I had dinner with my best friend from middle school last night. We've been friends for almost 25 years and our birthdays are both in the next two weeks, so we did a little impromptu ritual of sharing three of our favorite moments from the last year and three desires for the year to come. We laughed wildly and were able to deeply connect through the celebration and gratitude of what had crossed our path on our journey last year and our eyes lit up with excitement to take time to dream of what may come to be on our next trip around the sun. In times of great change, in times of being busy, in times of exhaustion, it times of doing our best to get by, sometimes celebration can be put on the back burner. So, how do we get back to a celebration mindset?
1- Be where your feet are. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and ask yourself, "What wants to be celebrated?" (Hint: this is not a mental exercise, it's more about a feeling in your heart. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine what wants to be celebrated coming to you like a vision vs. like you have to go search for it.)
2- Shine. How can you embody your gratitude? How can you radiate your appreciation for what you are celebrating into the world? Ideas: light a candle on to honor your vision as you work today, put a song on and dance to celebrate the feeling of what you thought of, wear an outfit that has special significance to you as you celebrate the image that came to you, organize a party for yourself, ask a friend to share a meal and toast to this beautiful thing in your life, buy yourself flowers and let them be an acknowledgement of this blessing.
3- Notice how it feels to be home. Notice how gratitude and celebration feel like home. Maybe...appreciation and honoring, are our natural state. Anytime I do a Qoya class or retreat, gratitude ceremony or ritual or am in nature, I feel this physical sensation of home in the present moment. Celebration brings us back home into our hearts and into the present moment. Where, the tendency is to be judging and analyzing the past or daydreaming the future. But the power and the most pleasure is right here, right now.
3 more ways to celebrate with me!
1- Free Qoya Shamanic Breathing Video. This is the Shamanic Breathing that I do every morning. Works like a charm to bring you into present time.
2- Help someone else celebrate. One of my favorite things I learned from a teacher and friend of mine, Agapi Stassinopoulus, says in her book Unbinding the Heart, if you want something, start by helping someone else get it. You want to celebrate your life more? Think of someone who has done something, had a birthday or just is amazing and help them celebrate.
3- I know it's a little last minute, but when inspiration strikes, inspiration strikes! Join me for a Pay-What-You-Can Qoya Retreat in Woodstock June 7-9, 2013 where the theme of the retreat is Celebration!
I was deeply inspired by Danielle LaPorte's most recent gift on her birthday to offer her Desire Map as a Pay-what-you-can offer. I loved it and had a thought- what if I offered a Pay-what-you-can Qoya Celebration Retreat in honor of my birthday on June 11?
My invitation to you is to come and join us for this intimate retreat in Woodstock, New York at the Menla Mountain Retreat Center, which is gorgeous sacred land commissioned by the Dalai Llama and pay what you can.
The minimum payment that includes the food and housing is $600 for a single room and $500 for a double shared room. That is the amount that goes to the Retreat Center for room and board. Any additional cost for the retreat, rituals, Qoya classes and value received is up to you to pay-what-you-can.
There is also a kind sister goddess who lives locally, who offered her home to those who would want to save on costs even more and come as a commuter and pay the minimum $200 for food and then pay-what-you-can for the retreat. Or, if you live in the area or have friends in the area and would want to commute, that is cool too.
A common thing I hear after a Qoya retreat is, "That was one of the best weeks/weekends of my life." I trust it will be that foryou too.
More info and itinerary for retreat: http://www.
Links and Logistics to get to Menla: http://www.
To register, please email me at Rochelle@wisewildfree.com
Registration requested by June 1st, 2013.
P.S. If you are in Minnesota, please join us!
