Anyone over 30 knows that life speeds up fast. The adorable golden years of our twenties come to a screeching halt, and we pivot into the somewhat predictable and inescapable rising tempo of being a woman. Meeting and marrying our spouses, buying homes, pushing out children while trying to keep up with our careers, our social lives, and charitable giving can make life zip by in a flash instant.

There's a lot of magic in being a woman, and most of it happens after 30, but as the pace of life quickens, we forget to slow down and capture the lessons, messages, and gifts handed to us along the way. As the universe or God extends its hand in praise for our accomplishments and creations, most of us whiz by trying to accomplish yet another task like sweeping the floor, racing to a conference call, driving carpool, and worrying that we're not enough. Then, one day, we look in the mirror, and we realize the plump lips or perky ass we once enjoyed in our twenties are no longer there, and we wonder, where did the time go?

On top of time passing quickly comes the burden of time. Lost loved ones, broken friendships, divorces, career losses, empty nesting, and eventually realizing that you won't be here forever can be heavy on the heart and mind. The weight that we carry as women can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and, eventually, rapid aging. But here's the good news: we can prevent stress, anxiety, and depression, and we can slow down the aging process with three super simple spiritual practices all women over 30 should master in their lifetime. 

1) Contemplation

Trumped by its sexier sister, meditation, contemplation is rarely discussed in mainstream media or new age spirituality. It is known as the central path in Taoism, and it's a timeless spiritual practice that any woman can use to transform her mental, emotional, and even physical body. Contemplation asks us to pause and reflect on our lives and our world. It helps us determine whether we are on the right path to ultimate fulfillment and to generate creative thoughts that allow us to embody the fullness of who we are. Between creative thinking and an ever-growing sense of our authenticity, we not only become better at problem-solving, but we also increase our ability to discern what is right for us and what is wrong for us. The higher knowledge we gain from contemplation lifts us from the mundane and pushes us into the miraculous, where we find all the things we need to live an extraordinary life.

2) Breathing

I know what you're thinking. You breathe every day, so what's the big deal? The breath we use to stay alive isn't consciously practiced. It's a function of the autonomic nervous system doing its job, so we really can't take credit. On the other hand, mindful breathing and breathwork help increase the flow of life force energy in and around us. In Taoism and Hinduism, life force is considered a "vital principle" that flows through the body, and breathing is one of its manifestations. 

Breath, or life force, as we can now call it, helps to reduce anxiety and alleviate depressive states. It also improves posture, detoxifies the body, and decreases inflammation, which is a primary driver of aging and disease. An even more significant benefit of breath is that it is the gateway to higher consciousness.  In higher consciousness, we can perceive more because our awareness expands. Expansion is how we open our minds and hearts to the solutions we need for our problems, the remedies we need for our wounds, and the abundance most people chase after throughout their lives

3) Affirmations, Mantras & Power Phrases

You might roll your eye at the power of positivity, but the words you use sets off a biochemical chain of events that determines how your life plays out. This is how it works: You think a thought, and you describe it by using words to make yourself aware of it. If you're not careful, you'll use phrases like; I can't, this sucks, I don't feel right, my anxiety is horrible, I'm prone to depression, I'm lonely, I'm scared, I'm not enough. 

The words and phrases you use most often in your mind carve neural pathways in your brain. Neural pathways are like superhighways that lead us to specific destinations in life. A mind that is always saying "this sucks"  is going to look for things that suck. A mind that is always saying, "my anxiety is horrible," is going to look for things that make you anxious because the mind works to validate what it's thinking by only perceiving reality in the confines of your thoughts. Make sense? 

Using affirmations, mantras, and power phrases like I am more than enough to live out the life of my dreams over and over again will start to carve new neural pathways that will take you to new destinations.

We call these practices because they require repetition to be effective. If you start and end your day in contemplation, followed by breathwork, then your favorite affirmation, mantra, or power phrase, you'll begin to design your destiny and make magic and miracles throughout your life. The secret to your success lies in knowing, it's never too late, and you are more than enough.