Hello, my dear! How are you and how is your heart today? Have you had a chance to enjoy yourself in this moment, yet? Or are you checking email while cooking, brushing your teeth, and trying to tell your spouse coffee is done with airplane lander signals? I hear ya.
man, i’m already tired from that first sentence. how can heart nudges help?Category: Love and Light Warrior
Welcome to the Love and Light warriors! Who are they? Stories and interviews with awesome humans sharing their journeys and wisdom about how to find Joy in life.
Do you want some Effortless Vitality? Ask Sharon.
GUEST POST! Effortless vitality. Sounds too good to be true? Well, one amazing soul would beg to differ. When Sharon Rolph retired, she went from invisible to the Queen of Courage. And she wrote this post today to share some of her best tips. Sit back and cuddle in some inspiration from this Love and Light Warrior!
Before we get started on a lovely piece from this Essence and Retirement Coach, I wanted to share some art that Sharon creates to give you a taste of her effortless vitality, straight from her heart and sewing machine! Enjoy!
Live with Heidi and Heather: Episode 003
Is Happiness a Red Herring?
Join Heidi Esther and Heather Kokx as they delve into the dark corners of…the ever-elusive Happiness in Episode 003 Happiness.
The SoulJourner QUESTion
Calling in my Winnie Exercise
In the Tao of Pooh, author Benjamin Hoff breaks each A.A. Milne character down into their core way of being. For Winnie the Pooh, he is the epitome of Taoism: he allows life, he lives in present, he is calm and joyful. For all the other characters, they have an overage of something that prevents them from fully enjoying life. If they could only see! (Here’s a slideshow if you want more info on the characters.)
After this exercise, you’ll be able to see when you’re a little off and Calling in Your Winnie. Embracing the values of Winnie the Pooh will help you find your inner Zen master, literally! More peace. More happiness. More flow. Boom, baby!
First, please note that it’s totally OKAY to have a favorite character who is NOT Winnie the Pooh! They are all adorable, beautiful, loyal friends.
STEP 1: Pause
When you’re feeling crappy or not enjoying all that life has for you, take a break. Take care of yourself. When you’re ready…
STEP 2: Forgiveness
Remind yourself:
- I am Enough.
- I am a human-in-progress.
- As such, you will go through all the feelings of all the characters (because you are human)! The key is to just not stay stuck in the unhelpful ones.
STEP 3: Congratulate
Take 30 seconds, a couple deep breaths, and try and cultivate some feelings of Pride. Be proud of yourself (maybe give yourself a bear hug!) for taking time to listen to and
STEP 4: Identify
What character most resembles how you are feeling right now?
Eeyore frets. He assumes the worst and isolates himself. He keeps his head and expectations lower than low.
Piglet hesitates and, as a result, fears for the future. Even if that’s walking under a tree! He second-guesses himself. He leans on Winnie to be brave and to take action.
Owl Pontificates. He gathers much but does not act on it. He waits to see others to share his knowledge, whether he is invited or not.
Rabbit calculates. Man, I used to totally identify with this workaholic-plan-for-everything bunny. With so much going on in Rabbit’s brain, however, there’s no room to enjoy anything. And he often overthinks things and overcomplicates situations.
Tigger is like a lightening bolt. He has energy for everything, but he does not take a break to focus it. Or think about his future. Thus, he gets caught in trees and other sticky situations.
STEP 5: Be honest.
Journal or talk with a trusted friend about what inner character(s) could be getting in your way. Yes, you can have more than one. Process what character(s) you are resonating with. What thoughts have you had or actions are you taking that are….
- Eeyore: Isolating you from taking care of yourself, seeing friends/family more often, or avoiding other responsibilities? Common symptoms of this are depression, hopelessness, I-give-up-ness, excessive-hermit-syndrome.
- Piglet: Preventing you from taking steps forward towards your next goal or dream? A first date? Applying for that job? Common symptoms are worry/anxiety that keeps you from enjoying things you normally like to do (like sleeping or eating, or Pac Man). Or catching yourself saying “I’m afraid that…” or “I worry that…”
- Owl: Amassing knowledge BUT not putting it into practice or using it to help others? Common symptoms are perfectionism, always trying to teach people things you know they don’t wanna hear, interrupting others to make sure they know the right answer, impostor syndrome.
- Rabbit: Focusing your energies on the Doing and Planning instead of the Feeling and Enjoying of life? Common symptoms of this are being a woman, burnout, overwhelm, exhaustion, feeling like you have to be doing something or you feel guilty, always preparing for life but feeling like you’re missing it.
- Tigger: Enjoying many things and pursuits, but not pausing to listen to yourself on what to focus on for the future or what feels right for you? Common symptoms of this are rollercoaster emotions, The No-Purpose-Zone, The Squirrel-Syndrome, and Exhaustion.
STEP 6: Calling in your Winnie
Now that you’ve brought the light of awareness to what might be keeping you from living a more joyful and authentic life, here are the next steps to Call in your Winnie based on how you answered the above.
- For all characters:
- Self-compassion: Make an effort to meet yourself every morning with this question: how can I take care of myself best today? And, NO excuses, follow through on what you need! You matter.
- Claim your Freedom: Can you forgive and let go? Can you learn your lesson and then let it go? Can you be grateful for the opportunity and then let it go? If not, write out what is keeping you stuck and write out PROS and CONS of holding onto this (feeling/person/situation). Be sure you add in Personal Freedom into the PROS column.
- Eeyore: Make time for play. Be brave and try something out of your comfort zone. Call a friend and hangout. Adopt a mantra like: I am worthy. I am loved.
- Piglet: Make a plan. Write down your next important goal. Visualize yourself accomplishing that goal every day. Feel how you will feel when you get there. Find an accountability buddy. Then, take a baby step every day to get there. What is your first step? Adopt a mantra like: I am brave. I can do this.
- Owl: Make a list of your knowledge, skills, and gifts. On the next page, write down ways that feel good to you to use those in the world. Then, do something! ALSO, try the Eeyore exercise. Adopt a mantra like: I use my gifts to help others. I am kind.
- Rabbit: Build non-doing into your life. Take a walk, smell the hot chocolate, pet your dog. Meditate. Watch clouds. Enjoy being YOU. Practice Boundaries. Let go of the responsibilities that are the shoulds. Keep those that bring you joy. Ask for help. ALSO, try the Eeyore exercise. Adopt a mantra like: I am worthy because I am, or I treat myself as a friend.
- Tigger: Build breathing room into your life. Look at your fun and goals and prioritize them. Can you focus on your top few goals and say NO to some others? Adopt a mantra like: I make a difference or I create balance in my life.
Once you take a few simple steps, you’ll soon be Calling in your Winnie! 
Love and Light Warrior: Laurie Herbers
Hello beautiful! Here’s a message from truth-teller Laurie Herbers. with love, light and laughter, Heidi Esther
Opening to Love
You are not lost or broken. There is nothing wrong with you. Everyone is on a journey and every journey is beautiful. No matter what circumstances you may be living in right now or lived in previously, you are not defined by them. No one tells you who you are. Everything you need to be successful, everything you need to feel loved and accepted, is already inside of you. You came forth with the knowledge, gifts, and skills you need to have everything you ever dreamed of. It is possible your subconscious holds a world of pain, of remembrance, of things spoken to you that were never meant to be yours. You do not have to carry any of it with you.
The weight of guilt and shame is heavy and all consuming, but you do not own them. You do not have to accept what was given to you. You can turn the page, start a new chapter, nothing holds you back except you. You can be free from the past, from the memories, from the moments that tore at your heart and scarred your soul. Little by little you can heal. Little by little you can reconnect with the love that you are, for all things come from love, including you. Love is an energy that you have inside of you. it is not necessary to go looking outside of yourself, not necessary for someone to give it to you because it is what lives inside of you.
If you feel alone, unworthy, unwanted or anything that causes you to feel less than you are only means that you are disconnected from love’s energy. You can reconnect for love is in all things and is everywhere. It is in you at this very moment. Nature is a great place to see love energy in motion. From the birds to the trees, from the flowers to the bees, all is connected within the whole, all is connected within the love. All of nature works within the laws of the universe, doing what it was created to do, filling the world with love energy. The seasons change, the sun rises and sets, the ocean’s waves always reach the shore. Each grain of sand, every atom, vibrating in love’s energy. All tapped into the frequency of love. All tuned in and balanced. You, too, can tune in to love’s frequency.
Walk in the grass with bare feet and connect with the earth. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. Imagine and see with your mind the energy that permeates everything, including you. Inhale and feel the love energy fill you up. With every breath revel in the love that fills your lungs filling you from your toes to tip of your head. With every exhale, breathe out what does not serve you. Imagine all the guilt and shame released and replaced with the next breath of love. Do this until you are so full, love permeates from your pores and creates a bubble of love that surrounds and protects you.
Do this as many times as necessary to keep you in love’s frequency. Use love to heal every soul wound you may have. Find yourself in the love. Find your piece of the whole. The more you understand the whole, the more you understand your piece. The more you understand your piece, the more you understand the whole. You matter. Your piece of the whole is important. Live from the love and watch your entire world change.
About Laurie Herbers
Laurie Herbers is an Empowerment & Spiritual Love Coach and Author. Her books are Second Chances: How I Turned Hate into Love and Found My Purpose; and Becoming Abundance: Embracing and Enhancing Your Unique Design.
In her youth she struggled in abuse and trauma, carrying the pain forth into adulthood. Hating life was her home and daily struggle until the day she decided to change her thoughts and beliefs and pursued love with a fervor that superseded everything else. She is passionate about others never having to go another day feeling worthless, guilt, shame, and judgment. She guides individuals struggling in life or business to gain clarity, become empowered, love all of their pieces, find their purpose, heal their soul wounds, own their own power, and use the power of their mind to manifest all the good things.
The SoulJourner Question
So, whadda ya say? Check out one of her books, trainings, or social media platforms? I’m in her Becoming Abundance Facebook Group: would love to see you there!
https://www.instagram.com/soullovelegacy
Becoming Abundance, a conversation
Laurie and I came together for a conversation about her Becoming Abundance book. And BIG Love. And Teddy Bears. Below the PDF is the video!
check out the convo!Your Gateway to Healing, A conversation
Heather and I came together for a conversation about her Gateway to Healing journey. Her dog. And her new book. Below the PDF is the video.
check out the convo!Get off the hamster wheel with Laughter Yoga
Ha ha ha! Ho ho ho!
Keywords: Laughter Yoga near me, Laughter Yoga Champaign, Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, Laughter Yoga Benefits, Laughter Yoga Illinois, Yoga workshop ideas, yoga workshop, get off the hamster wheel
Cut straight to Laughter Yoga Benefits and Origins.
Howdy! I’m Heidi Esther, Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, Emotional Intelligence Consultant and Trainer. I integrate Laughter Yoga in many of my Emotional Intelligence Trainings, and can do a stand alone session. Book a consult call if you’d like to bring Laughter Yoga Benefits or Emotional Intelligence to your organization!
My origin story of Laughter Yoga
I woke up to a familiar, drowsy heaviness in my body. I wanted to roll over. Though it was Saturday, in the middle of June. With the kids at their dad’s and my house clean, it should have felt like Christmas.
But I was depressed.
My mind wanted to get of the hamster wheel of homework for a Career Accelerator I enlisted in after I was let go. I was supposed to write two paragraphs on my strengths and qualities. On my homework sheet, I wrote one word: helper. My other quality, perfect toenails, I knew probably wouldn’t get me a new advancement job.
So, I decided to move my body…
At the Park
I looked up as I lay there. Robin’s-egg blue filled the gaps between feathery evergreen branches. The branches rocked back and forth like a rowboat knocking the pier on a languid day. Sunlight filtered down to me as through a fine muslin curtain. The best day for yoga. I took a long, full-body stretch. My knees, neck, back, and, what was that? my elbow cracked in delight.
Free summer yoga at the park. Every week is a new instructor, which keeps my muscles guessing. And it’s better than sitting around and beating myself up about getting fired. Just me, my mat, and the trees. And about sixty other people. No matter, I inhaled the evergreen scent, and that’s when everything changed.
“Hello friends! Let’s start. My name is Emma, I can’t wait to practice with you today!” Her voice was like popcorn.
I sat straight up and my gaze fixed on a young sprite of a woman. Twinkling eyes, Annie-hair, and a wide Julia-Roberts smile. This woman has ringmaster or stand-up-comedian energy, not yoga-instructor energy. Oh no, I thought, did I get the time wrong?
Emma bubbled, “Today, we’re doing a special kind of yoga, Laughter Yoga. I promise it will get you a cardio workout in a fraction of the time compared to a standard yoga practice. Plus, it’s super fun!”
Emma’s sweeping gestures could keep the attention of any overtired toddler.
“And, yes, it’s not traditional yoga, other than the laying down part at the end. So, if you only want to do regular yoga, you’ll have to come back next week. Everyone else, stand up, and let’s form a circle,” she continued.
About half of the people scowled, picked up their mats, and left. Should I stay or go home to work on my qualities? I paused. I locked concerned eyes with some neighbors. It’s laughter. How hard could it be?
I joined the circle.
“Okay, friends! We’re going to do some exercises to get you laughing. If you don’t think it’s funny, just fake it. Your body will still enjoy the many benefits of laughter. First, we’re going to make some giggle soup.” I scan the circle. This could be embarrassing. At least I don’t know anyone…
“Now, everyone get out your knives, and let’s chop some vegetables…”
We all start air-chopping vegetables. Hmmm, is this what preschool feels like?
“…then let’s pour in some water and shake in some salt and pepper. Now comes the best part: the giggle juice!”
Emma air-mimes the pouring, the shaking, and putting in a couple drops of a secret bottle from her pocket. She is good at this.
“Now, we’re going to stir it, taste it, and….” Emma rolled her fake spoon around like a witch with her brew and made a slurping noise. Giggles came out of her like overflowing milk bubbles. I could not contain myself.
“Hahahaha!!!” erupted my first laugh.
Laughter caught on like wildfire. In less than a blink, we were fake throwing each other giggle soup and adding in belly-laugh peppers. After what seemed like a long time to my stomach muscles, Emma started clapping and shouting a cheer. “Very good. Very good. Yea!” We all chimed in soon after.
“What a great start! Let’s take a break and do some calming breaths before we continue.” She wasn’t kidding about the workout part.
Next, we became pretend roller coasters, Santa Claus, penguins walking, and exchanged laughter greetings. With, of course, cheers and breathing breaks.
Twenty minutes later, I lay on the ground like a happy hamster, looking up at the sky through the feathery branches. Five minutes later, we were all done laughing. Who would have thought it would be so hard to stop laughing?
I drove home in a cloud of happy. I was able to get off the hamster wheel!
The next day, my body recovered, but I still felt lighter.
I felt like I was riding around in Wonder Woman’s invisible plane. It shielded me and brought me the gift of flight. A light, airy, shield. Like, no matter what happened, no matter how I felt today, no matter when I found a job, I was gonna be okay.
One week later, I was still off my depressive hamster wheel and riding around in Wonder Woman’s plane.
One Year later, I was a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader!
POEM: The Best Medicine
How manyClick here to watch oR Listen the interview!
yokes
do you wear,
dear Soul?
How many
burdens
do you shade,
dear Light?
For many
loves
you are here,
dear Heart.
For many
lives
you will free,
your Own.
If you take
your own
Medicine,
your laugh.
Chicken Sweaters and Your Personality
Chicken sweaters. Star Wars. Workplace Confrontations, and Your Best You. A soulful Love and Light Warrior you need in your life. Check her out!
Can you guess? Well, they both could be cuddly. Or Colorful. Or a little hole-y. But here’s an answer you may not have guessed: Heather Kokx! This woman crochets chicken sweaters to keep hens safe AND guides you towards your best Y-O-U. As an enneagram coach! Boom, baby.
read more about heather and how she deals with bullies!Love and Light Yoga Warrior: Rachel
So, if you touch anyone, just don’t be creepy about it.
Uh-oh! What has Heidi Esther gotten herself into this time? A slice of awesome, that’s what.
Rachel: Well, hello YOU! Come on in! How are you? It’s so good to see you!
A gregarious smile, chunky glasses, and wild, wavy brown hair, greet me as I walk into a local church lobby. I’m hidden in my hoodie, clutching my coffee. Yep, this was worth it.
Well, this rachel sounds pretty interesting. You betcha! Read on for the good stuff!Just who do you think you are?
Written in honor of International Women’s Day 2021 #IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge
Hey amazing soul! You can CLICK HERE to see me read it on Facebook!
I am recovering woman.
Watching the boys
following His dreams.
"Wanna hear another dumb blonde joke?"
I am recovering woman.
Waiting for husband
to come home from work
"I cannot live without you."
you bet this is a totally righteous poem! Read on, worthy soul! 