Time for some vulnerability & truths

Some of you may know that I used to work in corporate and was lost, unfulfilled from within and kept asking the same question, “surely there must be more to life, than me just getting on the train every morning, going to a desk in the city, go home and do the same thing ALL OVER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY.”

I felt this void within me. I didn’t know how to fill it, but I knew I wanted to do more meaningful work and explore the meaning of life.

Today people ask me, so you are a full time yoga teacher? Wow that must be amazing to do what you love. Then they saw me step in and create transformational workshops, retreats and move into 1:1 support for people who also feel stuck, overwhelmed, lost in life and want more clarity and direction as well as deepen their self mastery.

And they go again, wow it must be so amazing!

It is and it isn’t. I have more clarity, more direction and a deeper connection to myself - I also love to help others find that fulfillment and clarity, but I will be very honest here.. it doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing with no challenges once you begin to do work on yourself. Yes it gets easier, yes you’ll have more clarity.. but then there are still steps and actions that you will need to take on your journey.

Authenticity always comes first and I couldn’t live any other way. I struggle a lot more than half of the time. Why?

I wanted to throw in the towel soooooo many times and burn everything down. I thought about what if I could find a role back within the corporate that would be something to do with wellbeing: maybe my journey was to do a full cycle to learn all that I learnt and then go back and support others in the corporate world who I know need it a LOT.

And then I go back to the fact that I cannot work for someone else – its just not me. So I then talk it out with my husband, my friend and in this very moment share with my coach on the group all the internal struggles and there is always something left within me to keep going even though its hard.

You see the way things unfold for me personally, is through trial and error until I finally master something.

It can be absolutely EXHAUSTING! The amount of energy, willpower, resilience and challenges I go through, that are physical and mental. I have to go through them to be able to find what works & what doesn’t. Then share, so that it can help you in case you go through the same.

Whilst you will have obstacles and barriers to overcome that are uniquely yours, if you are equipped with the right knowledge, help & support - you navigate through them with more ease.

There's much more that I want to say and maybe I will in future posts, but what I want to finish with, is that even though some people may look like they have it together and knowledgeable and always smiling when you see them – I know for a fact, everyone has their own demons they are fighting.

And if you are finding yourself in a similar situation, know that you are not alone. It can feel very lonely and like its only happening to you.

It is very easy to ignore and pretend like you don’t see that there is a question or a longing within you that you keep silencing. But for how much longer?

I honestly believe that most of our journey is mapped out for us..the barriers we have to overcome..the people we meet..the thoughts and feelings we go through.. essentially leads us to the next step on our personal path.

However, it is completely our responsibility how enjoyable or miserable we will make our own life journey.

I have learnt now to laugh when I have one of my “oh no its happening again” moments, because working on my personal growth and self mastery is what makes everything a little easier and I wouldn’t change a thing when I look back to how I felt in the beginning working for someone else.

“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you." – Robin Sharma

Speak soon,

The Power Of Gratitude: Are you focusing on lack instead of your blessings?

Years ago before having a deeper connection to myself, I was asked: “what are you grateful for?”

I thought for a moment and I couldn't answer.

Back then I had no idea what gratitude was.

One thing I didn’t know for sure , that the practice of gratitude can rewire your brain!

I remember thinking in that moment about all the negative things that I didn't like or that were happening to me - instead of being thankful for what I have.

Every thought that went through me was "oh I'm having issues with my relationship ", " I want more money ", " I don't like my current job", " I’m tired and my motivation is non existant ".

Then the person said, hold up. stop. You are focussing on the lack! You have so much to be grateful for.

How about the food on your table? How about the house you live in?It’s the every day comforts that we usually completely dismiss.

Then it clicked! I didn't even think I could be grateful for all of that, because I was focusing too much on WHAT I WASN'T SEEING IN MY REALITY THAT I CRAVED FOR.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻:

Gratitude stimulates the release of dopamine and serotonin, known as the "feel-good" neurotransmitters.

In a study group, those who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended.

Furthermore, research shows that gratitude can rewire our brains, making us more optimistic and less prone to depression.

It not only changes the way you see things, but it opens you up like a portal for more things that will happen to you that you will end up being grateful for.

This is one peace of the puzzle which you can do and take action on starting today that WILL have an impact on your life.

Here is one way you can implement gratitude RIGHT NOW.

Gratitude Jar or Box:
- Create a gratitude jar or box where you can deposit written notes of gratitude
- Throughout the week, whenever you feel grateful for something, jot it down on a small piece of paper and place it in the jar
- Periodically, take time to read these notes and reflect on the moments of gratitude you've experienced

With Love & Light,
Toma x

Unlocking True Happiness: 5 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid

Looking back when I was in the 9-5 feeling unfulfilled from within, back then I didn’t do any sort of personal development work on myself.

My mindset was very much focussed on the material things. They used to fulfil me for that moment and then.. that moment passed and I’m searching for the next fulfilling buy.

The idea of “ if only I could get “that thing” I would be happy”. But oh my, how far away I was from the truth.

I felt miserable inside. I would enjoy myself going out drinking after work with my coworkers and then dread going to work next day.

I found myself being jealous of other people’s happiness. Why are they so happy? How can they be so happy?

Although these feelings, didn’t come up as jealousy in the beginning. They came up as frustration & anger.

Fast forward to today, after connecting more deeply to myself & my spirituality I found clarity and meaning for life.

I now understand myself so much deeper and better. I feel more empowered and by implementing this personal development work, when things get shaky or turbulent and i feel overwhelmed with all of the emotions and thoughts - I have tools that help me and guide me back on my path and provide me some grounding and stability.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing is a fix for life, but once you know the root cause of why you behave or feel in such way, you are then empowered to change those patterns and deal with life challenges in a very different way.

So here are some of the tools I use and know to be effective when implemented ❤️

How to be more in flow with life

I'm a person who takes a lot of action and I have been conditioned into thinking that only by action will I get the results I want. I'm only starting to undo this pattern of thinking and putting this into play since January this year.

I have been learning a little bit about a system called Human by design, which explains how to find more ease and flow as well as results depending on your birth chart. I always thought, that if I take action on everything - it will give me results. But the results were = me feeling burnt out and unsatisfied half of the time.

I was forcing myself to do some of the things that I did not feel like doing, nor did I want to do - but my mind said, I should do it. The problem is when we only listen to the logic part of us only - the heart gets silenced and we step away from our happiness and on a path of a very masculine way of living - thinking & doing.

This then creates a force effect and everything in turn becomes so much harder to do, achieve, stay motivated etc. So since the beginning of the year I put what I learnt into action (not always literally).

I began to say yes to things that light me up - even when my head said "well the logical thing to do is..." and I began to say no to the things that no longer brought me joy. To give you an example:

• I said YES to opportunities that made me feel expansive and joyous

• I said NO to answering texts straight away , especially when I was focusing on my work or scheduled me time (usually I would respond the same moment when I see the text). Of course this happens when I feel like its ok to do so, but I'm now more conscious of the action and think before I act - basically check in with myself

• I said yes to finally making it public that I offer energy healing

• I said no to cramming my day with so much to do, that I end up not enjoying the process and feeling extremely deflated for the rest of the week

As you can see, it is a practice of responding what aligns with you, your values and your needs at the time - and choosing joy, what lights you up and feels good in that moment. And the result? New opportunities coming into my life, I wake up happier, I am more productive and content inside - which in turn effects and benefits not only me - but also those around me.

Being in flow and choosing to say yes or no to the things that light you up - is how you will get results and see a change in your life.

In human by design you have different profiles - depending on your birth chart. I am a Generator. Generators have to wait to respond. But don’t get it confused with doing nothing. We are responding literally every single moment of our day.

Most of us have been conditioned and taught that we need to INITIATE ACTION (this is quite specific for a generator type, please bare in mind that if you profile is for example a Manifestor - you are born to initiate action). But this is just me using the knowledge about myself -not specifically of human by design but more generally in terms of what works for every single person when we choose joy and happiness.

I personally believe, that If you choose what lights you up, doesn’t matter what profile you are - you literally can’t go wrong. In turn your own vibration frequency amplifies, which then creates more space to attract more goodness into your life and you yourself feel more in flow with life and what it offers.

Don’t take my word for it. Try it. We only see results when we put what we learnt into practice.

This is not always easy. Sometimes our friends, family, colleagues etc are depending on us always to say yes to something they need from you. Sometimes you end up helping and going out of your way, but you really needed to rest and recharge physically and mentally.

Try to set healthy boundaries acknowledging your needs first, before your respond. Because it is very likely that even when you choose to say yes to something that doesn’t sit quite right with your or you are doing it because you think you have to - you will enter the space with frustration even though you are helping.

When we help from the HAVE TO place instead of WANT TO your energy is also very much affected and the authenticity as well as being genuine - is being taken away.

I hope this inspires you to think about some of the things that you can say yes or no to that might have already been on your mind and take action/respond. Remember, being still, choosing not to do, choosing rest - is also taking action.

Let me know your thoughts and if this was helpful by leaving a comment below - I would love to hear from you.

Love, Toma x

Sacred Space: How to Make an Altar in Your Home

Having a dedicated altar in your home is a beautiful and extremely personal way to connect to sacredness and spirituality.

Whether you use this for a daily ritual you have created for yourself, your quiet time/meditation, your yoga practice or just a space to reflect.. I highly recommend that you create one if you haven’t done so already.

What is an altar?

An altar is a sacred place/space that is used for your ritual. If you look in various traditions and religions, an altar is where you pray, a sacred place for sacrifices and gifts offered to God/Gods and other ritualistic purposes.

Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship.

Why do I need an altar/sacred space?

It doesn’t mean that you must be religious to have an altar space. Your altar is an outer representation of your inner attunement.

By having this sacred space/place you are honoring yourself and what matters to you. You are honoring your sacredness and your rituals.

Once you create a ritual/rituals in that same space/place, just by entering and being in that space you will feel the difference in your energy. It is very powerful.

How to set up your altar

Set your intention for the altar. Considering what is sacred to you and what purpose you would like for it to have.

I will share a little bit about my sacred space.

I have 2 altars in my home. One is in my bedroom and the other one is in my yoga room. In my bedroom I have a separate table with Ganesha statue, crystals & a singing bowl. My intention is to create a protective and serene space when I rest, but to also see this every day as I wake up.

My Yoga room altar holds other crystals, cleansing materials and a blessing bowl. I meditate in front of it and ask for it to hold space for any rituals that I do, as well as when I teach and provide energy healing sessions for my clients. 

Find a special place that is not cluttered. Keep your altar free of debris.

What should I put on my altar?

Gather items that inspire you and you have a connection with. In other words, anything that is meaningful to you. Here are some ideas:

Photos of your ancestors , Crystals, Oracle Cards, Candles, Written prayers, spells, or rituals , Flowers, Statues, Pictures or objects that remind you of what you're manifesting, Beloved books

If an item has significance for you and evokes the feelings of love, peace, happiness, gratitude etc this can be placed on your altar.

Others like to use the 4 elements of nature; Earth, fire, air, water

You can place fresh flowers which you bought specifically for your altar ( this ties in with water/earth element). When you sit for meditation, rituals you can light a candle ( fire, air & space).

I love to use candles and incense to invigorate other senses.

For those who practice Yoga on other days than the live sessions with me – it can become your sacred practice space too – given that there is enough space.

Once you create your altar space/place, don’t just leave it as decoration. Use it for intentions, manifesting, asking for guidance, doing rituals, meditations, yoga practice, chanting – fuel it with all of these things and It will fuel you back – the magic is very real.

Here’s  a quick story

I love travelling to Bali. It is my spirit home. As soon as I step off that place – I can feel the uplifting energy. Why?

This was me participating in a purification ritual known as melukat. This is at Tirta Empul holy water temple.

Well, everyday -  several times per day the Bali people make offering ceremonies, in order to keep the harmony of the inner and outer worlds in balance. They also have altar spaces in their gardens.

Every day they will put out this little hand woven basket called Canang Sari and usually is a small quadratic basket woven from palm or banana leaves. Inside the little basket you will find rice, incense, cookies, flowers, money etc as an offering. They also use a Frangipani flower and go into their garden altar space and do a water blessing.

When I watched this every single day. It felt so peaceful, so simple yet so special and sacred. This really inspired me to do the same for my home. A daily blessings ritual – how beautiful is that?

And so getting back to when I step off of that plane.. I honestly believe that the reason why I feel the way I feel every time I land in Bali is because of how the people raise the energy and vibration of the island with their daily blessing rituals and their pure intentions.

This is the same for your altar and your space.

My wish is the same for you.. May your altar/your sacred space and your internal environment bring & reflect peace, love, happiness, purpose, connection and sacredness.

Ps. If you feel like sharing a photo with me, I would love to see it. You can e-mail me on toma@toma-j.com

7 Steps to manifesting your dreams

Below you will find my 7 step guide to help you manifest your desires using the chakra system.

I get so excited by all things magic! We as humans are so so powerful. Every single one of us has the creator’s energy within and we are the authors of our own lives.

So I want to give you a step by step guide, that you can use to manifest your desires using the Yoga chakra system. You do not need any experience. Just an open mind & heart as well as trust and belief.

What is manifestation?

In short, manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, i.e. if you think it, and it will come. The process of manifestation aims at raising your vibrational energy so high that it becomes a match to that of your desire.

Photo of the energy centres within our body - chakra system.

What is the chakra system?

Chakras refer to various energy centres in your body that correspond to specific nerve bundles and internal organs. The seven major chakras run from the base of your spine to the top of your head. If these energy centres get blocked, you may experience physical or emotional symptoms related to a particular chakra.

Before we begin, lets get something very clear.

For your dreams to become reality, there needs to be some sort of action on your part.

It is not about sitting in a peaceful state waiting for the love of your life to knock on your door ( actually in some cases it may be haha what if they work as a delivery parcel service person? Just a thought), or for a pot full of money to drop from the heavens and land in your lap.

Universe will set things into motion, as soon as you begin dreaming about that very thing you want and start taking small steps on your part.

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE HOW! I REPEAT! DO NOT WORRY OR FORCE OR TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW IT WILL HAPPEN.

We as humans aaaaalways want to figure it out, the hows, the who’s, the when’s, the if’s, the but’s… to only GET IN OUR OWN WAY BY PUTTING LIMITS & SCENARIOS OF HOW YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR VERY DESIRE.

It is a process of trusting & letting go.

Lets get to it.

Step 1

Begin at the crown chakra – located at the top of the head, called Sahasrara. This is where you connect to higher consciousness. Its all about spiritual connection and transformation.

Meditation is the foundation of manifesting. To prepare the body & mind, expand and raise your vibration to match the frequency of that which you desire.

We begin by coming into a comfortable seated position (can be a chair, meditation cushion, sofa), making sure your spine is nice and straight.

We need to bring the body & mind into a calm and relaxed state, as well as expand our aura/energy.

You cannot manifest when you are feeling low, frustrated, fearful or down – you will only attract the same low feeling/vibration events into your life if you do.

Envision in your minds eye, a cord from your crown drawing up to the cosmos – your connection to all that there is.

Thoughts will very much be present for most of us, let them be noticed and gently float by. Keep focusing on relaxing the body physically and mentally.

Feel/Visualise a rainbow-coloured bubble around you – this is your aura. Practice with your senses, feelings, vision to expand it as much as you can. The bigger the better.

This brings your vibration up and allows you to receive.

Once the body is in a calm and relaxed state, we move down to the next step.

To help you with your relaxation and bringing your own vibration up, I recommend listening to The Butterfly effect by Meditative Mind ( You can also find this on youtube or itunes)

Step 2

Your third eye chakra – located in the middle of your eyebrows at the centre of your head, called Ajna.

This is the centre of your perception, intuition. The third eye helps you perceive a cosmic vision beyond the physical world that your eyes can see.

Focusing on the space in between your eyebrows - This is where we begin to visualise our dream.

Begin to create the details of your desire. The colours, surroundings, textures, smells. Let your imagination run wild. See yourself already living that which you desire.

How would you look like if it already happened? This is where you paint your picture of your dream.

Spend as much as you like creating the scenery and scenarios of that which you desire.

Pro tip: Create a vision board of your desire. Get some magazines, start cutting out words, phrases, photos that reflect your dream and create a vision board that you can look at every single day to remind you of your dream.

Can you create some time each day to sit relax and visualise your desire? The more you do this, the better.

We then descend into our Throat.

Step 3

The throat chakra - also known as Vishuddha,  is responsible for communication, self-expression, and the ability to speak your personal truth.

This is where you begin to speak of your desires and dreams out loud. It can make you feel uncomfortable in doing so, but it is a must. When you speak of your dreams, desires your words have power.

You may also notice how new people that resonate with your desires all of a sudden begin to appear in your life.

Practice sharing your story with others whom you trust. Not just any person. Sharing your story & dreams sets things into motion on its way into the physical.

This is where you can also create an action plan/ write your desire out in detail and plan out what action you will take. Break the big idea into small, manageable steps.

The action can very much be inspired also by listening internally. Guidance from your higher self may be very simple and subtle or it may be very clear in terms of what action you need to take next. This is done whilst meditating.

Step 4

We then move down to the Heart chakra, known as Anahata - The Anahata chakra is associated with unconditional love, compassion, and joy. It is the source of deep and profound truths that cannot be expressed in words.

As you sit in meditative state, move your awareness down to your heart. Connect to your hearts desires and the why? Why do you want what you want? How will it help you to be a better person? Remember that authentic desire will manifest so much quicker than ego driven desire.

Let your heart expand with love & connect to feelings of gratitude to all that you currently have in your life.

Step 5

We then move down to the Solar plexus known as Manipura chakra – located at the upper belly about an inch above your belly button.

This chakra governs, ego, willpower, identity, authenticity, freedom of choice, motivation, purpose.

This is where we begin to take physical action towards our desires. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Notice what obstacles are arising. Know that every obstacle is a redirection to where you are meant to go, but also a lesson.

Here are some examples of what action you can take, to show the universe that you are ready:

If you are looking for a partner/Love - Go out more to public places, sign up to event groups or meet up events (it can be hobby related). Create space in your home for the other person – maybe clear a small part of your wardrobe and keep it empty, place an extra cup for a toothbrush, sleep on one side of the bed to signify that the other side is for your partner.

Don’t forget the details when you visualise of how you want them to act, what values you would like for them to have, how do they treat you and make you feel? This was all part of your third eye visualisation.

A new house – Start searching online for properties/cars. Drive/walk around in the area you want to live in. Practice creating that feeling as if you already lived there. Have a drink in the coffee shop that would be local to you if you lived there. Start writing up a list that you would need to buy to decorate your new home.

Internally - As we sit in meditation and focus on the solar plexus area  - emotions, feelings, insight may come up to show you what is blocking you from achieving your desire or what needs more work. Or obstacles may begin to manifest in your physical reality.

Your physical reality reflects your internal reality. The work must also happen within as well as on the outside.

Important: In everything that you try to manifest, we usually have self-limiting beliefs. This is what stops you from receiving that very outcome. Dig deeper in terms of your belief around what you are trying to manifest ie: new partner. Do you believe you deserve a loving relationship? New House – Do you think its possible for you to find your dream house? If not – why not? Money – do you believe money is all root of evil? Or those who are rich are greedy and do not give back?

It takes a more than a few layers to dig deep and find beliefs that you didn’t know you had. But once you bring them up to the service - be prepared as your wish will be here soon.

Step 6

We then move down to our Sacral Chakra known as Svadhisthana – located about an inch below your belly button.

This is where we work to release any resistance you may be feeling. The element of water- Go with the flow. This is where creation happens – think of babies being created in that space - this is where life happens. Plant the seed of your desire.

Obstacles may very well be present with your manifestation. Whether its physical or emotional. To begin moving the energy from stagnant into fluid, we can use various forms of activities to assist us.

Dance – especially with your hips. Let your body guide you to how it wants to move – if you are reading this and already thinking “ err no thanks or cringe..” it is most likely that this is what you need. Usually you resist the very thing that you need that will help you to break through.

The colour of sacral chakra is orange. You can consume orange coloured food.

This is the seat of emotions. Journal everything you may be feeling. Your doubts, fears, excitement etc

Drink more water, go for a swim

Any creative activity – will help you to stimulate the sacral chakra.

The most important bit, is to have fun whilst manifesting your dream and the action you take towards it. HAVE FUN! As soon as you are finding yourself frustrated, feeling down.. move that energy. Choose to take yourself away from being caught up in your dream, to just living and trying to do as many enjoyable things as possible.

When we let go and surrender, that’s when the magic happens.

Step 7 – Final step

We then move down to the final energy centre. Your root chakra, known as Muladhara – located at the very base of your spine.

The root chakra is responsible for your sense of safety and security on this earthly journey. The word Muladhara breaks down into two Sanskrit words: Mula meaning “root” and Adhara, which means “support” or “base.”

This is where you anchor your desire into the earthly plane. Visualise a red cord from your tailbone dropping into the centre of the earth and connecting to the core of the earth. See yourself anchoring your energy and your desire into the earth.

Believe in your dream and believe in yourself. This is where you look after your health & wellbeing. The food you consume, the people you surround yourself with. This is where you complete what you began. Plenty of rest & reflection. But this is the final step when it comes to completing the process.

Saw the ad for the house or already went for the viewing and you feel it in every inch of you that this is the one? Put the deposit down -action complete.

Visualised yourself traveling, saved up the money, made your trip plans? Board that plane – mission complete.

One of the most important steps is to now let go. Think of an order you placed online. You don’t doubt that you will receive your parcel. You know that it is coming. This is the same with your manifesting.

Think of this as placing an order with the universe. Let the Universe take care of the how’s – how it will happen. You just focus on believing, dreaming, envisioning and taking small action towards your desire every day.

Remember that action is also visualisation. Action is also – not forcing things. Action is also, dancing out any resistance you feel. Action is also, sitting in a meditative state for 5-10 min a day and checking in with your heart.

The action doesn’t have to be perfect or big. It is intuitively led by your intuition, your knowing and trust.

Having blockages in your chakra system puts a block on your manifesting. The practice of Yoga is a great way to cleanse and rebalance your chakra’s as the foundation of your weekly routine.

In order to manifest change you must make changes yourself. The key to this change lies in one's perception of self.

In yoga we are able to experience, cleanse and transform through the flow of movement and breath. The intention is to tune in and freely give ourselves what we need to unblock the flow. This is why I teach and what attracted me to yoga - the magic that happens behind the movement.

Wishing you so much fun, creativity and joy in bringing your desires to life.

Let me know what you thought of this blog below in the comments or ask any questions you may have. Share what you are manifesting! I would love to know

Love, Toma x