Reflections on the Book of Joy

2016 began with me seeking one thing in my life, joy. It had been a while since I felt not just happiness, but that deep, all-encompassing joy. It has been a crazy year as I have tried to shed some (as many as I could identify day-to-day) of the behavioral patterns and belief systems that stand in the way of joy and embrace a new 'me'. Without joy life seems less alive and there's a youthful vigor to people who have it. So when my friend, Lynn Chang of Career Zen, asked me to join her book club and read the Book of Joy, I was super curious to read and discuss what these wise men had to say about it.

Reading this book turned out to be really intense for me because over the course of this year I have trodded through and traversed pretty much every pillar. Still in the midst of this transformation, I'm not yet in a place to be articulate or provide much perspective...I just sense that I'm acting differently in my life and reacting less. At some points in my reading, I wanted to yell hell yes and there were other points where this book gave me a roadmap of some places I have yet to explore and grow. I suppose there's always 2017...

The Book of Joy is based on five days of conversations between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu about how to have joy, and all of the things in life that can come in the way of it. They offer 8 Pillars of Joy, 4 of the mind and 4 of the heart, to serve as a basic structure. I'll briefly introduce these pillars and give one of my favorite take-aways about each.

Pillars of the Mind

Perspective-How we see the world is how we experience it and therefore how we interact with it. If we're able to shift our perspective, we can more easily come to a creative solution by identifying where another person is coming from. I believe we realize this cognitively as adults, but this can be hard when you feel so strongly about something that it can lead to conflict with a loved one. There have been many conversations this year where I've had to step outside of myself and shift my perspective to maintain an open mind to not just react out of self-defense.

Humility-Once we have perspective, we realize that we can't control anything and that we're all in this thing together. This inherently gives us a sense of humility in that we are all vulnerable, and we will all be dependent upon others in birth and death. I've spent this year saying I don't know with greater frequency. I never expected to encounter some of the things life has put in my path the last few years and those experiences have humbled me immensely. Both because I recognize I don't have control and that there's rarely a single, correct answer on a solution.

Humor-This has been my greatest lesson this year! I found a much deeper sense of humor because half of the time I had no idea what the hell was going on or what to do about it. A case of the giggles would ensue. Turns out humor and humility have the same root word, humus, or dirt. New lessons this year as well on how having a sense of humor will keep you grounded. Boom!

Acceptance-Once we have perspective and a sense of humor that we are not in control, we can accept these things and begin to see how something positive can grow out of something seemingly negative. I ask my clients to see their pain in this way. Rather than being angry at your body and othering your physical self, what is this pain showing and teaching you? A deeper sense of mindfulness can then help alleviate some of the pain if not most of it.

Pillars of the Heart

Forgiveness-Given that these two men have experienced and seen much oppression, they were clear that one can forgive while seeking justice. In forgiveness we can take back our own feelings and liberate ourselves. This is another piece I see a lot in peoples' bodies. When we have chronic body tightness and stiffness, we're lacking space. I believe that lack of forgiveness, often for ourselves, underscores this and that by letting go we reclaim our bodies and free up previously closed off spaces.

Gratitude-The brain naturally tends to focus on the negative or what isn't right. This goes back to body pain as well. Daily, I witness people get better and when I ask how their plantar fasciitis is, for example, they have forgotten that that is why they initially came to see me. When we forgive, we experience more gratefulness in the present moment. I've started writing 1-2 things I'm grateful for every morning and it's incredible how quickly I feel my disposition shift for the day.

Compassion-If there was one thing on this list I would have checked off before this year, it would have been this one. I've spent my career(s) helping people and I love doing it, so that means I have compassion, right? In the epic unfolding of my life this year, I learned to actually love myself for the first time in my life. It was then I realized I didn't truly truly understand compassion. How can we show compassion for others if we're so caught up in criticising ourselves? In some way that self-judgement transfers into how we treat others and perceive what life brings. Life has taught me to be softer, more compassionate towards myself and others this year. Turns out compassion is contagious according to new research, it has a ripple effect from 2-4 degrees of separation. What if we made a conscious effort to do this beyond the holidays? What would the world/your community look like?

Generosity-This one is hard to distinguish from compassion. Essentially, if we have a sense of purpose we can use those qualities to give to others, which in turn, gives us joy. :)

As you wrap up 2016 and reflect on your year, I highly recommend this book as a mental health check-in of ways and areas to integrate more joy and light into your life. Sending love and joy to you in 2017 and beyond!

Meet Izzy Swanson, Shamanic Reiki Master

Izzy and I met almost two years ago, and my first Shamanic Reiki session with her was epic. I have continued to see her regularly and her work has supported me through family illness, a miscarriage and relationship growing pains. I walk away from our meetings feeling more calm and anchored with perspective on whatever is going on in my life at that moment. She is a critical piece of my personal wellness and self-care, and I'm delighted to share her with you.

What is Shamanic Reiki?

Shamanic Reiki is the combination of shamanic practice and the healing energy of Reiki. Shamanic healing techniques include cord cutting or removing emotional attachments in the energy body, soul retrieval, working with past life experiences, and healing areas of the body that may be in pain. The shamanic practitioner travels into the spirit world and communicates with guides to gain insight about the methods that are necessary to provide healing. Reiki, also known as Universal Life-force Energy, is a form of energy that the practitioner channels into and around the body of the recipient. Reiki energy adjusts itself to the needs of the patient and promotes a sense of calm, relaxation, and peace while stimulating the body’s healing response. Reiki can also facilitate the release of intense emotions such as anger, worry, and sorrow. These healing techniques blend together for the benefit of the patient. Reiki amplifies and provides energetic support for shamanic healing techniques while restoring and comforting the body. It also helps to maintain a state of calm and balance as the practitioner and patient work together using shamanic practices to heal at a deep, soul level.

How did you arrive at this healing modality? Why did you choose it?

I didn’t set out to choose Reiki, it chose me. I set out to make my spiritual practice deeper and began exploring shamanic practice. I come from a background in wildlife biology and being close to nature was important to me. So shamanic practice seemed to resonate the most for me because it was connected to ancient traditions and was based in working with the land. It was a physical illness that led to me to go deeper into the work though. In 2011, I nearly died from an autoimmune disease and somewhere in my recovery process, I became very clear that healing my sprit had to be a part of surviving. I signed up for a shamanic training apprenticeship that ended abruptly due to an emergency with my teacher’s family. One of the women in my class offered to teach me and two others Reiki if we wanted to continue together as a group, so I said yes. There was no plan. It was as though the steps on the path were laid out before me and I became a Shamanic Reiki Master. In the beginning I thought it was something that I would use for my own healing but it did not take me long to realize that I needed to be of service to others, especially to those who had experienced trauma.

What conditions benefit from Shamanic Reiki?

Overall the possibilities of healing with this work are endless. Anyone can benefit from releasing energetic blocks and restoring the balance in mind, body and spirit. I primarily focus on working with the energetic signature of autoimmune diseases and healing trauma. The energetic pattern for both of these conditions is similar in that they create a sympathetic nervous system response that wears down the both the physical body and the emotional condition of the person experiencing them. Reiki can be used to help reset the body’s flight or fight response and help a person begin to rest. When a person feels calm and rested, they also feel safe. It is in that space that shamanic healing can be done to begin mending the soul wounds caused by trauma and the effects of the autoimmune response on the body.

Can you give us a self-care tip?

We pick up a lot of the energy of the people we interact with each day and not everyone we encounter is energetically balanced at that moment. Healers, ministers, and medical professionals are exposed to the unhealed energy of others every day. At the end of the day it is important to take a few minutes to cleanse yourself of the energy you have picked up from others. An easy way to do this is to take a shower and imagine that you are washing away any energetic debris you have picked up. Consciously think about releasing the energy you have and washing it down the drain. Also visualize any of your energy that you may have given away coming back to you while you do this. You can imagine that the water becomes a yellow, cleansing light as is washes over you. If you are not able to take a shower at night take a moment to go outside and stand on the Earth and imagine that the energy you need to release is flowing down into the Earth. Don’t worry, the Earth can use this energy as fuel and can turn it into positive energy.

Izzy does sessions in Austin and distance sessions. Learn more and book here.

Want to learn Reiki? Learn from Izzy! More info here.

Izzy also makes Reiki-infused essential oils, incense and sprays so you can cleanse your environment. Check out her Etsy shop here.

Flexible, Grounded Feet=A Strong Core

Until I got really nerdy about my running stride 10 years ago, I was quite foot phobic. We pay for others to touch our feet or hope for a little love from our significant other on the couch, but most of us don't consciously massage our feet like we foam roll our legs or actively strengthen our feet like we do our arms. It's funny because our feet are our main mode of transport yet they're low on the self-care totem pole.

Grounded feet help with balance.

How are the feet related to core stability and strength?

The feet aren't what I call Hollywood Muscles. No one is going to eye you up at the pool for your toe muscles. Yet, the feet mirror our core muscles and help to support deep, instrinsic movement from the core with every step. The feet are the first in a series of archways to the body that act as suspension bridges and shock absorbers as we move. Two of those other archways, or diaphragms, are the pelvic (read: pelvic floor) and breathing diaphragms. If you've read some of my other posts, you already know how much I love talking about these diaphragms, more about that here and here...because, they are the real foundation to core strength! Yes, people, I know most of you out there probably hate ab exercises. Good news is, if you keep your feet relaxed and open, you're always exercising your core muscles.

The feet should act as little trampolines as we walk, but they often become more like bricks of ice because of the types of shoes we wear (more about that here) and from breath holding--once again, you hold in one diaphragm, the others are affected.

Open feet are grounded feet.

Keeping the feet loose and open, has an impact on shoulder tension as well. When our body feels supported by the earth, we cease to put the weight of the world on our shoulders. All of that goes into the ground, also known as grounding or earthing. :)

Here is a simple way to open your feet, even while you watch tv. 

Once your feet are relaxed, you can get even deeper into strengthening them. I love this set of exercises, because it helps to restore the motions our feet most often forget, spreading and using the sole of the foot. Kind of like how our pelvic muscles atrophy sitting in a chair all day, the sole of the foot weakens from wearing shoes all the time. This is a small sample of a series of exercises I do with my clients to wake up their feet and consciously connect that feeling to their core as they walk and move. Afterward my clients often say they feel like their feet are wider and that they can sense the pads of their feet. I call it Frodo feet!

The new sensory awareness from open feet will not just help you ground, it will also help your balance in other activities like yoga, martial arts and dance, not to mention walking. For a more personalized connection to those activities, including gait, make an appointment to come to the studio. In the meantime, opening and grounding your feet will have you using your core in a deep and profound way without even trying! 

Why I Hate Kegels

Just about every woman out there has had her doctor prescribe Kegel exercises--hold your urine flow for a few seconds to strengthen your pelvic floor. I see Kegels as a constipation view to strengthening the pelvic floor because they encourage bracing and holding in an area that is often too tight. Plus, Kegels are more often emphasized for women over men when we all need strong and flexible pelvic muscles. More about that here. If we all think pelvic floor health=Kegels, we lose the sense of how these muscles are connected to other movement in everyday life. To me, the pelvic floor is more than just your elimination muscles, it includes all the muscles of your pelvis that support your torso and posture--this includes your rear.

One of my favorite pelvic floor exercises is a squat because it works the pelvic floor in a large range-of-motion. This way, you're getting stretching on the way down and strengthening on the way up. Think of squats as coming from the bones of your pelvis to kick these muscles into gear. 

Don't feel like you need to go all the way down into a full squat if it doesn't feel good in your body. Many folks can't because of knee or hip pain. Try holding onto something, or putting something underneath your heels, and you may find you can get lower to the floor. As you descend, these muscles are stretching and opening like an umbrella. When you stand up, they contract and come closer together like the closing of an umbrella.

If you think about it, we squat every time we sit down. With a bit of mindfulness and maybe some props, you can reconnect with your pelvic floor and use it to sit down and stand up. No more plopping on the couch!

Pilates is a great modality to strengthen the pelvis for everyday movement. This includes strengthening your inner and outer thighs, which are critical for balance.  I love working with clients to rehab their pelvic floors because it's an area of much importance, and for many of us, an area of much trauma. If you've had any abuse in your past, sexual or otherwise, regardless of gender...it may be difficult for you to feel these muscles (read more about this here). This is why I love working one-on-one with clients. In a private session, you're in an environment where it is safe to go here, to connect and to heal, bringing a true sense of self. It brings me to tears when I get to witness this transformation and see my clients discover how much power they have. Love the pelvic floor!!!!

Why is my body tight?

This is a question I'm often asked and believe that we have to look at more than just range-of-motion or trigger points for a good explanation. Some clients immediately tell me that their body is tight because it runs in their family, like they have an inflexiblity gene and traditional stretching just doesn't work for them. I see body tightness that runs in families as a cultural way that the family deals with stress and how we then handle stress as adults. Are things shoved under the rug or not acknowledged? Or, are things discussed and worked through together? Do you feel overwhelmed and overburdened by responsibility? Or, are you able to shift your perspective and carve out some self-care time?

The nervous system automatically charges up to help when we're stressed (sympathetic nervous system). One result when it kicks in is that the muscles tighten to prepare for action--we can see this in animals. When they perceive a threat, the breath cycle shortens, their whole body tightens and is ready to pounce. When we, as humans, hold in this way everyday, it leads to chronic body tightness and fatigue.

To offset this stress from a movement perspective, we most often think exercise. Yet, how many of us hold our breath when we try to burn off some steam? Muscles can't relax if they're being starved of oxygen. As someone who is also prone to this, I've started doing some diaphragm releases to connect with my breath before I intentionally move. This is my favorite diaphragm release to do pre-workout.

Ki Hara active stretching unwinds tension from the body, creating space for more breath. Clients always stand up at the end of a session saying they feel more alive, relaxed and have more blood flowing through their body. We target the areas you personally hold tension and dynamically release muscle tension there. Full body stretching like in the photo above, allows for the body to have a feeling of flow over bracing. To learn more, click here.