A friends dad once told us that at some point we were going to need to grow up and realize what it takes to make it... that we needed to get over these big dreams we had and be willing to work 365 days a year even at a job we hated if that is what it takes.
I didn't believe him then and I sure as hell don't believe him now.
#dowhatyoulove#andtakebreakswhenyouneedthem#happylaborday
Inner change can be terrifying and dramatic. Though we ask and often beg + plead for change to occur when it starts happening the sensations that accompany it can feel intense. I often see progress that some would say looks like destruction. I tell my clients to stay the course and remind them that they've got this! It's all just information, it's all just sensation and the nice thing about change is it keeps moving so any waves of 'WTF have I gotten myself into' will soon pass.
End of the retreat selfie! I am in awe of the power of these Shift gatherings and I'm in new levels of gratitude that I've made this my work. It could have been so easy to stick to greens, beans and grains. You guys know how much I LOVE REAL FOOD but I knew there was an expansion, another layer... something I had to do that I couldn't quite name. I felt it there and watched as it came into focus and these retreats were born. One year ago I was wrapping up my first retreat in this very spot. Full circle. I love the completion of a circle.
I encourage you to listen closely to the whispers inside and continue faithfully following what feels good for you. It's ok if you can't the picture clearly. It will come into focus when the time is right for you. Stay open to possibility. There are literally infinite possibilities on how the Universe can conspire in your favor!
This memory will be with me forever. Held a ceremony tonight to close the good work of this week. We were like a bunch of kids eating mango on the beach, feeling completely free in the moonlight and then bobbing up and down in the water with giddy excitement. We held hands in a circle neck deep in the ocean sharing truths and celebrating together.
It was real. It was pure. It was love.
They all Shifted in the ways they'd hoped and for some beyond what they'd thought was possible. Way beyond. It was... spiritual transcendence.
There's no image of of our sacred night so I chose this one. It's the trunk of my favorite tree. I've been passing by it daily. Photosynthesis happens right there on its trunk. #prettyspecialstuff
I begin my travels to Costa Rica tonight to lead Shift Retreat. May feels like a good month to travel. My body feels ready. This time last year I was doing the same thing, headed to the same place to lead the same retreat.
I appreciate the completion of coming full circle.
My heart is steeped in this work. I am super nostalgic about my first Costa Rica group and seeing each of their faces alongside the faces of those coming this time. With each new Shift gathering our family grows. I can feel the courage and anticipation of each woman and man getting ready to come to Costa Rica. Their Shifts are already beginning and my Shifts are continuing.
Can you tell I'm super sappy today? It's for real.
Anytime you see beauty in your life be present with it for 15 seconds to allow it to make a difference in your well being.
Here's why: If you see something negative only for split second it will stay with you. You've seen the news, right?
If you see something positive for the same amount of time it will NOT stay with you. In order to retrain the brain to hold onto the positive stay with it for 15 seconds. You could start with hugging for 15 seconds a day or contemplating the beauty of a flower, a piece of fruit, beloved pet or child etc for 15 seconds! More proof that baby steps are the way to lasting change. 🌼💛
A friend asked me what I most look forward to about these Shift gatherings. My answer, "Sunday. Their faces on Sunday after we've done all the work and each person stands in satisfaction, pride and gratitude for their efforts. Seeing them embody infinite possibilities." And this Sunday did not disappoint! I'm leaving Seattle feeling deeply satisfied with this weekend, my efforts and the efforts of ten brave and beautiful women.
Ps. I smell like I walked through the men's fragrance department on account of hugging my driver because I'm the kinda girl who rarely meets a stranger and this work has taught me that loving everyone is really loving myself. He is headed home Ethiopia to see his wife for the first time in three years and three months. I said - "dude - you're about to have so much sex!" And he looked back at me giggled and said, "she's what I live for."
Magic happened in Bali. We went as a group to Tirta Empul to participate in a water purification ritual. I immediately felt the sacredness of the temple + locals were quick to tell us when we sat our bags in the wrong spot. There was an air of seriousness + a bit of confusion on doing the ritual the right way.
The water is spring fed. I was covered in goosebumps as I made my way to the first few water spouts. I did the best I could to follow the instructions + hold my intention for healing. Honestly I was mostly going through the motions.
I got about 1/3 of the way through and a local women entered the pool carried by two men w/ a third staying close by. She howled with such volume + intensity it was impossible not to notice her. The lines of people waiting at each spout parted to let her go ahead. The men would carry her to the water and let it flow over her head as best they could.
She thrashed her body + threw intense fits all while screaming out while the men sweetly + safely wrangled her and kept moving forward. I was struck by their calm determination to see her all the way through the pools. It felt like a metaphor for how we must feel + experience our emotions completely + also keep going, keep choosing life.
Her cries grew more + more intense and something started to happen inside of me. My chest hurt and then felt like it was cracking open. I placed one hand on top of the other over my heart to steady myself. An intense amount of emotion welled up inside, I began to cry. All of a sudden I wasn't afraid of her anymore, I was her. She was giving me the permission I didn't know I needed to move massive amounts of stagnated + trapped energy in my body.
Her cries infused with my intention for healing and my emotion continued to rise as I splashed the sacred water on my throat over + over again. I was fully awake in the present moment.
The moment I began to cry my eyes met with my Aunt Mary who was at the other end of the pools. We looked at each other for a long while + went back to what we were doing. I felt so seen by her, so held. I now know it was a pivotal moment + foreshadowing of all that would unfold next.
When I first started conceptualizing what Shift Retreats would be like I knew there would be gifts, and lots of them. Gift-giving is one of my love languages, and I believe in the power of details to make a good thing even better!
At my first retreat in Costa Rica I was brimming with excitement when I announced to the participants that each day there would be meditation, reflection, and a little something extra…LOVE GIFTS! I remember looking over at my friend Molly, and she had this knowing smile on her face as if to say - "of course you'd be showering us with presents!"
At the end of each retreat I give a feedback form and one of my favorite comments to date has been this: "Thank you for changing my life and teaching me all I need to know to live healthy and fulfilled. The constriction in my chest is gone. My heart feels free to finally love again and thank you seems insufficient. All this and you constantly were giving me gifts - I feel like I'm the one that needs to be giving you all the gifts. That deodorant though... 👍🏽I'm keeping that!"
There's so much good waiting for you! Are you ready for your Shift? Everything you need to know is at LacyYoung.com.
Our time in Bali was deeply embedded in the support of ritual. Through sacred rituals I came into an ownership of my own power in an undeniable, ALL CAPS, "I see it now" kind of way. We did a lot of talking about superpowers, and I received a vision of my superpowers helping YOU to harness your power. I can see how all this work has always been leading me here to this moment. I can see how you are so ready to own your power and NOW is your moment. I have words for things that were previously undefined, and it's time for you to feel those ripples in your life. I hoped to glimpse the Divine on this trip, and what I received was an outright drenching of the Divine in the middle of rainy season!
So here's what I know now... I am divinely gifted at taking people (YOU!) on journeys within themselves (YOU!) to release trapped emotions and feel a greater sense of joy and freedom in their (YOUR!) lives. You're being called (we all are) to recharge in this moment. Solar Plexus wants to be a place of powerful, still waters in your body, and the waters need to be still so that you can understand that innate power! So that you can own it, intimately know it and harness it!
So this month I am graciously integrating all this knowing I received, and I’m answering a deep call to share, to connect, to be still and to allow the ripples to wash over those around me.
What I know about energy is that it is powerful and non-local, which means you do not have to go to Bali to get the benefits of Bali. I'm here to remind you that the changes you want to make in your life are waiting for you! They are real and they are yours for the taking! Own your power and come claim your Bali Shine! It’s right there in your own heart and body, and I’m going to lead you right to it.