If you read the first part to Owning Up to Your Own Healing last week, hopefully you have taken a moment to ponder what that means to you. What does Owning Up mean for you? It varies for every person and is not a cookie cutter regimen. Like I said in the previous blog, the same patterns will continue to occur until you are serious about taking responsibility for going deeper into your own healing.
The Netflix series, “Maniac”, is one of my favorite shows and reminds me of the different ways people choose or not choose to Own Up. The creators of Maniac did a fantastic job at describing the complexities of the mind using fantasy, subtle humor, and complex character plots. (Warning: this show is violent at times) Two of the main characters, played by Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, meet each other in a clinical trial for a new drug designed to heal people’s minds. They both sign up for the study for different reasons, both either running away from their past or holding onto it as a means of coping. During the clinical trial their minds are scanned the mother computer plunges them into dream world. In these alternative realities they are forced to fight their inner demons and face these issues head on. Meanwhile the scientists running the program grapple with their own issues. They eventually realize the same underlying stories and unresolved issues continue to repeat with each wildly fantastical dream until they realize they can wake up, heal themselves and change their karma. Rather than take a drug like the characters in ‘Maniac’, here are some things you can do to Own Up.
Discover Who You Are
Are you surprised? Probably not. Accepting where you are in your spectrum of taking ownership of your health is a beneficial start. Without getting down on yourself, ask yourself honestly and courageously what ways are your walking your talk and what ways are you just talking? What small ways have you been owning up to discovering who you are?
Utilizing a meditation practice with the support of a teacher or a somatic-based healing modality are great starts to gaining more clarity about what it means to take full responsibility in being healthy and happy. Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan includes meditation and is like a rocket ship for discovering who you are. Be cautious as although there are plenty of reputable online resources for Kundalini Yoga there is also a lot of misleading information out there. If you already found an online resource from a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, that’s great! You can check out my YouTube channel too. However, nothing can replace the energetic experience of an in-person Kundalini Yoga class with a KRI certified teacher and the group energy of being with community. There are some things that can be healed much faster while leaning on the support of a group consciousness.
The Toronto Kundalini Yoga Community just completed a beautiful day of White Tantric Yoga yesterday. This meditation course is designed to deeply cleanse the subconscious mind. It is also only offered in a few select cities around the world. One facilitator said that one day of White Tantric Yoga is equivalent to 6 months of psychotherapy.
For the last year I’ve been teaching monthly Kundalini Rebirthing Workshops that also cleanses the subconscious mind in a different way. Come experience the next one this Sunday, June 2!
Another fast track to getting to know yourself is through Zero Balancing and Kundalini Yoga Therapy. They both offer an opportunity for subconscious blocks to effortlessly and effectively fall away. These modalities also give opportunities to discover deeper layers and a new perspective of you.
Even if you have no idea what it means for you to take the next step, all you need is to have a genuine open heart to discover it and follow through with action.
Create a Plan
Write down your goals and what you want your healing journey to look like, your best version of yourself in a week, month, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? In the teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan say it takes 40 days to break any negative habit, 90 days to establish a new habit, 120 days to solidify/confirm a habit and 1000 days to master a new habit. Consider this when setting your long term and short term goals.
A significant part of the healing work I offer is collaborating on creating a home program with my clients. This includes dietary, lifestyle, meditation and yoga postures uniquely designed for you. I also follow up with clients via email or phone in between sessions. Ask your doctor or health practitioner what you can do to take ownership of your own healing. Also, let them know of any new alternative therapies you start.
Small Steps
I have found that goals are more likely to be achieved if they are organized in small realistic steps. For example, if I suggest to you to eat less spicy food to improve digestion, you won’t find me telling you that you can never eat spicy food again. Instead I will ask if it’s a realistic goal for you to decrease the spice level to a certain percentage until I see you next. Often times committed clients will exceed these goal but felt confident to take ownership of reaching the minimum goal.
Rather than trying to juggle perfecting and maintaining all your short term goals at once, focus on only one for a designated amount of time. One way is to start meditating for 3 minutes a day with a complete focus for 11 days instead of jumping into a 40-day meditation practice if you have never meditated before. Other ways could be walking every day for 20 minutes, walk to the subway instead of take a bus, commit to decreasing your sugar intake every day for 1 week then assess how you feel.
Stay tuned for the final part of this blog theme next week!