Hot Tip Tuesday: Amy Steinberg Comes to Asheville this Weekend!

Amy Steinberg: Reclaiming Beauty Queen

I would never be the same after the first time I saw Amy Steinberg perform at the Grey Eagle in 2008. I loved her music and lyrics and presence and her unapologetic authenticity as she shared her beauty with us. I felt comforted to hear my own  spirituality put into words. I smiled with the knowing of being in the presence of a Reclaiming Beauty Queen. This description from her biography captures the experience brilliantly:

Amy Steinberg is a song-slinging, mood-shifting, wild-woman with the power to lift you up and soothe your spirit. Listening to a Steinberg cd or going to a live show is like popping a potent happy pill, or like experiencing a two-week long soul-healing retreat, or like pure, divine, transformational magic. However you are feeling before you press play or walk in, you are bound to feel even better after experiencing Amy’s presence and listening to her words of whimsy and wisdom.

Check out this song,  Beautiful in Me, which could be a Reclaiming Beauty theme song. She says, “This song is about falling in love with yourself and then saying ‘No!’ to those voices that tell you that you’re less than a magical, perfect, miracle that you are.”

I’m a Queen. I’m a Goddess. I’m a Genius. I’m a Love Light in this world.

Her song ‘Exactly’ became an unofficial theme song at Tapestry for a while, encouraging connection to true Self and belief in making meaning out of your journey – no matter where it is taking you.

i am exactly where i need to be – i need to be exactly where I am – i am divinely timed and shining brightly – yes i believe there is a purpose just for me – yes I believe that we are light – and we shine infinitely

She will be performing in Asheville this Friday, December 16th – 8pm at the Firestorm Cafe. Hope to see some of you Beauties out at the show! If you’re not local, check out her website for more music and Reclaiming Beauty inspiration.

Peace, Love, Free,

~ Heidi

Hot Tip Tuesday: Beauty Comes from Love

The Law of Attraction and Beauty: Excerpt from The Power by Rhonda Byrne

“As love grows in you, your beauty grows too. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

~ Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Theologian and Bishop

All beauty comes from the force of love. Unlimited beauty is available to you from love, but the problem is that most people find fault and criticize their body more than they appreciate it. Looking at your faults and being unhappy about anything about your body does not bring beauty to you! All it brings is more faults and more unhappiness.

The beauty business is enormous, yet unlimited beauty is being poured down to you in every second. But you have to give love to receive it! The happier you are, the more beautiful you will be. Lines will fade, skin will tighten and begin to glow, hair will become thicker and stronger, eyes will begin to sparkle, and their color will intensify. And more than anything else you will see the proof that all beauty comes from love when people are drawn to you wherever you go.

Image: Katie Daisy

Searching

Skills: Beauty Lost

from Contributor: Kimberly Jones

Performed by: Kimberly Jones & Heidi Houser

Lyrics: Kimberly Jones

Music: Heidi Houser

Art: Brad Pope

Video Editing: Matthew Clark

Searching

Searching for the right life,

I thought this was what my pathway showed,

The reflection was so clear,

Who is this?

Surely not me.

 

Bracing myself for the adventure,

Full of melodies and blank walls,

Counting the numbers in my head,

It would all add up in the end.

 

The darkness is closing in,

Where do I begin?

Starting with the voice inside my head,

Hopelessness settles in,

Lord, help me realize who I am,

Losing sight of the dream,                              

Feeling lost like a confused lamb,

Help me realize who I am.

 

Discovering,

Discovering the secret,

The secret that’s been hidden,

Behind the contagious label,

One day it will make sense in my head.

 

The darkness is closing in,

Where do I begin?

Starting with the voice inside my head,

Hopelessness settles in,

Lord, help me realize who I am,

Losing sight of the dream,                              

Feeling lost like a confused lamb,

Help me realize who I am

 

For so long this life was a lie,

Years quickly passing by

 

The darkness is closing in,

Where do I begin?

Starting with the voice inside my head,

Hopelessness settles in,

Will I discover who I am?

Search again for the dream,                            

Today is the day to destroy the dam,

Help me realize who I am.

Attitude of Gratitude: the why and how of positive thinking | True Self Yoga

Skills: Gratitude

Check out this link for an insightful article on gratitude from Asheville Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher, Mado Hesselink:

Attitude of Gratitude: the why and how of positive thinking | True Self Yoga.

Hot Tip Tuesday: Be Thankful

Hot Tip Tuesday: Thanksgiving Edition!

I am madly in love with this website, I am thankful: Change your life with an Attitude of Gratitude, created by Asheville artist Damaris Pierce. Hot Tip for today: Spend some time on this website. Make a Thanksgiving commitment to yourself to try out a Gratitude Journal. Try it for a week. Try it for a month. Shifting attention to what is working versus what is not working on your Reclaiming Beauty journey can change everything.

In my family, we say our thankfuls together every night. My 2 year old knows the routine; after we read Where the Wild Things Are and before we turn the lights off to go to sleep he will spontaneously say to my husband and me: “Wha’chur thankful for?”

So from Joey to me to you,

“Wha’chur thankful for?”

Image: Artist Meg Winnecour

Imperfectly perfect: A blueprint of beauty

Skills: Defining Beauty

from Contributor: Liana Roseman

I have learned that beauty comes from within. Imperfection is individuality. Everyone is who they are for a reason, and no one is ‘more’ special than anyone else. We all contribute to the world in different ways. In our society, we compare ourselves to others constantly. How could you compare a police officer to a teacher? The answer is simple; you can’t.

I grew up analyzing everything about myself, from my physical appearance to the way I expressed myself. I always set high expectations for myself. I had to be the most athletic or the most popular. But, I realized something. I realized that there is no such thing as the “most” of anything. Everyone has a purpose, but its up to the person to find it. When you learn to see beauty in everything, you will also see beauty in yourself. It’s not who you are that holds you back; it’s who you think you’re not.

The thing I LOVE most about my body is the relationship we now have. For five years, I battled with anorexia nervosa and strived for my body to look a certain way. I was constantly preoccupied by thoughts of my physical appearance, so much that these concerns interfered with my daily activities and my social life. I had a “blueprint” in mind of what the “perfect” body should look like. Truth is, if that “blueprint” was actually a person or a building, it would eventually wear down and collapse. A wise teacher once said to me, “Your body is like a car. If you don’t give it fuel (food), then it will eventually shut down.” My body went through some major wars while I was restricting my caloric intake.

This might sound a bit cliché, but I have learned that when someone doesn’t have respect for themselves, they most likely wont have respect for anybody else. I learned that my body is capable of some amazing things. I have gained respect for what I was naturally given and learned to embrace change that I could not control. We are only given one body, one mind, one heart, and one soul. It is our job to take care of it, love it and embrace it! If we neglect our body, we will never be true to our inner self. Through recovery, I have realized who I am. I no longer label myself as “Liana the anorexic”. I once felt like being sick was the only thing I had to offer the world. I have found who I am and who I want to be and can happily say that I am completely confident with it. The thing I LIKE most about my personality is my kindness and compassion towards others. To me there is no better feeling then ‘Paying It Forward’. I believe that giving back is the most beautiful thing in the world.

“I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”

About the Contributor:

Liana Rosenman, 20, is a co-founder of Project HEAL: Help to Eat, Accept, & Live, a not-for-profit organization that (a) raises money for others with eating disorders who are not able to afford treatment and (b) tries to diminish the societal obsession with body image that helps contribute to eating disorders.  Project HEAL has raised over $150,000 to date through fundraisers, grants, private donations, and merchandise sales, allowing for five applicants to enter treatment to overcome a life-threatening eating disorder.

Liana and her co-founder, Kristina Saffran, are fully recovered from anorexia and share their personal stories regularly at high schools, hospital programs and panel talks; mentor those battling eating disorders or low self-esteem; educate peers on eating disorders; and consult with parents, siblings, friends, and treatment providers dealing with these disorders.

Liana is currently a special education major, admits to being obsessed with headbands, loves anything pumpkin/chocolate/peanut butter, and believes everyone is beautiful in their own way.

Image: Life Imperfectly Perfect

Beauty Redemption

Check out the new Skill added: Emancipate Yourself

Tell me the story of your beauty redemption.

Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, the ultimate inspiration.

Nature’s Greatest Creation

Skill: Self-Compassion

from Contributor: Sandy McGrath

Seven months ago, I began my journey back from the Underworld. It has been an incredibly trying quest, but worth every painful step. As a reflection of my experience in the Reclaiming Beauty Playshop and a tribute to the amazing woman that have walked this journey with me,  I wrote the following poem:

Mother Nature has a way with creations
She modifies size, type and destinations
There is one that is so pure
And of this I am sure.
When she created women
She designed them strong for protection
As she also made them very resistant.
But as the time passed along with the days
She noticed that women were unhappy in many ways
So she gave them what they needed for their stay
She visited the surface of the Earth
To unveil her ultimate creation before things got worse
There before women she stood and softly spoke
I am mother nature as you may see
I am your creator and everything that you claim to be
I have come to grant you what you all may need
She lifted her hands as golden light began to shine
From within the hearts of women divine
This is my gift to you she said
I’ve given it my mind so everything she may comprehend
A heart remarkably large so violence she does not intend
You may not abuse her for you were created to protect
She will be forever with you so consider yourself blessed
As she will help you find solutions and do her best
She will be there to guide you from one day to the other
This gift, you may say, is your ‘Inner Mother’

Image: Unknown

Eight Paths to the Goddess : Spirituality & Health Magazine

Skills: Be A Goddess

Check out this link for an excellent article on exploring the Goddess:

Eight Paths to the Goddess : Spirituality & Health Magazine

Hot Tip Tuesday: Pay Attention to the Signs

Hot Tip for today: Pay Attention to the Signs

Whatever it is you are currently working with on your Reclaiming Beauty journey, pay attention to the signs and guidance provided to you by Spirit, the Divine, the Universe. Seemingly random coincidences may have deeper meaning pointing you in the direction of your next steps.

This Hot Tip comes straight from my own current experience since transitioning into a Hanged Man year. I have been receiving lots of nudges from the Universe about how to break and release stuck patterns in order to claim my Power and I am so glad I am PAYING ATTENTION.

For example, when I was unable to complete training for a 1/2 marathon this Fall, I noticed I was feeling drawn back out into the world to practice yoga in community. However, to my great surprise, my body was longing for the hot torture chamber of Bikram Yoga rather than returning to my familiar styles of Anusara and Flow. Within a week I had a massage with a woman who loves to spread the good news of her Bikram yoga practice, then ran into a friend at the Oakley gas station who was headed over to the Bikram studio. I took these as divine messages, stepped back into the Hot Room and have been so glad I did. The Bikram style of yoga is complementary to the current work of my Reclaiming Beauty journey. Doing the practice in a room heated to 105 degrees has been great for detoxing physically, mentally and emotionally as well as helping me to cultivate greater discipline, power and determination.

The Universe has been providing continued nudges on exploring Power as well. For example, a fellow mama recommended a great parenting book, Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict Into Cooperation by Becky A. Bailey. The main point of this book is that as parents we must learn to discipline ourselves before we can discipline our children. The author suggests Seven Powers for Self-Control. Her ideas about the connection between discipline and power are really speaking to me and I am sure I will be blogging more about them in the future. Also, when sharing some of my current challenges with my dear friend and tarot mentor, Amy McKissick Reamy, she recommended a book, The Power, by Rhonda Byrne. I accepted the nudge, bought the audiobook, and have begun to listen with open ears.

And then yesterday on my Google Reader came this post about this very same subject, Divine Synchronicity, from Gabrielle Bernstein, author of the book Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles. (I haven’t read this book, but I like the title! Anyone out there read it or recommend it?)

I’m paying attention to the signs.

For further reading on this subject, I recommend Mary Swanson’s post Grace Under Pressure: Reading the Signs from my favorite blog, Build Altars. And if you want more, I also recommend the first book I ever read that introduced me to this juicy subject, The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield. (I can still picture myself devouring this book on a plane from Colorado to North Carolina the first time I read it in 1995.)

What kind of signs is the Universe currently offering you on your Reclaiming Beauty journey?

Please comment, I would love to hear your stories.

Image: Design Crush