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March 2010 - Inspiring Possibilities



In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks encourages us to bring laser focus to our most productive and important time of the day.  If you've been following along, you know mine is in the shower.  For me, it's where the universal consciousness speaks to me most freely and says, "Hey, Joanne, this one is for you - go for it!"  Simply stated, my time in the shower is inspirational, and for me, that means productive.

The phenomenal power of inspiration dazzled me after seeing "Invictus," the film based on true events of Nelson Mandela and the Springbok rugby team.  Mandela, leading by example, roused a divergent and struggling country to unite for a moment in time.  He followed the truth within himself, using his most precious and unique personal gifts to share and celebrate the humanity that joined the people of his country.

Whether from music, nature, a unique experience, a close friend, the story of a stranger, a work of art, or a moment of self awareness, we are inspired daily.  Some ideas feel ordinary, and we may take them for granted.  Much the way we take for granted the gifts that are uniquely ours; however, if you heed the call of that which inspires you, the abundant passion with which you embrace your creativity, enlivens you, and may stir others to greatness!  The connection to your most authentic and expansive self, inherently extends an irresistible invitation to those around you, creating space for greater universal presence and clarity.  Marianne Williamson says it beautifully (read the quote).

With that, I invite you to take a moment to consider: what inspires you?  Notice when you have experienced a single moment of feeling your own nugget of knowing slip into your consciousness like a best friend, reaching for your hand in a moment of triumph.  In January, Anya Sophia Mann wrote about one of her moments, and reading her prose, I feel the zing right along with her!  

My hypothesis: We are inspired by energies that resonate most deeply with our unique personal gifts.  When we recognize something that touches upon the essence within us, we come alive!  If we possess an awareness of our individual gifts, and we attend the call of inspiration when it rings our bells, anything is possible!

If anything is possible, who is the YOU that you choose to be?

Brimming with possibilities,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899 

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February 2010 - The "Woo" in You


Writing is not one of my gifts.  For me, writing is an ability of compensation, not a gift of genius.  Knowing that, you can imagine how writing this column challenges me!  This month it required many showers, a film, and a written passage to prompt my prose.  The result will be a three part series.  

To begin, I invite you to consider your unique gifts. In my experience, these talents often seem ordinary to the person who possesses them.  The ability feels so completely natural and easy, you might not even consider it special because the assumption is that "everyone has/can do that!"

My husband, Mark (pictured above), possesses the gift of "Woo" (StrengthFinders 2.0).  He's the "Hey, how ya doin'?  Great to see you!"chat-you-up-for-a-few-energetic-minutes-guy and then he moves on to the next person on the other side of the room to spread a little more Woo.  It boggles my mind.  How does he do that?  He makes it look so easy!

I believe, for Mark, it truly is that easy.  Wooing others is one of his gifts.  Even if he tried to stop himself, the capacity is within him and springs from his essence.  This gift provides him with incredible support to blast through any possible limitations, and allows him to live in his "Zone of Genius" (The Big Leap).  Conversely, when the talent is used as a protection - a defense from intimacy - it becomes the limitation.

Each of us has within things we can't help but do - genius in our essence that simply emerges.  A list of examples would know no bounds, and the combination of an individuals gifts (ie: baking talent, intuitive"common" sense, compassion, and an ability create comfort), is as exceptional as each of us.  The challenge is appreciating the fullness of what we have within us.  Discovering one's gifts is such a richly charged topic, we spend an entire day identifying and celebrating them during the What's Next?! Workshop series!

So, what's your Woo?  Allow yourself the time and space to bring attention to your uniquely personal gifts.  Begin by noticing what the things are that you cannot help but do.  You've probably always done them in someway, since you were little.  It will be something easy for you, so absolutely obvious, that you may have a moment of doubt as to whether THAT could possibly be considered a gift.  Appreciating what you have within you, is a powerful step on the path of self-awareness; plus it's fun and may give you a little boost to recognize just how special you truly are!

With my gift of genuine curiosity,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899

         

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January 2010 - Fountain of Youth



Facial cream, hair dye, Botox injections, plastic surgery: modern day substitutions for the Fountain of Youth? 

Theother day in the shower (where all of my best ideas drop in), I had aflash about the real secret of youth.  It's not something you can pourout of a bottle or have injected into your cheeks.  I believe the truegift comes from retrieving and loving younger parts of yourself - the"little ones" within you.

If you've participated in an Emotional Re-Education weekend or What's Next?! Workshop,you've witnessed this phenomenon.  After honoring some younger selfwithin, the face simply glows.  People literally look years younger,and I believe it's because they integrated a "younger self" in ameaningful and loving way, reviving personal vitality in the process.

Allof us start as tiny, vulnerable beings completely dependent on theadults around us.  Without their care, we would not survive.  Yet, manyof us witnessed our parents fighting, and felt terrified.  Or maybeeveryone was too busy to pay attention, and the loneliness became acompanion more familiar than any person.  Whatever the circumstances ofyour formative years, most of us have some hurt and scared parts thatwe don't acknowledge, let alone attend to.

Iremember believing that I could make my mom happy.  I thought, in mytwo-year-old body, I had power over her feelings.  If you hear a voiceinside saying, "well, you probably DID make her happy," note the flaw. If I could make her happy, then logically, I must also be responsiblewhen her anger, fear, frustration, and sadness surfaced.  How can anytwo year old (or 4, 9, 13, etc.) be responsible for another person'sfeelings?

For 30+ years I walked the earth thinking I could make someone feel. When the responsibility felt like a burden, my own anger rushed to thesurface to push away the fear of the power I thought I wielded.  Then,with awesome therapeutic support, I realized, I was operating from mytwo year old beliefs!  I'd simply never updated my belief system.  Hmph!

Andthat adorable little two year old within, well, she's not running theshow anymore.  I just love her and imagine myself giving her a big hugwhenever that old belief bubbles up.  I can have compassion for her andknow that what she believed then doesn't fit for me now.  By honoringthe experience and retrieving that part of myself - I tap into my veryown fountain of youth.  Every time I retrieve a younger part of myself,it's like taking another sip from the fountain - leaving me more wholeand glowing than before.

I figure, sinceanother year has gone by, you might want to know - the true fountain ofyouth is within you.  It's personal to you, just as mine is to me.  Ifyou'd like support finding yours, ask a member of The Consciousness Collaborative.

Cheers from my fountain to yours - Happy New Year!

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899 

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December 2009 - The Last Taboo?



One of my business partners occasionally says, "In my experience,people are more likely to tell you how often they had sex last week,than to share how much money they have in the bank or how much debt they've accrued."  Is Money the Last Taboo?

Death,Sex, and Money: topics once banned from polite conversation. Culturally speaking, death and sex seem to have become less restricted.  We've read "Death Be Not Proud," watched "Six Feet Under,"and embraced the compassion of Hospice care.  It's no longer a secret or forbidden ground.  It's an experience to discuss and share with people you care about.

Sex differs a bit.  It's everywhere! Plastered on every billboard, across the silver screen, in our reading materials, and on our laptops, it's true, sex sells.  And yet, I perceive, we're not as apt to allow our vulnerability and openness, as we have come to do with death.  Still, I agree with my partner, we're a little further along the path of eliminating sex as a taboo than we are with money.

A recent exercise through Prita Manganiello's, Art of Relating series, revealed my personal history with money.  In my life, money has always been an issue.  In turn, it became a concrete truth: "Money is always an issue." Whether the manifestation is positive or negative (I grew up more familiar with the negative), I have held it as a fundamental belief. Realizing this, I wondered; what if I'm wrong?  What if my belief,based on a series of experiences, is not a prediction of the future.  I could then allow my relationship with money to shift, just as I shift and improve my relationships with people.

Maria Nemeth, author of "The Energy of Money,"delves into this concept beautifully, inviting us to explore our beliefs about money and the relationship that results.  Through her straight forward approach, she shines a light on this taboo, offering tools, learned from her personal experience, to enhance your relationship with money.  

In a video interview, Nemeth explains, "How we do money is how we do life."  What a powerful concept!  How I relate to money is a reflection of all aspects of my life.  If I believe that money is always an issue, would it be any wonder that I expect and create "issues" in other areas as well?

With effort, curiosity, and compassion, I am lifting the veil of my own taboo.  I invite you to join me.  In fact, Walter Bacigalupo and I will be offering a related workshop in 2010 - a safe place to explore your beliefs and possibly shift your perception and relationship with money.  Stay tuned.

With shared abundance,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899 
    

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November 2009 - What Matters?

Do you matter?  I know, what a silly question!  Of course the answer is a resounding, "yes!" - right?

As Jamie Thurber and I prepare for the 2010 What's Next?! Workshop series, I'm increasingly aware of how brilliant and courageous it is when people behave as if they matter.  Imagine taking the time to give yourself what you need.  To make yourself a priority, carving out time for exploring who you are, allowing what you want, and accepting support in your journey. 

When Bunny Duhl co-facilitated the Emotional Re-Education Workshop, she lead the group with a very simple statement, "I'm here for me, and I'm here for you."  The phrase has carried on, long after Bunny's retirement as a facilitator.

Amazingly, this statement flies in the face of what many of us learned.  Maybe you heard it from your mom,"Don't be selfish - Think of someone else first."  If you are a person of faith, you may have learned to "Put God above all else."  As a member of the military, protecting the safety and integrity of the unit matters most.  So, why, then would anyone ever utter the phrase, "I'm here for me, and I'm here for you?"

My personal truth is this: I cannot be present for someone else, if I am not present for myself first.  I liken it to the plane safety instructions, "place the oxygen mask on yourself first, and then help the person seated next to you."

So, I ask, do you matter enough to come first?

If you're a parent, it may feel quite difficult to imagine putting your own needs and wants before that of your child.  But what happens when you don't get enough sleep?  Or if you've gotten the kids fed, homework done, bathed, and into bed, and you still haven't eaten dinner?  I don't know about you, but I know I get cranky when I'm tired and hungry!  Jamie ducks when hunger strikes me during a meeting, because, as he says, "we've entered the cartoon world" and I view him like a nice roasted chicken!  Without my most basic needs met, I am miserable.  My clipped speech and unforgiving manner are telltale signs that I haven't heeded the "here for me, here for you" creed.

Consciousness Collaborative member, Lysa Wilkins, considers her time with Cini (her horse friend - pictured above) to be some of the most important time of her day.  I know this because she rides Cini at 5:30 every morning - before she does anything else - even throughout the winter!  For Lysa, the relationship between horse and human fuels the soul.  In this way, Lysa shows up for herself first, and then extends her energetic warmth and enthusiasm to people in her life.  

Consider what matters most to you.  What do you feel nourishes your life force?  Allow yourself to notice where that, which energizes you, falls on your priority list.  If writing feeds you, start your day with it!  If painting fills you with a sense of joy, don't let the laundry, the errands, and raking the leaves keep you from your own passion.  And if you find yourself struggling with being first, allow support, discover why it's hard, and create an opening for something new.  Because when you show up for yourself first, there is no sense of deprivation.  Your fullness then extends freely to others, supporting them, as it has supported you.

I'm here for me and I'm here for you,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899

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October 2009 - Bending Time

Rushing, rushing, rushing...boredom...so many things to get done - so little time, running late, feeling exhausted...a window of unexpected extra time.  What to do?  Fill it up to keep the busy feeling going?  Allow the peacefulness of quiet?  Or just wait for the next onslaught of "must do" to claim your attention.  Do you know this one?

From the end of July through mid-September, every activity I had planned for myself evaporated.  This included social dinners, client sessions,meetings with associates - you name it - it either got cancelled or rescheduled.  And as a result, I had all of this...well, time!  But it was always last minute, not the sort of thing you could make plans with.  

I knew the universe was trying to tell me something (several things actually), but I was a little slow on the uptake.  The night seven of eight women of WOW (Women on Wednesdays support/coaching group) were down for the count, I remembered - "Einstein Time!"

In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks succinctly conveys a concept that brilliant minds from Einstein to Hawking have been proposing for years: time is relative - it is bendable - it is an illusion that we try to solidify with clocks and schedules, as though it is something outside of us.  We use it as a reference point to ensure our safe existence, and yet it is not steady or static.  If we allow our perceptions to shift, and integrate the Einstein Time theory, Hendricks explains we must embrace "one profoundly simple truth: You're where time comes from."

It reminds me a bit of the internal compass.  Each of us has a navigating force within us, and it includes the malleability of time.  The power to always have the time we need comes from inside, not from a clock or a schedule.

To fully take ownership of this concept means never being bored again, no more rushing, or watching the clock and feeling the pressure of time closing in.  Instead, we create all the time we need to accomplish the things that are important to us, and rather than exhausted, we feel energized as a result.

Think I'm making it up?  I'm not.  I've done it, and it's amazing!  I'll admit, it's harder to live in Einstein Time than to understand the principle.  But when I allow myself to bend time to suit my internal clock, life shifts and I feel a wealth of abundance and possibility.

I could tell you that "I don't have enough time" to amply explain Einstein Time in this short piece, but time is not the issue!  And if you think about it, I bet you've already experienced this phenomenon.  Remember what it feels like to fall in love, or work on a project that consumes you, or simply talking with a best friend over coffee.  Where does the time go?  Three hours feels like a single moment!  Now imagine that list of things you don't really want to do, or an endless day at the office, or the occasion you told your son you couldn't play catch, because you just didn't have the time.  These are all examples of time bending, sometimes to a molasses pace and at others approaching the speed of light.
 
What if you created exactly the time you desire to do all the things you want to do?  How liberating would that feel?  I know I have not yet completely taken ownership of time.  But I'm getting glimpses of it.  Have time bending experiences you'd like to share?  Blog them here!

Making good time (it takes on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?),

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899

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September 2009 - Curse of Knowledge



How do you explain a puzzle when you take for granted the pieces that create it?  In
Made to Stick
, authors Dan and Chip Heath refer to this predicament as the "Curse of Knowledge." 

Consider your area of expertise.  If you're a dentist, root canals and crowns make up your language of impact.  It likely doesn't occur to you that a patient may have no idea what those procedures involve.  If you're a real estate agent, and a home inspector finds radon or termites, you have experiential knowledge about what those conditions imply and the steps required to resolve the issues.  A new home buyer may have heard these terms, just as the dental patient had, but until it became personal, they held no real interest or meaning.  

When I started an internship as a funeral director, my job description was "do whatever they tell you."  Okay, but what are they saying???  "Park the hearse at the point."  Do you know what that means?  I didn't.  The funeral home was located in Kenmore Square, positioned between Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street, where the streets meet - "the point."  Ah....easy when someone tells you, not so easy when you're a new, diligent employee and you wonder how you went through two years of school and missed "the point!"

The Consciousness Collaborative is currently faced with it's own curse of knowledge.  A defining criteria for membership is the ability to "be present" with each client and engage in "personal growth work" to foster this "presence." Parenting Consultant, Beth Sutton calls this "in-house" language.  She's absolutely right!  Teasing apart the meaning of this shorthand, enables the public to understand how we are different - special - and uniquely talented.  I mentioned presence and personal growth work.  For fun, I'll break down the latter.

Personal growth work -the process of learning about one's "personal beliefs" - noticing where they came from, when they were learned, and asking if those beliefs still fit now?

Personal beliefs - the assumptions one makes about oneself and the way things are

For example, I used to believe that "eventually everyone gets dentures - someday I'll have them, too."  

I thought this to be true because my grandmother always had them...she was old, and I figured that must be what happens to everyone eventually.  When I was about three, I remember seeing those fake teeth sitting in a murky glass of water and wondering when I'd be able to take my teeth out.  Combined with a lack of dental interest in my family (light on check-ups and cleanings), I had no other information to contradict my belief.

Does this belief still fit now?  No! I've learned that dentures make it harder to eat, and impact the taste of food (which I remember my grandmother complaining about - although I never put it together with her teeth), and those are just the inconveniences.  I've learned of a raft of other implications that inspire me to reach for the floss a little more often.

Does this seem unimportant?  I'll admit,  I didn't choose the juiciest of examples, but the process is the same.  What are your assumptions about money, love, and success?  Exploring your own beliefs, noticing how they impact your life, and then becoming empowered to choose differently - if the shoe no longer fits - that's "personal growth work."  

Consider multipying this one long diatribe by an entire"in-house" vocabulary.  Whew!  We've got our work cut out for us.  I'll tell you, though, we're dedicated to breaking down the concepts of"consciousness" into bite-sized pieces - not because you're not incredibly smart (we know you are!), but because if we don't explain the parts, you too, might miss "the point!"

With simplicity,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com ~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899 

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August 2009 - Internal Compass



A few months ago I promised a piece about trust.  I've expected to write it several times; on each occasion something else came forth instead.  Now I'm ready.

These last weeks, I have found myself struggling in ways I've not experienced for many years.  A friend described it as this, "Joanne, it feels like you're on a boat, by yourself, in the middle of the ocean in complete darkness, and you have no compass."  The image resonated strongly for me.  Where was my compass?

Growing up surrounded by confusion and mixed messages... people loving me and disappearing...people hugging me and blaming me for their feelings at the same time, I developed a keen ability to "figure it out."  If something could be puzzled through, I would.  It felt like my very right to exist was dependent on making sense out that which could not make any sense at all.

It's a strange thing to be a child.  We are so vulnerable and need the love and caring that others provide.  Through that love, we learn to trust ourselves.  We learn to trust the internal compass and navigate our way through the world by listening to our own hearts and feelings.  Sometimes this means standing in our deepest knowing, even when it does not line up with the the experiences of the people we most care about and depend on.  To learn that we deserve love, even when it feels like no one loves us, is a very powerful gift.  At some very deep level, I am just fully accepting this for myself.

I am learning... I have a right to my feelings, even when they don't seem to make sense.  I don't have to "do" anything to be worthy of love.  I have a powerful internal compass in me that I stuffed in a drawer because I didn't know that the love inside of me was enough, and every time I feel that I can't trust someone, I am really saying that I don't trust myself.

Somehow, when working one-on-one with a client, I trust both of us.  The rest melts away.  If doubt comes in, I take a peek at my internal compass, invite my client to do the same, and we remain on course...whatever course is true in the moment...and great work happens.  It's a good model for me to remember.

So, with my personal discovery, I will also encourage you.  The next time you feel that you can't trust someone, check in with the part of you who will love all of who you are, no matter what.  From that place, listen to your deepest, truest feelings...those that guide your internal compass.  There really are no words for me to convey what an intense part of my journey this has been.  Thank you to those who have loved and supported me through this experience, for letting me borrow your compass, when I didn't know where to find my own, and ultimately for helping me to discover the love and trust of my personal internal compass.

With trust and compassion,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com
~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com
~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899

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July 2009 - Finger Pointing


"Criticism and blame are addictions.  They are costly addictions, because they are the number-one destroyer of intimacy in close relationships," according to Gay Hendricks, author of The Big Leap.

Think about the last argument you had with someone close to you.  Did it disrupt the intimacy?  Was there blame involved?  Did you hear the words, "you make me feel..." come out of your mouth?  Hendricks proposes, "Arguments are caused by two people racing to occupy the victim position in the relationship."  While we may not consciously choose to wear the victim role as a badge of honor, we really fight to prove it's truth!

Listen to the subtext..."you make me feel" = "you have power over me...if you had done it differently, I would be okay.  Since you didn't, I am victimized by you."  This dynamic occurs with something as simple as who does the dishes.  "You make me feel like the maid, because you expect me to do the dishes."

Typically the defendant will race to claim the victim role for himself.  "I always do the dishes.  You could do them for once!"  Translation: "Your power over me makes me the victim, not you."

That's a pretty remarkable power...making someone feel something.  Think about it, even if I pinch you, I can't make you feel.  I cannot cause you pain or anguish - your experience of my action is your own.  I am simply not that powerful, no one is.  You are responsible for your feelings; just as I am responsible for mine.  So, why do we keep blaming each other?

If we believe Hendricks, it's because we're addicted to the behavior.  I perceive that the addiction is an attempt to deflect a responsibility we feel personally; probably a responsibility we took on as a child.  We want to charge someone else with the crime, because underneath, we believe it is our fault.  "If you loved me, you would have done the dishes."  "If you loved me, you wouldn't care if I did the dishes or not."  "You must not love me...what's wrong with me?"

Let's make this personally relevant.  I invite you to think of someone you'd occasionally like to bop on the head.  Whenever you're around them you start to feel a little crazy, angry, or depressed.  Now, take your hand and point your finger at them.  Notice where most of the fingers are pointing...when I try it, I've got one finger going out and three coming back at me.  Who are we really pointing the blame at?

Not so sure?  For a single day, accept Hendrick's challenge to stop criticizing and blaming (this includes self criticism and blame).  If you have no trouble letting go, it's not an addiction.  But if you find, as the day wears on, that the finger pointing is creeping back in to your thoughts and conversations, maybe it's worth a little more attention.

With great compassion,

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com
~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899

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June 2009 - Sensual Being, Logic Be Gone!

   
"Apply Logic Here for Best Results" is NOT a magic cure.  Have you ever tried it?  To avoid experiencing your feelings, you attempt to out-think them?  I am a logic master; I know this one.

Many years ago, I attended a workshop lead by April Prita Manganiello.  I was on the cusp of truly getting in touch with some very tender feelings about my mom, but I just couldn't access them.  I kept trying to think it through, using my linear brain to understand my experience, and was stuck!  My clever mind, that had always come through - stymied.  To support me, Prita sat behind me, and simply asked, "What's happening in your body, sweetie?"  My automatic response was, "What body?"

My fear was so big, I had completely insulated myself in logical protection, not allowing own feelings; not just emotional feelings, but physical feelings.  My brain had a blind spot.  This was my first experiential clue that the mind and body are not separate.

I think we all get it at some level.  Based on positive feedback from the "Love the Water" issue, you know your thoughts are powerful.  Sometimes that ache in your back isn't from weeding, it's indicative of some negative thought or emotion held there.  I've learned, when I allow myself to feel the emotional feeling, the physical pain usually releases.  A win-win. 

Why not simply allow the feelings?  It's not always as easy as it sounds, because we weren't always adults.  When we were little, the feelings really were overwhelming, so we learned to protect ourselves from them.  And we don't always know to update the learning.  If, right about now the emotional feelings seem a little too woo-woo for you, begin with the physical ones.  The fact is, as long as we are in these vulnerable bodies, we are sensual beings; we are designed to feel.  Bring awareness to your body.

As I write this, I feel the wind whipping through the windows, catching my hair, blowing it wildly across my face.  I feel the cool, hard plastic under my fingertips as I'm typing.  On my right shoulder, the warmth of the sun seeps into my shirt and through to my skin.  I feel the grain of my wood desk under my right forearm, and the heat of my padded office chair, which has been supporting me all day.  I am here, alive, and present in my body.  Just like the kids in the photo above, tuned in to their senses.

"What's happening in your body, sweetie?"

Joanne Lutz
Coaching~Consulting~Referral Resource
Founder of The Consciousness Collaborative
www.TheCCsite.com ~ www.WhatsNextWorkshop.com
Joanne@TheCCsite.com
~ ph. 617-827-0803 ~ fax 781-777-1899
        

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