My Wish For You This Holiday Season

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A Hole In the Flute, Christ’s Breath, & a Masterpiece

I was reminded today of a short poem called, The Christ's Breath by Hafiz. It simply says:

"I am a hole in a flute

that the Christ's breath moves through-

listen to this music."

The first time I read this poem, I was taken by it. Hafiz does not talk about the craftsmanship, design or make of the flute. Just a flute.  I have often seen myself as a common instrument, not unlike this flute,  through which Christ's love and peace can breathe. With those words, I sensed a deeper intimacy and interconnectedness of the feeling of what it means, Christ flowing through me – and through me – as a channel.

But today, the day that honors the birth of Christ, when I heard this, I was struck even more deeply. As just a hole, I am an empty space, a place of darkness, seemingly insignificant. Yet without this hole, there would be no music. For it is through the hole that the breath of the Divine, the Master moves, not just the instrument itself. And music cannot be made without it. The hole is required and needed for the Master to make beautiful music.

Flutes have multiple holes. Each hole in the flute creates a different note as the Breath moves through. This creates the music. We are each as different holes in the flute. As the intimate Breath of the Divine is moved through us then music is made. I am just a part of this whole…through which my individual note matters in the whole piece of music that is being created. As does yours…

Hafiz poignantly wraps up this poem by saying, "listen to this music." Not "listen to my music" but "this music" – the Music of the Divine, of the Master, of the breath of Christ – Music that melts and opens the heart  and frees the soul of any willing to listen.

"Listen to this music."

Can you hear it? It is the beautiful music that the Divine creates through your life and the lives of those around you.

Are you willing and able to recognize the creativity and gifts that are yours?

Are you willing to share them?  

Can you fathom that your life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is never insignificant to the Divine?

Can you feel the life-giving essence being breathed within and through you?

You are essential for the Masterpiece of your life, and of life, to be played.

Can you feel every fiber of your being alive? Can you feel the song emerging? Are you willing to join me and allow the breath of the Divine move through You so the beautiful Masterpiece you are here to be a part of can be heard, moving lives and opening hearts to greater love?

You Matter. And You have Value. and It is all about You being In Touch In Life.

Teresa

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." – The Bible (Eph. 2.10)

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Addressing The Holiday Stress.. By Saying YES to Yourself..

In a few short weeks, the in-laws are coming to visit and you’re in charge of organizing the big family dinner and what seems like a hundred other tasks.

While Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, it can be hard to feel grateful when there seems like so much pressure and responsibilities surrounding you at every turn.

But what can you do, that’s just part of the holiday season right? Well, consider this: how we deal with holiday stress is simply a mirror of how we deal with everything else in our lives. So when you are feeling overwhelmed with the pending holidays coming, how do you cope with this feeling? Do you work endless hours, perhaps neglecting yourself (like losing sleep or eating on the run because you simply “don’t have the time?”)

Trust me, working night and day doesn’t get rid of that creeping feeling of an endless to do list actually disappearing (things have a tendency to always “pop up”). I see this same story every single day with my clients with who are feeling overwhelmed, burned out and stressed (and the holidays just exaggerate these feelings!). 

It really comes down to acknowledging that you are worth being taken care of and that you matter just as much.. no even more…than that your to do list.

You might be saying “you don’t understand, I can’t even think straight, I can’t stop thinking of everything I HAVE to get done!” I get it, because I’ve been there.

And I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. Telling ourselves “that’s just the way it is, I just have to deal with it” ignores the possibility of having everything we really want.. without having to sacrifice ourselves in the process (including our health, our relationships and our energy).

 So ask yourself “Am I open to the possibility of things being different? Of things being easier? Of being equally (or even more productive) without draining myself?”

Because sometimes the first step is just being open to a new possibility and a new way of being, one that honors who you uniquely are.

If you find yourself hearing that voice in your head, “yes.. that’s not so bad.. I’m open to the possibility..” then I invite you to follow your curiosity and join me for a risk-free complimentary call that I am offering tomorrow:

How to Stop the Cycle of Burnout From Sucking The Life Out of You

and Revive Your Energy, Passion and Bank Account

Wednesday, November 13th

2:00 pm EST / 1:00 pm CST / 11:00 am PST

To Register Visit: www.intouchinlife.com/stopburnout

I will be talking about how you can begin to take simple steps to:

• Uncover and address the underlying fears that are driving your burnout
• Begin to experience work and play in a fun, easier way while still being productive (AND honor how important you, your health and your relationships really are!)
• Experience the joy of no longer operating from overwhelm and burnout!

****If you can’t make it live, please be sure to still register so that I can send you a copy of the recording in your email after the call.

Because You Matter and You Have Value and It’s All About Being In Touch In Life

Teresa Lea

In Touch In Life

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I Used to Be a Raging Perfectionist..

I used to be a raging perfectionist.. and I mean, I had it bad. I wanted everything to be “perfect” down to the tee: spending hours on end over every little detail!

The thing about perfectionism is that when you try to make everything “perfect all the time” then you will quickly find that you will begin to feel burned out before long, because you are spending all of your energy on making everything “just right.”

The irony of perfectionism (and the inevitable burnout that quickly follows) is that while perfectionism is fueled by an intense drive to succeed, it can be the very thing that stops us in our tracks when it comes to actually achieving our goals. Beneath perfectionism there is a host of fears: fear of failure, a fear of not being good enough and often a fear of disapproval of others.

It is these fears that MUST be addressed in order to truly break the patterns of perfectionism, “workaholism” and burnout for good.

And because I see this happen time and time again with the clients I work with every day (and I know because I’ve been there myself!) I decided to offer a call that addresses the biggest in-your-face obstacle that perfectionists are facing: burnout.

How to Stop Burnout From Sucking The Life Out of You
& Revive Your Energy, Passion & Bank Account
Wednesday, November 13th at 2:00 pm EST
(recording will be available)

To Register Visit:
www.intouchinlife.com/stopburnout

I will be talking a bit about the fears that are keeping you in burnout and how this shows up in your body. The same fears that have you believing that you “have to” overwork to succeed, and that you can’t have the health, relationships AND success you want without being sacrificing your wants and needs.  

So please join me on THIS WEDNESDAY for this LIVE call (there will be a fun, interactive Q&A portion at the end of the call). If you can’t make it live, that’s ok, just register above and I’ll send you a copy of the recording afterwards.

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When I Hit Rock Bottom..

19  years ago, emotionally I hit rock bottom.

On the outside, I looked like I had it all: success, the lifestyle, a great relationship, friends,….but inside I felt like I was dying.

What I did not know in my mind, but that my body wisely knew, was that I was pushing myself to the edge of burnout. I was working a lot and not always taking the best care of myself. I was also not taking time for the people and things that mattered most to me.

What I didn’t realize then, was that the process of pushing myself into overdrive, was an unconscious avoidance of facing my fears – fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of not being able to fulfill my mission, fear of not getting everything done “just right.”

All these fears were actually a result of things that had happened in my history that were now showing up in my present. In my avoidance of facing my past, I put myself into burnout.

The thing about burnout is, it makes you feel like you’re all alone. Like you have to do it all yourself and you don’t have the support you need. Then three things happen:

1.    When you feel isolated you tend to feel even MORE stressed out.

2.    Because you are pushing yourself so hard to get everything done, when you are unable inevitably unable to complete all of the things on your endless list of to dos, then shame begins to set in.

3.    And when there is shame, there is a tendency to go into more avoidance and disconnection of the body.

So in order to breakthrough the cycles of burnout, you must address these underlying issues that are propelling burnout forward in your life time and time again.  

And this is so essential because so many people don’t see their body as part of the solution to changing the way they operate and experience the world.

That’s why I’m offering a complimentary resource just for you about how you can finally rid burnout for good and it’s called:

“How to Stop Burnout From Sucking The Life Out of You & Revive Your Energy, Passion and Bank Account.”

It’s a FREE tele-seminar happening on

November 12^th at 3:00 pm EST

I will show you firsthand how you can stop the burnout starting NOW (and you'll have a chance to have all your questions answered AND a copy of the recording!).

To take advantage of this limited time call just visit  http://www.intouchinlife.com/stopburnout/ for the details.

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War or Kindness?

I was working with a client the other day and when she began sharing how much her life had changed as a result of our work together I found myself minimizing my part in it. It is my belief that I don't heal anyone. I DO, however, facilitate setting up all aspects of your BodyMindSpirit to be balanced in a way that healing can happen on all levels.

She kept insisting I take credit. As I thought about this later I had a realization. I was afraid that by taking credit that I would be disempowering her right and ability to heal herself. As I dug deeper, I then realized that by NOT allowing myself to be recognized and honored in that situation I was actually disempowering myself and dishonoring the gifts that I bring to facilitate deep healing and changes in the lives of the people I serve. Hmmmm…

Bear with me just a little bit more, please. My curiosity got me to explore further and what emerged was that there was a deeper belief that led me to realize I was afraid. Afraid that if I did take credit in any way that others would expect me to be responsible for their healing and wholeness. And if miracles did not happen for them then they would blame me.

I know this all sounds crazy. And, truthfully, it is crazy making. But I do have a point here. Any time that crazy making is happening in a way that manifests as fear, or judgment is the same as making war with yourself. Kindness towards yourself, instead is about owning your gifts and value and self respect. It's about being willing to be seen and heard and allowing others to be responsible for themselves by being responsible for yourself.

Do you spend the day being at war with yourself or being kind to yourself?

Please let me know by commenting below. I'd really like to hear.

Tags: empowering, fear, healing, self respect, self value
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Interested? or Committed?

Where In Your Life Are You Merely Interested?

One of my mentor's often asks me, "Teresa, are you merely interested or are you committed?" For example, let's take writing and submitting to this blog.

For the last couple of years I have been wanting to write, even came up with great topics in my head. And I sometimes even took the time to write those into a journal or word document. In spite of all of those actions, I was maintaining being interested.  

Taking on this 30 day blog challenge, though, is completely different. It is a commitment. And you will know I am committed because you will see posts showing up to account for every day of April.

Commitment requires action that is measurable. Being interested does not. Where in your life have you been interested but really want to be committed? Your health? Your relationships? Your business? Your playtime?

Please let me know by commenting below. I'd really like to hear your thoughts.

You and Your Choices Matter. And You Have Value!  And It takes moving from being interested to instead being committed to yourself to show up and be fully In Touch In Life.

Tags: blog challenge, choices, commitment, in touch in life, teresa lea
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April Fool’s? Nope!

Time to Show Up- Taking on the Blog Challenge

I can hardly believe what I just did! I just agreed to do a 30 day blog challenge. Yes. Me. The person who has hesitated at putting myself out there and sharing my thoughts and insights and beliefs, whether they are thought provoking, silly, insightful, inspirational or whatever.

Even though I have had this set up to do, I have let other things take priority and not used this tool as a way to serve like I desire.

Part of being In Touch and In Life is about Fully Living and Fully Showing Up. I've been hiding out by not letting myself be seen and heard in ways that I can make an even bigger difference.

I'm wondering if I am playing a huge April Fool's day joke on myself. NO. I AM NOT. I must say, though, that there is a part of me that is terrified as well as a part of me that is really excited. Who knows what will come out of it?

If nothing else, I will get in the practice of sharing with each of you and no longer procrastinating doing so. Some of these will be writing and some will be videos. Please post your comments and thoughts below about what would interest you in these blogs, I want to share my voice and hear yours as well!

SO… here's to showing up more FULLY for you and I … It's all About Being In Touch In Life.

Tags: blog challenge, hiding, procrastination, showing up, teresa lea, voice
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3 Steps To A Deeper Commitment

What is Your Commitment To Yourself? 

Each year I like to choose a one word or one sentence theme that acts as my guiding inspiration to living the life that I want throughout the entire year. There is something moving about choosing only one word or one sentence that guides my decisions and allows me to link myself into the law of attraction.

This year, I have decided that my word is commitment.

This means commitment to myself, commitment to my clients, and commitment to those whose lives I can make a difference in. Commitment is key to creating the conditions for real change in all of life: body, mind, spirit and soul. And it is Commitment which allows us to hold ourselves accountable to achieve what we really want and recognize our own strength and value.

In order for commitment to create sustainable and purposeful change you must create the conditions in which this commitment can be played out.

Here are 3 quick suggestions to get you started: 

1- Recognize what you truly want to change in your life and in yourself and be specific! (i.e. if it is to lose weight, how much and in what amount of time?)

2- Ask for help. Ask for help from those who support you and your goals. They will want you to succeed. All of our greatest accomplishments can be largely accredited to the numerous people who have helped us achieve it. 

3- Create a Structure for Success: Commit to a program or activity at specific time intervals and keep a journal so you can track your progress. By setting up a structure that you can succeed in, you not only hold yourself accountable, but you can create a way for you to begin to fulfill your hidden potential in your health, your emotional well-being, and in our lives as a whole.

So, I want to know.. what is your commitment? It may be a new commitment, or perhaps it is a commitment that has fallen by the wayside and you wish to re-commit to. My commitment is to you, and to supporting you to have the health, relationships and life of your dreams! Please know that I am here to support you in your journey to achieve all that you desire.

Because it really is all about being committed to be In Touch In Life

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When Life Happens

When You're Stressed, Stop And Take A Breath

Life happens.

And often with life comes stress or fatigue of the body, mind, or spirit.

Did you know that when it comes to coping with stress overload and fatigue your breath is one of the best remedies there is?… and it’s free! It is the safest, most effective, and inexpensive remedy and it is right at hand whenever you find yourself in either if these conditions.

And Breathing Meditation is one of the most important practices of Yoga. As yogis have known for centuries – and as medical science is discovering – the breath has amazing recuperative powers. By controlling the breath (a practice called pranayama), the yogis found, they could alter their state of mind and the state of their bodies. These effects were created primarily by slowing and regularizing the breath.

This engages what scientists call the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of your body that is responsible for calming and soothing you.

So, you may be asking "How does slower breathing help?" In stressful times, we typically breathe too rapidly or we hold our breath. Oxygen then builds up in the bloodstream and the relative amount of carbon dioxide decreases. This condition can result in muscle twitching, nausea, irritability, lightheadedness, confusion, and anxiety.

Just paying attention to and watching the breath immediately initiates the chain of changes in it. First, it slows down. As it slows, its’ ragged movements smooth out. As the breath smoothes out, the space it occupies in the body increases.

As you practice paying attention to the breath, let it be deep and full, so each breath cycle expands and contracts the height, width, and depth of the whole torso.

So remember, Inhale fully, Exhale fully, and the body, mind, and spirit will Relax. Or as one of my mentors, Dov Baron, says, “Exhale Fully First”. Completely empty the lungs and the diaphragm out. This then allows you to truly and completely be able to take in the desired full inhale and to then be able to fully exhale and start the cycle again, getting connected to this present moment and what is happening now.

This can be a really powerful reminder if you let it. When we recognize our breath, we recognize that we are human. We become connected to the moment, and we allow ourselves to create a closer connection to ourselves, which opens up the doorway for deeper healing in all areas of our life. 

I want to know… What helps you slow down, take a breath and get connected? For me one of the most powerful things is Yoga. When I asked my assistant, she actually told me she has a specific song, so I thought you may enjoy so here's the link (it's appropriately called "Just Breathe": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyut3GyQtn0

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