Ashley Ray Ashley Ray

What if life is a dream?

Have you ever experienced excitement to get in bed knowing you get to dream? Even better, maybe you might even find yourself in a lucid state of dream— you realize you are dreaming and you get to experience things you have never done, would never do, or could never do in “real” life.

What if real life is actually a lucid dream? You create your reality. You can experience whatever you want. You can do and say whatever you want.

How free would you be knowing that one day you will awaken from this dream and realize it was all just a dream?

Do the thing. Say the thing. Experience the thing. Life is a dream.

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Ashley Ray Ashley Ray

Love Greatly

Is there some thing, some one, some experience that brings immediate tears to your eyes when you think about that thing, that person, that experience?

In the deep, dark hole of grief, in the heartache of never ending tears, what is it that you feel?

In the pain of sadness, in the rage of anger, do you find yourself lost in what feels like the despair of it all?

What if, for a moment, you could see beyond the grief? What if you could find beauty in knowing that you feel so deeply because you loved, you connected, you experienced, you felt so beautifully, so joyfully, so lovingly, so greatly?

What a gift to have had such an experience, such a connection, and to know that if you felt a love that causes such pain once, it’s possible that you will love and experience so beautifully and greatly again.

Every thing is impermanent. Fight through the pain quickly and savor every second, every minute of the beauty, love, happiness, joy, and peace when they inevitably arrive.

For maybe then, when impermanence strikes again, your heart will quickly remember that the pain, tears, grief, and anger are temporary and part of the gift that is experiencing and loving so greatly.

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Ashley Ray Ashley Ray

Live Intentionally: The Habits That Shifted My Life

Here is a list of habits that I slowly adopted to Shift My Life —

  1. Wake with Sun

  2. Ritualize the 10 minutes after you wake-up and before you go to bed

  3. Get physical in nature

  4. Practice silence

  5. Make time for personal reflection on a regular cadence

  6. Practice gratitude

  7. Incorporate affirmations & mantras into daily life

  8. Drink more water

  9. Get more sleep

  10. Eat more whole foods

  11. Laugh even when you probably shouldn’t

  12. Simplify your life

  13. Find joy in the doing

  14. When all else fails, turn the music up, sing along, and dance

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Ashley Ray Ashley Ray

Infinite Being Meditation

As part of my 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training at Vikasa Yoga Academy in Koh Samui, Thailand, we often ended practice with The Infinite Being Meditation by Kosta Miachin. The below includes some of his affirmations with a few of my own personal additions.

I am Infinite Being

I am infinitely complete

I am infinitely happy

I am infinitely healthy

I am infinitely prosperous

I am infinitely wealthy

I am infinitely abundant

I am infinitely creative

I am infinitely courageous

I am infinitely successful

I am infinitely supported

I am infinitely held

I am infinitely free

I am infinitely grateful

Take a few moments to say what you are grateful in the past 24 hours.

I am infinite forgiveness

Take a few moment to forgive yourself and others. Forgive, let go, and send love.

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Ashley Ray Ashley Ray

Reading List

  1. Man’s Search For Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl

  2. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

  3. The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection - Michael A. Singer

  4. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Robin Sharma

  5. All Our Waves Are Water - Jaimal Yogis

  6. Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day - Jay Shetty

  7. Set Free: A Life-Changing Journey from Banking to Buddhism in Bhutan" - Emma Slade

  8. The Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation and Study Guide - Nicholas Sutton

  9. Being Aware of Being Aware - Rupert Spira

  10. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment - Eckhart Tolle

  11. 40 Days to Personal Revolution - Baron Baptiste

  12. The Hidden Power of the Heart: Empower Your Thoughts, Balance Your Emotions, and Unlock Vibrant Health and Abundance - Kimberly Snyder

  13. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living - Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

  14. Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Connected - Wallace J. Nichols

  15. Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth - Edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

  16. Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves - James Nestor

  17. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art - James Nestor

  18. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams - Matthew Walker

  19. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles - Steven Pressfield

  20. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

  21. Perfectly Imperfect: The Art and Soul of Yoga Practice - Baron Baptiste

  22. Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe - Laura Lynne Jackson

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