How often do you tune into and listen to your instincts? You know the ones – a turning in your belly that says something isn’t right or your spidey senses saying there’s something a little off here.
Since moving, we’ve had to start over in all areas of our lives. Not just new friends and new environment, but also new holistic health providers. How do you find the right dentist, acupuncturist, chiro, etc.? Let me tell you, it can be a sloooooow process. I recently found myself in need of some bodywork. I went to someone who came highly recommended, but after the first visit, I could tell that my body wasn’t responding well to this style of treatments. My gut was saying this isn’t working with your highly sensitive system, but I wasn’t sure if I just needed to give it some time or if I needed to find someone else to work with. This is one of those things that can come up whenever you are getting care from someone, and it can cause us to go around in circles trying to decide the right thing to do. So how do you decide what’s best for you? How do you really know what your gut/body is trying to communicate to you? Here’s what I do: Tune in Really pay attention to how your system is reacting. Try to put it into words instead of just sensing and feeling it so you get a clearer picture. Sitting quietly with your eyes closed for a few minutes can really help you to tune in and paint a better picture. Ask questions Once you know what you are feeling, start asking questions. What is this feeling about? What could my body be trying to communicate to me? Do I feel uncomfortable with this person? Is this harming me? Is this a common response for this type of treatment? Am I avoiding something? Have I responded this way before? Keep going. Take a look at it from all sides and perspectives to see what information you can gather. I am the queen of asking questions, so if you get stuck, reach out. Word of Caution: don’t fall into analysis paralysis here. This is more about addressing any concerns that you have about working with this person and getting truthful responses from yourself about your reaction to this particular situation. Gather more information If your questions don’t lead you to a decision, go back for another appointment to collect more information. Or give the office a call and talk to the practitioner to get your concerns addressed. Be sure to ask all of your questions and pay attention to how your gut/body respond before, during and after for additional feedback. Remember: there is no “right” and there is no “wrong” I find that this rule applies 99% of the time to most scenarios. We often put so much pressure on ourselves to make the right choice. To not screw up. When in reality, it doesn’t really matter. And in the end, if it truly feels like it wasn’t the right choice, part of how we learn is from our mistakes so we can put it in our growth and learning bucket for future use. Ultimately, I decided to have another appointment with this person and talk about my concerns. They completely understood what was happening to my system and we agreed that another version of treatment was what I needed. I even received an awesome referral! We all deserve to be well taken care of and whomever we work with needs to be supportive of our well-being and our interests. Surrounding yourself with that kind of support can sometimes be challenging, but is worth it in the long run. Are you listening to your body? What steps do you take to understand what it's telling you?
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4/21/2016 0 Comments Life Is ComplicatedLife IS complicated. We can try to make it simple and easier by steeping ourselves in our practices. Or we can work to dumb it down. For most of us, we don’t want to sit in the passenger seat and watch life roll by. We want to participate and that means continuing to grow and change. And that’s hard work. It’s not the easy way. If you are reading this, then you are probably like me, and want to live to the fullest that’s possible, each and every day. And some days, that means dumbing it down because we can only take in so much, we need to process through things, or we need a day to recover from all the crap that happened the day prior. But for the most part, we strive to grow and change, and figure out on continually deeper levels who we are moment by moment. So we can experience life at it’s fullest, share what it is we want to express, and make our mark on the world. Some days this is harder than others – dealing with our demons and these voices that tell us we’re nothing, or remind us of all the times we’ve failed, or that we might fail this time, and this fail will be BIG. We try to talk ourselves out of living large with all those FEARS that stalk our dreams and silent thoughts. And then on other days, we manage to tap into our inner strength, wisdom, and confidence, and we let our lights shine bright and stand fully as we are, speak our thoughts clearly, and turn a blind eye to anyone who doubts us.
On the days when you struggle, or the times when you are losing the fight for your own freedom – those are the times when your practices can help you move forward. Whether it’s a physical or sitting practice, or both, remembering to turn to your practice for support is key. Understanding which practices help you in what moments is also critical. And turning to a teacher, that can help guide you, teach you the practices designed for specific situations, and can understand where you are, and what you are struggling with, can be life changing, and may help propel you further, faster than you can get on your own. Share your voice! I’d love to hear from you in the comments below - what are your favorite practices to keep you moving through life? Or share a time when you let your light shine through the darkness of your fears so you could shine bright! 2/18/2016 0 Comments Seeking Change or Craving Routine?There's nothing like moving to a new city to fully turn your entire life upside down. If you are feeling completely settled and comfortable in all aspects of your life this will surely shake things up. It definitely did for me! It’s funny what you crave when you are sitting with all this unsettledness. These are the times when any and everything that comforts us comes into play as we try to find something to root us back down and feel our legs again. Ironically, after we moved, it was many of the things I was ready to get away from that I started to miss – the guy on the moped with the squeaky brakes that drove by the house everyday, the noise from our more urban neighborhood {I wanted quiet and to be able to see the stars at night, but all of a sudden I missed those city sounds!} I sought out anything that was familiar to feel at home. It’s why people seek out McDonalds when they are in foreign countries – something to connect them back. It's at times when life is most unstable, that you look for the comforts of what's familiar – seeking out anything that can ground you. {I remember my dreams shortly after we moved all had to do with soft or squishy floors. I knew that was a message of grounding for me - to finish unpacking and organizing so that I could begin to feel at home here.} A healthy way to stabilize is by creating a routine. It's the times when life is chaotic, or you are trying to accomplish something big, that you need the routine to feel grounded, safe, and comfortable. When life is going along smoothly and you are feeling a little stuck or bored - this is the time when you can change things up. Break out of your routine. Maybe get rid of your old routine completely and create a new one. Do something on your list that you’ve been afraid to attempt. Allow some new adventure to come into your life. So are you in a place where you need to create routine or bring on something new? Both are helpful and knowing which one you need, and when, can help you shift between them to keep moving forward in your life. When you listen to what's going on within you, you can figure out which one you need. Staying stuck in a routine can cause you to get bored and feel lost. But using routine to give your self some discipline to get things accomplished is important. Keeping things fresh and new is crucial to growing, so you can learn who you are in new situations. But always being on an adventure doesn’t provide time to get things done in life. Allowing both, gives the opportunity for more of who you are to become known to you, and seen by the world. |
AuthorJenn White, Yoga Educator, Meditation Teacher, and Owner of Embodied Bliss, began her journey of yoga and meditation in 2004 while recovering from a back injury. Feeling lost, restless and seeking something more from life, she found her path through meditation. Archives
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