[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5ek74jewQ]
Are you addicted to being busy? Or, at least telling people how busy you are? Here’s the post on this topic https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6260/5-Things-Nobody-Wants-to-Hear.html. Please share the video and thoughts below. Order the tats here https://www.consciousink.com/. Say I sent you. Love jen www.jenniferpastiloff.com.
“Thank you, Jennifer, for shining your light on mine.” ~Christy Turlington
Just a quick post to let you all know that due to popular demand (ok, a few tweets and Facebook messages) I am doing another Manifestation Yoga® Workshop in Santa Monica on June 2nd at Pop Physique. The last one oversold and sold out fast. You must pre-register here via my paypal https://www.jenniferpastiloff.com/PayPal.html
Here is the event on Facebook.
Click on photo to sign up for workshop.
**Photo by Jimmy Knowles
Join Jen Pastiloff as she brings her signature Manifestation Workshop® to the brand new Pop Physique in Santa Monica! https://popphysique.com/.
The cost is $45 and can be paid via paypal here https://www.jenniferpastiloff.com/PayPal.html or directly to Jennifer. Email Jen jennifer@jenniferpastiloff.com
This will be Jen’s last workshop in LA for until next fall. The last one we did here was a jam packed sold out success so by demand we are back!
Space is limited to 26 people. You must pre-register (we will have a wait list after number 26.)
Prepare to sweat, laugh, twist, open your heart, go upside down, write, sing, dance and manifest your dreams! We will have dance parties on the mat and in the soul!
There will be wine and treats after of course. Please rsvp asap to jennifer@jenniferpastiloff.com.
*****You will also get a Manifestation bracelet and Manifestation tattoo by Conscious Ink when you attend and Manifestation tank tops and tees will be for sale where all $$ goes to Prader Willi Research.
* About Pop Physique: PopPhysique incorporates a ballet barre inspired exercise system into an efficient one hour class set to excellent music that blends ballet, pilates and light weight work into a methodical series of strengthening, isometrics, core shaping and luxuriating stretches. ( there is street parking and a public lot directly across street.)
Click on photo to sign up for workshop. Cost is $45. bring a pen, journal, towel and water. And a big open heart!
Welcome to The Manifestation Q&A Series.
I am Jennifer Pastiloff and this series is designed to introduce the world to someone I find incredible. Someone who is manifesting their dreams on a daily basis.
I first met Frank Gjata when someone who took my classes gave me an envelope filled with his beautiful Manifestation tattoos. Naturally, I was intrigued as to who this guy was. I started wearing the tattoos all the time. When Frank and I finally met in person it was if we had known each other our whole lives and we pretty much have talked 5 times a day since that first meeting.
He truly has become my family.
He is one of the most gifted and prolific minds I have ever come across.
He founded a site called Blississippi and I want you to stop what you are doing right now and have your mind blown. Here it is: Blississippi.com.
Right?!?
He also happens to be one of the most generous and big-hearted people I am lucky enough to know. Last weekend he joined me at my 6th Manifestation to Ojai and we had a blast. His answers below are thoughtful, humble, honest, funny and provocative. If you don’t have a little Frank in your life, you don’t know what you are missing.
Jennifer Pastiloff: What are you most proud to have manifested in your life?
Frank Gjata: Man, you ask good questions Jennifer. Don’t waste anytime do you? Just go for the goods right off the bat. Love it.
Okay…I’m most grateful for manifesting…letting go of trying to manifest anything….other than being my true self in the moment and living my bliss. As I do that, I naturally manifest lots of fun stuff, like getting to hang out with you Jennifer ;-).
Jennifer Pastiloff: Love that answer!
What’s the greatest lesson that you have learned from being a coach?
Frank Gjata: I’ve learned that everyone has a deep desire to connect…that everyone is fully equipped to connect…and that it’s blissful and life-giving to connect. Did that connect with you? 😉
Frank giving a lecture at my May 2012 Ojai retreat. Photo by James Vincent Knowles.
Jennifer Pastiloff: Who has been your greatest teacher?
Frank Gjata: God/the universe in all “its” infinite forms, including human ones. Every human qualifies here….and I mean everyone. I have this website called humangels.com that illustrates in a fun way how even the most challenging people can be our most blessed teachers…as they invite us (okay, challenge us;-) to be more of our true essence. I really believe…Everyone on earth is an angel. Sometimes, you just have to squint really hard to see their wings;-)
Now, speaking in more “practical” terms, a couple of my favorite human teachers are Drs. Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks of The Hendricks Institute. I’ve learned so much from these lovely, genius people. Check them out: Hendricks.com.
Jennifer Pastiloff: Can you share with us a bit about your journey? Leaving the corporate world of advertising to follow your heart and your bliss?
Frank Gjata: I really think of it more like I brought the corporate world of advertising with me rather than leave it behind. I believe every step of our journey prepares us perfectly for our next step. I loved working as a writer in advertising and it has come in very handy. (I feel a tangent coming here, bear with me;-) To me, good advertising at its essence is simply effective communication. Effective communication is a good thing. The “problem” lies in what we choose to effectively communicate. I found it frustrating that some very good communicators were working for some very “bad” companies and some very bad communicators were working for some very “good” companies.
That’s why I created “Advertising For A Better World” (AdvertisingForABetterWorld.com). My group ONLY works with like-minded companies focusing on bettering the world. It brings together very good communicators with very good companies. Are you with me Jennifer? Do you like that? 🙂
(note from Jen: I do! I do!)
It’s still in its infancy stage and has been hired mostly by me to work on my various projects, causes, services and a variety of “websites on a mission” that you can see on my new website: BLISSISSIPPI.com.
Click photo to “like” Blississippi on Facebook.
Frank Gjata: But I digress…
I know what you really meant with your question about leaving advertising. I just knew I had to uncover more of who I really was at my core and be that. Quite honestly, I really didn’t have much choice in the matter. I was being “called” as we ALL are. And if we don’t answer that call…that incessant ringing will drive us mad…in more ways than one.
So, nowadays, I’ve gotten pretty good at not arguing with what comes up for me and simply listen and follow. It’s one of my most important lessons really. I even created a tattoo for that: Listen. Follow.
One of the things I say often is that the best leaders are simply the best followers. Think about truly great leaders. Gandhi. Martin Luther King. Mother Teresa. They we’re just following their hearts…following what was being called from inside of them…not outside of them. If you’re gonna follow someone, follow a follower!
Jennifer Pastiloff: Conscious Ink. My obsession is your Manifestation Tattoos. Tell us about the story behind them and where can folks buy them?
Frank Gjata: You’re so sweet. You’ve been such a great supporter of Conscious Ink. Thank you.
At my retreat wearing our “Follow Your Bliss” Conscious Ink tats! Photo by James Vincent Knowles.
Well, as a coach and as a human, I’m always thinking of fun ways to help me and others stay on the path. I love these tattoo messages on a different levels. On a practical level, each tattoo empowers the wearer (and anyone who happens to see it) to stay true to their intentions.
But perhaps, on an even more fundamental level, these empowering words can seep deep within us and perhaps can organically shift us at a cellular level…well, at least, according to Dr. Emoto. He studied the impact of different types words on water finding that positive words like “love” turned frozen water crystals into beautiful patterns, where as negative words like “fear” turned the crystals into ugly irregular patterns. Well, if the energy of words can make such a profound impact on water, imagine the impact on our bodies, since we’re mostly made of water. This point was also illustrated in the powerful movie “What The Bleep Do We Know?”
Jennifer Pastiloff: Who/what inspires you the most?
Frank Gjata: I’m constantly humbled, inspired and often moved to tears…seeing (and feeling) that God is everywhere, in everything, in everyone, in every moment.
I’m also inspired by anyone being their true self…those who have overcome the fears and barriers that may have opposed that. In fact, I’ve devoted an entire website to these amazingly courageous and frank people called: LiveFrank.com. The site simply features a weekly video of a frank person making a bold contribution to our world. People can also sign up to receive the weekly video in the inbox for free. I’m sure I’ll soon be featuring you Jennifer. You’ve already impacted so many of us with your life, your work and, well, your frank sharing;-) It’s good to be frank, isn’t Jennifer? Thank you!
Jennifer Pastiloff: I teach many of my classes to the theme of gratitude. If you could say thank you right now to one person who would it be?
Frank Gjata: Hmm, one person, eh? The list is endless…okay, okay, let’s see, who comes up first is… the person reading this right now. Hi there. Thank you. Appreciate you hanging out here with Jennifer and I…who knows where our new connection will lead?!
Love these tats!
Jennifer Pastiloff: What are some words you live by?
Frank Gjata: As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big believer of simply listening and following…to our truth within. We all say we want answers. Many people search and search….sometimes for their entire lives.
Yet, we all have the answers within us all the time. It’s just that sometimes we don’t like those answers. We argue with those answers. We distract ourselves from hearing those answers. And so, we make up answers that perhaps don’t feel as “scary” to us as the truth.
Of course, it’s only within our truth does our freedom lie. The truth will truly set us free…another good set of words.
Jennifer Pastiloff: Acknowledge is Power. You just gave me that tattoo. Share with us a bit about that idea.
Frank Gjata: Yes! The simple act of acknowledging is so very powerful. This has become the foundation of my work as a coach/facilitator. It’s based on connecting to our truth in the moment…no matter what it is. When we fully connect with our truth and follow it, it always leads to peace, love and freedom. Yes, always. Guaranteed.
Problem is, most of us never reach that blissful destination because often scary feelings pop up along the way…so we give up that idea real quick and turn the #%@! around. Fast. That’s sad…because it typically only takes a few minutes of facing, breathing and allowing… the storm (of feelings) to move through before the sun starts shining again.
The journey to peace and freedom starts with what I call, asking the “One” question: What’s your truth right now?
Below are 5 key points why acknowledging our truth is so powerful:
1. ANY TRUTH taps into the source of ALL TRUTH.
2. There is universal desire for truth and wholeness.
3. Our body wants to be healed. Our soul wants to be free.
4. Waves of energy change as they are observed.
5. When we acknowledge our truth…NO MATTER WHAT IT IS…we are actually practicing unconditional love and acceptance.
You can read more about these 5 key points here: acknowledgeispower.com/how-this-works.php
Jennifer Pastiloff: Let’s get naked Frank. My Naked Guru. What is this? ( Love the this by the way!)
Frank Gjata: Let’s do! Naked is good. All kind of naked. “My Naked Guru” is about uncovering our true selves. I (and my naked guests) send out a short personally-written text message at a random time to wake people up in the moment…at a time when they’ve perhaps lost touch with their true selves. I’m looking forward to having you on as a naked texter. It’s fun. It’s free to sign up: MyNakedGuru.com
Jennifer Pastiloff: You seem to be dabbling in so many exciting things and endeavors with your different companies and websites and coaching. What is the key to managing all you do and staying focused?
Frank Gjata: Lol.
Jennifer Pastiloff: Ha! me too.
What is one message you would pass on right now to someone looking to manifest their best selves?
Frank Gjata: Following our bliss IS the destination.
(Put your bliss FIRST and everything will flow from there.)
Jennifer Pastiloff: What brings you the most joy? Your joy list….
Frank Gjata: Oh man, great question. I talk a lot about this…about the power and the necessity (yes, necessity) of living our bliss….on a daily basis.
This was the inspiration for launching blississippi.com. I speak about why living our bliss is so vital for each of us and the world. You can find a brief article I wrote about that here: https://frankgjata.com/bliss-join
My personal bliss day:
–Quiet morning with a cup of coffee (I’m not so enlightened to
drink tea yet. Maybe someday;-) I meditate, write, contemplate.
–Connecting to myself, others, clients, spirit and my blissful friends
throughout the day. (My dear friend, Adele Swan, is a longtime
favorite. You, too, Jennifer, are starting to grow on me;-)
–“Working” on my various projects.
–Having fun/laughing with my awesome daughter.
–Yoga (or surfing when the water is warm;-).
–Making love
–Laughing
Jennifer Pastiloff: How did you come to be a life coach? Did you feel as if it was your dharma, all along?
Frank Gjata: I didn’t set out to be a “life coach” (and yet I did). This is just another great example of the “listening and following” thing I speak so much of.
A few years ago, I knew there was more of me to be revealed. So I just started exploring, reading a lot and attending conferences etc. I continued to listen and follow…and that landed me graciously at The Hendricks Institute: www.Hendricks.com. This is where I received much of my coaching training.
And yes, to answer your second question, I do feel it was my dharma all along.
Jennifer Pastiloff: Who are 5 people on your dream team to be wearing your Manifestation tattoos?
Frank Gjata: Hmm…I honestly get a kick out of seeing everybody wearing the tats. But, let’s see, my dream tat team…hmm…
Jim Carrey
Alanis Morissette
Bono
It would be pretty cool to see Obama sportin’ a couple tats.
How could I leave out Oprah?
And why not your favorite, Wayne Dyer? I love the space he’s in right now…and who he’s hangin’ with lately, Anita Moorjani. Love her. I know you love her, too. But for the other peeps out there that may not be aware of her yet, check her out at: www.AnitaMoorjani.com. Her experience will change yours.
Okay, that turned into 7 dream tatters.
Jennifer Pastiloff: When is the last time you’ve laughed at yourself?
Frank Gjata: A couple minutes ago to one of your questions above:-)
I have to say one of the coolest things that I experience now is that laughter has become my automatic default response to practically everything. Broken plate: Laugh. An argument: Laugh. Get humbled: Laugh. Admittedly, a passerby may think that’s nuts. But even that’s funny!
I know, you too, are a big fan of humor and laughter. I honestly believe that it will be humor and levity that will save the world. Humor is literally disarming. And couldn’t our world use a bit more disarming?
Jennifer Pastiloff: Connection. You and I have talked at length about this. What does connection mean to you?
Frank Gjata: Yes. Connection is where it’s at. When we connect to our true selves, we feel fully alive. We tap into source of one and all…and feel our connection to one and all.
Plus, connecting is a bargain. When we connect to ourselves, we automatically connect with spirit and others. And it works that way all the way around. I call it the best three-fer deal on the planet.
Jennifer Pastiloff: What’s up next for Frank Gjata?
Frank Gjata: I’m not sure…I’m excited to find out.
Thank you for having me Jennifer.
Connect with Frank on Facebook
Read about our adventure at my last Manifestation Retreat in May. It’s called: A Delicious Pack of Weirdos. That should give you a clue.
The tattoos are amazing!
Frank captivates us at my retreat.
How I love Karen Salmansohn (you may know her as NotSalmon)
She came up with that line. Clever thing, she is.
What You Think About Men Is What You Man-Fest.
After my whole debacle with my Manifestation bracelets saying Man-fest instead, Karen, Frank Gjata and I decided that it was a happy accident.
So here it is.
Man-festing.
Let’s celebrate all the wonderful men in our world! I want to hear from you below about some of the incredible men in your life! Please share either their name with a lot of “xoxoxo’s” next to their name – or share a little description about why they are the rock in your world – or have rocked your world.
AND….if you’re a single woman – and you want to be in a happy relationship – it’s especially important you let go of your anger at any men/man from your past – and celebrate men! If you’re holding onto anger at men as a category – you will have trouble being in a happy, loving relationship with a man as an individual – for oh so many reasons! Indeed, in my book PRINCE HARMING SYNDROME I strongly encourage women to let go of their resentment for their ex! Some of this is because: Just as there is alluring sexual attraction (which people can feel but not see), there’s also angry energy repulsion (which people can feel but not see). If you think angry thoughts about men and love, then you will be emitting an angry vibration which can be intuitively felt by others—as if you’re giving off an anti-charisma. (For more on this topic, check out the FREEBIE excerpt from PRINCE HARMING SYNDROME by clicking here now…
https://notsalmon.com/2011/09/21/the-law-of-attraction-really-begins-with-the-law-of-subtraction/
With all this in mind – and because men deserve our appreciation for a range of terrific reasons – Karen Salmansohn, Conscious Ink (Frank Gjata) and I will be doing a series of posts which celebrate men for the wonderful beings they are – with some fun giveaways! Stay tuned.
Leave your comment in the box below or on Karen or my Facebook pages!
Yesterday as I was on my way to have a coaching session with the incomparable Frank Gjata I got pulled over.
The cop didn’t like that when I told him that was my destination and thus explained why I had been speeding.
Where you going? Bliss! I’m in a hurry to get there, Officer. Please!
Ok, I didn’t really say that. I did beg and cry. A lot. It didn’t work. I got the speeding ticket.
Frank offers what he calls “Life Changing Moments” Sessions.
Imagine the irony that I am on my way to my very own life changing moment sesh and I get pulled over by a cop on a bike. It felt ironic to me.
Why?
Because I got the metaphor before Frank and I even began to dive into it.
Frank is the creator of Conscious Ink and Manifestation Tattoos and I am surprised he hasn’t come up with one yet that says “You are going past the speed limit.”
(Frank read: please create that tattoo, my friend?)
I am always speeding. It’s true.
Just look at my Facebook. Or Twitter. I am always getting asked “How do you do all you do? How do you keep up?”
A secret? I don’t!
I miss appointments and I forget. I double book. I get speeding tickets. Doh!
Yesterday’s ticket came at a perfect time. A life changing moment ( thanks Frank). Last week, one of my dearest friends, Steve Bridges passed away, as you may have read in earlier posts, and it was like a bucket of ice cold water poured over the body of my life.
I got very cold and very awake and very alive.
I also realized I no longer wanted to speed through.
Well, apparently I didn’t realize it fully because yesterday’s ticket was a gentle reminder that I had not committed to slowing the f*ck down.
I have committed to slowing down but I have not yet committed to giving up cursing. (Sorry folks with sensitive ears.)
I made some huge shifts yesterday which I am still processing but I will say this: I needed to get that ticket. I need to frame it and use it as a reminder that I can take my time. That I can breathe. That I can be present.
There it is.
Be present.
Frank asked me a question no one has ever asked me before.
In case you didn’t know I have profound hearing loss.
He asked me what part of my “not being able to hear” keeps me “from not being here”?
I wanted to leave when he asked me this. I had a realization that for as much as I talk about vulnerability, I didn’t like to be vulnerable. Damn you, Frank!
Yet I stayed. I won’t share all that we talked about but I will share that I think you need to get your arse over to see him. (Please do not speed.)
I will share that yes, yes it was a life changing moment and like his tattoo says that I wear on my forearm: There are no accidents.
Speeding ticket an accident? Nah.
A gentle reminder that I deserve to be fully here and that I am doing a disservice to others otherwise? Pretty much.
Is the ticket annoying and a waste of money? Maybe.
But maybe not.
Maybe, if I really follow-through on my break-through I will realize that although it cost me $400 or whatever a speeding ticket goes for these days, it will have gained me my life.
I may not be able to hear perfectly but I can be here perfectly.
Thank you Frank.
Jennifer Pastiloff will be teaching at the Tadasana International Yoga & Music Festival over Earth Day weekend on the beach in Santa Monica, CA, April 20– 22. Click here to check out the festival website and purchase tickets. Enter the code Pastiloff for a $50 discount! (Please note that discount codes expire April 1.)
The theme of classes this week is Courage so I thought I would start this dreary Monday off with a Daily Manifestation Challenge about courage.
I have a temporary tattoo on my forearm that says COURAGE. It’s called a Manifestation Tattoo. Can you believe that?
( Serendipity, right?) They are made by a company called Conscious Ink.
Conscious Ink Manifestation tattoos. A company after my own heart!
I started thinking a lot about courage, about what it really meant after I watched Brene Brown’s TED talk on vulnerability. If you have not seen it, stop what you are doing and watch NOW.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0]
Brene says “Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word cor, meaning heart — and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and — this was the hard part — as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should bein order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection.”
There it is. The courage to be imperfect.
I was telling my class on Saturday just before I had them write for 3 minutes straight about courage, that I think people grossly underestimate themselves when it comes to courage. You do not have to jump from a plane with a parachute to be courageous.
I look at the people on my last retreat. One girl came all the way from Amsterdam, alone. All the way to Mexico with a group she didn’t know, having never done yoga in her life and leaving her children back home. That’s courage to me, in my little Jen Book Of Courage. And you know, she had the courage to be imperfect and ask for private help from me with the poses. She had the courage to sit out and watch at times. She had the courage to make new friends and be vulnerable. My sister had the courage to leave two kids at home (one who has special needs and a very strict regimen) and take a week just for herself. Something she had never ever done in her life.
Today, she is signing up for a yoga teacher training in Atlanta after allowing herself that week retreat in Mexico, that was a gift just for her. She connected to what inspired her and renewed her sense of courage and came home ready to take on the world.
It took courage for me to admit my hearing loss. At first, I was mortified and felt less than a human being. I was afraid I would be alone in the world on an island of silence in a sea of noise.
I started to tell the story of who I was with my own heart and much to my delight, I ended up inspiring people and encouraging others to be vulnerable and open.
It took courage for me to talk openly about my history with a severe eating disorder. It also held me accountable.
It even took courage to start my Karaoke Yoga Classes. To get up there and sing badly and have no self consciousness so I could encourage them to do the same.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuldTtJup_M&list=UUo7CxUPFOH-Z6LKCDHbHveQ&index=2&feature=plcp]
When my dad died I told myself not to cry. I held it in for years. I literally would bit my lip and say “Don’t cry. Be strong. Be courageous.”
I was 8.
Unfortunately I thought that was the courageous thing to do. To be brave like an adult and hold it in and move on and get on with my life. To not be affected and most certainly never ever be vulnerable. Especially not in front of other people. Gasp!
It took many years for me to develop the courage to show emotion in front of other people. I had a very hard time as an actor being vulnerable or crying because of all the years I spent stifling that part of me. It was like a piece had broken and the clock was missing a second hand, the doll had lost it’s head, the flower was without it’s color.
Once I finally opened up I realized that it was my courage and that very vulnerability which drew others to me, and get this, which allowed me to make money. The thing i had stifled and been ashamed of, was now my source of income and my bliss. Is it my bliss not being able to hear well? No way!
It is my bliss being able to share and talk and teach and take people on a journey where they can discover what courage means for them.
A woman came up to me Thursday after my Equinox class who told me she just signed up to go back to school so she could become a clinical psychologist. She is 60. That, Dear Manifesters, is what courage also looks like.
Doing something that society may have told you that you are too old for. Or too young for. Doing something because it is what you want to do rather than what anyone else asks of you. That is not to say we act purely from our own needs all the time with no consideration for others or our family. It is to say that we must do what we feel is our dharma, or what makes us come alive despite what may seem like a very valid excuse as not to do that very thing.
Here are some suggestions as to how you can comment below:
It took courage for me to __________ despite ____________.
I have the courage to say “I love __________.”
When ________ happened I found I had courage I didn’t know I had.
I have the courage to ask for help with ________________.
I have the courage to admit to myself that I really want ______________.
I have the courage to accept ___________________.
I have the courage to forgive _______________.
I have the courage to go after my dream of ___________.
Lions and Tiger and Bears. Oh My,
Jennifer Pastiloff is a writer based in Los Angeles. She is the founder of The Manifest-Station. Jen will be leading a Retreat in Costa Rica at the end of March (204) and her annual retreat to Tuscany is in July 2014. All retreats are a combo of yoga/writing and for ALL levels. Read this post to understand what her retreats are like. Check out her site jenniferpastiloff.com for all retreat listings and workshops to attend one in a city near you. Jen and bestselling author Emily Rapp will be leading another writing retreat to Vermont in October. `