This journey can also pose many challenges and dilemmas, such as how authentic is too authentic? Should I always tell the truth about how I feel? Is the world around me ready to hear my truths?

Releasing each piece of your truth is like dropping a brick you’ve been carrying in your chest. Except you didn’t know you were carrying it until it was dropped and you all of a sudden felt lighter in the heart.

The International Labor Organization released a report that found working long hours, defined as more than 55 hours a week, was responsible for 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016 — a 29% increase since 2000.

One thing I want to mention is that not all fragrances are bad. We’ve sort of come to this notion that fragrances are bad and essential oils are good, which is not always the case. Not all fragrances are bad and not all essential oils are good. 

When his words guided us to visualize our bodies laying still, dying, my mind was on high alert, my emotions triggered, and I felt my body resisting his words and the experience. My mind had anticipated this dreaded moment and I was angry at its arrival, out of sheer fear of what I was going to feel next.

Lao Tzu has famously said: “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” The worry and nervousness of anxiety is that of the future, or of events that haven't happened yet but we speculate could happen.

When we fully embrace our feminine energy, it feels comfortable to just be. We know that everything and everyone we come in contact with has been and will be touched by us. The question becomes, how do we want to touch them? Leading to, how do we want to be?

It can be a mind-blowing concept that simply breathing effectively can improve our overall health and longevity, with a good chance of preventing a large number of illnesses. Though, is it truly that mind-blowing when you think about it?

The outcomes of self-destructive thinking and self-destructive action are myriad and impossible to fully predict. However, what we do have control over is how we choose to view ourselves, having survived the ordeal.

There are many self-improvement books and lectures that talk about the Ego being the voice of fear and limitation. What they don’t typically talk about is that the Ego is also our self-identity, our sense of self-worth, and who we are as an individual.

Our logic isn’t always reliable when faced with a decision that can affect our not-so-tangible faculties like our emotions, self-esteem or general well-being. Our mind could snap into survival mode to try and protect us from hurt and harm.

We live in a fast-paced world, where a lot of people feel like they are behind. Burnout is prevalent. Comparison is almost impossible to avoid with more connectivity than ever.

In the intervening two-plus decades, I have experienced countless emotions, thoughts, reflections, regrets and losses, as well as victories, successes, lessons and blessings.

Many people who talk about empowering others to become more motivated and fulfill their potential, yet when they meet a truly empowered individual, they hold back their support or are even quick to tear them down.

We have forgotten how to love and be loved, because love has become such a complicated matter. Many end up spending their life chasing the idea of love while putting up barriers to protect themselves from the pain of losing love.

During each occurrence, I found myself in a deep state of bliss, enveloped in an indescribable feeling of love, and crying tears of joy uncontrollably. I felt it from deep within, but also from above and around me.

Emotional abandonment is leaving our emotional needs unattended, often without acknowledging or addressing it with a response. That can leave us feeling confused, unsettled and unloved for a long time.

Sometimes, it takes a great amount of courage to go through life as a multifaceted human being. Because there are so many facets to you, forming a clear sense of self can be a confusing process.

That was when I came across the powerful idea of choosing happiness, as a decision. I realized then happiness is a commitment — it is a practice I would have to adhere to in order for it to last and expand.

Dark and alluring, she stands in my third eye—