 “I wish you would be more submissive,” “You’re doing so much I can’t keep up,” “You need to be more feminine,” These are phrases I’ve heard from men in my past that used to trigger the toots** out of me... until I became aware of toxic masculinity and misogyny in our culture. As we continue to dissect, study and activate our Divine Feminine (yin) and Divine Masculine(yang) energies, it’s important to note trends, societal norms and the cultural context of our dialogue. Something I personally have been witnessing is a fear of the masculine energy. Due to such an imbalance in part towards excessive masculine energy within our society, our community has been focusing on channeling the Divine Feminine maybe even moreso, in an effort to find balance. And while I think that’s a beautiful way to move the pendulum, I believe we who identify as women or Divine Feminines are beginning to fear our Divine Masculine energy. In some ways, I think this comes from toxic masculinity. In media studies and also in academia, toxic masculinity refers to cultural norms that tie men to violence, harmfulness, sex (in unbalanced, unhealthy ways), status and aggression; which harms ALL of us, including those who identify as men. Toxic masculinity conditions us to ignore our feelings, disallowing them in men, period; and frowning upon women when they show them, suggesting they are “weaknesses,” or even "make women unfit for office." Toxic masculinity entraps us in a cycle of egotism, the desire for “status,” or “fame,” as a source of power and influence versus impact and service. Toxic masculinity creates a society whereas its inhabitants believe they must do EVERYTHING on their own. And this toxic masculinity creates an environment where we fear the internal masculine and its beautiful potential for expression, for fear of moving into that excessive energy as described. The Divine Masculine is none of those things. The Divine Masculine energy encourages presence, routine, structure, AND balanced emotions. The Divine Masculine energy helps us create the very boundaries we need to actually dissect and study our innermost emotions. The Divine Masculine energy allows us to navigate the physical realm of responsibility, do-ing, and tangible efforts. It refers to our analytical mind, forward planning and strategy. To dim the light of the Divine Masculine is not only a disservice to the Divine Feminine within, but also to the outer society. We must find a way to channel and activate the sacred Divine Masculine within us, first; to create the harmony we seek. Ask yourself: - Do I have fear around the Divine Masculine, and if so where does it come from? Does it come from my experiences with toxic masculinity? Have I been conditioned to be “less masculine?” - How can I set better boundaries within myself and with others? - How can I co-create with both of my internal energies to find balance and harmony? - How can I activate my inner Divine Masculine to drive forward towards pursuing my goals and dreams with conscious awareness and keeping integrity with myself, my heart space and the vision I hold for the world? Don’t fear your inner-masculine. It is here to support you. Love you!
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 I think something I’m learning right now is to truly just sink into the present moment. It’s 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 how much stress and tension we create and store in our bodies based off of stories we create, habitual patterns and this weird addiction a lot of us have to being stressed. We live in a society that glorifies the hustle; the grind; the chase. So much so that when we are met with a moment of silence, pause, presence; many of us are actually uncomfortable with that stillness. The quiet is a little 𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘺. So lately I’ve been trying to tap into this energy of stillness, this energy of quiet; simplicity. 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂:
What I want to begin doing is dismantling some of these myths with you all and myself; and empower us all to live, breathe, eat, love and even consume from a conscious place of love and universal consciousness together. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲...
What are your thoughts on toxic productivity? I think the first step we can take to begin healing from this is asking the question of How do you feel when you aren’t doing? Let me know in the comments below.  So, the last two weeks of September and the first week and a half of October didn't really go as planned.... But, in its place, DIVINE ALCHEMY occurred. - I reconnected with REST and what that actually looks like - I found a newfound LOVE and deep appreciation for my friends, family and connections in my life - I found gratitude in the little things again. For example, fresh squash at the super market, hearing my favorite song play on the speaker at the grocery store, my super soft sheets fresh out of the dryer, the smell of yummy fall candles... I think we are all moving through this major shift too, as a collective. The more people I speak to, the more I see this mirrored back to me. It's like we are all finally really beginning to see what matters most to us in this life... These things we identified with SO strongly in our past...our job title, our bank accounts, our body, our looks....are being tested to show us...we are MUCH MORE than those things.  The past month...
- While my identity with my physical appearance crumbled due to acne break-outs and weight-gain, it created space for me to foster a connection with my body as a vessel and tool versus accessory or decoration - While my identity with my bank account/income crumbled due to a "failed" (we enrolled 5/10 of our targeted goal, and those 5 ladies are legit amazing beautiful soul clients...but...alas the ego does its thing) enrollment, it created space for me to get to know my soul-clients on a much deeper, more profound level... - While my identity with specific offerings crumbled, it created space for me to fully think and meditate on how to offer more and serve my community from my heart-space and not my head - While my shadow-self and old conditioning around being vulnerable and getting close to others crumbled, it created space for some of the strongest bonds to form in my personal life with my soul tribe So, as we end 2020....remember, it's not over, but allow some things to crumble, too. When things fall apart, it creates space for the NEW to come in. I love you. Jessica Winans CEO Ultravioletly Aligned, LLC. Authenticity + Vulnerability = Strength So I was talking to a friend about this last night and I’ve been thinking about it ever since — fear is really truly an illusion. This idea that we have to do things a certain way, avoid taking risks, or staying in our comfort zone actually doesn’t keep us “safe,” at all. It really actually keeps us 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬. A couple of months ago I heard the phrase “feel the fear and do it anyways,” and it really hit me in the face a little harshly but also in my heart and soul. There have been so many times the sheer fear of an outcome have held me back from doing things that could’ve been really really amazing for me. And so when I was invited to go skydive last week, even though I had been asked to go twice before and turned down both offers, I finally said yes. I finally chose to fear the fear and do it anyways. I finally chose to stop writing, speaking and coaching on living life and do go out and do the thing, the living life thing, instead. On the plane when I was basically about to throw up everywhere because I looked down in awe of how high we were and the instructor said “𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝟽,𝟶𝟶𝟶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰?” And I said 𝟳,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗡 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗?? —the instructor asked me what I did. I said I was a yoga teacher and life coach and then he said “𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦....” I decided to really truly surrender to whatever the fuck was going to happen, the fears percolating in my mind, and the intuitive feeling that I would be more than okay. The feeling that I would start living again. This life is a precious gift. We are never guaranteed our breath and our heartbeat — we are never guaranteed another day on this planet — but we can choose to live as many as we want, 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀. So choose today to live. Choose to do the darn thing.  If your ideas don’t scare people, you need new ideas, I heard that in a Ted Talk the other day and literally had to check myself because for the past few weeks I’d been living in my comfort zone of hiding certain parts of me, having ideas that felt really really GOOD but being scared to share them with the world, etc. One of them was talking about abundance to all of you, my online community, etc. I was thinking...am I really qualified to talk about abundance? I’m not a millionaire, so how can I teach and speak on abundance? The reality?! ABUNDANCE is soooo so so so so so much more than the amount of money in your bank account. Abundance is a MINDSET, and not only that but there are sooo many different forms of abundance and abundant mindsets you can cultivate within your being like… Spiritual Abundance Emotional Abundance Material Abundance  1. Spiritual Abundance - Spiritual Abundance, regardless of any religion or belief system you identify with (or lack thereof) in my personal opinion, is the energy of understanding that you are a spiritual being living a human experience with a PURPOSE! This is the energy of UNDERSTANDING that all life is beautiful, that you are not here to suffer. This is the energy of KNOWING that everything and anything occurs with a divine purpose, even when it doesn’t seem that way. This is TRUSTING, truly truly trusting with every fiber of your being that you are here with a purpose. 2. Emotional Abundance - Emotional Abundance relates to your connection with others, emotional vulnerability and levels of support. - Within yourself: This relates to you ability to connect to YOU, self-soothe and heal. It’s important to understand we can create emotional abundance in our relationship with ourselves, too; and that it doesn’t need to be dependent on the amount of interpersonal relationships you have in your life. OF COURSE relationships are so so so important but really the most important relationship is with yourself and the ability to self-soothe. Being emotionally abundant means you know how to take care of your tender emotions and support yourself. - With others: This relates to being able to connect with other beings through authenticity and vulnerability. This refers to being OPEN to giving and receiving love from others, and allowing connection and interconnectedness to be a pillar in your life. 3. Material Abundance- This is about what is physically in your environment, whether it’s the dollars and cents in your bank account, or your physical possessions such as clothing, food, your home, etc. So, now what? Check out this interactive video on The 3 Types of Abundance, follow the prompts in the comments below to begin to identify what abundance truly means to you. Once we identify what abundance truly means to you, we can work on cultivating it within you and without you.  Namaste,
Jessica Winans CEO Ultravioletly Aligned, LLC. Authenticity + Vulnerability = Strength  This time last year I was one month into my yoga business and had just begun my spiritual life coaching business.
I remember feeling defeated. I was doing “𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,” — posting and sharing content, “𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨,” but it wasn’t flowing the way I wanted to. I was wrapping up my journalism degree thinking — 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬? 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴? I knew I had the experience needed but wasn’t sure if I’d have a competitive edge anymore considering It had been six months since getting in my accident and quitting my journalism job. As I looked back at the six months I had spent deep, deep into my own healing, working a retail job I actually loved just to pay my bills, doing my yoga teacher training, in therapy and basically in a cocoon of self-love and spiritual This time last year I was one month into my yoga business and had just begun my spiritual life coaching business. I remember feeling defeated. I was doing “𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵,” — posting and sharing content, “𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨,” but it wasn’t flowing the way I wanted to. I was wrapping up my journalism degree thinking — 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬? 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴? I knew I had the experience needed but wasn’t sure if I’d have a competitive edge anymore considering It had been six months since getting in my accident and quitting my journalism job. As I looked back at the six months I had spent deep, deep into my own healing, working a retail job I actually loved just to pay my bills, doing my yoga teacher training, in therapy and basically in a cocoon of self-love and spiritual personal development I thought for a moment 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩, I had wasted my time. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨? My type A personality said to myself. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. I decided to drop everything, cancel all of my plans for the night and do a past life regression meditation I found on YouTube. I don’t normally just throw myself into hypnosis from strangers on YouTube, but my inuition was a “𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘴” for Joe T Hypnotic Labs so I pressed play. I remember imagining myself as an old, old Native American man sitting in a shed preparing a fishing poll. I was alone besides a wolf standing next to me. I closed my eyes and heard the words, “you’re here to heal and grow through healing and growing others.” That was all I needed. I looked back on those 6 months this time with pride, finally understanding this — The Healing Journey is “work”” too. Filling your calendar with self-care is “hustling” too. Meditating is “productive”” too. In that 6 month hiatus of the Journey to the Self, I did not start a Fortune 500 Company, write a New York Times Best Seller or lead a yoga teacher training in Bali. But, I started the long awaited journey back home to my self, a journey I will never forget, a journey so tumultuous, somber, exciting, and never-ending, the journey called 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨. When your spirit is calling you to pause, stop, or reevaluate — go within. And remember, the journey back to The Self takes massive courage love, but it is the key to your destiny, it’s the roadmap back home.  This morning I found myself lingering on my phone, getting sucked into the rabbit hole of Instagram after my morning meditation.
Lately I’ve been really big on waiting a couple of hours after waking up to check my phone, and finding solstice in journaling, reading or working out before starting my day. And it was funny because in some ways looking at my phone felt really 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯. Scrolling through Instagram felt 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭. And when the cycle of comparison began to start, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 felt normal too. 𝘞𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. I thought. 𝘞𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭. I imagined. I imagined how her morning routine was — how she probably woke up at 4 am and curled her lashes, the lavish things she may have in her home. The whirlwind lifestyle of a successful female entrepreneur she may have. I stopped scrolling for a moment and closed my eyes. I asked myself — 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨? I thought long and hard for just a moment, answering those questions. I realized where the comparison came from — insecurities I’ve had about my own lashes, lifestyle and Instagram. I took it a step further, and allowed my jealousy to turn into admiration. Ladies, we have been 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 to compete with one another. We have been told that our goal in life is to find a husband, and there are a select few worth having. The ones worth having will never settle for 𝘺𝘰𝘶, as you naturally are. So, to win the attention of a man (which you will know is happening because he is trying to conquer you or is pursuing you, fiercely, as men “should”) a woman must 𝘺𝘦𝘴, curl her lashes, but 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 — be independent, be motivated, be driven, but be soft, and care for her pursuer. She must be completely forgiving, always, patient, quiet, and never, 𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙 be upset, angry, or impatient. And God forbid she doesn’t want to curl her lashes. Unfortunately, the conditioning already happened. The fact that I even painted that picture with a woman and men in a heterosexual relationship? Conditioning. Being 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 doesn’t mean that goes away. We have a misperception of what 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 means in our society today. Being 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 doesn’t mean you’ll wake up every morning feeling full of “yes world, I’m 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘛 bitch-type-energy.” What it means is when you find yourself in that cycle of comparison, when your conditioning begins to take over your consciousness, you’ll notice it... Pause... Realize what it actually is, and let it go. Ladies there never was, and never will be, a “𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺” to be a woman, besides being 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻. And being human means being imperfect, being human is actually kind of messy. But find 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in THAT. Find 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in honoring and loving every part of yourself. Find confidence in your dark sides, too. This is where true 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 is found — in the stillness, in the quiet, in loving and accepting the parts of you that aren’t so pretty. Eyelashes, and all. ↡ #Feminine #love #spirituality #meditation #spiritualawakening #healing #yoga #business #energy #UltravioletThoughts #crystals #spirit #life #awakening #socialmedia #intuitivebiz #mindfulness #faith #bossbabe #soul #selflove #lifecoach #inspiration #quotes #personaldevelopment #lawofattraction #nature #UltravioletlyAligned #chakras #JessWinans  I’ve always been a hugeeee “forcer.” In school, in relationships, at work, with extracurriculars….I used to loveee being in control (I actually still do lowkey). I have always been the one to text first, the one to make the first move or approach the person making eyes at me at the bar. I’ve always been the one to ask for help after class or lead the group-project. I’ve always been the one to reapply to a college like twice and then protest my declined admission three times, email every single staff member in the journalism department at a college; and the dean of admissions, until they accepted me (yes, this really did happen).
I’ve just always been such a FORCER! Like, seriously. Even when I began my career in yoga teaching and spiritual life coaching, there was a whole lot of forcing at the beginning (i.e., signing up for the yoga teacher training program, finding money for it, etc.). What I’ve learned recently is, however, that forcing just about anything never really gives you the results you actually want. All of those men I approached first at the bar? THEY SUCKED! They were horrible matches for me. We had 0 in common besides physical attraction, and no matter how much we got to know one another, I could never stay with them. Why? Because whenever I’d shut off my “force” (OK, I need to come up with better words for these things….) the spark would dismantle. There would be nothing left. I would end up caving in after 1 whole day without hearing from them (or maybe even an hour) and text them first to make place to FORCE hanging out. That career field I forced myself into? I HATED for the four years I worked in it. The work I produced in it wasn’t anywhere near my fullest potential (because it was forced) and I drove myself into the ground quite literally when the force and stress manifested itself as a fainting spell that landed me with a concussion which prompted this whole holistic-health-version-of-Jess-I-am-today. And so, here we are. Attempting to take notes diligently like the amazing bright-eyed, bushy-tailed straight A journalism student who has no desire to work in journalism anymore; for her online class, spending a whole hour trying to get her computer screen to load. “Wow,” I thought to myself “this sucks.” It wasn’t until literally a whole hour, 60 minutes of my precious Friday afternoon, passed when I thought: Hm...what if I tried FLOWING instead of FORCING?! This thinking was what led me here, to this post. So often we force things that aren’t meant for us. Why? Because we’re told that in order to have what we truly want in life, in order to accomplish goals or build empires or become millionaires, we must devote our whole life to suffering. To forcing. To grinding. And when an obstacle arises, we’re told that’s part of the plan. BUT what if there’s a road with less stress, less obstacles, less “suffering?” This my friends, is the road less traveled. This, is FLOWING. Flowing is scary AF for a lot of us. Flowing requires diligence in our own relaxation. Flowing requires going inwards and embarking on a journey of self-discovery, and elevating our own vibration so that we ATTRACT what we actually want instead of forcing what we don’t want. I know, you’re probably thinking...what the actual fuck is this woman saying right now, and what the heck is a vibration? Trust me, I used to think the same way as you. Physics 101 (thanks to our good friend Newton and his laws) states that not only can matter not be created nor destroyed, all matter holds and transfers energy. This energy can be measured via frequency, with the unit of Hertz (Hz) (Believe it or not I was a biology major my freshman year of college...KNEW it would be useful someday!). And so we, as humans, consist of matter, which emits and absorbs energy. Now, think about the Law of Attraction, something manifestation experts such as Abraham Hicks swear by. The Law of Attraction suggests that like attracts like, and our thoughts shape our reality. Why? Because our thoughts contain energy, which emits a frequency, that the Universe responds to with a similar frequency. AKA according to the Law of Attraction, when you think life is horrible, it will be horrible. So, if everything is energy which carries a vibration, and like attracts like vibrations of similar frequency are drawn together, then your thoughts control your reality. And if you can control your thoughts, you have the ability to control your vibration, which means you have the ability to control your life. Instead of thinking “WOW THE WORLD HATES ME!” “I’m going to fail this class because my computer isn't working,” “I’m wasting my time,” or whatever it is you think when your computer gives you technical problems: try FLOWING instead of forcing. Flowing dismantles negative thoughts and stressful vibrations from your aura, attracting what you really want instead… like a burst of creativity and the most free-flowing blog post/content piece/writing you’ve created in a longggg time. And just remember, life’s too short to take it so seriously. And in contrast to the entire universe of beings (humans, animals, plants, stars) you are really quite literally a minuscule component, not only that, but this exact moment will probably mean nothing to you in 20 years. And if it does, let me know.  How do you balance flow with action? There’s been a lot of chatter on IG about the masculine/feminine energies (like a lottt). Researchers are now studying their roles in areas outside of spirituality such as business, education and gender norms. See, the masculine, yang energy is not really about wearing a suit or driving a sports car; and the feminine, yin energy is not really about wearing beautiful dresses and bearing children. Both of these energies actually naturally exist within us — they don’t need to be sought after or purchased at a store. Typically, just as our physical bodies (flexibility, strength) are asymmetrical, so is our energy body and balance of feminine and masculine energies. In business, the feminine and masculine energies appear because, well everything is energy. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed. All of these things we “know” point us in this direction of thought. Right? And so, the left side of the pendulum swing, the “excessive” or unbalanced feminine energy, lives too much in the “flow” state. They may create content 24/7 with no concrete plan on how to share it, how to target audiences, how to create systems for client outreach. They are beautiful multitaskers, but almost to a fault — as they can put their energy into too many projects at once and burn out, or lose touch with what exactly they want to manifest. The right side of the pendulum swing, the “excessive” or unbalanced masculine energy, lives too much in the “action” state. They are so focused on systems, policies, and driving that they neglect the natural nature of innovation. Innovation cannot be planned nor systemized — at least at the birth stage of an idea. Creative energy needs space to flow, to create and to be shared. Some of the best ideas did not come from a systematic programming or as answers from a poll. They came about when groups of creatives came together and brainstormed, or an individual like Eckart Tole had a sudden awakening on a park bench. And so these energies exist within us, and in business, we can study the energy body and use it to our advantage. Especially if you are a new solo business owner like myself, it’s important we integrate these two energies within us, to stay balanced and to create more harmony in our inner world and in our businesses. Here are 3 ways to balance your masculine and feminine energies when it comes to your business. 1. GET SOME SYSTEMS IN PLACE! OK. This is definitely directed at me, lol. Those of us heavily in our divine feminine energy, NEED systems in place. We create so so much amazing, beautiful content; perhaps we focus a lot on our design, our website layout, our logos, etc. but we need systems to make better use of our time. At the end of the day, no matter how beautiful of a creation you make, if you don't have a way to share it with potential clients or your community, it won't be seen by anyone. Same goes with communication. People with excess feminine energy are amazing at connecting with others. But when you're talking about potential clients, it's important to organize who you are connecting with. My recommendation? Create a spreadsheet with all of your leads, date of contact, and message sent. Then you can go back to it when and if you need to initiate a second point of contact. Same with your content. I'm not a big fan of content calendars, BUT, a general structure could help. (I.e., post your podcast every Thursday, newsletter every Friday, IG post every day at 9 a.m....etc.) This way you don't crush your creativity with too much forward planning, but you do enough to allow yourself to create more and have your creations be seen....this leads me to my next point...  2. SCHEDULE FLOW Flow flow flow... flow. Flow is ESSENTIAL for creativity! If you aren't flowing, you're not created. People can SMELL a salesperson from a mile away. What is there to sell if you don't have a creative or innovative product to provide people? Who wants to see ANOTHER gluten-free, organic peanut butter? (You get my point). Innovation breeds creativity, and creativity breeds innovation. So, schedule time for "flow." Maybe you work on your systems, sales calls, spreadsheets and administration 9-5 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And then Tuesdays and Thursdays you "flow" 9-12 and work 12-5. What is flow? Flow is whatever allows you to create! Maybe you go to a park and sit down. You meditate and you journal a brainstorm of potential ideas for the month. Projects you want to complete. THINK BIG! You want to write a book? Cool. Jot that down. Give a Ted Talk on something outside of your career field? STILL WRITE THAT DOWN! Don't judge yourself, just keep a running list of creative ideas. They could be useful later on, and don't arise typically if you're too stuck in your routine/systems.  3. SCHEDULE FUN This is definitely something I need to do too. We need to have fun. Yes, the "grind" isn't always a bad thing. We all know we create our legacies by how we spend our time outside of the office, how we conduct our evenings and early mornings. But we also need to have fun. Let's face it, stress causes malignancy. It shortens our lifespan. What's the point of making a larger income or creating connections if we don't use them to have fun too? So schedule at least one day or night a week for just fun! No business. No studying. You can have intellectual conversations sure. I'm not saying to turn your brain off. BUT, have fun! Whether that's date night with your partner or going to a sporting event with friends, rock climbing, bowling, going to a concert, going out on the town, trying a new yoga or dance class, doing some self-care. Above all else, enjoy life. And remember, you can achieve harmony on your own. Look and see where there may be an imbalance in your energy, and try to find balance, it will sincerely help you in more ways than you even know and help you unlock and unleash your divine magic within. - Jess Winans Jess Winans is a feminine confidence coach, spiritual life coach and yoga teacher currently located in San Diego, CA. You can reach her via email at ultravioletasana@gmail.com.  My yoga practice saved my life...
No but seriously it did. Who I was 3 years ago wouldn’t recognize the woman I am today. She was so so lost. Consumed with consumerism, alcohol and drug consumption, excessive dating. She was constantly moving, not towards anything special on the horizon but away from everything — her demons, her past, her present. Before yoga I was alone. Constantly surrounded by others but always feeling isolated. I was trying to fill my void(s) with everything and anything outside of myself. Then, I found yoga. I selfishly began practicing yoga because I thought my long-distance running for exercise was “making me fat.” So I bought an intro offer at a local hot yoga studio back home in NY. I had no idea how spiritual yoga was, what spirituality even was, and definitely could not have told you what the hell a “savasana” was. My first class I nearly fainted from heat and I stepped outside. My teacher followed me out of the room later on when students were holding a pose. She looked at me and said “you need to stay in the room, even if you feel faint. It’s important for you to stay with the energy in the room. Don’t hide yourself.” Right then I knew I had found something really special. And so, my yoga practice began. I began practicing practically every day, staying-in Friday nights to go to a 7pm class and rest for the 6am on Saturday. I started researching crystals, then chakras, then meditations. And of course it was pretty freaking messy at first. My body took time to adjust to me loving it. I remember one class in particular I was SLIDING all over my mat because I was so sweaty. So I stepped off my class then SLID almost into a split during a wide-legged forward fold (my teacher had to cue me specifically out of it in front of the whole class. Lol. ) When I moved to San Diego, before I did anything else I signed up for a yoga studio down the street from my house, where I ended up doing my Yoga Teacher Training. There, again, I practiced pretty much every day or whenever I could. And of course “life got in the way” again, I took a long break (longest was six months) and found myself back in that space ready to learn more, and teach others. Yoga is like your twin flame, your soulmate. — You think you’re done with it. You focus on other things. And then one morning (like today) it hits you — you roll out your mat and start again. I always think back to who I was back then, before my yoga practice. I sometimes wonder if I would’ve ever made it — if I would’ve recovered from an eating disorder (my yoga practice helped me reconnect to my body, and encouraged me to find help and treatment), if I would’ve ever committed to MYSELF and taken a year off from dating of any kind, if I would’ve found my spiritual practice, if I would’ve moved to San Diego, if I would’ve ever unpeeled those layers of my being that weren’t me. Every single time I chose yoga over drugs, meditation over alcohol, faith over fear and unconditional love and compassion for myself over hatred and self-sabotage I heal not only myself but those around me. And it feels really freaking good. Lately I’ve been focusing on my biz, school and teaching so much so I’ve neglected my personal practice. Yesterday I left an audition at a new studio so grounded and so peaceful. This morning I woke up with a headache and my instinct was to take some medication and drink coffee like I might’ve in the past. But this time, I’m stronger. Now, I‘m wiser. And so I followed my intuition and wrote this, and next I will turn on some funky-jams and allow myself to practice. |