Awareness of Movement

Awareness changes how we physically move. As we become more fluid and resilient so do the mental, emotional and spiritual movements of our lives. - Emilie Conrad

Movement is relative. If you are where you are, and you are seeking well-being, then you are on a path of radiant health, which includes, but is not limited to becoming aware of the space you are taking up and the feeling of inhabiting your body. Stillness is the sensation of all things being calm and focused within yourself and your environment, but even within stillness, there is movement. Consider the breath. You do not have to teach yourself to breathe, nor do you have to cue the breath to come, but you do have to breathe to continue to grow and develop. Yet the breath is movement, the breath inspires movement in the body--circulation of the cells--which also triggers movement of the mind. As the lymph circulates, the cells are moved around, thoughts and feelings are put into motion and create emotion and the body becomes alive.

Would you agree with me that there are levels to aliveness? That vitality is not dependent upon how much time you spend on the computer, but how free you are to be inside the body. There are ways to become free, freer, than you currently are or than you ever thought possible. We have talked so far about letting go by allowing the lymphatic system to have a "party", as well as breathing deeply to move things further, now that the body is light, and hopefully the mind feels more at ease, you are given full permission to move forward in an upward and expansion motion.

Movement is not only upward and outward, but downward and inward as well. Imagine walking, you lift a leg, and then it has to come back to the ground. What does up, must come down, and move around and around and around until given permission to freely rest and rejuvenate. If you are struggling with some aspect of your health, you may have been moving, you most likely have moved so much that some days you just can't make it to the gym. Have you ever thought about listening to the voice within that does not want to workout? I can guarantee you there is a message there for you. Perhaps you are not doing the kind of exercise that inspires you. Perhaps you are doing someone else's vision for what you should do, and this causes a rebellion deep within yourself that tries to get in the way of you meeting your goals.

Exercise does not have to be going to the gym. Just as beneficial can be walking in the grass barefoot, where not only is the body in motion, but enhances circulation, encourages deep breathing and is rejuvenating to the body. How about taking a rest from overdoing your workout and undo the damage by letting go a bit in nature?
Nothing happens until something moves. -Albert Einstein

If you think about what goes up must come down, imagine this: for every action there is a reaction. So if you are trying to get buff and so ripping your muscles in the gym, there is a part of you that might be craving rest, and the body is so used to being stressed out by work, going to the gym, and the toxins that are surrounding us just by being alive in today's world, that you can't help but want to continue the stress cycle by overeating, or reaching for what is going to take your breath away.

Imagine exercise that is led by the body, and not by some magazine's idea of what you should do to lose weight or to rip up your abs. Imagine dancing, feeling free to allow the energy to circulate, the spirit and calling within to vibrate and release, and thereby harmonizing your inner world with the outer world. This sensation is available to you. You will know, after a moment of stillness, of a period of slowing down, what your body is craving. This may not be what you think you need to do to relax, or what your body needs to be in shape, or what your mind needs to be fit. But, imagine inhabiting the body to the fullest expression of your spirit. Does this include going to the gym? it might today. It might tomorrow. It might for this period of your life be giving your body exactly what it needs. But there is also a time for rejuvenation, and there are other options for fitness, other than high-powered electric machines to step upon to get you moving.

Give your mind a break by stepping out in nature. The fresh air will enable you to let go even further, and help your cells to circulate and heart to open. Just get moving, every day. Even a basic movement such as lifting your head towards the sky, by softening the neck and tongue and being mindful of your gaze is movement that the body requires to regenerate itself. You are moving enough if you are feeling how you move through your day. That does not have to be any more than what you are doing now. Trust that when you relax, get to know how it feels to inhabit the body, you will become aware of exactly what you need to do, how you need to be, to move forward into life. Like my dad says, "I follow my feet around." Try something new. Do not plan your workout routine. Allow your body to guide you there. Learn to listen and move from that place of inner stillness.

Relax more here

Relax into your Radiance

Step into the here and now. Every ounce of you is welcome here, especially the uncomfortable parts of you. If you are struggling with your weight, fighting an eating disorder or an addiction, stressed out by your work or relationship, it may seem like a chore to relax these days. I don’t blame you for not wanting to sit still, because the discomfort may seem so overwhelming that the idea of relaxing is not even in sight or on your mind. I can relate to this, indeed and experience a similiar sensation when I make an appointment to go have a massage when I really need it, and then the time comes and I am alright and at ease.

Relaxation is the key to optimal wellbeing. It is vital to spend your day in a state of relaxation for your body to heal, grow, develop, process, detoxify and regulate itself from the inside out. If you are not relaxing enough, you may be stressed out and feel like you are out of control. You may have more issues than you feel like you deserve, and at the same time be unable to shake off things that are bothering you. If any of this soudns familiar, I invite you to be with me here now and relax as you are, and take some of what you are learning here into your daily life.

Do you agree with me that you need to breathe in order to live? And that one breath leads to the next breath, and on and on, but that the deeper you breathe, the easier it is to relax? So, focusing on your breath is an exclellent way to relax in the here and now. The breath can guide you out of your mind, or stress and drop you down into a state of being.

Here is a breathing exercise to calm anxiety.

Four-Seven-Eight Breath

Best done sitting but can be done standing or lying down.

1. Sit with your back straight and your hands resting comfortably in your lap or on your thighs.

Look straight ahead, yet try not to fix your gaze on anything in particular. Slightly closing your eyes helps.

Try to focus internally on your breathing.

All inhalations are done through your NOSE; all exhalations through your MOUTH.

Throughout the exercises keep the tip of your tongue in contact with the top of your mouth, just behind your top teeth.

2. Commence inhaling slowly, smoothly and deeply to a mental count of 4 seconds. Fill your lower lungs first (by pushing out your abdomen), then your middle and upper lungs.

Hold your breath for a mental count of 7 seconds.

Slowly and smoothly exhale for a mental count of 8 seconds.

As you exhale, try to let go of all your anxiety, tension & stress.

That’s one round. Pause briefly without inhaling then start another round. This natural pauseis very therapeutic and relaxing.

Do 10-12 rounds to begin. Build up to 25-30 rounds several times a day AND whenever you feel anxious or nervous, etc.

Summary: Inhale for 4 seconds – Hold for 7 seconds – Exhale for 8 seconds – Pause briefly – Repeat.

Benefits

* Calms your mind
* Tones your nervous system
* Regulates your breathing
* Balances your emotions

Tips

* Can be done anywhere – on a bus, in a line, at work, before a test
* If you lose your breath, stop, breathe freely then try again
* With practice your pauses between rounds will naturally get longer
* Soothing music or ear plugs can help reduce external distractions

Ocean of Bliss

"Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in."
-Leonard Cohen

I am working on a manual for relaxation, and so doing research on what that is really. In my experience, deep breathing, healthy sleep, optimal nutrition and hydration, fulfilling relationships and time for self-nurturing all aid in the relaxation response. There is one simple principle that I am keenly trying to practice that you may want to know about...

That is: stop talking nonsense.
By getting quiet and going within yourself, there you will find solace in the Ocean of Bliss. Not only that, but perhaps it will cut your stress in half. If what you speak about you bring about, and you are constantly referring to what is stressing you out, imagine not talking at all until you have something positive and reflective to share to inspire with another being? Or perhaps a glimpse of gratitude for what you are learning or hope for the journey ahead.

I notice there are days when I talk about what is wrong with me and my life. And then what I get deep within is a conversation that goes something like this: you are horrible, shameful, should not do that or go there. I am like Thomas the Tank Engine with attempting full-steam-ahead, yet putting off noxious steam. I am not saying to hold it all in...there is a place for letting go, and therapy is always an option!

Notice who you are talking to and what is motivating you to speak. Perhaps sit on your hands until you have something nice or positive to say. Or until you feel inspired by what your unique and individual mind is aimed to create.

The schism in your soul does not need to create a dent in another's heart...
There is a mysterious power in going within and getting quiet to find the answers. Do you notice a familiar conversation in your life? How true is it really that you need to figure out the problem? How liberating it is to realize that you are whole, perfect and complete and that there is an Ocean of Bliss within you that is your own personal reservoir for love, and that you can marinate in it fully and completely and trust that everyone has access to this sensation.

Choose to be quiet today. Notice the conversations you are having with yourself, and if there is a war going on, perhaps you are plugged into the wrong outlet. Get still and know that the Ocean of Bliss within you is always available and you are not responsible for trying to figure out the problem or the solution to other people's pain. You will know love when you develop the ability to sit still with yourself and the mind is quiet and the voices within are reminding you of your precious nature.

So talk less. Feel more. Go within to find love. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.

Access your own Ocean of Bliss by placing your fingers on the area in the middle of your chest, on your breastbone. Breathe in through your nose, out through the mouth. And deepen the sensation by placing the other hand on your solar plexus, and then moving that hand down to your navel. Feel the connection, the sensation of letting go, and rest in your own personal Ocean of Bliss.

Why Weight?

I was reminded this week that I had not been meditating. For me, that is usually not such a big deal, since I was committed to meditation for 4 years or so every day, sometimes twice. But in the past 5 months, I have not meditated one time. At the same time, my life took off in every direction possible. I attempted to move to Santa Fe, Vancouver, considered Hawaii and should be in New York today if my mind was in control. Unfortunately, my mind has been a bit out of control and I have done a very unique dance around what is.

Indeed what has shown up since I set aside meditation is a bit of chaos, but I am grateful for the truths that have been revealed to me and look forward to the opportunity to sit through this next segment of life and digest what I have learned to assimilate the damage. It is only by allowing the pain to be there, the darkness, the stuff that is truly frightening that we are able to grow up and transform. After years of struggling with anorexia and bulimia, I have given up the struggle. In the process, I have had to sit through more shame and guilt than I ever though possible, only to watch it pass by, as if I am a bystander and it is a circus that comes to town, and then goes. I learn that by allowing the show to go on, acknowledging its presence, that it has less of a pull on me.

Here is how it goes.
I made a mistake. (Eating Disorder: I ate too much food) I get over it. I see someone who reminds me that perhaps I am too large for my skin. I question reality. Who's judging really? I acknowledge that this is not my story, that this is a limiting perspective that once I used to keep me safe, but that it is not true any longer.

How true is it really that you are fat or that you need to lose weight?
Wouldn't it feel better to love yourself as you are and to take right now to relax just a bit, allowing all the energy inside of you to assimilate and let go of thinking there is something wrong with you?

There is something wrong with society, in case you haven't gotten the memo.

There is something wrong with mothers putting their daughters on diets, or keenly picking apart their daughter's bodies or mirroring to them that they need to be hyper aware of their size in order to be loved. There is something wrong with models being a size zero, letting our youth know to never grow up and become a woman with curves.

If you have a voice within that is telling you there is something wrong with you, turn it around. Shake it out of you and into where it belongs. Whomever told you there was anything wrong with who or what you are, get really mad at them (not with them, but perhaps have a conversation in your head with them, or beat the hell out of the bed). There is something wrong with someone telling you how to live your life.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

By letting go of who we think we should be, we are able to become who we are really. Recovery is not about being perfect, nor is life about always knowing what to do, who we are, or where to go. Sometimes, just sitting and being quit is what we need. Sometimes we need to take mroe action. But for the most part, recovery is a dance individual to each of us. If you are struggling, reach out, for the struggle is the blessing and by asking for help, we are able to transform our perhaps limiting perspective and onto the light. Make sure you have people in your life who don't mind you being real, having faults, and who are not constantly trying to fix you. The people who shame you are the ones who don't matter for your recovery. Be the blessing that you are by putting the secrets of your shame out there to people who can love you up until you love yourself.

You are precious. Don't wait to live life. Until you love yourself, relax and reach out to those who see you and who don't mind sharing their experience of life with you. Keep your face to the sun, to the light, and acknowledge the shadows in order to awaken to your radiance.