Kindness Archives - Page 2 of 3

I Am More Than Enough

July 26, 2017 By Erin Tracy, Medical Qi Gong and Health Coaching

I am more than enough. I have what I need. I have gratitude for the abundance in my life.

Recognizing those truths in my core being has been instrumental in my own healing, reclaiming my joy, overcoming my anxiety and resolving some health issues. It hasn’t been easy and there are still times when my old patterns and beliefs come to the forefront of my consciousness and affect my actions.

The old patterns were based on a myth of scarcity and a general long held belief that, in all things, there was a lack of abundance. These patterns shaped everything I did for much of my life and I would venture a guess that they have played a big part in the lives of most everyone I know.

It is so easy to start the day from this “not enough” viewpoint: not enough sleep.

This can very easily become an overarching sentiment of the day. There’s not enough time. I don’t have enough energy, That’s too expensive. I am not worthy enough. I didn’t exercise enough, work enough, love enough, get loved enough, etc.

Lynne Twist talks about 3 Damaging Myths about scarcity that keep us from feeling abundance in our lives.

1) There’s not enough and that someone is going lose

2) More is better

3) That’s just the way it is and it’s never going to change.

Sound familiar? Most people nod their head when these myths are pointed out. It can be a challenge to embrace the idea that they may not be true.

What if the truth is that there IS enough time, money, love, nourishment, sleep, etc?

Take sleep, for example. What if it’s true that in order for you to get enough sleep no one else has to suffer? There’s enough sleep (or insert another thing you believe there isn’t enough of). There are people who live at what we would consider “poverty level” and they GET THIS. They don’t live their lives from a place of lack or scarcity. Even though our standards might consider them “impoverished”, they have peace in their lives, they are connected to their inner wisdom, and they have a resilience that many financially “better off” people have never known.

So how to break free from the myths? Especially from the last myth I listed – “That’s just the way it is and it isn’t ever going to change”? This myth can be part of the reason that we can’t let go of patterns that are no longer servicing us. In fact, we must realize our power to change what we can. Where can we affect the biggest change in our control with far-reaching effects? Change what is on the inside – our internal landscape/climate/chatter.

How can we shift our inner landscape?

Gratitude: Find the grace for what you have NOW. Find gratitude for your blessings in your life, for the things that are going well. What if you were grateful for everything in your life? Even for the things in your life that you have decided are terrible. [NB: I get that some people have had horrendous things happen to them. It is possible, though, not to have those events set the tone for everything else.] Perhaps there was some lesson or hidden opportunity. Notice your abundance and blessings. When you find the gratitude, even in small ways, for all of it, notice what happens!

“You AND Me” not “You OR Me”: What if the intention of the human species was not competition but cooperation? How does that change EVERYTHING? What if every interaction we trusted that we were going receive what we needed and so would anyone else involved in that interaction. What if more of life was a Win-Win?

If you are finding that you are experiencing resistance to shifting a scarcity mindset, you wouldn’t be the first person.

What beliefs are holding you back from a feeling of abundance and having and being more than enough? Where does anxiety about not having enough keep you from enjoying even the simple things? What would it take for you to change your story?

Contact me to schedule a complimentary consultation to include some breakthrough coaching strategies to begin to identify that might be limiting you or keeping you in a feeling of “stuck”. Being willing to let go of some old stories that are not serving you anymore, opens up an evolution in your health and happiness.

The Fearful Mind

July 9, 2017 By Erin Tracy, Medical Qi Gong and Health Coaching

Place the fearful mind in the cradle of loving—kindness. Pema Chödrön

This message is a wonderful reminder of the power of mindfulness and a wide-open heart.

It is a reminder that we are held and we are safe. Keep moving forward even in the presence of the fearful mind.

I posted this quote on my Facebook page and asked people to share what it meant to them. You can see all the responses here and add one of your own.

Excerpts:

ah………sigh of relief | Acceptance | Surrender into love | When we step out in love, faith, God will not only catch us but cradle us. | Be gentle with yourself. Nurture your needs and the fears will release. | It’s all gonna work out. I got you. | to love oneself and to be kind to oneself | …Foundational bed of compassion | Vibrancy and aliveness – that is the state in which the body truly desires to be. | As you love and do for others you will feel love and peace in your heart and soul | And we have known & believed the love God has to us. God is love. 1John 4:16 | There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment. 1John 4:18 | placing of the brain in a wooden cradle

What does it mean to trust and accept the fear that we inevitably feel?

When I feel the grip of fear, I can lessen the grip by noticing that fear, feeling it. Breathing into it. Yep – I’m talking about getting closer to it. It is a very BRAVE thing to get closer to our fears.

Being mindful means that we are more open to trusting the present moment.

Mindfulness reminders seem to be everywhere these days. And yet SO many friends, family, and clients tell me that they can’t quiet the brain enough to be mindful. Mindfulness doesn’t mean that the mind is empty.

Watch the thoughts and stories about what is happening… The present moment may be full of all kinds of emotions, thoughts, and judgements. It may be full of paralyzing fear.

Fear that brings out your aggression.
Fear that distracts you from your goals.
Fear that leads you to chose behaviors that let you numb out.

When we can be mindful about our fear, we might find that we gain some perspective and we may feel a little less tight and we find some courage.

We might even begin to notice that our limiting beliefs that keep us in fear and anxiety MAY NOT BE TRUE.

In order to feel less rigid and trapped by our fear, it can be very helpful to look at what we DO when we feel fear. Sure, there is the fight-flight-freeze reaction that is programed into our critter brains. Our ancestors needed these reactions to survive. And those survival instincts are important, but the reality is that in our western-living milieu, there typically is NOT a giant BEAR threatening us.

Still, when our first-world fears come up, it can truly feel like a bear is coming after us. So, when we aren’t practiced in being mindful of our fear, we REACT.

What do we often choose in the face of fear?

Materialism: Do you tend to default to purely materialistic aspects when fear comes up and overrides attempts to be mindful? This looks like overspending, the pursuit of physical comfort, creating a sense of security and over-indulging the desire for pleasure.
Attach to Rigid Beliefs: This is tricky because we can be fooled into linking our beliefs with our identity. Our beliefs can actually limit ourselves. I am talking about political, religious, pragmatic beliefs. If you find yourself with feelings of self-righteousness or indignation, that tension may be keeping your from letting your fears have less grip on your living your life.
Escape to special states of mind: It can be easy to use special states of mind to hide behind when we feel fear. These include chemically induced states through drugs or alcohol. Even “spiritual” states brought about through yoga, meditation, prayer, centering practices, can be used as a way to try to skip engaging with our fears head on. We may “feel better” but we haven’t addressed the core – the feeling and root of the fear.

I mention these things only to bring your awareness to what you do when you feel fear. If you are going into judgement about yourself if you see yourself in these choices, I invite you to let that go. There is great personal power in identifying what your patterns are and how they are and are not serving you.

As the fearful mind shows up, notice it – greet it.

Would you consider:

feeling the fears in your heart with loving-kindness?
there is nothing inadequate about you for having those fears?
perhaps beliefs that are keeping you in fear aren’t really TRUE?
that the fear is an opportunity to evolve? To grow? To learn?

Trust the QUALITY of the experience – stay with the moment. Watching the mind (mindfulness) brings us back to the present moment.

“Place the fearful mind in the cradle of loving kindness…”

Peace be with you.

Reconnect to Joy

May 2, 2017 By Erin Tracy, Medical Qi Gong and Health Coaching

Do the stories in your head ever sound like this?

“I’ll have some peace when “event y” happens (or when “event z” stops happening)”
“Everything would be fine if I had willpower to stop “behavior x”.
“There is not enough time/energy/money to “outcome w.”

In my own life when I am aware that these old patterns resurface, they coincide with less connection to joy; less connection present in the moment. Interrupting those patterns is essential for wellness and for activating the momentum again.

So how do we interrupt the patterns and reconnect to joy?

1. Things Will Not Stay The Way They Are

First thing is to realize, that without a doubt, that things will not stay the way they are. Yes, this thing is happening \ in my head \ in my life \ in my body \ with a loved one \ that I do not like. Just like everything else in my life, I am clear that this situation is temporary. Find comfort in that. Perhaps doing so allows some room for surrender in the moment. Surrender is simply “relaxing into the present moment”.

2. Treat Myself Like A Beloved Friend

Second, make a conscious decision to treat myself like a beloved friend. Talk to myself like I would talk to and support someone I care deeply about. I am going to lovingly remind myself to choose Wisdom over Woe. Remind myself that it is always a choice to go into BLAME, REGRET, RESENTMENT – it is always a choice to make someone else responsible for my happiness. Real inner strength rises when we own the fact that we are responsible for our happiness.

3. Accept That I Am The Only Person I Truly Have Control Over

This leads to the third choice back towards joy: Get very clear that I am the only person that I truly have control over. So when I go into a state of blame, get hung up on what I deserve, or feel entitled to something, I am giving away my power. Instead, I will choose to take action with an open and benevolent heart. I will choose to be grateful for my blessings and challenges that help me to grow. I will be in celebration of the Great Full-ness of life.

YES.

By really connecting to this idea that I am doing the best I can in the moment, I allow the kindness for myself in. Truly. Powerfully. Pema Chodron describes this state, known as maitri in Buddhist teachings, as having unconditional friendship with oneself and then extending that warm heart to all others (or vice versa). When I can get back to that place of knowing that I am enough on this day, AND be truly Grateful for what is in my life (warts and all), connection to joy is RIGHT THERE if even in some small way. It never was disconnected really – only temporarily blocked.

It is not always EASY or PAINLESS to choose kindness As I learn, grow, mentor, and teach others how to suffer less and to heal deeply , I am clear that that this is how we make transformational progress. There are many ways to support transformational change and healing. Keep reading for a very unique and powerful upcoming opportunity to have more access kindness, unconditional love, and open heartedness for healing and a happier and healthier life.

Qi Gong Master Ou returns to Raleigh, June 16-19, 2017

Kindness and benevolence as basis;

Frankness and friendliness to heart.

These words are the foundation for the healing energy in Pangu Shengong, a simple yet profoundly effective, efficient and powerful set of Qi Gong exercises that can help the body, mind, spirit deeply heal. If you would like to learn more about how to cultivate energy for body, mind, and spirit that connects more fully to the sentiment in the lines above, please attend one or more of the various workshops or group healings offered June 16-19, 2017 when Qi Gong Master Ou, Wen Wei visits Raleigh.

Master Ou, Wen Wei visits Raleigh June 16-19, 2017

There are many opportunities all weekend for current and new students. Particularly, on Saturday, June 17 at 9:00am the Foundational Qi Cultivation (Moving Form) Qi Gong is scheduled. The group healings, Foundational Qi Cultivation Moving Form, and Pangu Yoga have no pre-requisites. If you have already learned the Moving Form (Foundational Qi Cultivation Qi Gong), please contact me so we can talk about what your next options could be. I am also certified to teach both the Moving and Non-Moving Forms of Pangu Shengong. I would love to talk to you more about how these practices have changed my life.

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