Ritual is defined as "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order."  While I can respect this definition I find it to be much more than that.  For me, ritual is simply a ceremony that connects us to a higher power.  Across all religious cultures, there are rituals that are important and impactful to connection.  They keep us grounded in our humanity, and elevated to the Divine.  Ritual can be an elaborate ceremony, or simply weaved into your day-to-day life. As a mother of two now adolescent young women, I have held true to daily, weekly, and special event rituals. They are important (in my opinion) as these two women head out into the world on their own.  Listen to my new podcast about Ritual. And stay to the end; we had an event happen the day of recording that really brought it home and it included a Monarch Butterfly, a milkweed plant, and painted rocks.  

Find me on Youtube, Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

Attunement:  the experience of unbroken feeling connectedness by providing a reciprocal affect and/or resonating response.  I love this definition.  Makes so much sense. How attuned are you to the energy around you?  The people you call family and friends?  The flow of life?  Is it supporting you and sustaining you? Or is it dragging you down?  Attunement is a word I use often with clients, in yoga sessions, and in Reiki training.  We become attuned to a higher frequency, but the trick is to remember that you were always transmitting that energy in the first place.  So then, how do we explain “negative” attunement?  We allow, for one reason or another, the negative tendencies of others to infiltrate our system … hopefully for a reason of spiritual growth and evolution.  Is it “bad or good?” It’s neither, it’s perfect. And then we come back to an elevated attunement.

Find me on Youtube, Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

But not really … this week is about any “re” word.  Any word that has “re” as it’s prefix.  This simple prefix offers up an opportunity to come back to something in your life and give yourself space for it to show up differently. And honestly, we can all use that!   Re-member  Re-view Re-visit   When we do this, we choose between lowering our energy, remaining stagnant, or elevating to a higher frequency.  With the astrology the way it is, it’s beneficial to pause and “re-flect” so you don’t “re-peat” patterns that don’t work in this new paradigm.    Re-create Re-calibrate  Re-align   Valuable “time-outs” to come back to an essence of yourself, and “re-shape” your vision.    Re-enter  Re-emerge   Make a list of your “re” words while Mercury is in retrograde and we are in between Eclipses.  It’s a powerful time to “up the anty” of your life. What’s your “re” word for this week?

Find me on Youtube, Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

I had a hard time naming this podcast.  The theme for class this week is PRAJNA ... or wisdom. So we could call it that.  Taking the wisdom from 2020 and parlaying it into 2021.  But I also like to think of PRAJNA as clarity.  That kind of wisdom that can only grow out of experience. Diving into the lessons and drawing wisdom from the depth of the moment. Or in our global home ... the moments.  

2020 was a year to remember.  And as we re-emerge into 2021, it's important to do so with kindness, compassion, grace, and breath.  These teachings of yoga span far beyond the mat. They are woven into every moment we spend in conversation, connection, and now ... kinda-post-pandemic.  No two pandemics are made equal - but we can all treat each other with kindness as we step out into a new world.

I'm very happy to be returning to the mic with this podcast.  Feeling fulfilled and grateful after year of loss, grief, despair, and lessons ... welcome back.  Om Shanti Shanti Shanti 

Find me on Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

It's time to pause ... to regroup.  To realign.  To restructure.  To replenish our souls.  To begin again.  I believe in Divine Timing and that all is well, even when it doesn't look that way.  Even when it's uncomfortable as hell... which is what we are experiencing now.  Taking action too quickly will result in perpetuating patterns.  Sitting still doing nothing and zoning out, will result in the same old patterning.  But resting in the Sacred Pause will give us all time to reflect, renew, listen and then move forward to create this new world with purpose, power, and authentic passion for life.  

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Frequency: the measurement of energy and vibration.  What does that have to do with you as a human?  Only everything.  Where you "vibrate" is what you create.  This isn't "good vibes only" ... this is your undercurrent that is creating your life.  This is the heart and head merging together putting a focus on big decisions that must come from the heart for powerful healing, which is driven by your frequency.

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Ahimsa is usually translated as nonviolence, but this goes far beyond physically hurting others or ourselves.  First and foremost we have to learn how to be nonviolent toward ourselves. We can include verbally abusing ourselves – becoming consciously aware of what our “I am” statements sound like.  This can be as subtle as criticizing our body, our actions or even saying things like, “I’m old!”  Any thought, word, or action that prevents us (or someone else) from growing and living freely is one that is considered harmful.

The practice of compassion becomes essential when practicing ahimsa. When we begin to recognize the life created around us through nature and animals, we begin to realize that we are an integral part of its sustainability and preservation.  We naturally find ourselves wanting to protect all living things. It becomes difficult to avoid recycling, damaging a tree or harming an animal – even an insect. Each act would be an act of violence toward ourselves as well.  Listen to me talk about COMPASSION as a necessity, Find me on Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

Have you ever wanted to do something for yourself and then decided at the last minute, “I better not,” or thought “I shouldn’t do this... I have so many other obligations I need to take care of first”?

We all do it—put everyone else’s needs first. If you’re a woman, it’s almost an inherent trait to put yourself last. But just for fun, dare I ask, why? Why do you continue to put everyone else’s needs and desires before your own? Why do you continue to put your dreams on hold for your so-called “obligations” in life? What message is that sending to your loved ones, yourself, God? 

Ask yourself right now—what are your dreams and desires? What would the life of your dreams look like? This isn’t some obligatory life that has been directed by your parents, teachers, or peers, but a life that is truly your own.

Do you even know what your dreams are? Or has it been so long that you have forgotten what they are?

The obligatory self-talk is what gets you to stop dreaming.  Listen to me talk about Dreaming Big, making things happen, and listening to my heart.  Find me on Instagram at @danadamaraevolution and at my website www.danadamara.com

90,000 thoughts a day, only 21,600 breaths.  You are bound to fall into a pattern and react instead respond. What does this have to do with communication?  Everything! The way you communicate to yourself is actually the first thing you must focus on if you are to have successful relationships.  Because whatever is showing up in relationship outside of yourself is actually in direct proportion to how you speak and interact with yourself.

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Divine Guidance is a real thing. It's the highest octave of listening.  It's following the tune of your heart without concern or consultation of anyone else around you.  Listening to divine guidance and following it are two different things!! So listen in, tune in, and then follow the pulse of your heart.  Tangible action is why you're here. We can listen in all we want but if there's no follow through it makes no difference.  Tangible action makes this life, life.  

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