When you’re riding the waves… (an array of soul supportive practices inside for you)

Hello dear soul,

As we continue to ride the waves in a world that is ever changing, it’s so important, more than ever, to have inner resource practices to call on to help us ride the ebbs and flows so we can come back to our own center.

I know it’s been said so much, but the reality is we are going through massively shifting times, and it’s intense and sad and asking us to really expand into the unknown frontiers personally and collectively on so many levels. From the pandemic to Ukraine and Russia to continued arguing and massive divisiveness online, it’s SO much for our systems to handle.

This past week I hit a breaking point myself. It was one wave after the next of learning for me, and while I am all for growth and evolution I also realized I need to pause, take a breath, and get my footing again… which I feel is necessary if we’re going to show up with presence in this world and make an impact.

There’s a difference between avoiding yourself and taking a pause. While on the path home to your Essence’tial Self it’s so important to meet, greet, feel, and see your Self. It’s also essential that within that seeing and loving you take pauses.

Just like nature, growth is not always just watering the seeds like society would have us believe in the “constantly push and effort” mentality. The full cycle of growth actually includes so many more phases… the seeds being planted, watered, harvested, and released.

And so when my body and mind gave me the clear sign that I had passed my threshold, I did a nervous system reset, and am already feeling massively better.

Today I want to share some of my favorite practices to support your nervous system and wellbeing as you ride the waves of your life, both personally and collectively.

See below, and also last thing I want to mention for now is that today also happens to be a New Moon in Pisces. New Moons are the beginning of a new moon cycle, and aligned with the energies of both reflection and new seeds being planted. Today would be a great day to reflect on this past month. What came to pass? What have you learned? What are you releasing? What are you gathering and taking forward? And then what are 1 -2 new seeds of intentions you want to water throughout this month ahead? Feel free to share via email with me!

For now, sending my love and care your way,


Ideas to support your nervous system. These are not quick fixes, nor intended to be magic pills, yet ideas and doorways back home to a reconnection to your Self to gain perspective, realign, recenter, and make new choices:

 

  1. Get out in Nature. Nature is one of the best ways to regain perspective and fill your inner reservoir back up. Nature reminds us to slow down, be still, and that our beingness is enough. The sun is the sun. The tree is the tree. The sun and tree do not cover up or apologize for their beingness, and so nature helps us return back to a truer sense of who we are. There’s also so much aliveness in nature’s bounty that can help us replenish our tired bodies, and possibly frantic minds. When I am feeling really stirred up I will go sit outside on the Earth for many minutes, sometimes even hours, and while adrenalized at first, as I stay there longer I start to feel myself return to a more essential pacing and easing in my system. Sometimes I have to do this many times in a row, so be easy on yourself.
  2. Movement. Now this could be a workout. Yet with this it is more about moving your body with this intention of coming home to your full Self. To move as a practice of feeling, healing, connecting, and attuning to you. Some of my favorite ways to do this are a) long walks in nature with the intention of really coming into your body and moving the energy that may be stuck, and coming back to your full range of expression b) putting on a few of your favorite songs and moving in a way that feels innate and instinctual. Rather than choreography, closing your eyes and allowing your body to move from within. Allowing yourself to move with any feelings that are arising, and asking yourself truly how you want to move at that moment. From the outside looking in it may look like dancing and in some ways it is, and it’s so much more than that too c) Yoga. A slow deep flow to root, connect, and feel your own breath and center again
  3. Minimizing technology. We have so many things that are asking for our attention these days and our devices are one of them. It’s still edgy for me at times to unplug yet I realize the more and more I take phone breaks, and especially email and social media breaks it helps me so so much. So the idea here is to create tech breaks so you can feel and connect back to your own body, and voice. Also tech can stir up our nervous system, especially if we’re scrolling for endless hours on social media, and so it’s so important to take time away from our devices. I know it’s important to be informed, and also it’s so important to return back to your own inner knowing as well. Be easy with yourself on this one, because our devices are designed to keep us plugged in so it may take a hot minute to start to unwind the impulse to constantly check in on them.
  4. Rest. Rest. Rest. Rest more than you think you need. We live in such a consumer culture and are taught to always be on, yet we do need to incorporate rest. I understand we all have different lives, so while it may not be possible to carve out huge pockets, how can you give yourself even mini moments. Because the truth is we need more rest, especially when we’re growing, releasing, expanding, and riding the waves.
  5. Breathing fresh air, Breathe. This one is connected to nature again. To be able to get out in the elements and breathe in fresh air. Yet if you aren’t able to make it outside, even just coming back to an easy fluid breath can help so much. Now if you’re experiencing a lot of anxiety and fear it may take a little time to get your breath working in a way that feels supportive, so be gentle with yourself, and know it’s a practice. Often when I am guiding a client through breath work sometimes she will feel like she can’t quite take a deep breath, and so we meet that sensation first, and then let her body know it’s safe to relax and take up space. Meeting the resistance frist with compassion and care is helpful in slowly starting to unwind the holding that has felt familiar and safe for so long. One of my favorite breathing practices is an easy gentle 4 count inhale and 4 count exhale. You will come into a stabilizing position and then relax your shoulders, back, and belly to hopefully get your breath down into your pelvis and belly rather than just up in your chest. Let it be not only breathing up and down the length of your spine but also breathing into the width of you so it’s a full range of breath.
  6. Receive support. I am all for learning how to self source and knowing your Self as a reliable source of connection. It’s one of the pillars I teach my clients so they feel empowered within themselves, AND that being said we also need connection.  We need spaces and people to help us remember and return to our inner resources. I am really good at self sourcing and also last week when I was riding a turbulent wave I called on some amazing support and it was just what I needed to help me ride that wave, and return back to my inner knowing. Now, as you’re receiving support I recommend you call in people who can really see you through it, and not people who you know won’t be able to be with you through the fullness of what you’re experiencing. I find it’s so important to call in the aligned people who will be able to meet you where you are and not shame, fix, or control your experience.
  7. Be still and know. Meditate. There are so many types of meditation. For me meditation is a way to return back to your own inner senses, inner wisdom, and being so that when the ebbs and flow of life shows up you can still locate yourself and your own knowing amidst whatever is happening. In its simplest expression I’d recommend starting by taking 5 minutes to close your eyes. To shift your outward gaze in. To start to breathe more deeply and really feel into your own body. I often love to do a body scan, and really soften and relax into my heart and body. If you notice lots of noise in your head, all good, just keep coming back to your breath and noticing of what is actually happening in the moment.
  1. Change of scenery. I find when I am in a pattern of activation, making one new choice is so key in shifting that pattern. Sometimes we can do that within our own home, and often I find getting out and changing up the pattern is so valuable and a game changer. This past weekend I couldn’t find accommodations that were resonant for me to get out of town so instead I decided to drive up 40 minutes to a little town for a great lunch. And then the next day I went to a new beach. Just those simple shifts were monumental for me in feeling a shift and more of a relaxation and letting down of my body. How can you change your scenery in a way that supports you? Go on a new walking path, try a new restaurant, go on a day trip, allow your system to get a change of pace.
  2. Water and nourishment. Making sure you’re caring for your inner well with what you’re putting in your body is a great way to support your whole nervous system as well. This is not about restriction or dieting, and rather what are the beverages and foods that support you in feeling well and alive within. I know for me drinking lots of water really helps, and I can sure feel it when I am not. Also, rather than taking foods away or restricting, asking yourself what wants to be added in to support you in feeling well and alive? For me these days it’s really about eating whole nutrient dense foods. Let this one be about lifestyle and nourishment rather than diet or restriction.
  3. What is “food” for your soul? This is a bonus one I’ll add which is asking yourself what feeds your soul? What people, places, experiences, sounds, sights, tastes, etc. feed you on a soul nourishing level. This is a culmination of so many of the above and one you can take with you at any given time to ask yourself, “what would feed my soul now”? Let the answer be simple. Many simple choices add up over time. 🙂

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