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The Nightingale, a Women's Resistance Tale from WWII - Timely for Women NOW

1/18/2017

As women take to Marching on Washington this Saturday to protest for women's rights and the rights of all, I am reminded of one of my favorite reads from 2016, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

The Nightingale tells the story of two French sisters who fight the Nazis, each in different ways, during WWII. The bravery of women in the French underground is a story we haven't heard before - and one which Hannah intensely researched for this novel. Both sisters are crippled by the death of their mother and abandonment by their father, leaving them with shattered personal power (Sacral Chakra) and an inability to forgive (Heart Chakra), actually affecting all of their chakras.

Through this captivating tale, each finds a way to overcome fear, through re-connection and love. This book is exceptional for its historical accuracy and the two women's social/political activism - Hannah told us at a writing conference I went to in November that her inspiration for the younger sister, Isabelle (known as The Nightingale), was the real life story of a woman who led downed RAF pilots in France on foot over the steep, snowy Pyrenees to Spain so they could return to their fight against the Nazis. The second sister saves countless Jewish children as she takes care of her own daughter and fights the Nazis in her own way - even as they take over her home in the French countryside.

The Nightingale is an affirmation of the strength of women even under the most dire oppression - and one which can give every reader the inspiration to speak and act her own truth.

This brings me back to our current political situation. How can you get involved and fight for love and equality for all? The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world, that women's rights are human rights. "We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us," say the organizers.

If you can't make it to Washington, D.C. on January 21, join or host a Sister March near you. Sister Marches are solidarity events inspired by the Women's March on Washington, and organized by volunteers around the world. For more information, see https://www.womensmarch.com.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra
www.theChakras.org

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Open and Heal your Heart Chakra by Forgiving Everyone for Everything

2/10/2014

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Can you forgive everyone that's ever hurt you, including yourself? With Iyanla Vanzant's help in her new book, Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything, I was able to recognize emotions I thought had been long ago dealt with, and deal with them as I traveled the forgiveness journey with her.Spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant takes you headfirst, soul deep into the practice of forgiving yourself, your body, your life, your parents, your choices, your relationship with money, and more... no stone or grudge is left unearthed.

We can heal our Heart Chakra through forgiveness. The term "a broken heart" can be taken literally if we look at the Heart Chakra and recognize that the heart bond we've made with another is torn, or the flow of energy is damaged because of lack of self-love. Holding on to anger, resentment or judgment can cause the Heart Chakra energy to become stagnant, blocked, or even too open with no filters.

What is the benefit of following Iyanla's forgiveness protocols in this book? Practicing forgiveness, as she demonstrates, helps you keep your energy clear and manifest what you truly want... living your life with more love for yourself and others. Through the journaling pages and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping instructions in the book, and the soothing meditations in the accompanying CD, you are given the tools to eliminate any excess mental or emotional weight that keeps you stuck in repetitive situations, circumstances and experiences that are not healthy or productive.

You can simply read this book for its wonderful insights and interesting "Forgiveness Stories" in each chapter. Or you can take it one day at a time with Iyanla and spend 21 days following her system of total forgiveness. It's work, but it's worth it. As she says, "Forgiveness helps to transform and eliminate the energy blockages that we hold in our minds about who we are and who others are, and the subsequent issues or upsets that grow from the thoughts, beliefs and judgments we hold." If found the part on letting go of judgments to be very powerful, as they create needless suffering.

Although I practice Dynamind, a simplified version of EFT that I describe in my books Chakra Secrets and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life, I found the tapping effective in eliminating the stress caused by energetic blockages from negative thoughts that needed to be forgiven.

Day 1 in the Forgiveness Ritual is "Forgiving Myself for Judging Myself," the most self-loving, self-affirming practice you can do, opening the heart, mind and spirit to greater possibilities. Once you reach Day 18 and "Forgive the World," you spend the last three days of the program writing forgiveness letters that you never send, because acknowledging your emotions and writing them is what is important. Once completed, forgiveness will be a new tool in your skill set to live your life to the fullest.

Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life, Chakra Secrets, and The Chakra Diaries

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Forgiveness Brings Success to your Life

10/17/2011

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Buddha said, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." Unfortunately we are all holding on to anger of one sort or another, against one parent or another, an ex-lover, ex-husband, ex-employer, etc. In The Chakra Diaries, several of the characters are held back from the lives they want by the anger they're holding on to toward themselves and others.

A new book by my friend, Dr. William Jacobson, Forgive to Win, explains fully and completely why it's necessary and in our own best interests to let anger go.

There are many wonderful books on Forgiveness already on my bookshelf, but I welcomed this one because it lays out a structured daily program, it's not just a philosophical treatise. The steps suggested help train ourselves to let go of self-sabotaging behavior and learn to love ourselves - by loving and forgiving others, no matter what they've done. Once our self-esteem is raised to the heights possible through self-love, there's nothing you can't achieve.

Forgiveness may seem like an easy task, but it's not. And Dr. Jacobson guides the reader in how to forgive. His "Forgiveness Diet" is a unique set of recommendations to help us establish and maintain the 90-day commitment to acts of kindness and forgiveness that could literally change one's life. He also includes Forgiveness Affirmations and Visualizations that I and my counseling clients have already used to great benefit.

Looking at it from the vantage point of health, anger throws us off-balance, especially in the solar plexus and heart chakras, and creates tension that can lead to chronic pain and disease. Forgiveness opens the floodgates of our body's own healing energy, and keeps us grounded, alert, empowered and able to recognize opportunities for success.

The last chapter of the book is entitled, "Getting Everything You Want!" If you don't already have it, I highly recommend this book.
Namaste!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries

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Becca Chopra

A holistic healer, yoga/meditation instructor and author - sharing chakra knowledge to increase your health and well-being, and love how you look and feel. Her latest book is THE CHAKRA ENERGY DIET. For ongoing support, send in your questions to Chakra Chatter.

Connect with Becca Chopra on Facebook and Twitter:

TheChakras.org

The Nightingale, a Women's Resistance Tale from WWII - Timely for Women NOW

Open and Heal your Heart Chakra by Forgiving Everyone for Everything

Forgiveness Brings Success to your Life

Becca Chopra

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