Energizing Exercise: Connecting Heaven and Earth

Have you been feeling sluggish and tired? When you wake up in the morning, do your joints and muscles feel sore? Are you someone who gets up and immediately starts moving through your morning routine? If any of these describe you, consider starting your day with a simple Energy Medicine exercise. 

“Connecting Heaven and Earth” is an exercise that opens the meridians, brings oxygen to the cells, and activates mood-boosting endorphins as well as the immune system. Try this stretch for the waist, hips, and torso at the start of your morning or whenever you need to feel refreshed throughout the day. 

1. Stand up, and put your hands on your thighs, fingers spread. 

2. Inhale through your nose while bringing your arms out and together in a prayer position. Exhale through your mouth. 

3. Inhale again, stretching one arm up and one arm down, pushing with flat palms. Hold, exhale through your mouth, and place your hands back in prayer position. Switch arms and repeat. 

4. Let your arms fall at your sides, fold your body forward at the waist, and bend your knees slightly. Take two full breaths before slowly rising back to a standing position. 

http://www.wellintolife.com -- Eden Energy Medicine practitioner Carey Phillips demonstrates Connecting Heaven & Earth, the fifth exercise in The Daily Energy Routine series. Connecting Heaven & Earth opens.the meridians' expels toxic energies' and stimulates fresh energy flow through the joints. For Exercise 5, Connecting Heaven & Earth: l.

References

Eden, D. (2012). The Little Book of Energy Medicine: The Essential Guide to Balancing Your Body’s Energies. New York: Penguin Group.  

Simple Mindfulness Practices

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of introducing a mindfulness practice into your life. It has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, increase self-compassion and acceptance, improve mood and cognitive functioning, and help tune out distractions. Many people picture mindfulness as a meditation practice that requires us to sit down with our legs crossed and focus on our breath for a long period of time. In reality, mindfulness can take shape in a myriad of ways, and you can try different practices until you find one that works for you. 

We suggest the following mindfulness practices you can easily implement and enjoy in a variety of settings:

1. Mindfully eat a raisin or piece of chocolate. Sit down and hold the raisin or chocolate in your hand. Study the texture, feel the weight in your hand, give it a smell. Put the raisin or chocolate in your mouth and let it sit on your tongue. Feel the texture of the item against your tongue or roof of mouth. Start to taste the flavor. Are any memories or images coming to mind? Slowly chew on the raisin or chocolate, being mindful of each sensation. After chewing and swallowing, pause and take a moment to notice where your mind is at and how you’re feeling. 

2. Think of five things you are grateful for. Pause for a few minutes and either write or mentally consider five things you are grateful for. Allow any images, thoughts, or emotions to rise up and just notice them. Sometimes by slowing down and reflecting on what matters to us, we can become reconnected to the present moment. 

3. Use your five senses. Locate 5 things you can see, 4 sounds you hear, 3 smells that cross your nose, 2 things you can touch, and 1 thing you can taste. Bring your awareness to any judgment thoughts that arise, and label them as “thoughts.”

4. Dance! Put on a favorite song and let yourself fully enjoy the sensations of dancing. Go “all in” and embrace the feeling of moving your body without fear of being judged. Sing along if you know the lyrics, and notice how it feels to engage in this one activity at this one moment in time. 

References

Cho, J. (2016). 6 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeenacho/2016/07/14/10-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-mindfulness-and-meditation/#25c2d94063ce. 

Radical Acceptance

Take a moment to think about something in your life that didn’t go as planned. Maybe you advocated for yourself, but still received an outcome that felt unfair. Or you lost someone or something very important and are in the process of grieving. Often it feels like life’s throwing every possible challenge our way, and we become overwhelmed and exhausted. 

We all know that pain is an inevitable part of life, but we don’t have to accept the suffering that comes with it. It is commonly explained that pain + nonacceptance = suffering. To reduce or avoid suffering, we are asked to find acceptance of the situation, our emotions, and/or ourselves. Acceptance does not mean agreeing with what happened or shoving away the memories and emotions (because they will likely come back up anyway!). Instead, acceptance means sitting with the current moment and radically accepting “what is.” 

Radical acceptance is something you can practice over and over and over. Physically, it could look like sitting down to a meditation with your palms up toward the sky and a gentle smile on your face. Mind follows body, and this posture indicates an openness and acceptance of the here and now. Mentally, it could mean repeating a mantra or phrase like, “I cannot change this situation, it is what it is, and this feeling will pass with time.” Spiritually, it could mean feeling a sense of acceptance wash over you completely, and choosing to accept with your whole being. 

Just like mindfulness, new hobbies, and changing thought patterns, radical acceptance takes practice and is something we will need to return to frequently. When you notice yourself feeling stuck, stubborn, or upset about something that’s out of your control, gently remind yourself to practice radical acceptance. As highlighted by Tara Brach in this two-minute video, acceptance is an important first step to change:

Tara Talks: Radical Acceptance is a Prerequisite for Change Psychologist Carl Rogers once said, "It wasn't until I accepted myself just as I was, that I was free to change." The fear of Radical Acceptance is that if we accept ourselves just as we are, we'll never improve or get better.

References

Hall, K. (2012). Radical Acceptance. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pieces-mind/201207/radical-acceptance.

Rollin, J. (2017). The Importance of Practicing ‘Radical Acceptance.’ Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-importance-of-practicing-radical-acceptance_b_592da801e4b0a7b7b469cd99.