Dear Friend,

Well, summer is officially winding down, and Fall is on its way. For everyone in the United States, post-Labor Day means new beginnings for many: back-to-school, re-focusing on work, saying good-bye to the relaxed energy of summer time and embracing the transition. For me, post-Labor Day means merely two months left to my book launch. It is a fascinating time. I commenced this project two years ago. In fact, it was almost exactly this time, the beginning of September 2007 when I first began fleshing out the idea for the book, hired an editor, and developed a proposal. Wow - it is amazing to look back over everything that has transpired since that time!

One of the valuable lessons I have learned through this whole process is that you really can turn your dreams into reality. Some dreams take longer than others to manifest, but slowly and surely, they manifest in the world. Creation begins as a thought - an internal thought - view able only by you. Every night before I went to bed I visualized this book, title, cover, endorsements, and all. For a while, the vision was just a picture in my imagination - words and colors appearing in my mind. Now it is showing up in the external world. It began as a thought, an idea, and now it is a book, and not only a book, but a whole business. And life has naturally evolved to help support this vision - I have met amazing people, been introduced to wonderful companies, and received support in innumerable ways. According the law of dharma, when you set an intention, the universe conspires to help you fulfill it.

When our intentions are focused on the well-being of others and ourselves, we can receive the support of the entire universe to help us manifest our dreams and desires.

Yet I have also learned another truth: Every vision, every dream, every aspiration, is most effectively fulfilled when you are detached from the outcome.  As the Bhagavad Gita, the ancient Indian text states, "You can choose your actions, but you have no control over results of your actions." In this way, you can navigate your life, dreaming and creating, while experiencing poise and equanimity. Ultimately, who we truly are remains unaffected by any successes or failures we may experience. Whether life appears to be manifesting in the direction we want it to, or in a different direction altogether- ultimately it is irrelevant. It is irrelevant in the sense that who we are remains the same. For you are not the picture, which is always changing, fluctuating according to the ebb and flow of life. You are the immutable witness, the eternal Source of all that arises in your awareness. As you come to know this part of yourself, you will become more effective at creating a life that you love, but more importantly, you will come to know yourself as that which is beyond love and hate, pleasure and pain, success and failure. Although you give rise to exp erience, you are not the experience.

Questions or comments?  Please post to my blog: www.BreakFreeBeauty.com/blog/. As always, please forward this ezine along to anyone you might enjoy!

There are a lot of exciting things going on right now, so please be sure to check out the announcements below. As you all know by now, I am speaking at a Virtual Summit this Thursday Nov. 10th - details are below. I also met a woman recently who has a new tele-class launching on how to create optimum health. She is a nutritionist and teaches a course designed to get your nutrition and fitness exactly where you want them to be. Defintely check this out. Finally, there is a great book by renowned fitness expert, designed to help you feel great in your body and experience the energy and vitality that you deserve!

So it's a long e-zine this week, but well-worth the read!  Pour a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy what the universe is sending your way… :)

Here is to a wonderful Fall - may all of your dreams come true!

Peace, Love, and Beauty,

Sarah Maria

What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?

What do you see when you look in the mirror?  If you are like most people, looking in the mirror doesn’t conjure up magnificent images of beauty like a Michelangelo painting. On the contrary, here is the reflection that most people see staring back at them:

• My butt is too big

• My arms are too flabby

• My hair is too flat, too curly, or too drab

• My face has too many wrinkles

• I have cellulite on the back of my thighs

• My breasts are starting to sag

• My muscles are non-existent

• I am way too short

• I am way too tall

• I am too fat

• I am too skinny

On and on the list goes, ad nauseum, replete with a list of our supposed imperfections. In fact, I don’t know anyone who looks in the mirror and is struck by a sense of wonder and beauty. It occurred to me a while back that this is truly tragic. After all, the human body is one of the most amazing and astounding creations on this planet. The intricacies of the human body, where all is orchestrated effortlessly and in perfect rhythm, is enough to take your breath away.

Why is it that so few people view themselves with a sense of wonder, a sense of awe, and a sense of enchantment? Why in the world is this?

Well, of course there are many reasons, but for now I will focus on the socially-induced delusion that has been propagated throughout society, passed down generation from generation, silently aiding and abetting in this delusional construct of “not quite good enough.”

It’s an insidious belief that can seep unannounced into your psyche with debilitating effects. It is the belief tha t you are just not quite beautiful enough, attractive enough, or good enough. It is the belief that if you changed somehow, then you would be better than you are right now.

Now don’t get me wrong, the urge for self-improvement is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the desire to improve can help your life evolve in beautiful and exciting ways. Any desire to improve or change, however, is most effective when it comes from a place of self-acceptance. When you fully accept the present, you can intend the future. When you fully accept yourself, you can make healthy changes that will bring positive results. On the other hand, when you attempt to change from a place of inadequacy, frustration, or insecurity, your goals are often stymied and you are faced with limited success.

Here is one thing you must know: Who you are is inherently and absolutely perfect, whole, beautiful, and complete. Simply know this, and you can live a life of unsurpassed beauty.

Consider these words by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a well-known sage,

This quote has the power to truly transform your body and your life. Simply set right your idea of yourself by attending to the mental beliefs you have about your body and yourself.

The first idea that must be set straight is that something is wrong with you and with your body. I cannot stress this enough. Many people spend every day believing that something is wrong with their bodies – not thin enough, not toned enough, not young enough – you read all this above. This is the fundamental limiting belief that must go. No matter where you are at, no matter what your body has or hasn’t done – your body is your ally and your greatest support on this journey through life.

The next idea, and what Maharaj is speaking about in the quote above, is that who you truly are is beyond the body and the mind. Who you truly are is magnificent beyond description, because it is beyond any experience. And ultimately it is when you know yourself as you truly are, beyond all thoughts, all sensations, and all experiences, that you will experience the bliss that is your birthright. As you connect with this part of yourself, the you which is beyond all experience, it will radically alter how you view yourself, your body, and the world around you.

The Real Sexy, Smart, and Strong
by World-renowned Fitness Expert, David Patchell-Evans

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World-renowned Fitness Expert David Patchell-Evans’ inspirational and practical new book, The Real Sexy Smart and Strong (with emphasis on the real!) will change your life!

On Sept. 9, log on to www.DavidPatchellEvans.com/book to order the book and receive over $4000 worth of bonuses.

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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. Her first book, Love Your Body, Love Your Life, is being published by Adams Media and will be available for purchase in November '09. She combines ancient spiritual wisdom with modern science and shows you, step-by-step, how to pacify your mind, heal your heart, befriend your body, and transform your life.

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.