My Bombay Adventure: (Part 4) Almost Becoming An Actress + Manifesting Your Desires Effortlessly (And Meeting My Favorite Movie Star Fardeen Khan)

October 28, 2016 by Priyanka Leave a Comment

Things start to get better, I promise. I spoke about in the last installment how two outrageous passes led me to be hidden in the background. It created a deep seated fear of being seen and noticed. I realized this later in the trip and now as a thirty year old woman that there is beauty and power in being seen. I realized it is safe to be seen, to be loved, and to be cared for. It meant an amazing flow of energy between me and another person. The source of this energy was, of course, the Universe.

Kareena Kapoor: The Power and Vulnerability of Being Visible

Being seen means expressing myself fully. Being in my real power. It doesn’t mean perfection. Simply authenticity.

I visited another movie set and this was a pretty incredible experience. I remember telling Mukesh how neat it would be if I could meet Fardeen Khan. I had visited Film City where numerous television game shows had been shot. Like Amitabh Bachchan’s show Kaun Banega Crorepati, Shah Rukh Khan’s show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, etc. I could’ve met superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and more if only they weren’t filming overseas at the time! I have to admit I wasn’t overjoyed because I wanted to have the precious opportunity to meet them. After all, it’s not everyday you’ll meet them!

Life continued on in Bombay. I visited more film sets and studios. I remember visiting an audio recording studio that was so dusty and a strange smell penetrated the whole studio. My sense of eye sight and imagination was more shocked because I imagined the studios would look a lot more glamorous. I remember reading in interviews where stars spoke about the not so glamorous conditions they worked in and the long hours, yet I never imagined it would look like this. My bathroom must’ve been in better condition than this studio.

And I believe this particular studio was owned by Salman Khan or a member of his family. It was interesting to see photos of him and his family adorning the walls. I also had fun telling my family and friends the story of how this studio looked. So I guess it makes for an interesting story!

Another day, I visited another film studio. I honestly had no idea where I was being taken and what part of town, I just flowed wherever my guide, Mukesh, took me. This studio was in better condition than the audio recording studio. It was more spacious and there were several rooms. I sat in the middle area on a bench, bored because I wasn’t witnessing any kind of filming taking place. There was numerous film crew around, but I didn’t recognize them and they were deeply absorbed in their work. I had no interest after about five minutes.

A couple days earlier, I was enjoying a delicious ice cream with no care in the world. I was going on and on about my favorite actor, Fardeen Khan, and how much I loved him and how handsome and hot I thought he was.

I fluttered my eyelashes and fawned an exaggerated sigh about how I would behave if I met him. Mukesh chuckled at my fan girl attitude. He never saw me become as excited as I was talking about Fardeen Khan, lol.

Now back to the film studio again. Thirty minutes passed. I thought I wasn’t going to see or meet anyone worthwhile and told Mukesh we should just head out as I had seen enough at this studio. We could go sight seeing or visit another mall. I also wanted to eat, too. He just nodded his head and told me to wait ten to twenty more minutes. I took a deep breathe and agreed. I made myself busy on my cell phone.

After some time, I noticed film crew members who were earlier hustling around the studio suddenly whispering (rather loudly) in hushed voices that he received the money finally. I turned my gaze at Mukesh who said that the star of this movie the crew was working on hadn’t received his full money so he refused to come to the shooting.

I became wide eyed and asked him, but wouldn’t that not be good for the film director and crew and shooting schedule? He shrugged his shoulders and said this was what happened typically with stars, especially when they didn’t receive their money on time. Apparently, the director rushed and made his money magically appear and now the star was on his way to the studio.

I didn’t even bother asking Mukesh this time who the star actor was. The sounds of the crew became louder and then I realized why. The star actor was here! I scanned the area, yet I couldn’t find him. Until literally inches away, I saw a very handsome guy with a baseball cap on and track pants and a casual shirt on.

I blinked my eyes. And then blinked them again! It couldn’t be! I turned to look at Mukesh and he flashed an impish smile at me. It was FARDEEN KHAN!! My favorite movie star standing inches away in casual attire you wear to the gym. And he still looked damn hot!

Meeting My Favorite Movie Star: Fardeen Khan

We all know actors and stars are normal people like you and me, yet to meet and see them in person and especially your favorite movie star is simply a surreal experience. It felt like a dream to see him. I hadn’t the opportunity to meet other stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, so I hadn’t expected to meet anyone else major during this trip.

I wish I can say that I ran up to him and tapped his arm and asked for an autograph and gushed to him how much I admired his work and loved him. But I didn’t do that. Instead, I sat frozen on the bench not moving an inch of my body. I felt my whole body become warm and fuzzy. My feet so desperately wanted to move, but my mind didn’t command them to move.

It was the perfect moment. When was I going to meet him again? The Universe handed me the perfect moment. The Universe listened to my desire. All I had to do was do my part.

Minutes later, I saw two older men with glasses and identical faces wearing total crisp white suits on. It was the famous director brother duo, Abbas and Mustan. I read in interviews and articles that both these brothers always wore white suits on. And my goodness, they truly did in real life. I guess they really liked white suits!

Abbas and Mustan grabbed Fardeen Khan and they started chatting, presumably about the shooting schedule and the script and scenes. There went my opportunity. Sigh.

I got up and exclaimed my surprise to Mukesh. He laughed and said he thought I would faint or run over to Fardeen Khan right away to get his autograph. He wanted to surprise me that my favorite movie star was showing up here. I laughed with him and thanked him, though in the back of my mind I was beating myself up for not taking advantage of this opportunity.

I couldn’t believe I was in the studio with the director duo Abbas-Mustan and Fardeen Khan. I loved their movies! This was literally a dream come true. Later in the night, I remember thinking: How could my dream come true? How was that possible?

As Fardeen Khan became busy, Mukesh and other crew members told me I could watch the dubbing for the actress of the movie: Amrita Rao. I sat in a private room where only exclusive members of the film crew could sit. I was getting amazing access to watch her actually recite and dub her lines. There was another room inside this private room where she stood saying her lines.

In the room I sat in, the lyricist and dialogue coach and a few others guided and worked with her to complete the dubbing. I heard the lyricist and dialogue coach mutter annoyingly to each other how the stars and kids of today don’t know any Hindi or Urdu (India’s native languages) and only focused on speaking English and hence she wasn’t able to pronounce the lines properly and it took an endless number of takes.

I must confess she was strikingly beautiful in real life as on screen. She was just as slim, too. However, I found her to have somewhat of a sassy attitude who was very aware of her beauty. After that was complete, I went home and thought what a day! Every day here in Bombay blew me away and astounded me. Every day was so different from the other.

The next couple days were the last for the program so I spent some time meeting up with directors I had met earlier in the month as they wanted to meet. I wasn’t so nervous this time because I had already met them and there was a certain comfort level established.

One director told me to read the book, Marrying Anita at a gorgeous coffee shop situated in the Lokhandwala area of Bombay (where I recognized more television actors enjoying their coffee as this was a popular hang out spot for film and television people), and tell him what I thought of the book after I read it. He said he was looking to cast someone should he make the adaptation on this book. I became frozen as the book was about an Indian American girl who travels to India looking for love.

He gave me his email and told me to keep in touch with him. I bought the book immediately at some book store at the mall. I read the book and when I reached California again, I told him my thoughts. I was curious and did some research on the book and found an article where the writer mentioned in the interview she was collaborating with a director for an on screen film adaptation to be made on the book.

Another director I met asked me if I would be interested in acting or becoming an actress and I was just dumbfounded. He asked me the question like what I was going to study in college. It was said with seriousness and posed as a legitimate question. I became red in the face and a shiver ran down my back. My stomach churned. I didn’t know the answer to that question. I told him I had never really considered it. He nodded and we made more talk. Towards the end of our conversation, he said we should keep in touch and that I should consider it.

When the last day of the program rolled around, my uncle, aunt, and niece dropped me at the Bombay airport. We said our goodbyes and I took the flight home. I read the book during the flight and had the time to process everything that happened.

I remember a million questions buzzing in my mind: How could I become an actress? Was I good enough to be an actress? Was I pretty enough to be an actress? Did I have the talent? What would my family think? Could I live in Bombay because I’m essentially an American girl? Did they just say that to me to mess with my head and not mean it? Did they just want to sleep with me? Did I just imagine this and I’m hallucinating?

To those who know me and say I look completely calm and unfazed, this is exactly what goes on in my head. I have a million thoughts racing in my head. I’m confused and unsure most of the time.

When I look back, I realize that the desire of becoming an actress didn’t fruit or materialize because I freaked myself out and even before it could become a reality, I thought of the reasons why I couldn’t or it wouldn’t happen. I did the same when meeting my favorite movie star Fardeen Khan. I didn’t want to be seen as there is a vulnerability to being visible.

I now know what I didn’t at the time. To manifest your desires with ease, whether you want to manifest a partner, home, creative idea, money, career, or health, you must be absolutely clear with your intention and desire and release it to the Universe. When the Universe does its part and brings your desire or an amazing opportunity to you, you don’t let your fears come in the way and question it.

Rather, you get out of your own way and believe that if the Universe brought the desire and opportunity to you, then you do your part by trusting and surrendering to the process and that you have all you need to do your part of the deal. That you are deserving and worthy of all the beauty, love, and abundance life wants to bring you and you ALWAYS welcome it with arms wide open. You accept the desire as a beautiful gift given to you by the Universe. You receive it with deep joy and gratitude and allow yourself to be visible.

Today, I don’t question too much what the Universe brings me. I surrender wholly and completely and trust that what has been brought to me is for my highest good and it is my job to honor it and that I’m completely worthy of the experience and desire and not attach myself to the outcome. Because there is always more joy and beauty in the process and journey anyway 😉

Have you had a desire you wanted for so long become a reality or receive an amazing opportunity and you let your fear and sense of worth get in the way? How did you feel? How would you deal with it differently today? What did you learn and grow from the experience? Please share with me in the comments. I’d love to hear your experience!

Image sources: kareenakapoorkhan, findwallpaper

The Divine Process of Preparation: How to Trust the Process Unfolding

January 12, 2016 by Priyanka 2 Comments

Divine Process of Preparation

I have been noticing a kind of stagnant energy around me. It is making me uncomfortable and want to push and control because I don’t know how to approach or understand this fear-driven energy.

I am noticing it is arising especially when I am trying to manifest specific desires into reality. Things are taking their own pace and flow, different from what I expected and imagined. It is taking me away from my inner point of stillness. While a new year usually feels refreshing and brand new, I feel like I’m being faced with similar situations and fears again.

Yet at the same time, I can feel that things, people, and circumstances are shifting in my life. I feel helpless at the moment because I don’t understand why and how it is happening. I’m not sure how to tackle what is unfolding. An inner dialogue is running in my mind that is not supportive and uplifting to me.

Until I took a deep breath. Until I let go of my reaction to the discomfort. I started to listen to it and observe it carefully. I stopped resisting. I started to trust the divine process unfolding.

When you’re not sure of the purpose behind the process, one of the golden rules of manifestation and the Universe is to simply trust the process wholeheartedly. Let go of your expectations or any notions you have about the events unfolding in your life.

Let Go and Release

This stagnant, humdrum energy will make you feel uncomfortable, but the more you try to avoid or push it away, the more it will cause you to react in ways that are not supportive.

Instead let this energy be and place all your focus in the present moment. Do you want to eat a yogurt? Do you want to drink a glass of water? Do you want to talk to a friend for support and love? Focus on loving yourself and honoring your needs and desires.

This energy is there for a reason and it is shifting and creating space for a fresher, lighter energy to fill in to create new events, relationships, and experiences in your life. After a point, you will feel relaxed and lighter.

Surrendering and letting go does not mean that you are giving up in any way.

It is about pouring all your energy and consciousness in the moment in front of you and releasing what happened yesterday and is to happen tomorrow. It means you are letting your energy guide your actions. It is about being in sync with your higher self and going with the flow and journey your life is taking you on with a gentle trust.

Embrace the Preparation Period

Sometimes, similar situations, relationships, and people come into your life and then gracefully leave to teach you the same lesson over and over. Until you don’t understand the purpose and lesson behind it, they won’t go away.

This is extremely important to your growth as a human being. As a spiritual being, you come to the Universe with specific soul lessons to master. It is your higher soul’s greatest benefit to drop deep into your inner guidance so you can grasp the learnings.

When you have understood these learnings, you will find something click inside you. You will feel this deep knowing that you are supported and loved beyond your wildest dreams.

New channels and experiences will open up and take you on an even more meaningful journey.

Accept Divine Timing

Sometimes, the preparation period also exists because you are not fully ready to call and accept your heart’s deepest desires. You’re not ready to call in that perfect job, relationship, or large sum of money into your life.

So you are in transition. You are going through a divine process of preparation and it does not mean that you are not worthy, it simply means that you have to connect back into your inner self.

It means diving in even deeper with your self and having the patience to see the beauty of this gorgeous preparation period. It means committing to your inner growth and evolution even more passionately.

Because when that desire does finally arrive, you will be the person you need to be to fully accept and enjoy that desire. Your higher self knew this all along. It is just waiting for you to realize it.

How do you support yourself through your divine process of preparation? How do you trust the process unfolding to allow what is truly right for you instead of what you want? Please share with me in the comments.

How a Romantic Entanglement Cracked Me Open and Unraveled My Ego

November 16, 2015 by Priyanka 6 Comments

I usually share little details of my personal life, particularly my romantic life. But I endeavor to be as real as possible, I want to share something I went through in the earlier part of this year.

Being a writer, I am a dreamy romantic. I love this side about myself actually. I love being in love and feel passionately when in a relationship. But it wasn’t always this way. I wasn’t in touch with my divine femininity and sensuality for a long time. I spent a large part of my life pretending to be detached and shoving my emotions for love. I didn’t want to admit that I feel intensely and emotionally and am deeply affected by romance. I liked to present the image that I’m strong and independent and don’t need anyone. But that is far from the truth.

Love is a Divine Exchange of Energy and Purity

I love being in love.

I love that I can let my inner self and physicality shine through when I’m with someone I trust and feel safe and secure. So the first half of this year, I started seeing someone. He seemed to be a sweet guy. If you know me personally, you will know that I don’t place too much importance on material considerations. It is more important that this person showers me with genuine care and love. I like a man who is sensitive to my little needs. These little gestures of affection mean more to me than grand gestures of short-lived attraction.

When I started seeing him, he seemed to be perfect on paper. He had a PhD and good job at a reputed company. But more importantly, he seemed to be sweet and attentive to my needs. I remember the exact moment I started to feel attracted to him. In the beginning, he was just like any other guy, but this moment was the turning point. We went to see a movie together in January and it was freezing cold. I carry a scarf and jacket with me everywhere I go. The movie theater was packed and I didn’t have a spare seat to place my scarf and jacket. I placed the jacket and scarf on my lap and watched the movie with him. My fingers gently played with my scarf and jacket.

About thirty minutes into the movie, he suddenly reached over to my lap and took my scarf and jacket and simply placed it on his lap. When I realized what he was doing, I whispered in his ear that he didn’t need to hold my scarf and jacket and I could hold it. He whispered back that he wanted to hold my jacket and scarf and I should enjoy the movie.

It sounds silly perhaps, but this gesture touched my soul.

I remember a warm fuzzy feeling overcoming me. In that moment, I could see some kind of potential in him as a relationship and something more cemented. He treated me nicely on our first date and took me out for dinner and I appreciated him making me feel special that night, but this little gesture meant more than that.

Now that I look back in retrospect, I realize why that moment meant so much to me. I felt loved, honored, and respected. Isn’t that what any woman or man wants from their partner or for that matter, any kind of relationship? We all want to feel like we matter and that in this gigantic Universe, we are loved and our voice and hearts are important. This is the cornerstone of any relationship that blossoms.

But it is strange how life works out sometimes. After this date, we continued to see each other and things dramatically changed. What initially was a genuine exchange of energy, love, and care, turned into ego-driven fear and unhealthy attachment. As time progressed, I noticed he put up walls and suddenly turned from someone sensitive to completely disregarding my emotions and needs. I won’t place all the responsibility on him because it always takes two to tango. I found my fears and insecurities being triggered as well and didn’t react in the most loving way at times.

But I will say this: I tried to do everything differently with him. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone for the first time in my life. I really wanted to work on myself and how I behave in love. I wanted to be more real and honest with him. And that was how I was the whole time. Each time I tried to open my heart to him, he put up stronger walls. I realize part of this was so I could develop a needy attachment to him to reaffirm his own self-worth and to increase my attraction for him, but ultimately it did what he didn’t wish for. I started to feel less emotionally attached to him.

Long story short, this romantic entanglement didn’t last long and didn’t exactly end on pleasant terms.

It took me some time to understand why this happened and what lessons I was to learn from it because for the first time in my life I had given someone a legitimate chance and opened my heart to reveal the real me. And one day as I was driving somewhere, the music was switched off and I felt my body soften and the word “ego” ringed in my head. It was like a light bulb had flashed. I remember stopping my car and breathing hard.

And then tears rolled down my cheeks. By this time, I didn’t feel any romantic feelings or attraction towards him, but I had felt immense anger towards him. But as those tears fell, all the anger washed away.

I realized that he represented my ego.

I loved in the past with attachment and need. I couldn’t process my own fears and insecurities, so I used a man to feel this validation and love for myself. But he could not give it to me because I didn’t give it to myself. I wasn’t the source of my own love and fulfillment.

I finally understood why he had come into my life. For my ego and need and attachment and fears to be peeled away one by one like the layers of an onion. And then I felt a deep compassion for him. How could I feel angry at him for not treating me the way I wanted to be treated? On some level, his soul was meant to connect with me because he was meant to learn a divine lesson through me as well. I felt love and kindness for him because I could see he could not reveal his real self because he lived through his head and ego and it was not serving him in any way. It must be a painful and limiting way to live this way.

You see, the fear-driven ego only wants to limit you. It wants to keep you in your safe comfort zone. It doesn’t want the true essence of your soul to emerge. And then the realization dawned on me:

I was grateful to him because he made me realize exactly what I wanted in my partner. I knew what kind of partner and love I wanted to be with him.

When I next fall in love, I want to be real and raw. I want the real Priyanka to shine through, including all my flaws and vulnerabilities. I want to show up and serve in an honest way with my heart open. I want to become a better woman so he can become a better man. I want to ask him: My love, how would you like me to uplift and love you? I want us to be a portal into the divine. I desire us to serve and expand each other.

This man, unknowingly, cracked me open through this experience. Because if we hadn’t crossed paths, I would still be living and loving in my limited, fear-driven way.

I hold nothing against him. I hope he finds his true love that uplifts him and he learns to feel comfortable to reveal his naked soul and love. Because this experience has burned up all my darkness to pave the way for my soul’s light to shine through.

I can become a better woman not only in my relationship, but in every part of my life. And this feels freeing and beautiful and divine. I feel special because now I realize I have something special and valuable to bring to my partner and most importantly, to myself.

Have you had a similar experience where you found yourself taken aback and not understanding why it happened? How did you transform after learning the beautiful lesson(s) you were meant to learn? Share your experience with me here. I’d love to hear about it.

Letting Go is Part of Your Spiritual Evolution

October 18, 2015 by Priyanka 6 Comments

Many years ago, more than a decade ago (gosh, I’m old, lol!), I had visited an ashram in a beautiful hilly town in north western India with my parents and another family. I remember sitting in the temple, hearing chants, and saying my prayers.

In fact, famous Indian celebrities like Shammi Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are believers and visited this exact ashram, including many westerners from Europe, Australia, and the United States.

Being a teenager, I wasn’t very interested in sitting at the temple.

Releasing is part of your Divine process of Transformation

I wasn’t interested in saying my prayers. Since I had no choice but to sit at the temple, I used to spend my time staring at the cute guys (by the way, none paid any attention to me and instead focused all their attention on prayers). I would float into another world in my head and conjure all sorts of dreamy, romantic fantasies in my head about them.

Out of the Blue…

But one fine day, looking out at the gorgeous hills and landscape, I felt this current of pure bliss and happiness run through my body. I remember feeling very peaceful. I remember thinking there is more to life than our physical forms.

It was in that moment that I became connected to my soul and realized that there is a deeper meaning to my life. It was in that moment I had a taste of spirituality.

I was never the religious sort, I still am not. By birth, I am a Hindu, but I don’t follow everything. For example: I eat beef. Today, I enjoy going to the temple or church or any place of worship. They are all the same to me: manifestations of truth, love, soul connection, and humanity.

But after that trip, my spirituality became buried somewhere in me. My teenager years and most of my twenties passed.

Growing up in an upper middle class Indian family in the Bay Area, I grew up attending parties where all anyone spoke about what was how much money they made, stocks, and expensive houses they bought. Even I got caught up in the rat race. It became important to me to prove I could go to a “good” university and have a “good” job.

That “good” was whatever the definition of the society and family I grew up in. But it never truly ever resonated with me. I always felt I was pretending to be someone else. I was wearing a mask that hid the real, true me.

Well, life has a way of coming full circle. My spirituality became awakened early last year.

I committed to undergoing a deep inner work and process of transformation. A large part of it was due to the events and circumstances that unfolded in my life the last couple years. But now I understand why they had to happen.

Because they were designed for my transformation. The hardest lesson for me to learn is to let go and surrender. All my life I have struggled with this. I tend to attach to a person or situation with such might and not want to let go. As a result, I’m very careful to whom and what I get attached to.

But lately, it feels as if that’s all I have been doing. Letting go. Releasing. Surrendering. I’ve been releasing many old patterns and ways of thinking. This year, I let go of a relationship, my apartment, job, fearful beliefs, and much, much more.

It is starting to click piece by piece why this is happening. Suddenly, the realization dawned on me: Letting go is part of my spiritual evolution. To peel away the layers of ego to reveal the true essence of my soul.

I have learned my ego has kept me firmly entrenched in fearful, limiting situations and beliefs all these years because the ego is too afraid to surrender. It wants to stay in control.

But staying in control is incredibly exhausting. It requires way too much unnecessary energy and time.

I now want to use my precious time and energy to connect to my soul deeply and complete the work that I am meant to do on this Earth. The work that was decided before I was born. To master the core lessons of my soul in this lifetime.

As I’m learning the lessons I am meant to master, I am letting the path be revealed moment by moment. I am shedding my old skin to let a new Priyanka emerge. I’m not sure where this is all taking me, but I know one thing for sure:

This journey is going to be extremely fulfilling and beautiful. I am going to open my mind to magic and let myself be guided by my inner bank of wisdom.

Have you felt challenges in letting go and releasing? How did it make you feel? What are the beautiful insights you gained from your process of releasing? Please share with me in the comments. I’d love to know.

How Comfortable Are You With the Uncomfortable? 8 Practices to Support Yourself Lovingly

May 22, 2015 by Priyanka Leave a Comment

There comes a point in every person’s life that they hit a plateau. You are outgrowing the current phase you are in. Life is calling you to head in a different direction.

Becoming Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

In other words: leave your comfort zone.

It’s Time to Grow, Darling!

I remember as a child, I had to change quite a few schools. Being a Taurean, I am not very fond of change. I would get used to a school and create a friend circle and suddenly I would have to uproot myself and move to another school. As a result, I went to three different elementary schools between the age of nine to fourteen.

I was a shy child. It was not easy. But I had to leave my comfort zone each time and start afresh.

Similar to this experience, there are phases in your life that come and go like the seasons. Every phase is necessary for your growth.

How Do Know When to Move to the Next Phase?

You start to feel stagnant. Your desires start to change. Your heart and soul beckon you in a different direction.

Deep down, you know it is time. Last year around this time is when I knew it was time to take some concrete steps to fulfill my vision. To live my life more authentically. I knew it was time. Mentally, emotionally, and physically.

There is a niggling feeling in your stomach or chest. It starts off as a tiny feeling and keeps growing larger and larger that you can’t ignore it any longer.

Oh, That Ego!

But then your mind starts working in overdrive. It tells you: Are you crazy? Stay put! There’s no need to change anything up.

But your heart is telling you otherwise. Your mind is meant for your positive use. But when not used correctly, it will cause your ego to meddle and overwhelm you. It will confuse you. It will fill you up with doubts.

Your mind must be a faithful servant to your heart.

Become Comfortable with the Uncomfortable – The ONLY Way to Grow

When you finally take steps to move forward and transform your life, you will see discomfort settling in. You will find yourself in the throngs of anxiety. You will be so overwhelmed with fear at times that you will clam up. You won’t be able to breathe.

And you’ll want to just go back to where you were. Happens to me all the time! I want to tell you that this is COMPLETELY natural!

I want to share with you some tips on how to become more comfortable with the uncomfortable. These are my favorite practices I personally do on a daily basis 🙂

Take Deep Breathes and Become Still

For someone who used to fill all her time being busy and not leaving any time to become still, this practice has changed my life for the better. I take five to ten minutes before going to bed to close my eyes and breathe. I breathe in and out slowly and deeply.

I do it lying in my bed or I roll up my yoga mat in my bedroom and do it there. Sometimes, I play soothing classical music in the background.

Other times, I play some haunting music. I admit it, I play Haunted by Beyonce or Crazy in Love from 50 Shades of Grey! It helps me get in the mood and embrace it fully. Sometimes, it’s not trying to figure out a solution. It’s just about feeling the emotion. Walking yourself through the discomfort.

Pamper and Treat Yourself

Whenever I feel confused and overwhelmed, I book a massage. Or I’ll go out and treat myself to a nice meal. Even if it means I’m sitting by myself, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is I am listening to my body and responding to its needs.

I’ll pour a glass of wine or make my own drink using my fabulous Magic Bullet. Then, I’ll curl up and read a book at my apartment. It really doesn’t matter what you do.

What matters is you do something to tell yourself: Hey Girl, I got your back! You’re gonna be just fine, beautiful. All you need is some time to pleasure and pamper yourself.

Write in Your Journal or Diary

I do this daily. I have a gratitude journal where I write down the things I’m thankful for. I love it. I go back and read it and I smile. It reminds me of how much beauty and love actually surrounds me. I just have to remind myself from time to time 😉

I’m not great at writing by hand in a journal, so I have an online diary where I write pages of how I’m feeling and what I’m experiencing. It’s like talking to a girlfriend. Doing it online comes in handy when I’m at the office, too. I can simply pull it up while I’m working and jot down my thoughts during lunch time.

Keep Your Girlfriends (or Really Neat Guy Friends!) On Speed Dial

I literally have my closest girlfriends on speed dial. A week ago, I was filled with doubt and nervousness. What did I do? I immediately texted one of my girlfriends. I told her how I was feeling. She was so sweet and beautiful. Her words were filled with wisdom and soothed me immensely.

Always keep your girlfriends or guy friends close to you. Be there for each other. Be one another’s support system.

Celebrate Milestones, No Matter How Seemingly Small

It’s important to have a vision because it’s what’s going to pull you forward effortlessly. However, sometimes you can be so attached to the vision and overall outcome, that you forget to enjoy the process.

Becoming comfortable with discomfort and going through a transformation is going to be filled with all sorts of moments. But you’re never going to get that beautiful transition again. So why not enjoy it fully? Celebrate your milestones, no matter small!

If it means you made a call to learn more about a program or discussed something important with your parents or partner, celebrate that! It’s a positive step in the right direction.

Sleep and Nap!

When you don’t want to do anything, it’s a huge indicator your body wants you to stop and listen to it. Your body wants you to relax. Sleep on time. Sleep well. Take short naps through out the day.

If you have a busy schedule, then come home and take a fifteen nap instead of switching on the television. I can assure you it’s going to do wonders for you.

Nourish Yourself with Delicious Food

When you get busy, you forget to eat on time. You forget to eat well. I am guilty of doing this. But really, it is during these times that you must support yourself even more lovingly and fully.

If you’re busy, buy a healthy meal outside. Or make some extra food for dinner and pack it for lunch the next day. Always nourish yourself with healthy food. When your energy levels are high, you will be able to be more present and take inspired actions with more ease and flow.

Party or Dance Away!

My personal favorite! I have only gotten into this recently. In fact, I danced some in my bedroom right before writing this blog post!

I love to take my clothes off and dance in my room with just my undergarments and a T-shirt on. I do close the curtains! I’m not that bold 😉

I have some favorite go to songs to dance in my room. (Shakira, Beyonce, Indian artists!) It helps me shake the jitters and nervousness off.

It helps my energy to flow and gets me all pumped and excited. I automatically start feeling happy. When you’re dancing, there is no time to think. You’re living only in the present.

You can also go dancing with your friends or grab drinks with a friend. Basically, do whatever your heart desires so you can support yourself as you would to a loved one.

What is your biggest takeaway from this post? What are some practices you would love to take on board? Please share with me in the comments.

Priyanka Yadvendu

Answers to Joy, Intimacy, Security, Family & Romantic Relationships for 20-Something Women