Happy 2/2/22!
Did you know the number 8 represents affluence, hope, self-confidence and more? This year my focus word is "prosper". One of the things that has been helping me prosper this year is creating consistency. There is so much inconsistency and uncertainty in the world right now...and that can create a lack of safety. On a more personal level, I don't know what the mood of those around me will be from one moment to the next or even how my body will feel. What I can control, however, are my actions. One thing that helps me thrive is my morning wellness routine. It involves Movement with Meditation a.k.a. my MM routine that helps me have a Magical Morning and an MM yummy day :) My routine is at least 15 minutes because that is the amount of time I can commit to regardless of how I am feeling and I've discovered it is my critical minimum. Being able to keep my commitment to myself is important for my self-confidence and helps to maintain and build my momentum...especially since I consider myself to be more of a night owl. If I joyfully do more than 15 minutes it's an awesome bonus. My routine often involves some combination of walking, dancing, body rolling and stretching, and planking while listening to meditations. My MM routine is actually something I now look forward to...on most days ;) This month I am focusing on adding in a more consistent p.m. routine. Ideally 3Rs for a relaxing evening and restorative sleep - Reflection, Reading and Rubbing my feet. Even as I write this I can feel some resistance to doing all 3 of these if I'm feeling challenged, so my critical minimum will be rubbing my feet :) Rubbing feet before bed and 15 minutes in the a.m. might not seem like much but for me it makes all the difference. I invite you to ponder what are your a.m. and p.m. critical minimums to help you have a great start to your day and restful sleep? Feel free to share in the comments below. Contact me if you would like support in creating joyful momentum and discovering your most vibrant self. Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!
0 Comments
Curious about what might be moving you closer or further away from the life you desire? I've been doing a deep evaluation of what is helping me get more traction and thrive and what is distracting and pulls me away from the life I desire.
For large portions of 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had been doing more and more remote wellness sessions. Other factors were also emerging and prompting me to step back from in-person work. So a few months ago, for the first time in 15+ years, I closed my physical office and transitioned to working from home. There have been many benefits to working from home, no commute or office overhead to name a few. There have been, however, many challenges as well. Even when my daughter finally returned to in-person school, I still found myself wondering where my day had gone...especially since a large portion of my time and energy was no longer focused on attending to her care. I wondered "why do I feel like I'm not getting things done?...why am I still finding myself doing work stuff after she is in bed"? (The latter of which definitely wasn't great for my sleep hygiene.) I decided to get curious and pay closer attention to my daily habits. What did I discover? My time wasn't reflecting my priorities/values and there were A LOT of external triggers/distractions. After dropping my daughter off at school, I'd come home and be distracted by clutter. During virtual school and throughout the pandemic, my kiddo's stuff gradually dominated the house. The guest room (which also serves as a cut through room in our home) was a toy obstacle course. It is also one of the rooms that you see the moment you walk in our house. So what was I faced with shortly after I entered my home and often navigated throughout the day? ALL THIS CLUTTER, ugh! I felt smothered by all the stuff and as you may know, our external and internal worlds can be reflections of one another and so I (consciously and unconsciously) did my best to keep other rooms clean and clutter-free to not feel so overwhelmed. (I had given up on the guest room as I would straighten it up just to have it return to a chaotic mess shortly after she returned home.) But that often meant I felt compelled to do the dishes and other "priority" tasks like working out and work got pushed to the side or delayed...and then I was eating breakfast late and sometimes would get hangry. Walking to my home office I'd see laundry or other stuff and end up putting it away, again instead of doing other "priority" tasks...and then I'd find some other thing to address in another room, etc. Constantly checking my phone and email was also a huge distractor. By the time school was out, I found myself tired and frustrated wondering why I didn't get the things done I wanted to especially on days I didn't have (any or many) client sessions or consulting meetings. Once I recognized these distractors (and a few others, such as late night Netflix binging) that were hijacking my attention, time and energy I knew something had to change...this COULD NOT continue. So what are some of my core values? - Being healthy in body, mind and spirit - Spending quality time with my loved ones & close friends - Having a home that feels safe, spacious and inviting - is clean, organized/free of clutter - Doing work that is meaningful to me and has a positive impact What has shifted/been supportive in coming into greater alignment with my core values? - Blocking my time/having a schedule - at the very least for the start and end of my day to set a strong foundation/positive mindset & energy and prepare for restorative sleep. - Doing my best to ignore any household clutter and prioritize my a.m. wellness routine (walking, body rolling/stretching while listening to meditation and eating a healthy breakfast). - Turning off screens and having board game/reading time with my daughter (family) before her bedtime. - Spending some time connecting with my husband after kiddo is in bed. (Even if it means leaving the remainder of the kitchen clean up for later or even the next morning.) Also letting each other know when we are breaking for lunch so we can have mid-day kid-free connection time if possible. - Posting a list of duties for my kiddo. (One of my daughter's bedtime tasks is to pick up her things around the house and take them to her bedroom. This helps there be less clutter/potential distractors.) - Donating old toys, moving almost all kid stuff into daughter's bedroom. The (guest) room, which felt like my nemesis for way too long, is now an inviting, relaxing space for all of us to enjoy. My kiddo even created a reading nook!! :) - Moving non-essential apps (such as Facebook, Messenger, etc) off of my phone home page and turning off sound notifications. (For emergencies people either call or text me. Instant notifications on these other apps are not critical.) While writing this article, not only did I close out computer tabs but I also silenced and put my phone away. Sharing this information with you was really important to me and I did not want to be distracted and have it put on the back burner. It can be incredibly supportive to do focused/time blocked work. I find 1.5 - 2 hours is a really good length of time to turn off (and hide) all distractions. (Did you know that even having your phone silenced but within your line of sight can serve as a distractor? Out of sight, out of mind. So I invite you to put your phone away during focused work time.) This time block allows me to really sink into the project and concentrate but also is a short enough time that I don't feel guilty about being unavailable. Modern technology can be a blessing and a curse. Just because we can be instantly accessible doesn't mean we should be all the time. As far as those household tasks? I have discovered that doing things like the dishes, laundry, etc makes a nice physical break after sitting doing computer work and client sessions. Making these shifts has been very supportive for me, my loved ones and household. I hope that reading this has helped to spark insight for you. I invite you to reflect on: what do you value? Do your actions and mindset reflect those values? What can you say "no" to? Are there ways you can rearrange your schedule, home, etc to create more spaciousness and joy? Would it be supportive to gain clarity around what are the distractors in your life and what would help you get more traction and thrive? Would it be beneficial to bring your system and life into greater balance? Contact me to learn more about how I might be able to support you in living the life you desire :) I don't know about you but I am not a fan of filing. Did you know though that there are certain times in which the universal energy can give you a boost and help you do this mundane task more easily?!? The waning moon phase is a time to wrap up projects, when the moon is void of course organizing can be easier and during Mercury Retrograde is also a great time. Well tomorrow, all three of these cosmic events are happening, moon void of course is from 9:48 a.m. - 7:53 p.m. CDT. The stars are aligned!!
Tomorrow, I personally intend to work on my paper inbox, various piles, and this year's filing. Hope your Fall is off to a great start and that today's tip is supportive to you! Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday! Contact me if you are interested in learning more about working with personal and universal rhythms to bring more ease into your life :) As restrictions are being dropped and things are opening up again, I keep seeing/hearing references of "returning to normal". In my humble opinion life before the pandemic was not "normal", it was just familiar.
Perhaps during the past year + you discovered that your priorities and desires for what you want to experience and create in your life is different than you thought it was. My invitation to you is to be curious and notice when you are getting pulled back into the familiar that is no longer supportive and in alignment. And if someone in your life isn't willing to respect your growth and evolution, perhaps they're not worth your time, energy and attention. Remember you can't please everyone. And what others think of you is none of your business. Please be compassionate with yourself and others as we are all discovering who we really are and what we truly want. I'm cheering you on as you step into the next version of yourself and your life. This week marks the last couple of days of Winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) before the Spring Equinox on Saturday. In the life cycle, Winter is the time of death...creating space for rebirth in the Spring. Last week was the last waning lunar phase of Winter and the energy was quite potent. You may have noticed a variety of emotions and/or physical issues surfacing.We also know that a year ago, life was turned sideways and we found ourselves having to navigate something most of us have never before experienced. Today I'm feeling compelled to remind you (and myself) that we are all doing the best we know how given what we know. We also just changed our clocks an entire hour! I invite you to take this moment to breathe...deeply...and now again...and one more time. I love this image. It reminds me of how our lungs look like tree branches and roots and how connecting with my breath can help me to ground, come into the present moment and begin again. Please be gentle with yourself and others during these final days of Winter as we transition to a new season. As you may know I like to work with lunar and seasonal energy, recently I've been narrowing in even more and focusing on energy patterns within a day. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that restoration for each organ (and meridian) happens at a particular time of the day. I found this article to be very supportive. There is a stark contrast to when I am working with my body clock and when I am not. I am often more productive, focused, energized and my day flows more easily and joyfully when I am honoring my body clock.
As you read this article you may notice how you are already in sync with this clock when you are listening to your body. I found the "salty snack" tip for 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. to be especially amusing...totally spot on ;) Learn more about how to sync your schedule to your body clock here: https://www.wellandgood.com/chinese-medicine-body-clock/ Wishing you a magical 3/3 (March 3rd)! if you are looking to bring more joy and alignment into your life, contact me to discuss a Body Decoding session :) Today's invitation is to be really gentle with yourself. I don't know about you but I am REALLY feeling the waning moon energy today. That coupled with arctic temperatures and Mercury Retrograde is making me feel like I'm trying to move through molasses with cement armor on. My intention is to focus on hydration, to help my energy move more easily, as well as some gentle movement. Today and tomorrow we are once again moving into the dark moon phase, a powerful time to compassionately reflect. My intention is to write down a summary of the challenges and celebrations of the last 4 weeks to get some perspective on what has and has not been supportive. This helps me get clarity on the intentions/seeds I want to plant during the new moon phase of what I want to manifest this next lunar cycle. I like this website for tracking the lunar cycle: https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2021/february My dark, new and full moon rituals are sometimes simply writing down my thoughts. You can also incorporate cleansing baths/showers, candles, essential oils, herbs (like bay leaves), crystals, cards and more elaborate ceremony as feels supportive to you. Honestly some months it's simply me reflecting and only a few words or sentences make it onto the page...if that. Remember though that it's not the tools that hold the power. The tools are to help you come back to yourself and connect to your own power. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of ritual/ceremony, let it go and simply give yourself a moment to connect to your breath, come back to yourself...and maybe sit down with pen and paper ;) As far as the upcoming new moon: In addition to the new moon being in Aquarius, there will also be six planets in Aquarius. So there will be a lot of energy around relationships (with yourself and others) and it may be a time of heightened emotions for some people. So my invitation is to be gentle with yourself and curious about the people in your life. Who in your life supports you in being your best self? Which relationships are needing/wanting to shift or be released? Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday. |
Author
Hi! I'm Heather Rizzo, a.k.a The Body Whisperer. I hope you enjoy reading my insights and tips on how to be your most vibrant self! Archives
October 2023
Categories |