Warning: Hey Ladies…
…You NEED to know this!
- Non-organic cotton
- Fragrance
- Chlorine
- BPA
- Dioxin (chemical is a result of chlorine processing)
- Lola (absolutely the best & what I use)
- Seventh Generation
- O.B. Organic Tampons
- Veeda
…You NEED to know this!
Ever hear that saying ‘you are what you eat’? Well, there’s some truth that! Nutrition is a HUGE part of health, wellness & well-being.
What we eat is not only fuel and nutrients for the body, it provides what we need to live… it is our prevention and our medicine. Foods give us ENERGY. Not energy the way you may think of sugar or carbs giving you a boost. I am talking about actual energy, frequency or vibration. Every food has a different level of energy. Some foods have less energy and are closer to the energy level of non-living things… (yup, like a rock), while other foods are vibrant with living energy, like microgreens with their rich plant stem cells.
Now listen, I am not a fan of obsessive and limiting eating habits… I believe in BALANCE! Balance for your body and your life will look different someone else’s. So read on and see what you can apply to yourself in a way that is BALANCED FOR YOU…
When we give our bodies more living energy and higher vibrational foods we are healthier, more energized and our systems are more physically balanced which means –
So what are LIVING FOODS anyway?
Does that mean eating a vegan raw diet? No. It means that you MOVE AWAY FROM OR DECREASE DEAD ENERGY FOODS WHILE MOVING TOWARDS ADDING MORE LIVING FOODS THAT ARE HIGHER ON THE LIVING ENERGY SCALE.
All things in balance!
This is my LIVING FOODS ENERGY SCALE –
Below are some examples of foods and which category they fall under –
Dead Energy Foods
Lesser Energy Foods
Neutral Energy Foods
Living Energy Foods
Highest Energy Foods
I invite you to begin adding more of the higher energy foods and eating less of the lower energy or dead energy foods for 30 days in this challenge…
30 DAY EXPERIMENT
In Wellness,
Dr. Rachel Eva Dew
In the world of self-development, as we each adventure towards balance and our best selves it is easy to fall prey to perfectionism, especially when the going gets tough. In our culture what is the first thing we say when someone asks ‘how are you’? Fine, or even better… good. But we are not always good. I have to be authentic here, the more I was growing, somehow the less I felt it was acceptable for me to ever NOT be okay. That is a mindset that I recently discovered was lurking just below the surface for me. It was a completely unconscious belief that had somehow crept in and made a little nest in my unconscious mind.
The non-sense that belief created was that when I experienced something difficult and was having a hard time ‘rising to the challenge’, I found myself judging and even condemning myself. What the *%&#!!!!?!? I do not believe that it isn’t okay to give myself grace, I am not aligned with that type of self-judgement and harsh inner ciriticism… so why was I treating myself this way in the moments I was not feeling OKAY?
That’s when it hit me, yup… time to let go of some more limiting beliefs that are causing me pain and un-necessary suffering. So I got out the mental machete (the loving one made of unicorns and rainbows) and invited myself to gently cut those beliefs away through some powerful questioning… is it really true? Is it okay to not be okay sometimes? If so, how does that look, what can I give myself permission to do, be and experience exactly what and where I am?
Self-care and self-development is not a punishment or a realm where unrealistic expectations should be entertained, or acted upon. We have all heard ‘it’s a process’ or that balance may look different in different seasons of our life. I know I certainly subscribe to that and teach it as well! But what happens when we ‘seem to’ fall off the self-care and self-development wagon, or when life gets ugly, messy and painful for a season and it feels too hard to even show up, crack open our self-development tool kit, use our tools and take care of ourselves as our best selves would? Can it be okay to go through a tough season and simply allow ourselves to do our best… even if our best doesn’t look or feel like any ‘best’ we ever sought to achieve.
During some really dark times in my life, even recent ones, I have struggled with allowing myself to truly be human. Sometimes the grieving process is uncontrollably messy crying. Sometimes finding your way to the next version of yourself after a huge transition is bumpy, it is supposed to be, life is a grand experiment.
Hang a metaphorical ‘under construction’ sign on yourself and give yourself permission to BE IN PROCESS. This stuff takes time. That isn’t an excuse to give up on growth or showing up for yourself to do the deep work. It is acceptance that today’s steps for growth may be very, very limited and that’s okay for today.
Let’s all try to remember (myself included) that you are not broken. You do not need to fix yourself or change yourself in order to be worthy of love & acceptance. Your true self is perfect. It’s a matter of returning to wholeness, balance & alignment through self-development vs. Self-punishment. Be kind to yourself.
Creating whole-person balance for the modern day work-from-homers
Working for yourself from home or even working for a company virtually has many benefits… more freedom, flexibility and of course, working from a more comfortable and casual environment (even in fuzzy slippers!).
But what about the down side? Time management challenges, bleed over from work-life into personal life, isolation and work taking over EVERYTHING!
Here are some simple tips that when applied with consistency will help you THRIVE, not just survive in a balanced bubble.
Tip #1
Create a budget for your time, energy and resources. Proactive and intentional approaches to time management, money management and energy management will pay you back a thousand fold!!
Tip#2
Create work-life balance through setting healthy boundaries around your work life, work schedule and career in general (physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually). Then it is up to you to honor those boundaries!
Tip #3
Create a separate work space – clock in and clock out. When you exit your work area leave ALL of the work behind. Do not carry it out with you (mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually).
Tip #4
Do take a ‘lunch break’… take 45 minutes to 1 hour in the middle of the day for a little siesta! Take a walk, meditate, exercise or whatever act of self-care will replenish your mind, body, heart and spirit.
Tip #5
Connection… we all need it! Find other work-from-homers to connect with, bounce ideas off of, get (and give) support and share community with. Consider a monthly meet-up or even an online google hang out over coffee.
Give it a shot! Apply these 5 simple tips to your work-from-home life for 30 days CONSISTENTLY and see how much balance they will bring! May your work-from-home life be fruitful, joyful, impactful… and BALANCED! Enjoy your beautiful bubble!
The last quarter of the year can slip away quickly. As a coach (and also as a busy human) INTENTIONALITY in both game planning and action taking is key to closing out your year in a highly effective way that will create the most PEACE & JOY during the holidays and set you up to launch powerfully into the new year.
Here are a few questions I invite you to consider…
What do I need to resolve, complete or release in this last season of the year in order to be ready for the new year?
What do I need to LEAVE behind mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually?
What do I need to do, what actions do I need to set myself up to begin creating what I want to create next year?
INTENTIONALITY
Setting intentions will help head off ‘the bleed over’ effect. The bleed over effect is when we have thoughts and dreams of what something will be and then before we can bat an eye, the time has passed by and we bleed right into the next season NOT having experienced what we wanted and feeling VERY behind on entering the new season effectively.
Set an intention as to what you want to have, do, create or experience in these last few months of the year. Literally put pen to paper and write out your intention…
For the rest of the year I set an intention of_______________
ACTION TAKING
Since you help so many other people achieve their goals, you already know INTENTIONS must then become POSITIVE & BALANCED ACTION. This is just a gentle reminder and also an invitation to treat your own life this season with as much care and attention as you would for one of your own clients 😉
Create a mini-action plan for yourself….
POSITIVE & BALANCED ACTION GAME PLAN
Things I need to do:
1.
2.
3.
Things I need to experience (support, rest, etc.):
1.
2.
3.
Things I need to release:
1.
2.
3.
Things I need to move towards:
1.
2.
3.
Things that need more balance:
1.
2.
3.
Now that you have a list, put these items into your schedule and make them as high of a priority as client sessions, family needs or even holiday shopping!
Here’s to your BEST end of the year possible. May it be balanced, healthy and fulfilling!
This may surprise many of you but I love to cook, I mean, I LOOOOVVVEEE to cook! I have never followed recipes. I look at food as art and creating a new meal is like painting a canvas for me. There is so much joy that comes to me from experimentation and creativity around HEALTHY and DELICIOUS meals.
Over the years, the more and more I learned about food and balanced nutrition through both my personal wellness journey as a semi-professional athlete and also over 20 years in the professional wellness and health fields. As someone both raised holistically minded (nutritional, natural and holistic medicine) and as a certified Nutritionist, Integrative Wellness & Life Coach, and PhD in Natural Medicine I believe that feeding the body chemical free, whole foods is one of the most critical things we can do for our health on a physical level.
Treated myself and my family using food as medicine has always been a gold standard and at the same time it is an important value of mine to have balance.
Balance in the nutritional area also means enjoyment! So year after year, creating healthy recipes became more and more of a passion for me. Now I want to share that passion (and its benefits) with you.
I have two Instagram accounts, @RachelEvaOnline and now (my little hobby), @OrganicYum where I will be posting healing foods and recipes to nurture the body and soul. Join me there!
Here is a recent creative culinary adventure I had…
The Sassy Salmon (a meal)
This meal is a perfect balance of macro and micro nutrients, all organic, CLEAN & most of all surprisingly sassy! I’m always looking to create new spins on the plain old ‘healthy’ classics.
Here’s the recipe for the ENTIRE meal:
Sassy Salmon –
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
On a baking pan place 2 wild caught Salmon filets. Squeeze an entire lemon onto the filets. Lightly dust with Himalayan salt, ground black pepper, basil flakes and a tiny dash of Ethiopian brown spicy seasoning (all organic of course). Place 4-6 sundries tomatoes on top of each of the filets. Then bake for 15 minutes (or until the center is cooked all the way through).
Sinful Sweet Twice Baked Potatoes –
Bake whole sweet potato (1 large one) on 450 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until you are able to feel a mushy center with a folk by poking it. Remove and allow to cool.
Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees. Once the potato is room temperature cut the potato in half width ways and then slice each one 1/2 through the length of the potato so you have a slit in it. Sprinkle a dash of the Himalayan salt and then dust lightly with cinnamon. Next, drizzle about 1/4 teaspoon of raw organic coconut oil into the slit of each potato half. Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Surprisingly ‘Wow’ Kale –
Cover a frying pan in about 1/8 inch of organic olive oil. Place approximately 3 cups of organic diced kale into the pan. Squeeze 1 1/2 large organic lemons onto the kale. Lightly salt. Place another frying pan on top as a lid. Lightly sauté for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat.
Bathing is an ancient practice of self-care. From Thailand to India to Russia to across the expanse of time, culture, history and the entire globe, the art of the bath has been practiced for health benefits. Not only does a good warm bath aid in relaxation and stress reduction, it can also have profound medicinal benefits.
Remember that our skin is our largest organ and the largest one we absorb things and expel things through. Drawing yourself a bath with specific herbs, minerals and medicinal natural elements can bring about healing for many ailments and/or facilitate the healing process.
Stress being the leading cause of ALL illness, it is the thing that breaks down our immune system the fastest and creates gaps in our wellness or balance. Stress decreases the ability to properly digest and absorb nutrients which can lead to deficiencies and also to weight gain, fight off infection and disease and regulate our systems (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual). So a relaxing bath has the capacity to boost your immune function significantly when practiced regularly. I say ‘practiced’ because for me the art of the bath, especially medicinal baths are a central part of my self-care and wellness practices.
Ok, what exactly is a medicinal bath?
Medicinal means ‘tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain’ and I am also using it in reference as substances or plants having healing properties. Being that our skin is our largest organ for absorbing and expelling we can draw in many medicinal properties through the medicinal bathing experience… and yes, it is an experience! Just like homeopathic, natural medicine and other holistic or alternative treatments, the medicinal bath has many, many different recipes to support different needs your body and mind may have.
I will be sharing more recipes with you over the coming months for specific ailments, so please do reply with some specific requests that may support or benefit your health. I am happy to take requests!!
With my medicinal bath recipes, I draw from my many years as an Integrative Wellness & Life Coach, studies of natural medicine, tribal healing, and more recently my pursuit of my PhD in Integrative & Natural Medicine. I use herbs, minerals, vitamins, raw plants and flowers, crystals and stones as well as essential oils.
The three favorite more simple and basic medical bath recipes that I have created and used over time are:
The Renewal Bath
¼ cup Arnica oil
5-10 drops Eucalyptus oil
Frankincense oil
10-15 drops Myrrh oil
1 cup Colloidal oatmeal
Fresh rose petals (red or pink are preferred or you may use rose water)
1 Hematite stone
1 capsule of vitamin B complex
4 small Amethyst stones
3-5 drops of cinnamon oil
3-5 drops of Grapefruit oil
1 cup Epsom salts
The Detox Bath
1.2 cup Bentonite clay
½ cup Red Moroccan clay
2 small Shungite stones (known to reduce EMF’s and other toxins)
4 table spoons of Manuka honey
4 small Amethyst stones
5-10 drops of Bergamot oil
Ginger (you can juice some ginger root, use ginger tea bags or ginger essential oil – use only a small amount)
1 cup Epsom salts
The Stress Reduction Bath
Magnesium (add about ¼ cup of liquid magnesium)
Lavender oil (10-15 drops)
1 capsule of L-Lysine (to boost the immune system)
4 small Rose Quartz crystals (or one larger one)
2 small Fluorite stone
2 small jade stones
4 small Amethyst stones
Chamomile (you may use either the fresh flowers or 4 chamomile tea bags)
5-10 drops of Bergamot oil
1 cup Epsom salts
In a recent interview I was asked, “How did you get here, how did you get to live your dream?”
That was such a powerful question and one that people often don’t share the answer to once they have ‘made it’ to a certain level of success. Not that I have achieved all of my dreams yet, but I am solidly on my path, earning a living at doing what I love AND making a positive impact in the world.
With the end of 2017 nearing and many of us casting our big dreams and vision for 2018 I have been thinking quite a bit about the steps I have taken in my career. I have been thinking about what has worked, what hasn’t and what I want to create or expand into in this new year.
That being said, I wanted to share with each of you how I answered the powerful question I mentioned above…
Don’t forget to stay connected with my through social media:
Click HERE to view the full 3 minute video!
The emotion of fear gets a bad rap. As a teacher, writer and coach I have seen, read and heard countless blogs, posts, articles, books and conversations about how fear must be eradicated and removed from life. Let’s take a quick step back and access this from a psychological and biological position.
When we have a healthy relationship with fear it can be a guide versus a roadblock!
So why can fear be so awful and crippling at times? How can we learn to harness this normal emotion to better serve us? How can we work with fear versus against it? How can we better understand ourselves and our life through fear? How can we move beyond the negative impacts of fear? How can we experience and create a healthier and more balanced relationship with fear?
When we have an unbalanced or unhealthy relationship with fear it can block us from moving forward, having clarity, making good choices, effectively solving problems and overcoming life’s challenges, stressors and obstacles.
First, let’s understand health fear…
Fear is a response that is meant to warn us and keep us safe. Unfortunately, many people have become ‘triggered’ into a fight or flight or fear based state 24/7 and thus respond to non-threatening issues as if they were life threatening on a physiological level. This means that the things that may not normally cause fear or stress do.
Let’s try a shift in our perspective about fear…
What if, just what if FEAR was actually there to help you?
What if FEAR was trying to work for your highest good?
Here are some simple steps to begin shifting your relationship with FEAR:
Pause and reset versus reacting to fear.
Things like meditation, yoga and even simple breathing exercises can help us get back to a neutral place which will better enable us to evaluate our fear more effectively.
Engage your brain in order to get clarity.
Instead of allowing your mind to run away with the fear, as yourself powerful questions that will lead to self-discovery, effective problem solving and solutions. Questions like, ‘why am I feeling fear’, ‘what feedback or alert message is fear trying to share with me’?
Analyze the situation.
Look at the situation that is causing the fear objectively and try to see the bigger picture, the broader meaning or the direction it is leading you towards and ask yourself WHY & HOW.
Process and release the negative aspects of the emotion while keeping the lesson or alert.
Feeling our feelings, then processing them and letting it go or releasing it is an important way to not only move forward more effectively but also to bring more balance to you mentally, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.
Based on your self-discovery and analysis make a plan of actionable steps.
Write out very specific action steps to take to begin moving towards solutions or achieving goals.
Gain the tools, techniques, mentors, friends or coaches to help you!
Don’t go it alone! Everyone can relate to feelings of fear and also sometimes getting stuck because of them. Talk about it with friends and loved ones, research tools and techniques or even see a life coach (preferably an Integrative Life Coach iwacoaching.com) who can help you become more equipped to handle fear and stressors as well as to overcome their negative effects and successfully move forward.
Living A Holistic Life
By Rachel Eva, C.HT, M.NLP, MTILC
Founder of IWA (Integrative Wellness Academy), Integrative Life Coach & Health Practitioner
We hear the word holistic and holism tossed around a lot in integrative wellness and natural medicine. These terms have already flooded the health and wellness markets and made their way into popular culture.
But what exactly does this mean?
What is ‘holism’ and how can it be ‘lived’ in everyday life?
As the founder of IWA (Integrative Wellness Academy), myself and the IWA team trains and certifies thousands of integrative life coaches each year. As part of how we teach our students to coach their clients we educate them on holism as a core element to help their clients achieve health, success and balance through applying ‘holism’ through the Holistic Life Model, which I will share with you!
First, let’s define holistic and holism so you can get some simple clarity. According to dictionary.com, here are the definitions:
Holistic –
Philosophy – characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
Medicine – characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease.
Holism –
The theory that parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts. Holism is often applied to mental states, language, and ecology.
What does this mean in more simplistic and applicable terms?
Every part of us, our minds (mental), bodies (physical), emotions (emotional) and spirits (spiritual) are interconnected and have an effect on each other, as well as an effect on each of the major areas of life; health, career & finances, family & relationships, spirituality & self-development. Furthermore, each of the major areas of our life have an effect on all aspects or parts of self (the 4 systems); mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. We need to VIEW and CARE care for the whole picture collectively, versus just a few parts in order to live the best life possible.
Before I dive in and introduce you to the Holistic Life Model, I need to further share my definitions with you for the four systems or parts of self:
Mental –
The Mental System is your thought life, including your self-perception and thought patterns as well as our beliefs and conscious perceptions. This is also the way we view other things out in the world.
Emotional –
The Emotional System are your feelings and your emotions. It’s also your relationships with other people and also the relationship you have with yourself.
Physical =
The Physical System is your physical health, as well as the tangible physical things you have in our life.
Spiritual –
The Spiritual System is our true-self, our personal development, connection to community, world and our connection to a higher power, whatever that definition is or is not for you.
The Holistic Life Model
The holistic Life Model is living your life, caring for, balancing and bringing health to all aspects of self and all major areas of life, in other words, caring for the whole self with a ‘big picture’ approach.
So how exactly can you begin to care for and bring balance to all of these aspects of self? Here are a few steps to begin moving your life towards aligning with and practicing the Holistic Life Model:
Remember it’s a process, not an event and the goal is to MOVE towards what you want to have, do, be, experience and achieve!
The third or fourth word that many people learn to speak is either yes or no. The first words are often mamma, dada and if a person has a dog, then dog is number three, followed by yes and no.
Yes and no are two words in the English language we learn early on and use to exercise our power, express our needs and our preferences.
A yes or a no can have a significant effect on how we create what we experience in life. Often this is approached unintentionally from a place that is not rooted in self-love or honesty with oneself.
When we say yes to something we are aligning ourselves with that. A yes is also an invitation for it to be in your life and in a sense, it is agreeing with it. A person, place, thing or situation such as a request or voiced expectation from a loved one, diagnosis from a doctor or even an invitation to go on a date, gives us the opportunity to be intentional about what we allow and create in our lives.
One of my favorite and self-loving things to say is ‘I’m going to say no to this so that I can say yes to something else’. Another favorite is when I am told what I should do, before I say yes to that or agree with it, I allow myself the time and space to consider what has been shared with me as feedback. Then I determine what, if any, of that feedback will be helpful for me to take and incorporate into my life.
Give yourself permission to change your mind. You can try on a yes for size and discover it needs to become a no and vice versa.
When we say yes because we feel like we should, like it is expected of us, but it is not our truthful response, we are essentially stepping out of alignment with our true selves and saying yes to things that conflict with our truth. When we are in conflict, even on an unconscious or subconscious level, it creates chaos, unhappiness and many other problems in our lives.
We have all heard the famous saying ‘be true to thine self’ – however many of us don’t realize the consequences and disconnection from self we experience when we choose to say yes when our truth is a no.
We can still show up for our responsibilities and obligations, however we can do so in ways that do not conflict with our personal values and our authentic truth. Boundaries are helpful in managing this effectively.
In addition to setting healthy boundaries for yourself (not creating rules and controlling others – see my blog on clearing toxic relationships and boundaries) it is also important to ask ourselves the following questions when presented with invitations to make choices and express a yes or a no:
Asking ourselves these questions helps us move beyond any beliefs or perspectives that are limiting us. It helps to step away from expectations that do not serve us (typically self-inflicted expectations) and gain clarity about the bigger picture of what we are creating and moving towards in our lives.
I invite you to let go of that which no longer serves you and to give yourself permission to say yes or to say no. Practicing intentionality towards your yes’s and no’s will empower you to create the life you want and to decrease the stress and negative things impacting your life.
Let all of your answers come from honoring your higher self, your truth. Boldly curate your life with intentional yes’s and intentional no’s.
Each year I get very excited to lead the Breakthrough Wellness Retreat, An integrative life coaching experience, because each year I hear what a game changer this is for those who attend.
Many times my clients and students experience being stuck, seemingly unable to overcome certain experiences or roadblock. After years of integrative life coaching and teaching through Integrative Wellness Academy I have seen thousands of life changing breakthroughs! During the retreat, I pack together the powerful tools and techniques from over 20 different healing modalities to help people experience powerful and tangible change amidst a backdrop of tropical paradise!
What is a breakthrough wellness retreat?
The Breakthrough Wellness Retreat is a weekend-long, immersion-style, self-development retreat. The retreat applies mine and Integrative Wellness Academy’s (IWA) integrative wellness and life transformation coaching toolkit, which integrates over 20 different healing modalities. This toolkit includes Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnosis, Therapeutic Yoga, life coaching, Emotional Clearing Method (ECM), Thought Pattern Management (TPM), reiki, integrative wellness & life coaching, and powerful forgiveness techniques.
I will guide you through the process of letting go of what no longer serves you, identify what limits you from your highest potential, clarify your goals and purpose, and create an action plan to achieve them! You will walk away from this retreat with a personal strategy for success and fulfillment, both personally and professionally, with a personal action plan and personal business plan that you have created during the retreat. Come rest, renew and completely transform your life!
What is integrative life coaching?
Integrative Life Coach: A coach trained in life coaching fundamentals combined with a diverse range of healing modalities in the areas of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness to make positive changes in all areas of life.
Integrative life coaching integrates numerous healing modalities to equip and empower clients to live balanced and successful lives. Integrative life coaching uses techniques, mind-body tools, and action plans to achieve permanent behavior change. During this retreat, Rachel will help you get from where you are in life to where you want to be. Rachel will coach you towards achieving mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance that will benefit your life long after the weekend retreat is over.
What does is mean to bring balance to all four aspects of self; mental, emotional, physical and spiritual?
I use the Holistic life model to coach you towards achieving wellness and balance in each of the four aspects of self and in each major area of life such as career, health, relationships and self-development.
Holistic Life Coaching Model
Mind
Emotions
Physical
Spirit
What is an Integrative Life Coaching Toolbox?
Using over 20 different healing modalities, I have developed an integrative approach to life coaching that has many powerful tools and techniques to help you achieve lasting positive change.
One of the powerful tools that you will be lead through is emotional clearing.
Experience Emotional Clearing Method and gain freedom…
Emotional Clearing Method (ECM)
An innovative emotional healing technique for both the conscious and unconscious mind.
Emotional Clearing Method™ (ECM) is an alternative therapeutic emotional clearing technique developed by Rachel Eva, the founder of IWA. ECM is an advanced integrative life coaching technique that draws on various modalities and theories of neuroscience, mental health, life coaching, and alternative therapies, including neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), hypnosis, hypnotherapy, Mind-Body Medicine, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The foundations of ECM stem from neuroplasticity research and current research on emotions and beliefs effects and interconnection on biology.
ECM was developed after years of research and training with different modalities. It works with your brains neural pathways to release negative psychological patterns and connections to limiting beliefs and negative emotions that block many of us from moving forward in freedom. Recent medical studies have proven that these beliefs and stuck emotions, negative psychological patterns, and genetic markers influence our conscious and unconscious minds. These imprints can stem from our childhood, in utero, and even before we were born through intergenerational epigenetic inheritance.
In its simplest description, ECM combines powerful emotional healing techniques and mind-body medicine with the stimulation of neural pathways to release negative psychological patterns, attachments to negative emotions and limiting beliefs on the conscious and unconscious levels.
About me, the retreat leader…
Rachel Eva
Founder & Head Instructor Integrative Wellness Academy, Author, National Speaker & Integrative Life Coach
Rachel is an international speaker, IWA founder and head instructor, author, and Integrative Life Coach. As head instructor for IWA life coaching academy, Rachel teaches thousands of students each year through IWA professional and master level Integrative Life Coach certification programs.
Rachel is a self-development author and leader in the integrative wellness industry. She is a contributing writer of articles covering self-development and integrative wellness for several magazines. Rachel is certified in over 20 healing modalities that support her integrative approach to life coaching, self-development, and integrative wellness.
She is board certified through the Association for Integrative Psychology as a practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), master practitioner of NLP, practitioner of Mental Emotional Release® (MER), Certified Thought Pattern Management (TPM) Practitioner and clinical Hypnotherapist. She was also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Rachel is a master trainer of Integrative Coaching and certified as a personal trainer and yoga therapist. She has received certifications in ERYT yoga, sports nutrition, and sports therapeutics.
Rachel believes that your past does not define your future and you can be empowered to live the life you desire. Her work is designed to support coaches and clients create the change they seek and the life they want!
In addition to the work and instruction described above, you will also get other wellness amenities that are standard at Playa Viva. This retreat includes:
When? July 7-10, 2017
Pricing:
The cost of this breakthrough experience is priceless and dramatically less expensive than years of therapy or ongoing life coaching! Walk away with tangible positive changes.
Double occupancy: $2450
Single occupancy: $3050
Price is per person and includes retreat tuition, accommodations, all meals, non-alcoholic beverages, taxes, and roundtrip airport ground transfers (fly into Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo – ZIH). Additional charges will apply for bar drinks, smoothies, massage/spa services, gratuities and optional donation to sea turtle sanctuary. Airfare is additional and must be booked separately.
To enroll
To make a reservation, please do so directly through Integrative Wellness Academy.
If you have any questions, please call +1-818-358-3131, or email rachel@iwacoaching.com
First let’s identify and understand stress and stressors a bit so that you will have a deeper understanding about where it may be creeping into your life.
First, stress has been proven to lead to physical illness, mental illness, injury, obesity and disease. In fact, stress is considering the leading cause of these! Even if you have a genetic pre-disposition towards an illness or disease, stress activates that gene. It essentially flips the light switch from the off position to the on position within our DNA. The numbers are staggering, research has shown that between 94-98% off ALL illness and disease is caused (related to?) by stress!
Stress is not just emotional. It can be mental (happening in our thought life), emotional, physical and environmental. Toxins we encounter causes stress to the immune system and our entire body functions.
So why not just remove stress from our lives? Well, in order to do this, we would have to live in a bubble and that would be stressful too! It is not the goal to completely remove all stress but to reduce stress while INCREASING OUR CAPACITY to deal with or handle stress.
Another important aspect of becoming empowered to breaking up with stress you need to consider is…
Where may I be adding to, or creating stress, in my life?
What do I gain from doing this, what do I get out of it?
Sometimes we create stress and chaos in our lives, or at the very least feed it, in order to avoid dealing with or acknowledging something we are not yet ready to face, resolve or change. It’s like creating a big loud clanking distraction that makes it almost impossible to hear or notice anything else. In order to truly break up with stress we must take ownership and accountability for the part we play in it.
So here are some simple steps to reducing stress and increasing your capacity to handle life’s stressors:
Emotional Stress Reduction
First and foremost, recognizing and honoring our emotions is a critical part of emotional stress reduction. We need to both be aware of our feelings, then process and release those emotions in a healthy and balanced way versus suppressing, avoiding or ignoring them. Secondly, we need to take ownership of our emotional life. If we are experiencing negative emotions blaming others will not help. We must each find healthy ways to experience and express our emotions. No one else can make you FEEL any emotion without your permission and YOUR participation.
Reducing emotional stress is best done through aligning yourself with your values. When our job, relationships and all other aspects of our lives are aligned with our values and our true self (versus all the beliefs and thoughts of what SHOULD be) emotional stress will be significantly decreased.
Also learning healthy boundaries and how to say NO to the things that add un-necessary emotional stress to your life will set you free from an overabundance of emotional stress.
Physical Stress Reduction
Physical stress comes when we do not properly care for our bodies and our physical environment, as well as when we are exposed to toxins through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Obviously trying to control this by completely removing all physical stressors would create an even bigger imbalance, and more stress. Try to find ways that you can limit physical stressors. Balancing and responsibly managing finances, life tasks and even cleaning (decluttering and organizing greatly reduce physical stressors).
Another way to reduce physical stressors is by making a commitment to yourself to get enough sleep, water and healthy balanced meals in your system each day. You can reduce the toxins you ingest by drinking more filtered water, packing foods in glass versus plastic, eating foods that are fresh, made by you and include fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats and avoiding eating pre-prepared foods.
Mental Stress Reduction
Whenever I mention ‘mental’ health or ‘mental’ stress people often think I am referring to intelligence or expanding the mind. When I am speaking of mental stress, this is referring to your thought life. The thought life are the types of thoughts you think, especially the recurring ones. Are they negative, filled with fear, optimistic, pessimistic, balanced, loving or reactionary? You are in control of your mind and the thoughts that you think. I am not recommending avoiding negative thoughts, instead invite yourself to avoid getting into a relationship with negative thoughts and negative thought cycles. In order to have a relationship with someone or something you must invest time and attention to them. So don’t invest in your negative thoughts and allow them to go on and on and around and around repeatedly. Also learn how to let things go. Obsessing is not problem solving and only causes you to suffer.
Environmental Stress Reduction
Similar to some elements that I mentioned under ‘physical stress reduction’, environmental stressors can also be toxins. These can be in the air you breathe or the materials within the four walls where you live or work. Again, we cannot healthfully completely control our environment but we can choose to reduce environmental stress by intentionally increasing time in less stressful environments. Less traffic, less pollution, less toxic materials. Intentionally investing time in environments that ‘feel better’ will automatically begin reducing your exposure to environmental stress. We must learn to listen to what environments ‘feel’ good or better.
The two simplest ways to reduce your environmental stress are to increase time in nature, amongst its beauty, out in the cleaner air and to clean up the environment you are most in. Cleaning up your environment means participating in reducing your own foot print because we all are co-creating this toxicity we experience. It also means being intentional about your home and work space where ever you are able to do so in a balanced manner. Keeping your space clean, removing toxins, filtering your air, purifying your space and purchasing environmentally safe items such as non-toxic clothing and furniture will do more for reducing your environmental stress then you may ever imagine!
It is unrealistic and also not healthy to try to avoid everything stressful. This simply weakens our ability to cope with life. Just because something may feel difficult or ‘bad’ does not mean that it IS bad for you. Overcoming and dealing with life’s stressors not only strengthen our character and increase our capacity to cope with stress but it also builds our character. It helps us grow and expand into the type of person who can feel inner peace and have clarity and calmness of thought even amidst difficult challenges.
When increasing our capacity for stress, the metaphor I like to use most is; imagine that you are carrying around a glass of water that is half full. Every time you encounter stress it’s like adding another ounce of water in your glass. Now, if you don’t take frequent sips to empty the glass, eventually those little one ounce stressors will make your glass so full that the next one-ounce stressor will cause an overflow, a mess, that will pour out everywhere. If we are continually intentionally emptying the stress we are not thrown off balance when we encounter a new stress.
Here are some ways to increase your capacity to deal with stress and proactively manage the stress you already have:
Self-Care
Self-care gives you the energy you need to handle stress. It should be approached as a non-negotiable, non-optional practice in your life. If you are too busy or overloaded for self-care I recommend that you schedule it into your daily life with the same priority you would a work meeting, family obligation or doctor’s appointment! Self-care can be anything that you find helpful, enjoyable or recharging. Here are some self-care ideas I shared in one of my recent blogs, The Self-Care Home Spa Experience
Healthy Boundaries
Healthy boundaries that are rooted in love are a game changer for the way you experience and enjoy your life, career and relationships. Boundaries are not rules you demand from others. That is called control, not a boundary. A boundary is something you personally set and you personally respect and abide by in order to honor yourself, your needs, your values and those of the people you love. You are the only person in any relationship that can honor your boundaries. It is up to you to do so and if you do not, you are not a victim of someone else, don’t place blame on them if you did not respect your own boundary.
Most of us never learned about healthy boundaries, I know I didn’t. A great resource for beginning or expanding your personal understanding and relationship to boundaries is the book ‘Boundaries’ by Townson & Cloud.
Let That Shit Go!
Why hold on to old resentments? They are only poisoning you! No one is perfect and everyone is doing the very best they can with the information and resources they have at the time. Would you be angry at a deaf person for not hearing you speak? No, of course not. Why do we get angry and hurt when people are unable to give or do something they are not capable of? This doesn’t mean we continue in toxic relationships and it doesn’t mean that it’s okay for someone to treat you poorly. Refer back to boundaries, take responsibility for how you react and respond to others behaviors that offend or harm you. You can honor yourself, remain safe and have healthy boundaries while also no longer feeling the venom of anger and resentment in your life. A wonderful and free resource for this is found on Byron Katie’s website called The Work. Spending 10 minutes completing the free downloadable form changed my life and my perspective on the most difficult relationships in my life – www.thework.com
Put On Your Big Kid Undies and Deal with It
Stop making everything such a big F-ing deal, seriously! It’s up to you what you take offense to. I choose not to take very much personally. If you are a person who is reactionary, you are simply a bomb waiting to go off…this makes you a victim of every circumstance and completely robs you of your power! It is only when I do choose to make it all about me and take offense to something that I experience stress and pain. When a situation or circumstance is less than your desired outcome or when someone says or does something you wished would have been different, more, less or better make a conscious choice to put on your big kid undies and deal with it from a peaceful, tolerant and loving place.
Practicing Preference Versus Attachment
I am very intentional about my life, my goals, my plans and the thoughts and actions I participate in. I have a specific goal or desired outcome AND I also allow for my goals and desires to show up looking a bit different. I practice preference versus attachment. My happiness and success is not contingent on things being one way, my way or what I perceive to be the right way. In that same vein I do not have unrealistic demands or expectations on how other people in this world behave, show up in the world or what beliefs their lives reflect. I honor others and experience much peace within this world of diverse beliefs and behaviors simply because my beliefs, perspectives and values are things I have a preference for versus an attachment to.
When we are attached to something it is narrow, rigid and reflects a ‘this is the only way’ attitude. This limits us versus offers expansion, growth and the potential for greater success. Practicing the art and science of living a life guided by preference versus attachment is something that takes intentional daily practice in order to master! When you practice continually you will build your ability to do this the way you strengthen a muscle by repetitive exercise. As you weave this art into the framework of your life you will see stress melt away like a glassier exposed to 100-degree weather. You will also experience a dramatic shift in your capacity to handle stressful people, places, things and situations.
Breathing Exercises & Meditation
Both breathing exercises (deep, relaxed intentionally focused breathing) as well as meditation (any and every form) has been scientifically proven, by countless respected institutions to significantly reduce stress and increase our capacity to cope with stress. Developing a meditation or intentional breathing practice should be a custom creation by you and you alone. Try on a few, experiment and then practice the ones that work best for you as consistently as you are able. Developing a 2 minute a day practice will still have a positive impact on your stress levels. If you are new to these concepts or even just interested on my perspective on this, check out a recent blog I wrote on Demystifying Meditation
Many people, from both parties, have been conflicted, angry, disappointed, afraid and frustrated since the US ushered in a new president.
Issues of equal rights, safety, human rights, acceptance and tolerance have been a high concern for many and I have seen the backlash concerning this all around us. There has been and continued to be much negativity and accusations being spewed across social media and even news sources. I only have two things to say about this:
Please know that no problem can be addressed if it is not something we are aware of consciously. This brings to light the fear, hate, desperation, judgement and division of our country. Now, the spotlight has been shined on many issues we want to change. As it is at the forefront of our awareness, we as a people can be the change. We each can be a part of the solution. This problem cannot be solved by any one politician or any single group or party. It is a collective problem that WE Americans have and only WE Americans can fix through love, tolerance, unity and understanding. We must each participate in love. We cannot change these issues of hate and fear with more hate and fear.
By choosing to read, tweet and retweet, post and repost anger based messages, all you are doing is participating in furthering anger, hate and division. Be the solution. Be the change. First by removing yourself from the negative hamster wheel of conversations, thoughts and media. Next by giving some thought about what you want this world and this country to be like. Followed by coming up with an action plan, some small steps that you can take that are rooted in love, to BE THE CHANGE and create positive change.
What we all need are loving and strong leaders right now. Leaders lead, they blaze a path and set an example. They do not simply sit around moaning and groaning about what they hate. Anyone can do that. It is easier to complain about what you don’t like, not take responsibility or any accountability while putting the ownership and responsibility solely on someone else.
When we focus our attention on something we magnify it. It becomes bigger. When we focus on something it turns into an intention, or the place we send our energy to. When we focus on the problems we magnify the problems. However, when we shift our focus to the solutions we magnify the solutions!
During an extreme time of violence in US history, a group of meditators came together in Washington DC to meditate on peace, love and harmony. They set their focus and attention on this. During the exact times that they meditated on this, the crime rate dropped! Our focus and intention is powerful and it is powerfully positive when done from a place of love.
Set your focus and attention intentionally on the solutions (or finding the solutions) to create the positive changes you want to see happen in this world. Make sure that you check your heart and are honest with yourself… can you do this from a place of unconditional love and acceptance of other people, even if they do not believe or behave the way you would like them to?
Taking accountability for our part of creating positive change will lead us to great places individually and collectively! As Dr. Seuss put it so eloquently… “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!”.
Love,
Rachel
PS – Join me in sharing the solutions through Social Media!
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Meditation can be an uncomfortable thing to consider or practice for many. There can be preconceived notions or beliefs about meditation that make the idea of it scary, unachievable or just seem down-right weird. But in actual practice you can find a way to meditate that will work for you, your life style, time constraints and beliefs that will be safe and effective.
Why meditate? Simple, it has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, which increases health, balance and enjoyment of life. Who does not want to be happier and healthier? It is also a powerful tool for self-discovery, self-care and personal growth.
So how can we unweave some of the odd things you have seen or heard about meditation? Let me help demystify the concept of meditation for you a bit:
I was introduced to meditation when I was 5 years old. I have studied many forms of meditation, developed my own personal meditation practice and taught meditation to thousands of people around the world. So let me help you understand meditation a bit more from my perspective.
I like to describe meditation is ‘marinating’ on something, something within that is silent. Those of you who cook may have an understanding of this, especially when it comes to grilling steaks. For any vegetarians…I lovingly respect you and I am not sorry, it’s an effective example so please try to relate in…
Say you are grilling a steak; most people will marinate the meat or let it sit submerged in something for a predetermined period of time in order that the meat will soak up as much of the marinade as possible (for flavor). Fully marinating and submerging meat in the marinade causes an environment where the meat can fully soak the marinade into every part of the meat…even all the way into the center. Why? So the steak can be transformed into the best and most flavorful version of itself. Do you get the analogy? Sweet!
Meditation is a ‘dropping in’ or ‘checking in’ to being completely present with oneself. We spend so much time in motion, in doing, meditation helps us to learn to be. To be present with oneself and to tap into a connection to something greater. This something greater can be anything you define it as…nature, energy, God, the Divine, Spirit, the collective unconscious, the universe or even simply ‘love’.
If prayer is talking to that higher thing, then
meditation could be called listening.
When we meditate we are marinating in being, in our relationship with self and also the relationship with that higher thing. When we take the time to marinate, we soak it up. That gives us flavor!
Meditation can be focused on a specific religious or spiritual alignment or it can be completely focused on relaxation and ‘emptying the mind’. The choice is yours.
There is a form of meditation that will feel safe and comfortable for you. That is the one to choose. However, discovering the most effective form of meditation will take a commitment on your part to experimenting, paying attention to the feedback within yourself and making adjustments.
Beginning to meditate…
‘Where do I start??? There are so many options and opinions about how to do it right’! I invite you to let that belief go. There is no one way to meditate. There is no one way that is right or wrong. The best advice I can give you is to begin to meditate in any way you want. Start where you are and grow from there.
Do some searches for meditations and guided meditations, and watch a few. Try the ones that interest you. See what helps you begin to connect with your internal landscape.
Here is a simple meditation that I teach –
Find a comfortable place to sit down where you won’t be interrupted.
Turn off your phone ringer.
Close your eyes.
Focus your attention on your breath.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Breath deep relaxed breaths versus forced breaths.
Give yourself permission to let your thoughts float by without engaging in them.
Any time you find yourself thinking or becoming distracted, simply and lovingly bring your focus back to your breath.
Continue to just BE and focus on your breathing.
Do this for as long as or as short of an amount of time as you would like.
When you are done, congratulate yourself on your accomplishment and investment in yourself. It is not helpful to critique or judge your meditation. Simply pay attention to the internal feedback that arises after and make adjustments to your next meditation session.
Remember to give your meditation muscles a chance to grow strong through regular practice. Some of the benefits you may experience after you practice consistently are; less stress, increased health, decreased illness, peaceful thought life, better ability to deal with difficult people, places and situations, more mindfulness in all areas of your life, a deeper understanding of yourself, spiritual growth and more general happiness.
Be patient with yourself and the process.
It is worth the investment of time and energy!
Self-care is a huge part of not only my physical and emotional practices but also my spiritual practice. Nurturing and caring for oneself allows for a deeper and more intimate relationship with self, community and a deeper spiritual life.
When I am investing in myself it is as if I am putting deposits into the bank, think of these deposits not as money but as energy that can then be spent of the things you want such as deepening relationships, expanding career or achieving goals.
We cannot possibly show up and give successfully what our lives require of us unless we first have it to give away. If we simply give away all our energy from a depleted account that is when we lack excellence, balance and joy! It is also when we wear ourselves down and eventually break down.
Self-care needs to address our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Self-care can be anything that works for you or recharges you in a positive way.
I have created a self-care home spa experience that I incorporate into my self-care routine frequently (in whole or in part depending on the time I have set aside). Self-care does not have to be complex. In fact, most of mine is fairly basic yet highly effective. May this be helpful to you on your continued journey and exploration into the benefits of self-care!
Create Sacred Space
Start your home spa self-care experience by setting the tone or creating a sacred space. Turn the lights down, diffuse some lavender, light candles and play some beautiful relaxing music!
Breathe
Sit and close your eyes. Give yourself permission to put your ‘to do’ list away mentally and to let go of anything that you need to. Give yourself to feel whatever comes up. Spend a few minutes simply focusing on your breath. Breathe deep and relaxed breaths for a few minutes and just allow yourself to BE.
Detox Soak
Not only does a good detox soak in a tub reduce stress and tension mentally, physically and emotionally, it also helps to pull toxins out of your largest organ… your skin! Here is the detox recipe I use in my weekly baths, all of these ingredients can be found at WholeFoods or for more affordable option, on Amazon:
2 cups colloidal fine grain organic oatmeal
2 tablespoons of Coconut Charcoal
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
½ cup Arnica Oil
2 cups Magnesium Flakes
¼ cup Castor Oil
Draw a warm bath, stir in ingredients above. Feel free to add any essential oils you might enjoy as well such as lavender (for relaxation). Soak for at least 30 minutes.
Abhyanga (Self Massage)
You don’t have to set aside time and money to get a professional massage or miss out on the benefits if you either can’t afford one or simply don’t have time. Abhyanga is an Indian self-massage ritual that has many restorative and destressing perks in addition to the fast, accessible and in expensive aspects. All you need is a good clean (organic preferred) pure oil! The oils I recommend are Aragan, Almond or a good Ayurvedic oil blend. Generously apply oil starting from your feet and slowly massaging the oil in and working your way all the way up your body, even to your face and head! Rinse off after, but do not soap up. You will want some of the oils to be able to seep in throughout the day or overnight.
‘Details’
This is a time where I will give myself permission to pamper myself by paying attention to all the care and maintenance of the small ‘details’ such as putting on a face mask, giving myself a manicure or pedicure, plucking eyebrows, etc.
Stretch & Flow Restorative Yoga
Roll out your yoga mat or even a towel on the floor. Move your body through some light yoga stretches and restorative poses. If you don’t know any you can google some restorative yoga videos on YouTube or I highly recommend Cheri Clampett’s restorative yoga classes that are available on the Yoga Anytime Channel on Amazon. Whatever you choose, remember the goal is not to workout, the goal is to restore and nurture your body. So listen to your body, ask it what it needs and try to provide that. Your body may need to just stretch out and rest fully or spend a few minutes in one restorative pose. Either way, let go of expectations and let your body lead you.
Ritual
Finish up by creating a little ritual for yourself. A ritual can be anything as long as it has the following elements:
Your ritual can be done through the use of artistic expression like painting or drawing, through burning incense, sage or Palo Santo wood, it can be done with crystals, with movement such as dance, it can be done communing in nature or anything else. Rituals should be personal and meaningful and breed connection with your higher true self and with God, Spirit, the Divine (or whatever is aligned with your beliefs).
A post-break up guide for fully releasing relationships, career, old habits or patterns and experiencing true freedom.
The Breaking Up
Saying no to this means saying yes to something else.
Breaking up with a person, place, thing or situation usually comes from a struggling with a relationship and coming to a decision that it is no longer something you want in your life. You finally decide to say no to the relationship with the hopes of saying yes to something better.
We don’t only break up with people, we also break up with jobs, career paths, financial situations, places, food, habits, self-image and self-treatment and other non-serving patterns. When we do break up it is important to gain the much needed clarity on why we created or chose that relationship into our life, as well as clear the old relationship FULLY from our lives on all levels; mind, body, emotions, thoughts and spirit.
If you don’t gain the clarity and clearing you need more likely than not, you will draw in the same thing energetically again. This may come in different exterior wrapping. It may even be in a different category. For example, you break up with a lover only to draw in the same energy, pattern and cycle into your career.
If you want to be done with the relationship and free from it for good, here is a simple guide!
What Is a Relationship?
All relationships take time, energy, focus & intention.
A relationship is a connection and intimate interconnection that we create with many different things; people, food, places, habits, etc. In order to have a relationship with something or someone it takes time, energy, focus (attention) and intentionality (intentional thoughts & actions). We can’t be in a relationship with someone or something we are not investing our thoughts, our action (our time) or our energy in. Intentionality is ‘with purpose’ or having a higher purpose to the relationship. You may have been consciously aware of your purpose for a relationship or you may not have been consciously aware of it, but I promise you there was a higher purpose at play. The higher purpose is ‘the reason’ you got into the relationship. Whether that was to experience happiness, love, safety, security, stability, fun, health, comfort or a slew of many other potential higher purposes, be sure that there is one behind the relationship you are breaking up with.
THE HIGHER PURPOSE IS ALWAYS FOR YOUR GREATER GOOD!
Always, always and always! You may think that that abusive relationship or that horrible job or even that food binging issue is due to you being a failure, broken, weak or messed up. It’s not! It is simply feedback for you that the strategy you were running in order to achieve your higher purpose was not effective! So put the bat down and let’s move on to how to find an effective strategy.
Creating a new and effective strategy to achieving the higher purpose of what the relationship was created to fulfill begins with clarity and clearing!
Clarity
Clarity comes when we are empowered and gain clear understanding.
Until you get clear on the following things most people will simply recreate the same undesired relationship as they move forward:
Clearing
Emotions, thoughts, habits & energy need to be cleared to fully release & move forward.
Let’s acknowledge for a moment that transition can be challenging. When we let go of something we may make a decision & remove ourselves from the thing or relationship but the energy of it may get stuck and linger causing negative emotions, lack of energy, confusion and worst of all attracting the same exact thing into our lives again.
So how can you clear a relationship?
Clearing needs to take place on all levels in order to be a full and complete clearing that will allow you the freedom to fully move forward and create something different. This means clearing physically, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually & energetically. Below are some simple tips on how to do this.
Emotional Clearing
Emotional clearing consists of clearing negative emotions, attachments to negative emotions both with the person or people, places, things or situations that are attached or associated to the break up (the relationship itself, people and things attached to the relationship, etc.). Emotional clearing also includes clearing the emotions about yourself that have to do with the situation or person you are breaking up with, the break up itself.
Here are a few steps to emotional clearing:
People spend so much time and energy avoiding or suppressing their emotions. This only causes the emotions to become buried and stuck. Make no mistake, stuck emotions create illness and problems in all aspects of life. We are designed to experience emotions; it is part of being a human being. So acknowledge how you are truly feeling. Honor those emotions versus avoiding them. This will ready you to process them and release them. Use a journal or a trustworthy and non-judgmental friend as a sounding board.
Processing your emotions means intentionally creating the time and space to feel them. Meditate and allow them to rise up to the surface and flow freely. Don’t try to stop your emotions, try to be with them.
Just rolling around in negative emotions is not healthy and will actually magnify the emotions. It is important to get them up and out of the body and your entire being. You can do this through movement, exercise, creativity and sharing them in a safe way with a safe person.
Mental Clearing
Mental clearing consists of shifting your thought patterns about yourself, the thing your breaking up with and any situations attached to the person or thing you are breaking up with and also any projected thoughts (these are future based that have not happened yet, these are negative thoughts about the future).
Here are a few steps to mental clearing:
Become aware of your thought life and thought patterns. Many people let their thoughts drive their emotions and actions unintentionally. This causes people to go wherever their thoughts lead them. You are in control of your mind and therefor can clear your thought patterns and create new healthy thought patterns. Try starting a ‘thought journal’. This will help you track and become aware of your thought life and thought patterns.
Start to intentionally invest in your thought life, choose where and how you spend your thoughts. This doesn’t mean not ever having negative thoughts, but it does mean that when you do have them you don’t allow yourself to get swept away with them and end up running around and around with them. Make good thought choices one thought at a time.
Any good relationship takes love, time, attention and focus. Begin a relationship with your thoughts and build a healthy and higher serving thought life. Invest some time in thinking on and about the things that serve you such as dreaming, vision casting and the things you want to experience and create such as a healthy and fulfilling relationship.
Physical Clearing
Physical clearing clears the body and the physical world around you of the old relationship.
When people think of the physical aspects of themselves they mostly think of their bodies. But the physical aspects also include your physical world, the things that you have or do not have around you and the things that you tangibly create.
Here are a few steps to physical clearing:
Out with the old, in with the new. Let go of anything in your physical world that no longer serves you. Look around you and notice what is within your physical body or surrounding you in your physical world. If those things are attached to the old relationship or do not bring you joy, let them go! That means un-invite them from your life and get rid of them!
Slow down and take good and gentle care of yourself physically as well as all of the physical things around you. This is a time to nurture yourself and the physical things in your life, so give yourself permission to up your self-care game.
Allow time for the residue to wear off. Give yourself permission to just be for a bit. Don’t jump into another relationship. Don’t jump into a fad diet, hardcore nutrition or fitness plan, take on a new lover or love interest, job or career. Just be here now for a little while. Once you have fully cleared and given yourself this time and space you will be free to create more balanced things through effective and loving actions.
Spiritual Clearing
Spiritual clearing consists of deepening your connection with yourself, community, the world (the earth) and the higher source you believe in. It also consists of getting re-aligned with your true and higher self.
Here are a few steps to spiritual clearing:
Be with yourself. Create the time and space to connect with yourself in a true, meaningful and intimate way. Do this in a way that works for you and helps you feel connected. This may take some trial and error, so experiment and see what works best for you. This can be as simple as focusing on your breath and closing your eyes, meditating, doing yoga or journaling.
Be with the world, with the earth, with nature. Create the time and space to connect with the world around you in a true, meaningful and intimate way. Do this in a way that works for you and helps you feel connected. This also may take some trial and error, so experiment and see what works best for you. It can be as simple as taking a walk in nature, noticing and enjoying a beautiful surrounding or volunteering to clean up a park or finding a way to reduce your footprint.
Be with community. Create the time and space to connect with people round you and create or participate in community in a true, meaningful and intimate way. Do this in a way that works for you and helps you feel connected. Again, this also may take some trial and error, so experiment and see what works best for you. It can be as simple as taking a yoga class, sitting at an outdoor café and striking up conversations, hosting a potluck dinner, connecting with friends or family or partaking in a community form of spirituality or spiritual worship expression.
Be with your God. Create the time and space to connect with Source, God, Higher Power or whatever your beliefs connect you with. This can even be connecting with the feeling and expression of love. Make sure you do this in a meaningful and intimate way, one that feels right for you. Connection to beliefs without true alignment, authentic worship or expression is dead and creates no spiritual clearing or growth, it is simply posturing. So do this in a way that works for you and helps you feel connected versus what you think you ‘should’ do. This also may take some trial and error, so experiment and see what works best for you. It can be as simple as praying, meditating on love, participating in a community worship experience or even sitting down and just talking and connecting with God.
Energetic Clearing
Energetic clearing occurs when we are able to change the frequency of our personal energy as well as unclog and release the old energy.
Once we have energetically cleared the old relationship, we no longer are ‘playing the tune’ of the old relationship and the things attached to that. It means that we are now operating or putting out a different frequency. This also means you will create and attract different things. You will now attract and create relationships based on your new frequency.
Here are a few steps to energetic clearing:
Our energy has subtle and not so subtle feelings and shifts. Begin bringing your awareness to meet these and notice your energy and personal frequency. Are you amped up, feeling unable to sit and be, calm, peaceful, angry… these may be words to describe emotions however energy is not easily definable. Energy is something that is. It exists in and around you. Energy can be connected with and experienced with more awareness. Invest in becoming aware of your personal energy. Experiment and see what works for you.
There’s a great saying ‘where intention (or conscious focus) goes, energy flows’. Set an intention and begin to feel how your energy shifts as you hold this intention throughout the space of a week or so.
There are thousands of energy clearing rituals and the ones that work are the ones that create a ritual or ceremony that feels right for you. This could be sagging, getting energy work done, self-clearing energy work, Reiki, one of my or another practitioners guided visualizations or any other sacred ritual. The important thing is to create and practice that ritual with the intention of connecting with your higher self and Source or God along with the intention of clearing your personal energy of anything that doesn’t serve you or may be stuck within your energetic field. Again, there are thousands of ways to do this; you should pick one that you feel comfortable and safe trying. You can be as ‘normal’ and grounded or as creatively ‘out there’ as you desire, so make your energy clearing ritual personalized to you.
Human beings are strong and resilient. We are all able to shift, re-build, re-invent and transform our lives. Even when difficulties arise we are able to learn, heal and grow. Remember, that even during this transition, you are whole and resourceful! You need only to return to this wholeness through balanced intentional steps, self-love and self-care!
May you clear what needs to be cleared so that you may create that which serves you more!
In Wholeness,
Rachel
The holiday season has officially arrived holding all the joys, pains, fears, expectations, anxieties, to-do lists and other challenges we are ANTICIPATING. Maybe, just maybe THIS holiday season can be different. Maybe instead of surviving the holidays, you can THRIVE through the season. How? It will take intentionality, a willingness to shift your mind set and actions to reflect those. It will take a pro-active approach versus a reactive approach. What do you think? Are you up for the challenge? Although this may take planning and work, aren’t the benefits of a THRIVING holiday season worth the efforts of taking steps now?
Here is my simple ‘how to’ prep yourself for a THRIVING holiday season.
First, commit to approaching the upcoming season with the following mindset:
I can only change me, my perspective and how I experience things. And because I can change these things, I can experience the holiday season how I want to experience them.
Second, decide to proactively approach the holiday season with:
Intention, Attention & Intentional Action
Here are some additional ‘how to’ steps that you can take to create the THRIVING holiday season you desire, so grab a pen and a notebook and answer these questions as boldly and honestly as you can:
Many times people spend their time and energy focused on what they DON’T want…so what is it that you DO want to have, do or experience this holiday season? Remember to keep your answers focused on yourself, meaning do not list all the things you want other people or circumstances to be, do or behave like. Instead, list what YOU want to experience, do or have… these are the things that you will be able to impact and shift.
For example, I may want my crazy aunt Nancy to not be so critical of me. Since I certainly can’t control or change her, I would refocus my goal on what I can control…my mind set, my reactions, my experience of Nancy. What that could look like is; ‘if Nancy gets critical towards me I don’t want to loose my temper, I want to experience peace and loving thoughts no matter what anyone else behaves like’.
So now, make a list of what it is that you really really want to have, do and experience this holiday season.
Next, take that list that you made and for each thing that you wrote down that you wanted to have, do and/or experience, ask yourself ‘WHY, what is the motivation behind my wants?’, write down your answers and be honest with yourself. You may be surprised at what you discover. The truth will set you free, free from negative emotions and beliefs or mind sets that keep you from what you want.
First write down your expectations, expectations are like wants that we project with emotion attached to them, for example… I expect nice gifts or else it means I am not loved enough. Give yourself permission to really really let loose and write every expectation that you may have no matter how big, small, unrealistic, simple or outlandishly ridiculous it may be… write it all down in a list format.
Next, lets take a look at boundaries. I used to think boundaries were something you told people that expressed what they could and could not do within a relationship with me. This could not be further from the truth, what I just described is ‘being controlling; not ‘setting a boundary’. Boundaries are the perimeters we set for ourselves with ourselves. It’s the agreements we make in order to lovingly take care of ourselves in the world and in relationships with others. So now that I have explained the difference take that list of expectations you have and write a boundary for yourself next to each.
This is an example of what it could look like:
This is where getting really serious about being proactive is the rubber meeting the road so to speak, if you want to THRIVE this holiday season STOP RIGHT NOW and plan some serious rest and renewal time ASAP! If you go into the season worn out, drained and on empty what do you have to offer yourself or the ones you love? You can’t write a check on an overdrawn bank account. So make some serious deposits now!
Write a few ideas for things you can do to replenish your energy and go into the season renewed and revitalized.
What is a sandwich? Well, you take two pieces of bread and put something in the middle, then you have a sandwich. What I am inviting you to do is to create a self care sandwich around each and every holiday event throughout the season. The acts of self care will be your bread (one on either side) and the holiday event will be the center.
This allows you to go in full as well as restore yourself before returning to life’s daily demands. This can look any way that you find helpful. One example is, say you go fly to visit family Friday thru Monday one week over the holidays. A good self care sandwich could look like also taking Thursday and Tuesday off of work and having a pajama and movie marathon day at home. Self care actions can be anything that help you feel recharged, renewed and relaxed.
Go ahead and write down your holiday event plans and then write down some ideas to create ‘self care sandwiches’ around them.
Often people get very attached to the way they see things or their opinion about the way something is supposed to go. I invite you to let go of these types of beliefs and mind sets that may limit you from experiencing and creating a thriving holiday season. What do you need to let go of in order to create or experience more of what you DO want? It might be letting go of being right, or of being perfect, or of trying to fulfill or be what you think others want or need you to be. Or it may be something else.
Write a list of the things you need to let go of in order to create more of what you do want during the holidays. Then take a look at that list and ask yourself if you are truly willing to let that stuff go. Then hold yourself accountable to really let it go. You may have to remind yourself numerous times not to jump back on that old hamster wheel and take another spin or two round and round. That’s ok, just stick with your agreement with yourself to let it go, remind yourself and redirect your thoughts to what you do want to create instead.
When I was young I would party on full blast and whatever the consequences were from lack of sleep, etc. I would simply deal with them when they came around… that was not a mature approach to celebration or to living life. When we are intentional and balanced we get the outcome we want.
I invite you to budget, budget your time, energy and money. Give yourself some parameters of what IS balanced celebration of these holidays for you. That may mean eating one cookie but not 20. It may mean buying smaller gifts or committing to fewer events. If you have celebrated at least a few holidays in your life you probably have some idea what has felt unbalanced or ‘over the top’ or has led to negative results and what has felt balanced and positive.
Write about what you feel would be balanced for you during this holiday season. Make a game plan!
May you experience joy, love, peace and balance this holiday season exactly the way you desire it to be!
In Wholeness,
Rachel
Integrative Wellness is wellness, wholeness or balance all all four aspects of self; mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. The word integrative as defined by the dictionary is: Combining allopathic and complementary therapies and/or serving or intending to unify separate things.
All four of these aspects of self are interconnected and effect one another. For example, you can experience weight gain on the physical and it’s core or root issue can actually be in the emotional system. True wellness and harmony is experienced when there is balance in all four systems or aspects of self. This wellness will then branch out and create positive results in the major areas of life such as career, relationships, family, health and self development.
What exactly are these four systems defined as? The ‘Mental’ system is the area of thought life, self perception and beliefs. The ‘Emotional’ system is our emotions and relationships, this includes our negative emotions and feelings about the past. The ‘Physical’ system is our health and physical body as well as all the things we create around us; job, home, finances, organization etc. The ‘Spiritual’ system is our connection to our true self, our higher self or God, energy, love, nature (any definition you choose), what we believe spiritually and the way we choose to grow that connection through actions. The Spiritual system is different then religion, religion is one example of a way to increase balance or wholeness within the spiritual system if one so chooses.
How can I get help? Getting coached in this area may be hugely beneficial to the quality of life you desire to live. You may be familiar with the term ‘life coach’. A life coach is traditionally defined as a person who counsels and encourages clients on matters having to do with careers or personal challenges. An Integrative Wellness & Life Coach (trained and certified through Integrative Wellness Academy) has knowledge & training in ‘integrative’ approaches and techniques to help resolve core issues and roadblocks in the areas of mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellness (wholeness or balance).
Integrative Wellness & Life Coaches can help people gain freedom from the past, overcome habits and patterns that block fulfillment in an area of life as well as help clients take the actions necessary to live the life they have always desired. An Integrative Wellness & Life Coach does this through the holistic & integrative approach of coaching towards balance (harmony or wholeness) in all four body systems; mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.
This approach moves life coaching from simply counseling and encouraging to fully equipping and empowering clients to make effective change. The clients of an Integrative Wellness & Life Coach can experience and expect to walk away with a personal plan to move them towards wellness & health in the areas of mind (thought life & patterns), emotions (emotions & relationships), physical (this can be physical health or physical surroundings/situations such as career or finance) and spiritual health (awareness & spirituality).
I wanted to provide one of the exercises our coaches use for you all to try! This exercise helps you to identify areas that are out of balance and intentionally move you towards balance, wellness and wholeness as well as to uncover actions that are leading you away from balance, wellness and wholeness. Once you have identified these, you can INTENTIONALLY list effective actions to help move you towards balance and create the outcomes you desire!
Here’s how:
Fill in the in the graph below, do one graph for each of the systems—mental, emotional, physical and spiritual:
If you have ever had a passion for having a career helping others, or are you simply interested in getting equipped to help yourself, my company, Integrative Wellness Academy offers Integrative Wellness & Life Coach certification courses both in person and online. If you are interested in attending please email us! You can read more about our team, trainings and reviews on our web site http://www.integrativewellnessacademy.com/
Or if you have any questions feel free to email the team at info@integrativewellnessacademy.com
In wellness,