3 Reasons to Love Where You are Now

In speaking with friends, clients and students over the past several weeks, many have expressed being disappointed with what didn’t get accomplished in 2018.  In listening I’ve noticed one common thread and that is a lack of recognition for what did get accomplished.  While maybe goals weren’t met exactly as planned, the progress people made was in actuality quite significant.  

And, no one seems to be celebrating. . .

Living and working in a culture that’s hyper focused on results leaves little room for enjoying the present moment.  Instead, this underlying feeling of dread if goals aren’t met seems to permeate everything. 

Why is it important to love where you are even if it’s not exactly where you want to be?

1.  Loving where you are opens you to new possibilities.

Loving where you are frees your mind and energy to experience all that is possible in the present moment.  When you’re using up your mental and emotional energy to beat yourself up over going off your diet during the holidays or not making progress on that creative project, your whole being starts to constrict and you limit the possibilities of what you can do in the here and now.  When you are fully in the present and loving all that is good about it, you create an energetic spaciousness to welcome new opportunities, experiences and resources you hadn’t thought of before.  Each day, each moment even, is a clean slate to approach something differently.  When you remember that, then you are free to take your goals in a new direction and with renewed inspiration. 

2.  Loving where you are restores value to your time and energy.

Loving where you are now also reminds you that you are enough and you are worthy just as you are in this very moment.  And, when you own it, you realize you don’t have to do anything to feel worthy.  One of the biggest issues people talk about is that they have too much to do or they overbook their schedules.  That’ been me for the better part of my life.  And while I still keep a very busy schedule, I’ve learned to negotiate my priorities and how I spend my time and energy.  I’ve also learned for myself that I need to build unstructured time into my schedule so I can accomplish things at my own pacing and enjoy the process, and to guard that time on my calendar more than anything else. 

One of the questions I ask myself when I feel like life is getting filled with too much busyness is, “Am I doing all of this to feel good enough?” or “Is this action truly necessary and vital to what I am accomplishing?”  It’s so easy to fill the to-do list but ask yourself if you’re doing these things to please your inner perfectionist and/or to please others instead of yourself.  The more you ask these questions, the more delighted you’ll be to cross things off the to-do list before they even get started.  The gift in all of that is taking back your time and energy for what is truly important to you. 

When you are loving where you are now, even the mundane but necessary things you take care of don’t feel as dreadful.  Everything is done with intention and purpose and in alignment with your values. 

3.  Loving where you are makes life more fun!

Loving where you are makes life less stressful and more fun and pleasurable.  Living in the present diminishes the stress and anxiety that arises when you dwell on what you haven’t accomplished.  In turn you discover there is much more to enjoy than there is to worry about.  Consistently experiencing joy and ease in your day-to-day will not only replenish your energy and focus to accomplish what you desire the most but will increase your creativity and imagination for what is possible at any given moment, seeing beyond the limitations of where you think you should be.

My Reiki practice reminds me each day to return to the present whenever I find myself stressed out or worried about not getting something done.  As I return to center, I not only find myself being more productive but find life to be so much more satisfying.

Do you have goals leftover from 2018 that you want to complete this year?

If so, take a moment to breathe deeply and become aware of the present moment.  What are you feeling, seeing, smelling and hearing in the space you’re in right now.  Take another deep breath into your heart center and say to yourself you are enough just as you are right now. 

In fact, you are more than enough!  You have everything you need within you to accomplish what you want.

Now ask yourself why it’s important for you to complete this goal and how will you feel when you achieve it?

Place your hands on your heart and anchor that feeling into your body.  From that felt place, ask yourself what next step, big or small, can you take to get closer to your goal?  Commit to just that one next step and when you accomplish it, remember to CELEBRATE!

CELEBRATE showing up for yourself.

CELEBRATE the satisfaction of accomplishing something.

CELEBRATE BEING YOU!

When you celebrate, you’ll be inspired to take the next step toward your goal and beyond. 

Gratitude ~ How Does It Help You Heal?

Back in October, in the days and even hours leading up to the Create Ground event that I presented with my Medical Reiki colleague and friend, Genevieve Myers, a series of logistical mishaps took place creating enormous stress for both of us.  Due to situations beyond anyone’s control, people we’d been counting on had to drop out even on the morning of the event.

As this was happening, I could feel my old triggers going off, the ones that activate feelings of being unsupported right when something important is going on in my life.

That morning, as chaos was ensuing, I suddenly felt this inner voice say to me to pull out my gratitude tools and get to work.  With that I took a deep breath and, while preparing for the day, reflected on all the amazing people that were indeed showing up to our event and helping us out.  Just before I left the house, I offered up a prayer of appreciation for each and every one of them.  My students and friends were showing up to volunteer and a friend was stepping up to handle the videotaping and other logistics.  Dr. Feldman, Raven and Lisa were all showing up to give their amazing talks.  And the cancer survivors were showing up to share their personal stories of healing.

Gratitude came to the rescue and gifted me a reality check in a big way!

This was extremely healing for me as it kept me steady and focused on a day when I was stretching myself in a whole new way like never before.

Since that day, I’ve been reflecting on the genuine power of gratitude to heal us in any given moment.

A client of mine who has metastatic cancer commented recently that aside from the cancer she is living with, she is in fantastic health for her age.  This state of wellness despite her disease has enabled her to continue doing many of the things she enjoys doing, including travel.

As a healing tool gratitude changes the focus of the story we create around what happens to us in life.  It deactivates the reptilian part of the brain that points out what is wrong in any given situation and activates our ability to see the bigger picture.  In doing so, we can appreciate life for being so much sweeter than we tend to believe.

As 2019 begins, I’ve decided to bring a new focus to my gratitude practice.  As I observe the moments I feel a sense of lack or unease, I will look around for the situations that remind me those feelings don’t represent the whole truth.  On days I may be feeling a lack of support in my life or a lack of abundance, I will be sure to appreciate the small ways in which I am supported or feel abundant such as someone holding the door for me or my neighbor greeting me with a friendly smile.  I’ll even be sure to appreciate the ways I am generous with others.

Our human nature places ten times more emphasis on what isn’t working than what is working.  It’s no wonder that happiness and wellbeing seem so challenging sometimes.

And yet, gratitude, like a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup, comes in to make us feel whole once again if we allow it.

Are you keeping a gratitude journal or practice this year?

If so, I invite you to take note of how gratitude not only raises your spirits but restores your wellbeing.

What do you feel is lacking in your life?

If it’s good health, reflect on what is working about your health.

If it’s money, reflect on what you do receive and what is working for you in finding new streams of income.

If it’s love, make note of the ways you are already loved or can show love to yourself.

And appreciate all of it.  Because in the end energy flows where the mind goes.  If the mind brings into focus what is working, the flow of energy will bring more of that into your life and at times in miraculous ways!

The Sacred Gift of Darkness

When I look back on holiday memories, I tend to most appreciate the smaller rituals and traditions like baking cookies and decorating the Christmas tree.  I’ve always looked forward to pulling out the ornaments and turning on the tree lights.  To this day, the holidays don’t feel complete until I get a tree. 

The history of the Christmas tree as we know it today is linked to ancient times when cultures from all over celebrated the return of the sun on the winter solstice.  From Egypt to northern Europe evergreens would adorn homes to celebrate renewed life.

Growth does not begin from a place of expansion.  Instead it is born out of darkness, contraction and stillness.  When I observe how the holidays have evolved into frenetic madness, it feels counterintuitive to what this season represents which is honoring the spark of light from deep within all of life which in turn generates renewed growth and creativity. 

 As a society, we don’t celebrate the contraction into the dark stillness.  Instead we calculate our degrees of success based on the expansion and end results.  In turn, we never get an opportunity to fully incubate new ideas or to mindfully reflect on what is true for us without outside influence.

Just as a human being needs nine months in the protective womb to be able to thrive in the outside world, new ideas, growth and desires need to incubate in the metaphorical womb the darkness offers before they can expand and take shape in our lives.  This season offers that sacred space for seeding what is true for each of us and our own unique needs without outside influences judging or reshaping them before they can even begin to sprout.

I invite you between now and the end of the year to reflect on the following questions:

• What needs to be forgiven or released from your life at this time?
• What kind of energy do you want to experience in the coming year?  Is it calm, balanced and steady growth?  Or do you want to feel energized, passionate and dynamic?
• What wants to take shape in your life on a tangible level?  And how will that change your life for the better?
• What truths are becoming clear for you at this time?  They could be “light-bulb moment” type truths, or they could be truths that can feel uncomfortable but need to be addressed.
• What is your truth in this moment without considering any outside influences, including the self-sabotaging ego voice that undermines your personal power?

Short Ritual

Set aside 20-30 minutes to sit with the above reflections in complete darkness with the lights out or while wearing an eye mask.  Do some deep breathing to allow the answers to fully settle into your whole being and not just in the intellect.  When that process feels complete light a candle or turn on a small light and say aloud a statement that affirms the renewed energy you want to experience with the growing sun.  Some examples:

• Joy is my natural state of being.
• My life is becoming more and more abundant with the growing sun.
• I experience deeper states of love in my closest relationships.
• The more I balance my time and energy, the healthier and more focused I feel.

This time of contraction during the winter season can offer deep replenishment for the mind, body and spirit.  Embracing its sacred energy will help you flourish in the coming weeks and months!

When the Patient Becomes the Healer

In the first few years of teaching Reiki, my friend Will was diagnosed with leukemia.  Having just spent his 40^th birthday in the hospital, I invited him to take my Reiki 1 class thinking that the meditation and self-care practices would help him restore his energy.  A well-known New York street artist, Will carried a light with him that touched thousands of lives in his community.  It was hard for people to find out just how sick he had become because imagining him in any state other than his joy was almost impossible.

When Will took the Reiki class, it turned out that one of the other students was a cancer survivor and they had certain commonalities to share about the side effects of treatment.  Something that surprised Will as he learned the Reiki tools was that he found himself enjoying the hands-on healing for others even more than the self-care.  Being in flow of Reiki helped him feel even more at ease while simultaneously being a calming presence for his loved ones who were emotionally stressed by Will’s illness and the thought of losing him.

When we practice Reiki, in many ways there is no giver or receiver.  There is the flow of Reiki and as the flow increases, both parties are receiving.  Will’s experience is a beautiful lesson in this. 

I too had a similar experience to Will’s when I met with my own Reiki teacher, Margaret Ann Case, when she was undergoing treatment for stage 4 colon cancer.  I had stopped by her apartment to do a hands-on Reiki treatment for her but in many ways, I felt like I too was being treated.  Her state of receptivity to the flow of Reiki enabled me to also receive the flow for myself on a deeper level.  At one point, I couldn’t tell where my hands ended, and her body began.  I just kept experiencing this beautiful light flowing in and around us.  

In each of these experiences, I learned that whether you take on the role of the Reiki “recipient” or Reiki “giver”, if both parties are open to the flow, they both benefit from it.  Ultimately the patient becomes the healer just as much as the Reiki practitioner. 

When I finished the session with my teacher that day, what seemed like 1 hour was 2-1/2 hours that had passed!  I came away feeling the flow of Reiki amplified exponentially within me.  In many ways it was like an attunement only stronger. 

When I work with cancer patients, I find it helpful at times to not only offer them Reiki healing sessions, but to also teach them the Reiki tools to use for themselves.  In fact, when both the patient and their caregivers learn Reiki, they are empowered to experience its benefits on a deeper level even when they continue to receive hands-on treatments from a Reiki practitioner.

For myself, I found that to be true with my own healing process when I first studied Reiki with Margaret Ann.  Having been diagnosed with a precancerous condition, the combination of receiving sessions with my teacher and doing the personal practice for self-care are what boosted my immune system and restored my health. 

Each time I step into my Reiki practice, I remember Margaret Ann’s words, “Breathe, Receive, Relax and Let it Flow!”  In doing so, we allow for the best possible outcome in finding wholeness once again, even when facing a serious illness. 

Restoring Balance

Photo by Oliver Hihn - @mr_kuchen

My brother recently asked me if I remembered the first two movies we ever watched as kids on our VHS player.  We had a good laugh over some of the Eddie Murphy movies and reminisced about the Star Wars trilogy.  Growing up in the ‘80s, Friday nights in my household had a ritual that we looked forward to.  My Mom would make pizza and brownies from scratch, and we would either watch a movie or play a board game.  I remember those Fridays being some of our happiest moments.  It was time set aside for us to be together and find our balance as a family unit once again.

When the spring or fall equinox approaches, I tend to contemplate where I need to restore balance in my life.  Six months ago, my usual spring cleaning evolved into a take-no-prisoners purge to help my daily routine flow with more ease.  Taking old clothes to the textile recycling and handing off books to friends who would enjoy them was blissful!  During the process I recognized a need to also reprioritize where and how I spend my time and energy in the day-to-day. 

It’s easy to mindlessly go through the motions of daily rituals and habits.  Yet, these moments throughout the day are opportunities to come back to center, even if for just a few moments.  And, because your needs change and evolve over time, so should your daily rituals.  For example, I recently returned to morning journaling.  In turn, I’ve stopped turning on the news first thing which has helped support my mindset for the rest of the day. 

Making small but mindful shifts in your daily routine not only nourishes and replenishes your energy, but it brings your whole being back to center.  With each cycle of your day, week, month and year there is a shift in gears, and how you align your energy with intention during those transitions informs the next cycle you are entering. 

I spent decades of my life rushing from one activity to the next without considering my energetic presence or clarity of intention.  I look back and realize how much harder life was for me back then.  My personal Reiki practice has taught me that the energy and mindset I bring to any given moment is far more powerful than the actual effort I apply. 

Life rarely stays in balance for very long and isn’t necessarily meant to remain in balance.  Otherwise nothing would evolve or progress.  However, the small habits and rituals that frame your day, week or year help you return to center whenever you need to.  While at times you may find your limits being stretched to accomplish something, are you in turn taking moments to rest, regroup and refocus?  I’m hearing more and more workout experts explain that it’s in the resting that your body builds its strength and stamina, not the workout itself. 

I’ve observed over the years the potential for people to either get so caught up in maintaining balance that they miss out on new opportunities or get so carried away by what they “have” to do that they forget to rest.  Either way, one’s energy, health, wellbeing and sense of happiness are at risk. 

This year, my daily rituals have been shifting seasonally which has felt great.  It’s created clarity and restored my energy and focus.  It’s also helped me become even more present for myself and others.

I invite you to reflect on where you desire more balance in your life.  What areas seem stagnant and what areas are overwhelming or need to simmer down?

And what new habits or rituals would help restore that balance?

When one area of your life finds its balance, it can’t help but restore balance in other areas of your life.  The purge I did this past spring not only spruced up my home, but it refocused my personal energy. 

Ultimately everything is in constant motion, so being in balance is a subjective measure.  However, when life gets out of balance for too long, you eventually experience the consequences.  As summer winds down and the last third of the year gears up with school, work and other responsibilities, allow the fall equinox to inspire you to create new habits or rituals that will restore and maintain the balance you need to thrive in the day-to-day.

Power in the Unwind

Strolling through the farmer’s market last month, I was on the lookout for some small plants to bring home as an early birthday present to myself.  Browsing through a vendor’s rather large variety of plants, a scraggly little vine caught my eye.

Immediately memories came back to me of a plant just like it that I’d given my grandmother when I was a child.  It had come in a turtle planter and, slow and steady just like a turtle, it grew into a massive vine.  She was always giving clippings away to people. 

A few years after she passed away, I looked for this ivy plant that was called the Creeping Charlie back in the day, but eventually gave up my search.  Unlike typical ivy, it had these round scalloped leaves.  Stumbling on it out of nowhere felt like a birthday blessing from my grandmother.

Unsure if it was the same plant though, I asked the vendor its name and he answered, “It’s the Creeping Jenny!”  With its similar but more delicate leaves, I realized I was looking at the feminine counterpart to the Creeping Charlie.  In looking up the Creeping Jenny, it turns out this plant is also called the moneywort because its leaves grow to the size of pennies and it also produces yellow flowers in the spring. 

After putting 3 of these little plants together in a larger pot, they’ve shed some leaves and parts have died off as they settle into their new home.  Certain vines however have started to unwind and reach for the window to absorb more light.  Small and fragile, there is a determination as tiny new leaves start to unfold at the tip of the vine.

What I love most about the second half of summer is moments like this.  Life seems to take a nice deep exhale, helping us recharge our batteries and take in the all the good that is around us.  For me, this moment that brought back a happy memory is an example of how taking regular breaks to unwind makes life a fuller and more satisfying experience.

There is a power generated in the unwind that makes life less of a struggle and creates space to receive the blessings of life.

What simple blessing have you experienced during the summer unwind?

Sometimes the biggest shifts in how we experience life are held in the smallest of details!

Say it Like You Mean It!

Going to mass on Sundays when I was growing up, I would often find my mind drifting with random thoughts as I’d recite the prayers and sing the hymns.  I remember noticing how the Catholic mass was much more subdued than other churches.  I’d see clips on TV of gospel choirs and there was such a dynamic energy and enthusiasm behind their beautiful voices.  If anyone sang with that much spirit during mass, they would most definitely stand out against the reserved backdrop of mumbled prayers and softly sung hymns.

In working with my Reiki clients and students, I’ve learned that when you combine consciousness with a specific quality of energy your whole being aligns in such a way that your desires manifest with much more ease.  However, the key isn’t so much in the words as in how you feel as you speak them or write them down.

For example, if you are looking to have more prosperity in your life, working with an affirmation is great just so long as you also activate in your experience a felt sense of what abundance or prosperity means to you.  How does it feel in your body to receive money?  What freedoms would it give you and how would that make you feel? 

Anchoring the desired energy and felt sense into your body and connecting with that feeling daily is what will help you transform prayers, affirmation and intentions from just being words to a dynamic form of consciousness that actually “conspires” for your highest good!

This explains why practices such as gratitude journaling, working with affirmations, visions boards, etc. will work like magic for some and lead to nowhere for others.

In my free e-Book Guide with Meditation Download, I offer tools that help you align your mind with your energy, so you can say it like you mean it!   Go to www.innerhealerawakening.com

The first step helps the mind to find stillness and be in a receptive state of awareness. 

The second step which is a Gratitude Anchoring Meditation, raises your vibration through consciously anchoring the energy of gratitude in your body. 

The final step guides you to remember the energetic essence of your unique gifts through working with the inner child.

In this e-Book Guide, I also offer a free 30-minute energy activation call where I can assist you in taking this work to the next level. 

Download Your Free e-Book and Meditation Download Here. 
www.innerhealerawakening.com

To schedule your Free 30-Minute Energy Activation Call reach out to me at reiki.essence.light@gmail.com or call 212-496-5287.