Beloved Friend,

Summer is coming to a close, which is funny because it seems like it just arrived...

Life is continuing along for me down here in Southern California. I am moving into a new apartment in a very nice new complex in Woodland Hills, which I am excited about (minus the fact that moving is, well, truly a pain – exhausting, disorienting, etc., etc. – anyone who has moved knows what I am talking about.) Sometimes we need to go through difficultly in order to get to where we want to go, or where we know we need to go.

Moving is a minor example for this much larger life-fact – difficulties and annoyances are as much a part of life as the joys. Going through difficulty is almost always a required part of getting to where we want to go. When you have this understanding, it can help you to take the difficulties in stride, knowing that they are part of the larger picture, part of the larger plan.

So I am moving into a new apartment in a lovely complex in Woodland Hills, CA. One thing I can tell you so far is that Woodland Hills is HOT. It is in the San Fernando Valley in the metropolis of Los Angeles and it feels like the desert that it is. Fortunately, my soon-to-be new home has air conditioning... I am delighted to have connected with fellow Stanford Alumni in the Los Angeles area. I am on the Board of two organizations here in Southern California – the Stanford Professional Women of Los Angeles and the Stanford Club of West LA. What is really exciting is that I am getting a chance to share my background and experience in health and well-being with fellow alums and their colleagues throughout the Los Angeles area.

To that end, there is an upcoming event that will be happening. This September 17th, I am helping plan a health fair with a lecture from nutritionist expert Sally Kravich, M.S., C.N.H.P, followed by opportunities to sample a variety of healing modalities from qualified practitioners.

If you live in the Southern California email sarahmaria@sarahmaria.com and I can register you for the event. It will be held in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

As my own life has continued to evolve and develop, I have been forced to look more and more deeply at the meaning of health. How do we live our lives, while taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being? The answer to this question unfolds only in the living of our lives, as each phase of life, each opportunity, each challenge, all growth, and all setbacks, coax us to discovering more deeply the meaning of a healthy life and how to move in that direction.

On that note, the next few e-zines will be a series focused on health and an inquiry into what true health entails. You might be physically healthy, but emotionally a wreck. You might have good nutrition but destructive relationships. Learn how to become more aware of the various aspects of health and gently more toward greater health in every area.

Also, GET READY for the latest new product that is coming out. I am developing a series of e-books that will build on material offered in the e-zine. They will be extremely affordably, immediately downloadable, an additional resource to assist you along in your journey.

To your health and well-being,

Sarah Maria
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True health requires agility. True health requires flexibility. Achieving and maintaining actual health requires growth. It requires dedication, maturity, and persistence. Here is what that means:

True health requires agility and flexibility

Developing and maintaining health requires agility and flexibility because we live in a dynamic world. Let’s face it – life is, well, life is constantly changing. There is never one second when life is not constantly in motion. What does this mean for your health? Consider physical health - you cannot attempt to find one solution, one diet, one anything that will work in every situation throughout your life. Your body is going to change; your environment is going to change. As your life develops, it is most likely that everything is going to change. Developing and maintaining health requires the ability to be flexible, the ability to bend depending on which way the wind blows. If you are rigid and the wind blows, chances are you will either brake or find yourself locked in resistance. On the other hand, if you are flexible, if you are nimble, you can feel a gentle breeze and use it to inform your decisions and help you adapt. In this way, health is a dynamic process.

As your life develops, as your life proceeds, you need to be able to adjust and shift, change and grow, depending on where life is sending you, or where you are taking life, however you choose to look at it. If you are sick, you must adapt to that, your needs will change, what is required to maintain health will change. If you are young, middle-age, or old, if you are working at home or in an office, whether you attend meetings or spend hours alone at your desk, your health requirements, your ideal diet, your ideal exercise – all of this will change. Flexibility and agility will allow you to discover what each new phase requires to help you maintain your health and well-being.

True health requires dedication

Taking care of your health requires dedication. It requires dedication in that you have to dedicate yourself to the task of taking care of your health. Remember – when I say health, I mean health in every area – physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, financially – health applies to every area of life. Most people in this day and age do not naturally know how to take care of their health. Whether it is emotional eating, destructive relationships, psychological abuse – you name it, most people’s lives are marked at some point or another with something other than optimal health and well-being.

So the first requirement is that you develop dedication to taking care of your health. For some, this might be learning how to take care of their health, since most of us are not born knowing how. For others, this might be renewing a commitment to take care of your health. You know how, life has just sent some challenges your way and you have to re-balance and re-focus on your health and well-being. Health requires that you are dedicated to come back again and again, making health a priority for yourself.

True health requires maturity and persistence

True health requires maturity and persistence. Health requires maturity because many times it involves saying “no”, and saying “no” to things that you want and enjoy. It might mean saying no to deserts, or alcohol, but it might also mean saying “no” to negative behavior, even if that behavior comes from people you love. It might mean saying “no” to one more client or involvement, if your schedule is already over-booked and over-burdened. It requires the maturity to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no”. It requires persistence because it is an ongoing process. It is not something that is developed or fixed and you never have to think of it again. It is something that ebbs and flows, depending on what is happening in your life. Persistence means that you are willing to persist, no matter the setbacks, obstacles, or challenges. Persistence also means that you continue along when there is success as well. You continue along, making health a priority for yourself.

Like everything in life, these skills – agility, flexibility, dedication, maturity, and persistence – committing to your health – these take time to grow. So whenever you find yourself fall short, there is no need to get discouraged or beat yourself up – this is almost always counter-productive. Instead, you just re-commit and re-focus, knowing that with practice absolutely everything gets easier.

To Your Health:

Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming series of e-books designed to help you develop and maintain your health in every area. If you enjoyed this article, you will love the latest series of e-books that will help you develop a deeper understanding of health in every area of your life.

Do you know that you have the freedom to become the person you want to be?

You can break free from unwanted patterns, habits, and behaviors. You can break free from needless anxiety, fear, and overwhelm.

The Renew Yourself Audio Series includes 6 recordings covering 6 different topics, all designed to encourage, uplift, and assist you in your journey.

Discover what is truly possible for your human lifetime, which I guarantee is more than you could ever imagine.  If you are ready to make a commitment to yourself to discover who and what you truly are, take advantage of this brand new product. You can also purchase calls individually for $17 each.

The Renew Yourself audio series is an opportunity to renew and revitalize, body, mind, and soul. This series is an inspiring, uplifting, and informative tool to help you along your path.

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.

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.

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.

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:

... And now all of these valuable tools can be accessed in an easy-to-download format!

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

Coaching is an opportunity to work one-on-one to transform your life on every level. Whether you're struggling to overcome suffering, or simply working to take your life to the next level, coaching will gently and persistently help you move in the direction you want to go.

Sarah Maria works with clients with any — and every — area of their life that they want to explore.  Here are a few examples of areas that she has covered with clients:

• Meditation
• Body image
• Weight
• Self-esteem
• Life / Work Balance
• Career Success
• Finding and Living your Spiritual Path
• Understanding Ayurveda to Improve Health
• Overcoming Loneliness
• Overcoming Depression
• Ending Anxiety
• Finding freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Is Coaching Right For Me?

Having a coach is an incredible gift. It is like having a trusted friend and advisor by your side. It is having someone in your corner, offering you the guidance, support, encouragement, to overcome any obstacles that you face.

Coaching FAQs:

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.

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.

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.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.