In Karen Knowler’s Successfully Raw newsletter distributed on July 26, 2008, she wrote: “There is a popular saying in the personal development world (that) ‘You become most like the five people you spend most of your time with,’ and I really do believe this to be true,” says Karen. “The good news is,” she continues, “you don’t have to physically be around these people. It doesn’t matter where they are on the planet. If you’re reading their books, watching them on YouTube or on a DVD, going to their events, reading their web site and so on, it’s entirely possible that at least one or two of those mentors could be one of those five people you spend most of your time with! Just think who you could become with one of those guys or gals almost permanently at your side!“
So, RawMom readers, piggy-backing from Karen’s words in her “The Power of the Right Mentor” Successfully Raw issue, I challenge you to pick the five people you’d want to spend most of your time with for personal development reasons. Who instantly comes to mind?
One person who’d be so high on my 5-person list is Living Foods Educator and Bikram Yoga Instructor, Kathryn (Kate) Mitchell. In fact, I just spent about three hours with Kate last Saturday, nurturing my spirit. Like the sun warms my body, Kate warms my soul. Instantly. No question about it! Wouldn’t you want someone who helps you to feel this way in your presence pretty often?
Even though Kate and I don’t see each other in person as often as I’d like, as Karen Knowler states, physically being around a “mentor” is not mandatory to reap the benefits of what they have to offer. So, my e-mail, text message and phone communication with Kate has its rewards, too. However, I am super blessed to only have to drive about 45 minutes to St. Augustine, Florida to be in the physical presence of this amazing lady whom I have now titled my Soul- Nurturing Mentor.
With concern about a few things I’m trying to sort out in my life, Kate wrote this to me: “Sometimes having a listening ear is good, so please come talk to me if you feel that. I understand you have a lot happening, so do what feels right at the moment and jump in the car or don’t….just go with it if you need time to think and pray in quiet, which is also very very important. You know, Ralph Waldo Emerson says that ‘a true friend is someone you think out loud with’…meaning without any judgement and with total understanding on all levels. Talk to me.” Kate also said: “I want you to just do whatever you feel and know I’m here for you! I want to see you, but I am more concerned you are taking it EASY and nurturing yourself!”
While I believe that loving, encouraging, teaching and nurturing folks the way she does are simply natural gifts that Kate showed up on Earth with, the fact that she takes time to carefully and intelligently work on every aspect of her health at the cellular level increases the power of her gift of giving to others. You know the saying….put good in and good comes out! Kate puts GOOD in and GOOD undoubtedly comes out! She has really mastered the art of not forgetting to nurture herself in spite of how much she extends to others — a healthy practice that many of us need reminding about, I’m sure. I know I do.
Because I was recently starting to feel wiped out from a few circumstances, I eventually reached the point of knowing that by any means necessary I needed to see and hang out with Kate…NOW! Therefore, I made it happen instead of allowing everyone else’s schedule to take high priority over mine, as I had been doing lately.
If you, too, have been operating this way and noticing that you’re having to dig deep into your reserves for energy and clarity that should be flowing easily, you must check out Kate’s 12 amazing nurturing-yourself tips that’ll get you back into top-notch action in no time.
Imagine how quickly my battery began recharging when I showed up at Kate’s house last weekend and we rode off in the breeze — on a moped — for our lunch outing in downtown St. Augustine. Kate knew just what this girl’s soul needed. And to think I had never even told her how crazy I was about riding motor bikes while growing up in Bermuda.
Vroom, Vroom, here goes:
Kate’s 12 Tips for Recharging Your Vibration
1. For sun prana (energy), sunbathe without sunscreen for 10 minutes per day! The sun is the source of all life and will instantly revive your soul. Afterwards, remember to ‘open your eyes and let the light in,’ allowing yourself a few minutes to sit quietly and also absorb light through your pupils while focusing on something that is beautiful to YOU in nature (not directly on the sun, of course!).
2. Drink plenty of Living Water! If you put your filtered water in green glass bottles and set them in the sunshine, it will help ‘structure’ the water molecules and make it more absorbable by your body. Add some cucumber, basil, lemon, or create whatever infusion strikes your fancy!
3. Take a few minutes everyday to sit quietly and contemplate how you are feeling, in your heart especially! Then, allow a few more minutes to clear your mind and let it go fuzzy. A simple meditation is as follows: Keep your spine straight, but sit comfortably. Thinking to yourself…inhale sunlight, joy and vitality…exhale peace, love, and restfulness. Continue with any mantra (repetition of words) of your choice for at least 10 deep, slow breaths. You should feel the breath prana energize you in moments!
4. For earth prana, walk barefoot at least once a day! If you can walk on cool rocks or wet green grass, all the better. Be as close to the CORE as possible and you will instantly feel a grounding effect. A little heat under the feet — like warm sand — is wonderful for calming the neuro-muscular system.
5. SWEAT! Be it a brisk walk in the sunshine, a nice sauna session (preferably infrared!), or a sweat-lodge meditation, get it all out through the skin since it is the largest eliminatory organ. My personal favorite way to burn karma through sweating is a Bikram Yoga session or just a simple hot bath with sea salts.
6. Get moving….20 minutes a day minimum! It doesn’t matter what you do, but do it everyday if you can. Walk, ride, swim, stretch, dance, garden, or just play! It’s all about ‘FLOW’, so get your heart beating and your blood pumping to feed all of the little cells in your body with oxygen. Whatever you choose to do, make your decision based on what is going to also put a smile on your face while you’re doing it that day. It may change from day to day, so listen to your body and your heart for advice!
7. Laugh! I like the advice about ‘becoming like the five people you are around most often,’ and I try to surround myself with friends and family members who have a good sense of humor (thank you, Penny!) I am always inspired by people who are most child-like; I find it’s a sign of an open heart. And, it has always been said that laughter is the best medicine, and I couldn’t agree more. So let it ROAR!!!!!!
8. Be open to something new, whether it’s a new restaurant, a different place to find solace, or a new friend! If you are felling ‘stuck’, things can shift very quickly when you remain open to change. Just DO IT!!
9. Practice being cheerful! When we practice any virtue over and over, soon we become it. Just make up your mind every day that no one or nothing can disturb your peace, and BE CHEERFUL! Yogananda, of the Self-Realization Fellowship and Church of All Religions, reminds us in his teachings that “Cheerfulness consists principally in the attitude of the mind and is conditioned only incidentally by outside factors.” So, your happiness need not die when stricken with negativity or sorrow…you have the strength within you to overcome all obstacles. You can leap tall buildings in a single bound if you have the right attitude. Go, Superwoman!
10. Eat at least one mostly-green, raw meal a day! Hippocrates says, “Let thy food be thy medicine.” The energy from organic, green, high-chlorophyll foods — especially sprouted, living foods — can be essential for healing and revitalizing the body and mind. Give thanks for the nourishment from the earth and also the hands that prepare your food, as these are the reasons that food can be so full of high vibrational energy. Food made with love can put a giggle in your talk and a wiggle in your walk! That one was for you, Penny!!!
11. Love unconditionally! Practice increasing your Spiritual Magnetism daily. Quietly send love out to those who have hurt you or done you wrong and at the same time release them to their highest good, but actively show kindness and compassion to those around you if you feel it in your heart. Don’t hold back!
12. Listen to inspirational music! I like to listen to uplifting music throughout the day, and one of my personal favorites is Lenny Kravitz’s Let Love Rule.
Here’s to recharging your vibration and letting love rule!
Much Love,
Penny and her Soul-Nurturing Mentor, Kate!