Category: spirituality

How to Gain More Energy?

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As I prepared the theme for today’s yoga classes the word “energy” kept popping into my mind. When I reflect on who is showing up to yoga, meditation, or reading posts like this you might be feeling:

  • Exhausted
  • Depressed
  • Imbalanced
  • Sleep-deprived
  • Or simply curious about what I have to say ๐Ÿ™‚

I arrived to two simple questions and a call to action: START or STOP

SELF-INQUIRY: START or STOP?

Close your eyes, take 5 breaths and ask yourself two questions:

  1. Right now, what do I need I STOP today?
  2. Right now, what do I want to START today?

CALL TO ACTION

  • Commit to STOP what is draining your energy.
  • Commit to START what gives you energy.
  • Write and recite positive affirmations to STOP and START.
  • Be honest with yourself if it’s time to seek counsel from a friend or professional, including reaching out to me.

I could have written an article suggesting you eliminate gluten or sugar, or get to your yoga mat and meditation cushion every day, or do what lights you up like going to the beach, dancing, book a ticket to a sporting event, or call a friend to play Scrabble. There are plenty of articles and books telling you what to do. Instead, I invite you to discover for yourself the answers by experiencing Svฤdhyฤya, the yoga practice of self-study, self-inquiry, and discovery.

My offer to you is to look within, to trust your intuition, listen to your inner guide, who always has your back, and trust that you have the answers. Weed out what’s sucking the energy out of you and bring in what will allow you to thrive and feel alive! It’s a practice my friends, to know which thoughts to pay attention to and which ones to dismiss and ignore.

In my personal experience, when I feel low-energy I also tend to feel sad, depressed, brain fog, physically weak, unmotivated, anti-social, tendency towards negative thinking. As opposed to feeling high-energy I am enthusiastic, smiling, laughing, physically strong, awake, alert, alive, vibing high with positive thoughts, willing to connect with others. Observe your energy levels, they are an important barometer to signal what is requesting your attention and self-care.

As someone who was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), adrenal fatigue, gluten sensitivity, iron deficiency, and menopausal mood swings, I have first hand experience of low energy and all of the other symptoms which emerged from my physical challenges. I 100% am NOT saying that low energy is all in your head, that it can be simply solved by asking two questions and writing in a journal AND I am also 100% saying, for me, discerning between what thoughts and actions drained me vs. energized me has been a huge part of my healing process and discovering what it takes for me to gain my energy back and experience life with vitality. I practice what I teach.

Of course, a situation can be complicated, I know mine was, and yet, the power of paying attention to my symptoms and choosing STOP or START every day is a simple, powerful framework to prioritize what is needed for your particular circumstance. Shift your mindset from impossible to possible and you will experience an increase of energy.

I was diagnosed with CFS almost 20 years ago and I am no longer trapped in an experience of chronic low-energy. I manage my symptoms with those two questions, “What do I need to STOP and what do I need to START?” Yes, for me that means, I cut out gluten, sugar, coffee, toxic relationships; I add whole foods, yoga, meditation, extra sleep, alone time, gardening, etc. All informed by reflecting on my STOPs and STARTs, my YESes and my Nos.

Give my latest Spiritually Fit Yoga podcast episode a listen – Yoga to Support Immunity

There is hope on the other side of doubt. There is joy on the other side of fear. I believe in you. Keep the faith. Stay spiritually fit. I am grateful you are here. I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, DM me on instagram, email me. I care.

Blessings,

Amelia Andaleon

p.s. As others have supported me in my journey, I am here to support you. Please reach out if you are interested in a free initial consult if you’d like to work with me as your Wellness and Energy Healing Coach!

Meditation: Setting Your Intention, Sankalpa

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Thailand
Thailand

Three years ago, in 2018, I took this picture above in Thailand after assisting a yoga teacher training with my master teacher, and a community of amazing teachers and students. This picture looks almost exactly like what I pictured in my mind for years, as I set an intention and visualized a dream, a hope, a vision, a connection to imagined sensations of what it would feel and look like when my dreams and intentions became realized and manifested.

You’ve probably heard of vision boards or meditating on an intention and repeating affirmations in the present moment as if that intention has already manifested, as if it is happening right now in this present moment.

Or, maybe this practice of sankalpa, setting an intention, is new to you. If so, I am writing this specifically for YOU.

I am grateful you are here. It’s not a coincidence that you are reading this post today.

Setting Your Intention

  1. Find or create a picture of your dream. Print it, draw it, create a visual representation of what you manifest and post it in a prominent place. You might post it in your kitchen bulletin board and/or make it your wallpaper on your phone. Keep what you want to manifest present in your mind…where you attention goes, energy flows.
  2. Align your intention with being your highest and brightest self, serving a highest good.
  3. Create a specific affirmation and write it in the present moment. For example: “I am teaching yoga and surfing in Mexico to a full yoga retreat in Spring 2022.” vs. “I hope to do something fun sometime next year.”
  4. Repeat your intention every day. Use my guided meditation here.

Observe what you experience, and what happens. Using my guided meditation, create a habit of setting your intention with a relaxed mind and body. One thing I promise you: this daily practice will keep you focused on what matters to you. As you continue to visualize and see your intention already manifested, the action steps needed to realize your dream, will present themselves to you. Set your intention from your highest and brightest self, offered up to serve the highest good.

May you be your highest and brightest self and serve the highest good.

I am setting my own intention, visualizing you attending one of my workshops or retreats, in person or virtual, where I lead you through a full practice of creating your sacred life on purpose and setting your intentions. Until then, enjoy these simple steps to practice on your own.

I’d love to hear what you experience. Share in the comments below.

The highest and brightest in me, honors the highest and brightest in you,

Amelia Andaleon

Your Story is Your Signature Inspiration – (yoga off the mat)

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Vinyasa Yoga Livestreams on Insight Timer this week:

“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” ~ Brenรฉ Brown

My stories of being ridiculed for the color of my skin and the shape of my eyes as a young child and into adulthood equip me with empathy, resilience, and an inner fire to advocate for those unjustly treated and underserved.

My health struggles with chronic fatigue starting almost 20 years ago set me on a path to amass an abundance of knowledge, tools, and personal experience to overcome, thrive, and hone my deep listening for self-care. This path led me to yoga and eventually becoming the impactful yoga & meditation teacher and, wellness coach I am today.

You can choose to let your past define you and be the end of your story or it can be the beginning of what propels you towards your purpose, and bear witness to your unique human experience of transformation and triumph. Let your pain become your purpose. Allow your story, intuition, and insight to be your signature inspiration.

What is your story? Your story is packed with energy. Check in. Listen. There’s a power in your story. Let it move you towards your sacred purpose.

๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž.
๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ญ.
๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ.
๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ.
๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐›๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ.

Feeling stuck? Contact me to book a free 10 minute consult. Stay tuned for my Discover Your Sacred Purpose workshop. ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ’“

“Free Me Up!” Today’s Spiritually Fit Yoga podcast episode with Heather Viniar!

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(Looking for my class schedule? Click here)

Today’s episode coincides with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which is very important to my podcast guest today, Heather Viniar.

The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness) is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders by educating the public, spreading a message of hope, and putting lifesaving resources into the hands of those in need.

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-involved/nedawareness

Click here to listen to the full episode on iTunes.

Here is the photo and video referenced in the episode about pulling from the Oracle Card deck:

Click here for the link to order this deck of Oracle cards for yourself!

About Heather Viniar

Heather is a Spiritual + Intuitive Coach, and is the owner of Heather Viniar Coaching & Wellness. She works with and supports women who desire a deeper soul connection by healing past experiences and owning their authentic voice. Sheโ€™s a firm believer that, as humans, we have the ability to transform experiences of the past into our soul purpose and divine future, and is completely inspired by the growth and empowerment that sheโ€™s witnessed clients develop. 

Heather is also a Tier 3: 1200-hour Certified Baptiste Influencer and a 500-ERYT through the Yoga Alliance. Her favorite part about yoga is that itโ€™s not just a practice that works, itโ€™s a practice that matters. She utilizes her yoga/mindfulness background and fitness/nutrition background so she can truly cater to and support clients with individual desires, holistically. 

Heather is committed to opening up a world of possibility. She is passionate about working with teens, Eating Disorder treatment centers and womenโ€™s shelters to awaken empowerment in those communities. When Heatherโ€™s not working or on her mat, she loves beach walks, looking or seashells, sunsets, photography, paddle-boarding, traveling, playing (aka-snuggling) with her 2 dogs, and spending time with her family. 

Connect with her on Instagram @heatherviniaryoga, and come join to learn Heatherโ€™s 3 biggest secrets to setting energetic boundaries . When? Thursday February 25, 2021 from 6-7pm EST. Head over to heatherviniar.com to sign up. Canโ€™t make the workshop live? No problem! Sign up, and the recording will be sent to you after!

PRESENCE (week one) “40 Days to Personal Revolution” by Baron Baptiste

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One of the best decisions I ever made in my life was embarking on my Baptiste yoga journey. And, one of the most impactful Baptiste programs and books is “40 Days to Personal Revolution – to Radically Change Your Body and Awaken the Sacred Within Your Soul“ by Baron Baptiste.

I am on an amazing team of teachers leading this 40 Days program through Baptiste Power Yoga San Francisco and am offering support and commitment to the daily yoga and meditation practice by publishing weekly episodes aligned with the weekly theme and focus points.

Week One theme: PRESENCE.

And, the first two laws are:

  • Law One: Seek the Truth
  • Law Two: Be Willing to Come Apart

Here are the iTunes podcast links to a meditation and yoga class you can use during Week One of your 40 days program, or even if you’re not following the 40 days book! First preference is to get yourself to a class AND for times when that’s not possible, these episodes are for you! Creating a “no excuses!” option to support your commitment to a daily practice! Of course, remember one day of rest every week from yoga! Meditation every day, asana practice 6 days/week.

If you’re new to my podcast, there are other yoga, meditations, and guest interviews on my Spiritually Fit Yoga too! (My podcast is also on Spotify, Google podcast, Anchor, and more.)

Have you listened to my episodes? I’d appreciate a review an iTunes with your feedback (5 star ratings always appreciated) or comment below. My. intention is to offer you podcast episodes to empower you using the tools of yoga and meditation, and from the insight and wisdom offered by my guest interviews! Thank you for being here.

Peace out,

Amelia Andaleon, founder Spiritually Fit Yoga

How to Deal with Political Stress?

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Recent events in this country have disrupted my sense of peace. How about you? Here are a few resources to help cope with the experience of stress, including a link to an instagram live meditation I shared this morning.

5 Tips to Cope with Political Stress

  1. You are not alone. I acknowledge you feel stressed. Acknowledge that what you’re experiencing is part of being a living, breathing human with a beating heart with the beautiful capacity to feel deeply. What’s happening can feel jarring, like mentally, emotionally, and physically receiving the impact like shockwaves. You are not alone in experiencing the impact of stress.
  2. Breathe. Inhale to a count of 4, pause with a full inhale, slowly exhale to a count of 4. Repeat 5 times or until you feel more relaxed. Start and end your days with this mindful breathing, and use anytime you you want to a calm body and mind.
  3. State of Mind and Body. Stress is a state of mind and body, which can be shifted and shaped. How you feel and think is temporary. Take a break from negative images and thoughts. Limit your intake of anything disturbing Turn off the news/social media. Instead of watching repetitive news stations, read or listen to your news. I opt for the 20 minute weekday morning Start Here podcast. Choose an activity that floods the brain with positive thoughts. One of my mindset shifters is laughing at Friends reruns. What makes you laugh and feel happy? Get out of your head and into your body. A vigorous yoga class with challenging poses does the trick for me. When my practice invites me to focus on my breath, my physical sensations, and a positive affirmation or mantra, I fill up with positivity and crowd out the negativity. A positive mindset practice is protection towards letting negativity pentrate your mind and body. Choose to deflect negativity like teflon, not have it get stuck to you like velcro! Do what you love! Getting out in nature is another fav activity. Do what you lifts you up, which nutures your body, mind, and spirit.
  4. Connect. Reach out and connect to another person. Facetime and audio messages can feel more intimate than texting. Joining a virtual zoom yoga class can help you feel less alone. I teach zoom yoga classes and we do a mood check before class. In my free/donation livestream meditation and yoga classes on the Insight Timer app, I do a quick check in before and after class where students can share comments and questions in the chat box. It is amazing how connected we feel as if we were together in a community class.
  5. Meditate. A regular meditation practice can train the brain and nervous system to be less-reactive to stress, to cultivate a calm, neutral state of mind. Anger, fear, worry, sadness are all real emotions worthy of our acknowledgement and compassion. My meditation and mindfulness practices have taught me, when uncomfortable emotions arise it’s a warning bell reminding me to pay attention and check in with myself. “Ok self, what’s really going on? Let’s breathe, sit, and pay attention to this exact present moment.” Imagine stress makes its appearance like your hand in a boiling pot of water. The more you practice being in tune with your physical sensations you’ll notice the temp of that water before it even starts simmering then you stop and drop everything for a selfcare break. What happens is we don’t pay attention and before we know it we’re reacting like our hand in boiling water and primal, freak out stress kicks in. Noticing what is triggering stress can signal you to change course and learn lessons to avoid those triggers. Meditation and mindfulness is the practice of paying attention. Give it a try! Here is a link to a short meditation and a brief commentary about spirituality and politics on my Instagram page @spirituallyfityoga: click here.

CURIOUS NOT FURIOUS: Lastly, after meditating and doing all the things to calm your body and mind, from a centered state and with clear thoughts, ask yourself if there’s an action you can take which aligns to what you believe is right. Stress can often be telling you that you care deeply about something. Pay attention. Are you being called to be of service? Channel your energy towards a cause or allow a passion project to arise. Stress can be a powerful way to motivate you to make a difference, to support a cause that really matters to you.

An additional resource I found helpful: click here

Was this article and the meditation helpful? What are you struggling with? What are YOUR tried and true methods for coping with stress, especially during this current political climate? Please share to benefit and support others. Leave a comment below. Thank you being here. Peace out ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ Amelia Andaleon

Connect with me:

Happy New Year!!! January 2021 schedule!

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Looking forward to get back to teaching in 2021! Here’s my schedule the week of January 4th: (time zone Pacific Standard Time)

  • Monday 530-630pm Zoom Baptiste Power Vinyasa – book here
  • Monday 830-9pm Mindful Monday Yoga Nidra livestream on Insight Timer. Join here
  • Tuesday 430-530PM Zoom Vinyasa for Just Be Yoga – book here
  • Wednesday 530-630pm Zoom Deep Flow – book here

See you on your mat!!!

Amelia Andaleon

Warrior Pose at sunset on
Mount Diablo – Danville, CA

Zoom and outdoor yoga classes with Amelia

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Updated 12/6/2020 – we’re moving into another shut down here in CA and I’m still teaching! Mostly on zoom and livestream classes for Insight Timer. Occasional outdoor classes as weather permits. Follow me on Instagram for my class announcements and Check my schedule here!

Weekly Zoom Tuesday 5-6pmPST Baptiste Power Vinyasa, with occasional popup zoom and outdoor classes – book here!

Note: As of December 14th my weekly classes will switch from Tu/Th to M/W 5:30pm

You can also find me on Insight Timer teaching Livestream meditation and yoga classes – follow me here to check my livestream schedule.

  • Mindful Monday 815pmPST – 30 minute Yoga Nidra
  • Friday Vinyasa 9amPST – 45 minute all-levels Vinyasa

For my personal classes, please pay what you can: ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ

At this time, my teaching schedule varies at yoga studios due to Covid restrictions.

My Yoga Styles:

โœจ BAPTISTE POWER VINYASA: Rigorous, physically challenging power flow, linking breath with movement, led with a tone of possibility, awakening your inner-fire, self-love, and self-acceptance. Baptiste Yoga invites access to strength, balance, mobility, power, freedom and ease. Through self-inquiry and connecting within, transformation is possible, on and off the mat. ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ’“โœจ

โœจ YOD: “Your Own Determination” is a blend of Baptiste Vinyasa + High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) + Restore to cool down, slow down the heart rate, and meditate with yoga nidra or a short seated meditation after savasana. YOD challenges you mentally, physically and emotionally. Expect to move, breathe, sweat, get your heart rate up, and end feeling relaxed in yoga bliss after the restore poses. More about YOD here.

โœจ DEEP FLOW: Short vinyasa warmup, hold poses 10+ breaths,invite opening through shoulders, hips, and heart; release tightness in back and hamstrings. Get deeply connected to body, mind, heart, and spirit. ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฝ

From baptisteyoga.com:

Stop Living in Stress and Anxiety

We have been conditioned to believe that we are not good enough the way we are. Weโ€™re pursuing some better version of ourselves all the while asleep to the one true fact in the universe. Our ideal selves are already within us, just waiting to be awakened.

– Baron Baptiste

Can’t take class? Audio recordings of yoga classes and meditations on my Spiritually Fit Yoga podcast ๐Ÿ˜

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiritually-fit-with-amelia/id1508949757?uo=4

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Sp6yie1KApDIylayvYnPm

Anchor FM: https://anchor.fm/amelia-diaz-andaleon