Personal Growth

Earlier this month, we focused on the invisible armor that surrounds areas of our body. Today I’d like to focus on another kind of armor: The kind surrounding the heart.

Every day, we pose a question to the members of Gaia, Gaiam’s online community for people committed to creating healthy lives of meaning and purpose. Recently, we asked our community for answers to the question, “How did you meet your partner?” Below are a few of our favorites — because who doesn’t love “how we met” stories?

Worried? We all are! I would like to share with you ways to develop powerful habits that will help you become masterful at dealing with worry, inspired by the book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.

To live a life you love in a body you love, you must be able to get yourself to do the things you really don’t want to do. Seize the day! Don’t procrastinate.

Dear Arielle & Brian,

I have been working on manifesting my soulmate. With each person I come in touch with, I become more clear as to what I am desiring from the core of my heart, but still, I am unable to manifest the kind of person I am looking for.  I have joined two online dating services and have gone on several dates, but it doesn’t seem to be working. It seems that ultimately the men I meet online are not emotionally available.

Guiding my students into a deeper Side Angle Pose in the woods of Omega, 2009.

Stacks of unfinished work, money worries … Burnt out? When was the last time you had a chance to get beyond stretching out the daily knots of life when you unroll your yoga mat? Two words: yoga retreat. It’s probably the best not-so-secret secret in the yoga world. And here’s how you can  justify taking one this year.

In the past two years, I have been devoting a lot of time to my physical health. I changed my eating habits and took working out to a new level. I released 20 pounds and have kept if off. It has required me to be completely dedicated to honoring my commitment to living a vibrant and healthy life.

I have a wonderful friend, Jami Lula. He is a gifted singer/songwriter, and one of his songs says, “I won’t waste one more minute of my life.” Those words moved straight to my heart and I was guided to say to myself, “Is there anywhere you are wasting time in your life?” The answer that came to me was surprising: a resounding “yes.” Indeed, I was in a holding pattern in some pretty significant areas. This revelation brought me to a deep recognition that I was stuck.

Everyone is moving fast. The level of information bombarding us is staggering. My clients consistently talk about feeling over-amped and overwhelmed. It’s time for an “energetic rebirth” — take an inventory how many places are draining your energy and find new ways to become vital.

Dear Arielle and Brian,
My name is Maria and I’ve been raising my two daughters on my own, for 15 years, working very hard to provide the best that I could for them. Now that they are now both in college, I have decided to think a bit about myself, and who knows — maybe find my soulmate. I have read your book, made the treasure map, listened to the “feelingizations” every night before going to sleep, and I have even signed myself up on a dating website here in Melbourne, Australia. Nothing has happened at all! Am I too old?
Thank you,
Maria

Disneynature’s acclaimed new film Earth presents the most spectacular 100 minutes of wildlife footage I have ever seen. The film reunites directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, who produced the award-winning BBC series “Planet Earth,” in a new venture that brings equally stunning images to the big screen.