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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Dixie knew she had more light and love to share. But she did not know the way. Like with many things in her life, God gave her too many nudges to ignore.
Deep in the Heart of Dixie
“One, two, f-ree, four, nine, ten. Ready or not, Gammie!” bubble from two bright hazel eyes and sandy-brown hair in curly baby piggy-tails. Alice.
Welcome to the inaugural Love and Light Warrior Spotlight! Take a break, grab your favorite pet (just don’t let the others know!), and meet fellow warriors committed to spreading joy, self-awareness, and acceptance in our world. For more info, go to the official page here!
