imagine after such awesomeness, all I wanted to do was share it with you all. Since I can’t invite you all over for an impromptu breakfast smoothie/ pajama party, I’ll have to settle with sharing the recipe instead.

The story behind the recipe:

This week Steve, and I just started a 90 day work out regime (more on that later). As you can imagine we are feeling a little tight and sore. Hence this morning I wanted to make us a deeply restorative smoothie to get our bodies the nutrition they need to heal, grow strong, and power us through our busy day.

I’ve been experimenting the past couple of days with this recipe, with less than optimal results. The first few batches I made tasted like primordial lumpy swamp water.  It made us feel great, but the taste was awful! I drank these test trials with a pinched nose and one breathless sequence of continuous gulps, like medicine down the hatch. (I didn’t want to throw the mix out considering how yummy these ingredients are for you, so I drank ‘em!)

With wonderful success and my sleepy intuition of portions, this is the little slice of heaven that  became manifest this morning! I call it “The Magic Hulk”!

Ingredients:

1/2 of a medium-sized hass avocado

5-6 medium sized strawberries freshly washed

1 handful of freshly washed blueberries

1 tablespoon of sunflower seed butter (I just bought it for the first time yesterday and it pawns Peanut Butter. I’d never thought I’d say that! Also it is way healthier. Woo hoo!)

1 tabelspoon of spirulina in powder form

1 heaping tablespoon of L-Glutamine in powdered form ( to help our tierd muscles)

1 1/2 cups of water

2 packets of stevia, or agave nectar to taste

Serves 1

Instructions:

Place all your ingredients in the blender. Make sure you cover it otherwise you will end up with green walls. Blend on high until everything comes together to form a creamy, smooth and velvety mix.

This recipe is  a great source of:

• Enjoyment and palatable pleasure!
• Vitamin B12 to keep you going with energy for hours
• Oleic acid a heart healthy essential fatty acid
• Offers all  8 essential amino-acids the building blocks of protein
• Potassium to help you stay hydrated, and keep you from retaining water
• Has no refined sugars so your blood sugar levels will remain on an even keel preventing your mid morning dip in energy…You know right around the time you reach for your second cup of java say 10 or 11pm? I know because I use to feel that way too. Today I can honestly say I JUST realized I had not had my coffee from feeling so focused and awake! It was laying on my counter top untouched, and honey do I love my cup of coffee in the morning.
• Help slim your waist

• Keeps you feeling full and focused for a solid 4hrs +. Who needs Red Bull with this bad boy right here!

This recipe tastes friggen delicious, and look at all those healthy benefits!

In case you are thinking I am some kind of nutritional genius for putting this together, I am more of intuitive culinary genius. I know what makes me feel good and the nutritional facts prove that feeling! Listen to your body. It gives you some nifty feedback if you slow down.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Please try it and tell me what you think!! Um, any one else getting hungry? I think it time for lunch!

P.S. You can use this as a meal replacement any time, especially if you are on the run!

With love, wishing you a mouthgasmic experience,
Yeli your Health and Lifestyle coach
XOXO