BE FUCKING AMAZING

Jennifer Pastiloff’s manifestation yoga retreat will always hold a special place in my heart. The whole weekend was magical- including the fact that Brian proposed to me when I got home! I manifested a husband, people! I also walked away with a lighter heart, less anxiety, a new sense of purpose, hysterical memories, a sense of community and new friends.

I also learned I’m not alone in feeling insane sometimes!

Leading up to the retreat, I was feeling nervous about it. I knew that the experience would force me out of my comfort zone. First of all, as ridiculous as this may sound, I usually hate organized group activities. I was the kind of kid who never went to summer camp because even then I hated organized group activities. I am still that kid as much as I pretend not to be.

I have also been battling anxiety recently and I was feeling energetically heavy from it. Boxed in by it. For those of you who have never experienced anxiety, it can be an overwhelming force- it feels like a big heavy cloak and I wasn’t sure I had it in me to go but I knew I needed something. I knew I needed to push myself out of it and out of my comfort zone because I have learned, through tackling my goals on 365 til 30 the last year, that the other side of my comfort zone is a pretty incredible place. It’s a more alive, aware and brave place. It’s the space I want to live my life in.

So I packed up my car, and off I went in search of adventure.

As I have said before, Jennifer is a force of nature. She’s incredibly positive and passionate as well as brutally honest about her own struggles with depression and anorexia. She isn’t running around the room sprinkling fairy dust on everyone and telling them to just be happy. While her retreats are about “manifesting your dreams”, they are also about letting go of the baggage that holds you back. About asking yourself to take an honest look at yourself and ask hard questions like…

“If I wasn’t afraid I would _________”

“Where am I playing small in my life?”

The first activity on the itinerary was opening circle. As you can imagine from the title we all (46 of us!) sat in a circle in the yoga studio and introduced ourselves. I was touched by how many different types of people Jennifer brings together. The room was filled with a trust and openness you don’t often feel with strangers. We all knew we were there to do work. We announced to the room what we were there to manifest. It was an incredibly powerful feeling to announce to a room of strangers what I was manifesting in my life.

I AM MANIFESTING A BEST SELLING BOOK.

I said it loud and I said it proud.

Jennifer shared her steps to manifesting, which I thought were just fabulous-

1.) Give a voice to your dreams. Set your intentions.

2) Write down your goals. Affirm in advance that you already have them.

3) Thank the universe, in advance, for what you are manifesting.

4) Expect to be delighted! Be in the feeling of what you want to receive.

5) Speak your goals with excitement and joy as if they are already in motion. 
Keep them fresh in your consciousness daily.

6) Take action on your dreams. Step out of your comfort zone.

7) Trust. Trust is the bridge between your asking and its manifestation.

8) Surrender and let go. Release what is no longer right for you.

9) Say YES! YES! YES! to your dreams and to who you are.

After the opening ceremony the rest of the weekend just flowed, we practiced yoga, we laughed, we danced, we cried, we wrote, we sang, we let go, we drank wine, we ate and we became a tribe. A tribe we warmly named the “Be Fucking Amazing’s”. Has a ring to it, huh?

I think pictures can speak volumes about an experience…especially when they are taken by the amazing photographer, Joe Longo.

Tags: 365 til 30, Be fucking amazing, connection, fun, heart, Jennifer Pastiloff, Joy, Kate McClafferty, manifestation retreats, Ojai, retreats, universe, yoga retreat