Welcome to OnePinky,  a safe place for women who are looking for healthy weight through healthy body image.

For the remainder of 2010, I would like to ask you all to put your inner perfectionist to sleep. Just have her go take a long nap. :).

Perfection hurts. Accepting, even embracing our imperfection heals. In my life, I say imperfection is the new black.

Our bodies are something that many of us want to vilify. How they look and how they function is often not good enough. In this last month of 2010, I declare it is time to end the war, with our body and our mind.

How can any of us create permanent change with our bodies when we are at war with them?

We are capable of transforming at any age and at any size.

The issues are in our tissues, and if you do the inner work, your body will take care of itself, and you will be inspired to make peace with food and the scale.

Our path to self discovery is a journey in patience, and what we offer here at OnePinky.com is a process, not a pill.

Happiness and Joy are a choice, and YOU CAN HAVE THEM all the time.

I want to share my work with women who are ready for permanent change, for a new story, a new conversation.

I want to live in a world where women’s health is a huge priority and that when women look at themselves in the mirror they see beauty at all sizes.

The old story is go on a diet, feel deprived, hate the process, go off the diet and then hate yourself for not having will power and strength.

The new story, the new practice is to feel the feelings that got you to this place, process them and then release them.

In this new story, transformation can occur effortlessly.

Your body is a healing machine and will take care of itself. Reduce your self criticism and see what happens.

What would your life be like if you said NO to New Year’s resolutions this year and said YES to New year’s Intentions?

Ask yourself:

What do I see that I can change in my self care in 2011 that can be fun rather than a drag?

Please take out a pen and paper and in this moment, write down the most significant thing you want in your life this new year that, something that relates to self love and self care.

For example, I intend to meditate 3x’s a week for 5 minutes in 2011. This could be anything from get a new calendar program to plan my meditation times or getting a chime timer I love to hear that inspires me to want to meditate every day. I release this intention to the Universe with Love.

Now say your intention out loud five times. Say out loud, Dear Universe, show me the path to make this is a reality.

Pick the same day every month and check in with your intention and see how you are progressing. Keep doing this until you have reached this intention. I know you will create it if you keep up this practice. The key is in doing it with love and doing it consistently.

May the Universe grant you and your loved ones your hearts’ desires this last month of 2010 and into 2011.

May you BE LOVE and feel INNER PEACE each moment.

Fall…leads to…

Fall is here. I love Fall, ( however, I used to dread it).

However, I am not a huge fan of Winter which comes next as you know. A couple of years ago I decided that the best way for me to get over my frustration about the Winter is to accept it, hook line and sinker. One way for me to do that is to welcome Fall with open arms. It’s just easier to embrace it rather than dread it. Of course, the irony of all of this is that dreading anything in the future takes us way out of the present moment which is the only thing we really have. This moment.

But, here we are on the near finish line of 2010.

A little under 4 months to go.

I would be lying if I said that this year has been an easy one for me.

2010 has been a great transition period in my life. Some days transition feels like limbo.

:):)

I asked for this transition and while it has been a huge gift in many ways, there have been many mornings I woke up  feeling lost. While I know that feeling is all part of my journey, it feels lonely and challenging many days.

On the positive side, I have been blessed to take time to complete my book, and to go inside and see what I really wanted.

At the same time, I have stayed in action on the answers I receive from the universe and am practicing patience on so many levels.

I also have taken many moments to find silly thing that make me laugh such as this.

Movement Led Me to Patience

As a body image mastery mentor, you can imagine how important movement is in my life. Last Fall, I took a class to challenge my body. It was called Black Diamond Glutes and it certainly challenged me.  I blogged about it, talked about it and I really enjoyed it. However, it really hurt my left knee. I had surgery years prior on my right knee and so this knee drama has been going on for years.

I LOVE to work out (it was not always true for me and it is now). It is a BIG part of my self-care. It is how I honor my body, the one true home that my soul gets to live in, and it is how I honor my spirit. I truly appreciate and own the emotional peace and relief that comes from 60 minutes of exercise a day – so much so that I often do two or three times that much. Not any more though. Now, I basically take all of the effort I used to put into exercising my body, and pour it into being PATIENT with it instead.

I suppose that one of the lessons I am privileged to learn through my injury is a renewed understanding of the issues many of my clients face. Because one of the side effects of not being able to exercise is that I am gaining a little weight. The myriad of feelings around this, and turning my expertise INWARD, has been really meaningful. You see, body image mastery is absolutely NOT about weight. It’s about honoring ourselves from the INSIDE out. It’s about creating enough self-love and self-care that we no longer abuse ourselves with food in any way. No binging. No starving. In fact, after a while, body image mastery leads to a love affair with food – HEALTHY food. It leads to loving your body so much that you WANT to exercise – partly to BE healthy and partly just to CELEBRATE.

My primary work in the world is to be healthy, physically, emotionally and spiritually and I am! However, things like an unexpected weight gain can feel troubling. And even though I know the weight will release itself,  it is not always easy. I am here to practice what I preach by observing my fearful thoughts and watching them come and go. So yes, I am holding on to my deep love and appreciation for my body and taking care of it while it heals. Every day, I kiss my left knee, I  talk to it and let it know it is healing and loved so much. I treat it like I would a little baby. I pray for it. I meditate on it and I trust it is healing. We can do that to every body part we have. Our body will drink it up. Who doesn’t want to be loved up? I do!!!!

I have a tradition that in the beginning of every year, I pick an angel card that dictates my word for the year. This year I picked willingness! I love that word. And still I am adding another important word to represent this year. PATIENCE. Patience has really become my keyword for 2010.

What is your word for this year?

For the last 4 remaining months this year?

I welcome hearing from you.

Life is, for the most part, the way we see it.  So, when life’s not fair – it may be time to check your focus” -Robert Schuller

Every month I choose a word to focus on as an intention for that month and this month’s word is  “Acceptance”.

Accepting my health, my body, my mental and emotional state in the moment as they are.

Accepting that every feeling state can change and improve if I allow it  and cease resisting it.

August, Acceptance and…

Another “A” word, Allow.

An affirmation for every day this month could be, “I allow Peace and Love to energize my body, and heal whatever needs healing. I accept this process with Patience”.

When I was thinking about August,  I began playing with acronyms and here are something’s I came up.

• A Acknowledge, Acceptance, Awareness, Action, Allow
• U Uplift, Unconditional Love
• G Give, Gather, Gratitude
• U Undo, Unearth, Uncover (those things that no longer serve you)
• S Sustenance, Surprises, Sunshine, Seeking, Self love and Self Care (is necessary, not selfish)
• T Thankfulness for all that IS working in your life

What words would you like to add?
How might you apply some of these concepts to yourself care program this month?

Self care is a cornerstone of self love and self love will lead us to greater physical, spiritual and emotional health.

When one mind is changed the world is changed. -CIM

I am committed to changing my own mind by taking pinky steps when change feels challenging.

Change is a gift. And it is difficult for our minds to believe and yet resistance is a gift too.

Change and resistance offer us opportunities to go deeper into our process of who we are and what we are seeking in terms of having a body we feel great about.

I read this quote the other day, “I have learned to use the word impossible with great caution”. I love that as I believe in what is possible, rather than what is impossible.

What is your word for this month?

I welcome your sharing that here.

And one more thing from me.  I offer complimentary consultations about my one on one weight release mentoring and I am interviewing for my next 12 week  Body Image Mastery course. Please feel free to email me to set up a time to speak, laura@onepinky.com

A cheerful mind has always been a perfect guide to a healthy body.

-Sri Chimnoy

And like wise Leah came to see in her blog post at www.NoDietingAllowed.com, “she has arrived”.

Those of us who choose to be awake and feeling our feelings through this adventure called life “have arrived as well”.

Some OnePinky.com wisdom

Body Image Mastery is about health, physically, emotional and spiritual health are what I am after for all women.

You get to have it all.

Consider putting your perfectionist to a long sleep starting right now.

There is no thing as perfection. Imperfect  is perfect.  Imperfection is the new black. (A nice new outfit for 2010)

Accept you as you are now.

How can you change something you are at war with?

If your mind collapses that last statement as a sign of resignation…or your mind says that accepting yourself means that you cannot change, it is just not true.

You are changing in every moment and are capable of bigger changes at any age and any size.

The issues are in our tissues and if you do the inner work, your body will take care of itself and you will feel more inspired to be in balance with food and the scale.

Again, how can you change your body when you are at war with it?

Our differences are an opportunity to celebrate who we are…we are different precisely in order to realize our needs of one another.

Nothing is too much trouble for LOVE.

Our journey of self discovery is a journey in patience and what we offer here at OnePinky.com is a process, not a pill.

Happiness and Joy are a choice and they do require some effort at times. I welcome the effort for Happy, Joyful and Free.

What do I know for sure?

That I love people, all people. I am looking to attract more women to my work who are ready for permanent change, for a new story, a new conversation. I want to live in a world where women’s health is a huge priority and that when women look at themselves in the mirror they see beauty at all sizes.

The old story is go on a diet, feel deprived, hate the process and go off the diet and then hate yourself for not having will power and strength.

The new story, the new practice is to feel the feelings that got you to this place, process them and in release them. I promise you change will occur effortlessly.

Your body is a healing machine and will take care of itself. Reduce your mind space in terms of self criticism and see what happens.

What would your life be like if you said NO to New Year’s resolutions this year and said YES to New year’s Intentions?

Ask yourself this question.

What is my most important, significant intention for 2010?

Please take out a pen and paper and in this moment, write down the most significant thing you want to draw into your life this new year and say it out loud five times.

I intend to ___________________ in 2010 and I release this to the Universe with Love.

Universe, show me the path to get there.

Now pick a day, the same day every month and check in with your intention and see how you are progressing. Keep doing this until you have reached this intention. I know you will get there if you keep this practice alive every month, sooner than you think.

Affirm:

I have a divine right to be me, exactly as I am because I am made in the image and likeness of God. I am certain that deep within me there is a knower that knows.  I trust that I am created perfectly as I am.  This holiday season I am authentic, loving and generous because THAT is who I am!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all.

May the Universe grant you all your heart’s desires in 2010.

2010 can be your year of letting go, releasing and living WHO you are.

I bless you all with the courage to be YOU.

May you BE LOVE and feel INNER PEACE in every moment.

I decree that 2010 shall be your best year ever.

I love you, that too I know for sure,  XO

Laura

The answer is revealed now…Kathleen shares the rest of her story…and how swimming makes her heart sing.

(for those of you who have no idea what I am referring to, go back and read yesterday’s post on Day 70, OnePinky Student Shines, Part 1.

Kathleen went off to her beloved pool and started her swim.  It’s her practice to check her watch starting with the first lap so she gets an idea of what kind of pace she’s on.  She noticed right off the bat that she was about 2 seconds faster that normal.  She then checked her watch at the 6-lap mark and again noticed a lower time than usual.  That’s when she thought she might have a very good swim that night.  By the time Kathleen made it to the half-mile point, she realized that it was actually possible, if she kept up this pace, and didn’t lose focus, that she could indeed break the 30 minute mark.  She swam that last half-mile repeating to herself, “Seize The Day” and “Eyes on the Prize”.  When she finally made it to the end and reached up to stop her timer, she was rewarded with the number 29:55.  She was proud and happy that she had achieved something that had once seemed so out of reach.

As I said earlier, Kathleen swims mainly for the joy of it.  She feels she will never give up swimming again (On her business card, under her name, it says “swimmer”).  And that her commitment to it, in spite of the fact that she’s not as fast as she was 20 years ago, rewarded her with a sense of accomplishment that will never go away.

So swim on Kathleen…I am so proud of you. :):)

And to all of us, move today in honor and reverence for our bodies. They matter, they count and they deserve to be moved and stretched.

As I always like to say, we came out of the womb kicking and moving.

The body knew what it wanted and needed right at birth.

Sending you Peace, Love and Movement.

XO, Laura