May 22nd, 2009, by Shelley Riutta
I was always looking outside of myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.” Anna Freud
One of the most common issues I work with in my work with clients is Self-Worth. Many people are unable to see the true magnificence of who they really are.
They are blind to it because of distorted perceptions they have of themselves. It is like they are looking at themselves through a clouded, dirty window that is distorted–and when they look through this window they believe these distortions are really true.
What a relief for them when they find out this is what they have been doing! Clearing away these distortions—like scrubbing the window clean—reveals the truth—that what is on the other side of the window–is their beautiful Authentic Self—Radiant, Loving, Joyful, Creative, Compassionate, Fun and Sparkly.
You may be reading this—thinking– Is that really me—all of those things. Yes–absolutely. You may think–”Well I don’t feel so Joyful—or Sparkly.” And yes, that might be true–because you may be operating in old patterns of your Conditioned Self which will block your experience of your Joy, Your Sparkly energy.
But the good news is the Joy is always there, the Sparkly energy is always there—it never goes away. It is like the Sun beaming brightly on the other side of the passing clouds it is Constant, Bright and nothing can ever take it away.
So see if you can tune into this energy of your Authentic Self right now. Drop below your worries, fears, self-doubt, irritation and begin to feel the Love, the Joy, and the Excitement of your Authentic Self—that just wants to be, to Love, to Express and Have lots of FUN.
I would love to hear from you what happens when you do this. You can post your answer below.
May 21st, 2009, by Shelley Riutta
I went to Door County (for those of you who aren’t from Wisconsin–Door County it is the thumb of part of Wisconsin) with my sister, Nessa, this past weekend. The weather was beautiful and is was so relaxing.
Here is Nessa and I on Pebble Beach in Sister Bay. It has these real beautiful stones and rocks that are so smooth. I loved taking them and rubbing them on my face–they were so soft and smooth.
Here is Nessa holding some of the stones in her hand.
This was our view from the beach. Look at how blue the water is!
Here is Nessa doing the Tree Pose on a flat rock that was on the beach–she is quite a talented woman:)
Niyo came with us that day—here he is on our walk in Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek. He LOVES this place.
We ended our day with dinner at the Chef’s Hat in Ephriam, WI–which had a window overlooking the water. We had a great waiter—and despite having some mishaps with our meal—we had a great time with him–he was very sweet.
May 8th, 2009, by Shelley Riutta
“The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle. ” Anais Nin
What would you do if you were not afraid? What risks would you take in your life? What would it look like to take a leap in your life? Many of us spend most of our time creating what we think of as safety and security in our life—having a job that pays well, having a home, saving for the future, keeping our relationships the same etc. Essentially establishing and maintaining the status quo.
Now there is nothing wrong with this except that many people tend to error on the side of not knowing when it is time to make a change—when it is time to take a leap. You see we are expansive Spirits who are here to grow, learn and express our full potential. These signals that our Spirit wants to grow are very subtle and can be easily covered over by the voice of what we “should” be doing in our life. When this happens it can lead to problems in our lives.
Here are some Signals that you may need to take a leap in your life:
1. The biggest Signal is that you feel stuck and stagnant. Because we are meant to grow and expand when we stop this expansion we will feel the energy inside of us start to get “stuck”.
2. You tend to worry a lot. There is a lot of creative energy that wants to move within you and create—if you stop this energy from creating it has nowhere to go but into another activity like worry. So stop worrying and start creating!
3. You are over focused on other people and their problems. Because you don’t have a compelling leap you are making in your life you have no focal point for your energy—so you can get easily distracted by other people’s problems. If you find yourself repeatedly caught about in other people’s issues—it is a signal you need to take leap in your own life.
4. You feel depressed. There is passion and dreams within you that long to be felt and expressed. If you put a lid on these—you hold this energy back and you will feel depressed.
5. You are jealous of other people and what they are doing in their own lives. This is another signal that you have untapped dreams inside of you. Treat your jealousy as a gift, a signal that you have so much more inside of you that wants to be expressed— much more than you ever could imagine!
6. You have low energy. When you are not growing and expanding your energy starts to get dull and stagnate—which makes it even harder to start to make changes. The key is to move out of your inertia to begin to make the changes that your Spirit is calling to make—and to keep moving forward.
7. You are easily irritated and frustrated. Your Spirit can get a little cranky if you are not heeding its call for you to move forward in your life. You can blame it on your job, your mate, your kids, your relatives—but it all comes down to the core issue—you must listen to your Spirit and begin to express this beautiful energy or you will be very frustrated.
8. You feel hopeless. Your Spirit may be signaling that you need to Leap—but your conditioned self—your fears– block you from taking any action. Just like a little kid who wants something so badly and the parents are ignoring these desires— and not doing anything about them—the child begins to feel hopeless. The same dynamic operates inside of you. Not listening to the voice of your Spirit over and over can lead to the same kind of hopeless resignation. Instead listen to your Spirit and take action on these desires and you will feel your hope and excitement for the future begin to soar.
Learning to Fly—Flying Lessons
Lesson One: If you are confused what your Leap would be ask yourself “What is one thing that my Spirit has been quietly telling me to do for years—that I have been ignoring?” It could be something small—like “My Spirit has been telling me to exercise regularly for years”. Take action on this information because there is a wisdom in your Spirit—it knows what step needs to happen first—and this step will lead to the next—and then to the next. Before you know it these smaller steps will build a momentum that will lead you to even bigger leaps.
Lesson Two: Know that you will be uncomfortable as you take your Leaps and learn to Fly. Use this statement to help yourself “I am willing to be uncomfortable to make the changes I need to make.” The more you acknowledge that uncomfortableness is just part of the process—not a signal that you need to stop—you will be able to continue to move forward. The more you do this the more comfortable you will get with the uncomfortableness.
Lesson Three: Keep Your Eye on the Prize. As you take your Leap there will be things that may appear that seem like obstacles in your path. Your job is to keep focused on where you are going and NOT to get sidetracked into over focusing on these obstacles. When I work with clients and this happens—the more they stay on track with their vision of where they are going—the more easily these apparent obstacles just fall away.
Lesson Four: As You Leap You Will begin to Adjust to a Higher, Lighter Vibration and your Body will shed dense energy so you Can Move Higher. This can manifest in getting physically sick for a brief time as your body adjusts and releases the dense energy you have been carrying. After you get better you will feel better than you did before you got sick—you will have upleveled. You can also release this denser energy through feeling emotions of sadness, fear and anxiety. Again these emotions will quickly move through and you will feel lighter and more free after they pass through. Remember the lighter you are—the easier it is to fly!
Lesson Five: You will feel VERY supported as you take action and Leap. Once you make the decision and leap you will feel amazing levels of support come to you from the Universe. Clients of mine who had been sitting on the sidelines for years contemplating their leap are blown away with how supported they feel when they finally take action. They say to me “If I knew it was going to feel this wonderful I would have made this change years ago!” You will feel support from other people, circumstances will come together to support you in miraculous ways, doors will fly open, signals come that let you know you are on track. You will meet people who are your “flying partners”—people on your path that are uniquely supporting you by giving you enthusiastic encouragement and also practical support and information.
Lesson Six: As you Leap and Begin to Fly you will Feel a Special Joy. You are meant to be flying—soaring in your life. There is a special joy that is natural to our Spirits when we align with what we are meant to be doing in our life. It is a joyful, fulfilling feeling that we are on track in our life—exactly where we are meant to be. It is what everyone is longing for—and for good reason—this is the feeling that you are meant to be feeling each and every day.
So listen to the subtle—or not so subtle signals that you are meant to take a leap in your life. Listen and leap—trusting that as you jump you will feel a sweet support and a cheering surrounding you –lifting you to fly even higher into the magnificent life that is meant especially for you!
May 7th, 2009, by Shelley Riutta
I was in upstate New York this past weekend with my Breathwork teacher, Carol, and my other Breathwork colleagues who came from all over the U.S for a Leadership weekend. Carol and her husband Mike have a retreat center in a small town—Dolgeville, NY. It is a beautiful place they call Noga House.
Here is Carol my Breathwork teacher–who I started working with when I was 26 years old—a mere 16 years ago (time flies when you are having fun!) Isn’t she beautiful—a true earth angel—one of the most loving people I have ever met.
Here is my roomate Bobbi—she is with Bill who was at the training with us. He is 70 years old and Wow can he dance!! We had a dance on Sunday night and he and Carol were dancing for HOURS—long after I was done dancing—and I LOVE to dance. That is the beauty of Breathwork it keeps you very young and energetic.
Here is a picture of Noga House.
Here is the Meeting Room where we would have our meeting sessions.
There is a stream in back that you can sit by.
Another area where you can sit.
Here is Gail from North Carolina, Carol, and Ray from Texas. Actually Ray is quite a dancer too–he was showing us some moves from his Nia classes.
