Following your heart can be the hardest thing to do:

Hi everyone!!

Thank you all for being so patient as I haven’t written in almost a month. I have been busy with yoga, visiting my family, and also taking care of myself. But I am back! Hope you have all been well:) This week I am going to talk about following your heart/staying true to yourself. This may sound easy but is actually very hard for most of us to do. Our heart knows deep down what we truly need, what it is in this life that we are supposed to do. But most of us forget to listen or choose not to listen to it.

All of the answers that we continuously search outward for such as in other people, material objects, teachers, books, technology, etc. lie within our hearts. I have spoken about this before and I will always continue to do so because this is very important. A lot of us listen to the voice in our heads which is mostly run by the ego and not the truth within our souls. This voice in our heads can sound accurate and like it is coming from us, but if we actually take some time to listen to what it is saying and think about where it is coming from, we can see that it is not actually us and only a fabrication that the mind has created!

One way to quiet this voice and begin to listen to the heart is through meditation. Just taking a few minutes out of the day for self-study or svadhyaya can tell you a lot about what you are actually feeling. Taking a few deep breaths and centering yourself. Feeling the way your body reacts to certain thoughts, words, outside stimulants can also tell you a lot about what may or may not be good for you. We are all energies and everything around us are also energies; our bodies know the difference between positive and negative energies and vibrations, its just about listening and acknowledging this. Pretty cool, ya?!

Once we can center ourselves and come back to our bodies instead of hanging up in the clouded minds inside our heads we can begin to feel the strong sensations within our hearts. The quiet voice that lives within and knows what you truly need, who you truly are. All we have to do is listen. You can also ask your heart how it is feeling (internally or externally, it doesn’t really matter). All that matters is that you acknowledge and feel what this voice is trying to tell you. You may not like what it has to say because sometimes the truth isn’t what our ego wants to hear! The truth can make us uncomfortable and fearful but these feelings are not us, just another layer of the ego that we must shed. When we can breath and let go of this fear that we may feel from learning the truth; this is when we truly begin to step into our power.

Following your heart can be tricky and at times difficult. Its not all romance and jetting off on some whimsical adventure like they show in the movies (thank you commercial movie industry). Most of the time it is diving into your biggest fears of letting other people down (this is also only an illusion), sacrificing relationships, leaping into the unknown without knowing how it will all work out. Yes it can be scary at the time, but the best things in this life usually are. To get where I am now I had to stop listening to the opinions of others, sell all of my stuff, say goodbye to people I loved not knowing if and when I would ever see them again, quit my jobs, and fly to the Hawaiian Islands not really knowing why exactly I was going there in the first place. I didn’t know what I would find, just that my heart wanted me to go! If I didn’t listen to it, I knew I would continue to be unhappy. And yes, people said I was crazy to not get a “real job”, save money, live out of two backpacks, and move to an island where I knew no one. But it was the best decision I ever made!

We are all on different journeys and no one can say what is right for you, but you!! No one knows how to live your life better than you. So stop listening to the opinions of others, and start listening to your heart. Listen to this, go inward, breathe deeply. It will never lead you astray. Yes the road can be tough, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It’s all about remembering to be grateful for the present moment, and everything in-between. We are all only in this human experience for a short while, so we might as well do what we actually are meant to do, instead of what we “think” we should do.

I am at a point in my journey again where my heart calls me to do something that I don’t necessarily want to do, but I will do it anyway, even if it makes me fearful and uncomfortable. I am not sure where I will land, but I trust that it is exactly where I need to be.

Mahalo to all you lovely beings. Feel free to message and comment!

Rylee

Living to serve/serving others/putting other first:

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!! I recently moved from Maui to Big Island into a yoga ashram, whoo! It’s quite different than the last place I was at, but I know it’s exactly where I am supposed to be at this time. This week I wanted to talk about serving others, or putting others before ourselves. This can get a bit confusing, which I will explain more in detail below. This idea came to me today while cooking dinner. I was talking to someone I live with about how lucky we are to live where we do. He told me that when you want anything in your life, when you are doing anything, if you are doing it with the intention of helping others instead of just yourself, magical things happen that you normally wouldn’t think possible. Everything falls into place with ease. This hit me in a really profound way and made me stop and think about what I was really doing with anything in my life such as my art and my reasons for being at the ashram. I for one, always feel a lot better when I am doing anything for the intention of helping others instead of myself, giving to others instead of myself, I find my heart more full and I am more content and peaceful.

The reason this can be so tricky (in my opinion) is because some people mistake putting others first as doing anything they can possibly do for other people, giving away all of their energy to others and not leaving any for themselves. I like to think of it as a well. Yes, its great to give water to those that need it, but if you give all of your water away (even to those that have enough) you will dry up and not be able to help out anymore thirsty humans! So, it’s very important to remember that self care comes first. Making sure your needs are met, that you have enough energy or life force so that you may give your mana to those that really need it!

Again, it all comes back to intention! Ask yourself, why are you doing what you are doing? This can be with anything! If your intention comes from the ego, or for selfish reasons, than maybe it is best to direct your energy and attention to something else. A lot of the time we may think we are doing something good for someone else, but this can be another trick by the ego (ah!!) and it is actually just to make ourselves feel better. This is not really what it means to serve others. What I mean is doing something and not thinking about what you will get out of it, not thinking about the outcome, just doing it to do it! Most of us do things so that we as individuals will get something in return!

This goes hand in hand with the law of attraction: what you give out you get back. The more you give (especially love!!) the more you will get back! Sometimes we are afraid and we get too attached to material objects, circumstances, people, dreams, desires; we are afraid if we give them away we will never have them again. The truth is, we don’t own ANYTHING in this life, nor the next one, or the next one after that! We are just visitors hanging out on this earth. So don’t worry about things you cannot control, possessions or people that will inevitably leave you. Because one day we will all depart from our skin suits and then who knows! What I do know is that you cannot take your cellphone, car, dog, sister, banana figs (my favorite) with you on the way out. A good practice to lessen our attachments is to give it away! “Give always give what you can, even if your allies draw lines in the sand.” A great start to the song Love Letters to God by one of my favorite musicians Nahko! This song is a vibe for me, a great reminder to give even when you don’t necessarily want to, when it is difficult to let go, give and you will feel yourself become lighter and more connected.

Putting others before ourselves is not something our individualistic society is used to. We are taught to take what we can because there is never enough. Well there is enough. Pachamama provides for her children, but when some take more than they need to, that is when there is imbalance in the world. That is why there is starvation, deforestation, destruction, alienation from one another! There is no need to live in fear. To live in greed. Sharing what we have is a much better way to live, our ancestors knew it, the ancients, the indigenous. When we share and put others first, we find more meaning, purpose, gratitude, and love for ourselves and for others. Ask yourself, do you feel better when you share with others or keep it all to yourself?

This also doesn’t have to be tangible, material possessions either. Sharing ideas, art, love, stories, emotions, are sometimes even more beautiful! So if you take anything into 2020, I hope it is giving more than you take, living and loving with intention, and showing yourself some love and gratitude for what you already have:)

Everyone have a blessed week. Peace from Big Island!! Also, feel free to message me as always! Also hear is the link for the song I mentioned earlier: https://open.spotify.com/track/7KJcNLzUlCYnmTgsyyswOG?si=l7x7torkTfWRe9zCHOnWJw

Aho!

Rylee

The power of vulnerability:

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a great 2020 so far! Today is aloha Friday and also a FULL MOON!! I don’t know too much about astrology, but I do know that full moons shed some light on our inner darkness, causing everything we have been trying to suppress (emotions, feelings, traumas) to come to the surface. This is why some people may feel a bit out of balance and perhaps like they are going a bit crazy! Don’t worry you are not, and honestly if you feel like you are-it is a good thing! Don’t fight it: the wild emotions, the feelings; they are all a part of what it means to be human. We can take a lesson from our beautiful friend the wind: simply let it flow through you: in and out of your limbs. The more we hold onto things, whether this be tangible or intangible, the more we remain stuck; in patterns, habits, thoughts. This can cause us to have illness within our physical bodies as well as in our mental spheres. So just breathe and let it go!

Now for my talking point this week: vulnerability! Full moons ask us to be vulnerable with ourselves and others. This time allows us to really look within and ask what we need to let go of. What is it that holds us back from becoming our best selves? Why are we so afraid to let ourselves be vulnerable? To let ourselves be open? Most of this stems from fear: fear of rejection, of being hurt, not loved, misunderstood, etc. To be vulnerable in our society is to be looked at as weak and emotional. We’re taught to be strong; to hold it all in, because no one wants to see the “ugly side” of things. But we as humans have more than one side, more than one emotion. One is not more beautiful than the other, that is what makes being a human so magnificent! Its that we get to experience all of the feelings, the whole spectrum of colorful emotions!! Without one you could not have the other, we would not be whole.

Yes being vulnerable can be fucking scary. It has been the hardest thing for me to overcome, and I honestly still have work to. But I am trying, and thats all that matters. By putting ourselves in the fire ( this is also tapas, one of the niyamas of yoga, more on that later), we can help to burn away anything we no longer want or need in our lives such as past traumas, habits, etc. Yes perhaps defending ourselves, keeping our emotions closed in was some survival skill we needed at one point in our lives. But its important to know when it is time to let go, to release and realize that maybe these learned habitual patterns are not what we actually need in the new.

Letting others see our vulnerabilities can also help them to become more comfortable with being vulnerable themselves. When others see us living authentically it gives them the opportunity to see us for who we truly are as well as see themselves and notice if they are truly living the life that they want to be living. When we let go of fear and the fake armor that we hide behind, we create deeper connection with ourselves as well as with those around us. We also feel more at peace within, and cultivate more self-love:) And we all know, the more love we have for ourselves, the more we have for pachamama, and all of her children!

So my challenge to you is to open up to yourself, perhaps become more introspective and ask yourself if you are holding anything back, if fear is driving your actions or the way you live your life. Find where this fear is and then go after it and dive right in, conquer it, and you will find that it wasn’t actually so scary at all, that maybe opening up and being vulnerable with yourself and others is exactly what you needed.

I realize I am posting this on Sunday and not aloha Friday, but life became busy when I was typing this up Friday night and I wanted to move with the flow not fight it, so I am posting it now when I have more time to edit and write! Feel free to comment or message, everyone have a great week!

Mahalo,

Rylee

Meditation 101:

Hello folks!! Happy new year/vision year/weekend/journey. Whatever you want to call this time period or moment that you are currently in, I hope that it is full of joy and love. And if it is not, that is perfectly fine too. There is no light without darkness, no ying without the yang, no moon without the sun! Ah, the sweet balance of it all!

Today I want to talk a bit about meditation. This is something that has come up a lot in my journey and something that I believe started my spiritual awakening. It is a very important practice to me, something that has allowed me to dive into the deeper parts myself so that I can notice what serves me/doesn’t serve me. It has also helped me to feel more connected everything, as well as the ability to quiet the fluctuations of my mind so that I may be more present in the now! Because all we really have in this life is the now, a string of moments upon moments that create one big moment! The moment that is our life. Whoo!!

So what is meditation? To me, it is focusing the mind’s awareness on one specific point. It is concentrating on one thing within the mind so that the voices in your head may grow a bit quieter, may flow in and then out instead of staying and creating false stories/images/illusions/etc. It is taking time out of the day to really assess how you are feeling. How is your breath? Is it shallow and in your chest area? (You may be feeling anxious). Or is it more elongated and flowing down to your navel? (More relaxed). Breath can tell you a lot about how you are feeling!

This is also a time to simply notice what is coming up, without judgement! This is a big one. We don’t need any more judgment in our lives, we certainly get enough of that from society. Notice these thoughts and simply study them. Where are they coming from? What are they telling you? Is this true for you? Is this how you actually feel? A lot of the time our thoughts are telling us things that aren’t actually relevant. If we listen to them too much, if we believe everything that they say, it can make us go crazy, feel overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed. Feeling anxious is a big one for me, and knowing that my thoughts are NOT ME, but simply my ego, I can decide whether I want to listen to them, or let them go.

By meditating we gain a bit more control over our minds, our breath, our emotions. When we do this, it easier to relax into the present moment, release attachments to the stories we tell ourselves, and simply just be! We don’t need to go anywhere, be anything, we already ARE. Right now!

Meditating also doesn’t have to be sitting on some rock staring off into space for hours (though I enjoy this sometimes). It can be while you’re chopping vegetables, walking down the street, driving your car, talking to your neighbor. If you can focus your mind on what is right in front of you, you are meditating! One trick I like to use is concentrating on my breath while I do anything, this helps to bring me out of my head and into presence. You can also try guided meditations. There are some cool ones on YouTube, Gaia, Spotify, pretty much anywhere on the web! This may be good for newbies if you don’t know where to start:)

Again, its all trial and error. What works for you, may work completely different for another. Some days you may feel totally focused and zen, other days you may feel out of control and restless. All is completely ok! This is a life-long, probably multi-life-long practice! There are so many different types of meditation techniques and practices, finding the right one that works for your life at the present moment is so important! And like anything, your meditation practice may change and look different with the ebb and flow of life. As long as you make time for yourself and your practice, you are doing your best with where you are at and what you’ve got!

You also don’t need much time to meditate, even 5-10 minutes a day is so helpful! Doing this just once everyday can seriously change your inner world in terms of how you perceive your reality. It is important to remember to keep at it, a lot of times our society wants the answer or fix right now! But our meditation practice asks us to be patient; the best things in life are worth waiting for.

I could say so much more about this topic, and I most likely will in another post! This is what I feel is important when first starting a meditation practice. As always, feel free to comment or message me with any questions or tips of your own!

Mahalo,

Rylee

Gratitude!!

Hey everyone…hope you are all having a spectacular last day of the DECADE!!! Say what?!?! Can’t believe it is actually happening. We are moving into the year 2020 or so to speak. Who actually knows what year it is. I like to call this time period the year of the vision. I call it this because its 2020, and I am seeing with more clarity what I want really want in this life, what my passion is, my purpose. I am also able to distinguish more what doesn’t serve me such as negative thoughts, emotions, beliefs, habits, and people. I am putting on my glasses made with lenses of new perceptions and realties so to speak! This is what I have gained and learned from the past year as well as my entire existence!!

Something else I have gained and perhaps one of the most important lessons is gratitude. This has helped me on my spiritual journey so much this past year, and I have been really trying to bring it into my life each and everyday. Gratitude is the highest vibration one can put out into the world and into themselves. What you give out you always give back, law of attraction. If you are giving out gratifying energies to the universe you always attract this back. Whether it be from others, or simply from the energies of this cosmic realm we are all traveling in.

Expressing gratitude is an easy and fast way to bring yourself up to a higher vibrational field. Simply sitting and thinking about what you are grateful for can make you feel so much better about everything that may be going on in your life. We humans sometimes get lost on the ego train and get wrapped up in what we don’t have, what we didn’t accomplish, etc. Especially during the holiday season! But reminding yourself of what you do have, can change your reality immensely!! For we DO have everything that we could ever possibly want and need within us! Its all there, ALWAYS within you, you were born having it, and you’ll leave this body having it, for it is within the soul!

Expressing gratitude can help you to peel back the layers of societal conditioning that says, “I am never enough” “I don’t have enough”. Society WANTS you to feel this way so that you are more inclined to “buy into what they are selling”, aka spending money and energies on things you don’t need and don’t necessarily even want, as an attempt to fill the void within. But this void will never be filled with things, materials, people, etc. It can only be filled by going within. By showing yourself some love! Being grateful for who you are, how far you’ve come! Because lets face it, life can be a real challenge sometimes and it isn’t always rainbows and positive vibes (though I dream of this someday). It can be scary, rough, and full of lessons that at the time may feel heavy, but I promise you will make it out! They are here to teach you, not destroy you.

Practing gratitude everyday for simple things in your life can help you to see things in the bigger picture. It can help you to see others and your reality in a more positive viewpoint. Let this energy fill up your heart, let it allow you to take on the day, to face your fears, and live your dreams! It can be as simple as saying out loud what you are grateful for, writing a small list, or simply expressing them in your head. The universe isn’t picky:) So give it a try this new year, give it a try now!! Now is all you have, and will ever have, so if you want to do something, start now!

I am grateful for all of you, for this journey, this path, all of the lessons, the ups and the downs. I wouldn’t be who I am today, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without everything that has ever happened to me. I am grateful for my health, the love I have for myself and the world, and beautiful pacha-mama and all she has given me: including all of my sisters and brothers!

Happy 2020 all you beautiful human/alien organisms!! You are all so important to me, know this if you ever feel alone. We are all always connected. If you have any questions or want to talk, feel free to reach out.

Aho!

Rylee

Life is a balance:

Hiiiiiiii homies!!! When thinking of what topic to write about today, balance was the first thing that popped into my mind. Balance has been a very important aspect in my life thus far and also has helped guide and align me on my spiritual path. Though balance is much needed in all of our lives, this is something that is often forgotten or put on the back-burner.

Why is balance important? Balance is important because it helps us keep and contain the right amount of energy we need to be our highest selves in all aspects of our lives. When we spend or give too much of our energy to just one area of our lives, other parts suffer. This can lead to stress, anxiety, relational problems, self-loathing, etc. When our outside world is out of balance, you can be sure our inner world is out of wack as well! We may feel confused, chronically tired, or feel like we are stuck and moving nowhere towards our goals and dreams.

A lot of us are so overwhelmed now-a-days with everything in our lives: whether this be our job, friends, hobbies, dreams, family, and now social media; which adds on another layer to our balance enigma. We are all so busy trying to do everything, be everything, check all the boxes off on our to-do lists; we forget the point of all of this busyness: to LIVE! To simply be alive and to just BE, is all we really need to do, all we really need to accomplish. Finding balance can help us find presence which helps us to be in the present moment, without worrying about texts we need to answer, work that needs to be done, a run that needs to be completed, etc.

All you need to do is first listen. I have said this a few times and I will say it many more times on this blog. Simply listen to your body, your mind, your heart, your breath. These will all tell you if you’re out of balance, out of synch with life. And if you’re questioning if you’re out of balance, you most likely are out of balance. For we know ourselves better than anyone, sometimes it’s just facing the hard truth that maybe some aspects of our lives needs to change. Maybe you need to work less, and rest more. Maybe its less drug use and more time for your hobbies or working towards your dreams. Maybe its less Netflix and more hikes with your dog or friends! Maybe its eating more veggies and fruits instead of processed foods, skipping your workout and sleeping a few hours more. These are a few examples of how to bring yourself into balance! Once you feel as though you are able to walk through your life on solid ground its totally ok to have a beer, eat that donut, watch that show on netflix, run that half-marathon!

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing the best things for ourselves, that we become too attached to a version of ourselves that isn’t exactly the best version we can be. I’m talking about the one that is able to relax, flow through life with more ease, appreciate their life as well as others within their lives. For we are all humans, and none of us are perfect (in the normal sense that most people think of). Honestly, we’re all perfect right now, as is. I’m perfect as I type out this post, you’re perfect as you’re reading this post, my roommate sitting to the left is perfect as he strums his guitar! The good news is, you’re exactly how you’re supposed to be at this moment, exactly where you’re supposed to be at this moment. This doesn’t mean that you can’t strive to be better, you can do this everyday! But it means being able to appreciate what you may consider a “mistake” or a “flaw”, it means moving through the flow of life with less effort and simply enjoying the ride. Finding balance helps us to enjoy the simple moments. These moments are what truly make this world beautiful.

I am grateful for you all! And know that you who is reading this is an amazing and beautiful human and cosmic being RIGHT NOW at this minute! Yes you!! I hope this article helps to shed a bit more light onto the balance situation, as always feel free to message me on my email or social media pages!

Mahalo and namaste,

Rylee

Authenticity!!

One of the most important things we can do in our lives: live authentically!! Yet this is one of the hardest things for most of us. Why is this? What is holding us back from living as our truest forms? Living without limits, boundaries, lines and fears. Truly being exactly who we are meant to be at each moment in time.

There is only one you. The you that is unlike any other. You were meant to be exactly who you are for a reason, so why are so many of use trying to be anything other than ourselves? It’s like trying to swim upstream, constantly fighting and battling with the current of life, desperately trying to conform and fit into boxes that our soul just wasn’t meant to be packed into. The fact is, no one is meant to live in a box! No one is meant to follow any rules. There are no rules of life. This is no secret! Yet all of us are raised to believe that we must follow the guidelines of a book that was written by someone other than ourselves. Imagine this: we’re all living our own lives in a way that SOMEONE ELSE wants us to be living it. This is crazy! For someone else to tell us what to do, what to think, how to feel, express. It doesn’t align. When we try to conform, to fit into places not meant for the shape of our soul, we end up feeling confused, angry, unhappy, bitter, resentful, etc.

Living authentically can be scary. But guess what? Some of the best things in life are scary. Its about acknowledging that fear, and then simply letting it go, not letting it take ahold of your life and how you’re going to live it. Take the reigns back! Dive into the scariest depths of yourself! Do the things you’ve always wanted to do, but are too scared of doing. Say the things you’ve always wanted to say. People aren’t always going to like what you say and do. That is fine! At the end of the day the only thing that matters is what you think of yourself. And I promise you, the more you live your life in an authentic way, the better you are going to feel. The more aligned with your true self you will feel. The more in-tune you feel with yourself, the more connected you will feel to those around you.

Living authentically also gives others the opportunity to live authentically. Ever see someone totally owning who they are and thinking how happy they are? How they radiate with a great luminosity and higher vibration? It’s because they really do! And because of this they in-turn attract energies and vibrations on the same wavelength as them, law of attraction baby!! Others can literally sense your authenticity, can feel it. Once you own this, there is NOTHING that can hold you back.

It would be a waste to try to live within the lines. To live as someone else, when you know fully well who you are inside. We ALL know who we are, and we all have the tools at any time to figure this out. Everything you need is within. That happiness you crave and search for? You aren’t going to find it within another person, in your drink at the bar, in the books that you read, the places you travel. It doesn’t exist there, it only lies within your soul, your being. Living authentically is honoring your soul, your essence. It’s giving yourself the love that you deserve. We all deserve this unconditional love that only we ourselves can give to us. When we give this love to ourselves, it is then we can share it with the world.

Grateful for all of you, this moment in time, and the alignment of the sky.

Namaste,

Rylee

Living life with intention:

It’s all about intention! Literally everything. Why do we do the things we do? Say the things we do? Act the way we do? It’s all surrounded with our intentions in life, and a lot of us have good intentions that may be received negatively, and likewsise, some of us have bad intentions that are received positively. How can that be?! It all depends on the person receiving and the person giving. As well as the energies inbetween. Actually, this all depends on all energies since everything is energy. It’s also all about perceptions, realities, lenses, beliefs, etc. For example, someone could speak with good intentions, but another individual could interpret this to be hurtful. So even though one’s intention (in their perspective) was a good one, the receiver could interpret this in a completely different way. How confusing!!

This can be why a lot of us suffer from communication issues and are afraid to speak authentically. We fear we will say the wrong thing at the wrong time, someone will be upset with us, disagree with us, or simply not understand where we are coming from. I won’t lie, these issues are probably going to happen for the rest of your life. There really is no preventing it, some people will just interpret what you say in a different manner than you originally meant when you put the energy out in the first place. This is completely ok!! Differences are fine, various opinions can be accepted and validated.

It all comes down to YOU. As do most things. You cannot control what is going on in the outside world. Nothing. Everything is happening and flowing just as it should be, and you can flow with it too if you simply let go of your grasp to what happens/what you want to happen on the outside and instead turn your focus onto your inner self. Here is where you control what you say, act, perceive, interpret, feel, everything! Remember: no one can MAKE you feel any sort of way. No one can MAKE you do anything you don’t want to do! Only you hold the key to this. So stop worrying what others are going to think, say, and do. Instead pay attention to what you will think, say, and do. This will get you way farther on your journey to your highest self. Focusing inward and having good intentions with everything you do. Really asking yourself, “why am I actually do this?” “Is this serving me in the best possible way at this time?” “Is what I’m putting out a reflection of how I actually feel inside”?

A lot of times our ego can get the best of our good intentions and take them on a wild ride down a winding road we didn’t intend on going. But never fear, for there are always lessons to be learned at every step, on every path. If you ever afraid of speaking your truth, acting on what you think is right, or simply doing something because you want to do it, just simply stop and listen. Listen to the beating of your heart, to what it is saying to you. The heart always knows what is truly best for your highest self. Ask yourself what your true intentions are: if it is coming from the ego or the heart. Listen to your breath, your body. Your body always knows and can pick up on energies, because it IS energy. So stop, feel your feet, breath deeply into your navel center (diaphragmatic breath) (I’ll talk about this more in another post) and relax. Relaxing and taking time to really contemplate what your intentions in life are can help you to save a lot of energy in the things you do. Knowing that you are only acting, speaking and living with good intentions from your highest self; you can release your fears about what will happen in the outside world.

In the end, everything is going to be ok. Everything is already ok right now! The universe is exactly how it is supposed to be at this moment. You are exactly what you’re supposed to be in this moment. Let go and trust. Follow your heart and not your mind, live your life with good intentions. I promise you will be alright!

Feel free to comment or message me as always with any questions or just to chat!

Peace,

Rylee

What is the ego?

I’ve been mentioning the ego so much in my other posts that I thought I should speak a few words about what it actually is! This is what it means to ME, as in the lens in which I see this term through. Interpret how you will, it’s all up to you after all!! This is where true freedom lies.

So…the EGO. We all have one; yes even gurus and enlightened ones too. It’s about first recognizing that you have one and then going from there. The ego is that voice in your head. You know what one that is ALWAYS talking? Literally always, it never shuts up! Commenting about everything, making judgements about people, things, feelings, experiences. It labels, constructs, tells stories, and creates illusions within the mind that don’t actually exist.

The ego tries to protect itself, tries to have control, it really LOVES control. Over situations, others, the way we perceive certain situations, the way we act. Everything. It does this because it wants more, it always wants and wants and wants and is never satisfied. This is why a lot of us never feel happy when we are searching for things that are outside of ourselves. For when we are searching out, it is almost always the ego calling the shots, the ego at the wheel. And sometimes if you let it, it will drive you to some crazy and dark places. Ever wonder why you freak out over something so small? Why you let “the little things get to you?” Why something about someone else makes you upset? This is all ego.

The ego lives on fear, feeds on fear. This is also why a lot of the things we don’t like about others is actually the things we dislike about ourselves. You can’t dislike something about someone unless you dislike it about yourself. This scares us. It scares us because it sheds a light on the things that we try to hide. But its important to shine this light and not turn away; face these fears and not listen to that voice inside your head. Acknowledge it and then let it go. Let it flow through you like the wind. We are all energy and energy is meant to flow, not remain stuck and stagnant within. So breathe and let it go.

After you recognize this voice inside your head. Begin to notice. What is it saying to you? What kind of language is it using? What is it’s tone like? How does it make you feel? Stressed, anxious, joyful, sad? When you experience these emotions what does this voice do with them? Does it want you to suppress them or to let them out? Whatever you notice happening within, always ask yourself why? Why am I feeling this way? Where is this feeling coming from? Why is it coming from there? Just contemplate and notice. Try to do this without judging yourself.

Perhaps begin to notice the stories you tell yourself. This is a big one! Are they true for you at this time in your existence? Why do you believe them? What do you believe about these stories? If they don’t resonate with you, you can always stop and re-write. AT ANY TIME! You can be who you want in each minute of each day. If you don’t like who you are, what you’re doing, then change the story of yourself. When you do this, you will begin to see your outside world changing as well.

Being present is another way to help calm the waves the ego makes in your mind. There is a saying I like to use, “where awareness goes energy flows”. So, what you are really concentrating on is where most of your effort and energy will go. Make sure it is towards things that will help you to become the highest version of yourself you want to be/already are. The ego really likes to take stories and spin them out of control, adding on layer and layers to these stories that are not true. Notice this and just let it go. As you move through your day, try focusing your awareness on one thing at a time. If your mind wanders (and it will) simply bring it back to what you were doing. Eventually the voice will start to quiet bit by bit, and soon you won’t notice it as much. You may find yourself able to think before you act, stay calmer in situations where you once would’ve lost control, and experience more inner peace instead of living in fear and negative emotions.

The ego will try to hold on. It doesn’t want to let go of its control and its power. It lives in fear, so it will do everything it can to keep it, laying traps for us to get stuck in. This is ok! It’s good to remember we are all on a journey of self-discovery. There is no time-clock. We have infinite amounts of time. Hell, it doesn’t even exist! Just another creation of the mind. So don’t worry, its all a process and know that it will take time and just breathe, relax, and always remember not to be so hard on yourself.

At the end of the day, your thoughts are not you. Just another aspect of the mind. You don’t have to listen to that voice inside your head. You have the ability to tell it no, to simply let your thoughts drift in and out and not allow them to attach themselves to your inner world. For you are the ruler of your inner world, not the slave of your mind.

I hope this helps shed a bit more light on the ego, consciousness, inner world, etc. Ego is one that will come up a lot on this site so if you have any questions or comments feel free to comment or message me!

Peace,

Rylee

Naked yoga/body love & positivity:

Bodies. There is so much that surrounds them. Whether this be the way we feel about them, the way our society feels about them, and the way they feel themselves. Our bodies are pretty amazing, and they happen to know a great deal about themselves and what they need to remain healthy. However their messages sometimes get lost when they try to tell us what they actually need to keep themselves healthy and allow us to live our everyday lives without pain, fatigue, blockages, etc.

My friend and roommate (I live in a community currently) Tori and I decided to teach our first naked yoga class this past week. I had the idea while on a walk. I thought to myself, “why are there no naked yoga classes offered anywhere?” I for one find clothing more of an obstruction to living freely and try to be without it whenever I get the chance…thank goodness for nude beaches!! To me, I can move my limbs more freely and really connect with mother earth and the energies she gives. Instead of trying to fix my top, or worrying about how I might look in shorts, my mind becomes quieter as I move with the rhythm of my heart and feel the wind on my bare skin, it brings me back to my roots.

But this is not the case for everyone, and I am only one perspective in a sea of many. Society sexualizes our bodies, making them mere objects to sell more material goods. As children we are constantly bombarded with half naked images of those who meet a certain criteria of how a body should look. We see these everywhere: TV, smartphones, the internet, on billboards…there is no end!

Yet, no one actually talks about bodies! This topic is pushed aside, and we are made to believe that we should hide them, overwork them, and undernourish them. This is very confusing for people which is why some experience hyper-sexual tendencies or the opposite hypo-sexuality. We are all constantly criticized and shamed; sometimes by those closest to us such as family, friends, and coworkers. This has got to stop! Criticizing ourselves not only leads to problems for us but those around us. When we put ourselves down, others see the “flaws” we see in ourselves and thus begin to see “flaws” within themselves. It’s a never-ending chain of negative energies that our bodies take in everyday. And our bodies are literally all energy! They can feel the stress we put on them, and they definitely feel the anxiety most of us feel when thinking about how we may look with or without clothes.

Our bodies are our temples! They are the only true home we have on this earth. They may be temporary, but what we do with them and how we treat them can greatly effect the outcome and quality of life we are living.

Both women AND men are constantly body-shamed. No one is left out of this. Unless one looks a certain way or THE ONLY WAY in society standards (which is highly unachievable for most) we are doing something wrong. We’re called lazy, overweight, fat, underweight, malnourished etc. Everyone is labeled “too this or too that”. But never enough as is. We always say to ourselves, “I’ll be happy once i’m a size blank” or “once I lose ten pounds I can finally do blank”. This is an illusion. We can do and be everything we want at anytime. We also don’t need to hide or be ashamed or who we are on the inside and the outside! All bodies are beautiful. Read it again: ALL BODIES ARE BEAUTIFUL.

Now read this: I am beautiful and worthy of love just as I am.

Now read it again! And as many times as you have to.

Practice self love. You are the only one that can truly give you the love you so crave and deserve. The only one. Once you give yourself this love and stop showering yourself with negative thoughts and hurtful words you may begin to see the beauty within and all around was there the whole time.

I encourage you to step into this fear you have of your body, perhaps the shame you may feel around this topic. I encourage you to just study this, without judgment. Notice perhaps where this shame, guilt, and fear might be stemming from. Then forgive yourself. Then remind yourself that the only thing that matters is how you feel about yourself. THE ONLY THING. Don’t let society tell you how to look, don’t let society tell you how to dress, what to wear, what not to wear. Life is to short for all that nonsense. Don’t let society tell you what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, what to eat. LET YOUR BODY TELL YOU. It truly does know exactly what it needs! Just listen to it. Wear clothes, don’t wear clothes, eat that, don’t eat that. Whatever feels right within, your soul always knows what is best for you at all times. Simply listen to your heart and find peace within this beautiful body that you are blessed with.

This is a heavy one. I appreciate you all for being open to me sharing my view on this. I am grateful for my body and this life for giving me the chance to live out my soul’s purpose everyday. Feel free to comment, share, and message me if you want to chat more about this topic.

I also included a picture of us after our class. We were sweaty and happy and free and full of love for all the beautiful souls that opened their hearts to our teachings and their vulnerability. For the more comfortable we become in the uncomfortable the more we grow. One day I hope I won’t have to block my nipple out of photos and people will simply accept my body for what it is, a body. I love and respect it and don’t like to hide any part of what gives me strength.

Mahalo,

Rylee

Thanksgiving:

Today I’ll chat a bit about my relationship with Thanksgiving. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with holidays in general. To me they feel more like another marketing scheme, they seems to always be surrounded by a lot of stress and heavy emotions. But, as I’ve said before, there is always the good with the bad and the bad with the good. Throughout the years, my perception of this holiday has changed as I learn and grow on this journey.

I always felt a bit disconnected to my family growing up. Like the black sheep. I couldn’t understand how I was lumped in with others that were so different than I was. But…I have discovered that my family is one of my greatest teachers/lessons in this lifetime. I am very grateful to have had all of my experiences (up and downs) with them. I believe it has helped me come into my power and also to be open to others that have different outlooks and perceptions of their reality. Because lets face it…we are ALL different! Different and unique, beautiful and wonderful. We are all different but yet ALL connected. A very important thing to remember.

When we place judgements on others (such as if a family member is eating meat, saying something we might disagree with, etc) we are no better than them at all. We are coming from a place of ego where we think we are better or more evolved because we are a “different way” than someone else. But NO ONE is better than anyone else. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, how much money you make. At the end of the day a wave rises only to come back down to the calm sea it first arose from. We are all the flat sea, we are all water. Literally, we are almost all water.

So taking this lesson, we can look at our relatives or friends or whomever perhaps through a different lens. Perhaps with one of understanding, and one which we can hold space for one another without judgment. Allowing others to fully be their authentic selves without fear of ridicule is the best gift we can give another! Just to be ourselves, what a wonderful time it would be!

Practicing gratitude is also a big one. What are you really grateful for? What actually matters to you? Practice being aware and conscious this holiday season. What do you really need to make yourself happy? Do you feel like your giving more than you’re receiving or vice versa? Its important to take care of ourselves and our well-being, sometimes this can mean setting boundaries. Perhaps telling others “no”. Spending time alone to reflect and taking yourself out of toxic environments can be a challenging yet lifechanging-practice. It’s all about where you’re at in the journey, and what is best for you.

Remembering the origins of Thanksgiving. The relationship between the pilgrims and Native Americans. A lot of the time Native Americans and their traditions are left out of our history. But they ARE our history. The very foundation of it. We as a society can learn a great deal from their culture. For instance, they never took more than they needed. From the earth, from each other. They practiced gratitude and gave food to the sick, widowed, and children first before themselves. Honoring them and the real story of our country is something we can also think about.

Don’t be so hard on yourself if you eat too much, too little, how you look, what others say. You are exactly where you meant to be doing what you’re meant to do. Just be your authentic self and always spread light, kindness, and unity.

Peace,

Rylee

What is consciousness?

Because the purpose of this blog is to discuss and inform on all things consciousness I thought I would discuss what this concept means to me. Again, as with anything on the website, you are welcome to take whatever you want from what is posted. We all experience our own realities, and thus form our own understandings and perceptions. What a beautiful thing this is!! Life would be pretty bland if we all thought/interpreted the world in the same way.

Consciousness to me means being/becoming aware. Aware of what? Aware of everything! The way the soles of my feet feel on the drenched grass after a fresh rain with soppy mud from Gaia. The way my thoughts form stories in my mind that make me believe certain things about myself are true (Most times they’re not). The way these thoughts form habits that in-turn effect the way I sometimes behave on the outside and feel on the inside. Realizing the fact that I am not my thoughts, that there is something else. Something that lives inside, behind the curtain of thoughts. Something that has always been present within me, I just never realized it until I became conscious, or awake. It’s simply understanding that I am not my emotions and thoughts, they are just apart of the human experience that I get to have on Earth at this time, how groovy! I am very grateful to get to experience the ups and downs.

Sometimes becoming aware or conscious of our world and the way it is can be a lot for me to take in, I’m sure others feel the same way; this is my experience. When I “awoke” I realized that we live in a very materialistic society that is run on nothing more than quick fixes (that I don’t actually think fix anything, at least not permanantly), greed (always wanting more, this is ego!! More on that later), and power. I noticed that some humans were working so hard, doing things they didn’t necessarily enjoy doing, simply to buy more, experience more, have more! I feel that this “more” situation is simply a hole we’re all trying to fill. This “more” problem has led to a lot sadness, death, destruction of human lives, cultures, ecosystems, etc. This was difficult for me to see at first, for I felt as though I had been blind my whole life to it all.

After some deep diving within through mediation, contemplation, and alone time (a lot in nature), I realized that there is a lot of good with the bad, there is also never just good and bad. To me it’s not one or the other, it’s a spectrum. That goes with anything: emotions, words, people, labels. Nothing is black and white, this has helped me understand A LOT about how I see things. I don’t believe there are bad or evil people. I do believe there are people that do bad things, getting swept up in their minds and illusions. The good thing is I do believe there is a shift within the world. People are “waking up” and understanding that maybe the way things are done is not the only way they should be done, perhaps there is a better way. There IS a better way.

This is what consciousness means to me. I could say a lot more, which I probably will in another post sometime. Another thing I have learned through becoming more conscious: there is always enough time!! Don’t worry about checking off all of these imaginary boxes on your to-do list of life. It will all happen when it is supposed to happen, don’t worry! Just flow don’t fight it. I know I’m not perfect, but I am me. The me I’m supposed to be, and honestly that is good enough, oh and I’m human right now. Pretty cool, so sometimes I make mistakes and am hangry and tired and that is alright too, it’s simply being aware of all of this and not letting it dictate your life.

Consciousness is cool! I would love to hear everyone’s own definitions/experiences! Feel free to share if you would like, or message me! I am grateful for the opportunity to share and have the ability to be writing this post right now.

Yes my nose is sunburnt and my face is sweaty because I live in the frickin jungle and I love it.

Peace,

Rylee

Roots of my journey:

Why did I start this blog? How did this all come to be? I could go into divine timing, alignment, inner wisdom, listening to my highest self, shifts of consciousness, etc. All of that is true, and all of that is why I am writing this post at this exact moment in time. Because I feel it is part of my soul’s purpose, or dharma. We all have a soul, and each soul has a purpose. One specific thing that the soul is contracted to do in this lifetime is to fulfill their dharma. Though “purpose” is usually thought to be one specific thing, one’s dharma can be achieved through many different avenues in their lifetime. (I’ll get into that in another post).

My purpose for this blog is to inform, connect, and channel divine wisdom to the best of my abilities. I want to create something that others can perhaps take and apply into their own lives. If one thing resonates, cool. If nothing does, thats ok!! We all have free will to be whoever we want at any time. This is a place where we can all hold-space for each other while communicating our ideas, energies, and feelings. This is a place where in a world that seems like it is falling to pieces, we can all find unity and love within one another.

My purpose in this life is world-bridger. To bridge the gap between different beliefs, ideologies, stories, and realms that have limited us all from existing in harmony with ourselves and one another for far to long. I hope that this blog and everything within it inspires you to be who you were truly meant to be, who you really are.

And so it is.