As I approach my forties, I am thankful to be where I am at this stage of my life. I am at peace.

Of course, there will always be challenges in life but knowing that these challenges makes us grow and evolve makes me drop into that place of peace inside me. I have always felt guided and protected by a powerful force and that feels very safe. Fear is what I grew up feeling all time. We all have fears and that is what drives us to act the way we do in times of stress. For me, it was a psychological fear of not being good enough that led me to have issues with food and body. Not feeling worthy of being in this world caused me not to look after me. Everybody else was more important than me. Now, I understand how our thoughts can pulls us down if we are not aware of them, trying to look for ways that we think are going to work can be an endless story.

For me, what ignited my transformation was to ask for Divine help. I asked these questions, ‘Why can’t I be at peace? Why can’t I enjoy my family in the moment?’ The answers came to me. I started to read books that opened my eyes about my self-inflicted suffering. If I ever get disconnected to what’s truly meaningful to me, which is to live life at its fullest, I accept the feeling and recognize my state of consciousness. I go to a grateful place within myself.

One of the things I believe prevents us from leading meaningful lives is that we are not truly present. We are worried about the past and/or the future and we don’t realize the miracle that life is giving us every moment. Giving ourselves spaces during the day to acknowledge and be grateful for life can truly be very beneficial for our state of being. We sometimes don’t realize how complaining, condemning, resisting, attacking verbally or mentally can lead us to create disharmony in our bodies that lead us to self destruct. Love, love is the healer and that can be found in the present moment.

Linda Rivera

Compassionate. Good Listener. Caring.

I am 39 years old, a stay at home mom of three children ages 16,12, and 10. I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom and enjoy my family as much as I can. I struggled with body image issues, dieting, exercising compulsively trying to change and be someone else all the time. Not accepting myself and feeling inferior all the time. Now, I can proudly say I am aware of those behaviors. I am at a point in my life where I try to find joy in everything I do, to let that beautiful energy flow throughout the day and give the best of me. i am not saying I am perfect and I am at peace with that now. Accepting my limitations I feel more relaxed at life. I want to thank Marc and the Institute for being part of that peaceful place within me.