…and what should you expect?
You lie down on a massage table fully clothed. You are only asked to remove shoes, belts or big jewelries. A soft, relaxing music is playing in the background. Michal will gently rest her hands upon you, non-intrusively, in a series of positions corresponding to the body main energy centers called Chakras. Each hand position is held for a few minutes, sometimes longer, and during this time energy will flow into you, drawn according to your needs, helping to balance your energy system.
On my flight back home I read the book “Book Yourself Solid” by Michael Port. Port says: “Part of what keeps us stuck is that we take ourselves, and the process, too seriously”.
I can relate to this. Sometimes, I turn something small into a big deal and I get frustrated from not being able to move forward. What do I do to release the blockage? I approach the problem with an attitude of PLAY and with CURIOSITY.
How do I do that?
By closing my eyes, taking a few deep breaths and leting myself off the hook.
By taking a different or unexpected move that will bring some lightness or humor into the situation. If I leave the problem and do something playful or fun in the meantime, chances are big that when I come back I will be able to solve the problem. This is known in psychology too. “Sleep on it” has a scientific basis.
Feeling stuck? Let yourself of the hook, take it easy, and approach the problem with a sense of play and curiosity.
Reiki ideals
Just for today, do not worry
Just for today, do not anger
Honor your teachers, your parents, your neighbors, your friends
Just for today live honestly
Just for today be kind to all living things
My dad is being released from the hospital and I am heading home soon. I am grateful for being able to be with him during the surgery. It won’t easy for me to leave him. He still has a long way to go in his recovery. I wish I could stay but I know that I have to go back home to my family who I miss, you all, my work and my life. I’ve started worrying about lots of things: things I need to do for my dad before I leave, catching up I have to do back home, and more. I can easily get overwhelmed! I’ve been there before.
Reminding myself of the Reiki Ideals is helping me stay centered. I include those in my daily prayer: Just for today…..
I don’t need to figure it all out right now. I don’t need to worry about tomorrow, next week, next month, next year… I need to focus on today. One day at a time. That’s what my dad needs to do for his recovery. That’s what I need to do for my sanity.
Tomorrow is my Birthday and I am going to reflect on what I really want for my Birthday. Will share with you tomorrow!
Just for today….. One day at a time
There are so many areas in my life in which I would like to grow, to change, to develop, and to add something. There is also so much action and excitement in my life. I know that I am lucky and feel grateful for it.
At the same time, it can feel like I am riding the express train and life is passing by me too fast.
Do I need to slow down? Is life happening too fast?
Watching my dad taking his first couple of steps since the surgery I realize:
Baby Steps!
That’s my lesson. Getting so excited about things is fine, but I can take baby steps and commit myself fully to one thing at a time. I don’t have to do it all at once.
Do you ever feel that you want to stop the ‘train of life’ which is riding so fast?
Look at your life. In what areas do you need to slow down and take baby steps?
The morning of day 4 brings lots of improvement. My dad is calmer, hallucinating less and he even recognizes us. Yesterday was the hardest day for me so far and I still feel a little shaken. I am motivated to do whatever it takes to get back on track and get centered. If I close my eyes I will not be able to watch my dad. I am not even sure I can meditate right now because my mind is racing. I need to be creative and modify my exercises. I try different exercises I have in my “Tool Box” until I come up with the following routine, do it a few times and become much more centered:
Step 1 – Scan the Body
Gazing at one point on the wall in front of me, I pay attention to my breathing and I start to scan my physical body. I realize that my body is very tense. Some muscles are stiff, other areas are sore. I simply breathe and notice the sensations. I identify where in my body I feel the tension. I am a little surprised; there are so many areas!
Step 2 – Follow my Breath
After noticing the tension, it is time to release it. This doesn’t always require a conscious effort – sometimes simply noticing it can be enough. Still gazing at the wall, I start to notice my breathing. I focus on the moment between the inhale and exhale and I imagine each breath cycle as an infinity symbol, ∞. The breathing helps me to release the tension from my body.
Step 3 – Notice my Thoughts
My body is more relaxed. Now it is time to check what is going on with my mind. While breathing, I start to notice my thoughts. And there are so many! No wonder my mind is racing! I name the thoughts as they come up without engaging with their content. I say to my self “Thinking” when I recognize a thought. If no thought comes up, I return my attention to the breath.
Notice your body, follow your breath and be aware of your thoughts.
It is day 3. My dad is the same and it is really hard for me to watch him behave like a different person. Lots of feelings are coming up for me: worry, fear, sadness, but also some gratitude and peace.
There is nothing I can do right now to fix the situation. I know that I should allow myself to feel these feelings.
I decide to use my notepad as a journal. I let my pen to lead my hand through pages of writing. I write whatever comes up. I don’t try to make it pretty. I write everything: the pain and the sorrow, the hope and the joy.
From time to time, I hear my dad in the background talking to himself. Some of his imaginary stories are really funny! I allow myself to laugh. After all – sense of humor is important in a time like that.
After writing pages and pages I feel a relief. It feels good to acknowledge the feelings and then to release them.
Your daily balance tip: Write it all out!
Motivated to focus on the positive, today I arrived at the hospital to find my dad not as aggressive as he was on Day 1, but very confused and hallucinating all the time. A few hours later, he did not recognize us and was engaged in imaginary conversations with some imaginary friends. I decided to make a gratitude list to regain a balanced perspective. It was hard at first, but with some work I was able to come up with a list of things I am grateful for despite the difficult situation.
- My dad who is busy with his own little world and doesn’t have to see himself like I do
- The ability to be present for him
- All the people who love him and care about him
- All the people who support me
- My active spiritual practice which provides me with practical tools to stay sane in a time like this
- My family
- Hospital staff, especially those who really care
- This blog, which gives me an opportunity to write and keep the energy moving
- Hope, Trust and the Divine
Whatever is going on in your life – Make a Gratitude list!
It is the day of the surgery. After saying goodbye to my dad, we had a few hours to kill in the waiting area. As the hours pass by, the tension level is getting higher. It is hard to be in a situation where someone you love is going though a potentially dangerous procedure, while you have no control and can’t do anything to help. You just need to wait. Finally, we get the news the surgery is over and it was a success. But then it all starts. Escorting my dad back to his room in the hospital, we are told that he had an extreme reaction to the anesthesia. He becomes confused and aggressive, screaming and trying to pull out the different tubes connected to him. The next couple of hours are hard and it was very traumatic for me to see my dad losing all his defense mechanism and common sense and acting wild, almost like an animal. Although my mind understand that it is a normal reaction for some people after surgery, it is very hard on my heart to see my dad like that. We hired a private nurse for the night. Driving back from the hospital at night, it suddenly hit me:
I can choose to dwell in today’s experience or I can choose to move forward.
I can choose to get stuck in how traumatic today was for me or I can accept it and hope for a better day tomorrow
When talking to other people, I can focus on how hard it was for me, or I can state the facts and share my hopes.
I can not change the facts, but I can change my reaction.
I would like to dedicate this week’s blog to my dad, who is recovering from a surgery. Sitting next to his bed in the hospital, I will share my experiences and thoughts with you daily.
I will start my hospital blog tomorrow and my intention is to try and use my many years of experience with healing, meditation and positive thinking to keep me balanced in the next coming days. I would love you to be there with me and to share your insight.
Happy 4th of July!
Michal
I remember watching the movie starring Will Smith “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Chris Gardner is a salesman who was, at times, homeless. Eventually he worked his way into becoming a stockbroker. Is the premise of the movie that happiness is something to be pursued? Or maybe the idea is that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices, and success the result of heroic dreams?
I think that any life experience can turn into an opportunity for growth and we can make a choice to look for the positive side of it. In fact, our mind is the true source of happiness. You can look at any given situation and ask yourself:
If you are one of those people who easily maintain balance, inner peace and serenity, you can stop here. If your stress level is usually low – today’s entry is not for you. Spend your time reading one of my other entries.
If you find yourself in daily situations where you are so engaged in your work and your “To Do” lists that your body is aching, your muscles are sore and your stress level is high at the end of the day – please keep reading.
When we stressed out, our first physical reaction is that we stop breathing. We either hold our breath or we breathe shallowly instead. The result is the opposite of what we need: we become more stressed out. The best way to get out of this cycle is simply to BREATHE.
Are you too busy to breathe? You know it’s important but you don’t remember?
Set your alarm to remind you to breathe. How about every hour? When you hear the alarm – stop doing whatever it is that you do, even if it is very important, stand up and stretch, step away from your desk, and take 5 deep breaths. If possible, bring your hands up when inhaling and bring them down while exhaling. It will only take 2-3 minutes – but your brain will become so clear and focused that you will do a better job when you get back to work.
Give it a try. Even for one day. How did it go?
Why do I invite you to look at your hand?
Because Intentional Noticing is another simple way to bring balance into your life.
Let’s look at these 2 words: “Intentional” and “Noticing”.
An on-line dictionary defines Intentional as done deliberately and having to do with intention and defines Noticing as The act of noting or observing, perception or attention.
Why did I even look it up?The other day, I was interviewing Sandy Bramlett for my “Ask the Expert” series. I ask the experts I interview for easy tips to bring balance into my life. Sandy led me (and all of you who can still listen to the interview) in an exercise of spending a few minutes observing your hand. I have been practice this exercise every day since then, and it works. I feel that it makes me present, especially if I also stay aware of my breath, and it takes me away from my thoughts, my worries, my “To Do” lists and everything else.
For those five minutes, it is only me observing my hand – a taste of freedom.
Today’s tip:
Observe your hand. All directions, all aspects: look, posture, texture, color, shape, touch. 5 minutes. That’s all you need. Let me know what you have noticed.
“I am exhausted” I told a dear friend several weeks ago. She suggested that I should be more careful with the words I choose. We say “Exhausted” when we mean “tired.” We say “starving” when we mean “hungry.” We say “depressed” when we mean “sad.” The words we think and say often become a reality.
Today, I was telling a friend about the day I had and, instinctively, the words difficult, hard, and terrible came to mind. I was able to pause before speaking, so that I could change my word choice. With more positive words and positive thinking, my day could turn out to be less “terrible”.
What words in your daily vocabulary can you change to create a more positive reality?
How would you feel about NOT using your cell phone for one day every week?
A lot of people think they can’t survive the modern age without their cell phone, iPod, the Internet, television etc. Recently, while traveling, I was in a situation where I had no Internet or phone connection for a full day. At the beginning it was strange and felt unsafe. How could I live without reporting to my family where I am every second? How could I live without knowing where they are very second? This was a situation that was forced upon me. It wasn’t my choice. I am asking myself now, if I will be able to chose to have no communication for a day, or even for an evening. Why? Because there is so much NOISE around us and we spend so much of our time texting/emailing/talking. When I was forced into this situation I actual felt more peaceful. More connected to myself. So I wonder if having this designated time every week will bring me some more inner peace.
What do you think? Can you imagine yourself choosing to be disconnected so you can have more balance?
As with clothes, so too at your home: add colors to balance your energy system.
You don’t have to paint your walls – just add accessories which can be changed when need be. For example, if you need grounding get a red candle, some red art, or just red roses. For creativity, add a bowl of oranges to your work area. Add yellow accessories or sun flowers if you need to lighten your attitude or if you need more confidence. Having problems with relationships? Add green plants, decorative green grasses or bamboo. Add a blue poster, painting, curtains or even a piece of furniture to stimulate your ability to communicate and express yourself. There are so many ways to add colors to your home. Again, consider the chart above and what you can do to enliven your living space.
In my June 13 blog: “What’s the connection between Food, Chakras and Color Healing” I introduced you to my friend Malkie. Let’s go back to Malkie and check what YOU can learn from her heart attack:
Malkie is the perfect example of the importance of colors. No doubt Malkie’s Heart Chakra was under-active long before her heart attack. On an unconscious level, her body knew she needed to stimulate the heart area, to raise the vibration and so she became unconventionally obsessed with green. Her intuition was leading her to use colors to balance her chakra.
Be curious and creative about the colors you choose. Use colors as a source of information about your energy centers. Add colors to your food, your clothes and your home and feed your body what it needs.
