i've been really enjoying my dance journey and i've learned enough be able to recognize that these are two DIFFERENT things 😳 "slow down" and "be present" are distinct cues

"be present" was too far a ladder rung for me to reach. i've been going so fast for so long that i needed to hear "slow down" constantly. what this command is REALLY aiming at is ultimately - be present

i'm too new at dance to be able to see any commonalities. i do know about weight lifting. a very common cue for squats is "knees out." you don't actually want your knees out. the desired posture is to have knees ALIGNED, and most people needed to put their knees out to GET to that position

of course, context matters. during a code blue, you best be moving with a sense of urgency trying to save someone's life. you need to be thinking 3 steps ahead and anticipating what might happen. even within this context, your chest compressions can't be too fast (heart won't refill) or too slow (body won't get oxygen)

in dance and in life, for me, that urgency, lurching forward, and anticipation is NOT helpful. the desired state is to be PRESENT. i hope to someday be able to hear "be present" and just click myself into place. i'm okay with not being there yet. (... which is a form of presence!? 🤪)

for however long i need this, i am grateful to have found the phrase "slow down." it means so much to me because it helps me come home - to the here and now 🥹

this question rang through me clear as a bell. will be journaling on this every day for the rest of 2024. join me? 🖤

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just journaled this prompt for 15 minutes. holy cow, what a rude awakening it was 🥴😫😖🫣 but i also want to celebrate! the fact that this question even occurred to me, and that i remembered it, and took action on it... means i guess my soul wants to and is ready to hear the answer! i'll 100% take that as a sign of growth

i can already see that the more honest i can be, the more accurate "results" i will get. *deep breath* let's do this. i know i have a tendency to think that any 1 thing holds The Key to my growth. but this question... whew! if you let it work ya and if you can be objective with even the shit you do NOT like... this really could be a big awakening for you

cheers to the last 2 months of 2024. may we be bold and true 🫡

i'm always learning more ways to "be present," but this cue, BY FAR, is my favorite lesson in presence. when dancing, being "on" the beat is technically correct. however, it feels effortful, seems rushed, and just looks... wonky. kind of like my "awkward" outfits from a few posts/podcasts ago

when my private dance instructor gave me a cue to be "IN" the beat, everything just clicked. i noticed there is actually sooo much time and space. like, there is literally no need to rush. even a 1 second beat has SO much time! like when dressing in my aligned colors and in cuts that enhance/honor my natural essence, dancing feels so much more enjoyable and *right* when i allow myself to be IN the beat

i am so grateful to be on this journey. everything is melting together in the most beautiful and delicious way. what a thing it is to be ALIVE!

here is the instagram video. can you see the point in time in this video when i switch from ON the beat to IN the beat? it is so clear to me. i want to apply this to my entire life!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBsLEI5v5-4/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

my new hair has me feeling even MORE naked when clothed than when i'm actually nude. it feels very raw and frankly uncomfortable to be seen to *this* degree. but i know this is just a sensation and a stretching that life wants for me right now. and *gulp* i am here for it!

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jennifer does colors virtually and i really love the hair ritual she held for me
https://www.invoketruebeauty.com/#join
https://www.facebook.com/jenna.brown.18007?mibextid=LQQJ4d

follow along with the photos on my post @nikiunleashed on instagram

on this episode, i'm sharing my past "bad" outfits 😂 frankly, my clothing at the time was
- to not be naked
- to be somewhat presentable and attractive
- things that i "liked" and looked cute on the shelf

with my current level of very novice expertise 😅 i can now see that my past clothing
- distracted away from ME
- was amazing in itself and would totally work for OTHER PEOPLE. nothing was wrong with the clothes. the clothes just didn't align with me

where do your eyes go when looking at others? how do you feel in your clothes? how do you WANT to feel in life?

i'm really enjoying learning how to dress in ways that HONOR my essence. i'm also learning how to be in love + be in truth at the same time. looking back at these nooooot-quiiiiite-right outfits, i can lovingly gaze at my old self. i was doing the best i could with what i knew at the time. these outfits aren't "bad"... but there is something just sliiiightly OFF and kind of awkward about all of them. and the more sensitive i get, i can actually feel how they flat out CLASH with who i really am. i know i'm already unleashed, like we all are! i'm so ripe and ready to play with letting the world SEE ME and how unleashed i really am

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my only ask is that if this podcast served you, please share it with others!

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as promised, links below

rima has another retreat coming up in january 2025
http://rimabonario.com/confidentwoman

jennifer does colors virtually!
https://www.facebook.com/jenna.brown.18007?mibextid=LQQJ4d

my reel that is a TL;DR version of this podcast
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAjXdueyad1/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

see how this outfit WORKS for me and would be totally distracting on someone else? the golden nugget, where does your eye naturally go?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAjYi6xT88P/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==


and here's the post with the 11 photos discussed in today's episode
https://www.instagram.com/p/DArza_fvf0G/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

welcome baaaaack! confession: i used to not like my emotions. well, that isn't a strong enough description... i used to hate my emotions. like, i used to actively run away from and try to prevent and cleverly hide from them. now i truly ENJOY feeling them. in this episode i discuss
- my inner Doc vs Hippie and how they used to relate to each other
- my Human and Divine and the chemical directions of who was trying to be what
- the key phrase that made me realize i actually am growing on this journey!

hope you enjoy 🙂 this podcast will always be ad free. my only ask is that if you feel someone would enjoy or benefit from listening to this, please share it with them 🧡

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as promised, links below

i'm not telling ya to work with her, but i must give credit where credit is due. the lovely sophia babai is my somatic/embodiment coach and a laaaaarge reason i have been able to make these massive shifts is because of my work with her!

https://www.instagram.com/sophia.babai?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.facebook.com/sophia.babai?mibextid=LQQJ4d

join me on monday 9/23/24 5pm pdt to "unleash YOUR inner poet." this is the first of my new monthly art series, so it's completely free!
https://form.jotform.com/niki_unleashed/inner-poet

for ease of reference, here's the link to that video of the GOOOORGEOUS soccer player, jude bellingham, hugging the sweet lil boy
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-0EPrzoeDu/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Getting quiet and listening inward is allowing me to learn who I really am. Changing my eating habits has broken my food addiction. Decluttering my apartment has shown me how good it feels to have more breathing room. And now questioning my thought patterns has me wanting to live life completely differently.

My cravings didn't have to dictate what I ate. My attachment to Earthly belongings didn't have to weigh me down. My pattern of leaning on my mind/brain/intellect doesn't have to determine where I go in life. I am hearing the call to finally allow my heart/womb/SOUL to guide my path and have the biggest say in my life!

In that spirit, I am excited to share - through the end of April 2024, these "Listen Inward" sessions are completely free! If YOU feel called to listen inward, I invite you to use this Calendly link to schedule our session. I look forward to meeting the REAL you. :)

https://calendly.com/niki-n0f2/listeninward

Sunset ocean swim inspired this insight. Connected to Episode 14. If you can't fuuuully know me and I can't compleeetely know you... then all the more reason for us to deeeeeply experience and sense and feel our OWN lives for OURSELVES. I love all of these yummy unfolding layers.