Welcome to Autumn

 

In the build up to Autumn I’ve seen many clients feeling short on time and packing more into their busy busy busy lives…and beginning to feel the fatigue that comes from running a marathon without adequate rest.

 

When they do rest the self talk in their heads is still busy busy busy preventing a full night rest and when they do sleep they are dreaming busy dreams.

 

What’s going on?

 

Think back to your childhood…do you remember the chipmunks in Bugs Bunny cartoons collecting nuts and preparing for the Winter?

 

 

That is the energy of Autumn…feeling the impending deadline of Winter’s arrival and collecting and gathering (busy busy busy)  the resources to survive/ thrive through Winter while lapping up the last of the sun’s warmth then slowing down after the marathon of Summer.

 

It’s in Autumn when we prune the dead wood in our lives and let go of the habits and beliefs than no longer work for us. To create room for healthy new growth to establish before Winter.

 

What ‘dead wood’? Holding onto old regrets, guilt, grudges and losses is exhausting work and it holds you back from living the life you are meant to.

 

Autumn is the time in Chinese Medicine when the lung and large intestine energy is at optimum levels to clean up, clear out and re-energise.

 

So now is the time to clear out the congestion from unresolved emotions of old grief and guilt, which can reduce your resilience to fighting off bugs and make you vulnerable to chest and lung infections. You can use the energy of Autumn to sort out any lung or large intestine issues, more easily.

 

All of this has been happening in Personal Consultations with a resounding “Phew!” from clients after their session reporting they are now lighter, energised, Present, back on track and focused. LOVE it!

 

 

A Gift to Self

Give Yourself the Gift of Time

 

20 minutes in the morning to yourself. This will change Your life for the better in ways you have yet to imagine. Firstly it will reset your internal clock and stop you chasing time especially when you feel there is not enough time in the day.

 

Set the alarm on your phone and spend 20 minutes in nature or watching nature from your house/ office/ car. Practice your breathing, noticing the birds, the plants, the seasons, how things are changing…no emails, phones, people interruptions, radio, tv….just you and nature.

 

Every time you start to get up and do something…STOP, breathe and focus on nature again.

 

20 minutes uninterrupted time with yourself. Let your body talk to you…notice your aches and pains, notice what you feel and where it sits in your body. Think of particular people, events, tasks/ responsibilities in your life….what feelings come up and where do they sit?  What do you need to do about that? Notice. Your body has an innate intelligence.

 

20 minutes to You each day will connect You to You and the rest of your day will flow.

 

Ask Yourself Each Day

 

” What Can I Do Today To Make Me Happy?” Then do it.

 

What we focus on grows…so ask this question whenever you need to make a Choice. It’s NEW and a novel way to approach your Life…and it works.

 

After all, you are doing all this self-awareness work to find you Happiness, yes?

 

Worried the answer will be “Chocolate” or some other “naughty” answer?

 

Ask your self, would that really make you happy? After the first moments of gratification you start whipping yourself with criticism. No happiness there.

 

Trust yourself to find the Right Answer for You. Happy is a Choice that is positive and in support of you. Trust You.

 

What a wonder-filled way to Live your Life!

 

 

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A 5 minute Story

 

 

This month’s story comes from one of my favourite authors Dr Joan Borysenko. My introduction to Dr Joan and her work was on my first trip to the USA while attending the Celebrate Your Life Conference in 2007, at that time in Phoenix Arizona.  Dr Joan was speaking about her ground breaking book Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, then newly revised and released as The 20th anniversary edition. It fast became one of my favourite books, along with one of Dr Joan’s other books The Soul’s Compass.

 

Dr Joan’s authenticity, passion and grace struck me deeply. Her personal, clinical and research experiences in marrying medical science, mind and Spirit as the key to healing spoke to my core beliefs and values and gave them a voice I couldn’t until that time find. Many of the understandings within the book and her talk described the science behind the way I work the kinesiology I love. The depth of healing this provided me personally was profound.

 

In this month’s 5 Minute Story Dr Joan gives her thoughts on a question I am often asked. It is also a timely reminder for the change in season, as you now move through Autumn, and are reminded to prune the ‘dead wood’ and Let Go of thoughts, beliefs, habits, fears and parts of your life that are no longer positively in support of You and your goals.

 

“When projects don’t flow easily does it mean that you’re on the wrong track? Not necessarily. Many years ago I happened upon a First Nations artist carving a canoe in the old growth forest of Cortes Island, off the coast of Vancouver, BC. This project was part of celebrating the heritage of the Coastal Salish People. The artist told me about several major setbacks to the project. The cedar tree itself (these can be cut only with a special rare permit) turned out to be partially dead inside. As a result the canoe- which was supposed to be a massive ocean going craft- could only be a small one. Then, when the tree was felled, it dropped on a log that was lying crosswise on the forest floor. The big old tree cracked, which meant that the little canoe had to be pegged together. The men who had volunteered to help carve it soon discovered that the work was very slow and difficult, so they stopped coming. I asked if he thought that the project might not have been meant to be. The artist shook his head and explained that in his culture, the bigger the dream trying to be born, the harder the labor. Setbacks are part of the process. Since that time- when things don’t go smoothly- I’ve been more discerning about whether I’m pushing the river by hanging in there or patiently attending the birth of a miracle.

 

With love, laughter and blessings,

Deb