Body Beautiful Ezine

IN THIS ISSUE:

June 9, 2010

Published monthly. If you do not already receive this E-zine and would like to, simply enter your name and email address in our Signup Box located in the right-hand column of our main website http://breakfreebeauty.com

A Note From Sarah Maria
Beloved %$firstname$%,

Malibu Surf

Happy June!  I have discovered that Malibu is a very popular destination in the summer time. Although the town of Malibu is officially only 13,000 residents, it seems like half the population of Los Angeles comes to visit the beaches during the weekends. Fortunately I have found a few smaller beaches with less people, and have been enjoying getting out for walks whenever I have the time. 

This month brought another beautiful opportunity, as I recently did an interview with Christine Arylo, for her Self Love Studio.  Christine is the author of Me Before We. You can listen to our interview (scroll down to Radio Interviews & Podcasts), which I've made available on my website. Please enjoy!

I have two exciting pieces of news to share with you.  I always enjoy good news.  Whenever someone shares it with me, it makes me smile .  And a smile has its own nice energy. So here it goes:

News flash #1:  My Beloved Spiritual Teacher

Swami Premodaya

Many people have asked me why did I choose to move to Malibu?  I chose Malibu because a number of months ago, back in September to be exact, I met my spiritual teacher.  He lives in Malibu and teaches in Los Angeles, so after months of driving back and forth from San Diego to L.A., I decided to be kinder to the environment, give my car a break, and move closer so I wasn’t driving quite so much.  I have also met a great group of people who study with this same teacher, and I moved to enjoy time with my new friends and fellow travelers on this spiritual journey through life.

It is with great excitement that I can share a little bit of my teacher's work with you, my beloved subscribers.  His name is Bodhisattva Shree Swami Premodaya, a devotee of the well-known spiritual teachers Osho and Gangaji.  He offers spiritual meetings and retreats in the Los Angeles and Southern California area through The Bodhi Center.  There are now videos of him on YouTube.

You can also read the following wonderful article, currently published in Southern California’s Whole Person magazine, Voyaging in Inner Space.  I warmly invite you to check him out.
 
And, news flash #2:  Summer Retreat in Malibu

I am considering offering a summer weekend retreat in Malibu.  I have received a number of emails from people asking about retreats, and would love to arrange one if enough people are interested.

It would be a small and intimate retreat, a get-together of sorts.  It would be a gathering to relax, rejuvenate, enjoy, and explore.  There will be ample time to discuss any issues that you may be struggling with in your life, as well as time to enjoy the beauty of summer and simply have some fun.  

It will be August 6th, 7th, and 8th, here in lovely Malibu.  It will include delicious meals, beautiful beach walks, guided meditation, and instructional sessions.  

Some of the topics that will be covered during the sessions will be:

  • Creating a healthy body and a healthy mind – understanding Ayurveda, Yoga, and Meditation.  Learn how to improve your physical and mental health and well-being and achieve greater peace and harmony.

  • How do you truly love yourself?  Do you sabotage yourself through destructive tendencies?  Learn how to love yourself and break free from self-defeating thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.

  • Finding freedom in your relationships – learn how to navigate your relationships and find the balance between independence and inter-dependence.

Summer Retreat with Sarah Maria, August 6-8th, 2010

Everything in your life can be used to help you grow, learn, and evolve.  If you are going through challenging times, use this retreat as an opportunity to move you forward.  Learn how to accept whatever life has sent your way and use it to expand and discover what gifts life has to offer.  If you are just looking for a change of pace during the summer months, use the retreat as a chance to get away and enjoy some beautiful scenery and friendship.

Cost will be $497.  Price includes all instructional sessions and recreational activities, including hiking and yoga.  Price also includes formal meditation instruction.  Price does not include accommodation, transportation, and meals.

If you are interested in attending, have any questions, or would like to learn more, please call me at 510-326-9610 or email sarahmaria@sarahmaria.com ASAP.

Once I get an idea of how many people are interested, I can see about finalizing the details.
Just to reiterate: If you are at all interested, please contact me as soon as you can – it will be immensely helpful for planning purposes.

As always, downloadable Break Free Beauty learning sets and private coaching sessions are available.


Wishing you a beautiful June.

Sending love always,

  

Feature Article
Love and Freedom 

What does Love mean for you?

One of the defining themes of my adult life has been this something that I refer to as Love.  When the universe forced me into personal crisis a few years ago, it slowly became apparent that a key issue was love.  Ever since then, my life has become, in one form or another, a meditation on love:  

What is love?
How do I love myself?
Why does my heart feel broken?
Will I ever feel loved?
How do I love and be loved?
Does love exist?
Is it just an idea, or is it something real?

So far, I have learned much through this meditation; I have learned much on this journey.  This article is designed to help you explore the contours of love in your life, so that you can enjoy the gift that is everyone’s birthright, the gift that the universe wants to give you.

In my experience, learning to love yourself is an essential step on this path of love.  It is the first step because if you hate yourself, you can’t go anywhere.  But how do we love ourselves?  When I was first told to love myself, I had no idea what that meant, nor how to go about it.  Love myself?  You might as well have been speaking a foreign language.  Loving yourself does not mean that you indulge every desire, whim, or impulse.  Nor does it mean that you become infatuated with yourself, per se. 

Loving yourself means that you take good care of yourself.  It means you get rid of all those false voices that say you are defective, incompetent, unattractive, unlovable—whatever it may be.  You begin to see more clearly negative voices of conditioning, and you discover that they are nothing other than conditioning.  You slowly learn to break free from them, affirming your inherent self-worth, not because you have done anything or are any particularly way.  You are inherently loveable simply because you exist.  It is your birthright; it is the gift of being a human being.  You accept yourself as you are, and allow yourself to grow and change in the direction of greater peace and harmony.

Self-hatred creates destruction and discontent.  As you learn to love yourself, you break free from these negative tendencies and learn to treat yourself with the dignity and respect that is due to every human being.

As you learn to love yourself, as your own heart heals, the natural impulse is for love to flow outward.  Your relationships begin to change.  You begin to share love with other people.  You begin to discover that love does most certainly exist.  Yet this love is not a commodity.  It is not something that can be earned through merit.  Love just shows up.  It shows up sometimes on this path of life.  You might experience it with your best friend or your lover, maybe a child, or even a parent.  As you explore it, you will discover that the love is there first.  The love just shows up, and then you find out why it is there.

If you have ever had a particularly close love relationship, maybe with a dear friend, you will see how this is the case.  Chances are you felt an attraction, a pull, a love toward that particular person.  As you get to know them more and more, you discover that the love is there for a reason.  Maybe it is there to teach you something, to help you grow, to help you change.  Now the fact is that love is always there, has always been there and will always be there.  It is simply easier to experience in relation to other people with whom you have a heart connection.  

The biggest challenge with love for most people is the desire to cling, the desire to keep this something that we call love.  Yet continual change is the nature of everything.  So you must learn to relax on this path of love.  You must learn to relax and allow love to come and go, to ebb and flow as it may.  In this way, love can lead you to greater and greater freedom.  You enjoy being with your friends, your family, your lover, but you also know how to be alone.  When you are together, there is love.  When you are alone, there is also love.  You let everyone be free to do as they may.  You are free to be as you are; to do as you do.  They are free to be as they are; to do as they do.  When you come together, it is a beautiful sharing.  When you are apart, it is also lovely.  You learn to float with the tide of love, coming and going, enjoying and relaxing.  

You slowly learn to love the love.  You learn to follow the love.  If love leads you into yourself for a while, go there.  If love leads you to particular people for some time, go there.  If it then leads you elsewhere, just follow the love.  For ultimately, you are love itself, only most of us do not know it.  As you learn to follow love, you discover that it always guides you, teaches you, and informs you.  

In speaking of love in relationships, one of my beloved spiritual teachers, Sri Nisargaddatta Maharaj said the following:

“You are neither the husband nor the wife.  You are the love between the two.”

Allow your life to be a journey, an exploration.  Inquire into this something called love; this force that permeates everything.  Explore it within yourself; explore it outside of yourself.  Follow it where it leads you, and you are guaranteed to learn something that you don’t already know.  You are guaranteed to learn something about life, about love, about yourself, and about everyone else.

May love fill your heart always.  

What's NEW!
Love Your Body, Love Your Life
By Sarah Maria
 

Love Your Body, Love Your Life with Sarah Maria

It’s time to love the skin you’re in!  If all you see when you look in the mirror is cellulite, wrinkles, or worse, you’re not seeing what—and who—is really there.  A whopping 90 percent of us are dissatisfied with our bodies.  These self-destructive thoughts and behaviors are ruining our lives—but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Learn how to feel good about your body—and celebrate its strength, vitality, and beauty.  Complete with exercises, case studies, and testimonials, you’ll learn how to stop obsessing over food and your body and achieve permanent peace with both. 

Do you long to love your body and love your life

Click here to purchase your book today. 

 


Sarah Maria's
“Love Your Body Now!”
  Love Your Body Now! Audio CD by Body Image Expert, Sarah Maria

Do you love your body?  Honestly, do you?

If you can't answer YES to this question, you may be suffering from Negative Body Obsession, or NBO.  Negative Body Obsession will rob you of your vitality, your joy, and your love.  But it doesn’t need to be that way.  

Love Your Body Now! is a downloadable audio CD, complete with music and guided instruction, designed to help you break free from Negative Body Obsession and live a life that you love.

It includes 16 MP3 Tracks, full of exercises and visualizations, designed to help you love your body and love your life.  Life should be a love affair – learn to live the love that you are starting today.

From the back cover of the CD:

Living in this day and age, it is all too easy to believe that we are not good enough.  We are not thin enough; we are not toned enough.  We are not young enough; we are not healthy enough.  We are not beautiful enough.  In a culture that worships thin, young, fit, and perfect, few of us can measure up.  And this fixation with that we are not extinguishes the joy and vibrancy of who we are.

But there is a way out.  It is possible to love and respect your body, be at peace with your natural urges, and live without constant fear of gaining weight or growing old.  If you are ready to reclaim your creativity, your vibrancy, and your passion, this CD will help you overcome Negative Body Obsession and unleash the power of your potential.

Order your copy of “Love Your Body Now!” today. (Also available in hard copy.)
 


Break Free Beauty Introductory Package
(Now Available for Download!)


Are you longing to transform your relationship to food and your body? Use 2010 to create the change you desire. Learn how to love your body, while improving your eating habits and eliminating your negative body thoughts. Take advantage of this extensive package of healing support.

You will learn how to love and appreciate your body with Sarah Maria’s Love Your Body Now! CD, improve your eating habits with guided meditations lead by Holistic M.D. Malynn Utzinger, and break free from your negative body thoughts and self-talk through discovering new strategies provided by Psychologist Clare Mann. 

The Break Free Beauty Introductory Package includes:

Break Free Beauty Introductory Package

. . . And now all of these valuable tools can be accessed in an easy-to-download format (MP3 audio files, and PDF document files). 

Click here for complete details and to learn more about each of these amazing resources. 




Awakening the Feminine:
Connecting to Your Source of Power
  Awakening The Feminine with Sarah Maria

Do Are you ready to live your Unlimited Potential?

Are you ready to realize the Greatness that you already are?

Learn how to live a mythical life! Do you feel trapped in negative beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors? Learn about ancient archetypal figures from the eastern tradition. You can harness the power of the feminine to transform your life on every level. Discover which myths and stories resonate with you, and harness their power to live with love, beauty, and grace.

Within each one of us, there is a power, a profound power, that if we allow it to flow through us, it will transform our lives in ways we never imagined possible.

In this digital audio course, I will introduce you to the notion of archetypes. You will discover that you can learn to consciously embody archetypal energy in your life. You will learn about the mythical gods and goddesses of ancient India, and discover how to invoke and embody their powers to transform your problems and challenges into opportunities.

Click here to awaken your archetypal energy.  

Coaching with Sarah Maria
Private Coaching with Sarah Maria
   

Sarah MariaAre you ready to take your life to the next level?  Are you ready to commit to transformation for real?

If you know more is possible in your life, if you are yearning to break free from limiting thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors, consider hiring a personal coach. I personally guarantee that I would  not be where I am today without the help of amazing teachers, mentors, and coaches. I believe in the importance of investing in yourself because this has been a key ingredient in my own transformation, and in the success of my colleagues. 

When you invest in yourself, you are making a phenomenal investment that will serve you consistently and produce a manifold return.

  • If you are looking to finally end your struggle with food and your body and create lasting peace with both, or improve any other area of your life, consider personal coaching.

  • If you are ready to take your personal and spiritual evolution to the next level; if you find yourself in the midst of change and wanting guidance, consider personal coaching.

To learn more about personal coaching with me, read client testimonials, and decide whether it might be a good fit, visit www.breakfreebeauty.com/coaching.


Consider what one of my teachers and co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul says about coaching:

“You would never expect an athlete to reach the Olympic Games without a world-class coach. Nor would you expect a professional football team to enter the stadium without a whole team of coaches…today coaching has moved into the business and personal realm to include coaches who have succeeded in your area of interest – who can help you traverse this same path or even one far greater. Of all the things that successful people do to accelerate their trip down the path to success, participating in some kind of coaching program is at the top of the list.”
--Jack Canfield, The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

I would be truly honored for an opportunity to accompany you along your path of total transformation!


Coaching FAQ

Private Coaching with Sarah Maria

A few people have called me with questions about coaching, "How do you work?" and "Is this right for me?"  So I decided to put together this brief FAQ to help answer any questions that you might have. 

If after reading you still have questions, please feel free to email me at sarahmaria@sarahmaria.com or call 510-326-9610 to find out if coaching with me is right for you.  

  1. How does your coaching work?

    All sessions are conducted over the phone.  They are 60 minutes in length.  Each session begins with a brief 10-minute period of silent meditation.  If you do not yet have a meditation practice, I will give you a mantra and instruction for an ongoing meditation practice.  After the silent meditation, we will discuss whatever is on your mind and in your heart.

    The coaching process is much less about me and much more about you.  I serve as a guide to help you discover and uncover what is already within yourself.

    If you are struggling with particular issues, those will come to the surface so that you can see and respond to them more clearly and appropriately.  If you are looking to grow or change in particular ways, this will become apparent as well.  All that is required is that you be willing to engage in the process.  If you are willing to show up, look at whatever needs to be seen, feel whatever needs to be felt, and process whatever needs to be processed, then it will lead you exactly where you need to go. If you are interested in coaching, you just have to ask yourself one question: are you willing to accept what is being offered?  Are you willing to transform into that which you truly already are?

  2. How will coaching help me?

    Coaching will help you in whatever way is appropriate given your particular situation.  There is no set way – no one-size fits all – no cookie-cutter approach.  The reason it is called individual coaching is because it is exactly that – it is individual, customized entirely to your specific situation and unique needs.  As mentioned above, if you are ready and willing to change, then coaching will help lead you from wherever you are to wherever life wants you to be.

  3. How do I know if coaching is right for me?

    Follow your heart.  This might sound cliché, but it is absolutely true.  Follow your heart.  If you have been reading my e-zines for a while, you have heard me talk about the heart being the seat of wisdom.  The heart is the master; the mind is the servant.  Often when you try to figure out what to do in your mind, you feel nothing but confusion.  But even when you feel confused in every way, your heart will lead you exactly where you need to go.  So simply ask yourself: do you feel called to coach with me?  Do you feel pulled to connect in that way?  If the answer is yes, then consider taking advantage of the Spring special and experience five sessions with me.  If the answer is no, then simply go where your heart tells you.  There are many teachers, many resources, many paths.  The best way to find your path, your teachers, and your guides, is simply through following the wisdom of your heart that is always there, quietly waiting for you to follow it.
About Sarah Maria

Sarah Maria is the author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life. The book outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and about your body and yourself. Her work embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, so that true and lasting healing can occur. Click here to purchase your copy and begin to love your body today. To learn more about Sarah Maria and her work, you can visit her website at www.SarahMaria.com and www.BreakFreeBeauty.com.

Sarah Maria is a body-image expert and teacher who can help you discover the beauty that you already are so that you can create a body and a life that you truly love.
 
She has studied with the leading experts in health, spirituality, personal development, and success, including Deepak Chopra, physician Dr. David Simon (co-founder of the Chopra Center for Well-being in Carlsbad, CA), Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield, renowned Ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad, and many others. She is a lover of eastern philosophy and spiritual wisdom and passionately shares these teachings that have so transformed her own life.

Before founding Break Free Beauty, Sarah Maria received her law degree from Stanford University and her Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University in NYC. She has lived and traveled throughout Latin America, and has also visited many countries around the world. Her greatest passion is helping people discover the beauty and the greatness that resides inside so they can live from this place of grandeur, transforming themselves and the world.

© 2010 Break Free Beauty by Sarah Maria. All Rights Reserved.