Last week for the first time in a very long time I didn´t get dressed, I hardly left the warmth of my bed and I most certainly didn´t head out of the house, you guessed it I had COVID. It wasn't quite like it used to be when I was a child when my Mum would secretly organise my poorly prize to be rewarded at the end of my illness, whether it be a new Toy House or Barbie, yet I was determined to try so hard to stay positive like so many of us and my personal way is to always try to have something to look forward to, I racked my brain for a life-affirming route and it was then that I realised that I hadn´t proactively upgraded my life in a few years. When I say upgrade, I´m not touching on all the external upgrades such as a new phone, a new skincare regime and so forth, I am referring to the silent upgrades, the ones that happen deep within the coherence of a mind-body-soul connection and I was excited to get to it using my favourite tried and tested method: lucid dreaming, otherwise known as creative visualisation.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with completely unplugging when you are sick and being content to rest (trust me I did a lot of that too as I understand this is exactly what our bodies need to heal) but if the last 12 months have taught me anything, it's very important to combine your natural desire for peace and contentment with an honest appreciation of your inborn need to thrive. The constant career progression
(I do honestly feel that everyone should always be aiming to progress and not simply settle and stagnate in honour of their future selves: "Please think about ME in five years from now!" shouts your soul from just around the corner), the growth and maintenance of friends and social circles, the new kitchen/garden furniture/design project, the next financial goal, long hugs with a lovely and supportive family, new restaurants, new wardrobe and just being brutally honest - I can't wait to hopefully have them all this year! And yet if I have learned anything from the inner teachings of yoga it´s that within the power of your very mind's eye you have a magic portal to creating and designing your future, we have all heard endless quotes that claim you are what you think about the most and life indeed is a mirror and it reflects back to you exactly what you offer it.
What does Yoga say about designing your life? For anyone who knows me even a teeny tiny bit, they´ll know I¨m a yogini with a big interest in the workings of the mind and my holy grail book is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali is known as the father of yoga. He decoded the impact of yoga practice on the human mind, helping to shine a light on how yoga practice can help us to emerge from the muddy waters, from the false imaginations and dramas created by the mind and rather learn how to see life in the best way possible. So instead of getting stuck in all our ´Stuff´, he suggests that we commit to the management of our mind, redirecting our energy onto things we DO love about said person, what we do love about ourselves, what we do love about our unique skill set, what we do love about our homes/jobs/relationships, what we DO love - DO, and from this place we can successfully visualise in the mirror of the mind what we want more of, where we want to go, what we want to achieve and yes like yogic magic, it will appear.
And I can totally back this up and say - YES, it works beautiful people, it really truly works and I don´t know how to promise you this other than telling you one day about where I have been and where I am now - not only physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually and soulfully.
So, with this promise in your pocket why not make a daily habit of closing your eyes, feeling gratitude for your life right now and then imagining your life exactly how you want to be as if you are playing a film reel over in your mind´s eye, just like you when you were a magical child and you could create entire universes, princesses, spaceships all within your amazing mind. This is how I do it:
First of all, I need to know I can slip into a bit of a dream-like state (this is when it works best as you transverse to specific brain wave states that are optimal for both creating coherence between your heart/mind & soul and for manifestation, so I usually do my lucid dreaming after my daily yoga nidra practice in the afternoon when I am super chilled and just before bed.
I start to breathe feeling my life force and my connection to God, I feel gratitude for the life this universe continues to fill me with and I imagine light filling me in all directions.
I imagine how I look in my dream: shining eyes, big smile, radiance, love and joy and from this place I imagine all my interactions with my husband, family, friends, community and world. I imagine myself conversing and communicating with everyone with great light and love.
Now I get to the future upgrades, I imagine like in a film reel the new things I want to happen in my business, in my home life, in my social life etc. I imagine what I´m wearing, saying, feeling, doing and just enjoy the high feelings that arrive.
Finally, when I have really allowed my imagination to run wild I feel a sense of completion like it´s all been done. Like my dreams are moving towards me and then most importantly, I let go of it and get on with my everyday life being the person who I saw in the mirror of my mind.
Yogic powers aren´t only reserved for men in caves, you have all the power you could ever dream of right inside. Keep it simple, close your eyes and dream.
Love Kat xx
GROUNDED & GRACEFUL