When I watched social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk about how our body language shapes who we are, I was moved, to say the least.

Her candid story about overcoming her insecurities and self-doubt, and the knowledge about body language that she conveyed through her personal story, have both proven to be invaluable sources of information that have stuck with me to this day, the same of which surely applies to the 27+ million people who also happened to watch the 20-minute talk.

In the video, Cuddy explains that when we make specific poses, such as holding our hands on our hips, our body responds biochemically by releasing the hormone testosterone.  Conversely, when we make a pose that sees us withered inwards or closed off, our body responds by releasing the hormone cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone.”

For instance, “making yourself big” by doing the wonder-woman pose (hands on hips) for just two minutes before a meeting changes the brain in ways that build courage, reduce anxiety, and inspire leadership. “We tested it in the lab — it really works,” Cuddy said on stage.

How you choose to experience the world depends on how much you are willing to release. You can hold onto your ‘old experiences’, letting them shape and mold your now or you can open yourself up to the NOW and enjoy the experiences. ~ Creator

https://thecreatorwritings.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/opening-up-2/

Today we encourage you to celebrate your accomplishments as a wonderful way of moving into greater self love. Think about all of the ways you have grown over the past 6 months, the last year, the last 5 years. Celebrate your wonderful resiliency, your consistent efforts, and your courage! Acknowledge all the ways you have loved, and cared, and made a difference. There are so many things you have done to express yourselves as the delightful beings you truly are!

We urge you to make this part of your daily practice. At the end of each day, take a moment to think of the good that you did. Perhaps it was placing a caring call to a friend who is having a hard time. It could be the smile you gave someone, or a donation you made. It could be a prayer you said, or a moment of thanks you sent to the universe. Even if the only thing you did was getting up and facing the day, it is still something to celebrate!

By adopting this practice, you are consciously beginning to love and embrace the many, many things about you that are glorious and divine. It is recognizing and honouring all the ways you are delightful and loveable, which is a beautiful act of self love and appreciation that can only support you into greater and greater expressions of self. ~Archangel Gabriel

http://trinityesoterics.com/2015/08/14/daily-message-friday-august-14-2015/

The breath is the gateway to self-mastery.

Whatever you do, do not underrate the practice of breathing. Like with most normal human functions (walking is another example), you can easily fool yourself into overlooking its profound power. Just because the act of breathing is so simple does not make it ineffective. It’s actually quite the opposite. Deep breathing is an essential everyday panacea.

What makes the breath unique is that, even though the majority of it is done unconsciously, you can override this process and breathe consciously. This “conscious override” makes it a highly effective, special tool.

As you (hopefully) already know, deep breathing relaxes your body and mind. But the key is to truly, wholeheartedly understand this and be aware of your breathing as often as possible. When you’re aware of your breath, and consciously breathe deeply, you place yourself in a power position to change your mental, emotional and physical state.

By Simon Vorster & Jennifer Langstone
Contributing Writers for Wake Up World

The cyclone of change continues to unravel and unfold us in ways we did not think were possible. Old definitions and outdated spiritual, psychological and physical attachments are finally being furrowed out, and the intensity of the last couple of months’ challenges are now coming to an end. This is not to say the inner work is now done, but things are most certainly getting brighter.

It is important to recognize that this inner journeying and working, and the massive personal transformation that results, is becoming clearly visible to those of us who have looked inward. On the global stage, our world is still very far from the transformation we wish to see, but there are promising signs; the stalling of the proposed TransPacific Partnership, which aims to sell our sovereignty to corporate powers, is a perfect example.

Ronald Reagan once famously declared that inflation is a tax, but sadly most Americans did not really grasp what he was talking about. If the American people truly understood what inflation was doing to them, they would be screaming bloody murder about monetary policy. Inflation is an especially insidious tax because it is not just a tax on your income for one year. It is a continual tax on every single dollar that you own. As your money sits in the bank, it is constantly losing value. Over time, the effects of inflation can be absolutely devastating. For example, if you put 100 dollars in the bank in 1970, those same dollars today would only have about 17 percent of the purchasing power that they did back then. In essence, you were hit by an 83 percent “inflation tax” and all you did was leave your money in the bank. So who is responsible for this? Well, the Federal Reserve controls monetary policy in the United States, and the inflationary monetary policy that the Fed has gotten all of us accustomed to is taxing the living daylights out of us. This is madness, and it needs to stop.

By Banu Sekendur
Guest Writer for Wake Up World

We live in a world of duality, and this means that we experience ‘good and bad’ as well as ‘right and wrong’. This yin-yang theory exists within and without. The reason why the Earth-plane is a great school for a soul’s expansion is this very reason; if there was no duality, there would be no pain, no joy, no variety and no growth.

There are people and energies we encounter that offer us the lessons we need while we walk our path here on Earth. At times, this fact simply points to learning how to work with, clear and protect against negative energy, and energy that just isn’t ours. Though this article is mostly intended for highly sensitive people (empaths and intuitives etc.) it applies to everyone walking on this planet. Anyone can be effected by others’ energies, especially during times of high-stress and transition. Sometimes we attract, receive, and absorb negative energies from people or from our environment. This is part of life, and going through those experiences – and learning to protect ourselves from them – help us expand as individuals and souls.