Joyful Affirmations with Emily Nielsen: Recent Episodes
Emily Nielsen
Mindful moments of lighthearted meditations and affirmations to peacefully set the tone for your jubilant life. All in about 5 minutes!
New episodes every Monday and Thursday.
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- Peaceful power. Allow yourself to find comfort with my Ocean Meditation. 🏖
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- Nice vs. Kind: What's the difference?
An ENCORE recording of a post originally released in March, 2022.
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- March is the month of movement, of breathing, of stretching and reaching. 🧘♀️
Take a listen to today’s podcast, featuring a special guest - my daughter Mirabel! We share ideas and thoughts on how to embrace the idea of movement, with a reminder that what feels good is what matters.
Namaste.
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- What are you going to declare today? What seeds of desire, opportunity, wild delight and assurance have you conjured?
Tell yourself, I know this is going to work out.
Remind yourself, I have nourished these thoughts into being.
Allow yourself to know you have tended the right path to fulfillment.
Breathe, lightly and easily, and feel the solidity of the earth beneath you. The earth is your playmate; it is enamored with your presence against its surface. Let its constant, dedicated strength hold up your passionate and surrendered body.
As artist Georgia O'Keeffe says, "You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare."
Think of the boldness of making a declaration. This is not something one does lightly. But in the promise of a new dawn and a new landscape before and around you, open your heart to your willingness to declare your accomplishments.
Tell the sun, "I declare....."
Tell the sky, "I declare...."
Let your heart say, "I declare....."
Feel the unwavering solidity of the earth beneath your feet, absolutely supporting you in your declaration.
You are open.
You are free.
The world is ready for your best self.
What accomplishments are you willing to declare?
I believe in the promise of this day. I believe in the fulfillment of your wildest declarations. I believe in you.
Namaste.
This was the very first episode I recorded for this project, a little over a year ago. It feels so nice to revisit it, and to reflect on all I have learned and improved upon in the last 12 months. I am so grateful. For all of it.
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- The seeds we plant in our mind gardens are the stories we tell ourselves. 🌱
The seeds are the occurrences we hope to come true. They’re the realities we would love to watch unfold and manifest in this life, right here, the only one we’ve got.
The words we tell ourselves, the beliefs we secretly keep, the hopes and despairs we have had the occasions to experience…. All of these things are the hulls of the seeds we can plant.
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- If you plant and nourish a tomato seed, a tomato plant will grow. 🍅
Likewise, if you plant and nourish a thought in your mind, it too will grow.
What we feed will thrive.
And so it is with the thoughts we plant in the gardens of our minds. Consciously or unconsciously, positive or negative.
Today, we ready our Soil for the Soul
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- Malarkey, I say.
“Look on the bright side; cheer up; it could be worse” - these statements devalue the worth of our feelings.
So when we say things like “positive vibes only!”, it takes away from the authenticity of being. And when we notice that the suppressed emotions have gathered in our spaces and accumulated along our edges, we need to respect ourselves enough to clean house. To sweep away the anxious fear and to dust the corners of accumulated dust bunnies of resentment and worry.
As you inhale, bring in fresh, healing, wholesome and cleansing oxygen. And as you exhale, use your breath to sweep away the pent-up corners, to release those things you no longer need to have inside you, taking up space.
As you inhale, bring your hands to your heart and feel the potential there, and they way it joyously accepts the light and love you’re offering. And as you exhale, release the tight angles that are littered with unspoken regrets.
Watch the beautiful video for Sit Around the Fire.
Watch, listen, and read more of my musings at Balance and Whimsy on Substack. I've got some super exciting things coming soon!
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- There is so much to be grateful for.
My breath. The earth that supports me. The people I meet. The first light of morning. The taste of my favorite meal. Sleep.
I am grateful.
Notice. The simple, tiny, ever-present things.
Namaste.
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- Finding gratitude in this moment. 🙏
What positive things are already in your life?
By paying attention to these things, you can attract more positivity and things for which to be grateful.
As you know, gratitude begets gratitude.
Today, I offer a meditation for finding gratitude right now.
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65. Oh! I get to be grateful. I let the swell of gratitude in my heart grow inside, and it strengthens my bond with my best self.
How can gratitude become a part of our daily lives? And, why should it?
"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." - Brene Brown
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- Gently I greet my self, and the New Year. 🪷
This year, I will exist in a world that supports me and cheers me on. I am surrounded by the life force that thrives upon my brilliance.I shine.I let myself shine.
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- Here comes the sun! 🌄
After today, our days begin to get longer again. Let that thought warm your heart.
The cold and quiet wintry days invite reflections of gratitude, humility, and peace.
Happy Winter Solstice!
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- Hygge is warmth, comfort, serenity, and charm. ☕️
Hygge is a way to stay connected to everyday simplicity .... and to one another.
Get into the spirit of hygge by allowing yourself to envision getting totally comfy and cozy. Wrap a sweater up to your chin, pet your dog, crawl under your down comforter, and come into the idea of cozy, simple, happiness.
Join me for a meditation that invites comfort and joy.
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- To be cozy is to be content
To feel connected is to feel secure 🕯
The Danish have a word called “hygge.” Pronounced hyoo-ga, it’s a term that means feeling cozy, connected, warm, and easily enjoying the good things in life. It’s a way to stay connected with everyday simplicity... and with our most at-ease selves.
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- Gratitude. This week, next week, and forever.
This one is sacred, y’all.
Today, I invite you to dedicate 30 minutes to a meditative practice of gratitude.
I incorporate the 7 chakras into this practice, and invite you to experience the ability to bring awareness into all the aspects of our lives for which we can be grateful.
You don’t have to know anything about yoga, or chakras, or energy points in the body.
You only have to allow your mind, breath, and body to touch base with thankfulness, and to receive the bounty that is provided for us when we focus on the intention of gratitude.
In this recorded meditation, we will touch base with our chakras:
Root Chakra: stability, groundedness, the color red
Sacral Chakra: pleasure, creativity, the color orange
Solar Plexus Chakra: will, determination, the color yellow
Heart Chakra: love, compassion, the color green
Throat Chakra: communication, voice, the color blue
Third Eye Chakra: intuition, awareness, the color purple
Crown Chakra: spirituality, higher knowledge, the color white
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- Some say that the falling autumn leaves are a good reminder for us to let dead things go.
I say, baring our bareness allows us to let authentic things in.
May we choose what feels right when we are at our most vulnerable.
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- We may not be in the same boat, but we are in the same sea.
As human as it is to want to feel in control, it’s also within us to find trust that we are all in this together.
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- What if everything isn’t messed up right now?
What if everything is going to be okay?
A Joyful Affirmation for Embracing Optimism 😌
Today I allow myself to look on the bright side. Today I allow the sun to hit my face, to warm my spirits, and to give me release.
Today I allow myself to believe in the good, to acknowledge with certainty that there is more good than bad, that there is more light than darkness, that there is more hope than despair.
Today I allow myself to live in the promise of better things.
Today I allow myself to acknowledge that I am a part of the goodness, of the lightness, of the hope.
Today I step into the understanding that our purpose is peace, and that we are all here for the same reason: To give, to love, to see and be seen.
Today I acknowledge my place in this purpose, and I do so with gratitude, finding a reason to smile in this moment, reminding myself that there is so much beauty to be held, and to hold.
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- Today, let’s look for something random that makes us giggle.
Sometimes it’s nice to not have to find deep inspiration or question “what does it mean?” double-rainbow-guy style.
Sometimes, the mundane is where it’s at.
On this holiday of popular debauchery I declare,
Let there be levity.
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- An ode to the earth in Autumn 🍂
Let the soul of your meandering soul
Drift into alignment with the slow circles of the earth’s breath
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- Tiny Burst {3}: The "strangely still pause between summer and autumn, greenery and gold..."
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. 🍁
Let’s embrace the gloriousness of change, and how ease flows in when you have an opportunity to let the cooling, cleansing air of the season soften your breath and invigorate your senses.
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- Juxtapositions in our hither and thither 🪷
We can still own fierce hearts, even with our heads bowed in namaste.
We can still shine up and out, while protectively encasing our tender inner growth.
We can still accept the brilliant bravery it takes to simply exist, and let our simple existence be enough.
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- You are infinite 🪐
Take up space
Get away from the scrunch and the withering
And embrace the notion of expanse
Of reaching into the void, into the atmosphere
Explore the space between your ribs
And the expansiveness of your lungs
Find the sequoia of your spine and
The ability to shine up and out from your heart’s secure home
The sky and its particles are boundless,
And the feel of the air’s embrace is certainly
Longed for by your skin as your cells get
Nourished with the idea of freedom
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- "....It is a serious thing
just to be alive on this fresh morning
in the broken world."
—from Invitation by Mary Oliver
There are so many of us who are glad you made it here this morning. No matter where you meet yourself today, please remember that you are valuable and worthy.
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- Today I’m sharing a meditation from my Stress Less Playshop. Settle in for this audio recording of a meditation to ease you into peace and comfort.
This one is a bit longer than most recorded offerings, so make sure you’re in a space that you can really allow some dedicated space for quiet reflection.
If you would like experience the full recorded Stress Less Playshop, visit this link for access! You can absorb the 90-minute session in bits and pieces, or dedicate a restful hour and 1/2 to quieting your mind and body. Make sure you’re in a safe and secure place when you participate; you’ll be ready to drift into Lala Land when we’re done!
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- Tiny Burst {1}: A Slight Buzz 🐝
These wee 1:00 affirmations are for those of us who can get by just fine, thank you, with tiny bursts of inspiration before we move along to the next adventure.
Squirrel!
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- "Compliment, please." 😌
Asking for help with shame says:
You have the power over me.
Asking with condescension says:
I have the power over you.
But asking for help with gratitude says:
We have the power to help each other.”
- The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer
When we can adopt the understanding that we are surrounded by souls who offer the same acts of compassion that we are equally willing to give, it makes the act of the ask so smooth.
Who could you contact today, with a simple “compliment, please?”
How could you give one out?
Small acts of kindness matter, and so does the huge act of asking.
Thank you for reading Balance & Whimsy. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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- Rest is not a sign of weakness
if it’s the very thing that makes us strong
Today, I invite you to embrace the idea of rest.
Pause and reflect. And join me for a live Zoom playshop!
An Invitation to Rest
The Stress Less Virtual Playshop
Join me for a 90-minute virtual (Zoom) playshop in which we'll learn ways to quiet our minds, soften our body tension, and allow ourselves some precious, uninterrupted time in a state of Rest.
Together, we'll practice methods of
- meditation
- breath work
- gentle movement & stretching
- ways to honor body and mind at home
Join me on September 20.
Subscribers will receive a coupon code to join this event for FREE!
You can find the Joyful Affirmations Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Your ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews are so VERY appreciated. Thank you!
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- This audio-only offering is a tiny way for me to share one of my self-soothing techniques. I call it my peace pillow.
And yes, a giant fly was hovering around my microphone during recording of this episode. He sends his regards. My peace pillow was with me. 🪰
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- The fact that I teach goat yoga for a living is the most ludicrous, delightful, and unexpected path that I never saw myself taking.
The question I get asked the most these days, when people learn what I do, is “Why?”
Join me on a journey of misadventure, the unexpected and genuine joy that is animal husbandry, and a chance to virtually experience a dose of goat therapy.
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- Greeting the day with it, leaving things in it.
This one is about the choices we make about what feels best to offload and leave behind - with blessings as appropriate - and set our sights ahead.
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- Using breath and movement for deep peace and light. 🧘
Shine, shine, shine your light... and be able to accept it as well. Let it out, and bring it in.
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- Thank you, thank you. 🙏
Saying no, and asking for help... which is harder? Plus, breaking the habit of saying "Sorry!"
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- Generosity for the win. 👏
Practicing random acts of kindness benefits everyone - even (especially?) the giver.
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- Here's how awesome I am. 💁♀️
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- Shift your focus for a sec 🔍
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- An opportunity to pause, breathe, and receive clarity 🌤
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- Listen now | The energy of joy is contagious
Watch my favorite mood-boosting video
"Happiness runs in a circular motion
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea
Everybody is a part of everything anyway
You can have everything if you let yourself be"
- Donovan
- Listen now | ... or at least know Love is your home base
“Haz todo con amor.”
Do everything with love.
Sometimes well-intentioned platitudes can feel like condescending threats, am I right?
- Thoughts on cleaning and cleansing 🍏
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- ... and talk nicely to yourself!
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- Listen now | Come into the beautiful presence that is your breath
Please allow me to present a previously-recorded meditation that I made for clients at the YMCA. It has been a bizarre week, and I needed this meditation for myself, as well as for something to share with you. I will be back on track soon. In the meantime, enjoy this podcast-only offering.
- Respect and reverence meet lightheartedness and joy
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- Our moods are dim... so we shall do what we can
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- Another chance for a wee declaration ✓
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- A meditation for being fully present
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- Embrace your desire to shine 💫
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- Breathe into grace... for thee and for me
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
- the Dalai Lama
- Listen now | Wherein I am tender and vulnerable and amazed 👯♀️
There was a brief moment that had me wondering if I should re-record today’s podcast episode. But the truth of motherhood, for me, is that it is a vulnerable place. It is the most ridiculous merging of tenderness and ferocity. It is the extraordinary realization that the gift of loving them is an enormous, overwhelming sensation. So, that rawness allowed itself to come out, and will remain.
With a nod to their incredible presence, this is for my daughters Luciya and Mirabel.
- With a reminder that Family is an enormous word ❤️
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- Ideally, the source is a point of honesty and trustworthiness 💧
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- A few words to our past and present selves
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- Listen now | For calm, clarity, and gratitude
Today’s hot tip: Gratitude and resentment cannot coexist.
- Listen now | Slip safely into sleeping well 🌙 Take an opportunity to settle, rest, relax, and let go. Let the soothing sounds of the moyo drum carry you off into a stress-free meditative chance to wring yourself out and drift away.
This audio-only offering is intended to help you ease into a restful sleep.
Rest well.
Do you have other requests for posts or pods? Let me know.
- | Get your a$$ in the grass 🌱
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- A joyful affirmation for the season 🌸
If you're enjoying the podcast, please rate and review on your favorite platform.
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- Listen now | I invite you to simply listen and accept. ✨ It’s never easy to ask for acknowledgement. This project means so much to me, and if you are appreciating it, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! I’m so grateful for the support and opportunities to share in these wee, wobbly efforts. ⭐️ I’m grateful for YOU!
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- Listen now | Step in, and allow grace to lead the way. ✨
If you're enjoying the pod, please share the love and leave a review!
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- Listen now | An interactive podcast adventure
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- Listen now | Breathe, believe, receive
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- Listen now | Shine your light with gratitude
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- Nice vs. Kind: What's the difference?
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- It's okay to look on the bright side.
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- Listen now | Let go and surrender 🌕
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- What it means to affirm
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- Allow yourself to just BE.
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- Rise. And shine. A meditation for your morning.
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- Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
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- We know the tricks of the light.
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- “Nature does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished.” - Lao Tzu
I fully accept that the day will unfold in perfect order.
- No deviled eggs for me, tra-la-la.
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- {there's no other place I'd rather be.} A meditation to bring you into the present moment.
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- Settle into a comfortable position for this meditation that allows you to declare your accomplishments for the year ahead of you.
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