Tara's Touch Stones for Living At Peak

Wake Up – Stay conscious and aware rather than going numb.  Some people numb themselves with alcohol, food, drugs, TV or digital entertainment.  To really live life at peak, we must be awake and aware of our world – the inner world, our microcosm, and the outer world, our macrocosm.   Take time to allow your mind to connect with your body and be aware of what’s going on.   Observe the observer. Being awake, you can observe your emotions, both negative and positive, your physical sensations, cravings and desires - all that moves us in life.  Being awake allows you to make conscious choices, to choose a new path, to choose positive over negative, to choose what supports you rather than what undermines your greatest opportunities in life.

Make Up – Make peace with the past.  Resolve inner conflicts and make up with yourself rather than fighting with yourself.  Forgiveness is a heartfelt way of healing the past and restoring harmony.  Recognize the lessons learned from trials by fire and trust that it all has served a higher purpose on your path.  Making peace with yourself and others allows you to be in the present instead of living in the past.  And being in the present allows you to embrace and savor the moments of now, which are precious pearls of life.

Live It Up - Identify what things in life give you the most joy.  What are you passionate about?  Include those things in your life NOW.   When we’re engaged in activities that we enjoy and are excited about, we feel most vital and alive.  Weaving that which you love to do in with your responsibilities and “have to’s,” will bring more balance and pleasure to your life.

Time Out - It’s essential to make space for reflection by unplugging from our digital world.  Savasana, or corpse pose in yoga, represents a time of surrender after exertion.  Giving ourselves down time, or conscious rest, allows the body to restore and the mind to calm.  We need time out from our “fight or flight mode”, the persistent urge to make things happen, to do it all, and from being “at battle” out in the world with our defenses up.  Time out is refuge for the soul.  It’s a time to drop defenses, slow down and recharge.

Get Out - Take time to be in Nature, to reconnect with the Divinity of the Universe. The splendor of natural wonders is awe-inspiring and expands our view of life.  Breathing fresh air, moving our bodies and reaching out to the world, gives us a greater appreciation for our individual lives and for our planet.  We have a relationship with all things in the Universe; by exploring what is beyond our daily realm, we cultivate an appreciation for things beyond our own self-focused being.

Clean Out - Let go of old entanglements and anything that doesn’t serve you anymore. Old “baggage” is like toxins and waste products in your system.  It serves no purpose other than to bog you down, congest you and cloud your vision. The physical and mental run parallel in this principle. Cleansing the body in a gentle way, through a simplified diet and detoxifying herbs and supplements will help rid the body of that which doesn’t support optimal physiological function.  In turn, cleansing the mind of negative thoughts and destructive patterns will create new space for invoking positive thoughtful affirmation and clear intention.

Right On – Doing what is right serves the highest good. Acting with integrity and upholding ethical behavior cultivates positive energy, which is rewarding and fulfilling to heart and soul. Doing good in the world sows seeds of goodness that will support the best in mankind.  Doing what is right is doing no harm.  Doing what is right is clear, clean and empowering.

Shine On - Live in the light. Be the bright light. Be an inspiration to others. Let your light shine. Your beauty will radiate from the vibrancy within.