Last week a client mentioned as she walked out the door how taking responsibility for her healing has helped her in many ways. She said she knew right away after taking a Kundalini Yoga class I taught that I meant business and she knew I was the right healer for her. That’s the thing, people have a beautiful thing called self Will which gives them the opportunity to decide how they need to heal, how deep they want to go, and when to do it.
When people decide that they want to work with me it’s not the money that sometimes makes them hesitate. Somehow they know energetically that they are going to have to step it up in some way if they want to sign up for a session. It might take a minute to decide if this is the time to step it up. This particular client and I both agreed that the actual healing work doesn’t necessarily fix someone, rather it gives an opportunity for change. The healing work on the table allows the work each client does on their own to stick. This is the shift that can happen that creates lasting benefits instead of a short term fix. That manifests for different people in different ways.
Now that you have at least contemplated taking the next step in your healing, you will need some help to continue the progress. If you haven’t had a chance to read Part 1 and Part 2 , feel free to read it now.
Praise Accomplishments Instead of Failures
Nobody likes feeling worse after not achieving a goal. Starting a gratitude journal is a simple way to acknowledge the little successes you make every day even if there are small challenges along the way.
If you tend to be harder on yourself, like I do, remember that sometimes it takes time to make new habits. There’s a familiarity with a negative habit, emotion or trauma that can sometimes be hard to let go of. Utilizing programs like Beyond Addiction or Compassionate Inquiry in conjuction with healing sessions from me can help uncover the origin of those underlying habits.
Meanwhile, you can change your perception on what failure is. My wise friend once suggested instead of seeing these failed situations as mistakes, try to see everything as an experiment like you are in the biggest scientific laboratory of life. Having a different frame to see goals as experiments instead of challenges has brought me more self-compassion during the experiments that didn’t end as expected.
If you tend to not like to commit to anything unless absolutely necessary, cancel meetings last minute, be late to appointments or don’t follow through on your word, then explore the small ways you can make commitment more fun without it seeming like a punishment. Being balanced in spirit, mind and body means having to navigate the finite responsibilities of living in the world while staying connected to the Infinite. For example, what special thing can you do for yourself at each milestone for sticking to your exercise routine? How early do you need to set your alarm so you can do your morning routine and still get to yoga class on time?
Have a Support Network
Everyone knows the world can seem simultaneously chaotic and also lonely. The framework of having a tight knit community has fallen out of sight in our culture in many ways but it is also improving in many ways. Get involved in one or more of the following to keep you accountable and also keep up during challenging times:
-online Facebook group support after completing a in person training program
-an in-person support group
-meet-up group
-buddy you can call on a regular basis
-faith-based group
-yoga studio
-mentors or teachers you resonate with now or have in the past
Most importantly, consult your health care provider about ways you are taking more ownership of your health and also ask for help to initiate a plan. It’s important to understand how to access health care options where you live. Contact a health care activist and representative like Sundeep Hans to help you so you can find out more.
My adventure of Owning Up has been full of many triumphant life experiments gone right while others left me feeling like the whole laboratory exploded. The continuing process of Owning Up as a healer is just as important as asking the same of my clients. It has been a humbling road and also an enlightening adventure of discovering possibilities. For me, Owning Up has been trusting that I am always held by the One creative force that always manages to create balance in the end. Taking responsibility for my health and healing with the support of others enables many new outlooks on how to embrace the complexity of emotions/thoughts in relationship with the soul. How can you take responsibility for your healing today?
(pic by Orbital Arts in Toronto, Ontario https://www.orbitalarts.ca/)