Tag: Meditation

Our Brains Are Creative Machines – Is It Working FOR You?

Did you know that everything we do is creative? That we are creative in nature and creation itself?

Our brains are constantly creating whether we know it or not. Whether it’s thinking, doing, or working physically to keep our bodies going.., we are in motion all the time.

Just as we are creative we were given the power of free will. We are in control 100% of the time and it all starts with a thought. What do you choose to believe?

In mindfulness practice we learn we are the observer of our thoughts and not the thoughts we are thinking. We also learn we are so good at creating stories we actually believe them.

When we start to get good at being the watcher we begin to create separation between self and thought, and when we do this, we begin to understand we are not our thoughts at all. Pause a minute because that’s HUGE.

It’s as if we were inside the movie this whole time and yet we didn’t realize we were the director of it all.

Our brains are smart. And it’s efficient. It will always be working on something, and because it’s efficient it will always work on what is easiest and safest. It’s what are primitive brains grew up knowing in order to survive.

But once we realize our thoughts and behaviors are mostly habituated patterns we can take back the power and start to reinstate new thoughts and behaviors that serve who we are today.

Just as it was easy for your brain to operate at a certain level, you need to put in the work and create a new neural pathway for your new level of operation. Think of it as a software upgrade for your computer, except this time, it’s for your brain.

The way in which we do this is actual practice. Thinking the new thought, following through on new actions, and committing to it all. After all, your commitment to think old thoughts and act in old ways is what got you the results you have today right?

Remember, our brains are creative machines and the power is in YOUR hands. Here’s to new ways of living.

In wellness,

Susan

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Susan is a Life Coach based in Seattle, WA. Her main focus is to coach people build a strong emotional container so that we can experience the fullness of life coming from a place of deep confidence. Susan also coaches clients looking to heal adrenal fatigue by using a mental meta-model aimed at breaking down old mental patterns and behaviors so that we can finally tap into our own personal power.

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The Choice Is Yours

“In this moment at the window, I finally got it. If you want to become free or if you want to be bring more joy into your life, you must choose to change in certain ways. You must choose to learn about freedom. You must choose to learn about change. You must choose to change how you experience your problems. You must choose how you experience relationships. You must choose how you understand the universe. You must choose how you act, how you think, and how you live.”

~Owen Fitzpatrick

In wellness,

Susan

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This Is Supposed To Happen

Oftentimes our immediate reaction to something uncomfortable is to get as far as away as we can. However, what we don’t realize is what we avoid doesn’t dissolve, it stays exactly where it is until we come across it again or rather, it appears in a different shape or form so that we may learn the lesson.

What if instead we approached the discomfort with a knowing instead? Perhaps we may not know the answer or the why in the beginning, but what if we approached our deeper self with a wink and an, “ah- this is supposed to happen isn’t it?“.

What if there was an reason for what is happening? Whether it’s the current astrological conditions or physiological patterns of your body (i.e., hormones anyone?) there could be a billion reasons as to why you are feeling the way you’re feeling! And the conclusion shouldn’t be, “what’s wrong with me?!”.

Because trust me, there’s nothing wrong with you.

Hindsight is everything and if you’re anything like me, you’ll quickly realize there was a reason for every little thing you may have questioned.

So why not greet the discomfort with a thank you from your future self?

Here’s to trusting the flow and giving our best to each and every moment.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Lisa Verena Pape on Unsplash

Personal Responsibility

Ah, if there are two words that have become the ultimate power play for 2018 it’s this: Personal Responsibility.

When I think of personal responsibility it automatically presumes the power is in my hands, not anyone else’s.

Think about it, how many times these past few days have you allowed others or some thing to put you into a mood? Whether we like it or not, things will happen beyond our control and it’s up to us whether or not we want to give away our power or take personal responsibility and own how we react.

When we allow outside influences to control how we feel this is giving away our innate power. It reinforces our subconscious mind that we aren’t in control of how we feel, when in actuality we have immense power over how we feel.

Allow yourself some time today to reflect on the following questions in order to understand your own level of personal responsibility:

  • How easily do I “get over” things once they happen?
  • Do I mull over the incident repeatedly?
  • Is there a particular time of day or place when these “incidents” happen?
  • What helps me to realize I am the one in control?
  • How have I allowed others or some thing to take responsibility over how I feel?

 

Personal Responsibility is a powerful force. Once you realize you’re the one that’s actually in control of your life you can begin to fly.

In wellness,

Susan

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How Many Times?

Have you ever counted your thoughts? Or noticed just how many times a specific thought automatically pops into your mind?

The funny part is that we do everything we can do solve “the thought” or analyze “the thought” in order to make it unimportant, not realizing there’s an equally if not more important thought that takes over. Oh the irony!

The point here is two fold:

  1. Meditation – the more you meditate the more easy it becomes to become aware of exactly how your mind operates. It’s like Joseph Goldstein once said, “If you want to understand your mind, sit down and observe it”. So simple, yet so true. Typically people misunderstand meditation as a practice to ignore or stop thoughts. However, the deeper, true practice is to sit back and be in awareness of the thought; to notice it, to say, “I see you”. When “seeing” the thought you’re recognizing it for what it is, a thought! The more you practice the more you’ll begin to observe in what patterns and reactive ways your mind tends to lean toward; and you’ll begin to notice just how habituated your thinking and so called “problem solving” skills truly are. It’s quite fascinating.
    ///
  2. There’s nothing but the present – we’ve heard this one before, but it’s true and it’s important. If we already know a thought will be taken over by another thought, aside from meditation, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to enjoy THIS present moment. I liken this to a bumpy car ride. You know the ride is going to be bumpy and you’re already on it; are you going to torture yourself by thinking how horrible it is and ask yourself, “will I survive this?”, OR are you going to stare out the window and see just how magical the world is, as well as get to know the people next to you on a more intimate level? If we don’t choose the latter we miss the beauty, magic, and love that is right in front of us when we become wrapped up in our heads thinking the thought is the most important thing!

Did I mention homework?

It’s this – begin to notice your thoughts.

You’ll be quite surprised at just how little a variety of thoughts you actually think in a day, and you will notice it’s about the same 3-5 things your mind wants to mull over again, and again, and did I mention, again?

Here’s to more clarity, simplicity, and peace of our minds.

In wellness,

Susan

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Trust The Body

“A trembling in the bones may carry a more convincing testimony than the dry documented deductions of the brain.”

~Llewellyn Powers

Be still. Feel. Know.

In wellness,

Susan

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Between Breaths

there are times

when we stop.

we sit still…

we listen

&

breezes

from a whole

other world…

begin to whisper.

~james carroll

In wellness,

Susan

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How Does Your Life Reflect Your Beliefs?

“All that we are is the result of our thoughts.”

~Buddha

If our life is a culmination of actions and reactions we took upon ourselves, where are we now and do we like it?

If not, can we take an honest assessment of what we don’t like about our life and inspect what actions and/or reactions led us here? What was the underlying belief (or lack of) that initiated certain actions and reactions?

When we do the work to understand our self, we can begin to understand what needs to be changed and whether or not we are ready and willing to make that change.

This is how true desired change can occur. Most people desire change all the time and it’s beautiful how as humans we get to experience desire! However, without first understanding our self we cannot get to true desired change nor can we know whether or not this desire is good for us.

So here’s to doing the work and understanding ourselves at the deepest level so that we may up-level our lives for our highest good.

In deep wellness,

Susan

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Your True Light

“Only the light within us is real. We are not afraid of the dark without ourselves, so much as we are afraid of the light. The dark is familiar. It’s what we know. The light, the thought that we might indeed be good enough, is such a thread to the ego that it takes out its very big guns to defend against it. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…”

~Marianne Williamson

In wellness,

Susan

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Friday Focus – 12/29/18 {YOU Are Your Own Best Guide}

I had an idea of what I wanted to share today; it was going to be about the New Year, and I decided to scrap it at the last minute because something else was calling me to write about a very powerful message.

You see, sometimes we need to seek answers and that is completely OK. We need to go through different teachers whether it be yoga teachers, therapists, astrologers, psychics, chiropractors, life coaches, massage therapists, etc. to obtain the information we need at that time in order to grow and move on.

The beautiful thing is we begin to learn what works for us. Does touch work as a healing modality? Perhaps talking things out without the other person’s judgement is a form of release. Or maybe specific movement patterns such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga seems to alleviate emotional and physical pain vs. the typical bootcamp or hard core spin class. Maybe typical meditation doesn’t work for you right now. Or you discover that talking to your best friend is the best therapy, and it’s free!

As we learn to intuitively feel into what we need, we begin to learn what works for us (and mind you that always changes as well!).

However, almost always there comes a time when we reach a point of the constant search. Soon, we forget what we truly needed in the first place. Perhaps we got what we needed and quickly developed a new need. Or maybe you are searching for a specific answer but you haven’t received it just yet.

Regardless of the root cause, if you find yourself ridden with anxiety in a constant search for X, I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath and pause.

No matter what you hear out there or what you learn from your guru, we are all human at the end of the day. I mean, can we really know all the answers? Is there only one answer? Aren’t we changing all the time, in every moment as well? Plus, there are new discoveries made in the spiritual and scientific realms every. single. day! There’s no way anyone can come to learn everything in this moment – possibly ever!

So what can we do?

Listen to the small, still voice inside of YOU.

Remember, no one has every answer, and no one is YOU. Only you know for yourself what truly clicks and what doesn’t. You are designed as uniquely as a snowflake and so is everyone else. If discoveries are being made daily, who is to say this one way is the way? Or that it even exists?

Take a deep breath and pause. Listen to your heart. Place one hand on your heart, and the other on the ground in front of you and listen for as long as you need to until you feel the strength and all knowing truth that is already within.

It’s ok to search. It’s ok to seek. We’re meant to grow, learn, and evolve. But if you’re beginning to feel anxious in hoping to discover THE answer, always remember this – the TRUTH is within.

In wellness,

Susan

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