Welcome to those of you that are visiting our website for the first time and greetings to everyone else. I wanted to share a few thoughts on the season and turning the corner on a new year as well as make a few exciting announcements.
On the shortest day of the year, accompanied by the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice may be a powerful metaphor for how life has felt for a while. Perhaps you, like me, usually look forward to the winter as a time of quiet and reflection, hibernating if you will, in the form of slowing down, focusing inwardly, and embracing simplicity. But we have had a different kind of year, vastly, and for some there is a sense of restlessness and resistance to more of the same. And though the Winter Solstice offers the hope of more daylight to come, just as vaccinations offer hope for a global pandemic, we still have to walk the walk of being with what is happening right now. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but still being in the tunnel. As I offer in my book, River to Ocean: Living in the Flow of Wakefulness, true mindfulness means being fully present in this moment of life with acceptance. Below are a few practices to help us all hibernate wakefully.
- Make accepting what is and practicing mindfulness a conscious choice, which helps move us from a “this is happening to me” mindset to a “this is happening through and for me” one. The energy of being willing is quite different than white knuckling our way through time and circumstance.
- As you make the choice to be wakeful during the winter season, imagine listening to what you are feeling such that your willingness to practice mindfulness includes making any changes that would be helpful, such as better self care, practicing boundaries, taking up journaling, less T.V. watching, more time in nature or taking time off. Emotions are a powerful guide to accessing what we need.
- Consider this as time to go deeper and be more attuned in your relationship with yourself and others;
- Try practicing one act of kindness everyday, in all sorts of forms and see how many days you can stack up;
- Finally, ask yourself what have you learned and how you intend to take those learnings into your life and future? Reflecting upon what has been hard, good, enlightening, etc. is how this year offers a transformed future as we eventually arrive on the other side of so much of the adversity we have faced.
A couple of announcements. First and foremost, Gary has just completed a coaching program and is now a Certified Integral Life Coach. He has been trained in a time proven methodology and is motivated by a deep desire to contribute to his clients’ growth and potential. His is also still providing chiropractic care with over 35 years of experience. You can learn more about Gary and what he offers by visiting his page on our website here.
Gary and I want to let you know of our intention to resume offering personal, relational and spiritually based retreats and will be exploring holding retreats internationally. We are looking to visit Costa Rica and particularly a small mountain village that has several retreat centers to see if we can make this dream a reality. We will keep you posted!
Keep checking out our website for announcements, stories of wakefulness, and new podcast interviews (click here) where you can also purchase River to Ocean: Living in the Flow of Wakefulness directly from me (click here). River to Ocean is also available via Amazon (click here) and in audiobook through Audibles (click here).
Be well, be safe and sending you love,
Katherine