What needs healing in your life today?

Balance is key.  This is the time of year that we can easily become unbalanced.  Demands on your time, talents, and creativity may leave you feeling as though you are not enough.  Anyone need a clone???  Emotions may run higher this time of year than any other time, and leave you feeling like a top spinning out of control. Balance does not magically happen to each of us.  It takes developing an awareness not only of our life choices, but also an awareness of what is actually physically happening in our bodies.  So many of us have maintained such high stress levels for so many years that balance in the body is an unfamiliar idea.  We are used to feeling tired and wired.  We are used to using and abusing food and nutrition to maintain an illusion of energy, until we crash, and need more of what makes us get through the work day or the weekend.  (coffee & goodies anyone?) Working our way back to a more balanced and natural state starts with little tiny baby steps. Let’s create a space for healing to happen. It starts with a simple awareness of the breath.  Let’s begin.

• Begin by slowing down.  Stop moving your body, literally.  Sit down, or lie down in a comfortable, quiet place. Close your eyes, or soften your gaze. Notice, without judging, what is going on in YOUR body. (Not your neighbor’s, or your child’s, or the person you saw at the grocery store…YOURS!)  Start developing awareness of  how your physical body is reacting to the rest of the world.  We disconnect from our bodies when we are in a continual state of stress.  We only notice what’s going on in our heads.  You know the feeling, five thousand thoughts racing through your mind at one time, it’s like a stampede of wild animals.  All you can do is try to survive. There are so many thoughts that it is overwhelming and dizzying.  That is ok, for many of us, this is normal, just begin to let the stampede continue on without you for a few moments.  Tune into YOUR body.  The actual physical sensations that are there.  Feel your breath.  Place your hands on your belly, or your heart.  Feel the warmth underneath your hands.  Remember that we are not judging, just noticing.  Are you breathing????  Just kidding of course you are….but is your breath fast or slow?  Is it jagged or smooth?  Is it shallow or deep?  Noticing.  That’s it nothing else.  Simple.  Just breathe for a few moments.  Keep your attention focused on the breath.  If the stampede of your mind begins to race by again, just let it go.  You can always catch up later.

• Begin to deepen your breath.  Inhale and exhale through your nose.  This soothes your nervous system.  Just breathe.  Again, the most simple and basic life affirming action that we do…breathe.  Become aware of the breath as you deepen it.  Feel your chest rise and fall with each breath.  Allow the waves of the breath to wash over you and bring restoration.  Begin to draw the breath in deeper, without pushing or forcing, just allowing it to deepen and expand.  Feel your belly begin to fill with breath.  Continue to breathe deeply into your belly for the next few breaths.  Remembering that the breath is our connection to the divine.  The breath is a gift, breathe in the blessings.

• This is where the healing happens.  When we can still ourselves and quiet our minds, we can connect to the divine gift that lies within us. We can connect deeply, and fully with God.  If there is anything that needs healing in your life, ask for guidance.  Ask for love.  Ask for support.  Know that you are loved and cherished.  Allow yourself to be nurtured and cared for.  Allow yourself  to be filled with Love and Light. Allow yourself to be supported by all of creation.  Take down the walls.  Allow yourself to feel oneness with the universe.  Let it go, and let it be.  Release any ties, or emotions that may bind you.  Breathe deeply, and fully.  Continue to release.  Relax your body.  Let God carry your burden; let go of it, and know that you are ready to move forward in your life, and in your healing process.  Continue to breathe.  Stay connected to your breath, come back into it fully.  Feel the waves of breath release and wash away any heaviness, any stagnant energy.  Fill your body with breath.  Allow yourself to feel light and be light.  Allow yourself to feel joy.  Allow all that is coming to fill you with radiance and restoration.  Allow yourself to be renewed. Take a moment or two, and bask in the radiance.

• When you are ready, become aware again of the present moment.  Notice where you are.  Notice the chair, or the floor beneath you.  Notice that you are still on this planet.  🙂 Gently curl your lips upward and smile. Bring yourself back to the breath, and back to a state of awareness. Open your eyes, if they were closed.

• Notice again, without judging, how the breath is feeling.  Are there any changes from a few moments ago?  We are rebuilding awareness and knowledge in our bodies by “checking in’.  This is a simple thing that we can do any time of the day, as often as needed.  Without awareness we cannot make positive changes.  We become stuck in a rut of hard-grained habits, only because they are familiar.  We can choose another path when we become awake, and aware.

• Come back to the breath, and your smile, as often as you need a quick connection.  All it takes to make a positive change in your stress-levels, and your life, are a few deep breaths, and a simple smile.  And really, who doesn’t have time to breathe, or smile????

• Take your smile with you as you continue your day.  Blessings to your heart.