Someone wise once said, "you can't solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it." When we take time to do a guided relaxation, we literally go into a different level of consciousness...allowing us to access deeper stores of creativity and solutions to problems that are not usually available. Our daily reality has our brain functioning in Beta wavelengths. Taking time to relax puts our brain in Alpha wavelengths, and maybe even Theta. Alpha wavelengths are what we experience in between sleeping and waking...as we wake up, before we fall asleep. Theta is the wavelength of sleep, as I understand it. It was soon after I spent 7 days at a retreat with Dr. Joe Dispenza, spending hours and hours washing my brain in alpha and theta wavelengths, that I found myself able to start shifting my weight down, after years of nothing working. The biggest change I made after that retreat was taking time to do guided relaxation EVERY SINGLE DAY. I won't go into all the benefits that daily guided relaxation can provide, but there are MANY, including balancing cortisol, helping the nervous system feel safe, and much, much more. As I took time to relax every single day, I started feeling more clarity in my life and the weight started coming off without my even thinking about it. It became clear that Intermittent Fasting was something I really wanted to try. I had previously thought fasting wasn't for me...it seemed too trendy, and I thought I would feel deprived. Ironically, I have felt more well nourished than ever since I started intermittent fasting, and more empowered around being able to affect my health. Various pains and injuries just vanished as I kept exploring intermittent fasting. I alternated fasting with feasting on nutrient dense foods. I had treats whenever I wanted to, timing my eating in a way to support insulin sensitivity (an important concept I learned while researching fasting). The point is...I probably would have never tried the fasting if I hadn't allowed myself to relax and feel really safe...deeply and consistently.