I did a fun thing this week! I found some shiny, purple, power pants and snapped some photos for my coaching and consulting ventures. I am bravely entering a new space of mind-body services, trauma-and resilience education, and entrepreneurship. More to come, but for now…..
Common themes seen in practice matched with some early morning ruminations:
What if we can let go of old parts of ourselves and dismantle the ideas of who we think we are or who we are expected to be? Like a cocoon to butterfly, we are supposed to evolve throughout life, not remain the same. Our ideas, careers, partners, community, passions can change. This comes with grief around the loss of established identity. This is why we perceive it as a mid-life crisis, but I see it as an opportunity to begin again. When we meet new era and new self with courage and creativity, we are empowered to re-imagine, re-invent, and emerge newly discovered with a fresh invitation to life.
I think the practice of psychotherapy in anthropological terms is perhaps best conceptualized as postmodern ritual. Healing is the ceremonial and intentional process of establishing our own meaning from the insensible misfortunes that cut, char, indiscriminately wound. Through a lens of logos and resilience we enter a rite of passage and embrace belonging to Scar Clan.
What if we thought of healing as a way of integrating our shadows vs something we must fix or remove? Can we accept the imperfect parts of ourselves as necessary components in the whole experience of being human? I used to carry shame for my feisty temperament. I did all the yoga in the world to take it away, yet she stubbornly continued to burn. In my own journey of shadow work, I have discovered that my anger and passion breathe from the same fire. A sad day it would have been to extinguish a core element of my composition.
The Bee breath has been a particularly favorite tools this week. Sit tall, take a deep inhale and as you exhale make a buzzing-humming sound like a bee. Buzzzzz the entire length of the exhale, draw a new inhale and continue a cycle of buzzing on each exhale. Bee breath stimulates the Vagus nerve which initiates a parasympathetic response promoting a sense of calm, rest, and repair. It also improves the brain-gut axis which is involved in our feeling of mental wellbeing. 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, the Vagus nerve transports our feel-good neurotransmitter to the brain.
Find a friend and create a weekly walk-and-talk. There is a lot to process in the world. Unpack heaviness while moving the body… and it’s even better if you can be surrounded by nature. (For my current clients, we can walk-and-talk our sessions as well.)
With love,
Robin
