After the photo shoot

Yesterday was a whirl wind of emotions.  The photo shoot was a ride of fun. 

Later that evening, I had a shower, and I was over come with emotions.  I imagined "saw" my family my Aunts and Mum saying to me that I am beautiful.

I just started to cry and sob in the shower.  I then said to myself I am beautiful over and over again.  I also for the first time let out howls/tones, in between the sobs.

It was like a release of emotions from deep within my body.

The song by Christina A. "Beautiful" came into my mind as well.  The words are pretty powerful!

Find the video below with the words.

Huge break through

Today I had a professional photo shoot.  To be more specific I did a boudoir photo shoot.  I took a huge step to break out of my comfort zone to really see myself as the beautiful Goddess that I am.

It was a huge challenge for me.  I was really nervous to start with.  But Shauna and Sheldon from Impressive Photography helped me feel safe, supported and respected.  I took these photo's for me.  To celebrate my wins.  To really see myself as the beautiful Goddess that I am.

It was a wonderful experience, as I breathed through the experience I had small snippets of  "oh my gosh".  Growing up being severely teased called ugly, fat, stupid, and many other words, use your imagination, my self esteem of my own beauty wasn't very high.

While in University living/surviving through the abusive relationship put my self esteem in the toilet.  Being controlled by my at that time boyfriend with every move I did has really played on my self confidence.

I also had issues even till a few years ago of feeling like the "fat sister", I was a size 16 - 18 a few years ago.  Now I celebrate being the size 11, yes I'm not done my journey but I need to celebrate the small steps.

But I think one of the biggest wins I had during the photo shoot was being able to do the photo shoot in front of others.  The beautiful Shauna and her husband Sheldon.  Especially Sheldon, with him being in the room when I was in my bra/undies as well as the other photo shoot with just using my boa strategically placed by Shauna.  Because I am well blessed in my chest I am very self conscious about my chest.  I really had to breath through this part, but I did it and what I've seen of the photo's from the camera they look really amazing!

Finally I wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything like this since before doing Burlesque dancing.  But doing the dancing has really fast tracked my ability to love myself, and raise my confidence in myself.  I felt powerful, confident, in control, and sexy during the photo shoot!  And I know I did all the work on myself, but I really do thank all my teachers, friends, family who've supported me in my growth and healing.

I highly recommend all Goddesses to go and see Shauna and and Sheldon, they will treat you like a super model and an amazing Goddess that you all are!

Exciting new additions!

I would love to let you all now know in this moment there have been some great changes for the website Awakening Goddess!

First off, I now have my own business cards!  To hand out to the public, friends, leave in different places.  I love them!  On the left hand side of the card is this powerful looking Goddess with firey red hair!

Also I now have an e-mail address strictlly for business, aime@awakeninggoddess.com

I am excited to see how these magical creations take flight!  I invite you to the website, and if you feel moved I welcome you to sign the guest book and spread the link to your friends!

The fan page called Wisdom, Beauty, Grace, and Laughter is also growing in strength as well.  There is almost 300 wonderful people as fans on the site.  Can't wait to see how that frows as well!  I am excited to see how it all blooms into more love!!

This is how I am feeling right now today as I sit here creating and dreaming in my favourite local coffeee shop!  I found this music video on youtube, I do not own the music or any rights to the video.  It's just something I found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JneZwh-Fm2U&feature=related

Create magic everyone!  We all have the power to create it!!

Mix it up!

So today I decided to venture out of my apartment to a different coffee shop.  I am still at a Second Cup, but a different one.  I also decided to try a different latte, it's Maple flavour!  Very yummy!! 

That got me thinking.....how often do you change your routine?  Do you go to work/school the same way every day? 

When's the last time you tried something new?  Even if it's just a different kind of tea that you've not had before?  I know if I had not tried the Bengal Spice tea (the one with the tiger on the box) I would not have fallen in love with it.

Same with trying the new style of dance, trying the Burlesque dance was something way new for me.  A totally different style of dance for me.  Growing up learning classical ballet, to burlesque is quite the switch!  If I hadn't started dance with my amazing teacher Di I wouldn't have found my purpose for the world, and not created Awakening Goddess! 

Is it because of fear that others don't try new things?  Possibly, the unknown can be very scary for some.  I know it is for me.  It's like jumping off of a cliff into a river, I don't know how I will land, if I will recover from the jump, and how I will float down the river.  But I take a big deep breath and jump anyway.

Life is like a river or roller coaster.  It has it's ups and downs, or as the river, it has it's fast moving currents, rapids, and also slow flowing parts.  It's all wonderful, it's all apart of life. 

So I want to encourage you to mix it up!  Try something new!  You might really enjoy it, or not.  But if you don't try you won't know if you like something or not.

Find below a video of a song I found on you-tube.  I do not own the video or the music, it's just something I found and wanted to share with you!

Correct and Continue

I was reminded today of a good practice and I want to share it with you all.  It is the practice of "correct and continue".

I had to make some corrections at work with a few things for the pre-school that I am an admin person for.  I am new to the over all position, and doing the admin is one of the things I now do.

I just breathed through it and said to myself correct and continue.  Fix and do the things I missed and keep going.  For tomorrow will be another day and a better day.

I want to share a video I found on youtube about this exact practice.  It's from the poem "Don't Quit"  It keeps me going!  Now  today's "correct and continue" wasn't too crazy, as some of the phrases in this video.  But I've been there too.  And what doesn't kill me makes me stronger!  Just breathe and keep going!

Change Your World

There's a great song called "Change Your World" by Heather Small.  The words are pretty powerful.  Heather sings about changing your world, start with yourself.  That each of us have our own strength and power to change our world.

What has to happen today for you to change your world?  Even if it's a micro mini step?  I am breathing and doing things that I love, I am keeping my heart open and open to receive.

Choosing to say yes to myself.  Even if it's no to someone else.  Everyone is able to say yes to themselves.  We are each powerful creators, we all have amazing strength. 

Do you dare to dream big?  I am realizing that dreaming big is a good thing to do.  Even if it's a little scary.  Seeing that yes I can have what I want because I am worth it.  It is a thrilling experience when I realized this.  A little bit scary, but awesome all at the same time.  I remember when this feeling first came over me, I was having a coaching session, and I just started to cry, my heart was hurting because it was trying to be open, but my ego wanted to keep it closed and safe.  I pushed through and fully let myself open to the Universe.

I'm creating my own reality.....I have my own business cards coming to me by the end of this week.  I have my own website that I invite you to http://www.awakeninggoddess.com/  I am really putting myself out there, willing to be seen.

I have my first real professional photo shoot coming in the middle of Sept.  The team that will be doing my photo shoot can be found here:  http://www.impressivephotography.com/  I am doing both a boudoir photo shoot and a professional one.  I am super excited stepping outside my box to do the boudoir one.

I am choosing to change my world, as I wrote yesterday I submitted a nomination to be recognized as a Radical Woman of 2011 at an International Conference to be held in the United States.  I am realizing that I am worth it.  I deserve to be seen for who I am, for what I am doing, and how I am choosing to change my own world, my own reality.  It's a powerful experience.  A thrilling experience.

I know in my heart that I am changing my world.....

What has to happen today for you to change your world?

Find below a music video that I found on youtube, I do not own any part of the video or the music.  It's from an amazing performer Francesca Battistelli.  Her song is called "It's Your Life"

Get Radical Woman's Award 2011

I've been a fan of a page on facebook for a little over a year now called Get Radical Women's Conference. I saw the message on their fan page about nominations for the 2011 awards. I decided to nominate myself. Nominations are open to women in Canada as well as the USA. And self nominations are allowed as well. Find below my nomination essay that I just finished writing and submitting to the organization committee.


Yes I work a "9 - 5" job for Metis Calgary Family Services as a Community Animator for Aboriginal Parent Link. However, this is not my true passion in life.

That is why I started the company Awakening Goddess. I have figured out my purpose in life. It is to inspire women to be fully who they are and accept their own wisdom, beauty, grace and power!

I grew up like many girls having many self confidence issues, body issues, and self esteem issues. I was severely bullied by both the boys and girls in my grade school years from grades four to eight. And I am a survivor of an abusive relationship while in University

I as well like many women have dealt with my weight through out my adult life. However it was about 3 years ago when I hit my top clothing size 16/18. I didn't like myself, the way I looked or anything.

I came across the TV show The Biggest Loser and fell in love with the show. I cried along with the participants each week, and could relate to a lot of what they were saying. The trainers on the show were amazing, I love them both, although I am a fellow “Team Jillian” fan.

I decided it was time for me. I’m choosing to eat healthier, and live a more healthier life style. I’m not done my journey but I have so far gone from the size 16/18 to a size 11 (currently while writing this).

While choosing to live healthier, I also took that to look after my mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies as well. I’ve been doing personal growth seminars re learning who I really am, reclaiming my self power and worth. And learning to dream big.

I also stumbled upon an amazing fitness dance class called Burlesquercise. It’s called “sexy fitness” by my dance instructress. Sexify your soul my dance instructress says. To get into my body and move it, learning how to be sensual in my dancing has not been easy. I grew up classically ballet trained for 11 years. So when I first started my dance classes my instructress was showing us what to do, how to move and then touching our own bodies in a sensual way was very hard for me to do.

Now though I love it! Realizing that my purpose is to inspire women to be fully who they are and accept their own wisdom, beauty, grace, and power through sacred body movement brings me such joy! I love seeing the women come to the one on one’s that I do, or mini lessons for a group of girl friends with the uncertainty of what is going to happen, to watch them bloom open to have fun and enjoy moving their bodies.

That’s why I feel I deserve the Radical Woman’s Award for 2011, it’s important I feel for women to be comfortable in their own skin, to fully be who they are and accept their own wisdom, beauty, grace, and power! Thank you for considering me!

Heart's Desires

A while ago this quote came into my e-mail box: "Understand your purpose in life by feeling your heart's desires." ~ Marcia Wieder

This quote really spoke to me. As I sit here this morning in a local coffee shop I look around and wonder how many others in the shop really know what their purpose in life is?

What in life makes their heart sing? What gets them jazzed about life?

What gets you jazzed about life? What makes your heart sing?

Why do you get up in the morning? What keeps you going?

My coach has a wonderful message on her facebook page: "You have the power to transform your own life. Get clear on your purpose - then open your heart and let it come to you."

I love this message too! It was she who helped me figure out my purpose. I open my heart and let go of the "how" things will happen. I will create magic! I am a powerful creator. Yes I have to take steps to create the magic, and so do you!

I know I've written about this before, but I'll keep doing it! I love inspiring other women, I love watching them step into their power. Through many outlets, but one for sure is through sacred body movement. It is something I could do I love it, it's a job I could do for free. It's my passion/purpose to inspire women to be fully who they are and accept their own wisdom, beauty, grace and power.

Another thing I've done to step into my own power, is that I've booked my photo shoot with Impressive Photography. I will be doing a boudoir photo shoot with them, as well as a shoot that's more on the professional side of things. I've never done a boudoir photo shoot before.

Growing up with lots of body self image issues I had a huge struggle with seeing myself as beautiful. As well as lots of self confidence issues, it was a struggle growing up sometimes. I thought of myself especially in high school as the "fat sister". My younger sister I thought at that time was prettier because she was smaller than I was.

But now, I've come to accept my body the way it is, and love it as it is now. Yes I am still on a journey to live healthier and eat healthier, but it will always be there. I've journeyed from being a size 16/18 to now a size 11! I am proud of what I've done.

I give thanks to my teachers along my journey. Di from Burlesquercise for it is you who helped me bring out my inner sex kitten! And learn the body movements that I now use to inspire my own clients. The entire Sr. Staff team at WarriorSage for helping me figure out who I am, develop my personal power, and shine my true heart.

Doing the work on myself, taking time for me has been important. I wish for you to take time for yourself, and see what your heart really desires to do.

Blessings!