From the first day of your last period to a whole ass delivered baby is (usually) 42ish weeks or ~10 months. Stick with me here, I have a good point. Step one, you slough off whatever doesn’t serve you anymore in preparation of something bigger. Step two, the fertilized egg implants itself and begins to grow. The growth is slow at first, but then quickly ramps up, and with it comes the pain and discomfort of change. Oh shit, step three comes up quick! Now is the time to hustle, learn and put in the hard work to prepare yourself. In step four, you’re almost ready, you’ve created the space and picked a name. Then, step five, you birth your wonderful creation into this world. Hear me out, what if your baby was actually a business, or lifestyle change, or grand idea that improves lives? My theory is; if ~10 months is long enough to grow another human, then perhaps it is an ideal incubation period for other things.
When my sister was trying to conceive, she visited a hippie medicine man who asked her, what had she birthed thus far in her life. Years later, the question was directed across the dinner table at me. My business and my personal yoga practice were among my answers. I was thinking about this idea when it suddenly occurred to me, seven-ish years ago, when my lifestyle drastically changed, it took about 10 months of sobriety for me to decide I wanted to quit my job, freak the fuck out, figure out a new plan, hustle, put in my two weeks and leave for Costa Rica to invest in my personal development. It took about 10 months after realizing my worth before I decided to have sex again. It took about 10 months (okay, slightly longer) to get over two of my most difficult breakups.
So, if I took the next 10 months to intentionally shift my entire life, where would I end up? To understand the serendipity of this timeline, you would have to know general astrology, so lemme lay some woowoo on you. Ten months from right now would be the start of Leo season, my birthday and arguably the best time of the year. Leo season is about fun, sun, celebration and lots of love! It is the time to reap the benefits of your hard work, revel in your accomplishments, wake up earlier, stay up later and do absolutely anything that sends shivers of joy up your spine (in my humble opinion). After Leo season comes Virgo, and the intention behind this energy is to simplify, organize, tie up loose ends and basically clean up the mess you just made from all that celebrating. After Virgo season comes Libra, the season we are currently in. The astrology lady I follow on instagram said that libra energy is all about looking at the big picture, zooming out and viewing your whole life.
Now, if you happened to have glossed over all that astrology bullshit to this paragraph, let me explain it the way that most resonated with me: Astrology can not predict the future. It is, in its most simple form, a set of intentions to consider as you move through the seasons in a copasetic way. So, keeping that in mind, astrology says, “conceptualize your bigger picture, work through the growing pains, and in 10 months, celebrate all that you’ve accomplished, then slough the shit you don’t need and start again.”
I want to know, who will you be in July? What new birth will you be celebrating? What will your life look like?
Growth Mindset
my why
The bridge in between where you don’t want to be and where you don’t know exists is education. Investing in yourself, expanding your knowledge, will always lead you down the right path (even if the path doesn’t turn out as you initially thought). Since I spent the last two years floating around without making much progress on my own, I decided it was time to hire a mentor. She told me I needed to turn my focus away from what or how, and towards why. Why do I have a business? What is my purpose? What am I to accomplish in this one magical life? Here’s what we came up with: Leah’s lifework is to walk people into the understanding that they are okay. Through the transference of energy, she works with people to step deeper into the truth that living from their wholeness is what creates unification in our world.
Unification. Wholeness. Energy. Understanding.
Everything I do in my business is shifting from “how does this make me money?” to “how does this help others to navigate their own understanding and create wholeness?” How do you get back up again, how do you trust yourself, how do you move the pain, stiffness and tension through your body, how do you relax and let someone in? Starting with those who have been oppressed, I will work with women first, then those who identify with feminine energy.
Dating
avoiding conversations
My partner was telling me about a conversation he had with a guy who ghosted our friend. The ghost asked if our friend was actually seeing that guy she’s been soft launching on her instagram. My partner responded with, “Yeah, kinda, I think so.” which I said was not good enough! If a jerk who missed his chance is asking if your friend is dating that new, super hot guy, the answer is always, “Yes! It’s amazing, they’re in love, he gives her six orgasms in a row.”
“SIX?!?” My partner was shocked. “I thought I was doing good by usually making you cum once. On the scale of men that you’ve been with, where do I fall?”
Yikes! Anything but that question. I said nothing.
“That bad, huh?”
“Well, you have to consider other things, like your personality and how well you treat me.”
“Wow, THAT bad??” he looked like he could cry and I knew I was not handling the situation well.
I explained that while I was spending 90% of my energy trying to cum (something that seems to be “normal” for most women), there was a disconnect. I also explained that one person skyrocketed my expectations of what the experience should feel like, and everyone else has fallen short. He continued to ask more questions, trying to remedy the situation. We realized that similar to our sexual disconnect, there was a deeper intellectual connection missing as well. If you dumped our brains onto a whiteboard, there would be one with 300 thoughts scribbled all over the board with extra thoughts squeezed into the spaces in between (mine) and one with two really well thought out ideas (his). It’s a matter of life experience, trying new things, contemplating new ideas and connecting on a deeper level. At the end of the respectful, painless, productive conversation he asked, “If I hadn’t brought this up, would you?” Fuck no. I would have kept it to myself, let it fester and eventually imploded, like in every relationship that has preceded this one. He carefully pointed out that that strategy wouldn’t help either of us, and that’s when I realized, I’ve been stuck in this cycle for years (maybe my whole life). How many relationships have I shut down instead of just communicating? How many times have I tried to have a conversation with someone unwilling and emotionally unavailable? How many times have I felt something was wrong and chose to stay silent?
“Constantly asking for what you need means people can trust you to ask. They don’t have to be second guessing themselves, reading between the lines or worrying about you. They can simply enjoy being with you and trust that they will know when you need something, because you tell them. When you ask for what you need, you give a gift to the people you love.”
Thanks babe, for consistently blowing me away with your patience and skyrocketing my expectations of compassion in a relationship.
Frankly, I’m tired of repeating this recipe, so it will live here for a while
Bomb sauce is usually mixed in a mason like jar with a tight, shake-proof lid. Once prepared it can be used as a marinade, salad dressing, pasta sauce, cooked into a glaze, used in stir fry, added to soup, or used as a dipping sauce for bread. Literally whatever the fuck you want.
What you’ll need: sour, salty, sweet, savory, spicy.
Sour - any kind of vinegar (balsamic, rice, white wine or apple cider) or citrus (lemon, lime or orange juice), a little bit of pickle juice could do in a pinch if your fridge is barren
Salty - soy sauce, braggs, miso paste, or ramen noodle packet could do if you’re desperate.
Sweet- maple syrup, agave, brown sugar or honey (bonus points if it’s Moonflowers CBD honey)
Savory - this is what makes it so yummy! Add all the spices you want, remember to sniff and test as you go so it’s to your liking. I’ll almost always add fresh garlic, dijon mustard, fresh herbs like basil or cilantro (those little tubes of herbs are hella convenient for this), then dried rosemary, and whatever penzy spice I’m feeling.
Spicy- now I usually add this last because depending on the spices you’re using and your tolerance, you could be at your limit, or you may need to add more heat. Decide this last.
Here’s the key: if it’s too spicy, salty or sour, add sweet to neutralize it. If it’s too sweet, add savory to enhance it. Then play around until you find the right levels. Depending on what’s in your kitchen, this sauce could taste a little different every time. It’s a form of artwork, get playful and create.
In case you’re wondering about the ingredients, it’s coconut oil + cbd, two of a granola girls favorite things.
As Lizzo said, all I need is some coconut oil.
Facial massage - where my gua sha babes at? The coconut oil helps your tool glide smoothly while the cbd penetrates into your pores. Other than limiting refined sugar, this is my acne prevention secret!
Scalp remedy - Since I started sleeping with hair oil + a silk hair cap, the health of my hair and scalp have dramatically improved. If my scalp starts to feel tight, or my hair is looking a little drab from sun or salt, I jumpstart some extra goodness by switching my usual hair oil for cbd.
Oil pulling - Have you ever tried this technique? It’s claimed to detoxify your whole body. I don’t know about all that, but I do know that after five minutes of swooshing, I spit out some nasty stuff. Since I’m all about working smarting, not harder, I like the idea of replacing bad with good at the same time.
Lube - need I say more?
If you want to try moonflower’s General Wellness Tincture, use my code leahmoves10 for 10% off your order.
Reimagine your Practice a 90 minute 1:1 online class dedicated to the creation, understanding and maintenance of your own yoga/movement routine.
Emotional release I guide you through a 90 minute in person somatic session to shift tension out of your thoracic area, using manual manipulation, energy transference and breath work.
Whole Body Rework A combination of every tool and technique I’ve learned while working in the wellness industry for 11 years
This service will be offered 4 ways: 1:1 service, group class, personal daytreat + group retreat
+ a HUGE program with one of my favorite brands, I cannot wait to tell you all about it next week!
