by Lisa Cito:

Remember, your thoughts create emotions. When feeling sad, overwhelmed, angry, anxious, realize you CAN CHANGE YOUR THOUGHT in the moment! Be conscious in the moment. Feel the emotion you are in, then consciously make the decision and choose a different thought. Something that makes you laugh, smile, or feel calm. Go to your "happy place" in your mind. 

Choosing your thoughts in the moment to create positive emotions is something you can do any time. It forces you to "be here now". I believe you can do it, and you will feel better in the moment. It takes practice, but you can do it. TRY IT!

Come join us in practicing mindfulness with us during our upcoming guided meditation classes and workshops. The more practice the better!


Namaste
-Lisa

Come practice mindfulness with us at our upcoming Candle Moon Yoga/Meditation Workshop on Wednesday April 20th at 6pm!
​Can't make it? Do not worry, we host this popular workshop monthly!

Our classes are held weekly and are a wonderful way to practice mindfulness and being in the present moment.
By combining different styles of yoga and her studies in Ayurveda and Holistic health Lisa creates an eclectic class for a unique full well rounded and enjoyable experience. Lisa’s approach is lighthearted and she enjoys creating a space of unconditional love and acceptance for an experience that will help to bring out your true inner vibrant glow into wellness. ​#BEHERENOW

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 Reflexology is the study, science, and art of applying pressure to areas of the feet (and/or hands) to trigger a response in the rest of the body. It has been used for thousands of years across multiple cultures. Like traditional bodywork, reflexology provides relaxation. Sometimes a deeper, more fulfilling kind of relaxation. The theory behind reflexology is that our feet and our hands mirror the rest of our body. An area of tension in the foot has a direct correlation to a specific part in the body. There is a multitude of nerve endings, bones, and muscles in the feet that, like the rest of the body, can be compressed, misaligned, or tight.

... by following one of the links below!

Sometimes, we find ourselves trying to process all of the information of today's world. Often times, when things strike our hearts, we're left with anxiety and helplessness. The conflict in Ukraine is devastating and so complicated, it is natural to feel overwhelmed. A bright light is that you can channel that chaotic energy into HELPING the effort to support peace and aid for the people of Ukraine. Millions of people are fleeing and displaced, they need our support. With so much out of our control, let us turn to that which is in our control and support our fellow beings in need. Below are 7 ways to support Ukraine!

1. Profits from classes this Friday and Saturday will be donated to Ukraine assistance efforts. This includes all in-person and virtual students! Check out Deep Healing Yin at 10am, Uplifting Yoga at 12pm on Friday and/or Shanti Yoga at 10:30am. Eastern Standard Time. Sign up for Saturday's class HERE
2. Donate, even if it's $5, to United Nations World Food Programme. They have deployed emergency assistance to Ukraine and surrounding countries to help refugees. DONATE HERE
3. Join a Peace Protest! Find your local demonstrations HERE
4. ​Donate, even if it's $5, to Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps has been providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since 2015! DONATE HERE
5. ​Make your voice heard! Sharing, posting, liking, commenting and connecting with others in your support of Ukraine! By participating in the mission, you are cultivating the movement to support them! Repost and support content for those assisting!
6. ​Donate, even if it's $5, to the World Health Foundation. They are providing vital assistance and medical care to the people of Ukraine. DONATE HERE
7. Stay informed.

         Some say that luck is when good things continuously happen to someone "by chance." This idea leads us to believe that luck may be out of our grasp. However, the law of attraction dictates that like energy attracts like energy. So how do we invite luck into our lives? Homeostasis in our environment occurs with the healthy interaction of two or more entities. So, luck isn't random, we have to manifest and ATTRACT it!

Ways to attract luck:
1. Practice GRATITUDE!
2. Adjust the scope through which you are viewing the world.
3. Navigate with compassion
4. Visualize your dreams and goals coming true
5. See yourself as the highest version of yourself.
6. Begin your day expecting everything to go RIGHT!

        1. You answer to you! Be confident.
You must primarily have your head in the game. Which means you are an adult and you do not need admiration from others to feel good and worthy. You only answer to yourself and that is where the success of your weight loss resides. You must self-motivate, self-regulate and self-sustain. You must hold a confident coherence of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. In other words, you must be one system.
        2. You must change your mindset.
Permanent weight loss requires a PARADIGM SHIFT, as the mindset that got you to where you are currently, is not going to be the mindset that gets you into this new slimmer healthier version of you. You want to create a new mindset where weight loss is the byproduct not the goal for you. Health and vitality are the goals.
        3. Be your own cheerleader.
Motivation comes from within. Your self-talk must be positive and upbeat. Consistently push through momentary cravings by diverting your thoughts. Stay motivated and hold true to your vision.
        4. Forget all or nothing thinking.
Eating healthy is a way of life not an extreme sport. Like brushing your teeth is a natural way of being it does not require elevated levels of excitement or praise. You just do it. If you have already lost ten lbs., do you honestly think having one piece of pizza or a bag of chips is going to bring that ten lbs. back on you? If you were walking up a hill and just before the summit you stumbled and took five steps backwards, would you have to go all the way back from where you came right to the start? Absolutely not! You must forget all or nothing thinking here. You do not have to slide all the way back down the hill.

Abundance is all around us in nature . Abundance is more than enough.
I work with clients who come from a place of incompleteness. Somewhere in their life journey they believed something about themselves that was just not true. Sometimes they have a belief that they are not enough. Not good enough ,not smart enough , not pretty enough, some how they got in the belief of not being worthy of all the greatness that life has to offer. You see we all carry some limiting beliefs about ourselves and then we go through life with these self imposed limitations that even we aren’t aware of. We have an abundance of limitation and it shows up daily to prove to us again and again that we aren’t enough . Have you had relationships that just don’t last? A critical voice in your head that reminds you that you can’t do something? How about the wealth that seems just beyond your fingertips? Well these are just some of the ways that a limiting belief that you concocted many years ago can show up in your life.


 If you are blaming anyone else for what you don’t have in your life, that you would like to see or have, you have to start questioning yourself. Let me give you an analogy here. Remember when you were first riding a bike you had to concentrate on balancing yourself and pedaling and you were hyper vigilant about executing the task. Fast forward now if you were to get on a bike you don’t overthink it you just get on and go. Your subconscious mind has a file for bike riding and it is pretty much automatic . Same goes for a belief that you hold for a certain amount of time it gets reinforced over and over then it goes out of your conscious mind and gets filed in the subconscious mind where it becomes an automatic program . The belief of not feeling enough is like a superhighway that you are  on. The good news is you can switch lanes get off this highway to hell and get on a new track that can be open to allow abundance to flow into your life. 


My role as a hypnotherapist is to clear the subconscious mind of limiting beliefs that got stored away. I have a great deal of techniques to clear limiting beliefs. Emotional Freedom Tapping  ( EFT) is one way. By tapping on energy points mostly on the face as we get the subconscious to speak to the conscious . Once you become conscious of an illogical belief you can consciously let it go. I also use Socratic questioning technique which is a great way for you to wrap your head around a belief that you hold subconsciously. I also can release beliefs from the subconscious energetically with hypnosis.  The language of the subconscious mind is energetic with pictures and images . By using tones and voice frequency I clear a path to your subconscious mind to plant some better thoughts and beliefs that can really serve you. I put in clear pictures of what you want. 


You see you are creating your reality. The only catch is you are creating it with what you have available. If deep down you have a belief that you are not enough you will see proof of that belief showing up in your life and as your life. So if you are feeling that there is something missing in your life. You are right. All the abundance is around you but if you don’t feel worthy of it you won’t even see it in your reality. Abundance will elude you. 


Something you can do starting today would be to use the affirmation “I am enough." Write it down everywhere . Repeat it throughout the day ! Say it to yourself and say it out loud . Let your subconscious know that you are enough. Keep saying  it until you really resonate with it.


We all have cell phones that are being upgraded all the time. Think of a hypnosis session as a mind upgrade.  Let’s find what thought streams are running in the background  and together we will clear and upgrade  your system. Abundance is all around you... let’s get it to flow to you!  All we have to do is convince you that you are more than enough... way more! 

THE STORY OF THE GOLDEN BUDDHA:
​Thousands of years ago in Thailand, there was a statue of the Buddha in a Thai monastery. This statue was made of 2.5 tons, 5,000 pounds of pure solid gold. One day of the monks heard that the Burmese army was going to attack the village. So, they quickly ran out and began to cover the Buddha with clay and concrete so that the army would view the statue as valueless. The army came and they paid no attention to the Golden Buddha. A hundred years passed, and all of the monks that had been involved in the coverup has passed away so the Buddha hid in plain sight. Somewhere in the 1970's this statue was being transported to Bangkok and they weren't being particularly careful with it. During the trip, a monk sat meditating at the base of the statue when he saw something shiny glimmering through a crack. He got the other monks and they began to chip away at the concrete until the Golden Buddha was revealed!

Message: We are all born golden and full of potential. We are born with child-like wonder and curiosity of the world! Over time, we begin to cover ourselves with social norms, fears, self doubts and false priorities until we no longer see our worth. It usually takes a big event, like a tragedy, a divorce or a big accomplishment, when a piece of our clay falls off and we are once again able to see the gold within us! It then becomes an incredible journey towards wholeness as we continue to heal our lack of self worth and reveal our true authentic self

What is BLISS?
Bliss is a concept in positive psychology all about following your passions and your purpose. It asks us to look for the activities and things in our lives that bring us true joy, this creates a bliss and flow state where opportunity and potential become endless! When you follow your bliss, you begin to attract others that also are following their bliss and suddenly doors and opportunities begin to open that you weren't aware existed. Instead of dreaming about your best life, you find yourself in the nectar of your best life.

Find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed and experience bliss for yourself! Spirituality is a personal experiential process. Enjoy the ride!
If you liked your experience, you can purchase the full 30 minute Bliss Immersion Meditation coming next week! You can also experience spa treatments where you can listen to the full meditation on our headset. You can also book a one on one Hypnotherapy session with Kim Scala! Mention this article to get an exclusive discount on your sessions and classes.

​Click Audio file below and ENJOY!

Getting back out in the world can be overwhelming. I admit my jeans have been in the bottom drawer for a while now. I predict loose summer dresses will be making a big comeback this year!
On a more serious note, for all you overachievers out there, this transition will be difficult.
Your insatiable desire to complete tasks has gotten you to take on more and more work. Many of you have become around the clock workaholics. Neglecting your personal needs to perform at your best, at the one thing, you can control (or think you can) results in excellent work performance output.  The drawback is your job should not be taking up 16 hours of your day (unless you work for yourself and are establishing a business)! You will need to establish boundaries for yourself. If you are going back into the office you will need to leave your work there. 
A daily self care regimen is critical. It will have to be incorporated into your day and your work hours will have to be adjusted. 
Our essential workers have been doing double duty and not having time for self care. For them, making time is crucial. Parents have had to juggle work and educating their kids. Trying to find balance in chaos is not an easy feat. Actually it is draining and frustrating. Technology challenged people, like myself, have been thrown into a new virtual world, trying to communicate without the feedback that comes with live interactions.
Whatever our life circumstances we can all agree that Covid 19 has forever changed us. 
Many of us are  confused. We have all experienced loss and grief. Our nervous systems have been on high alert for over a year now. 
So what can you do to make the transition back into society doable ?


It starts with relaxing the nervous system!

1. Breathing deeply and getting into a daily self care regimen. Once you slow down and take deeper slower breaths you get out of the all-to-familiar shallow breathing pattern. Once the body recognizes there is no threat it can dial down to a calmer setting.  Taking time throughout the day to do deep belly breathing can be very effective to calm your nervous system.

2. Daily quiet meditation which can be as simple as lighting a candle and with your eyes half shut just look at the candle. Focusing your attention just on the flame for three minutes.. This will allow your brain to slow down. If your mind wanders which it will just bring your attention back to the flame. Over time you can increase to ten minutes of focused attention on the flame. This will be very calming.

3. Stretching is a great start. Greet each day with an open stretch palms to the sky feeling gratitude for the gift of life. Now we all know, to well, just how precious life is. As time goes on you can gradually add more movement into your routine, yoga, daily walks . There are some great energy protocols that you can incorporate in as well. That is for another newsletter. 

4. Taking time for a relaxing bath with aromatherapy can be helpful to relax the body. (My favorite is Grow Wellness aromatherapy blends, use my code Energy08 for a discount!)

5. A massage schedule is extremely beneficial, especially lymphatic massage and/or cupping  where toxins can be safely released. (Looking for a place? GROW WELLNESS is the best, mention this article and get a free month membership!)

6. Getting a consistent sleep pattern going for yourself is essential. There are many over the counter sleep aids which can be helpful. I have found CBD bedtime lattes that work well for me. (Code: Energy08 for a discount to try it yourself!) I wake up clear headed and feeling rested, which hasn’t been the case with some of the over the counter sleep aids I have tried.  To start having more consistent sleep hygiene make sure you shut off devices close to your bed. Don’t eat an hour  before retiring (and if you watch television shut that down an hour before as well).  Make sure your room is dark, an open window is always nice.

7. You may want to try listening to guided sleep meditations on a headset or relaxing music that has binaural beats in the background to put you to sleep. Just make sure your cell phone or other  device  is across the room. 

8. Find time to pursue your passions. Try something different. Take up a new hobby. Try to join a group that shares your passion.

9. Get outside. Nature is the best healer. Lift your spirit with music, art, laughter. 

10. Most importantly observe creativity in your day. Look at the creative aspect of everything you see from children playing to architecture to nature .We are all creators. We were born to create.


​The universe is ever expanding. You must also expand. You are being called to transform.  Like the caterpillar, we have been cocooned .We stand on the threshold . We are all  breaking free, free to soar and free to create a new way of being . By honoring our bodies and expanding our consciousnesses the best version of us will awaken.  

Are you experiencing trepidation about moving forward? If you feel stuck in any way please call Grow Wellness 203-403-3710 or email office@growwellnesstherapy.com to set up a customized Grow to Wellness Program with hypnotherapist, Kim Scala and our other practitioners.
​To learn MORE about Hypnotherapy, CLICK HERE

​Self-love is one of the most beautiful things about life. It is a practice that allows you to dip into a bottomless well of warm nurturing love to guide you on your journey. Self-love begins with recognizing that you are responsible for your own well being, and that your self worth has been within YOU all along. Begin to take the steps to fall in love with yourself, to create relationships with your aches and pains, and to see the best in yourself the same way you would with a loved one.

Begin with mindfulness of your self-talk and self-criticism, try exercising support and encouragement towards yourself! Allow yourself to love your past, present and future, giving the child in you some care and pursue making peace with anything standing in your way of self-love. Self-love is about putting your wellness and happiness first instead of sacrificing them for outside validation or false priorities. 

Make room for healthy habits, practice self-care and set healthy boundaries for yourself. Pursue the things your mind, body and soul need, rather than need! The chances that you exist and are YOU are literally impossible. You, my dear, are a miracle and temple that is worthy of self-love! Fall in love with yourself and all that you have been through, fall in love with yourself and let love guide your path of joy and happiness.

Mantra & Pranayama
Repeat aloud, feeling the vibration of your voice empower the mantra through your mind and body:
"I love and accept myself deeply, all things are possible and I am filled to the brim with golden worth"
Deep breaths with audible sighs, letting go and adjusting your frequency

Meditation
Sit upon the Earth (floor) and practice deep breathing with a 3-4 second inhale and a 6-8 second exhale to induce calm. Allow the mind to clear. Begin to reflect on the qualities and strengths that you love about yourself. Bring a moment to mind that you are proud of, and identify what it is about you that allowed that moment to happen. Begin to allow social norms and the desire to compare melt off and your inner tone towards yourself to shift.