Shareables

A Time for Deep Reflection

We are at a point of time where there's been a momentous shift in our world and things are likely not going to be back to had been previously This does not need to be a scary or uneasy time. What can be tremendously helpful to make this so is the act of deep reflecting on one's life to pull forward wisdom and an inner calmness.

This is a time to reflect on who you are, what you want in your life, how you are showing up in life and what deeper meaning and purpose you want to cultivate; a time for deliberation. We have had this stand still and time will speed up again and it is up to you to unearth for yourself the learnings you want to carry forward into this new chapter. Albeit to say that there are those that have continued to be busy, have not had down time and who do not individually feel as though this has been a quieter time. That said, these people can still tap into the collective shift and take part in the individual reflecting to calibrate themselves that is available to us all.

During this time you can ask yourself who you are, what your role is in the world, what you feel is the essence you bring, what gifts and talents you want to polish and how it is you are showing up in the different roles you take on in the world; whether that be a friend, whatever kind of family member you hold, yourself as a community citizen, global citizen, etc… Enlivening yourself to dive deep into this kind of reflection will make for a smoother and more graceful transformation, as we all individually and collectively go through a metamorphosis process.

We are Animals, We Cannot Live in Prolonged States of Stress

A lot of us loose sight that we are actually animals on this planet. We are living on this precious Earth amongst other species as part of the web of life and we must learn from other animals how they manage stress. Many animals who undergo stress make their way to safe places following a stressful situation to shake off the stress and/or calm their bodies and minds. Humans however, to a larger extent experience non-life threatening stress such as thinking through triggers at work, mulling over finances, worrying about job security, relationships, family responsibilities, the list could keep going... and we do not let go or release the stress. In fact, 44% of Americans say their stress has risen in the last five years.

We are not designed to experience stress for long states of time. If stress becomes prolonged this can lead to feelings of nervousness, jitters, angst, fatigue, cynicism, lack of concentration, negative thinking, lost and distracted in thought - psychological signals. Stress that continues on and becomes chronic can lead to physiological affects such as headaches, pain, fatigue, blood pressure increase, immune issues, digestive problems, reproductive problems, etc...

How to manage naturally if you become aware that stress is taking a toll? First, don't get down on yourself if you realize you have been stressed and potentially carried out behavior that you did not want to do, be kind on yourself. You have to settle and accept what has happened in order to let your system release. Also, do what you can to not get to a point of burn out or bodily problems from stress, allowing yourself to feel into practices or means in which you can diffuse stress as it's happening. We all can work to maneuver and face stress.

Two other helpful natural means to deal with stress include remembering your body and remembering your environment. For your body this means getting out of your head and noticing your body - the quality of your breathing, if your heartbeat feels elevated, if you are sweating, if you can hear or smell things around you - all of these inquiries can help you relax your whole system. In addition, getting out of your head and orienting to the natural environment around you - what do you see, if you can notice any animals around you, what smells are you taking in, etc.. - all of these activities can help your mind and body recognize that there aren't pressing triggers and that this process can help you let go of your stress and find your center of gravity. Learn how to work with yourself and your natural environment in order to be relaxed, poised and healthy during stressful times.

It's Ok to be Overwhelmed, Numb or In Shock; But Get Curious and Explore The Tension

We are experiencing a lot right now and everyone's emotions have been mixed up collectively and individually with George Floyd's killing (as well as the plethora of other injustices and wrongdoings). Protests are taking place across the country and this is a positive space to be as we are waking up more and more and standing up to the injustices and getting outside of the status quo. This is an opportunity for each of us to be in the uncomfortable and tension and feel those feelings. This is also a time to hear, listen and learn. Emotions coming up for you may be fight, flight or freeze feelings as we live through this stirred up time.

As you go through this time, do what you can to feel all these feelings and process them and don't get frozen in fight, flight or freeze, but work to process those feelings in order to give your nervous system the opportunity to have a range of motion in how it can experience the present moment. Reflect and work to cultivate a sense of calm so that you can get curious, demonstrate compassion/empathy, mindfulness and openness. This is a time to become educated, be humble and mindful of how we can all individually and collectively grow and do better.

Cradling What Is Awakening Within You

This is a time of change and transformation. It is also a time of awakening. It's difficult to know what our future will look like, but it's important to not only acknowledge the changes happening but to open up, allow and cultivate the awakening force universally present at this time.

We are all being called in different ways to serve a greater role, however that takes shape. A lot of the work here is not active work - but being work - slowing down and managing yourself to be a strong and radiant field. This involves taking good care of yourself - getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising, taking part in practices that calm and relax you so you can hear and calibrate yourself to have a calm and collected nervous system. You have to step out of the rhythms that you have been a part of and consciously feel out and play with new rhythms and patterns that help reinvigorate you and set the stage for awakening. You might already be noticing what is wanting to awaken with you.

Be gentle as you take care of this new emergent part of you that needs cradling and space to develop and take root. The root of the word awaken means to spring into being and rouse from being asleep, so notice the parts of yourself that you have felt could be asleep or that keep tapping your soul to awaken and mid-wife into being.

Seeding Comfortability Amidst the Uncertainty

Now is a time where it's unclear how things are going to pan out. We may be opening things back up again, but it's uncertain when and how it's all going to look and what the long-term affects are of the changes that have already been made. Significant shifts have already played out in our world and economy and we are still finding ourselves in a liminal space at the current moment. The word liminal comes from the Latin word ‘limen’, meaning threshold.

We stand at a threshold time of what life had been and the new normal not yet taking root, so the in between space. Being in the unknown is difficult for most of us. We like to know our patterns and have comfort provided to us at a larger level and yet the rug has been swept out underneath us.

What helps me during these times are a few beliefs. One, I believe there are forces bigger than myself that have a divine plan and the more I resist fighting with that plan and flow and help direct myself for the things that I can control (like taking care of myself and tuning myself), the easier life has become. Given my studies in international development, I also believe that many people in the world have been living at the expense of the first world lifestyle and a re-balancing is taking place so that we aren't consuming so many products and growing our companies in ways that expect growth to be infinite that does not ultimately serve the greater good. So if you zoom out and realize that for us to thrive on this planet, we are being called to get back to our roots and live in harmony with the important qualities of life and by doing so, that serves the greater good and is actually what our souls are desiring at a deeper level. Another aspect that gives me peace is I believe we are here to grow and develop and there are times we go through this process in ways that are not comfortable or known and that is part of life. We have to adjust to the fact that change is not always predictable, that it can be chaotic, but we will return to order (and then go back to chaos), because this is the natural flow. Life would be boring if we knew what would happen. With all this, I invite you all to find that glimmer of grounding, nurture it and challenge your beliefs that want clarity and control. Allow yourself to be a conduit for that which is greater and re-direct your attention to controlling what you can control in order to be the change you want to see in the world.

Surfing A Graceful Pivot

The word pivot has been coming up a lot these days. I heard it even more while in business school! Here I am offering a spiritual perspective on how to pivot in a graceful way. The image I get is of a surfer who has to wait for the waves to be just right to mount their surfboard. You can't force the waves to be awesome, you have to be patient! Then when the waves are looking good, you have to move along the beach to find the ideal spot and get yourself set up with the right instruments (aka surfboard) and with the right state of being to surf the waves in the best way.

The same can be said about pivoting on a personal or professional level. Finding a sense of ease with the new ground you are cultivating and getting yourself into a relaxed state as well as having allowance for letting the wave drive you and going to where the momentum will all be strongest are all vital ingredients. You also have to have strength to get on the surfboard, stay on the surfboard and balance the surfboard through the waves, so getting yourself prepared and knowing what will be asked of you during the experience is important. There also needs to be a recognition that there are forces bigger than you, so understanding the environment, your audience, your niche and how you are being guided and what is truly of highest potential for you to be bringing into the world that can help to harness for the pivot. You also can't recycle formulas from the past, as Einstein says, it's important to pull from a different level of consciousness to bring about the change you are seeking to achieve. If you are in a team or work environment, get everyone on board with the pivot as well so they can be a part of building and maneuvering the momentum and restructuring and reordering so you are setting up a path (or wave) of success!

Letting Yourself Replenish from Life As It Was

We all have different conditions we are experiencing right now. Some of us are working the same jobs as pre-COVID, others are working more or dealing with greater stresses and there are also those that have undergone significant changes and are currently living a very different life. All of us however, to varying degrees, are recovering from a busy and productive life that was in existence prior to the COVID pandemic. You see, society and our family structures have placed a lot of importance on doing. We have been defined to a great extent by what we do for a living and how productive we have been and what achievements we have to show. This has put a lot of us in a rat wheel in life and we have even upped the bar for ourselves with getting coaches or personal trainers that put more pressure on ourselves to push and to do even more!

What I believe we are being called to during this liminal time is to rest, recover and replenish. We are burnt out and hungover from our lives pre-COVID. I invite you all to listen to your bodies and spirits that are letting you know what it needs to settle and rejuvenate from your once very busy life. It's healthy and positive to allow yourself to sleep in, take bike rides, walks on the beach with your kids, binge watch T.V. or whatever else to allow yourself to just be. We are in a lot of ways replenishing and recovering from life as it had been and it's important and vital that you let yourself replenish and nourish yourself during this time.

Feeling "Light"ness through the Heavy and Dark

We are feeling all kinds of feelings at the moment. It's easy to go to the extremes of feeling so light or so heavy about what is happening right now. When feeling so light you can get overly positive, deceiving yourself of the reality, turning away from unpleasant emotions and sugar coating things. Overy depressed means you are melancholy, low and tunnel visioned about how bad/terrible everything is around you. However, there is always a spectrum of light(ness) that we can experience in any one of our moments.

It's important and can be healthy to go to the extremes, because we often learn from going to an exaggerated state. However, there is always a full spectrum of light, different shades, colors and dark in every experience. It's our work to not get stuck at any one point, but to feel what we feel at the moment and honor what is coming up and also give space for harnessing the mind in how it focuses and magnifies or diminishes the different forms of light that we can experience. We must also grow in our ability to be conductors of our light and feel the wholeness of what is happening and decide which quality of light to tap into or magnify - whether that is the opposite of dark or the quality of light rays that you are experiencing or whatever shade of color/light you can spotlight at any given moment.

The Importance of Being

We are not human doers, we are human beings. Our society places too much importance on what we do for a living as well as we are taught and encouraged to be in a constant motion and that doing a lot is praised as the way to be successful. To fully accept who you are, find deeper happiness and to tap into the greater power and fullness of who you are, it's important to allow yourself to be. To settle.

In this way, you can let your mind calm, feel all the feelings showing up and give space to experience each moment to its fullest. Nurturing your being state also allows you to manage your mental energies as well as your body and how you are showing up in your ever day life. There is a lot to be gained from being and the gift right now of slowing down is allowing the space and time to tap into your being state more fully.

Stop yourself in a busy average normal day and ask yourself who am I, how am I being, how am I showing up, am I showing up in the way that I want to at this moment and during this day?

Our Houses As Living Museums

The physical spaces we inhabit have an affect on us and can give us or deplete energy. During this time of physical distancing, now marks a great time to re-imagine your home. I invite you to view your home as a living museum. It is a natural environment, much like out in nature and it goes through periods of change and flow.

We can be conductors of our environment, like museum curators, helping to set up our physical spaces in ways that serve us. Take this time to go through and get rid of what no longer serves or is working for you and listen as your environment dialogues with you to set up your space in a way that brings the highest and best out of you and your family or housemates.

Realigning with your Anxiety

As this is a great time to re-set in a lot of ways, this also stands as a wonderful time to re-align yourself with anxiety. Anxiety is a natural state and is not something to be feared, it is a feeling that flows through you and you can have a dialogue with it and work with it so that it does not control you.

Often your mind and body have different ways of dealing with anxiety and more often than not, your body is slower to manage and come out of anxiety. You must be gentle with yourself, allow the anxiety to flow through you, lean into it and take back your power. You can overcome your anxiety and allow anxiety to be an instrument that you work with, but that isn't dominating or controlling your life and frequency.

Things Die and Change All the Time Out in Nature, We Need to Allow that in Our Lives Too

We have a lot to learn from nature. Nature shows us on a basic level the cycle of birth, change/transformation and death. We too go through this cycle, as we are mirrors of nature.

We have many different storylines in our life and they are all in various stages of this cycle. The more we can allow ourselves to accept that these changes take place, the easier it is to allow changes to happen and actually flow with them, as opposed to fighting, resisting or being stressed out from this natural pattern.

“Hereing” as Opposed to “Fearing”

There’s a lot of fear being thrown our way these days. It’s also easy to fall into fear when we face a lot of uncertainty and when news and messages we receive regularly ask us to take lots of precautions.

However, in every moment instead of choosing the feeling of fear, you also have the opportunity to choose here. From a “here” embodied place, you are the most powerful and can decide the mind-frame and emotion you want to bring in that moment. By showing up in a here alive way, you can also work to shift the momentum of your day to be a powerful, enlivened version of yourself. Choose here!

Grounding and Remembering your Roots

Now is the time to cultivate groundedness, to remember your roots. Join me for this short meditation to journey to the seed where you developed from, witness how your plant on this earth has grown and be reminded of your strength and resiliency. Recognize how your seed has weathered through other storms, honor the magic and the ability of the earth to provide all it is you need to grow and be reminded of the stability that exists from within.

Take from this meditation the teaching that we all have a source of groundedness, that we can carry that state of being with us wherever. So reflect on where is your ground in your body, what is that makes you feel grounded, how can you feel groundedness so that even though this time may feel turbulent and filled with unease, you can cultivate grounding.

Slowing Down to Get into your Rhythm

With this time being crazy and uncertain, now is a time to get back to the basics to ask what are your daily routines, how do you show up and find grounding and how do you slow down and choose from an empowered place how you want to be in your day-to-day life.

Drawing inspiration from animals in this meditation, as they are much more aligned with their rhythms and routines than humans, we can learn from them how to get back into the natural rhythm that our planet so elegantly demonstrates for us on a daily basis. Everyday we have the ability to ground, slow down and relax into our day.

This is a time for you to call in new routines or commit deeper to routines that you know work for yourself. Giving yourself slowness can unlock a routine and way of being that works for you.

Depression and the Opportunity to Deepen into Yourself

Many people are feeling isolated, alone and depressed during this time of uncertainty. In journeying to a stressful time as part of this meditation, you will have the opportunity to see how you're being state supported you in getting through this experience. All in all, we have been living on this planet in a way that's not in sync with the resources and we are going to have to change in order to thrive in this world going forward. This has not been a graceful wake-up call, but it's a wake-up call nonetheless and we are in a space of invitation to change our patterns. We are being confronted with ourselves in a way that's tough and and can leave us feeling depressed. You may be finding different parts of yourself that you don't want to look or grief that is unprocessed or all the sudden your life being flipped upside down.

This is an opportunity to go deeper within. There are services and guides out there for support and this is a time to ask for help or find your guide within to help you navigate this new path. Do not be scared by your depression, but meet it with curiosity, have a dialogue with it and find new ways of being to support you in this time of transition.