Weekend Retreat Brings New Tools & Awareness

I was at a retreat on “Making Choices – Moving Forward” last weekend where I discovered some great new tools to clear blocks and gain clarity and bumped up my awareness another notch – all while having fun and taking a pause from regular life.  What a gift!

Although I was a presenter as well as a participant during this retreat, I went in with the intention that there would be nuggets of treasure for me personally and professionally.  I try to set an intention before events, even if  it is the general intention that something positive will happen.  The intention helps me step into the space of receiving even if the event is around topics I already know.  Because even though the topic might be familiar, every person will talk about it differently and there are always deeper layers to be explored.

And receive and explore I did!

Here are some of my nuggets:

• The game Satori – this game comes from Colin Tipping and his Radical Forgiveness programs.  It is a board game where you pick up a current belief and storyline and gather blocks and other information along the way to help you transform your belief and create a new story line for your life.  Make note that while this is a “game”, what shows up is absolutely real and provides a great structure to process something that is holding you back.  I already ordered my copy and am trying to decide who I can invite to my first Satori game night.
• Scott Kalechstein- a funny, amazingly gifted modern day troubadour and inspirational speaker.  He has many CD’s with songs that use humor and conscious wording to support growth.  He uses wit, words, and wisdom to share his powerful messages about life and the Law of Attraction.
• The awareness that Yoga/Ayurveda and Law of Attraction may speak a different language and use different techniques but underneath there is a whole lot in common as far as universal laws of truth and the power of living consciously go.
• A fun roommate who shares a first name and a passion for whole health.

The retreat was sponsored by Elementals Living and took place at the beautiful Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, WI.   And considering how affordable the retreat was, less than $200 for all three days of speakers and events plus room and board, I was surprised by the small gathering.  So I’m inviting all of you to put your radars up for events in your areas or even for next year’s Elementals event that you find the places and spaces to take your “Expansion Pause” and discover your own nuggets of treasure.  Give yourself the gift of inspiration, exploration, and time away.   I promise, the rewards will be great!

The Truth On The Edge Of Vision Revealed

Have you ever felt that some critical aspect of your truth was right on the edge of your vision, just outside your view?  Or had a sense of knowing that you  just couldn’t quite define?  Then the world rotates and suddenly the view shifts and all is clear…or at least another piece is clear?  This is what I experienced – the percolation of awareness that had been rumbling inside the past several weeks bubbled to the surface today and I am thrilled to receive a new level of clarity!

I have been exploring the energies around my yoga in relation to sleep and ideals of yogic practice for a far amount of time, which I have shared in other posts.  The upshot is that the daily ideal expectation of rising in the early hours of the morning and doing a particular set of reading, yoga and meditations which lasts about 2-2 1/2 hours has not appealed to me.  Fine, I let the ideal go but was still searching for how to hold my daily yoga – did it have to look a specific way with a specific amount of time at a certain hour of the day?  I felt inside that it didn’t need a specific structure yet was still internally conflicted.  And why, if I truly know that yoga serves me so well, am do I have such resistance to holding not only the morning ideal and adding more lifestyle pieces?

Suddenly, in a flash of clarity that seems so obvious I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, I got it today.  One of the pieces that first attracted me to Kundalini Yoga in the first place was that it is designed for the householder to integrate into their already busy lives and so can work in small snippets.  I love the idea and reality that a three minute meditation completely shifted a deep rooted pattern for me and expanded my life powerfully.  I love this not only for myself but for my equally busy clients.  In my work as a BodyMind Coach, I am known for helping people discover tools and techniques that add value and create powerful shifts without adding further burdens of time or drains of energy.  I meet individuals whereever they are at and simply start with small, consistent steps forward.  The theme of my work and this energy is that it doesn’t have to be hard, time consuming, radically different or daunting but rather filled with ease, simple integration, effective yet time managable tools.  And this is why I have “resisted” the larger expectations of the yoga lifestyle…it doesn’t fit with who I am, the core truth of myself.   This core truth is that expansion doesn’t have to be life consuming to be effective.  That many paths lead to enlightenment.  That small, steady commitment is powerful.

At least this is my awareness and acceptance today.  Now that I’ve embraced this new awareness, it might open to the door to further expansion in a way that allows me to bring more pieces into my life with ease.  And if I look at what I already do daily, I have already integrated many lifestyle yogic pieces into my life, just not in the exact laid out look of the Kundalini tradition.  And that’s ok because it honors another critical part of my truth…I don’t feel the need to walk an exact path of religion, philosophy or culture…instead I revel in exploring the many faces of truth of different traditions. 

And as I become aware today of these aspects of my truth and how I am honoring them, not only do I have clarity but I also have a deep peace.  Aaah.

Client Case Study: An Interesting Reflection on Lists

I had a client this morning who brought to the table a pattern that I think many of us hold in today’s modern society that I’d like to share…the ongoing burden of lists.

The background.  Jill (name has been changed for privacy) has been having some ongoing tension in the mouth, jaw and neck for the past several months which we’ve been exploring.  By her own description, she is a task-oriented, efficient, perfectionist.  She has a part-time job that really requires full-time hours, is a mother, and has an upcoming social event that is taking lots of planning and time.  Put all these pieces together and my client has found herself in a highly pressurized environment!

Prior explorations and discoveries.  As I mentioned, my client has been working on this pattern for several months.  We have done regular CranioSacral Therapy and massage to soften the tissues, we have done inner mouth techniques to release the tension in the jaw and re-align the jaw joints, and we have strategized about ways to deal with the stress through a specific meditation.  We also explored left brain forms of self support from new communication patterns in the work situation to her methods of delegating or seeing when she doesn’t delegate.  All of this has helped but the tightness continues to come back.

Beneath the symptoms.  The cornerstone of my work is that symptoms in the body are messages from within that something is imbalanced and is asking for help.  This morning we dug deeper under the surface to look at what the tension in the mouth might be saying.  And in doing so, an interesting pattern showed up around lists. 

The Lists.  Many of of us use lists to keep our tasks organized and help us move forward towards goals.  Jill came in saying that she felt weighted down under the endless lists.  She has a master list for work, another master list for her social event, then she has her daily lists of the tasks off the master list that she wants to accomplish that day.  Any of this sound familiar?!  Right now, the lists are never ending and no matter who much she accomplishes, there is still so much left.  The energy around these lists, therefore, feels heavy and creates pressure.

The left side of Jill’s body is the area that is having the greatest tension.  This side of the body is also connected to the right brain which is that aspect that ties in with the emotions, the state of being.  In the discussion about the lists, Jill came to the realization that she does trust that she will get the items done but she doesn’t like who she is in this process and how she is feeling.  She wants to be in a better internal place of ease while doing these tasks.  Both of these ideas reflect a being state of energy with emotional components which ties is with the tension held in the left side of the body.

We then ask the left side of the body what it needed today to feel greater ease.  The answer was to stop making lists…a request my client didn’t think she could do.  No problem.  The list is simply the vehicle not the real issue so we began to explore underneath the list.  For my client, her stated purpose of the list is to acknowledge that she is getting things done.  Notice that purpose isn’t about staying on task or actually getting the task done because she knows she will do that.  This is an important distinction because while she states that the point of lists is to create acknowledgement, this is not what’s happening!  Jill current pattern is that she finishes a task and instead of pausing to think about what she’s finished, bask in her success, or acknowledge a job well done…she moves directly into the s pace of knowing she has more to do and feels pressure to get to the next task.  It’s a double whammy…no positive energy flowing from feeling successful and pressure to do more in a cycle that seems to be never ending.

Expanding awareness and new options.  This awareness created real clarity for my client not only about what she was doing but that her actions weren’t supporting her needs…this disconnect thus triggering her body to “speak up”.  In discovering this awareness, all the tension in the right side (connected to the logical left brain) went away and the tissues on the left side softened from my perspective but still felt tight to my client.  The inspired action to begin to shift this pattern and align it with her truth was for today to focus only on the celebration, the success of a job well done every time she crosses an item off the list.  Yes, there will still be more items on the list that she will be working towards but the focus on her energy will be elsewhere.  And she likely will not be able to hold the self request perfectly because shifting patterns does take time.  However, the experience itself will continue to increase her awareness and each time she pauses for those 30-60 seconds after crossing off an item, a new thread of energy will be added to the new neural (brain) messages which becomes a new pattern over time.

What little adjustments can be made to your pattern to  line up the actions with your truth?  And if you’re a list maker, is the process serving your needs?

A Complaint Free World

I went to Kirtan (call and response chanting meditation) last night and discovered a new awareness bracelet by a group called acomplaintfreeworld.org.  The goal and challenge is to wear this purple rubber bracelet and see if you can go without complaining for 21 days straight.  Each time you complain, you must switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start your 21 days all over again.

Ragani, who was leading the Kirtan and telling us about the bracelet, went on to say that she thought it would be really easy.  She isn’t a person who complains and she’s been on the yogic path forever and is aware.  After a month, she’s made it 2 days in row for a maximum.  Along the way she’s discovered much about herself…and what she views as a complaint.

So, naturally, being the explorer that I am, I had to take one.  My 13-year old daughter also took one, although she has yet to put hers on to own the process.  Like Ragani, I also do not see myself as much of a complainer…and have already had to change my bracelet to the other wrist once in less than 24 hours.  I had already been pondering what a complaint meant to me and was noticing that it had a lot to do with how a statement was put forth.  I could express my emotions with acceptance and honoring…or I could complain about them.  I could make a neutral comment about something around me, or I could infuse it with negativity and complaint.  Intent and energy are part of what I’m seeing define a complaint for me.

With these thoughts swirling around my head, I went off to work this morning and discovered a big shock.  I actively participate in complaining with my clients!  Part of what my massage complaints do when they come in is release…and not just on a physical level but they also unload emotionally and mentally, sometimes by complaining.  I don’t judge this or have a problem with it as I recognize the process for what it is.  However, being used to that energy, I unconsciously have been joining in…creating a link between us by doing some of my own complaining.  Today it was about the electric company and how some of their work started some decay on a retaining wall and now I’m having to file a complaint with the company.  In this case, the complaint feels valid and a necessary act…yet I’m also feeling a little stress around how the process is going to unfold and preparing myself for a fight.  Thus as I was describing the incident to my client, I heard that I was allowing fear and anxiety into my description…changing the nature of my verbal offering to a complaint…and giving that fear and anxiety energy.

The bracelet moved to the other wrist.  I have some great new awareness.  I’m now pondering how I can support my clients in their space of emotional release and not get pulled out of my own neutral space.  With my rubber reminder and my continually expanding awareness, I’m feeling positive about creating an even more supportive environment.

If you want your own bracelet, just go to the above website and check it out and share your own story with me!