attached to nothing, i am free.
this is my heartsong. a mantra i chant daily. my motto for this lifetime. a ballad my heart sings to stay open. a melody my soul croons to remain free. a proverb i was gifted from those who came before me. an inner knowing i discovered while cleaning up one of the many messes i made. a tidy sum of wisdom i found while rummaging through a treasure chest of sorrow. a lullaby i hear each night as i drift off to dream. a love letter i received from spirit. a prayer i whisper each night as i bow in gratitude to the great mystery. a cluster of words i packed in my suitcase on my way to earth. a message written by the hands of god to liberate the suffering of all beings.
attached to nothing, i am free.
attached to nothing, i am free.
attached to nothing, i am free.
express yourself
for a minute there, i forgot what it felt like to be happy for absolutely no reason at all. to need nothing more than i already have in every moment. to know, deep in my bones, my own worth. to trust my intuition and stand in my power. to be honest with myself about what i want. to say no to everything not aligned with my highest self. to bow in gratitude every single day for this wild ride called life.
now i remember who i am and why i came here. no other form of me exists as i do anywhere in all of time and no other person can express the language of spirit quite the way i do.
each person’s private world is so fascinating and bizarre at the core. but so many people hide their eccentricities in fear of being judged. when you mask your magic to dodge the opinions of others, you hijack your brief experience on earth. you will most definitely be met with judgement if you choose to show up as your true self. you will be judged harshly for refusing to fit into a boring ass box society constructed for you. but none of that matters. you’ll scare off those not meant for you and attract the ones who are (speaking from experience).
stashing away your magic to avoid shame and judgement toward your wild, sensual, brilliant self will deplete your life force. give yourself permission to let go of fear and become the fullest expression of your soul. you don’t need to be like everyone else or do what everyone else is doing. you have your own language and needs and desires and colors and personality. study yourself in depth, speak from the heart and do what you love. release the fear of being seen as you really are and unleash your wild into the world. your weird is your superpower. nobody on this planet is quite like you. not even close. stop playing small and dimming your light. we are waiting to see YOU, beautiful badass. XO, zella
dance is medicine
i dance to heal myself and every ancestor that came before me. i dance to heal the children suffering in silence. i dance to heal every woman shamed for celebrating her sensual feminine flow. i dance to heal every man called weak when he opened his heart to love. i dance to heal every human forced to hide their divinity from the world. i dance to heal the children who are not safe in their own homes. i dance to heal every woman who dimmed her own light in fear of intimidating another with her supernatural powers. i dance to heal every man who feels unworthy of love. i dance to heal the children who have lost their innocence to incomprehensible acts of evil. i dance to heal every trauma wound of every creature on this earth. i dance to heal each and every human taught to fear their own magic. i dance to heal all of humanity. the entire universe becomes love when i dance. that is why i dance.
•
when i dance, my body becomes a vessel for the highest expression of spirit, allowing every emotion to arise, only to release it from my body and free itself of pain so i no longer carry it with me. dance is both prayer and medicine to heal the collective of abysmal injury and adversity.
a river runs through her
Reclaiming Your Power
Before rising to new levels of consciousness, you must first drop the low vibrational energies holding you down. Judgement, shame, fear, guilt, gossip, hatred, jealousy, conformity, dogma, division, blame, blind obedience and self denial exist within deep wounds. To know which of these are plaguing you, get honest with yourself. What ruffles your feathers? What do you do when you are triggered? What emotions do you project onto other people? This is how you begin to heal the pain. Tell yourself the truth about yourself with no judgement toward yourself. Explore the hard questions in silence and stillness until the answers appear.
Healing your wounds requires the ability to let go of belief systems you cling to for dear life. It begs you to open the mind to possibility. It asks you to admit you don’t have it quite as figured out as you’d like others to believe you do. It insists you trade in self-righteousness for holy curiosity. The ego must die in order to attain enlightenment.
This is an inside job and commands your undivided attention. Nobody can do the work for you. You must go alone into the depths and darkness of your private world where truth resides. Underneath each wound, you will discover a treasure chest of ancient wisdom. The deeper you dig, the more you will find.
Each scar contains powerful messages from ancestors to help you get where you are going. You will need to feel the pain in its entirety before you can heal and move forward. The deeper the cut, the higher the calling. You are retrieving compelling information you have forgotten. You are remembering who you were before they told you what to be, before you lost your innocence. The remembering will lead you home to yourself. You have strayed far away from the soul of who you are, but you are slowly finding your way back.
Let go of anything hindering you from aligning with your highest self. While some relationships will unconditionally support your metamorphosis, you may have to walk away from those stunting your growth. This severance is in no way personal and does not have to be dramatic. Often times, the other person will naturally pull away from you when your frequency shifts. In other cases, you may need to cut ties. You may even renounce destructive habits, behavioral patterns, a job, a place or a commitment you’ve made. You are answering a call from another world and will need to leave behind what no longer serves your purpose. Each step of your journey must be made with intention and bravery.
Once you have healed your pain in the underworld, you will emerge from the depths of destruction as a protector of light with infinite love, a warrior mind and nothing left to prove. You have reclaimed your power and restored connection with your heart. You are free to be who you came here to be without apology and walk this earth with a conviction you’ve never known. Awakening to the truth of who you are is undoubtedly the most bone chilling and grief stricken task you will undertake in this lifetime, but you will be rewarded with spiritual gifts beyond your wildest dreams and breathe easy knowing everything is happening exactly as fate would have it.
remember who you are
do you remember who you were before they told you what to be? this is the key to freedom in this lifetime. when you stop placing significance on other people’s opinions of you, you begin to contemplate what is really important to you. this shift in consciousness grants you courage to walk your journey with conviction, without the fear of disappointing another or looking foolish to the outside world.
safeguarding your reputation is destructive because it allows judgement from others to influence your choices and keeps you locked in a self-imposed prison designed by those you want to impress. you can only rise above 3D reality and honor your soul’s extraordinary gifts when you release the weight of expectations placed on you by society.
awakening to your real, unfiltered self is your purpose here on earth. nobody can tell you who you are or what to believe. you must discover your sovereignty independently, through self exploration and extensive research. study yourself like a book, memorizing every word on every page until you recognize your own face in the mirror. the answer to your every question resides within you. YOU are the guru, the teacher, the parent, the preacher, the lover, the partner you’ve been hoping would come save you. you are the person you’ve been searching for, you just forgot. but i’m here to remind you of your majesty and the raw brilliance hidden inside of you. rise to the occasion and show us what you got. the world is waiting to embrace you with open arms.
god in disguise
She Burns
depths
the only place she’d ever call home.
Wild Heart
Superpowers
9 Ways To Celebrate Your Genius Without Apology
If you want to elevate your frequency and align with your highest self, you must first destroy everything standing between you and your divinity. Honoring your soul’s unparalleled purpose requires you to walk your path with fierce devotion and a level of honesty you’ve never known before.
- Be willing to annihilate your reputation. Societal pressures strip you of your supernatural powers and assign you a fictitious role to play during your time on earth. Those who deviate from the script are labeled defiant and incompetent. Your character was designed for show, to program you into believing your value is based on someone else’s opinion of your performance. Disappointing others will undoubtedly ensue the moment you remove the costume you’ve been told to wear and bask in the nakedness of your true essence. Take off the mask and reclaim your natural-born gifts.
- Listen to your intuition. When you drown out the nonsense and noise from external sources, you tap into a reservoir of ancient wisdom residing deep within you. This otherworldly intelligence contains answers to your questions and provides you with significant information unique to your journey. Relinquish outdated belief systems and learn to trust yourself unconditionally. Your inexhaustible instinct will guide you home should you ever you lose your way.
- Protect your solitude. Regardless of the nourishment you receive from soul connection with others, a healthy relationship with yourself is key to transcending worldly prestige and dogmatic influence. You are a bona fide warrior equipped with tools to blaze your own trail. Pour every ounce of energy into your destiny and safeguard your autonomy as if your life depends on it, because it does.
- Heal your wounds. If you want to experience ascension of consciousness, free yourself from past trauma and cultural conditioning. Your pain shows up in life to deliver profound messages sent from beyond. Sit with your discomfort and listen to the secrets it contains. Until you understand the anguish and sorrow you’ve been avoiding, you will remain disconnected from Source and unintentionally project your fear onto others. Heal yourself from deep-seated injury so you can lead with love and prevail in a state of serenity.
- Release what no longer serves you. Anything and everything keeping you small must be abandoned. Shame, self-doubt, fear, guilt, dogma, ego, delusion, expectations, conformity, obedience, toxic relationships, self-destructive behavioral patterns and worn-out habits are an illusion created to keep you in a self-imposed prison. Shed the skin of your former identity and die to misleading ideologies. What may feel like a loss is actually an eradication of debris standing in your way. The purge of unnecessary baggage always precedes spiritual transformation. Burn it to the ground and rise up from the ashes.
- Replace good deeds with authentic action. Stop trying to impress your family, friends, community, lovers, partners, teachers, preachers and gurus by living up to their expectations of you. You are not here to earn praise and popularity from the material world. You came here to learn and grow and become the purest form of Self. The people meant to be in your life will embolden you to step into your power and live life on your own terms.
- Love yourself. Sublime self-love has been deemed vain by those who have not yet realized their exquisite brilliance. You will skyrocket to supreme levels of awareness when you begin to celebrate your genius without apology every moment of every day. Remember who you were before they told you what to be and love yourself as if it’s your one and only mission in this lifetime. Your brazen enchantment with Spirit will create a ripple effect, naturally inspiring others to recognize their own worth.
- Never let them tame you. You are a phenomenon, flawlessly created by the hands of God. Your independence and unstoppable nature will frighten those who worship compliance and oppression. You are feral and free, a mystery in motion designed to attain everlasting freedom through full expression of your soul.
- Question everything. Dissect every rule, theory and tradition presented to you before reckoning it as truth. You are the master of your own mind. Think for yourself and be prepared to dismantle every conviction stirring a war inside of you. When you cultivate peace, you gain clarity and insight available to those who see beyond the tangible world. Your strength and courage are determined by your ability to scrutinize every instruction handed to you by secular law. Become the sovereign of your own empire.
take off your armor
ride your wild horse
deep into the forest
where love knows no bounds and
money has no value.
unpack your bag of
burdens.
take off the atrocious armor
you’ve been wearing far too long
and lay down your sharp sword.
YOU ARE DIVINELY PROTECTED.
•
give up judgement
and get drunk on the
tenderness of your
own heart.
befriend the darkness.
dance naked under a black sky.
make love to the Great Mystery, remembering
who you were
before you exhausted your reservoir
trying to be something else.
ignite your inner fire
and
burn down the walls
standing between you and your divinity.
your light will
show you the path to your most authentic self.
•
you are safe here.
rest your heavy head on the earth
as the river sings a poignant lullaby
meant only for your ears.
listen to the trees
whisper words of ancient wisdom
as you drift off to dream.
•
you are free now.
free to take up space
with your presence.
free to release your overgrown secrets.
free to exist in your truth.
free to stand in your
power
without apology.
free to emerge with a knowingness
only you can comprehend.
Heart Wide Open
fall down.
get back up.
fall down.
get back up.
fall down.
attempt to stand.
collapse to the ground.
scrape your knee.
cry because it hurts.
nurse your wounds.
stand up.
trip over a box you don’t fit in.
refuse to conform.
take a risk.
break a few rules because most of them are redundant at best.
slay some dragons.
play with fire.
stumble on your own two feet.
scream into the abyss.
breathe.
eat some chocolate.
laugh.
cry because you’re exhausted.
rest your sweet bones.
clean up the mess you’ve made.
stand.
muster enough strength to take a single step forward.
meet a stranger.
fall in love.
get your heart broken.
pretend you are not in pain.
run fast and far.
crash into a wall.
fall so hard you don’t want to get up.
consider giving up.
stare into the night sky and ask for guidance.
befriend your solitude.
fall in love with yourself while hopelessly crawling on hands and knees through the darkness.
question everything you’ve been told.
trust your instincts.
break the chains wrapped around your ankles.
set yourself free.
turn on your light.
stand in your power.
offer love to anyone who needs it.
celebrate your growth.
forgive yourself.
dance in the flame.
burn with passion.
let love elevate you to new levels of understanding.
fly.
touch the sky.
tumble to the ground.
kiss the earth.
stand tall with your heart wide open.
love as if it’s the only reason you are here on earth.
To Love Yourself
The Magic of Yoga
Yoga has been the one constant in my life for the past 18 years. What may look like twisty, squirmy, squishy, slinky, writhing, wiggly tricks on my mat, is actually a sacred practice that has saved me a million times over and continues to heal lifetimes of deep seated wounds. It is my medicine, prayer in motion, and the most requested remedy by my body+heart+soul+mind.
It provides slow+deep breaths to calm my mind. It removes the armor around my heart so I can love passionately. It invites me to exist in my truth. It cuts through illusion. It strengthens my intuition. It grants me confidence to dance to my own rhythm. It enlivens divine feminine energy. It celebrates the most enchanting parts of myself I’ve hidden out of fear or shame. It heightens my senses. It gives me access to ancient wisdom buried in the depths of my soul. It guides me on an endless journey through my inner universe. It broadens my perspective. It nourishes my cells with oxygen. It honors my emotions. It gifts me the ability to fall deeper and deeper in love with my essence every day. It equips me with tools to navigate this unpredictable journey. It grants me patience. It leads me to multiple dimensions within myself. It encourages me to let go of what no longer serves me. It inspires me to learn+grow+evolve. It emboldens me to explore the unknown. It awakens my primal instincts. It begs me to ask the hard questions. It asks me to look at the answers, even when the answers are less than favorable. It deepens my relationships with all living creatures. It protects my wild. It indulges my never-ending curiosity. It holds my hand through my spiritual walkabout of highs+lows+everything in between. It connects me with source. It urges me to stay open to possibilities beyond my wildest imagination, and by goddess do I have a wild imagination.
The ancient healing art of yoga is a mystical+magical expedition through galaxies far and wide. I’m grateful she asked me to dance all those years ago. And even more grateful I said yes.
Blackberry + Apple Crisp
I make fruit crisps throughout the year, changing up the ingredients depending on the season and my mood. I wanted to make a nut-free crisp this time, so I opted for cassava flour over my usual go-to of almond flour and it turned out great! This dish always warms me from the inside out and satisfies my sweet tooth. The blackberries take this dessert up a few notches and give it the most phenomenal flavor. It’s a healthy quick fix to your sugar cravings any time of the day or night.
Blackberry + Apple Filling
5-6 apples, peeled + cored + thinly sliced
4 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (optional)
1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tbs. pure maple syrup
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1.Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
2.Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
3.Spread evenly in 9×13 baking dish.
Crisp Topping
1 1/4 cup cassava flour
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 tbs. coconut sugar
3 tbs. maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, chilled + cut into small pieces
1.Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor and pulse a few times.
2.Spread on top of fruit evenly and gently press the mixture into the fruit.
3.Bake for 1 hour (times may vary depending on oven). Let cool and enjoy!
4.Store in fridge for up to 5 days.
Nourish + Glow Smoothie
For the better part of the past 15 years, I have found a way to sneak kale into my daily meal plan. I usually throw it into a smoothie but periodically I will steam or sauté it, and on the rare occasion I want a salad, I will use it as the main ingredient. The past few months, I’ve been making this smoothie almost every morning. It is pure alchemy and nourishes every single cell in the body. I can feel a difference in my energy moments after I drink it.
3-4 frozen bananas
4 cups chopped kale (more or less depending on your taste)
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger root
1 inch chunk of fresh turmeric root
handful of micro greens (about 1/2 cup)
handful of cilantro (about 1 cup)
1-2 cups of water (more or less depending on your preference)
ice (optional)
Mix well in blender until you’ve reached desired texture. Enjoy!
Zen Out with Zella
I am teaching live stream yoga classes each week on Zoom and would love for you to join me. We will move mindfully through the space and breathe deeply as we calm the mind + restore our energy. Practitioners of all levels are invited to play. Visit the CLASS SCHEDULE page and register by clicking on the class you’d like to attend. Feel free to email me with questions at zellasage(at)gmail.com or follow my Instagram account for class updates and recipes. All group classes are donation based through Venmo + PayPal. Private sessions are offered at a discounted rate. See you on the mat!
Chocolate Mylk
i make a batch of this sweet, nutrient-rich + mood-boosting chocolate mylk twice a week + store it in my fridge so it’s always available for a quick breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up. cacao is a great mood booster and full of anti-inflammatory properties + antioxidants, which are great for glowing skin. i add maca, which is known to increase libido + boost energy + reduce blood pressure + improves memory. pumpkin seeds contain their own magic so i throw in a handful of those for good measure.
6 medjool dates (soaked 4-8 hours or overnight)
3 tbs. raw pumpkin seeds
3 tbs. cacao powder
1/2 tsp. maca powder
4 tbs. cashew butter (unsweetened)
64 oz. water
1. using the 64 oz. water mentioned above, soak dates + pumpkin seeds in jar or bowl 4-8 hours. (this step makes a big difference as it helps extract sweetness from dates and activate seeds.)
2. pour dates + seeds with water into a high speed blender with cacao + maca + cashew butter and blend two minutes.
3. pour into mason jars and store in fridge up to three days.