Create magic in your life. Now!

When we are kids we feel that everything around is magical. Everything is exciting and fascinating. We play, do the things we love, explore and run around. We have lots of energy and move all the time. Life is one big adventure where everything is possible. 

Somewhere on the way to the adult life things change. Life starts to appear more flat and and heavy. We become responsible. We worry more and play less. We have less and less time, until we have no time. To do what we love. Christmas is no longer a fairytale, it becomes more of a stress loaded commercial hunt after something to buy for someone who already has all the things. Magic has disappeared somewhere. Packed away in a box together with the old clothes and toys.

Or maybe not ..

Maybe it’s right here. Right in front of us, right inside of us and all around!
What if everything is magical and the only reason we can’t see it is that we don ‘t look properly?

So, today I am here as an ambassador of magic and a messenger of good news!

Magic is real!

Right now, as reading these words, our body is managing thousands of operations to keep us alive. The heart is beating, pumping the blood to the rest of the body. The stomach is digesting. Kidneys are filtering, the livers are cleansing and so we could go on and on. Thousands of operations happening in us. Right now. Naturally. Without us having to worry about it at all.
That is intelligence of life in action.  A miracle which is happening all the time and which we mostly take for granted.

Now, no matter where we are, inside or outside, home or abroad, we are all on this gigantic planet called Earth which is spinning and rotating around the Sun, determining cycles for us. Days and nights, seasons and years. The same planet contains the most breathtaking landscapes, oceans and billions of diverse organisms.
We are living here all together. We eat food which our body digests and uses it to build itself and sustain our life here. The food which is being grown on the same planet.
Right now, someone is dying and someone is being born. After growing nine months inside of his or her mother’s belly.

Hello! This is pretty damn magical, isn’ t it?

The simple fact of our existence on Earth is utterly mind-blowing.

Imagine that, at the end of your life you suddenly realise that all has been magical. That there was magic everywhere. How sad is it? No one wants that.
So, start seeing how magical this world is right now, wherever you are!

Free will

We have a gift of free will. We can choose how we perceive our reality. To see life as magical needs a shift in perspective. It’s not about fooling yourself, it’ s rather about seeing more clearly.
We all have times when reality feels flat and dull. We are missing something which we don’ t even know what it is. What’s more, there is always something we can find which is not perfect in our life.  Always something which could be better.
It’ s not a fun feeling. BUT when we know that we can change this, we suddenly become empowered. We know that we have tools on our hands which can make a shift. Simple things we can do to make ourselves feel great and experience magical moments. To watch this TRANSFORMATION is truly exciting.
We watch yourself go from flat to vibrant. From chaos to clarity. From low to high. From boring to exciting. From sad to happy. From uninspired to creative!!
Now, who am I to claim this? I am a magical being just like we all are! OUR NATURE IS MAGIC. OUR ESSENCE IS LOVE. OUR POWER IS INSIDE OF US. And it’s time to live what we are. It’ s time to go inwards and connect to it. Because this is where the source of true happiness exists. Not in the outside world. The outside world will be magical as a result of the magic which has to first happen inside of us. Because our reality is always a mirror of what is happening inside of us.

You are the universe, expressing yourself as a human for a little while.
Eckhart Tolle

What do I mean by magic at all?  I mean a state of mind, when you feel profound joy. When you feel that everything is well, no matter what. You feel alive and you want to feel like this all the time. It’ s a state of ultimate wellbeing.

So how to get more of that?

We need to take action and make a shift in our perception. We can’ t just sit back and wait until someone comes and makes us happy. The life itself knocking on the door delivering fresh magic. We are the creators of our feelings and of our reality. We can choose what we want to create.  I am not saying it’s easy. It’s not. It demands practise and determination. But the result is so worth it! It’s our responsibility to make us feel good and we all have the power to do it.

The world can only change from within.
Eckhart Tolle

On the following lines I am sharing what I do to create magic in my life. This works for me and I am pretty sure that it is quit universal and can work for everyone. The only limit is your mind. I hope you find some inspiration here! The key words are:

COLD. HOT. MOVEMENT. MUSIC. MEDITATION. NATURE. PASSION. GIVING.

1. COLD!  

For many people the idea of getting in cold water is repulsive. They have various opinions around the subject: it’ s not comfortable, it can make you sick, it’s even dangerous! The idea of bathing in cold sea during winter, while it’ s dark or grey or snowing is just some weird form of masochism.
I understand their point. Believe it or not, I sometimes see it in the same way.
But I KNOW one thing. I know that it is just a perspective and if you manage to move beyond it and go do it anyway, oh, boy! How it makes you feel is just too good!
And I know one more thing. Even people who hate the idea of cold can do it and even enjoy it! If you are one of these persons I am gelling you:
Your body is resilient. Don’ t let your mind tell you otherwise. Don’t let your comfort zone limit your even nicer comfort. I believe in you. But the most important thing is that you believe in yourself.

Going to cold water will shake everything in you upside down. It will reset your system, clear your mind and flood your blood with serotonin and hundreds of other good hormones which create the feeling of well being. I am not even mentioning all the health benefits here.
To sum it up, cold is a total magic trick. It brings an immediate shift. Always. It gives you energy, joy and focus. I absolutely love it!

We aways have a choice of how we see things. Dark and cold can be scary and unattractive. Or it can be our teacher and medicine. If we soften, breathe and stay relaxed and calm, the resistance will leave and more ease will come in. Even in cold water. It works!
If you want to read more about ice bathing check out this article.

BONUS: BANANA GELATO!!!

Another pretty magical thing is making rich and satisfying gelato using only frozen bananas and nuts. It has a perfect texture and is super healthy, as you imagine. You can really have it all! To make this gelato, simply cut your bananas into pieces and freeze them. Then blend in a food processor with couple of tablespoons of nut butter. It helps to have a good food processor but I also made it with an ordinary hand blender. I like almond butter or peanut butter most, pinch of salt and there you have it! You can also add cacao powder and vanilla or chili for chocolate ice cream. Or salted pistachios. No limits. No limits. 🙂

1. HOT!

Photo by Zaira Zarotti 

There is something about contrasts.
They shake you! They pull you out from the state of non-vigilance. They bring in the intensity. The feeling of being alive.
Let’s take hot and cold. Hot shower is extra good when you are freezing. Ice drink is extra nice when you are very hot, right? Hot can create so much pleasure!
Like in sauna. You can feel the heat coming into your bones. Then going to cold and then laying down, enjoying that ecstatic feeling of pure existence. No rush, just sense.  A total bliss.

Talking about hot and comfort we can’t skip hot drinks.
Coffee! The least effortless tool to create a glimpse of magic. An instant kick of happiness and inspiration. Now, I am talking about a really good coffee. Strong, freshly brewed, dark roasted.
Btw., have you heard of coffee angels? They are magical beings who deliver a cup of delicious coffee right by your bed, announcing their arrival by soft sound of a ringing bell. On holidays and weekends they even bring chocolate!
A truly magical experience. Even non coffee drinkers will not resist!

Cacao! Another powerful magic creator is a good cup of energising hot cacao. Intense cacao flavour, divine smell. Touch of spices and salt. A classy drink. A medicine. The best thing to nourish yourself with if you experience an emotional turmoil, are sick or just needing a little extra pleasure. Cacao is a real life saver. It floods you up with serotonin, sharpens your brain and opens up your heart. I drink litres of cacao, specially during winter moths. Find the recipe for my medicinal hot chocolate here.

3. MOVEMENT!

Our body is designed to move. When we are kids we move and run all the time. So why should we just stop doing this when we grow up? It doesn’ t make any sense!
Movement is utterly important for how we feel. When we move we feel alive. Everything circulates and flows. When we don’ t move, the energies get stuck. We get stuck. We feel blocked, uninspired, tired.
We are such complex beings! Our bodies and minds are tightly bound together.
So, let’s move and unstuck ourselves! Let’s make the energy flow! Let’s allow our body to release all the good chemicals into the bloodstream and make us feel amazing!

 Move, move, baby!

I love to do yoga, dance, walk, hike or run. I love to run when the weather is really sucking. When it’s gloomy, rainy or windy. Then the shift which the movement brings becomes even more obvious.
The more you run, the better if feels to run. Also, the good thing is that you get a lot even by doing just a bit! Even 2 minutes of dance, 5 minutes of yoga or 15 minutes of run can totally change the mood you are in! You are changing your energy, which makes you feel differently, which makes you think and act differently and you create a different reality! Boom.

5. MEDITATION!

This is a big one! A total magic winner. Simply sitting still and being aware of your existence. Observing the life within you. Your breath rolling up and down through your body. Your heart beating for you day and night.
The power of slowing down and being present is immense. Presence is sacred because RIGHT NOW – it’s where the magic lives. Meditation is a great tool to practise exactly that.

Do you want to run through your life without noticing the magic of presence?

I meditate and take cold bath or shower daily. Simply because it makes me feel alive and well. Do I always feel brave and eager to go to icy water? No, I don’ t. Do I always feel like meditate? No, I don’ t. But I know that if I do it I will feel great. My perception of reality will shift. I will feel more magic inside and notice more magic on outside.
Why is it like that? Why everything becomes more bright and magical when we meditate, move or experience cold? Well, probably because something within us changes, our energy transforms. We shake up the system, the brain starts to release the right chemicals and we feel great. It’s like making a milk shake. You have ice and couple of ingredients, you have a blender, you press START and the result is a frothy delicious beverage!:)

If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.
Buddha

So, go meditate! The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more you enjoy it.
If you want to learn more about meditation check out this article.

5. MUSIC!

Music is such a powerful tool, don ‘t you think? I love how it totally transforms the reality. I love to listen to music when I do yoga, draw, cook, dance or run.
Have you experienced this amazing feeling when you are running through the city, listening to music and watching people around and everything? Isn’t it like being in a movie? Isn’t it super uplifting?

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to the life and to everything. 
Plato

Sometimes, I listen to music while I meditate. Not that I don’ t enjoy stillness. I do both. It’s fun to make special playlist for different activities. I have one called Meditation vibes, another one called Run! and many different yoga playlists. You can check them out on Spotify. There is even one called Create magic now! Find it here:

Tip:  invest in good head phones and bring the whole experience on a higher level.

5. NATURE!

Nature is pure magic. All the shapes, forms and colours we can find there! Endless diversity, billions of organisms. One huge miracle that we are a part of. Being present in nature, with nature, can be a really magical experience. Simply noticing the smallest details, contemplating the big landscapes or watching the elements.
You don’t need to go far to find nature even if you live in a city. How about sitting down with your plants? Watch how they are. Notice the structure, the colour. The vibe. See if you can really feel the plant, connect to it. What do you have in common? Isn’ t it the same life energy flowing both through the plant and you? The plant will enjoy it very much too which you will notice on how it grows.

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. 
Buddha

6. PASSION!

What is your passion? What do you absolutely love to do? What brings you into flow? The magical state where you experience that special feeling of focus and joy, where physical needs are reduced and time is passing extra fast?
For me it’s drawing and creating things. It brings me joy and satisfies the need to create. This powerful force we all contain. The need to create. The nature of our existence.
When I don’ t do if for longer time I feel like something important is missing in my life.
I believe it’s crucial to find time in our lives for doing things we love. Whatever it is. We didn’t come to this world to fulfil endless responsibilities and duties like robots. We came here to live! To experience, sense, learn, grow, support and share with each other.

It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living. 
Eckhart Tolle

7. GIVING!

When I was little I loved to make surprises for people. The more unexpected, the better. The more surprised the person got, the better! This has not changed.
It’ s a really nice feeling to make someone happy, isn’ t it? It’s like if the person brights up! There is so many ways we can do it. Give gifts, make honest compliments and say to people what we appreciate about the, bake a cake, send a postcard. Little things which creates a big effect and sparks of magic.
So, go and make someone happy right NOW!
Make brownies, be a coffee angel, send a letter, call you grandparents, invite a friend for dinner, say to someone how you appreciate his/her work, make jars of almond butter and give it as gifts to friends. The possibilities are limitless.

If you knew what I know about the power of giving you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.
Buddha

8. BONUS: clean your space!

Make your home feel spacious and nice to be at! Remove all the unnecessary stuff, swipe the floor, let in some fresh air, light a candle, burn an incense. Or simply spray a bit of your favourite perfume into the air.
This is instant magic. You created it! It was messy and now it ‘s tidy and inspiring!
Notice how your space makes you feel now. The process of cleaning functions on more levels. It’s both external and internal, in a way that it creates more space and clarity inside of you too. Once clean and organised the place will radiate this back on you.

Create good vibes at your place. This will help create nice vibes in yourself.

I really hope you enjoyed this article and that it can be an inspiration for you to experience more magical moments in everyday life.

Much love!

xx

Renata