REST...To Be Your Best

NOTE: this message applies to any and every day of the week!

This seemed like a good time to pop in and remind you of this underrated and not-talked-about-enough principle of Alignment. In a world that has this backwards, glorifying the packed schedule and busy life, teaching that working yourself to death is noble and the only way to success, we wonder why so many people experience increasing amounts of anxiety, overwhelm, stress and depression. It doesn't have to be this way, folks.

In fact, if you start playing around with this, listening to those prompts that your body, spirit and oftentimes the whole damn Universe itself is giving you - in the form of feeling an illness coming on, seeing the words "slow down" all over the place, feeling tired or introspective, or the stress and overwhelm themselves - you will begin to notice a trend where upon giving yourself that space and time to rest, you notice that you are in the flow more. You're more productive. You have more energy, focus, drive and motivation. Ease. Abundance. Joy. Peace. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

You can't get to those things by pushing, forcing, fighting, insisting, straining. It's called living in a state of resistance, where you are only drawing more of the same to yourself. And that's not fun nor is it sustainable. 

So I invite you to listen to yourself today, this week, especially now, during this time of year where we feel ourselves wanting to rest more, hibernate, and be still and quiet. Ask your body, heart, mind and Soul what they need. Journal about it, meditate on it, or just notice the signs and symptoms, and then do something radical: listen to and honor them, and then watch what happens next. 

It is not unusual for me to have a day full of the grandest intentions of productivity and flow, only to immediately recognize it is a day of resting and tending to my own energy. I have come to recognize these days as the most productive of all, because not only do I know there's a ton going on behind the scenes on my behalf (thank you, Cosmic Team and Universe!), my energy is being reorganized and restored to support me better, and usually the very next day I am kicking ass far better than I would have on the day I originally intended. 

Through my years of experience, observation, and guiding my clients through this part of the Alignment process, I am certain that this is how it works. All of life is rooted in energy, and we have not been taught how to recognize the natural ebb and flow, much less work with it. But there's no better time to start than now, so don't just take my word for it, try for yourself! Simply notice the next time you can tell it's time to rest and tend to your own energy better, make the proper adjustments to do so (i.e. say no to an obligation, take the day off, give yourself a day in bed Netflix binging, etc.), and note what happens next.

And do let me know your experience, I can't get enough of hearing this stuff. Hit the comment button and share away!

Alignment: A Place Where My Higher Self Lives

A Guest Post By: Lindsey Brave

Awake and Aligned by Nova Wightman was brought into my world by a very important person: my dad. He heard Nova on a local radio show and knew instantly that her book was something both of us needed in our lives. Awake and Aligned has since been passed around and shared with other family members and friends. Needless to say, it is a very special book to me and my family. Allow me to tell you why.

Throughout my 26 years, I have been looking for answers to the big questions. The usual existential ones of course like the meaning of life and death, but one question has remained constant for me. How can I create a better life for myself? A life where I am happy, peaceful, loving, financially stable…all of the good stuff. For years I’ve felt this better life calling to me, but I wasn’t sure how to answer.

On this quest for growth, I delved into many self-help and mind/body/soul healing books. I learned about many of the popular tools for achieving a “successful” life like the law of attraction, visualization, manifestation, gratitude, meditation, etc. While these strategies all sounded great, I found some difficulty implementing them fully into my life.

For me, Awake and Aligned combined all of those tools in an approachable, realistic, and positive manner, that made changing my life seem achievable. I dove into this book headfirst and resurfaced with a fresh and awakened perspective. With Nova’s book, I was able to learn and practice ways to bring more goodness into my life, and have that goodness brought back to me.

After reading and earnestly completing all of the book’s practical applications, the biggest “aha moment” for me was understanding the importance of alignment.

I’d heard that word thrown around a lot before. To me, “alignment” sounded like a word reserved for the yogi’s sitting front row in an advanced yoga class. Thankfully, Nova introduced a whole new meaning to the word I once dismissed as, “not being for me.” Now, alignment serves as a guiding light for how I live my life.

As a person who has experienced chronic anxiety throughout their entire life, my brain has seemed almost wired to fear, worry, and stress about the unknowns. My mind loooooves mulling over all the details of what could or could not happen in life. So when faced with an unknown or new challenge, my mind tends to go into overdrive wanting to figure everything out. It wants the security of knowing what the future holds.

Of course, that’s impossible. Thankfully, Nova offered me an alternative.

Instead of spending mental energy focusing on the negative, I can redirect that energy to bring me back to a good place. Yup, to alignment. A place where my higher self lives. Where I can be Who I Really Am. Nova has helped guide me to understand how being in a state of alignment (whenever possible), allows life to fall into place without the mind needing to interfere.

So here I am today, discovering and adding in more activities that bring me into alignment with my highest self, and simultaneously pulling away from things that take me out of alignment. Some of the activities that align with Who I Really Am include exercising, playing with my dog, reading, bike riding, writing, and spending time with my close friends and family. Being able to clearly identify those was a powerful change. Of course I’ve fallen in and out of alignment since. Sometimes things go wrong, but now I know I have a grounding center to go back to and get myself back on track.

Maintaining a state of alignment has already manifested as positive outcomes in my life.

The most concrete manifestation was buying my first car. Being on a really tight budget and harsh deadline, my options were limited. I had worries about finding a reliable car that wouldn’t blow up my bank account (cue mental stress). For weeks I had scoured craigslist, hoping that the right one would fall into my lap. Eventually, it did, at just the right time too. It was perfect. Right in my budget. A used, reliable, and affordable car that allows me to visit family and embark on adventures.

I’ve also noticed improvements in the relationship with my family and partner. Tough conversations are eased, and the light ones feel freer. My eyes have been opened to see miracles in the everyday moments. The flowers blooming. A bird’s song. A loved one’s smile. Sometimes it feels as though a guiding force turns my attention, and points these mini-miracles out to me. It’s almost like someone gently saying, “Don’t miss this.” Above all else, I feel more connected with myself, my true self, and knowing who that is.

Now I keep a list of the key points from Awake and Aligned in my kitchen. I refer back to it when I need a reminder (which is pretty often).

Awake and Aligned gave me hope that I could build a better life for myself, and empowered me to believe I could.

Endlessly grateful,

Lindsay Brave

Lindsay is a writer, researcher, and self-proclaimed vegan introvert. She creates meaningful wellness content to support people wanting to build better lives for themselves and others. Lindsay spends her free time reading, making up dance moves (when no one’s watching), upping her self-care routine, and seeking attention from her cat and dog. Connect with Lindsay on Instagram @thrivehappy and her blog www.thrivehappy.us

The Gift of Spiritual Alignment

When Nova asked me to write up something about alignment and spirituality my mind went a little bizerk.. How do I find one thing to talk about when there is so much? After some time of processing and thinking, perhaps a little over-thinking, I decided to talk about the gift that alignment and spirituality has brought to my life.

I truly believe there is no greater gift that we can give ourselves, our family, and the world other than the gift of alignment. I see it as the most important work a person can engage in, a game changer of epic proportions. I want to take this opportunity to discuss what alignment means to me, how I’ve personalized something so powerful and how you can do the same.

Put simply, acting in alignment means coming from a place of love. That is the simplest and most profound way I can explain it to my clients. When we practice the art of alignment we are truly practicing coming from love in all areas of our life. This also happens to be what spirituality means to me. Spirituality is an awareness that guides us closer to loving ourselves and others in deeper, more profound ways. That’s it. It’s requires a trusting in something, call it whatever you wish, that when you choose to love, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be, you will be rewarded by your chosen. This happens because when you are acting in alignment with love you are showing up with Higher Self leading the way and that is what our human experience is all about. It is about learning how to blend your human self with your spiritual self, or higher self, that self that is rooted in love. Tell me something better than the feeling of love…. I’ll wait.

I feel the need to clarify that a life in alignment is not a life free of challenge. Quite the opposite, actually. A life of alignment is more like a life grounded in the ability to see the purpose, the opportunity, the gift in all the contrast and challenges that inevitably come with this human experience. It’s a life path that allows us to feel the feels and then to recover back to our authentic state of being, an energy of love, more quickly and with more ease. Strengthening your faith in the belief that life is always working in your favor can sometimes draw more contrast to you—as if you’re being “tested.” You’re not. You’re being given opportunities to walk your talk, to validate the statement, the proof is in the puddin’ (your own life being the pudding). I say this not to evoke fear but rather to somewhat kindly address that this work requires effort, dedication, and consistency. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, and from my experience can feel like straight hell at times. However, once you begin to recognize the patterns, the flows of life, you begin to relax and trust the natural balance of life that exists with you and for you.

And so, alignment is the most precious ability because it transforms us, empowers us, and gifts us with good feeling feelings more often than not. We all crave to feel love more than we do and yet we stumble not because there is something wrong with us but rather because when we are out of alignment we lack the clarity to see from this higher place. Usually, all we need is someone who sees us through the lens of our Higher Self when we’ve lost sight. The depth of gratitude I feel for being a guide, a way-shower if you will, is difficult to articulate in words. This work resonates with my soul and calls forth the most authentic being I can possibly be. Please know I take this work seriously and with a sense of light-heartedness. I honor your path and encourage you to align with love through the most challenging of times. I am always holding your hand and honoring your own unique journey. I look forward to raising the vibration within you and of this planet. I look forward to seeing you remember to allow love to take the lead, once again.

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Written by guest contributor Annie Kuensting.

Annie is the owner and operator of Beacon Empowerment Strategies, A Master Educator, NLP Practitioner, Mindfulness Coach, workshop facilitator, and Pranic healer. She has also been trained by Nova in the Spiritual Alignment Method, due to her intense passion and talent for creating rapid, lasting positive change in her client's lives by aligning them with Who They Really Are.

To contact Annie for a complimentary consultation, visit www.beaconempowerment.net.

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P.S. Want even more guidance, tips and inspiration on all things Alignment and Energy? Click HERE to request approval to join my Facebook Spiritual Alignment Community Group! It's a very intimate, active community and a great way to connect with like-minded people!