Acknowledging Positive Changes

Acknowledging Positive Changes

by | Jan 16, 2023 | Care of the Body, Care of the Mind, Healthy Living

Part of rebuilding our health is making different choices.

These choices can include dietary changes, exercise, in how you think, how you feel, the hours you work, making time for self-care and others.  This might feel overwhelming and undoable, but if done in the right way, it is very possible.

Making lifestyle changes is a journey, not an event.

The journey can be fun and easy if we choose to make it that way.  It is not about perfection.  Don’t feel like you have to make all of the changes today or tomorrow.  Taking small steps each week will make the journey easy and you will be amazed at the results you achieve over time.

Let go of the notion that you need to deprive yourself.

Bring your focus to what you can eat and what you can do . . . not what you have to give up.  Implementing changes doesn’t have to be hard work.  It is important to implement healthy choices at a pace that works for you and doesn’t cause undue stress.  

Self acceptance is an important part of the journey.

Changes made from a place of self acceptance are more powerful and longer lasting than changes made from self judgment.  For example, attempting to avoid sweets because you think you are unattractive because you are overweight is different from choosing healthy foods because they make you feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.  Read these statements a few times and notice how you feel inside as you read each one.

  • I am choosing to eat a healthy food because I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.
  • I am avoiding sweets because I am unattractive and overweight.

Which one will motivate you more?  Which one makes you feel more positive and uplifted?

 

Acknowledge the positive changes you have made and the results of those changes.

Say you have simply chosen to eat a healthy breakfast 2 days a week.  Acknowledge that and also acknowledge how you feel on the days that you eat the healthy breakfast.  Whatever you focus on is what will grow.  By acknowledging the positive change you have made and the positive impact that has on you, it will grow.  Grumbling about what you haven’t done only leads to discouragement and ultimately will sabotage your progress.

Keep your focus on the journey with all the baby steps you are taking along with your ultimate vision of yourself as a happy, healthy fulfilled person and you will achieve your vision.

Use the following introspection to acknowledge the changes you have made:

  1. List all the changes you have made to rebuild your health.
  2. Make a list of the positive changes you have noticed in your health, happiness and wellness.
  3. Make some positive affirmations out of the lists your have just made.
  4. Notice how each affirmation makes you FEEL; only keep the ones that make you feel good.
  5. Write the affirmations on index cards.
  6. Post the index cards where you will see them . . . on your refrigerator . . . your bathroom mirror . . . or another place where you will see them on a regular basis.
  7. Read the affirmation on a regular basis and as you do so, imagine breathing the feeling of the affirmation into your body. 

Use this introspection to bring a positive focus to the areas where you are challenged?

It is also important to notice areas where you are criticizing yourself and diffuse the self criticism.  Otherwise it could subconsciously undermine your progress.

  1. Notice if there are areas where you are criticizing yourself for not doing as well as you think you should be doing. If so, write these down.
  2. Reflect on your expectations and notice if they are realistic or not.
  3. If your expectations are not realistic, feel free to change them:
    • Break down your expectations in this area into baby steps.
    • Set new more realistic goals
  4. Find a way to focus on this area of challenge in a positive way.
  5. If you feel inclined, share with a supportive friend or with this group. 

Ask for support when you need it.  Sometimes we will feel stuck when trying to implement changes.  At those times, ask for assistance in identifying and moving beyond whatever is blocking your progress.  You don’t have to do it alone.  Support is available. 

Self Reflection and Rebuilding Your Health

Self Reflection and Rebuilding Your Health

by | Jan 6, 2023 | Care of the Body, Care of the Mind

Self reflection is an important tool in the journey of rebuilding your health. 

Self-Reflection is a way to empower yourself to make your own decisions, based on knowledge, awareness, compassion and accessing your inner knowing.  Self Inquiry can be used to develop awareness, compassion, self-confidence and self love. 

The process of self-reflection is a powerful way to get to know yourself.  To become aware of your inner world of thought, emotions, beliefs, values, judgments, joys, fears, and much more.  It is an opportunity to meet yourself with compassion and caring.  By using self-reflection, you can become your own best friend.   You live with yourself 24/7.  No one on this planet can ever know you as deeply as you know yourself.  No one can ever love you as deeply as you can love yourself. 

Are you looking for love? 

The first place is to look within.  When you meet parts of yourself that you judge or push away, is an opportunity to embrace the part of yourself with compassion and acceptance.  By doing that, you will be giving yourself what you want and need most . . .  to be heard, seen and loved.  When you become your own champion, criticism from outside cannot harm you.  You will begin to draw to you love as a reflection of your own self-love.  

Developing self love reduces the stress that you feel every day.  Hidden judgments and self criticism create stress in the body.  This is an important hidden stressor that can keep your nervous system in a state of alert and alarm.  By developing self love, your nervous system can calm down return to balance. Anxiety and depression can be released; rest and sleep can be resorted.  

Self reflection can be done in many ways. 

Some people like to journal; some prefer silent contemplation and others deepen their own awareness through dialogue with a conscious listening partner.  Some people draw or use art, while others use music.  You can experiment with these techniques to see what works for you.  The most common is journaling and silent contemplation.

Self reflection through journaling. 

To experiment with journaling, get yourself a spiral notebook or, if you prefer, a nice journal.  Set aside some time each day where you will be undisturbed.  It can be as little as 15 minutes or as much as 30 minutes or longer.  Sit quietly for a few minutes and slow down and deepen your breath.  You can begin with a question or just write down whatever comes into your mind.  If you begin with a question, write down the question and then just jot down anything that comes to mind as you consider the question.  Do not hamper or edit the flow of your thoughts by throwing out anything, just write down whatever comes to mind.  Sometimes the most insightful and wisest thoughts are those that we might dismiss and being unimportant or silly or irrelevant.  Treasure each and every thought.  After a while of writing, you can go back through what you have written to see the treasures your consciousness has unveiled. 

Self Reflection through silent contemplation. 

This is my personal favorite.  You can begin by setting aside some time each day and finding a place where you will be undisturbed.  Sit quietly and slow down and deepen your breath.  In this method, you simply sit and watch the flow of your thoughts.  If you like, you can ask a question for direction and notice what thoughts come up.  You can deepen the inquiry by inquiring into the thoughts that come up.  Notice if you are judging the thoughts that come up.  If so, endeavor to let the judgments go and simply observe.  In this way, you are getting to know your inner self a bit more each day and by letting go of judgments, you are developing self acceptance and love. 

Self reflection through conscious dialogue with a partner. 

Conscious dialogue with a partner is also very effective.  In this technique, it is important that both parties are committed and aware of the process we are engaging in.  Find quiet place and a time where you will be undisturbed.  Slow down and deepen the breath.  Each person will take a turn sharing.  It is important that the listener not interrupt, share personal stories, or give advice.  Their role is simply to listen and if requested to feed back to the speaker what is being heard.  You can set a timer so that each person has a set amount of time to speak or be more free flowing. 

Enjoying the benefits of self reflection.  

You can use any of the methods above or devise one of your own.  You will find a wealth of knowledge and wisdom within through self reflection.  If you need help embracing yourself and would like assistance to discover the true beauty of who you are, reach out.  I am an expert in helping people to discover and embrace their inner beauty. 

May you know and love yourself,  Bindu

 

PS.  Stay tuned for my upcoming workshop.

5 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress

5 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress

by | Dec 12, 2022 | Care of the Body, Self Care

The holiday season brings a great deal of joy and warmth along with it.  There’s something extra special about this time of year — but it doesn’t come without fault.  A great deal of added stress is seemingly dumped on our plates, and it can be hard to catch our breath.  The pressure of finding gifts, rushing around in the hustle and bustle to visit everyone, having people visit you, getting to see relatives you miss and even having to deal with those that aren’t always a joy to be around.

This season really can be enjoyable and heart-warming, even with the stress involved.  Walking into this time of year with a great mindset and some helpful reminders gets me through every year… and I’d love to share my tips on how I do this with you.

To reduce holiday stress, try these suggestions:

Remember perfect doesn’t really exist

Your cookies turned out like blobs. Your lights aren’t lighting up. Your kids just made a mess of your clean house moments before the guests are arriving. Surrender your vision of what perfect is and just let it go. The only thing the people in your life care about is being with you.

Don’t feel bad about saying “no.”

You can’t do it all. There’s no reason you need to go to every party and event from now through New Year’s. Decide which ones are most important to attend and politely decline the others. Spreading yourself too thin isn’t good for anyone, and it makes the time fly by faster, also. You’ll enjoy the holiday months better if they don’t whiz by in a blink.

Eat Mindfully

Make a plan before hand on how to eat mindfully.  When holidays come around there may be foods that you don’t normally eat or that upset your digestion or provide unwanted calories.  What will you choose without being too rigid with your diet?   Where will you hold the line so that you don’t go overboard?

Please don’t decide to starve yourself to compensate for the extra calories you had or are going to have at that holiday party. If you do slip up, forgive yourself and make a point to be more mindful. Don’t punish yourself for any mistakes. Just move forward with better decisions, no punishment involved.

Know that asking for help is okay

Let me repeat: you can’t do it all. Let family and friends help out when they offer. They can bring a dish, grab something from the store on their way, or help with the dishes. If you have to go to someone’s party and don’t have the time to make something, grab something pre-made from the store. There comes a time when we all need help and learning how to accept it will be incredibly beneficial for your sanity.

Fit in time for yourself

Women, in particular, spend less than 30 minutes a day on themselves. Go for a walk, get your favorite tea at the corner café and sit there in peace, rest, take a nap, read a book, take a bath, or make time with your best friend to just have one-on-one time without your kids tagging along. You’ll feel full again, which renews your mind and spirit like nothing else. We can’t give from an empty cup, as the saying goes.

Remember, the holidays are about joy. Find yours within, and you’ll be able to spread more of it around.  What makes you feel most joyful?

May you have a joyful holiday season, 💞💕Bindu

 

Fibromyalgia and Adrenal Fatigue

Fibromyalgia and Adrenal Fatigue

by | Dec 5, 2022 | Care of the Body

Adrenal fatigue plays a role in fibromyalgia.

Our fibromyalgia bodies are tired. They have no more get up and go. Instead they have a strong lay down and rest need. 

Adrenal fatigue is when the body has been under a state of stress for a long time. When we are faced with a stressful situation, the adrenals kick in and secrete adrenalin. The adrenaline prepares the body to address the stressful situation so that it can return to a state of relaxation. However, in modern time, our bodies are under a constant state of stress and the adrenals become over taxed and eventually cannot keep up with the demand. Also the body is not designed to live in a constant state of stress. It needs down time to rest, repair and rejuvenate.

Our adrenals impact every system and function in our body.  When the adrenals go into fatigue state, the body needs rest to heal itself.  If we don’t respect what our body is telling us, we exasperate the problem.   For years, I thought I could push myself past the fatigue.  I succeeded in making my fibromyalgia much worse.  The greatest challenge in my life has always been to allow my body to rest when it needed rest.

Adrenal fatigue is cause by too much stress in the body over an extended period of time.

Some people come to adrenal slowly, some come into it early in their lives, some come to it in the way of a trauma that overflowed their stress bucket . . . the straw that broke the camels back. 

Sometimes the stress builds over time.  Other times, when we are born into a stressful environment, the stress is a constant from birth.  Often even when leaving a stressful environment, the internal stress lives within us in the form of cellular memories.    The only way to clear this stress is to neutralize the cellular memories.  This is a major cause of stress for men and women with fibromyalgia.  

There are supplements that you can take to support the adrenals, but these supplements are only a band aid and might give you a bit more energy, but they don’t resolve the underlying stress that is the original cause.

Let’s look at some possible underlying stresses on the body:

  1. Eating unhealthy foods.
  2. Eating the wrong foods for your body type.
  3. Not getting enough exercise.
  4. Not getting enough sleep, rest and play.
  5. Toxicity, both from external factors and internal factors such as metabolic wastes.
  6. Destructive cellular memories / unresolved negative life experiences
  7. Unhealthy beliefs / beliefs that limit you from your full potential
  8. Trauma (either or emotional or physical)
  9. Trapped and suppressed emotions.
  10. External life stressors including jobs, relationships, finances.
  11. Dissatisfaction with life.
  12. Structural misalignments.

This initial list reflects possible underlying stresses.

As these stresses continue, another level of stresses develops such as:

  1. Leaky gut
  2. Food sensitivities, food intolerances and food allergies.
  3. Insomnia
  4. Pain
  5. Mood changes
  6. Irritability
  7. Chronic infections (bacterial, fungal, viral)
  8. Feeling tired yet wired. 
  9. And most any symptom you have becomes a stressor in and of itself. 

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

In order to recover from adrenal, you must resolve the underlying stressors.

The underlying stressors are the ones in the first list.  All the items in the second list are simply symptoms caused by imbalances in the first list.  They then become the cause for the next layer of imbalances.  Often protocols work to address the symptoms rather than the underlying causative factor.  When you get multiple layers of symptoms on top of the underlying causes, it creates what is called Metabolic Chaos™

A comprehensive program to recover from adrenal fatigue takes some detective work.  Each person with fibromyalgia is different.  We each have different symptoms and we each have a different set of causes.   There is not a way to heal fibromyalgia.  Each individual must be assessed uniquely, and the recovery protocol must be unique to that individual.  It is always unique combination of the underlying stressors.

If you have worked with eating a healthier diet, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, inner work on your beliefs and attitudes, emotional healing, functional medicine and other modalities, but still have symptoms, you have not gotten to the bottom of the stress bucket.   You have not identified and resolved all the underlying hidden stressors.  It is as simple as that.

Support in recovery.

In my complimentary Discovery Sessions, I provide an evaluation of you and provide a blueprint with which to move forward.  To sign up for your complementary Discovery Session click here.  

In private work with individuals, we work together, step by step to identify and resolve all stressors and support the body in healing itself.  Some things you can do on your own, other things take some supportive expertise with the right tools to assist in the resolutions.  With this process you will steadily  move toward health and well being.  

May you unravel your stress, 💗Bindu

A Story of Transformation

A Story of Transformation

by | Nov 14, 2022 | Care of the Body, Emotional Health

This week, I want to share a powerful experience that I had using the introspection I offered last week.

How focusing on my pain healed my pain.

In my search for health, early on, I spent 6 years at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health as a resident staff member. My pain was very severe when I arrived there. We did yoga each morning.

When I shared the experience of my “pain”. They suggested treating pain as a sensation. A more neutral term. It was also suggested to breathe and watch the pain rather than react to it. Also to breathe into the pain.

I was doubtful that this would do any good, but decided to give it a try. It was certainly a new concept for me.

One day, my pain was particularly strong. Even off the yoga mat, there was a persistent pain that wouldn’t go away. I decided to take a warm bath. During the bath, I allowed myself to set with the pain and breathe into it as I had been instructed.

What happened after that changed my life.

It started with a memory of my Grandfather’s death when I was about 14. I was devastated by his death and wouldn’t even get out of bed for a few days. I was heart broken. The grief was overwhelming. I continued to breath and allowed myself to fully feel the grief.

As I continued to breathe the grief passed and I felt the love that my grandfather gave me. I was so devastated because he was one of the few people that I truly felt loved by and safe with. It was a great loss.

As I continued to breathe and watch my experience unfold, I got some insights about how my grandfather’s death impacted my relationships with men. It was only a year or two after his death that I began feeling an attraction to boys/men and then dating. I realized that for most of my life I had been looking for the unconditional love that I felt from my grandfather in my relationships with men. And that I had never really found that love.

Because of my grandfather’s unconditional love for me had I unconsciously set the bar really high. But at the same time, I was so desperate for love, that I would stay in a relationship that wasn’t right for me. Always hoping for that unconditional love. It never really came.

By the time the bath was over, the pain was gone. I had released the grief over my grandfather’s death and reconnected with the unconditional love that he had given me. I also had a new perspective on relationships with men that was much more healthy for me. I knew what unconditional love felt like and knew that was what was most important in a relationship.

This was a life changing event.

This is just one example.

My story above is just on example of the transformative power of listening to the body. It was the first for me and I was pretty blown away by the power of it. I now knew that I had stumbled upon a powerful tool for healing and transformation.

Over the last 37 years since this experience, I used this to help heal my body and resolve unresolvable issues in my life. Rather than trying to figure out from my mind how to resolve a problem, I engaged my body and released what was blocking resolution and getting insight and resolutions to the root of the issue.

I have used this to heal my relationships with my mother, father, siblings, men, co-workers and friends. All the while also resolving the pain in my body.

Here is a link to last week’s blog so you can try it.  

Weekly Practice

Take some time this week to explore connecting with your body. Take 15 minutes a day to spend focused on your body. It will help you repair your relationship with your body. Your body needs to be your ally rather than your enemy. It wants to be healthy. It wants you to be happy and fulfilled. Next week, I will talk more about listening to the body and hearing your own pain.

May you and your body become friends, 💗Bindu

P.S. Although this is a powerful tool, sometimes our subconscious mind blocks our ability to feel and release the emotions. In such cases a session with a practitioner can assist with the process. I am such a person having experienced this transformation personally and professional trainings to facilitate others through this process.

If you are interested, I offer a free Heart Healing Session. Just click here to request a session

A Story of Transformation

Please Hear My Pain Pt 2

by | Nov 7, 2022 | Care of the Body, Self Care

Do you hear your own pain beyond the physical pain? 

Last week in Please Hear My Pain Pt 1, I talked about the need to feel heard and how other people couldn’t understand our experience.  This week, we are going to explore a deeper level of hearing your own pain.

Is your body talking to you?

The body holds an intelligence of its own, separate from your mind.  When the body is in pain, it is trying to tell us something.  For those of us with fibromyalgia, the body is literally screaming at us.   It may have something to say that we are not hearing. This does not mean we do not support the body on a physical level.   It means that we take into consideration our body’s input when making decisions about our health.

Your body is a valuable resource

Often in the experience with fibromyalgia, we think of the body as the enemy.  The body has betrayed us.  What if the opposite is true?  What if your body is your friend?  What if your body is trying to guide you to improved health?  What if your body and inner knowing is trying to guide you to discovering a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life experience?

Are you listening?

Are you listening to your body?  Can you hear what your body is trying to tell you?  So often, when we feel pain, we look outside of ourselves for the solution.  In today’s society, we are conditioned to do that.  The doctor or alternative health practitioner is the expert on our illness.  We look to them for answers. We don’t understand that if we learned to listen to our body and understand what it is telling us, that we could unravel our own pain.  We don’t know that we are the expert on our own body and that our body is the expert on our health.

After a doctors appointment where I felt dismissed and misunderstood, I realized that in 15 minutes I was trying to convey how I felt.  I was with my body 24/7.  I was very intimate with my own body.  It wasn’t possible for me to communicate the depth of my experience with anyone else or for them to understand it.

At the time, I wasn’t sure what to do with this.  As I began to take more responsibility for my health and make my own decisions, I realized that I knew my body best and needed to be proactive about my health choices.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t work with doctors or alternative practitioners.  It does mean that we partner with them.  We can do our own research.  We can tell our health practioners what works and what doesn’t.  We can share with them our own insights and intuitions.  Sometime, we can resolve symptoms by ourself, just by listening to our body.

How can we understand what our body is trying to tell us?

The body speaks through the vehicle of sensation.  We can learn to communicate with our body.  By being present with the sensations/pain, we can begin to tap into the underlying wisdom of the body. The first step is to learn to be present with your body.  Here are some steps that you can use:

  1. Turn off music, phones, television and put a do not disturb sign on the door.
  2. Get yourself in a comfortable lying position on a firm surface.
  3. Slow down and deepen your breath.
  4. Begin to feel the weight of your body against the surface you are lying on.
  5. As you breathe, focus on letting your body soften into the support of the surface.
  6. Do this for several moments.
  7. As the body relaxes, take time to be present with the sensations / pain in your body.
  8. Notice the tendency to recoil from the pain/sensation or drift into thinking.
  9. When you notice this, focus on your breath and invite your body and mind to relax.
  10. Breathe in deeply and exhale with a sigh.
  11. Allow yourself to be present with the sensation.
  12. Repeat steps 7 through 11 until you can feel more comfortable with the pain/sensation.

As you remain present with the sensation, begin to explore it. Here are some questions you can ask to go deeper:

  1. Where is the strongest sensation?
  2. Is there a color, shape or texture to the sensation?
  3. Notice if you feel an emotion.  If so, allow yourself to feel the emotion.
  4. Ask the sensation if it has a message for you or is trying to tell you something.
  5. Notice the conversation that comes into your mind. What are you thinking about?
  6. Be aware of pictures or images that arise.

This process will begin to open the communication with your body.  Sometimes tension will release just by being present with it.  As you work with this, you can begin to create a healthy, loving, harmonious relationship with your body.  This is a first step in reconnecting with your inner wisdom.

Weekly Practice

Take some time this week to explore connecting with your body.  Take 15 minutes a day to spend focused on your body.  It will help you repair your relationship with your body.  Your body needs to be your ally rather than your enemy.  It wants to be healthy.  It wants you to be happy and fulfilled.

Next week, I will talk more about listening to the body and hearing your own pain.

May you and your body become friends, ❤Bindu