A Cause For Celebration…It’s You!
Hello everyone and Happy BC Day (that’s British Columbia Day for those of you who don’t know).
Did you know our provincial bird is the Stellar Jay, and that our provincial tartan contains color to represent many of the aspects of the province.
If its not a holiday where you live, you still have cause to celebrate. Read on…
Did you wake up grateful this morning? If not, now is your chance to take time to reflect on our beautiful province (or yours wherever you live), and for those things in your life that you are grateful for.
Here’s how it goes for me today. The mountains remind me of the peaks and valleys in my life and how I have been able to traverse them (most time with grace and dignity). The oceans, rivers, lakes and streams remind me to stay open, listen to my heart and the feeling of calm. The trees, they give me peace as I look at the dozens of trees on our property. There are many stories to hear by listening to the trees. They are the sentries of our history. The land, green grass (yes it is still green here) reminds me to stay in my ground element, solidly, holding my integrity, my values, my boundaries.
What’s up for you today as you recognize our provincial holiday and bask in the essence of the West Coast? What’s up for you today, wherever you live? I hope it’s a good one.
Don’t Let Go…there is something more for you to learn
In my heart-mind coaching practice, I remind my clients about the distinction between noticing, observing and releasing versus the thing we are all being told to do these days, “just let that go”. I don’t know about you, but to just let something go feels very difficult. I am convinced that trying to let something go digs it deeper into my conscious mind (not to mention my sub-conscious mind). My ego has a very hard time to just let something go. It LOVES the feeding frenzy. So…how about this instead:
When I find myself “chewing” over something, clearly there is something that is bothering me. I would like to learn more about myself in the bothering me phase. What is bothering me and what reaction does it cause in me? Where do I find that my thoughts take me? What struggles does it create?
If I just let it go (which actually I can’t say I have ever REALLY been able to do), have I devalued the lesson or even missed it? Perhaps.
Here’s a new practice to try.
Instead of trying to let it go, replace it with “I notice myself in this place. I observe the reactions and responses I am feeling. I challenge myself to explore the message behind the feeling; what is it trying to tell me – perhaps there is a nugget of wisdom here. And then I release. This happens from my body using my breath to exhale the feeling out into the world and move into my place of center.
Try this today, Notice, observe, explore and then release. Just allow, don’t try to DO anything.
Blessings for a wonderful Sunday!
Linda-Ann
To Be or Not To Be? – What a great question
This timeless Shakespearean quote from Hamlet is a great reminder of moving our focus from the “doing” in life to the “being” in life. I remember working with a client sometime ago in the round pen with one of our great teacher-horses.
We had given her a few “tools” to support her interaction. She picked up the large round ball and began bouncing it as her horse turned his back on her. She continued to bounce the ball as the horse continued to ignore her.
After a few minutes of this, she found another “distraction” and began interacting with that one. The horse continued to ignore her. “Hmmm, she stated, this doesn’t seem to be working. Nothing I am “doing” is interesting to the horse. So now I don’t know what to do.” At that point she began to get agitated as she was at a loss for how to just stay fully present to the experience.
I approached the fence of the round pen and quietly asked her “When was the last time you allowed yourself to just be; free from an agenda or goals, doing, doing, doing, just really be?” Her response “I can’t remember, I don’t think I know how to do that”. And so we began a new dance; one of quiet relationship where she could just stand still, breathe, and find connection with her heart. Her horse-teacher decided she was now much more interesting to be with and approached her, putting his head on her shoulder and standing with her in quiet connection.
Today you might not have a horse-teacher in your life so just use the good old fashioned pause button. Staying fully present to life means being awake at the wheel, observing, noticing and releasing distractions. There are lots of things that will call your attention today so decide what kind of attention you will give them versus what you will give yourself.
Make YOU count today and before you start your day set your intention. It goes like this:
“What do I want to create today?
What do I want my life to be about today?
Today, I fully intend to stay present to the experience of just being. That means I will notice when I am pushing myself too hard. I will breathe into life today, and stay curious and connected.”
Have a beautiful day of just being!
What’s Your Attitude Saying About You?
I recently read an article from one of my mentor/teachers, Dr. Stuart Heller www.cultivatingexcellence.com Dr. Heller’s claim to fame (and well deserved) in the language of movement.
In our women’s empowerment programs, we often start the sessions off with reminding folks that adopting beginner’s mind will help support their learning. Stuart does a great job of definining beginner’s mind and the practice of “flowing smoothly into not-knowing”.
Now the brain doesn’t really like this aspect of not-knowing since most of our lives we have been taught that “to know” is to have power, and then of course the ego gets involved. The ego REALLY has a tough time with not just sayng “I don’t know, but even thinking it!”
So…let’s practice this for today. Think of Beginner’s Mind as an attitude of openness, curiority, and excitement that comes from an observing place. Observing is that beautiful, graceful and easy way of looking, noticing and releasing our attachments to knowing. In order for you to “practice” a beginner’s mind, you must first practice a beginner’s body. This means to hold yourself, to move yourself, and to even breathe differently. This is not something you force yourself to do. It is an invitation of coming towards that body of beginner’s mind.
Let’s try it. Sit forward in your chair and then find your breath. Allow your body to relax into a state of openness (just imagine it), take a few deep and quiet breaths as your shoulders find their rightful place (yes you have a neck!).
Relax and feel down in your body. Now allow your breath to find its way into your lower back and soften yourself (even more). Allow your breath to be breathed into and out of your lower back. This will help keep your body soft.
Just practice this as you imagine yourself in quiet conversation with something you wish to learn or a conversation that has found its way in front of you.
Let me know what this practice creates for you and where beginner’s mind, begins to create a whole new way of seeing yourself and the world!
HAPPY FRIDAY!
Does the Beauty of Summer Live Within You?
Summer on the west coast has taken a while to finally get here. We’ve been enjoying beautiful, warm/hot weather for a couple of weeks now. Today as I look outside and watch the breeze dancing in the top of our very high cottonwood trees, I am struck by how effortless their grace and majesty accepts the dance. As you look into your life today, can you say the same?
Close your eyes for a few moments in the midst of your busy day and take a few deep breaths. In between your breath, find the place of peaceful serenity, the place where calm and satisfaction lives.
Ask yourself:
As I breathe into my heart space, what joy do I feel, what aching or longing?
As I imagine myself uncluttered and free (which of course I really am), where do I journey? What thoughts find me? What feelings can I feel?
Can I tenderly caress myself from the inside out?
Remember it is only your thoughts that hold you hostage — it is only those limiting beliefs that keep you small. They are not real. Your sacred contract in life is waiting to be signed. You need not struggle, just pick up the pen (take that first step), and say yes.
Have a beautiful, peace-filled day.
A Life in Balance is a Life of Bliss…or not!
There are many articles that talk about the importance of maintaining balance in our lives. As I stopped to think about this, I wondered how true this really is. If our lives were in perfect balance, what would we be missing? Being out of balance, allows us to appreciate the surrender of ourselves to the things around that us that cause to pay a different kind of attention. If I was always in balance, I wonder if I might see the world with all its cracks, challenges and struggles. I might miss them completely and then what would I be learning?
So, let’s reframe this thinking and focus on a life in center — a centered life. Striving to live a centered life means that I can notice when I get out of center, and right myself. As a somatic coach, I have worked with hundreds of people to help support their center. What actually is center? It is simple really…it is the connection of all parts of self — an awareness of my body and how I move through space. How I move through space is how I move through life (from the work of Dr. Stuart Heller www.cultivatingexcellence.com). The way I carry myself, my breathing, my posture, gestures, beliefs, thoughts, feelings all make up the person that I am. When one part gets out of center, it causes the other parts of my system to become disorganized and move out of center. The practice of Centered Presence is easy…
I’ll talk about that in my next post. In the meantime, just notice and allow. There are messages in all that we see.
Footloose and Fancy Free
Over the past month I have been working with several remarkable women in supporting them as they re-center themselves in life. We have discussed a variety of topics including their jobs, partners, challenging situations, etc.
As part of my HeartMind Coaching Method©, I have asked each of these women to “try” on a new body as they learn to leave the past behind. So often we believe that learning happens in the mind and while that is true to some extent, it must translate into the body to truly become effective. If I want to learn something new, I must learn how to think, speak and act from a new place. If I carry myself the way I always have, If I move the way I always have, I will create more of what I already have.
Footloose and fancy free is a practice that focuses on keeping your step light as you move towards new beliefs and new action. You feel connected to the earth and you have lightness in order to be nimble to move sideways to take that new sideways perspective. Feeling too stuck in one position, both from a mindset and a physical movement perspective means you cannot move forward no matter how hard you try. You become pragmatic and slugish around change. It becomes too heavy and you continue to give energy over to the old story.
The Wisdom of Horses
Excerpt from The Wisdom of Horses©
Through my work as a Horse Guided Learning Facilitator and Coach, I have been blessed to watch the magnificent transformation in the lives of countless individuals. Working with horses in partnership to heal humans is the goal of Unbridling Your Brilliance, Empowering Women from the Inside Out™.
I’d like to share one of these wonderful stories with the hope that you will identify with the journey described here and come one step closer to your own healing…
Our story opens with a 67 year old man who lost his wife unexpectedly just over a year ago. John* is part of a generation who believes that stoicism and privacy are tied to self-respect. “People don’t grieve in public, talk about their pain or ask for support. Men in particular don’t cry, and certainly don’t confide in other people.” These are some of the beliefs that John had come to believe in his life. Unfortunately, he was tied up in knots with his pain, unable to think about how he would get through the day. The love of his life was gone, and he felt that his own spirit had died with her. Working with his horse partner in a recent Unbridling program, Sir O, John was literally embraced at the level of his pain. Sir O placed his massive head on John’s heart and stood with him in silent witness to the grief that poured out of him. Each a kindred spirit connected through the love and loss of something precious.
Read the rest of this entry »
Great Leadership inspires Great Followership – where will you lead from today?
Watch this video clip and see how great leadership inspires change in the world. A simple yet profound way of stepping out in the world through movement. Einstein said “nothing changes without movement.”
Move through the world today with grace and dignity (and some out there movement!).
Enjoy! http://whyleadnow.com/2010/04/15/leadership-lessons-from-dancing-guy/
Photos that Change the World
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/826
