Life Transitions by Stephanie

How do we handle change with courage and grace?

​As the summer winds down, many of us experience "transitions" as we head back to school, back to work, back to life in perhaps a "new" way.
Maybe our loved ones are entering or exiting high school, college, the world of work (or are trying to). Maybe we are feeling what they are feeling in addition to what we are feeling!!! Yup, it's "a lot". 

As I've written about in the past few weeks, especially as it relates to "anxious energy", at times it is hard to discern what we are feeling and where / who it is coming from! 
In addition, times of transition and change often bring about this "anxious" energy. While it's not always pleasant, the discomfort that comes with newness and the unknown is normal! And yes, it's healthy. Rest assured, you are not alone. It is simply part of being human :)

During times of transition and heightened energy sometimes it feels as if we lose our way. We may be riding the roller coaster of feelings: depressed, overwhelmed, tired, confused, afraid...anything but relaxed!

What can we do?
Embrace ways of being that return us to a state of emotional balance...also known as equanimity.
As I talk about in Chapter Two of my book Reclaiming JOY, the emotional roller coaster is not sustainable and keeps us stuck. We react and often cause more turmoil.

This simple practice, called BRFWA, (that we love and use often at the Sanctuary) brings us back to a relaxed state where our emotions are in balance.
From this place of emotional balance or equanimity, we are able to ride the emotional wave without drowning in it / losing ourselves for too long. In equanimity we find our way back to peace and clarity and perhaps even a chuckle. Once clear, we are able to take clear, focused action that keeps us on the path of peace as we move toward our goals.

BRFWA Explained (Give yourself at least 3-5 minutes to experience this).

Breathe: As a wave of emotion comes over you, slow down your breath. 
Allow your breath to flow freely in and out. 

Relax: As you slow down your breath, your mind and body will begin to relax. 
Soften your muscles, let go of mental and physical tension.

Feel: As you relax, you are able to soften into what you are feeling.
Stay open to the sensations and emotions moving through you in this moment.

Watch: While feeling, you watch your experience closely, neither grasping what is pleasant nor pushing away what is painful.

Allow: As you watch, you allow the process to unfold. 
You accept yourself and your experience exactly as it is, dropping the need to change it in any way.  

BRWFA is the practice of being present. 
Being present is what we learn during meditation. 
Looking for more support? Consider cultivating an on-going meditation practice.
​​

Last week I spoke about how to deal with anxiety while also practicing presence.

Today I want to speak about a topic that not everyone grows up learning about: our energy body.

What is our energy body?
The easiest way to explain the energy body is to give you an example. Have you ever walked into a room / met someone and "feel" something either wonderful or strange? That's your energy body talking to you. It's a felt "sense".

Why is our energy body important?
We are made of energy. As such, we are constantly receiving and sending energetic messages throughout our day. The messages we send out and receive are a result of many factors such as: our thoughts, our emotions, our physical health. On a particular day if we are feeling tired and stressed, we may be sending out this energy to others. Especially if we are not mindful and doing our inner work not only will we send this energy out, at these times we are even more prone to absorb the energy of others. Yes, a perfect shi* storm if you will. And that's why I am writing this!!! To help you. And selfishly to help me because I feel it :) Since many of us are unaware of our energy body, we don't know what to do to keep it functioning well.

How does the energy body relate to anxiety?
Since we are made of energy, often when we feel something, like "anxiety", our mind becomes engaged in the story. Meaning, the mind searches for why we feel anxious. We usually want a way out of the "bad" feeling so the mind tries to come up with a solution. The mind loves finding solutions! Unfortunately, in the search for a solution we become addicted to these thoughts, of why and of story, and it has the opposite effect on us. Instead of clearing the anxiety (or quite frankly whatever energy it is - we love to label everything and sometimes it's simply the energy of excitement), we end up giving the energy more attention. Remember, whatever we give attention to grows!  
To make matters even more interesting, did you know that sometimes, it's not even "our" anxiety we are experiencing? Especially those of use who are sensitive, often we absorb other peoples energy, thinking it is our own. When this happens, and we think it is "our" energy, we end up creating such suffering for ourselves because we get lost in the addicted thoughts.

What to do?
Learn ways to manage your energy body on a consistent basis. Read about it. Take a class. Seek out people you trust who know about the energy body. Remember, even someone who practices "energy healing" can be adding to your anxiety if they aren't diligent about clearing their own energy.
Be open to modalities we offer here such as Reiki or Shamanic Energy healing.

Forward looking -- in the Fall I will be offering more classes on how to effectively manage your energy body.

Blessings and love,
Stephanie

Finding Our Way, by Stephanie
In the next few weeks, many of us will experience "transitions" as we head back to school, back to work, back to life…back to "reality".

In addition to this time of transition and change, many of us are feeling the heightened energy around us. It's real. For some, it's really hard to ignore and/or overcome.

During these times of transition and heightened energy sometimes we lose our way. We may be riding the roller coaster of feelings: depressed, overwhelmed, tired, confused, afraid...anything but relaxed!

How do we Find Our Way?
By returning to emotional balance...equanimity.
As I talk about in Chapter Two of my book Reclaiming JOY, the emotional roller coaster is not sustainable and keeps us stuck. We react and often cause more turmoil.
This simple practice, called BRFWA, brings us back to a relaxed state where our emotions are in balance.
From this place of emotional balance or equanimity, we are able to ride the emotional wave without drowning in it. In equanimity we find our way back to peace and clarity. Once clear, we are able to take action that keeps us on the path of peace.

BRFWA Explained: 

Breathe: As a wave of emotion comes over you, slow down your breath. Allow your breath to flow freely in and out. 

Relax: As you slow down your breath, your mind and body will begin to relax. Soften your muscles, let go of mental and physical tension.

Feel: As you relax, you are able to soften into what you are feeling. Stay open to the sensations and emotions moving through you in this moment.

Watch: While feeling, you watch your experience closely, neither grasping what is pleasant nor pushing away what is painful.

Allow: As you watch, you allow the process to unfold. You accept yourself and your experience exactly as it is, dropping the need to change it in any way.  

BRWFA is the practice of being present. Being present is what we learn during meditation. 
Looking for more support? Consider cultivating an on-going meditation practice.
​