|
What an unusual time we are in-- a pandemic that not only creates feelings of panic, chaos and overwhelm making us feel like we can hardly breathe but literally taking our breath away with its effects on our respiratory health amongst other things. A state of unknowns, mixed messages, and fake news......we need a call for a hero and a remedy. The hero? That is inside you..... simply focus on your breath. The inhale (as your belly expands) and the exhale (the belly contracts). Eyes closed. Search within. Let your Soul guide you. The remedy? How about a reminder to BREATHE..... not just in words (as on the label!) but in its smell that is designed to open up our airways: doTERRA's Breathe Essential Oil. Ahh, take it in.....
0 Comments
Where there is darkness, there is also light.
Where there is fear, there is also love. I've heard the encouraging and loving words of parents telling their kids: in the midst of tragedy, look for the people who are helping. In other words, look for the light amidst darkness, the love amidst fear. This idea that there is always love on the other side of fear may not feel clear or even possible when you find yourself feeling fearful. Stressed, anxious, sad, shamed, guilty, angry, scared.....it's all based in fear. (All true and valid emotions, by the way, doing their work to alert you that something is not aligned with you and needs your attention). Whenever I notice -- as soon as I catch myself -- caught up in fear, this is a reminder for me to come to my breath. I have a few go-to breath meditations I like to use but just the very simple: close my eyes and take long deep breaths -is all I truly need. Do this for as long as you need until you feel calm and can respond (as opposed to react) to the fear....and amazingly the Monster Fear becomes a much tamer beast. And in that space, I can look for the Love. To develop the habit of letting fear be a trigger to come to my breath, I made it a conscious daily practice for a number of days in a row to notice the fears popping up in my life-- big and small....there were plenty. The house is a mess and I'm angry at all those who contributed to it. Breathe deeply. My kids are squabbling endlessly over seemingly nothing and I don't know how to get them to stop (I'm irritated). Breathe deeply. The dishes I did not use are piled in the sink (I'm resentful). Breathe deeply. My spouse made a hurtful comment. Breathe deeply. My boss was super-critical of something I put alot of effort into. Breathe deeply. The news is deeply disturbing and threatening my peace of mind. Breathe deeply. I haven't finished my class preparations and I'm running out of time. Breathe deeply. Each of these moments created a fear for me and I practiced noticing them. I would not have considered them fear in the past but noticing them made it possible to look at them differently. When you can make it a regular practice to notice and find your calm through your breath, you develop the ability to do this every time, especially when your fear is maximized. From a calm place, you can then make the choice to see the situations from Love-- which is really the only Truth in life. Fearful, ugly things happen but when you get to the bottom of it, you will find a lack of love that was the cause. So finding the Love is like turning on the light switch. Look for the people helping. Look for your Self helping. Look for the Love. Just stop.
Breathe. Create space by letting your mind release all of it. (Don't worry, you'll bring it back.....the necessary parts). For now, just let go and only focus on your breath. Your breath is everything. Breathe. Now..... bare bones. That's it. Forget all the rest.... all those extra elements that will make your creation outstanding.... for now, it's gravy. Keep the foundation and be sure it's solid. That's it. When you are ready and your friend Overwhelm has said goodbye, smile and embrace those extras one at a time. Don't open the floodgates. Take the time to welcome and connect each new addition to your project. Savor and delight in them. Or thank them for coming and let them go. There is alot of good information out there about how best to store essential oils and essential oil-infused DIY products. Click here for doTerra's information on it.
I like to keep things simple and intuitive so here are my quick guides on the matter.
Glass is impervious to essential oils and is the best way to keep DIY products fresh. It is also easy to clean with soap and water. With plastics, there's a possibility that the oils will leech onto/dissolve the plastic. The higher quality plastic -HDPE- has stronger bonds and longer chain lengths that are not broken up by essential oils. PET is also resistant but be wary of the dilution ratio. To test if your plastic container is resistant, add a drop of the oil you want to use (different oils have different impact) to the outside of the container and make sure there is no change to the plastic after a few minutes. To be safe, again, glass is best. Sometimes I make the wrong decisions. I know that I am as I'm making it.
What is that?! It's nervous energy. It's fear. It's discomfort. It's knowing what it is and not wanting to face it. Feeling an insurmountable obstacle to tackle. The poor choice didn't seem to have any real ill effects. Except maybe that my day might have looked different if I chose self-love instead of self-sabotage. If I chose the healing meditation that would've set me on course for a better decision. If I reached for my balancing oil and let it work my nervous system to peace. But of course my oil wasn't right next to me. I resisted the meditation (which my oil would've helped release). There's never a wrong move, to be honest. I needed the reminder which this small regret gave me. Today, I hold my oil. Today, I do that kriya. Today, I embrace the meditation. My compassion and love for myself, for my Soul, swells. Sat nam. |
AuthorI am the Essential Soul Mama. I am a mama, a soulful-spiritual teacher, an intentional storyteller, and a lover of stories of all kinds, in all forms. I write about emotions, parenting, natural health options, mind-body-soul connections, and anything that elevates our lives. Archives
October 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed