For years the words "winter solstice" would trigger thoughts in my head :: cold, dark, long, Must Seek Cozy.   The little blonde hairs on my arms would stand at attention registering the temperature outside.  Amazing how our thoughts create a somatic response!   But now when I know solstice is approaching ~ I get all giddy.   

As the clouds swirled and the rain surrounded women from south to north and east to west, their unique souls gathered as ONE.  The winds headed the call of Spirit as rain clouds were pealed away and held to the perimeter of the sacred land.

An opening, a window, a valley towards clarity had been created.  They stood in a portal of awakening.  Voices shared wisdom, hands brought healing, music guided them to move their hips and dance on mother earth’s belly, and then they heard the undeniable vibration.

Awake!  Awake to the power & beauty that lies within!

They stood in the middle of Mother Nature’s Portal.
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They were being called back to the root of the feminine. To their goddess essence.

The Women’s Awakening Festival image was seen everywhere as the feminine stood on the inverted lotus flower patiently awaiting no longer to rise from the false sense of self that had been lingering amongst her family & friends.  She was ready to be authentic, vulnerably raw, and uniquely herself.  She held a spiral of goddess energy in her hands and once released into the universe; there would be no turning back.  She would speak her truth.  She would awaken to the intuitive gifts guiding her to heal so she may in turn help the world flow with the grace of nature.

Until our paths cross again my sweet friends,
Wendy

Our hands fold together at the end of yoga class as our soft gaze looks up into the mystery of the world.  The energy is pulsating through the room as we collectivity have shifted it to being a sacred place of utter acceptance and honor.

We then silently bow our heads saying to each other “namaste”.

This is the scene at the end of every yoga class I guide.  But even off of the yoga mat, when that sacred word is spoken or written, I instantly feel a calm peace wash over me.  For the depth of its meaning is forever etched into the sweet memory of my mind, body, & spirit.

“The light & love in me honors the light & love in you”

How can it get any more real than light and love?  For some though, seeing themselves as pure light and love may be hard to grasp.

I have guided so many yoga newbies on their journey in the midst of conservative small towns and have many times witnessed people sit in silence when the word namaste is spoken.

Maybe the silence is the fear of the unknown; “what am I really saying?”  Maybe someone has a soar throat.  Or maybe, the cat got their tongue.

​When I started to fully embrace the beauty of sharing namaste with others, this is what I knew I was truly saying to them from the depths of my soul.

I see you.
I feel you.
Who I am honors who you are.
You are pure beauty.
I hold sacred space as you speak your truth.
I see your light through the darkness

We ALL want to be loved.  We ALL want to be accepted.  We ALL want judgement to leave this world forever.  So my dear friends, let NAMASTE ring from your lips and be typed in your texts.
Until our paths cross again.
In love & sparkly light,
Wendy

​This is the stillness of winter that my soul longs for. The type of day where I give myself the utmost permission to listen. The sun is brilliant on my face as I sit in the coziest of leather chairs wrapped in the softest of blankets.
 
My love just left the warm house to face the Minnesota cold after we talked about all the amazing dreams that have flooded me over the past couple nights.
 
There has been an incessant beckoning for me to receive the messages that the great universe has been sending me. I have been in creative overdrive…what do I write, do, say, act on next? But, I know the answers are not hard to discover if I open the windows of reception to the messages all around me…
…not literally today with the thermometer reading 5 below…but you know what I mean.
I ask & allow the messages to enter my dreams.  The wisdom also floats my way from books, movies, nature, animals, and even conversations overheard standing in line at Target.
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As I receive all of this guidance, there is still at times a cognitive volleyball game of “I can do this myself” to “I welcome and need your help”.   To “I got this one” to “I allow myself to receive guidance”. You see I am a redhead power pitta chick who has been in successful life training for many years. But on days like this my soul reminds me that it is not about success or outcome, it is about creating what my soul wants to express.  
For when I create from that place, I feel comfort even at 5 below.

I am dating a recovering adrenaline junky.  Well, maybe he isn’t in full recovery as he screams down the street in any fast car he can get his hands on but he has stopped shirtless motorcycle wheelies. Baby steps.

Is driving fast a big deal?  Heck no as my mini cooper corners like she is on rails.  But when we surround ourselves with incessant intensity (& noise) that is what we are nurturing inside as well.  Because…

Everything is energy.

Our precious aura’s pick up on everything.  And then we wonder why we can’t slow down the monkey mind or get rid of the anxiety.  Re-insert the boyfriend who says he would never be able to meditate because his mind goes non-stop.   Ahh…the immediate gratification & instant results society we live in.  Meditation takes a slow dedicated practice (probably the same as he needed to learn to hold a motorcycle wheelie for 2 city blocks).  If he only knew how I was picking on him…sshhhh.
Let’s take this one step deeper and hop off the pavement onto a different path; a spiritual path.  If you are on one, do you wonder why you aren’t receiving the intuitive wisdom to help you make decisions everyday that are in your highest and best purpose?

Your inner knowing and your spiritual posey are ALWAYS there waiting for you to slow down and listen.

​Slowing down for you may mean sipping a cup of tea as you silently watch the lake freeze over, or cultivating inner stillness on your meditation cushion, or melting onto your mat in a yoga class…whatever speaks to you…just be sure to…give it a second.
Enjoy my all time favorite Louis CK interviews as he hilariously brings the point home.

Until our paths cross again…wrapping you in love & light,
Wendy

It is Wednesday, September 23rd and the Fall Equinox is upon us.  The sun revved up his power to shine directly on the equator making the length of day & night equal…or almost equal.
The importance of both light & dark is brought into our awareness this time of year.   But who likes to go into the dark?
I do!
As a kid, my parents often found me sleeping in my closet with a blankie over my head as I had snuck into the sweet darkness of quiet alone time.  Fast forward into my adulthood, and I still curl up with a blankie (uh hum; I mean blanket) in the dark as I watch a drama filled movie on Netflix.  And sans blanket, I cruise around the halls of my home navigating the darkness…driving my boyfriend a wee bit crazy as he would prefer lights a blazing.
As a yoga teacher & spiritual guide, I use my gifts naturally to help people realize the beauty of their light.
To truly know your light of truth; it helps to embrace your dark side.  For when we go into the darkness, we are not blinded by the light and rather we sit in our own truth of what needs to be cleansed and balanced so we can heal and evolve.
We must bring our light to the darkness.
And just because nature likes to help out when she can, after today the days get shorter so you have plenty of opportunities to embrace the darkness.  Feel free to turn off the lights in your home or sneak out into the cool nights and soak up the stars and moon.  Don’t they shine so much brighter when the sky is pitch black or is it because you are bringing your light to the darkness?
As you take on a new appreciation of darkness, you may just find the images of Fall’s colorful trees, pumpkins, & the taste of apple cider to be that much brighter & sweeter this year.
Until our paths cross again ~
Wendy Billie

I was living smack in the middle of the busy-business of Washington DC.  The energetic buzz was palpable yet on one particular evening I was being comforted by my quiet fireplace lit condo in Dupont; soothed by the stillness of the night.
I felt grounded.  I felt calm. I felt ready.
I had decided to take my 15 years of yoga practice & study up a notch and head to where the roots of yoga’s amazingness originated.  India here I come!  And like many major life decisions,  I turned over my fate to Google to find the ideal training institute.  Well, I didn’t completely let an inanimate piece of technology be my only magic worker.  I also employed an intuitive tool I had been using to help me select web pages to click on.  I used the energy I could feel in my hands as I scrolled through the myriad of selections and voila. There she was; The Sattvik Sedan.
I had no idea what”Sattvik” meant which was even further validation for me to learn more.
And here I am several years later sharing with you the blissful meaning of Sattvik.  It means living in harmony with a dynamic stillness.
Sattvik is exactly what I needed to learn then and now.
Here is a huge life lesson pulled from the ancient teachings of Yoga (& Ayurveda) philosophy:
The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. ~ Voltaire
Go ahead…enjoy the vibrant feeling of “getting things done”- be dynamic.  But notice at the same moment busy-ness is happening so is stillness.  When those two forces find a happy marriage; that is when radiant bliss comes out of hiding and smack into the middle of your life.

You alone are enough- you have nothing to prove to anybody. ~Maya Angelou
Four years ago I was sitting at an outdoor cafe with a friend in Washington DC sipping on red wine and talking about life.  He casually asked “What is it you really want to do with all this passion you possess?”
I went on a wine and sun induced rant of how I wanted to help people access their power while also feeling peaceful.  I had fought with myself for years; pushing my agenda and voicing my opinions and I had finally realized that the constant ‘in your face’ approach wasn’t necessary; and actually power limiting.  In stillness and trusting in the moment is where I felt true power; that pure self knowing.  Our chat ended with, “You know Phil, it is like getting a rush of adrenaline but also feeling zen embrace you at the same moment”.   And thus my business name was realized: adrenazen.
I jumped in with both feet creating adrenazen classes that fused the grace and power of boxing with yoga.  I know. I know.  Really?  Boxing and yoga?  Well, it worked and the message was pervasive.  There was a waiting list of students seeking this powerful zen experience.  I was relishing in my own adrenaline and was taking less and less time for quiet zen Wendy moments; oh the irony.
But in one particular silent time, I remembered clearly a conversation with another yoga friend “Why are you trying so hard to build a brand? Wendy Billie is your brand.”  I shrugged it off because I loved the cool business name.  But I know now my friend was meant to say those words to me and thank goodness the voice within was loud enough so that when my graphic designer was creating my adrenazen logo I also had him create a Wendy Billie logo to compliment.  I felt a tug in my heart saying one day I would shift to “Wendy Billie” my true essence and spirit.  I would lead yoga healing retreats and seminars all over the world.  And just as the universe is in a constant state of change and evolution, as am I.  And now is the time to shift from just pure “yoga boxing” to my heart; a diverse wild eclectic nature loving peaceful spiritual being.
So for those who have been adrenazen followers, it is still me.  It’s just that now I absorb in the brand that has always been with me.  I use my given talents in ways to help people heal and step into their true authentic lives.
Do you find yourself pushing your agenda?  Just maybe it is time to step back and see if you are flowing with YOU.
Namaste my dear friends and see you at wendybilli