Today is the Spring Equinox and it's a powerful day to set intentions for what you're desiring to birth and create in your own life. Think of it as a day to reclaim parts of yourself, to release old energy and ideas that no longer serve you into the fertile soil so they are composted for the new. I'm deleting old emails, letters, and notes having to do with a very painful situation that I am letting go of. I'll print out a few and burn them- a wonderful letting go ritual. Transmute all that dark energy into light. No need to hold onto all those old writings that were written in a time of immense pain, confusion, and anger. I'm letting go of those energies to create more joy, pleasure and love in my life which feels so powerful and juicy! What can you release today? What do you desire to call in to your life? What new ideas, experiences, people, opportunities, feelings? Take some time to walk in nature- each step release, release, release and then feel all that you are desiring and welcome it in. It's Spring, time for the flowers to blossom, for more more beauty, more color, more light not just in nature but in our lives as well. Enjoy!
Reclaim your Peace
I have a friend who is fostering some sweet babies and they tend to come back from parent visitations rather upset, unsettled and restless. While I’ve been bringing over food, done a few overnight shifts (which once again elevates my awe for parents) I realized I could share some things I do to calm my system with her, the babies and now you, along with a little behind the scenes info about what that stress is doing to that sweet body and brain of yours.
What's up Doc?
During the stress causing moments/event- your spirit wants to leave the building, your body can constrict and your brain wants to control- all of this makes sense. Just imagine the gazelle being chased by the cheetah. Laser focused on survival, the gazelle is in serious fight or flight mode: adrenaline and cortisol coursing through its body to give it that boost to escape the cheetah. Same thing happens to humans except many of us have done this crazy adaptation where we pretend its not stressful! And our brain adapts to this, our amygdala- the part of our brain that is involved in the processing of our emotions (think anger, fear, joy) learns our pattern is to shove it down, go over it and so it adapts and clamps down on these emotions- rather than feeling them and all of those emotions get built up. So tune in to what stressful things are in your life: unrealistic demands at work, a bully in your life, your commute, a jam packed schedule…got one? Okay, now you what’s happening behind the scenes…what can you do about it?
Here are some tips for reclaiming peace, balance and serenity:
Get back in your body. During the stress take some deep breaths, feel your body your feet on the ground, connected to earth- get the energy downward, away from the anxiousness in your head. If you’re sitting in a chair – feel you butt in the seat, get your feet on the floor. Speak your truth, set a boundary if necessary. This can help minimize the stress.
Lavender oil. Put lavender oil on your wrists and take in a few deeps breaths. This is a calming agent. Also wonderful to put a few drops in your bath.
Imitate kids. Feel it, get it out of your system, preferably in the moment or as soon as possible and then you are on to the next thing! Emotions are energy and when they go unfelt they get trapped in our body, creating disease and out of balance systems. So feel your feelings. Cry, say how are feeling out loud, don't analyze for awhile, welcome in the feelings and love them up. Keep the energy flowing.
Epsom Salt baths help absorb and change the energy ions and get the toxic energy out of your system and relax muscles. Light some candles, put on some quiet music and put 2 cups in your bath (1/3 cup for babies and make sure they don’t swallow it!) Create a soothing environment for your body and mind.
Music. Listen to soothing tunes to calm your system. Some of my favorites include George Winston’s December, cello music, ocean sounds, the Out of Africa Soundtrack and guitar music. There are plenty of Pandora stations and Spotify playlists as well. I love music for soothing my sweet system.
Other times I want to rock and roll that crap outta me! I put on some rage tunes and dance and scream and move it out!!! Put on some def leopard do some screaming, moving and shaking and then put on the George Winston to calm you system down.
Take a stroll in nature. Nature is an incredible healer. Breathe in the air, hug a tree, imagine the sun nourishing you, the earth holding you steady and supporting you. Take in the beauty of a flower, hear the birds…all of this helps soothe your system.
Routine and rhythm are magical elixirs for the soul. As you start doing these things on a more consistent basis you are teaching your system it’s safe and will be taken care of. That you aren’t going to bulldoze through this stress and pretend you’re not on high alert with cortisol and adrenaline coursing through your body. Your body, mind and spirit know you will take care of them and even better, that you are taking steps to alleviate the stress in your life.
What can you do today to limit the stress in your life? Where are you accepting stress that is unacceptable? You get to turn the tables on stress. Have fun reclaiming your peace and dancing in your car.
Love,
Kim
Why I dance
"Dance is dangerous, joyous, sexual, holy, disruptive, contagious, it breaks the rules. It can happen anywhere, anytime, with anyone and everyone, and it's free. Dancing insists we take up space, we go there together in community. Dance joins us and pushes us to go further and that is why it's at the center of ONE BILLION RISING.
- Eve Ensler
When I was a teenager, I’d spend hours in my bedroom walking on the treadmill zoning out on the North and South miniseries with a dreamy Patrick Swayze, or getting lost in the drama and romance of Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, and Days of Our Live -how I loved Bo and Hope - in a failing attempt to heal my heart and control the size of my body. Trying to lose the weight accumulating from the secret eating that happened in the closet to right of the treadmill. The place I would go when I felt sad, lost, alone, hurt, confused, disappointed, judged, wounded. My solace. My refuge: a closet and usually a gallon of ice cream with some chocolate chips tossed in and the all-important spoon.
This cycle would continue for years, the location of the treadmill and secret eating changed along with the tv programs but the shoving down of my emotions with food, then punishing my body and my spirit would keep on going. Thankfully, Oprah lifted the veil on emotional/compulsive eating and I started therapy at 19. Over the years my secret, compulsive eating would lessen and I’d spend more time hiking and skiing. But it wasn’t until I reconnected with dance in my late 30s that I truly reconnected with my body and all it held for me: wisdom, power, release, refuge, solace, kindness, sensuality and grace.
I dance to come home and feel whole.
I dance because there is a sacredness, a joy, and a power that is awakened. Aspects of myself I was cut off from, that lay dormant, started coming to life and I connected with my sensuality, passion, the sacredness of my body, softness, expression, vitality, and communion.
I dance as it shifts my life long pattern of living from the neck up, over thinking, over analyzing and playing it safe. I dance because in my body I found the wisdom I’d been missing. A wisdom and a voice I sensed existed but I couldn’t tap into…that wasn’t in my brain. I dance to claim my space, be radiant and find that sweet spot of communion with the divine.
I dance because I find my wild.
I dance because our bodies were meant to have shape, speeds, curves, angles and altitudes and because we are meant to be wild. I dance because it is my form of expression- to share all within me- the secrets, the emotions, the stories, the desires- they emerge in my dance. I feel my truth bubble up, I move through my grief, my sadness, my rage. I share my exuberance, my joy, my delight. I dance to find peace, reclaim my wild and feel at home in my sacred body.
I dance to feel sexy, raw, tender, sweet, open, and blissful.
I dance underneath the stars to hear the universe sharing its magic and secrets with me and to honor mother earth and all she gives me. I dance at the ocean to feel the wind in my hair, on my skin and the sand underneath my feet, the water taking away what is ready to be let go. I dance at the cliffs to hear the pounding of the ocean meeting land and watch the sun rise or set. I dance on mountaintops to see the vistas and touch the clouds.
I dance because it connects me to my joy, my power, my soul.
I dance with my sisters to feel connection. I dance to move through all the crap that piles up in my body and mind- to create a clear channel so I can sway with greater ease through the world. I dance because it is what my ancestors did, because it is our nature- to gather round the circle and drum and play and move our feet, our hips. I dance to open my heart and be true.
I dance because it makes me happy.
I dance because it reminds me of being a little girl. Before I cared so much about what others thought. Before I changed to make others more comfortable.
I dance because it is my civil disobedience, my act of rebellion and my reclamation of my true essence.
I am here. You can’t keep me on a treadmill, locked away deadening my heart and my soul towards myself. You can’t keep me from my true wild nature. You can’t keep me hating myself and focused on being thin and in control when there is so much living to do. You can’t keep me doing leg lifts and comparing my body to the cover models. You can’t keep my curves at bay, my womanhood. You can’t keep my voice, my rage, my passion, my joy locked away. I am here. I am here to dance at the ocean, in the mountains, on the streets, in my car, around the fire, in the kitchen, at the grocery store.
I am here to rise, to live, to laugh, to sob, to scream, to writhe, to shake, to shout, to twirl, to skip, to swing, to leap, to remember, to connect, to commune, to laugh, to touch, to sway. I am here.
Dancing in Portland, Maine
Pink: dance, be free, claim your space
Pink says: “I have never liked bullies of any kind. Whether it’s someone picking on the “fat” kid, the “retarded” kid, the “short” kid, the “black” kid, the “Asian” kid, the “gay” kid, the “girl”, cause she “hits like a girl” or is the “weaker sex”…You name it. Different “reasons”, same “bully”. The bully is the problem. The bully needs a hug, a lesson, enlightenment. The bully is the one that really feels inferior, so he/she picks on someone else to make that person feel inferior too. When I read about this organization, how people get together of their own free will and dance, use their bodies, to express their rage- outrage- around the injustice that women feel all over the world, every day- I was inspired. I am a woman. I know women. I have sisters, strong and less strong, small and less small, Asian and black, gay and straight, Indian and Native American… We are all equally deserving of respect and personal space. I will fight for that right for all of us. And we come together to do so on our stage, with our brothers and menfolk- where we express our freedom every night. And that freedom inspires others to be free. We hope this video helps. And we hope for that one day when all women and girls are able to have respect, and personal space, and to be able to express themselves in whatever way THEY feel is right for them.”
I love that in dancing we come together to reclaim our space, our wild hearts, freedom, bodies and self expression.
Simplify
Hey friends!
Part of reclaiming your wild heart, is reclaiming your space and how your spend your time.
We spend a lot of time accumulating stuff and it seems that more and more of my friends and I are spending our weekends and evenings getting rid of what we've been accumulating. Books we read or keep saying we're going to read but it hasn't happened in 5 years, scarves, knick knacks that we don't look at, cookbooks we don't use, sweaters we haven't worn, kids toys that are collecting dust, shoes whose soles were done a few years back…you get the idea.
I wanted to share some tips which helped me de-clutter my inner and outer life - which has allowed space for more down time, books that intrigue me, and the few sweaters that make me swoon along with feeling more calm, more centered and having my surroundings being cleaner and not surrounded with to-dos.
1. Pick a charity or two or three to donate your items to. This helps motivate you, as you are holding on to a frame you've sworn for four years you're going to put in a picture. Try and deliver the goods the same day you clean. It's a rapturous feeling to have the pile gone! You get a tax donation, folks get new or gently used stuff and you have more room for the things that really turn you on.
2. Ask for help. Have a friend you want to spend some time with and who digs this stuff come over. Put on some music and got for it. I recently spent a day with a friend and in 6 hours (while listening to her fabulous 80's90's playlist) we had cleaned out and organized her entire garage, taken a carload of items to Goodwill, had a few dance breaks, bought new containers to replace the cardboard boxes the mice had gotten into and to containerize her shelves so things were more accessible, attractive and organized. Maybe it's your closet? your kitchen? Ask for help and make it fun!
3. Quit getting so much junk mail and unwanted catalogs: I realized how much time I spent flipping through catalogs for stuff I didn't want/need. It created a pile of an unnecessary to-do's and wasted time and paper. Download PaperKarma and snap the back of the catalog, they do the rest! Enjoy receiving so little mail and doing a favor for the earth.
4. Have the conversations that keep swirling around in your mind. Need to say something to a friend/relative about hurt feelings? Ask your boss for a raise? Set a boundary with someone in your life? Ask for help? We spend a lot of our precious life force energy talking to ourselves. Choose one conversation to have and see how it feels once you've done it. Do you feel more brave? more relaxed? Keep going. This is a huge one for creating more space for the new and keeping energy flowing.
Would love to hear how these tips work for you. How you feel as your simply your life and create room for the luscious, invigorating, and new energy which infuses your life.