Presence Matters

I am moved and inspired by recent remembrances of Ted Kennedy’s life and accomplishments. Something in the stories of who he was and how he lived has stirred something deep within me.

He was clearly a man who believed in redemption. He lived a full life – full-hearted, full of mistakes. Yet he was also full of integrity, and the belief that the world could be a better place if he worked to make it so.

He was brought to his knees many times throughout his career, physically, emotionally and politically. Yet each time, his capacity to recover and come back better enabled him to go on.

He had more loss and responsibility placed on his shoulders than most people experience in three lifetimes. What’s more impressive is what he did in response.

Yes, he grieved deeply. But each time he chose to pick up the torch and go on, strengthening his commitment to what he stood for – a better world where the voiceless get heard, where the poor are remembered, and where healthcare is universal and not a just privilege for those who can afford it.

Senator Kennedy was clearly a lifelong learner not afraid to try new things. With each mistake he made and each loss he suffered, he didn’t just endure them. He did not become more callous.

He grew from each experience no matter how painful, and he grabbed life more fully in the aftermath. His legacy of five decades of vital legislation and lasting friendships on both sides of the aisle bear witness to that fact.

He had another valuable trait that we all need to remember, especially now. He knew how to reach out for the resources he needed every step of the way.

His wife Victoria is credited with being a powerful resource that saved his life. The staff he trusted implicitly was a resource that made his work possible. Spending time on the ocean was a resource that renewed and healed him. Over and over, he connected with healthy resources that allowed him to carry on.

Someone shared that his generous spirit called those around him to higher ground, and to release their pettiness when there were differences between them. In story after story, I heard how he showed up for his friends, colleagues and family members in their own times of need and loss. He literally showed up at the door, called repeatedly, or used his presence to get them the help they needed.

Ted Kennedy was a man of tremendous presence, born from a family imbued with an essence that mandated them to “do good” and create a better world. He clearly contributed to that. But what’s impressed me most was his hard work and unflagging persistence in “staying the course,” day in and day out, for more than five decades in the Senate.

He used his gifts and he persisted. And his presence grew from that.

When all is said and done, Ted Kennedy’s hard work and daily commitment to what he believed in left us with a legacy like none other.

As bodyworkers, we have a tremendous amount to give in the “do good” department. Now I’m even more inspired to make a difference in all ways, large and small, in my own world given my gifts.

None of us is perfect or even close. Ted Kennedy is a testament to that, too. But what we do supports health. What we do helps people relax and relieve themselves of pressure. What we do reduces stress and helps people manage their lives better.

We help them feel more at home in the incredible navigational system of their bodies. And living from inside their bodies leads to wiser decisions, better self-esteem, more creativity and more joy. That’s a vital role we serve in healthcare, now and in the coming decades.

So your mandate, should you choose to accept it, is to stay your own course. Grab life with both hands and live it. Grow from the adversity life hands you and learn from it all.

Learn to take care of yourself. People are depending on you.

And persist. Keep sharing your gifts. When the time comes, your eulogy will be filled with what you want it to say – all the ways in which you made a positive difference in your world.

In the meantime…enjoy!

As I settle back into life in Virginia I am struck by the gift of diversity that I have in my life. I could not Twitter easily at Esalen with no cell phone service there, so I begin this blog with all the journal entries I could not send from California, and finish up with my re-entry into Virginia last week:

7/9 – My trip began with a visit to New World Library in Novato, CA. We talked through their plans for the second edition of Full Body Presence due out in March of 2010.  I was really impressed  by the quality and thoughtfulness of their team. I felt like they really understood the message of the book. I left there feeling very hopeful and excited.

7/12 – Late afternoon – Coming through the front gate at Esalen Institute! What a joy to be back in this place that feels like my second home. I soak in the late afternoon sun on the ocean, taking a mineral bath  in one of the large stone tubs with my assistants as we catch up with each other before the course starts tonight.

7/13 – Early morning fog has rolled in from the horizon – I zip up my polartec jacket and breathe deeply. The air is exquisite – I can almost feel it feeding and rejuvenating my cells. I feel my heart open as I catch sight of the ocean on the turn in the path approaching the lodge.

7/14 – The smell of lavender and rosemary as I walk down the path to the lodge is so rich. The air is quite cool and crisp, yet it easily carries the scent of these healing plants to my waiting nostrils – ahhh…breathing is such a pleasure!

7/15 – The early morning bird sounds here are different than in Virginia – I am fascinated by the number of birds and their distinct calls.

7/15 – Late night singing in the moonlight sitting around the fire outside the lodge with Cole, J.J., and others. I love to sing almost anything!

7/16 – Soaking in a mineral-bath that I have filled at just the right temperature, looking out over the ocean…someone sights whales and we all turn our eyes to the horizon. Connecting with the whales and dolphins always brings me an expanded sense of who we are in the bigger of picture of all species on the planet. And that is done more easily here – with Daniel Bianchetta’s fabulous photography of whale and dolphin visitations he has made up and down the coast here, that is currently exhibited in the lodge where we eat all our meals.

7/17 – As Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries comes to a close, I am struck again by the diversity of the participants who have shown up and learned skills to take home – giving them more resilience, more grounding, and better capacity to connect in their worlds with healthy boundaries.

7/17 – Congratulations are in order on two fronts – Lori Chinitz has finished her apprenticeship and is now a full certified Instructor of Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries. Cheri Bailey is now a full certified Presenter. I am thrilled for both of them. Although I must say, I will miss having Lori team teaching with me!

7/18 – In the morning the garden here at Esalen is magnificent. The fragrance of the different flowers that bathe my senses as I walk through on my way to class lifts my spirits. Isaye Barnwell is here doing her magic – I am learning to write songs! Her gift for bringing us all into song are legendary.

7/18- In the afternoon, different flowers are sending out their scents to fill us all up as we wander through, humming our “would-be songs” under our breaths on our way to lunch. What a gift!

7/19 – I continue to be amazed at how the cool, ocean-charged air energizes me. I am already noticing that the hill walking is much easier, more effortless, even with my back pack on. My joints and legs are actually enjoying the climbing.

7/24 – The entire environment here is delicious. The food is delicious. AND someone else is cooking and cleaning up. The staff is friendly and helpful. The mineral baths are a gathering place for relaxed sharing. And, did I mention that the air is cool, clear and energizing?

7/31 – Being here with the relaxed schedule of “Esalen time”, allows me time to linger over my meals, talking to folks I might not have had time to share with elsewhere. For instance, I have loved getting to know John and Maggie Murphy and their family better this summer.

8/2 – John Murphy  just taught a workshop called “The Miracle of Water” with Peter Zimmerman and it was wonderful by all accounts. His workshop reminds me that all the forms of water on this property are truly miraculous. The fog, the springs, the streams, the ocean – wow!

8/3 – Healing the Pelvic Floor: Reclaiming Your Power, Sexuality and Pleasure Potential has begun and we are housed in the Big House this year. What a wonderful cozy environment this meeting space offers.

8/4 – Sharing is rich in this diverse circle of women, all here learning to heal the deepest parts of themselves.

8/4 – A magical moon fills the night sky as I walk back to my room – almost full, shining off the ocean. It feels like a movie set, it is so beautiful.

8/5 – 8-9 p.m.  Got to share about “Full Body Presence” with the entire community in a Wednesday night program that was very well attended and received. I love what I do!

8/6 – Under the full moon - our women’s nurturing evening at the baths was rich and easy this year.

8/7 – 1o:30 p.m. Singing in the lodge with J.J., Pearl and others – Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” seems to be a favorite this year. The harmonies are endless and we all end smiling.

8/7 -Late afternoon –  two of my favorite co-leaders have arrived: Rachel Abrams and Lisa Carlton. We begin our collaboration tonight with all the participants in Becoming a Vital Healthy Woman.

8/8 – I am amazed by how much information can be transmitted to a group of open, willing participants when Lisa Carlton and Rachel Abrams are on my team! We have had a great time and it seems as though it has gone to a new level of ease this year.

8/9 – My time at Esalen is coming to a close. I am almost running up and down the hills now. I know I keep talking about the air, but there is something very special and healing about the clear, ocean air here that seems to soak into my bones – energizing me in a way nothing else does. I get in one last soak at the baths – again, a unique form of nurturing that I only find here at Esalen.

8/10 – As  Jessica and I drive north on Highway One, I am awed by the coastline once again. The ocean’s light blue into dark blue color, the coves and beaches, the breathtaking views. I will miss you, Big Sur!

8/11 – As I emerge from Dulles Airport into the Virginia night, I am immediately struck by the rich velvet quality of the warm, moist air. It feels like it is hugging me, welcoming me back.

8/12 – I am walking again, around my home lake – Lake Audubon, and it occurs to me that the two environments are very complementary. The Esalen environment feels like to frees up something inside of me – creating a sense of spaciousness in my head. The Virginia environment hugs me close, letting me know that I am home.

8/13 – As I walk in the early morning here, I am struck by the orchestra of nature sounds. I don’t even need my iPod to have a rhythm for walking. The late summer insects are a veritable harmony unto themselves. Every time I think about putting on my iPod, I hear a new group join in as another one fades back. What a gift!

8/14 – Teaching my second Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries course in a month – this one in my home town of Reston, VA. Again,I am struck by the diversity of participants and the skills they are learning. I am in awe of the deep healing I see people doing in the class.

8/16 – As we complete the course, I realize how wide spread the applications are for all of us in today’s world. I look back over the last six weeks and see how my perception of Full Body Presence has expanded. I know this may sound strange, because I am the author, but I was shown this summer, how universal and valuable the book’s message is. More on that in my next blog – hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am enjoying mine!

I was driving the other day on a two-lane road that widened to include a passing lane for a brief period. I found myself automatically speeding up to pass the person in front of me.

They were not driving particularly slowly. I just unconsciously kicked into gear to pass them. As I did, it struck me that I have been doing that all my life. Raised with a brother only 15 months younger, and a sister several years behind him, I had spent my life pushing myself to stay at the head of the pack.

The rivalry between my brother and me was particularly fierce. When he died in 1996, I grieved deeply, and in that process, got to ask myself who would I have been without my brother? It was a mind-boggling concept to wrap around at the time. Now, 13 years later, I can answer it a little bit better.

So, this was not the first time I had realized that this default stance, or autopilot programming, was running behind the screen of my conscious awareness. Yet, I am still surprised each time I discover it (which I do periodically). Then I take the necessary steps to turn off the autopilot, once I realize it is “driving the bus” of my existence.

When I first discovered it years ago, I thought of it as a positive trait. I was somehow proud of it.

Then I came to realize how it kept me out in the future all the time. So I set out to let it go. That is easier said than done! But now, years later, I actually have skills that help me drop back and enjoy each moment more fully and easily.

In that moment, driving down the highway I just chuckled, “There I go again!” And then I slowed down and let my car drop back behind the other car. I took a few deep slow breaths and let myself relax. There truly was in no hurry. Just my autopilot gone temporarily amuck.

This experience reminded that I needed some attention spent in this area. Last fall, after spending over a year in high gear to get my book completed and published, this autopilot program was clearly running. I was stunned to realize that I was having a hard time slowing down. My family could have told you that easily, but I was oblivious. What was the next task? Put me on it, and watch me run!

So this year has been about reclaiming my ability to slow down and enjoy life. It has been extremely busy, but each time I catch myself speeding up unnecessarily, I laugh and let go.

How do I do this? First, I don’t judge myself. I take a deep breath… I take another deep breath. I feel my feet on the ground. I take an honest inventory of whether or not I really need to go faster. Then I act on that assessment.

I was rushing, packing it all in. However, since I recognized the autopilot pattern, I have been systematically letting it all go. I take a nap. I take a walk. (Note: not a run, a walk.) Maybe get a massage. Or a long catch up session with a friend on the phone. A long soak in a hot bath. Snuggle with my sweetie, my kids or my cats on the couch.

Life is too sweet to rush through. It took me a lot of years to realize this.

The issue of resilience is in the air since the publishing of Elizabeth Edward’s new book. It is a timely and valuable subject since so many people are facing such adversity in their lives right now – emotional, financial, and health-related issues.

How we respond to stress and adversity defines the quality of our lives. Life’s stressors are not going away. The only thing we really have any control over at all is how we respond to what life presents to us. And, our ability to respond well – defined as making choices that enhance our life experience – is dependant in large part on our resilience.

In a recent interview about her new book, “Resilience”, Elizabeth Edwards gives us her definition,

“I talk about my father’s dealing with his life after he had a stroke. I think that resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had, the reality that you liked before. That’s what my dad did. He still grabbed hold of what was left and lived it as fully as he could.” (italics mine)

My own father had a unique and wonderful way of demonstrating this for me when I was growing up. If a difficult situation came up, rather than reacting negatively, he would use it as an opportunity to “put on his thinking cap” and rise to meet the challenge, especially if someone tried to tell him that the problem was unsolvable.  

My earliest memory of this talent was one Christmas vacation when I was about eight years old. We were driving to my grandparent’s cabin in Fort Valley, Virginia when it began to snow, hard. By the time we got to the final leg of our journey -  a long dirt road up a steep incline to their cabin – the snow was almost three feet deep and still coming down. There were two other cars stuck at the bottom of the hill with my uncles huddled around them looking worried and defeated. They were about to abandon their cars and carry all their stuff on foot up the long steep hill through the deep snow. We were tired and grumpy as kids usually are after such a long time in the car.

However, when my Dad looked over the whole situation and yelled to my uncles that he was “going for it”, our tiredness turned to excitement. I remember him backing up the car, getting up speed and charging up the hill, slipping and sliding all the way.

Over and over, we watched as he got part of the way up and had to back down and start again. Each time he would get a little farther up the hill, until, finally we were all at the top – all three cars – and everyone was feeling exuberant rather than defeated.

Then, there was the time (obviously before the days of security checkpoints), when we arrived late for a flight. The ticket agent looked at us and said, “ You have exactly nine minutes to make it to your gate.” Dad looked at all of us with that gleam in his eye and said, “You want to run for it?” Well, run we did, and we made the flight, seconds to spare, breathless and triumphant.

He emanated this wonderful sense of adventure and creativity in times of adversity.

The other day I was working with a young woman in her late twenties who had recently been home visiting her parents. She went to sit down in a chair and it collapsed. She found herself suddenly sitting on the floor, unharmed, but to her surprise, feeling anxious and frozen in place.

 As we explored it further, she told me that when she was younger, her Dad would beat her with a belt if anything ever went wrong. It didn’t matter whose fault it was, and it happened so frequently that it became an automatic response to freeze, waiting for the blows she knew were inevitable. 

So her recent response was understandable, but outdated and crippling to her as an adult woman – to be frozen with anxiety because of something that was an accident?

In her trauma response, in that moment, she had no resilience, no ability to see the situation as it currently stood, and thus no ability to respond in a creative, life-enhancing way. 

Slowly we worked together to release the old nervous system response and bring her body and its ability to be resilient, into the present moment where she is safe and capable of taking care of herself quite well. 

Memories of my Dad coached me all the way – if he had been there when the chair broke, he would have gotten that gleam in his eye and probably headed to the garage for the tools to fix it, all the while engaging her in how to creatively solve the problem of a faulty chair.

When the time was right, I shared the image of my father’s likely response, and she was astonished. Then she laughed and decided that his was the attitude she wanted to hold next time something went wrong. My story helped expand her view about how differently a parent could react in situations like that. 

By the time we finished, she no longer felt like a scared little girl. Her power had returned and she had practiced how she could respond in the future.

A colleague and friend, Kathy Burns, gave me another definition the other day as we were discussing this issue.

“Resilience is the ability to accept what is actually happening, with as little judgment as possible, so that you can take clear, wise action about it – to make the best of it.”

Then she laughed and added,

“This acceptance issue is a huge step for most people, particularly when the situation isn’t what they bargained for, or even faintly wanted.”

Life can really throw some hard stuff at us these days. To be disappointed, angry, frustrated or depressed over a turn of events is normal and even appropriate at times. The problem is when you stay there, stuck in an emotional soup that keeps you paralyzed and unhappy.  

The skill of knowing how to expand your lens on what is happening is one worth cultivating, so that you can get the perspective to be able let go of whatever judgment is hounding you. With this acceptance comes an expanded capacity to creatively problem solve, in ways that are not available when you are locked up emotionally, or frozen with anxiety or worry. 

My father modeled resilience for me. It guides me all the time these days. And when I share his wisdom, it guides others as well. Although he is no longer walking on the planet with me, part of him lives on in me. I know that would please him to no end. Thanks Dad!

I am delighted to announce that Full Body Presence is stepping out into a wider audience – New World Library (think Eckhart Tolle’s publisher of “The Power of Now”) has bought the rights to the second edition of “Full Body Presence”! Coming to a bookstore near you early next year. I am feeling deep gratitude to everyone who has helped me, my work and my first book arrive at this point.

The buzz about the book is growing steadily, and I am touched by how many people of all different ages, professions and walks of life are being positively impacted by what the book has taught them. I love hearing about it. It is encouraging and heartwarming for me. 

Have you read Full Body Presence yet? If so, please comment here on my blog or email me directly at healingfromthecore@comcast.net . Please, share any insights you may have gotten as you read it and listened to the audio. Tell me how this book has made a difference in your life. Please, also let me know if I can quote you on my website.

AND, the upcoming second edition means that the remaining books are now limited edition items. So, in celebration of the contract with New World Library Publishers, all books sold through our website in the next month will be personally signed by me. 

One of the other ways I am celebrating is with an Author’s Party, given for me by a local friend and colleague. If I am in your area in the next year, I would love to come and celebrate with you as well! Contact my office athealingfromthecore@comcast.net if you are interested. 

Coming next month.…the book will be on iTunes, and on our website totally in MP3 audio format – I’ll keep you posted when that is available for those of you who are audio book fans! 

And now you can also keep up to date with me and Healing From the Core with Twitter, Facebook  and LinkedIn. Stay in touch, and, enjoy!

“What if we think of gravity as a spiritual force of belonging? Gravity offers each of us a place called here, where we can let go of effort and rest in the ‘lap of belonging’ of the larger earth’s body. By turning our attention to an inner awareness of the attractive force of gravity, and to felt sensations of this ongoing connection to the earth, we can tap into an innate sense of belonging.”

Thus, Susan Harper began our time together this past weekend in the Meeting the World with Heart workshop. I was reminded over and over as the days progressed, of the enlivening effect of simply directing my attention to what is happening in each present moment in my body as it is an integral part of all of nature. It was wonderful, restful and rejuvenating.

Then we dived deeper into the consciousness of open inquiry – exploring how our hearts have such a capacity for seeing the beauty in everything around us – the beauty that is deep within, not the surface Hollywood definition of beauty. The inner intelligence of the heart is stimulated each time we perceive our world with fresh eyes – not pre-judging something. We all played with turning off the auto-pilot and navigating with no set preconceptions. The weekend deepened and got richer with a wonderful balance of movement and stillness, reaching out and resting back to receive deeply.

I am reminded, yet again, of the importance of taking periods of time away from my normal life to deepen my own relationship with myself at a deep core level – my Spirit, my Soul – this is the primary place of belonging for each of us. When it is not fed and valued all else starts to suffer. Often I feel as though I get off course (slightly or dramatically) when I forget to tune in regularly, drinking in what my inner wisdom is telling me in each moment.

What are you doing this Spring to start this new cycle of nature inspired and renewed? 

Something in this week’s news caught my attention – it was in the story about the hostage situation with the Somalian pirates and the naval captain that has just been freed. As the news channels churned out all possible aspects of the story, an expert hostage negotiator was being interviewed.  What he said made my ears perk up. He was talking about the elements of what makes good negotiation in a situation like this. One of his key points struck home with me.

In essence, he said that a good negotiator must be a presence that calms the captors, saying the right words so that they don’t panic and kill the hostage. He went on to explain that this is a two-pronged effort. The first is knowing the right words that create clarity and calmness in the mind of a hostage taker. The second and equally if not more important is the presence to deliver those words in such a way that they come across with congruence. Meaning that the person hearing them feels calmer by their delivery. Right words and thoughts coupled with presence – creates an optimal possibility for success.

I am reminded further of a story from Full Body Presence about one of my students whose home was broken into at night. She stayed calm, using her presence to calm the intruder and talking him down so that he did not harm her or her boyfriend (although he was armed and initially really agitated). Here also, knowing the words and having the presence to deliver them congruently was highly successful for her.

This has ramifications in our bodywork sessions every day. I see the “right words” spoken about above, as knowing the proper techniques to address the issues of the person on your table. There are many available classes in all the specialty areas that can give us this information. Once we practice them enough, our “right words” are at our fingertips (pun intended) when we need them.

The “presence” spoken of above is the invisible substance that holds the session together and allows those techniques to be delivered seamlessly. This is the part that I find fascinating. I have mastered many techniques across the years and continue to add new ones to my storehouse of knowledge, but the presence to deliver them seamlessly, when they are needed most is what stimulates my creative juices.

The process of how to nurture this presence – how to stay inspired – how to take care of myself so that I have available all that I am capable of – this I see as my daily practice. 

One of my favorite mentors in this rejuvenation process will be here this weekend to help a group of us prime the pump of our creativity – come join me if you feel so  inclined  http://www.healingfromthecore.com/conmeetworld2009.shtml

How do you keep your presence strong – how do you nurture yourself? Is it a priority for you? Are you on your own “TO DO” list? 

As the days grow shorter and the holidays approach, I notice that everyone around me seems to be speeding up, to get it all done before they cross the finish line to the New Year.

In times like this, having the ability to slow down and drink in the joys of this season is a skill well worth the effort. As I go about my days, I am taking time to rest, to ground myself, to soak in a warm tub, to walk in the cold air wrapped in many layers. My favorite activity is making time to contact the people in my world that I am especially grateful for – the people who have made a difference in my life. It is so easy in today’s busy world to forget to give thanks – and yet, my heart opens and gets bigger every time I feel my gratitude in this way.

Life has been challenging this past year for all of us. There is a lot of stress and uncertainty in the world right now. And yet, there is also a remarkable sense that this time of change holds the possibility of deep healing and transformation for our nation and for the planet. So how can we open to this possibility? How can we feed the positive change and let go of the fear and distrust?

The Five Principles of Full Body Presence can be a guide here.
Trust that there is a nurturing source of life energy around you at all times. Gratitude for the blessings you already have in your life is an excellent way to bring this trust in at a deeper level right now.
Feel this life energy in your body – feel your feet connecting to the earth beneath you. Take a deep breath and let in rejuvenating energy wherever you are. Last weekend I was helping out in the concession stand at my son’s high school basketball game. It was extremely busy and chaotic, and yet, we were all enjoying ourselves as we sold hot dogs and sodas. A kind of rhythm was established in the midst of the chaos, and we worked as a team churning out food and drink for the crowds. It was exhilarating. So allow yourself to connect to whatever activity you are doing and feel the flow of life moving through you as you do it – whether it is cooking for your family and friends, shopping, or visiting an elderly relative. Each moment can be rich if we feel what is there that is energizing, that is life-giving.
Integrate this life energy throughout your entire system. To me, this means that I allow myself to feel as full as I can. This gives me the steadiness to meet old family patterns and my expectations in a new way. When I am grounded and full, my boundaries are better. I remember to take a walk rather than staying in an familiar, draining family situation. I go and take a nap if I need one. I put on the music that feeds me at this time of year. This keeps me more full and resilient. Having this cushion of energy is vital to my health and well-being. It also means I can be of more help to those around me.
Expanding my perceptual lens enables me to see the joy in my life, no matter what I am doing at that moment. As my lens expands, I can let go of expectations and let people be who they are, pure and simple. This makes my relatives and old friends so much more fun to be with!
When I remember to take care of myself as I move through the holidays – when I connect to healthy resources moment to moment – my tank stays full and I am a nicer person. This year I am putting up my Christmas decorations rather late. The rest of the neighborhood has been lit up for weeks. I needed to rest after a long trip and the decorations will be put up when the energy is there to do it. Treating it this way means I am a nicer, less stressed out person.
So may this holiday season bring you more trust in life, more sense of gratitude for what you have, more resilience and nourishment within, more capacity to share the love in your heart, and an unending connection to what feeds your soul.

Thank you for being in my life,

Full Body Presence and CranioSacral Therapy

In light of the current political and financial instability, it makes sense for all of us to walk through our worlds, grounded and present in our bones. Our bones are those deep recesses that hold wisdom and provide us with a sense of steadiness and clarity.

What follows is a classic example of how the current political and financial situation is affecting many people on a physical level, and how full body presence combined with CranioSacral therapy allowed me to support and facilitate my client in shifting into more trust and steadiness.

This week, a client, Vanessa, comes into my office, and as she lays down on my treatment table I am immediately drawn to her lower back and sacrum. She tells me they have been bothering her.

As I cradle them and she begins to talk, her back tightens up further. I ask her to bring her awareness to the area between my hands, and as she does this she pops out with, “I am enraged – at the financial markets, at my financial advisor not warning me and keeping me out of harm’s way…” Her voice trails off. Her back is not relaxing.

What can I do as a hands-on therapist in response to this appropriate outrage? The American public as a whole has a right to be outraged with the political process and greed that got us to where we are today. Her retirement is certainly at stake, and she is less than a decade away from wanting to live on it. It behooves us to know how to come back to our center in times of stress and crisis like this, in order to better meet the issues for healthy resolution.

As I listen, I realize that I need to gather my full body presence to be able to hold a neutral, therapeutic space for her healing process. Her low back and sacral area are in spasm and have been for almost a month, since the financial markets first began to take a downturn.

As I ground myself, and listen to the flow of energy through her system, I feel her outrage in her low back muscles and gut as excessive heat and extreme tightness. She acknowledges the continued tightness and tells me how powerless she feels to change it. I remind her that in times of stress, one of the most important things anyone can do is to “plug in,” call in their angels, say a prayer, ground themselves and fill up with nourishing sensation. In other words, reclaim their trust in life. She chuckles, “I am always calling in angels for everyone else – I forgot to do it for myself!”

As she does this, the room fills with a scintillating energy that we both can sense. This begins the softening process in her back. I can now feel a spreading sensation in my hands. Then we go through the process of contacting her inner wisdom, which leads her to the realization that her heart, the master conductor of her system, is feeling small and dark.

Next her inner wisdom guides her to take her awareness into her bones, deep into her bones. To help her with this, I invite her to notice how her spine feels resting in my hands. Quickly she begins to feel the warmth and aliveness in her lower spine, where I have been holding and mobilizing the system. Her cold, stiff upper back, which is the support for her heart, is now calling to both of us. What can be done here to help her heart?

I move my hands to her upper back to meet the tissue and mobilize this area, using more CranioSacral techniques. At the same time, I continue to invite her more into her own full body presence so she will be able to hold the treatment she is receiving.

As I make contact with her bones giving her spine more space, her upper back relaxes into my hands. I love combining CranioSacral Therapy, which so beautifully opens up the bones and membrane structures, with the Full Body Presence awareness work. They go hand in hand, supporting each other seamlessly.

So, as her spine opens and she can feel her chest filling – her heart plumping out and relaxing – I ask her how she feels throughout the rest of her body. Relaxing even more into her bones, Vanessa says, “I feel calm and steady. I can see the entire situation without my outrage rising up again. I feel like I can see more clearly. Whatever I need to say or do when I get into my financial advisor’s office next week, I know I can be clear and steady – no matter what he tells me. I’ll be able to strategize with him from a very different place than when I walked in here an hour ago.”

This is a wonderful example of how full body presence allows us to contact the wisdom that our bones impart to each of us, when we can be fully present there. Think about it. Our language – “bone deep” knowing, “I feel it in my bones,” and other such phrases highlight the recognition that our bones hold an essential knowing for each of us. So take a moment and feel your bones.

What does your backbone feel like against whatever you are leaning on right now?

What do your sitting bones feel like on your seat?

How do your feet feel resting on the floor?

Notice how taking your attention to these three places can subtly but powerfully change you sense of steadiness and clarity. Feel free to continue to play with this.

And, enjoy!

Full Body Presence is here – the books are in and ready to go! One reason I self-published is that I wanted to have this book and its wisdom in the hands of as many people as possible as we go into the last month of this election process. Please help me do this. It is more important than ever before in our lives that each one of us make an intelligent choice, informed by our full body wisdom in the next election. It is not only vital for us as individual citizens here in the United States, it has become clear that our choice will affect the rest of the world. If you are not registered to vote and you still can do so in your state – do it now. We are long beyond the point of saying, ‘My vote does not matter.” Everyone’s vote matters. (See chapter 10 of the book.)

In the growing turbulence and divisiveness in our country it is easy to sink into fear and hopelessness. When our leaders or leaders-to-be are caught in blame and personal attack rather than rising to finding the solutions we need to grow and return to prosperity, it can be disheartening. However, after an initial period of complete frustration with the deception I was seeing on the political scene, I have realized that those of us who have refined our capacity for clear discernment, who are not swayed by glib answers and personal attack ads, have a responsibility to step fully into our integrity, into our power, into our full body presence and be a source of clarity and strength for those around us.

The major issue when we hit those places of fear in ourselves is to remember to connect to our deepest wisdom, and ground ourselves. Use whatever spiritual practices you know to fill up with life-giving energy so that you can change the resonance of fear in your body, to a resonance of life-giving sensation – of fullness – which always helps you choose more wisely in any given crisis situation such as the time of unknown outcomes that we all face right now. When we are full, we can experience the present moment with clarity and determination.

This is vitally important. The outcome of this election will affect many generations to come – our children and our children’s children…reflect on how your choice will affect everyone – from the economic situation to our moral authority in the world; from women’s freedom and equality, to better healthcare and every child’s right to a full education; all the way to honoring the heart of the Constitution – look under the charisma and personalities of each candidate and see what each one stands for and whether their record reflects their current position. Does it spell integrity?

Listen and look at each of the candidates from your full body presence. Use your discernment. What does your heart tell you? Does your head agree with your heart? What does your gut tell you? When you walk in your world and watch how the candidates are conducting themselves, think of how you want your president and vice president to represent you in the world. That’s how you can expect to be treated by them. Notice, do they talk down to people? Do they try to sway you with fear tactics? Or do they speak to you and call for your intelligence and courage, to correct the inequities we are currently experiencing in our nation? Do they honor and support each person’s right to their own views and truths which is fundamental to our Constitutional rights as Americans? Do they make personal attacks on their opponents in order to derail the more important issues at hand? Or, do they address these issues cleanly and directly so we can make intelligent choices based on what we see/hear/feel/sense in their presence? We know that when someone hides behind personal attack what is left is the shell of a bully, not a clear message we can hear and make a decision from.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it is vital that you search out the truth as you read the paper, the internet, and watch the debates. As I look at this election, gathering data from all sides, I am struck by the twisting of the facts and mis-information being billed as the truth. Seek out multiple sources. Listen to the news stations on all sides of the issues, not just the ones on the far right or left. Those on both the far right and the far left throw out stuff that is pure hogwash at times.

In my opinion one of the best places to ferret out the real issues, and where the candidates stand on them, is the nationally televised debates. Make time to watch them. They are geared to be neutral ground for our citizens to be able to see and hear the truth from each candidate. And as you watch and listen, ground yourself and stay full energetically, so that your entire body’s navigational system for wisdom is operational.

And, vote. You can make a difference. If you need help getting the skills to be able to listen to your deepest wisdom in this way, Full Body Presence can help you gain these skills quickly and easily. I have worked tirelessly for the last year to have this book available at this time. Help me get it out there to those who need it. These are exciting times – the ability to be fully in your body and able to clearly discern what is for the highest good is what makes these times exciting rather than scary. And, enjoy!

P.S. I have done a short video clip on how to drop quickly into your body for clear discernment of the candidates. It will be coming up in the next few blogs – watch for it!