My intention with writing this is to bring more people into awareness of how they can easily implement their natural intuitive instincts into their everyday lives and utilize it to create their bliss…whatever that is.
Get Your Groove Back
All too often we can find ourselves outside of our “groove”, so much so that many times the outside of our groove becomes our home base. This is when we experience exhaustion, frustration, weight gain, depression and stress, just to name a few.
Webster defines groove as being able to do something well and easily especially because you are doing it often. To me, groove is something I associate with smooth, soul revving passion that sashays its way directly to its target. Like the unwavering arrow, it finds the bull’s eye with ease; it is flow in the sense of direct connection with Source energy.
Some people want to spend a lot of time figuring out how they got where they are. If you don’t like where you are wouldn’t it be better to do something different versus the same thing that got you where you are? I spent so many years trying to sort out what I could’ve or should’ve done. Then I heard a saying that still holds true for me today and that is “Don’t should all over yourself!” It really doesn’t matter how you got out of your groove, what is more important is getting back in!
The two questions most often asked by my clients is how do I get out of this slump? And how do I keep the momentum of good things going? The answer is easy: create habits of conscious strategies by living through mindfulness, awareness and clarity. With these three constructs you will find anything and everything you’re looking for in your life. Now that last statement sounded pretty hokey and if you asked me anyone who made a statement like that I would immediately be suspect, looking for the trick. I can say that not only because I have a high success rate with my clients but also because I practice it in my own life, “not only am I the president but I’m a member.” I am an avid believer in the Law Of Attraction and especially love the platform Jerry & Esther Hicks have been aligning with through Abraham, I practice it personally as well as support my coaching clients in their practices. So here’s the deal…there is no deal, here’s why. You already know everything you need to know, you have your natural innate knowledge within you, like most of us humans, you were taught to shut it off as you grew up. You only need to reconnect with it through these practices. After applying these easy techniques you’ll find yourself back in the real groove of your own life. Time to take charge and be the driver of your life!
FIRST THINGS FIRST!
What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of being keenly aware of what you are feeling in every moment without judgment.
What is Awareness? Awareness is an alertness and attentiveness way of being.
What is Clarity? In this context I will be using clarity as sharp coherence of direction either through understanding, vision, feeling, or hearing.
A study published in Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience reported that clearing the mind and allowing it to quiet down – like the practice of meditation – can reduce anxiety levels by up to 22 percent. Research also suggests that meditating and practicing mindfulness can actually form new and permanent neural connections in the brain. Slowing your mind and directing it allows you to be in the present instead of worrying about what happened in the past or what could happen in the future. All you need is 5 minutes a day and the more you practice it the easier it gets. I personally have found this to be a key factor in expanding my groove. Something so easy is often overlooked because it’s simple – people often want a pill or a magical cure – well here it is. Stop the monkey mind – create a beautiful mind.
Week One – Seeing the Monkey Mind, Monkey See Monkey Do
I affectionately call an undirected mind a monkey mind because I find that when I resist something it only gets bigger, and befriending your monkey mind will allow you to see it and experience it. Once something is seen it can never be unseen. I like monkeys I think they’re precious curious little creatures that can sometimes screech at ear shattering decibels. And that’s what our minds can do if they’re not clear or present – shriek.
Experiment with the exercises, for that is exactly what they are…exercises designed to help you “practice” a new awareness. So no censoring your thoughts – just let them flow.
Day 1
Play That Funky Music:
Listening to music has many benefits — so many, in fact, that music is being used therapeutically in a branch of complimentary medicine known as music therapy.
Find an old song that brings happy thoughts for you and play it. While it’s playing direct your attention to the
sound
beat
vibration of each note
feelings the music brings up within you &
sensations that are happening “right now” as you listen
If you can really get into the rhythm of it – play it loud & proud – even sing if you dare. If other thoughts creep into your awareness, congratulate yourself for noticing, and gently bring your attention back to the current moment and the music you are hearing.
Day 2
You deserve a break today….
Today take a mindfulness break – for 5 minutes – instead of getting online to check emails or check in on FB – close your office door, or find a quiet spot, set an alarm on your phone to remind you when the 5 minutes is up, close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. Just simply breathing deeply in and out. Pay attention to your nostrils as air passes in and out. Notice the way your abdomen expands and collapses with each breath.
Noticing when your thoughts wander and gently bringing your attention back to your breath. You are becoming aware of what is happening around you, breath by breath.
Day 3
Nature calls….
Today get outside in nature – even if it’s just the green patch of grass outside your office building. While outside look around and notice the color of the sky, the clouds, a bird, squirrel, or a tree bowing in the wind. Paying attention to the nature around you and your breath, see if you can breathe with the wind, or the flight of a crow. This is an awareness that is subtle yet links you into the natural flow of nature. Our natural cycles which are sometimes overlooked due to living a busy life, when we are not in sync with our natural cycles we see an impact on the physical body with sleep and eating disorders, not to mention emotional impacts. Taking 5 seconds to notice and be aware of a bird flying overhead can help you stay on the track to health and vitality.
Day 4
Out with the OLD in with the NEW
Today you are going to look at things from a different perspective. This is a great training to help you think outside of the box. Find a small, familiar object — such as a toothbrush, paperclip or cellphone. Look at the object with new eyes. If you didn’t call this a toothbrush – what would you call it? Sometimes it’s easier to do this if you imagine yourself to be talking to a 2 year old, who doesn’t understand what or why you would use a paperclip. See if you can notice any new details about your object that you didn’t see before. When you can release constraints you put on your thinking process you will find there is a wave of opportunities to consider. You’ll no longer be tied to any belief that you find restricts your joy.
Day 5
The telephone game says it all….
Today is all about the chitchat. We don’t realize how often in conversations we drift off into our own thoughts instead of truly listening to what someone else is saying. In one of your conversations today listen closely to the words he or she is using. See if you can understand their meanings and uniqueness.
As of January, 2014 there were 1,025,109.8 words in the English language, according to The Global Language Monitor. Oxford Dictionary states, there are “at the very least, a quarter of a million distinct English words”. With that many choices being aware of the preferences of ones words could make the difference in a business going public or staying a specialized boutique.
If practicing that while in a conversation doesn’t delight you – try this: Take one word…simple word such as “that”. Repeat that word over and over in your mind until the word sounds foreign to you.
With so many words is it any wonder we are moving more into an image driven world? Which is another reason to clear your mind and restore the momentum of your groove, so you know you are inspired to respond and take action vs. reacting to a picture of someone who has dropped 50lbs.
Day 6
Mind your food…..
Today you are going to awaken your senses. And according to the Mayo Clinic this practice can give you helpful insight as to your relationship with eating and food. Choose any food that you like and set it before you, prepared and ready to be tasted. Look at the food and notice any physical responses you may have to it, mouth watering, stomach growling, nose sniffing etc. Then pick up the food and look closely at it, smell it, notice any thoughts or feelings you are experiencing. Taste the food, slowly and deliberately chew it while paying attention to all of your sensory responses, notice the taste, smell, texture, sounds as you bite into it and chew. Notice your thoughts around swallowing; are you already thinking about the next bite? This isn’t to evaluate the taste of the food it’s more about your awareness around your mind and body correlations and responses to the food.
Day 7
Walking Dead?…..
Like breathing, walking is something we do without giving it much thought or attention. If you stop to think about it our feet carry us to and fro, north and south, from here to there – they take us everywhere. Today walk while being aware of the feeling of your foot on the pavement, dirt, grass. Notice as your heal strikes the ground and your foot naturally rolls forward to the ball of your foot. Notice your thoughts while feeling the sensations of your feet on the ground. Can you feel your toes as you go through the process? Just be aware and notice whatever thoughts come up and congratulate yourself for being present, while gently directing your thoughts back to the sensations of your feet, your legs, hips, your shoulders, your chin as you continue to walk.
This exercise connects your mind with your physical body in a more mindful experience so that your body starts to acknowledge mentally what it’s feeling. That feeling is guidance to your clarity and direction.
