by Angela Blaha | May 1, 2014 | Coaching
I have been at the Chopra Center for the last week partaking in the Chopra Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher Training. It is an extensive process, which has lasted approximately one year. The training was very intricate. I have to admit the last several weeks have been a bit stressful, even for a seasoned meditater.
If you are unfamiliar with my journey, my life has been crazy the last 5 or so years. There has been many extreme changes and losses and without meditation I have no idea where I would be today. It’s one thing to handle changes one at a time, but within a year and a half I have lost three parents. I can honestly say that with meditation my life has been an easier transition. Many people in my life have noticed how well I have handled the past few years and I have to say it is all because of my meditation practice.
Meditation has been highly advertised and there are many scientific studies to prove that meditation is a stress reliever. There are so many benefits to meditation that I am not able to cover them all in this blog.
I meditate twice a day, a half hour in the morning and a half hour in the evening. I go to my meditation space without expectations, meaning I go with the intention to relax and to quit my mind. I do not go into meditation expecting some great answers or huge messages to come through. I go to simply be. Finding a meditation style that works for you is the single most important thing to learn about meditation!
I also use a mantra because for me the mantra (which is simply a vibration) gives the logical mind something to do while the body can relax and release stress. My mantra also connects me with the universe and to the earth. My mantra is a primordial sound mantra, which is the sound the earth was making at the time and place of my birth. It is specific to me and truly resonates with me.
There are many types of meditation, which I explain in my Meditation and Mindfulness Class. The point is to find a meditative technique that is easy and comfortable for you.
If you meditate regularly and would like your own primordial sound meditation, please let me know. For more information, please contact me at angela@atvitality.com or call at 605-491-4037
Keep an eye on my Events page to see when the next class on Primordial Meditation is offered.
by Angela Blaha | Apr 22, 2014 | Wellness
As a Wellness Coach I am consistently coaching on self-care and self-love. Yet, traditionally self-care and self-love are rarely mentioned as a part of wellness. When you think about wellness, what do you think? Is going to the gym, eating enough vegetables, taking vitamins a part of your wellness picture? I would like to offer more to the picture!
Western Society for years has based it’s view of wellness programs on psychologist Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” model. In Maslow’s model our basic needs of food, shelter, water, sleep and feeling safe are among the largest section of our wellness. No doubt these items are top of the list for human survival. But, I ask what about thriving and living in abundance. The above model lives in a sense of lack, stating our basic needs for survival.
At the top of the Maslow’s list is self-actualization, which includes creativity, morality, problem solving, etc. In the middle of the chart is love and belonging. With many of my clients the lack of self-love seems to be one of the most important items and primarily at the root of the majority of their perceived suffering. Many of the problems they come to coaching with revolve around the lack of self-care and self-love.
Many people hold on to old worn out ideas causing fear and deprive them of power over their lives. They come with ideas such as:
- Life happens to me
- I have very little control, if any
- Life is unfair
- If I get a runny nose, I have to go to a doctor
When we live with a sense of lack we live in fear in which many of our basic needs are no longer met. This false sense of lack creates our perceived suffering and our lives seem out of control.
When we live with a sense of self-care and self-love these out of control notions change to:
- I have total control over my choices
- I am responsible for my health and the body can heal itself
- Dealing with my fears allows me to feel good about who I am
- Being mindful allows me to live in the present moment instead of in the past or fear of the future
When we change the “hierarchy of needs” to include self-love and self-care to a part of our basic needs, the whole dynamic of life changes. We begin to notice our purpose in life. The meaning of every “Hello” and every “Goodbye”. Living life with a higher purpose than just going to work, eating and paying bills. We see life as being fun and we enjoy being alive. We set aside time to quiet the mind, to bring a sense of peace to the body, mind and soul.
Create a new model of needs, one which includes taking care of your body, mind and soul as well as your basic survival needs. Isn’t it time to live with confidence, self-care and self-love, instead of fear. Many of your perceived problems may just disappear.
So out with the old and in with the new! Be the change! Love yourself and allow Love to flow to you.
by Angela Blaha | Apr 15, 2014 | Coaching
With all of the beautiful creative energy flowing in and around the universe this month, I felt it would be an appropriate time to talk about dreams and desires. When I was growing up dreams and desire were not discussed, they were seen as fairy tales that do not come true. Fairy tales were just something you watched on TV and had no real meaning in the “real” world. My parents belief was this: Sure you could wish them to come true, however unless you married money, dreams and desire were just the same as wishing. “Foolishness”, as my father would say.
When I was younger I loved to star gaze and wished for things to be different all the time, not really believing that they would come true because I was told that they could not. I still did it anyway, thinking to myself that maybe my dreams and desire could come true if I just wished hard enough or believed enough. What I didn’t know at the time was in order for things to truly manifest that there had to be some sort of action attached to the dream or desire. No wonder things never came true for my parents!
Today I wish, write down my dreams and desire and believe with my heart they will come true. Now as I am older I understand that the Universe delivers to you what ever you want. I know that when I dream and desire something, I need to work towards my goal, believe that it is going to happen and do what I need to do to make it happen.
I do expect Miracles!
I believe that suffering happens when our dreams and desire are not fulfilled. Think about your own life, what has been suffering for you? When your dreams and desires do not happen the way you want them to happen, what do you do? Do you give up? Have you stopped dreaming all together?
What I know to be true in my life is when I dream of what I want to happen, I need to let go of expectations of how it is going to play out. Trust that it is the right thing for my life and know that in some way it will happen.
So go ahead, dream all you want. Take Action and Trust!
by Angela Blaha | Apr 10, 2014 | Coaching
I can hear you asking what the heck is an Intuitive Life & Wellness Coach? Aren’t coaches suppose to be coaching sporting events? Why would I hire myself a coach?
According to a Manchester Consulting Group study of Fortune 100 executives, the Economic Times reports “coaching resulted in a return on investment of almost six times the program cost as well as a 77% improvement in relationships, 67% improvement in teamwork, 61% improvement in job satisfaction and 48% improvement in quality.”
Additionally, a study of Fortune 500 telecommunications companies by MatrixGlobal found executive coaching resulted in a 529% return on investment.
The CIPD concludes “coaching is not just perceived as a nice-to-have intervention.”
As an Intuitive Life & Wellness Coach I have an advantage as I do not use a script which many coaches do, instead I use my intuition. What is the difference you ask? The difference is that I connect to my higher self/spirit and ask what needs to take place in order for change to happen? This is a very affective approach as we focus on the blocks or where the struggle is. This approach limits the time spent coaching and moves you quickly to living a more fulfilling life.
Coaching is not used to fix problems in your life, it is most effective when you want to hone your positive skills. I use Positive Psychology in my coaching practice focusing on your strengths and how you can utilize your skills to make the changes you desire. I am skilled in the process of change behavior by using a variety of techniques.
Coaching is a highly powerful activity and you can achieve remarkable progress in a short period of time. Most coaching sessions are 45 minutes to 1 hour in length and are generally held once a week for 4-5 sessions, a miniscule amount of time to invest in yourself, or your company.
As a coach, I am your advocate, not your friend. I will hold you accountable so you reach your dreams, desire and goals. My coaching relationship is unilateral, I am exclusively focused on you and your goals.
Angela is an ICF licensed Life & Wellness Coach. So, if you are motivated to reach your goals or to improve an area of your life, I’m ready for you! Call me at 605-491-4037 or email at angelablaha005@gmail.com.
by Angela Blaha | Mar 25, 2014 | Spiritual
My family has been touched by death yet again. Within the last year and a half I have lost three parents. Both of my parents and now my husband’s father. Each time death has been so different. One death totally unexpected and two we knew were coming, yet one is never really prepared for the final breath.
With each death I ask, what am I to learn? I am not afraid of death, in fact I am somewhat excited for their rebirth and the freeing of this body. It is very hard to watch people suffer, and it really doesn’t matter if it is their body suffering or mental pain, watching suffering takes a toll on the living as well as the dying.
I have witnessed the soul rising from the body several times and there is definitely a visual (the soul moving out of the body) when the soul leaves. I accompanied my father-in-law on a shamanic journey just a few days prior to his souls passing and he was very surprised about all the options we have. How death is so negotiable. There isn’t just a heaven or hell, it’s not black or white. He asked several times why we are not taught about the different worlds. I really did not have an answer for him, and his question has been on my mind ever since.
What I have learned about life recently is that we do not live our purpose. Many keep themselves caged, fear of being our authentic selves. We need to do the following:
- To celebrate, celebrate each moment.
- To live your souls path, allowing your soul to shine.
- To love, yourself and others like you have never loved before.
- Live in the present moment, because you are not living this life if you are constantly worried (living in the future) or living in depression (living in the past).
- To find peace now and death will be peaceful.
The soul has been my main focus for some time now. I do many soul readings for people and I have found it very intriguing yet sad how many souls are kept captive or hidden, not allowed to shine, to love unconditionally. As people we need to start living, learning our lessons along the way, enjoying every moment. Death is a gift, no matter how hard. Death is a new birth yet we treat it like a plague. My final words are to celebrate life, death and all the lessons along the way, because life really is a gift.
