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Walking the spiritual path is ultimately about awakening...
Ultimately, it's a path for those who want life to feel heart aligned and fulfilling. And, it's a hell of a lot of fun. The spiritual path is confrontational and scares people off because facing what you typically avoid takes every day courage. But on the other side of owning your truth and integrating your trauma is more joy, pleasure and connection. If you are looking for support, want to live more authentically and someone to guide you on the spiritual path click here to check out my Yoga Therapy and Spiritual Life Coaching.
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Timing doesn't mean your chosen timing. It means when divine timing chose it to be so. Readiness doesn't mean you feel equipped on every level it means you have reach the point where you want to dig in. We can't push our emotions or self worth issues away forever or pack our trauma up for eternity at some point we GET to deal with it. If you know you have unprocessed emotions, self worth struggles and trauma you don't have to face it now. Maybe those 3 things aren't aligned and that is all good. The universe will always keep giving you chances to confront and heal. Know this, when you do decide to do the work of facing your shadow self you will come out stronger, lighter and more authentic on the other side. If you’re like most people you’re pretty aware of the things you *could* do to improve your life and even *why* you should be doing them. The majority of us know that exercising, eating healthy, getting sufficient sleep, practicing meditation and reaching out to a yoga therapist or psychotherapist for support would be beneficial.
Maybe you’re even having regular conversations with yourself about creating new habits in your life and trying to muster up the willpower to move forward. What blocks most people from continuing to take steps when trying to build new habits is not a lack of motivation or willpower. It’s something altogether different. In the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, one of the lifestyle teachings is called Tapas. Tapas refers to our ability to tolerate unpleasantness and friction AND stay on path. Tapas is a skill that we can cultivate through conscious effort and for most it’s the missing ingredient. You can't change your habits unless you’re willing to endure some discomfort, resistance or give yourself permission to be “bad” at something. When I meet people out in the world, some of the most common responses after finding out my career is to: awkwardly pause (not kidding), excitedly ask questions or tell me all the reasons they can’t practice yoga. Frequently it’s statements like: “I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible,” or “I can’t practice meditation because my mind is too busy.” What they’re really saying is… I don’t feel successful practicing hatha yoga and meditation because it’s uncomfortable and challenging for me. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already taken the leap to practice yoga or meditation at some point. Maybe you’re working on practicing yoga again (or more often) or becoming more self-confident. Whatever it is you may be wondering, “How do I cultivate tapas?” In the words of Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Time and time again it’s been proven that taking small actions adds up over time. I encourage you to start small and stay committed to whatever you are feeling led to pursue right now. In my opinion, it’s easier to develop the skill of tapas when we have support and accountability in some form. Check out my online course, Befriend Your Body, if you are ready to do the work of showing up in your body and healing your relationship with it. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not broken. Even in your darkest hour you are divine and ANYTHING that tells you otherwise is just your own or someone else's shame and fear talking.
The religion of my childhood instilled fear and shame in me. More specifically the concept of sinning and that a sinner without salvation equaled eternal damnation. Pretty hefty stakes. The ideology of sinning led me to feel that any of my decisions that went against the standards I was raised with were bad, evil or worthy of judgment. For me this was a mark on my psyche at a very young age that has taken me decades to unravel and let go of (and there is still work to do.) In my opinion things went terribly wrong with religion when we started using it to teach each other that we are sinners. To me this represents the use of religious teachings to shame each other. I make this point about religion to show you that feeling not good enough has ancient and prolific roots. We are all the product of misguided but well-intentioned programming that was meant to mold us into the good citizens and loving beings that we all are at our very core (especially when we are loved, self-aware and supported). It's time to reject the narrative of perfectionism and re-write the story of our how we see ourselves and others. We all came here to grow. That means we aren't supposed to have it all figured out. Your struggle is part of your awakening. You and everyone you meet are doing the best you they can with the skills they have. Your body, wounds, past and big feelings are all sacred. The love in your heart and the gifts you uniquely have to share are divine. The same goes for every single person you meet. So take a breath and remember that you are whole just as you are right now AND there is work to do. I work with people who share their most uncomfortable truths, shame and inner thoughts with me. Through the rich experience of space holding and mentoring many different people over so many years it's clear to me that most of us are fighting similar yet uniquely individual battles. We struggle with self-worth, self-acceptance and how to work with shame or fear and move forward at the same time. We battle with relationships, integrating old wounds and opening ourselves up to receive. We wrestle with pain and mental health, desires for a lighter life experience and lack of skills to get there. When we talk about these things we often overlook that our body is experiencing it along with us. I remind people to notice their bodies and pay attention to the communication it is giving them. One of the common places tension manifests when people share their shadow self with me is tightness in their throat and chest. If you relate to this, I have some simple and easily accessible advice...use your voice. Speak your truth maybe outloud to yourself as you drive in your car. Scream into a pillow and give your feelings room to flow out of you. Sing or chant a powerful song or mantra. Practice speaking even when it feels really uncomfortable to do so in safe spaces. Attend my Women's Circles if you're local to Greenville. Use your voice friends, tune into your body and make some noise. Mental Health is personal for me, for all of us. I feel like part of why I was put here on this earth is to facilitate conversations about mental health as they relate to us as a WHOLE person. Mental Health is a relationship we have with a layer of our being. Just one part of us but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the most important ones. Mental health is interactive and based on the choices we make our mental health is impacted for better or worse. 5 Things I do for my Mental Health Everyday:
2. Move and connect with my body. Daily movement makes us feel better and gives us energy. Our bodies need a variety of movement. I'll admit sometimes connecting with my body takes a real conscious effort. I have to overcome my own desire to avoid my body that manifests in desires to do something else that keeps me in my mind. You're not alone! 3. Practice emotional intelligence and intimacy. All emotions are normal and valid. Become aware of what you are feeling, learn about emotions, find ways to express them in a healthy ways and give yourself permission to feel. 4. Spend time in aware in nature. Nature is therapeutic and science supports how much we need it. Even a 10 minute sit out in the sunshine can do wonders. 5. Observe my nervous system and self-regulate. Your nervous system is something you can learn to witness. When your nervous system is stuck in sympathetic arousal mode for example an array of experiences play out. For example, you may feel that you can't take time to care for yourself. You can learn to recognize where your nervous system is and self-regulate. What are things you do every day for your mental health? In life, we all have many different callings and paths to take. The universe speaks to us all in our own unique way. My way is through an inner knowing, a felt sense and intuitive calls to action that often reoccur. When we receive that communication from the universe (if we have awareness of it) we have choices. 1. Ignore it 2. Say No 3. Welcome it and wait for more clarity 4. Say Yes No right or wrong here. Saying yes is the part that I want to highlight right now...If you want to honor a call to action you feel saying YES is an important and liberating step. Saying yes and letting fo of the rest. Saying yes and saying a simple prayer like. "Thank you God/Spirit/Universe/Energy for guiding me in this endeavor, I step back and let you take the lead." The postures, breath work and meditation that people associate with yoga are only a TINY part of what yoga is and represents. To give you an example, yoga has many different paths of study and practice. These are some of the big ones but there are several more:
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May 2022
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