What Gets Us Into Trouble.

October 25, 2014

By Jen Pastiloff.

“It’s the things that we know FOR SURE, that just ain’t so, that get us into trouble.” ~ Wayne Dyer.

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer is one of my greatest teachers.

Back when I was still waitressing and utterly miserable- I would get off my shift, and I would go, stinking of food and self-loathing, on these walks by the Pacific Ocean here in Santa Monica. I had Wayne Dyer on my iPod (after years of my mom’s insistence, and my adamant refusal, to read his books) and I’d walk and walk and walk and listen to the same recordings over and over again as I did my goofy speed walk with my dorky arm swing. I’d go faster and faster, as if I could end up eventually leaving myself behind.

Wayne was my company.

I memorized his lectures on those sunset walks. I knew when I walked by a certain palm tree, Wayne would be saying, “Don’t Die With Your Music Still in You,” and when I got to the incline that led down to the beach, he’d be talking about squeezing an orange.
He said when you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out. So, we are squeezed, by life, by traffic, stress, whatever it is, if vitriol comes out, if anger and meanness and ugliness come out, then that is what was inside of us. No matter who does the squeezing. Like orange juice. Doesn’t matter who squeezes it, it will still be orange juice. I thought a lot about what was inside of me and how I blamed a lot of other people/things for what was being squeezed out.

I had to walk the same route, listen to the same lectures. These were the things I could count on. Palm tree, sky, clouds, sun setting, orange, squeezing, don’t die with your music still in you, park bench. Continue Reading…

Guest Posts, love, Self Image

Wayne Dyer’s Daughter Reflects On Being Raised By Spiritual Parents.

November 18, 2013

On Being Raised By Spiritual Parents.

By Serena Dyer.

People often ask my siblings and I what it was like to grow up with Wayne Dyer as a dad. I usually immediately feel this need to bring up my mom- since she did so much of the “raising” and has probably been the greatest spiritual influence on my dad throughout his life. The funny thing about that is my parents separated over 12 years ago- but they have remained incredibly close, so close that they have never gotten a divorce- they said they never felt the need to.

Whenever I am asked about my parents, usually my Dad, I reflect back on my childhood and feel overwhelmed with a feeling of security and love. My parents- both incredibly spiritual people- loved us unconditionally- and that love can be seen in family photos, when watching home videos, or even in my own mind when I reflect back on what it was like to grow up in my household. I am one of 8 children, and my siblings and I are insanely close. We spend all of our free time together because we really are each others closest friends.

But despite an ideal childhood filled with loving family and spiritually progressive parents that loved every part of me and made sure I knew it, it has been a struggle to find that same kind of unconditional love for myself- and that, I believe, is the most important kind of love we all need in our lives.

If we accept the fact that we cannot give away what we don’t have- then we must also accept the idea that until we learn to treasure every part of ourselves, we will not be able to fully love anyone else either. Love must begin within before we can offer it outward.

And for so many of us, loving ourselves, accepting our looks, being at peace with our bodies, embracing our past, treasuring our insecurities and giving up judgement of ourselves is the hardest thing in the world to do! We can encourage others to love themselves but we cannot allow ourselves to do the same.

I know a lot of people that also grew up with spiritual parents. Parents that told them they were wonderful, beautiful and capable of anything- but they never felt worthy of anything inside. I believe that learning to love ourselves- unconditionally- is one of the hardest things we can attempt in life.

My parents could have been Jesus and Mary and it wouldn’t have mattered- until I learned to love myself! I believe that when we put ourselves down- we are putting down the name of God. We are all little sparks of God- little pieces divinely created with love- and we each came here with a dharma to fulfill. If you want to know what your purpose is, you gorgeous little miracle you, then get quiet and thank the part of you that recognizes that you are indeed a little piece of God. A spark of the great oneness. Begin to honor the God-presence within you, and give thanks for being as magnificent as you are.

It was only when I stopped judging myself and tried loving myself that I began to discover that the universe, God, whatever you want to call it, fully supported me in my efforts and I started getting all “green lights” on my path toward discovering just what my dharma was. When I started attempting deep and profound self-love, the kind great parents offer to their children, I started to feel good- I started to find that the right people were showing up at the right places and my life began to feel more on purpose. Since I began the process of self-love and self-acceptance, the right man came into my life. When I started to offer love to myself on the inside, I started to lose the extra weight I was carrying around because I began to realize that I didn’t need food to give me the feeling of being full, I felt full and complete without food or drugs or alcohol.

The practice of loving myself has been filled with ups and downs- and that is ok- because it is a “practice” and i am still learning to get good at it. The practice of loving myself has brought miracles into my life. As Louise Hay says so beautifully “You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving yourself and see what happens.”

I have given approving myself a shot, and it has been paying off. I urge you to do the same.

Serena wears my “What Are You Manifesting?” t-shirt.

Serena is a graduate of the University of Miami, holding a Master’s degree in International Relations and a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion. While finishing her first book, Serena is traveling and blogging while also maintaining her hobbies of cooking, reading, working to combat human trafficking, and being with her 7 brothers and sisters! Serena has co-authored a book about growing up with spiritual parents with her father, Dr. Wayne Dyer, called “Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You” which should be out in the Spring of 2014. Serena lives in south Florida with her fiance. Her website can be found at serenadyer.com.

Book Girl Power: You Are Enough now! A workshop for girls and teens. Space is limited. Sep 19 Princeton! Sep 20th NYC. The book is also forthcoming from Jen Pastiloff. Ages 13 and up. (NYC is 16 and up due to studio policy.)

Join Jen Pastiloff and Emily Rapp at a writing and the body retreat in Stowe, Vermont Oct 2015. This will be their 3rd one together in Stowe. Click the photo to book.

Inspiration, manifesting

PMM: Pinch Me Moments.

April 1, 2012

I’m writing to you from the Upper East Side. As in New York City.

It’s so good to be back here. I feel more alive. I am awake. Really awake.

Thursday night, as I was teaching in SoHo at Yoga Vida, there was this moment when I caught my reflection in the windows facing Broadway. The buildings across the street and all the sweaty bodies reflected behind me in the reflection, and I thought This is where I am meant to be. I’m home.

I feel very much at home and comfortable on the East Coast.

Those that know me in person know that I am a bit of an anomaly in California.

So, I am here and loving it.

I taught my life affirming Manifestation Workshops in Philadelphia at Dhyana Yoga, my home studio there, and now in NYC at Yoga Vida in Soho and PURE Yoga West on the Upper West Side.

(By life affirming I mean we: sing, dance, journal, laugh, cry, play, go upside down, do partner work, write letters to our younger selves, twist, sweat and create new ideas of who we are. That kind of life affirming.)

I’ve never done this before but last night, as I sat at dinner with Wayne Dyer’s 4 ridiculously amazing and talented daughters, Eric Handler whose baby is Positively Positive and Oprah people, I pinched myself.

I reached under the table and pinched myself.

It hurt.

(I was just checking.)

Here I am in cities that are not where I live, selling out workshops. People are showing up in droves because they have read my words. That is my dream. Holy guacamole! They have read my words and have been so moved or affected that they came to my workshop which cost money. The green kind.

Here I am in the Village having a 5 hour lunch with my muse, the superstar and best selling author Karen Salmansohn, who also writes for Oprah. Telling her I would love to write for Oprah as well. (Wouldn’t you know just a few hours later I am at dinner with Oprah people and they are saying ” You should write for Oprah.com.”) Karen and I couldn’t part ways. Soul sisters is an understatement.

Here I am at a trendy Thai place in the Meat packing District of Manhattan having dinner with these folks and laughing my Pad Thai stuffed face off.

Three years ago I was asking: Egg whites or whole egg?. Chips or salad? More coffee?

Three years ago I was depressed and still did not have my hearing aid so I was half deaf and depressed. Ugh.

I had one of those moments last night where I simply stopped and acknowledged myself.

How often do you do that?

Like really, really acknowledge? Like the kind where you get goosebumps acknowledging?

Like when you get clear on what you have done and the goosebumps come.

Like when you get clear on who you are and the goosebumps come.

Like when you get clear on what you have overcome or broke through and the goosebumps come and never go away.

How often do we stop and acknowledge?

And, as my dear friend Frank Gjata always says: Acknowledge is Power.

(One of my favorite temporary tattoos of his from Conscious Ink.)

Lats night I looked at everyone at the table wearing my blue band. Yes, the misprinted ones that say Man-fest instead of Manifest. I sat across from the top producer at HARPO Studios wearing my blue bracelet as she ate her shrimp.

Skye and Serena Dyer (Wayne Dyer's daughters) wearing their Manifestation Man-festing bracelets.

It was such a chuckle moment.

I love chuckle moments.

When I realize how life works and how sometimes it is just so comical. How easeful. How’s it’s like one big ride.

When they all started toasting me last night I had to laugh at the hilarity of it. Toasting me, Jennifer Pastiloff, for making last night happen, for bringing everyone together.

(Funny because that is what I think of myself as: The Connector. Not the Yoga teacher, but the Connector.)

I have Wayne Dyer, Oprah and Positively Positive all on my vision board next to NYC. I have a picture of Oprah and under it says “Oprah’s Favorite Things” where I taped the words “Manifestation Retreats.”

Hee hee.

So yea, Oprah may not be at my next retreat just yet or saying that it is her favorite thing, but hot damn, her producers are having dinner with me, wearing my bracelets, asking me all about my blog. I’d say it was kind of a chuckle pinch me moment.

A CPMM: Chuckle Pinch Me Moment.

I may change my flight and stay for Oprah’s life class on Monday. My flight is out of Philly so I can be back for my early Equinox class Tuesday morning.

Last night I started to fret. I cannot miss another class. Bla. Bla. I have to get back. Bla bla.

I cannot recall the exact fretting. But it was something along those lines.

Then I thought: Wait a minute, Jennifer Pastiloff, just you wait a minute.

This is your dream, you nincompoop.

You would say no?

What am I afraid of?

Why would I say no?

Here it is. I am going to divulge the fear.

When I am happy I fear that it will be taken away, that I will wake up and be back to working at the Newsroom so I can say ” See, nothing good lasts.”

Eww, pop psychology is so cheesy and predictable.

I refuse to be cheesy and predictable.

My Equinox class will still be there for me if I miss one more to see Oprah.

I deserve to have my dreams come true.

There. I just said that.

Can you say that?

Join me please so I don’t feel like I am alone in a cab on the Avenue of Dreams all by my lonesome.

And guys? Bliss goes with everything.

Wear it all the time.

Serena Dyer, Harriet Seitler (executive VP for Harpo, as in Oprah, studios), and Eric Handler of Positively Positive all wear their Manifestation bracelets. Bam!

Serena tweeting. Follow her at @serenadyer
She is co-writing a book with her dad Wayne Dyer which I cannot wait for!

My most favorite tweet ever came last night from Serena Dyer.

Now, as you know, Wayne Dyer, her father, is my beloved teacher. She tweeted this:

Serena Dyer ‏ @serenadyer

The Dyer’s have adopted an honorary sister @ManifestYogaJen, just call her Sennifer 🙂

Guest Posts, Inspiration

Serena Dyer: Part 2. Meeting Oprah. (Can I be Next?)

March 22, 2012

Meeting Oprah! via Hay House

One super special wish fulfilled.

by SERENA DYER

Learning from the one who sees good in all.

MEETING THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN of the 20th century has been a dream of mine since I first started watching her show in my early teens. This past February, as I pulled up to Oprah Winfrey’s home on Maui so she could film a show with my dad, I realized I was about to have one of my long term “wishes fulfilled.”

I love Oprah because she is the whole package: she looks for the good in everyone she meets; she has used The Oprah Winfrey Show to teach the world about spirituality; she has earned incredible wealth and genuinely enjoys sharing it and giving it all away; but most of all, just by being herself and allowing her true magnificence to shine, she has become a beacon of light for all of humanity. Oprah Winfrey lives her dharma and in doing so, she allows her true nature to shine. What a joy it is to watch and learn from someone who loves doing what they do!

One of the biggest lessons I have learned from Oprah Winfrey is that of setting your intentions, becoming what it is you want to attract (not just asking for it), and then most important, letting go.

I have learned from both my dad, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Oprah that you don’t get what you want, you get what you are. I decided to apply this philosophy to my life and to become a person who is focused on serving others and not so focused on what’s in it for me. It was really challenging for me to blindly trust that things would work out, that money I needed would show up at the right time, and that I didn’t have to strive to arrive. There were times when I felt that I wanted to be like the rest of my friends and make a set salary, to have a position in a company that told me what to do and paid me for it. At the same time, though, I knew those things weren’t me so I decided to simply trust that if I served others, I wouldn’t be left behind. I started my own foundation www.not-for-sale.org that focuses on raising awareness about child trafficking in the United States. I became a Guardian-ad-litem, which is a volunteer advocate for abused or neglected children, and I spent a year working for free to raise money for a documentary film whose cause I believe in.

I always knew I wanted to work for myself, but I was so afraid that I would fail or that I wouldn’t be able to get anything done if left to myself that I held myself back. However, when I started to focus on other people and how I could help them, I realized that the universe was clamoring to help me achieve what it was that I wanted to do. Having this knowing that things really do work out, that I can truly just let go and be at peace and everything will handle itself is a really freeing lesson to learn. I used to feel so stuck in my career and my life, and I had this belief that I had to push and push to get everything done. Now, I have learned to set my intention, become what it is that I want to attract and then let go. In the past, when I had something that I wanted to attract in my life, I would call everyone I know and talk about it. I would listen to their opinions on it and then start to doubt it or feel unworthy of it. Now, when I have something I would like to attract in my life, I offer myself up to the universe to become it for others first, and I don’t talk about it with other people. When I am lacking peace in my life, I don’t ask God to please send me some peace. I ask God to please “make me an instrument of thy peace.” When I wanted a loving relationship, I asked God to please teach me how to first truly love myself so that I could then offer that love to someone else. Then, I assumed how it felt to really love myself, to really feel deeply loved by someone else and I concentrated on that feeling.

In 2008, I decided to make a vision board so that I could have a visual reminder of the type of person I had set my intentions on being. I wasn’t sure what type of career I wanted so instead of putting a specific job on the vision board I put words that represented feelings I would have if I was doing my dream job. I also put on my vision board words representing the man I would like to attract into my life rather than images of a really hot guy. I also cut out photos of other people doing activities I wanted to do, like meeting children in Africa, driving an old car down the coast of Italy and going wine tasting in an exotic location. I actually glued my face over the other people’s faces so I could see myself doing these things and not just imagine them! I cut out images of a big yacht, a silver Mercedes, some nice jewelry, and I put the word “travel” all over that thing just in case the universe was being extra generous!

I also put on my vision board images of Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres with myself right next to them and can you believe it? I had the opportunity to meet Ellen in 2009 and this past February, as Oprah put her arms around me and gave me a big hug, I was experiencing one of my long term wishes being fulfilled!

Pretty much everything on my vision board has come true. I went wine tasting in Sonoma this past September. I drove in a vintage Aston Martin in Sardinia in 2010 and that big yacht and silver Mercedes? Well, it turns out that my dream man has both of those, and we just celebrated our 3 year anniversary together. My career is heading in a direction I feel proud of and I have had the opportunity to take so many trips in the past 4 years that my friends jokingly call me “the world traveler.” So many of the material things and experiences I desired happened to show up in my life in ways that I can’t even explain or make sense of, but the truth is, that isn’t even the coolest part.

The really neat thing for me is that these material things are not the best part of this experience. The best part has been really learning to become like Oprah. I find myself wanting to share everything I get, wanting to look for the good in everyone, and most important, more than anything else I want to serve others in the way that Oprah has so graciously demonstrated for me. Learning to serve others without asking “what’s in it for me” has given me a sense of peace and purpose that feels better than any jewelry or vacation ever could!

I believe that I learned how to align myself with the power of intention by offering to others what it was that I was seeking. In doing so, I became what it was that I wanted to attract. Then, as I learned from Ms. Oprah, I let go and I let God.

~~~~~

(This was published today via Heal Your Life through Hay House and since I published my Serena article last night it seems we are on the same wavelength so I thought I would share this inspiration!)

Serena Dyer is a student and human rights activist whose mission is to eradicate child trafficking through advocacy, education and research for the Stop Child Trafficking Coalition. Serena is currently co-writing a book with her dad, renowned author and speaker Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. The book, Don’t Die with Your Music Still In You is scheduled to release in Summer 2013.

~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Jen: I am manifesting meeting Oprah by this summer! Stay tuned……

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).

manifesting, Q & A Series

The Magical Serena Dyer: The Manifestation Q&A Series.

March 21, 2012

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.

This next guest is an exciting one, not only because she is the daughter of my beloved teacher and mentor Wayne Dyer, but because she happens to be one of the most beautiful, authentic and inspirational women I have come across. Oh, and she is funny. Really funny.

Serena Dyer is the second of Wayne Dyer’s daughters that has been featured on the Manifestation Q&A Series. The first was my friend Skye Dyer, the incredible singer, whom many of you have heard during Wayne’s specials. Wayne Dyer himself has also been featured here. I am working my way, slowly but surely, through the Dyer clan. One “S” name at a time.

And just to be clear on this whole manifesting business I am so fond of: it works.

Wayne Dyer is THE reason I call my company “Manifestation Yoga.”When I started to achieve success as a yoga teacher very early on in my career people would ask how it was that I made such profound changes in my life so quickly. How so many amazing things kept showing up for me, from being on Good Morning America and traveling around the world with sold out retreats/workshops or becoming a writer for Positively Positive. As Wayne says: it is not our job to ask “how” or “when” but to say YES!

That is just what I did.

I do not think all of this happened because of Wayne Dyer but I do know that he was the most powerful teacher I could have ever prayed for. (And, to be clear, I did pray for a teacher.)

He showed up in my life exactly when I needed him to, as the teacher will do when the student is ready.

To see how incredible his daughters are is truly a testament that he walked the talk. That he lived the life he spoke of.

Serena is currently busy writing a book, traveling the world, cooking her butt off, running an anti-child trafficking site and laughing at herself. The last one just might be my favorite.

Not only is she stunning, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. (One of my favorite qualities in a person.) She was lucky enough to grow with spiritual parents who taught her and her siblings that: “they are unique little creations of God, perfect exactly as they are, no matter what, and no one can take that from them. My parents raised us on this principle and I am so grateful they did.”

Her answers are profound and funny, hilarious and humble. I cannot wait to read her book and sit down to the meal she has made for me. (Serena, did you read that last bit? I’ll bring the vino.)

I almost want to put her in my pocket and keep her for myself, but, I won’t be so selfish. World: here is the amazing Serena Dyer….

Jennifer Pastiloff: What are you most proud to have manifested in your life?

Serena Dyer: Travel. I regularly daydream about places I would like to go and experiences in foreign lands that I would like to have and even though I don’t usually know how I am going to pay for the trip or how I am going to get there, it always works out. I am constantly baffled how everything falls into place so easily. I have been to 30 countries so far and I don’t plan to stop traveling anytime soon!

Jennifer Pastiloff: Not -For -Sale.org. Can you share with us a bit how this was born and how you became so passionate about this subject of child trafficking?

Serena Dyer: I was an undergrad at the University of Miami studying religion and human rights. I came across a statistic that said “there are more people enslaved today than there were at the height of the Atlantic slave trade.” I considered myself to be a well-informd and conscientious young woman and I couldn’t figure out how there could be more people in slavery today if it wasn’t in the news everyday. I kept wondering, “if this is true, why don’t more people know about it. Why am I not learning about this in school?”

So I began a long journey to discover as much as I could about modern day slavery and what I found is that although it has a new name, human trafficking is essentially the same thing as slavery and not only is it an enormous problem in our world today, but it is increasingly on the rise.

I have always had a desire to serve others in the ways that I knew how and so I decided to start a non-profit organization that uses advocacy and education to spread awareness about this horrific practice. My organization, www.not-for-sale.org is in the beginning stages but I am proud of our web-presence and some of the ideas we have begun to generate.

Jennifer Pastiloff: What is your favorite part about traveling?

Serena Dyer: My favorite part about traveling is that I not only get to learn something about humanity and the world, I also get to learn something new about myself. I love new things and change and traveling, for me, is better than opening a present on Christmas morning. Waking up in a foreign place and having the whole day to just immerse yourself in a new culture is really exhilerating and energizing for me.

Jennifer Pastiloff: Tell us a bit about your love of cooking.

Serena Dyer: I love to cook because I love to eat! I like taking a whole countertop filled with ingredients and turning them into a delicious meal for everyone to share. I cook about 4 or 5 nights a week for my boyfriend!

Jennifer Pastiloff: What is the greatest lesson you have learned from running your anti-child trafficking site?

Serena Dyer: Since I am in the beginning stages of the site I am still learning a lot but basically that things take time and you have to be patient with the process and with others if you want to see really good results.

Jennifer Pastiloff: From your father, Wayne Dyer?

Serena Dyer: The greatest gift I have learned from my dad is that I was born with a little piece of God inside of me and that little piece of God connects me with everyone and everything. It is God that is looking out from behind my eyes, from all of our eyes, and knowing that I feel perfect, I feel safe and I feel incredibly loved.

Also, that if there is anything I want to manifest into my life I just have to align my thoughts and energy with it in order to become it, because you attract who you are, not what you want.

Jennifer Pastiloff: From the process of writing a book?

Serena Dyer: To be patient with myself, to accept myself as I am and not be so hard on myself.

Jennifer Pastiloff: From having 7 siblings?

Serena Dyer: You are never as cool as you think. (note from Jen: This girl is hilarious!)

Jennifer Pastiloff: From traveling?

Serena Dyer: Have an open mind to everyone and everything you meet. Just because something isn’t familiar to you, or makes sense to you, does not make it wrong or bad.

Also, don’t go to foreign countries expecting to get scrambled eggs and bacon the way we can get it in America… in fact, just don’t order scrambled eggs at all cause you will never get what you expect. Or iced coffee for that matter.

Jennifer Pastiloff: From cooking?

Serena Dyer: Sometimes when things don’t turn out they way they looked online, you didn’t fail.. they just used photoshop.

Jennifer Pastiloff: Gratitude is the greatest force In my life. Most of my classes are set to this theme. If you could say thank you right now, who would it be to?

Serena Dyer: My parents. Every week I see a story of another kid that committed suicide because of bullying. Every week I am reminded that kids weren’t taught that they are unique little creations of God, perfect exactly as they are, no matter what, and no one can take that from them. My parents raised us on this principle and I am so grateful they did.

Jennifer Pastiloff: When was the last time you laughed at yourself?

Serena Dyer: I crack myself up all day long and usually I laugh out loud and people look at me funny. About an hour ago I just saw paparazzi jump out to photograph this actress and there was a split second that I thought they were photographing me and afterwards when I realized that I actually thought that I laughed really hard- and almost tweeted it but then realized other people might not find it as funny as I did!

Jennifer Pastiloff: Who/what inspires you most?

Serena Dyer: Children inspire me the most. They are present, they are in awe of everything they see, they seek adventure and they are always learning and expanding. Children just want to love and be loved and when you are loved by a child, you really come alive. I have 8 nieces and nephews and I spend a ton of time with them and I always feel so present and aware when I am with them.

Jennifer Pastiloff: Who has been your greatest teacher?

Serena Dyer: I am not sure yet, at the end of my life I may have an answer but right now there are about 12 people vying for first place.

Jennifer Pastiloff: What is your favorite part about traveling with your dad?

Serena Dyer: Watching him do what he loves to do and seeing the reactions of people whose lives he has touched.

Jennifer Pastiloff: Some words Serena lives by?

Serena Dyer: Arrange whatever pieces come your way- Virginia Woolf

Jennifer Pastiloff: Can you share with us about the book you are writing?

Serena Dyer: I am writing a book about being raised with spiritual parents, from the perspective of the child (me). People always ask my brothers and sisters and I what it was like to be raised by Wayne Dyer and so I am telling them- and let me tell you, it was weird. Haha only kidding!

Jennifer Pastiloff: Who would be your dream person to do a Foreword for your book?

Serena Dyer: My dad is doing it, I never even thought about someone else!!

Jennifer Pastiloff: How can we get involved in helping to stop child trafficking?

Serena Dyer: You can go on www.not-for-sale.org and sign up for an e-alert that will let you know when a new bill or law is being passed that might need your support.

Also, the Somaly-mam foundation is incredible and the work they are doing all over the world would literally blow your mind. Somaly-mam builds shelters for girls in foreign places to escape to if they are being forced into prostitution or sexual slavery. Somaly-mam is a survivor and every penny donated goes toward helping the girls she rescues, some who are as young as 4.

Jennifer Pastiloff: What is one message you would pass on right now to someone looking to manifest their best selves?

Serena Dyer: Offer to the world what it is you want to attract. If you want love then offer love to everyone you meet. In other words, become what it is that you feel is missing in your life.

Jennifer Pastiloff: What brings you the most joy? Your joy list….

Serena Dyer: My family

My boyfriend Matt

My best friend Lauren

My nieces and nephews (which are family but they deserve their own category cause they are so f’ing cute)

My friends

Traveling

Cooking

Reading

Talking

Great dinner with friends and great wine

Feeling successful and knowing i am doing great work

The little voice inside of me that says thank you to all of my food and God bless you to people I walk by that look like they need an extra blessing

Jennifer Pastiloff: I do an exercise in my class called “I am-ness.” Finish the sentence I am _______________.

Serena Dyer: I am divine love, I am. (I say this at night before bed).

Jennifer Pastiloff: Where can we find more of Serena Dyer?

Serena Dyer: serenadyer.com

twitter.com/serenadyer

facebook.com/serena.dyer1

stop-child-trafficking.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jen’s “rules”:

1. Be Kind.

2. Have a sense of humor especially when it comes to yourself

3. Write poems, even if only in your head

4. Sing out loud, even if badly

5. Dance

6. If you don’t have anything nice to say… you know the deal

7. Find things to be in awe of

8. Be grateful for what you have right now .

9. Watch Modern Family, read Wayne Dyer, and end every complaint with “ But I’m so blessed.”

10. Duh, do yoga

11. Don’t worry. Everyone on Facebook seems like they have happier and funner lives. They don’t.

12. Tell someone you love that you love them. Right now.

13.. Take more pictures.

14. Forgive yourself for not being perfect. no such thing.

15. Thank the Universe in Advance

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Jennifer Pastiloff is the founder of The Manifest-Station. Her work has been featured on The Rumpus, The Nervous Breakdown, Jezebel, Salon, and more. Jen leads her signature Manifestation Retreats & Workshops all over the world. The next retreat is to Ojai, Calif over Labor Day. Check out jenniferpastiloff.com for all retreat listings and workshops to attend one in a city near you. Next up: Seattle, London, Atlanta, South Dakota, NYC, Dallas, Tucson & The Berkshires (guest speaker Canyon Ranch.) She tweets/instagrams at @jenpastiloff.

serena dyer