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​Allowing the Body to Soften
​Rest does not always mean sleep. Sometimes rest is ten quiet minutes of consciously allowing the body to soften, the breath to deepen, and the mind to become still.

Giving Yourself Permission to Rest
When we are stressed, it can feel as though there is always something that needs to be done, said, solved, or figured out. Meditation gives us an opportunity to temporarily put all of that down.

There is nowhere else to be.
As we bring awareness to the breath and slowly move our attention through the body, we begin noticing where we may be holding tension without even realizing it. The forehead can soften. The jaw can release. The shoulders can drop. The muscles surrounding the spine can relax. We aren't forcing relaxation. We are simply creating the conditions that allow it.

Listen to the Stress Relief Guided Meditation
This approximately ten-minute guided meditation was created to assist in releasing stress, anxiety, and worry while welcoming greater calm, peace, grounding, and restoration.

Find a comfortable seated or lying position, close your eyes if that feels good to you, and allow my voice to guide you through the practice.
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​Planting Seeds of Restoration
One of my favorite parts of this meditation comes near the end, when we imagine peaceful, calming energy flowing from the body toward the Earth and planting seeds of restoration.

The intention is that the peace we experience during meditation doesn't have to end when the meditation ends.

We can carry some of it with us.

We can return to the breath during the day. We can notice when the shoulders have risen and allow them to fall. We can soften the jaw. We can place a hand over the heart. We can remember that even in the middle of a busy day, there can be a quiet place within us.

And we can return to the meditation whenever we need a little help finding our way back there.
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​Book Private Sessions
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of experience, at The Art of Love Counseling, I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coaching, Energy Healing, and Meditation, as well as, Immersion Sessions for deeper healing.

Explore Professional Training
Additionally, I offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Healing Art & Books
Many people also find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.

With Gratitude
Thank you for taking this time to be here, to breathe, to rest, and to care for yourself. I hope this meditation brings a little more peace, ease, and restoration into your day. For a little bonus support, scroll down to experience my healing art for stress relief and to read the full transcript of this guided meditation.


Love, 
Jennifer
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​​​​​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Book Sessions
Visit Website

For more stress relief, feel the energy of this beautiful healing painting Meditating Orbs, from Jennifer's Healing Collection.

⚪️

I’ve included the full transcript below for those who prefer to read, reflect, or move through the meditation at their own pace. Return to any of the words or practices whenever you need a little more peace, grounding, and restoration. Enjoy...

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There is a different kind of love and appreciation that can emerge when we allow ourselves to truly sit with those who have gone before us. It isn't always easy. There can be grief there. Regret. Longing. Things we wish we had said or done differently. But if we stay with it, perhaps something else begins to appear beneath all of that.

Love.

Love that is somehow still here.

Famous in Our Inner Worlds
We have an interesting idea of fame in our culture. Someone is famous because millions of people know their name. But I think there is another kind of fame—the people who become famous within our own inner worlds.

Bill is famous to me.

The people I have loved are famous to me.

They may have lived lives that most of the world knew nothing about, yet within the landscape of my life, they are enormously important characters. Their faces are instantly recognizable. Their voices live somewhere inside me. Their personalities, peculiarities, gifts, struggles, humor and ways of being became woven into my own experience.

As I look through the faces on my remembrance wall, I think about how much I learned from each soul separately. Some of these people never knew one another. Yet each participated in shaping the person I am today.

How extraordinary that is.

The Souls Who Walk Beside Us
Sometimes I imagine what it will be like when my own time here is finished. I imagine these souls—many of whom never met one another on Earth—somehow together.

I imagine them in their light bodies, smiling.

Perhaps welcoming me.

Perhaps saying, Here you are.

I don't know what happens when we cross from this life into whatever comes next. None of us can know with certainty while we're here. But I find comfort in allowing myself to contemplate the possibility that love and consciousness continue in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend.

And somehow, contemplating loss keeps bringing me back to life.
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Are there Walls Around My Own Heart?
All of this makes me curious about the places where my own heart is still protected.

Where are my heart walls still active?
Where am I withholding love because I am afraid of being hurt?
Where am I holding tightly to an old experience?

Our experiences can certainly hurt. Our bodies and emotions can respond profoundly to what happens to us. Yet I am increasingly interested in something beneath those experiences—a part of us that perhaps cannot ultimately be damaged by them.

Emotions move through us. Experiences happen around and within us. They are real, and they deserve our compassion and attention.
But perhaps they are not the totality of who we are.

And perhaps they are not the totality of the person who hurt us, either.

That possibility creates room for forgiveness without requiring us to deny what happened.

A Remembrance Wall Heals the Heart
My remembrance wall began simply as a way to honor those I love who have transitioned. I add a photograph, a name, dates when I know them, and little notes or memories I don't want to lose.

But I am beginning to realize that I'm creating something more than an archive.

I'm creating a place to practice love.

I can look at a face and remember.

You mattered.
You taught me something.
You were part of my life.
I am grateful that our paths crossed.

And perhaps someday there will be another face added, and another. Eventually, someone else may be ReMembering me.

There is something humbling about that.

Opening to Infinite Love
Today, I don't feel as though I understand Infinite Love. I feel as though I have caught a glimmer of it.

And I want to allow that glimmer to expand as much as possible—as much as my heart will allow, as much as my Body-Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit complex is willing to open and receive.

More love.
More forgiveness.
More appreciation.
More listening.
More seeing.
More awe.

Less holding back for some imaginary future in which there will finally be enough time.
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The One Infinite Love
I am grateful for the One that is Infinite Love, and for the countless ways that Love manifests itself through our lives—through partners, mothers, cousins, friends, animals, strangers, teachers, and the mysterious souls who appear along our paths and somehow become part of us...
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​
​Private Sessions
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of experience, at The Art of Love Counseling, I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coaching, Energy Healing, Meditation, as well as, support for Grief. You may also enjoy Longer Healing Sessions for a deeper immersion experiences.

Professional Training
Additionally, I offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Healing Art & Books
Many people also find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.
​

With Gratitude
Perhaps the people we love are never ordinary simply because the rest of the world doesn't know their names.

They are famous within us.
They populate the sacred inner landscape of our lives.

And whether they are sitting beside us today or have already traveled beyond our sight, perhaps our work is the same:

To see them.
To appreciate them.
To forgive where we can.
To learn what they came to teach us.

And while we still have the opportunity, to love them with a little less fear and a little more freedom.

May we recognize the sacredness of the souls beside us while they are still here.

May we remember with tenderness those who have gone before us.
And may we open ourselves, little by little, to Infinite Love.

Thank you for reading.

Be blessed.

​​​​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Book Sessions
Visit Website

🤍

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Let the Body Participate
I looked at a photograph of the two of us. I studied his face. Looking at it now, I feel as though he was tired.

I cried.

I held the phone against my heart.

There was nothing sophisticated about it. I simply allowed my body to do what it needed to do.

Sometimes processing grief is not about figuring anything out. Sometimes it is crying. Holding a photograph. Sitting quietly. Talking. Remembering. Sleeping. Writing. Praying. Walking outside. Letting someone love you.

Allow Yourself to Be Supported
I talk with Bill. He listens and lets me process. I cry some more.

Ava, our dog, lies near me as I type.

I blog.

Writing helps me process. Putting words around something like this gives the experience somewhere to go. It doesn't make the loss disappear, but it allows me to be in relationship with what I'm feeling rather than trying to push it away.

For another highly sensitive person, your way may be entirely different. Maybe you paint. Maybe you make music. Maybe you pray. Maybe you need nature. Maybe you need silence. Maybe you need people around you. Maybe you need to be alone.

Grief asks us to listen closely to ourselves.
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​He Is Free
And then I let myself imagine my cousin beyond the tiredness I saw in his photograph. Beyond the body that could no longer carry him. Beyond whatever struggles belonged to this lifetime.
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I imagine him free.
He is free.
He is free.
He is free.

Repeating those words feels True.

Etched on the Heart
Each of us processes loss in our own way. I don't believe grief is something we simply “get over.” Perhaps we allow grief to etch itself into us, carving our hearts.

It hurts.

And somehow, it can also be beautiful.

Because grief exists where love existed.

The depth of the ache tells us something about the depth of the connection.

So today, I am not trying to rush myself toward feeling better. I am allowing myself to remember him, miss him, question, cry, wonder, write, love, and hope.

If You are Grieving
If you are grieving too, especially if you are a Highly Sensitive Person, empath, intuitive, creative, or deeply feeling soul, perhaps you don't need to make yourself feel less.

Perhaps the invitation is to give yourself safe places in which to feel more.

Journal. Cry. Remember. Talk. Pray. Create. Sit in nature. Hold the photograph to your heart. Accept the love of the people and animals beside you. Ask your questions. Allow mystery to remain mystery. And honor whatever brings you genuine comfort without requiring yourself to have all the answers.

How do you process grief? Please leave a comment below if you feel called to share. And if this article was helpful to you, I would love to know.

Thank You for Be-Ing with Me
May we all gently find our way through the events of this life with as much grace and ease as possible. May we honor those who have traveled beside us, however long or briefly, and may we remember that having loved deeply is itself something sacred.
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Thank you for reading.
​
Be blessed.

Love, 
Jennifer

​​​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Book Sessions
Visit Website

​​Write It Down Before It Disappears
​Keeping a dream and vision journal is one of the simplest ways to begin recognizing your own symbolic language. Keep something beside your bed and record whatever you remember as soon as you awaken—even fragments. A color. A person. A sentence. A feeling. A place. Over time, patterns may begin to emerge that you could never have recognized from a single dream.

When Visions Become Art
Some of my own artwork has originated in visions received during meditation. An image arrives first—not necessarily with an explanation—and I feel called to bring what I've seen into physical form through paint. Creating then becomes another form of listening. The canvas gives something intangible a place to become visible. In this way, creativity itself can become a bridge between our inner and outer worlds.

Dreams, Intuition, and Highly Sensitive People
Highly Sensitive Persons, empaths, intuitives, creatives, those in recovery, and people experiencing periods of spiritual growth or awakening may find themselves especially interested in their inner worlds. During life transitions, grief, relationship changes, trauma healing, recovery, or existential questioning, dreams can also become particularly vivid. Rather than assuming every unusual dream carries a supernatural message, we can approach these experiences with openness, curiosity, discernment, and respect for both psychological and spiritual possibilities.
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​Private Sessions
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of Experience, at The Art of Love Counseling I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coaching, Energy Healing, Meditation and Dream Care. (I am passionate about helping blocked artists get unblocked.) You may also enjoy Longer Healing Sessions for deeper immersion experiences.

Professional Training
Additionally, I offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Learn More About My Art & Books
Many people also find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.

With Gratitude
Finally, thank you for spending these moments exploring the mysterious language of dreams and visions with me. May you become increasingly curious about the images, feelings, symbols, and quiet whispers that arise within you—Perhaps tonight, when you close your eyes, you might simply ask: What would my soul like me to know?

Love, 
Jennifer

​​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Book Sessions
Visit Website

Download this Dreams & Visions Journal Page as a beautiful space to record your experiences, explore their symbolism and meaning, and listen more deeply to the language of your soul.

​The Artist in Me
Creative self-expression has always been a strong desire within me. I was one of those children who looked forward to art class throughout grade school and high school and felt completely at home there. That love eventually led me to earn an associate's degree in Fine Arts. But somewhere along the way came the familiar message: you have to make a living.

Art and Being of Service
I found a way to bridge my desire to create with an equally strong desire to be of service, eventually earning my bachelor's degree in Art Therapy and finally a masters in Counseling. My career evolved into counseling, coaching, energy healing, meditation, and other forms of helping people heal and grow. I am deeply grateful for that path. And yet, throughout much of my adult life, my own artwork and creative expression have often been placed second to being of service to others.
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Making Room for Her
Life is beginning to feel steadier for me, and I'm finding myself increasingly drawn inward. I'm creating a beautiful space where I can paint, write, think, and simply be. Where once I might have wanted to go here or there, more and more I want to be still—to write these blogs, write books, paint paintings, and allow the energy to flow through me. I want to give my inner artist what she's been asking me for all along: room to breathe.

I Don't Want to Leave With My Music Still Inside Me
None of us knows how much time we have on planet Earth. That awareness increasingly matters to me. I don't want to reach the end of my life carrying paintings I never painted, books I never wrote, words I never shared, or ideas I was too busy to explore. I'm thinking more and more about becoming a little less available to the outer world so that I can become much more available to my inner artist.

Being Creative is Being of Service
Perhaps one of the things I'm learning is that creativity and service were never opposites. My art doesn't take me away from being of service. It is another way of serving. A painting can touch someone. A book can accompany someone through a difficult season. A poem can give language to something another person has never been able to name. When we allow ourselves to create authentically, we never really know where that creation will travel or whose heart it might reach.

Becoming a Believing Mirror
One of the ways I feel most privileged to serve my clients is by seeing the Light within them—sometimes before they're able to see it clearly themselves. Julia Cameron uses the beautiful expression believing mirror, and that's something I hope to be for the people who work with me.

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Watching My Clients Thrive
Over the years, I've watched clients make movies, write books, paint paintings, step onto stages, perform poetry, change careers, and find entirely new ways of expressing themselves. I've witnessed breakthroughs through coaching, counseling, healing, and simply having a safe place where an emerging part of themselves could finally be seen.

Your Expression Gives Me Permission
There is something profoundly reciprocal about creativity. When I watch another person courageously express who they are, something within me becomes freer. And when I allow myself to create without apology, perhaps that gives someone else permission to do the same. We remind one another of what is possible. In that way, creativity becomes another expression of our interconnectedness.

What Is Waiting Inside of You?
Maybe you already know. Maybe you've always wanted to write. Maybe there is a canvas somewhere waiting for you. Perhaps you want to dance, sing, design, photograph, build, garden, act, teach, or create something that doesn't even have a name yet. Or perhaps you've spent so many years caring for everyone else that you've forgotten what you want to create. You don't have to know exactly where it will lead. Perhaps the beginning is simply asking: What wants to be expressed through me?
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​I Am Here if You Need Me
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of Experience, at The Art of Love Counseling I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coaching, Energy Healing, Meditation and Creativity Coaching. (I am passionate about helping blocked artists get unblocked.) You may also enjoy Longer Healing Sessions for deeper immersion experiences.

Becoming a Healer
Additionally, I offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Creative Offerings
Many people find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.

With Gratitude
Thank you for being here and for spending these few moments with me. Most of all, thank you for whatever it is that you bring into this world when you allow yourself to create. I hope we can continue to be believing mirrors for one another—seeing the Light, possibility, and creative spark within each other and encouraging it to come fully alive.

Love, 
Jennifer

​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Schedule a Studio Visit
Book Sessions
Visit Website

When we allow ourselves to move into the flow, creativity can arise more naturally—so I hope these In the Flow Affirmations help you quiet the mind, open your heart, and make space for whatever is waiting to move through you.

🤍

Infused with Healing Energy
Every painting I create carries its own energy medicine. The medicine within Meditating Orbs is one of The Divine Feminine's ReMembrance, connection, and sacred belonging. It gently invites us to ReMember that we are never separate from one another or from The Divine. This painting is infused with the qualities of the healed Divine Feminine--love, compassion, intuition, receptivity, creativity, sensuality, wisdom, nurturing, emotional depth, inner strength, sovereignty, grace, authenticity, connection, and sacred self-expression.

Materials that Uplift Consciousness
The crushed crystals, metallic pigments, and shimmering surface allow the painting to subtly transform as the light changes throughout the day, giving it a living quality that reflects the ever-changing nature of consciousness itself.

A Space for Beauty
Whether displayed in a home, office, meditation room, or healing space, my intention is that this piece offers a quiet invitation into peace, contemplation, and the loving presence of The Divine Feminine.
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Private Sessions
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of Experience, at The Art of Love Counseling I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coaching, Energy Healing, Meditation and Creativity Coaching. (I am passionate about helping blocked artists get unblocked.) You may also enjoy Longer Healing Sessions for deeper immersion experiences.

Professional Training
Additionally, I offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become certified as a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Creative Offerings
Finally, Many people find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.
​
With Gratitude
Thank you for spending time with Meditating Orbs. Every painting I create is an offering—a reflection of a moment of inspiration, wonder, and reverence for the mystery of life. I hope this piece brings a sense of peace, beauty, and quiet remembrance into your day.

Love, 
Jennifer

​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Schedule a Studio Visit
Book Sessions
Visit Website

If this painting resonated with your heart, I invite you to spend a few quiet moments with my free, uplifting Divine Feminine Affirmations.

​The Words We Live By
​Here at The Art of Love Counseling, almost every counseling session touches upon the words we use. As Don Miguel Ruiz writes in The Four Agreements, our words carry tremendous power. They shape the stories we tell ourselves, influence the emotions we experience, and often become the lens through which we see the world. Whether spoken aloud or silently repeated within our minds, our words matter...

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​Spoken and Unspoken Words
​We are creating with our words all day long—not only the words that come out of our mouths, but also the words flowing through our conscious and subconscious minds. Every thought is an opportunity to reinforce an old pattern or begin creating a new one. Becoming aware of our inner dialogue is often the first step toward meaningful change.

​Why Affirmations Can Help
​Affirmations are intentional words or phrases that gently redirect our attention toward what we want to cultivate. Rather than forcing ourselves to become someone we're not, affirmations can remind us of the qualities we are growing into. Over time, many people find that this practice supports greater peace, hope, and emotional well-being within the Body-Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit Complex.
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​Simple Ways to Begin
One of the easiest ways to get started is to search YouTube for affirmations related to whatever you're working through—peace, confidence, healing, abundance, forgiveness, self-love, or any area of life where you'd like additional support. You're also welcome to explore my Free Guided Affirmations and Meditations on YouTube. You may also enjoy writing your own affirmations on a small piece of paper and carrying them with you throughout the day. Whether you read them upon waking, before bed, or during quiet moments, consistency is more important than perfection.

Written Affirmations with Crystal Energy
I enjoy keeping my affirmations in my pocket as a gentle reminder of what I'm choosing to cultivate. The energy of that piece of paper stays close to me throughout the day. If you're drawn to working with crystals, you might place a clear quartz crystal alongside your written affirmations and simply set an intention such as, "Please amplify the words on this paper in ways that support my highest good today." Whether you see this as symbolic, spiritual, or deeply meaningful, rituals can help us remain connected to our intentions.

Let Your Heart Be Your Guide
One of the most important things I've learned is that affirmations should never feel forced. They are never a "should" or a "have to." Instead, notice how your Body-Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit Complex responds. If an affirmation creates tension or resistance, it may not be the right one for this season of your life. Choose words that genuinely feel nourishing, encouraging, and authentic.
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Allow Your Affirmations to Evolve
Just as we grow and change, our affirmations naturally evolve. The words that inspired you six months ago may no longer resonate today. That's a beautiful sign of growth. Continue listening to your emotions—they are often wise messengers, helping you discover exactly what your heart needs in this moment.

Who May Benefit from Affirmations?
In my experience, affirmations can be especially supportive for: Highly Sensitive Persons, Intuitives, Empaths, Creatives, those in Recovery, individuals on a Spiritual Path, and those experiencing a Spiritual Awakening. They can also become a gentle daily practice for anyone navigating stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, spiritual abuse, addiction, relationship challenges, codependency, life transitions, existential crisis, grief, or overwhelm.

A Powerful Companion
While affirmations are not intended to replace counseling, medical care, or other professional support when needed, they can become a powerful companion to the healing process. When practiced consistently—and with kindness rather than pressure—they often help shift our attention toward hope, possibility, gratitude, and the life we are consciously creating.

​Examples of Simple Affirmations. Here are a few affirmations you might enjoy trying:

I Am:

• I Am happy, healthy, and whole.
• I Am at peace.
• I Am deeply loved.

I Have:

• I have peace.
• I have wellness.
• I have love.

​Other:

• All is well.
• I love my life.
• I welcome healing one step at a time.

Or simply create your own. The most powerful affirmations are often the ones that genuinely resonate with your own heart.

I Am Here if You Need Me
If you're looking for additional support along your path, I'm here to be of service. With over 20 years of Experience, at The Art of Love Counseling I provide Holistic Counseling, Spiritual Life Coachin, Energy Healing, and Meditation. You may also enjoy exploring my Custom and Free Guided Affirmations and Meditations, as well as Longer Healing Sessions for deeper immersion experiences.

Becoming a Healer
I also offer personal and professional Training and Mentorship for Clinical and Mental Health Therapists and Counselors, as well as anyone who feels called to become a Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, or Meditation Instructor.

Creative Offerings
In addition, many people find my Healing Artwork and Books to be inspiring companions on their own journey of healing, growth, and spiritual awakening.

​With Gratitude
​Thank you for spending this time with me. I hope these affirmations encourage you to become increasingly aware of the words you speak, the thoughts you think, and the stories you tell yourself. May they gently support your journey toward greater peace, healing, and love.

​
Love,
Jennifer

​​​Jennifer Michaels, M.A., RYT200
Founder of The Art of Love Counseling ⎹ Mooresville, NC
Holistic Counselor, Spiritual Life Coach, Energy Healer, Artist & Author of What is Love? My Question... God's Answer
Book Sessions
Visit Website

Finding What Nourishes My Soul
Throughout my healing journey, I've learned that not every form of self-care nourishes me in the same way. Some practices strengthen my body. Others quiet my mind. And a few seem to nourish my Body-Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit Complex all at once. For me, yin yoga has become one of those rare gifts...

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​Arriving in a Place That Feels Like an Exhale
Three mornings each week, I find myself walking into a warm, dimly lit yoga studio. The room is quiet. The temperature is in the 90s. The lights are low. Almost immediately, I feel my nervous system begin to soften. Before we even move into the first pose, I often feel as though I've taken a deep breath after holding it for much too long.

Choosing Restoration Over Stimulation
I also enjoy going to the gym. Building strength is important, and caring for our physical bodies matters. But for me, the experience is very different. Bright overhead lights, televisions, loud music, and the constant clanging of equipment can be overstimulating. As someone who is highly sensitive, empathic, creative, and healing from complex trauma myself, I often leave feeling physically stronger, but not necessarily emotionally restored.

Softening Instead of Striving
Restorative Yin yoga offers me something different. It doesn't ask me to push harder. It invites me to soften. It asks nothing of me except to breathe, to be present, and to allow.
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​Experiencing an Unexpected Release
One of the most surprising parts of my own experience happened during my first year of practicing yin yoga. There were classes when tears would quietly begin to flow. I wasn't thinking about a particular memory. I wasn't trying to cry. I often couldn't explain why it was happening.

Trusting the Process
Looking back, I don't feel the need to have all the answers. I simply know that something within me was shifting. Something was softening. Each class left me feeling a little lighter, a little calmer, and a little more at home in my own body.

Healing the Body, Mind, Heart, Soul, Spirit Complex
Gentle, restorative movement has become one of the ways I care for my body, mind, heart, soul, spirit complex. For me, yin yoga creates space to slow down, to listen inward, and to reconnect with myself in a world that often encourages us to keep moving faster.
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Honoring Your Own Journey
Every person's healing journey is unique. What has been deeply meaningful for me may not be the path for someone else. But if you've been longing for a practice that feels nurturing, calming, and restorative, you might consider exploring a yin yoga class in your own community. You don't have to perform. You don't have to be flexible. You simply have to arrive.

Continuing the Conversation
This article is only the beginning of a larger conversation. In future posts, I'll be exploring how different yoga poses, breath practices, and traditions have supported my own healing journey and the ways they've helped me cultivate greater awareness, peace, and connection and how it may help you too.

Walking Beside You
If you're looking for additional support along your own path, I'd be honored to walk beside you. Through holistic counseling, spiritual life coaching, meditation, energy healing, trauma-informed yoga therapy and the many offerings at The Art of Love Counseling, my hope is to help you discover practices that nourish your Body-Mind-Heart-Soul-Spirit Complex and support the life you're creating.

With Gratitude
​Thank you for spending this time with me. I hope you find the practices, people, and places that help you feel safe enough to soften, strong enough to grow, and peaceful enough to simply be.
​

Love,
Jennifer

​Simple Can Be Powerful
There are thousands of wonderful smoothie and healing elixir recipes available today. At The Art of Love Counseling, I like to keep things as simple as possible, especially in the beginning. Lasting change rarely comes from complexity. More often, it begins with one nourishing choice repeated consistently over time...

Ingredients

• 4–5 celery stalks
• 2 ripe frozen bananas
• 2 cups coconut water

Directions
Wash the celery well.
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.
Blend until completely smooth.
Enjoy immediately.

Kitchen Keepsake
Feel free to screenshot, save, or print this recipe to add to your personal collection. My hope is that it becomes a simple, nourishing ritual that supports your body, mind, heart, soul, spirit complex for years to come:
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​Something to Consider
Before I share my experience, I want to begin with this: this article is not about convincing anyone, criticizing anyone, or standing on a soapbox. Every person is on their own journey, and I deeply respect that...
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​The Feeling of Lightness
One of the most common experiences I hear from people who move toward a plant-based lifestyle is that they simply feel lighter. Their bodies often feel lighter. Their minds become clearer. Their hearts feel more open. Many describe experiencing greater peace, vitality, compassion, and spiritual connection. While everyone's experience is different, this has been my own experience as well.

Trauma and Healing
My personal belief is that when we reduce the amount of trauma we introduce into our lives, we create more space for healing. Choosing foods that come directly from the earth—fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds—has helped me, and my clients, feel more aligned with life. I experience this as nourishment that supports not only the body, but also improves mental health, and uplifts the heart and spirit.

Following Your Own Guidance
I don't believe anyone should become vegan simply because another person says they should. Instead, I encourage you to become curious. Spend time in prayer or meditation. Ask your Higher Power for guidance. Read books from different perspectives. Watch documentaries. Explore the science, the ethics, the environmental impact, and the spiritual dimensions. Give yourself permission to discover your own truth.
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​If This Path Calls to You
If you find yourself feeling drawn toward a more plant-based lifestyle, know that you don't have to figure it all out alone. I'd be honored to help you make the transition in a way that feels joyful rather than overwhelming. In the months ahead, I'll be sharing simple recipes, meal ideas, and practical tips that have helped me along my own journey. You may also enjoy reading my article about how I became vegan and the path that led me here. I'll include a link here.

A Simple Beginning
Above is one of my favorite healing elixirs—a simple recipe you can find here that can easily replace breakfast or lunch. Sometimes transformation doesn't begin with a dramatic decision. Sometimes it begins with one nourishing meal, one conscious choice, and one day at a time.

With Gratitude
Thank you for spending this time with me. Whatever path you choose, my hope is that it brings you greater peace, greater health, deeper compassion, and a stronger connection with yourself, with others, and with the sacredness of life.
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Love,
Jennifer