All our suffering comes from what happens in our minds. From the thoughts, ideas, how we perceive the circumstances in our lives. Pain is inevitable. I can't deny it's painful when we go through a breakup or when someone transitions into eternity and it's painful to see what the world is going through. Yet, suffering is a choice.

So my invitation to you today is to treat your mind so it doesn't become addicted to suffering. Give it a spiritual mind treatment, or what we can also call prayer.

 I grew up in a Christian family and it was beautiful but for various reasons, I always felt rebellious about it. I used to hear the word prayer and think… hmmm that doesn't work for me. But throughout my spiritual journey, I have come to understand and feel God very differently from what I learned growing up. Payer has become a part of my spirituality. And it's ok if this isn't your case because this type of prayer has nothing to do with religion. This is a spiritual...

Maya Angelou once said: “Survival is very important, but we are living in a time and age where we can practice the elegance of thriving.”

We want to see so many things manifested in our lives, but if we are in a state of survival, there's not much that gets done other than surviving.

So, how do we go from surviving to thriving and why is it important?

Let me tell you a story...

A lady once said to Reverend Michael Beckwith during one of his classes:

“Reverend, I hear you talking about manifestation, reaching your goals, and fulfilling your dreams. I want that for my life. But I also hear you talking about forgiveness, and I don't want to forgive. I'm not ready. So what do I do? Can I still fulfill my dreams even if I don't forgive?” 

To this, the Reverend responded with a story.

At the beginning of Agape times (The reverend's spiritual center in LA), the community would go on bicycle rides. For some reason, he would be the last one to arrive back from...

Tools to find freedom in forgiveness.

Click here to watch the video.

Lewis B. Smedes said: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and then discover the prisoner was you.”

 This is one of my favorite definitions of forgiveness. 

Not forgiving is one of the biggest incarcerations. When we are not forgiving, we are making ourselves prisoners of our own resentment. But forgiveness has the power to take us away from the prison and stop the self-abuse.

As described by Reverend Michael Beckwith:

“It is vital for our well being to release the anger and make forgiveness a way of life.”

I've had people tell me, “Paola, I can't believe I have to forgive this again, I thought I had already forgiven it!”

 Forgiveness is a way of life. You forgive today, and you feel the goodness of it. Then, in a year or two, you might remember again. The pain raises one more time and so you forgive again. 

See it as peeling the layers of the anger and...

How to stand your truth no matter what?!

 Do you feel like the world is in chaos right now?

Staying true to your beliefs can feel challenging when uncertainty is ruling. But you can learn to keep your vibes HIGH no matter what!

I want to take you through 4 steps to stand your truth regardless of the circumstances outside of you, these are: 

• How to shift your perception from: Why is this happening to me? To: What is this happening for? How getting rid of the victim allows for your highest self to take the lead in your life.
• How to take responsibility for your thoughts and actions and avoid ego-driven thinking.
• Why judging steals energy from you and how to replace judgment with compassion.
• Why frustration, negative thinking, comparison, and other heavy emotions rule over your body. And how to tap into your heart's wisdom to move onto a more peaceful state.

I know you're ready to expand your consciousness, so let's get to it.

The Universe never contradicts itself....

Transformational Breathwork can be so trippy and healing.

I remember when I was in the process of first dating who is now my husband, James, and I remember going into a breathwork class with Nicole Rager, intending to release anything that could limit my expansion and my opening to the relationship.

I was sitting comfortably; it was a good day, nothing was bothering me, and I was enjoying the class. 

I was breathing in, breathing out.

At one point, Nicole put her fingers in the back of my neck and said calmly: It is safe to be yourself.

Immediately after she said those words, I went back in time to when I was 6 or 7 years old growing up at home with my brother, and I remembered I told myself the story that it was not ok to be me, that I needed to be someone else to be loved.

I had no idea I believed that, and I didn't know how it could be associated with meeting a new person. It was one of the most impactful revelations I have had during a breathwork session. 

What...

Do you remember the first time you accomplished something great when you were a child? Maybe your team won the school soccer championship, or you got an excellent grade in a test and your parents were so proud.

How did that make you feel?

Let's fast forward a few years. How did it feel when you got that Yes after your most anticipated job interview? Or after graduating from college?

It was a reason to celebrate, right? Because we deserve to celebrate our accomplishments.

Now, what if I told you that after today you don't have to achieve anything to have a reason to celebrate yourself and feel worthy of a beautiful life?

See workshop below!

Brené Brown said:

"There are no prerequisites for worthiness."

I have been deeply committed to my spiritual growth since I was very young, and I have walked many paths during this journey, but it wasn't until I really woke up and realized my truth that everything changed. 

You might wonder what do I mean by woke up?

Well, it wasn't...

I spent 23 years trying to figure out "the romantic love thing"… You may say, how is that possible, how old are you?. The answer is: I am 35, and this started when I was 12!

I had such a rush to find true love. I couldn't wait to stop being a kid so I could experience butterflies in my stomach and a beautiful love story. 

So I did everything to get it right. I tried to be more relaxed, likeable, skinnier, prettier, smarter, detached, attached, tougher, more open-minded, independent, but no wait interdepend is better, sexier, but that was not good enough.

So, I went down the route of becoming more feminine, more spiritual, superwoman but nurturing (otherwise is too masculine), the perfect balance between yin and yang, love myself so I don't need anyone, and etc.… you get the point!

Sigh…

And guess what?! My soulmate was not coming. In fact, the complete opposite, if you know what I mean  

Then I heard the phrase: "when you don't feel that...