Break Out of the Rut

I was reading an article this morning on breaking rules of conventional wisdom. Made up by us or someone else, rules basically prohibit us from accessing inner guidance. Rules are the smoke that cloud over the ability to maintain a flexible and open sense of well being. Rules can suck your energy, but they may also benefit a part of you that needs limits. At least for a while.

I notice myself sticking with a very specific morning routine, but not wanting to break out of it. This feels healthy. It is energizing for me, I naturally do it and I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing when I am doing it. This is an example of what originally started as an experiment and now has become a healthy habit.
(My routine: Wake up. Write 3 pages of gratitude, clearing out the junk in my head, and creating mental space for the day. Splash water on face 20x. Scrape tongue. Drink cup of water with my supplements. Feel good energy routine. Meditate--15-30 minutes. Tibetan Yoga Rites. Walk. Body Scrub. Shower. Breakfast...all before 8 am!)

Mindfulness of eating can start as a chore or a necessity and develop into a healthy habit. In a kids yoga class yesterday, I was asked how the kids could take yoga with them after class, as they prepared for lunch. We went over the element of chewing and how they could bring what they learned from the breath in yoga class and chew one bite at a time. How we eat impacts how we live. I have explored this in many ways, and recently have been more ungrounded than I prefer, and I notice myself eating mindlessly 60% of the time. Mostly at night, when I would rather be sleeping, I have gotten into the habit of eating really bad food that I think may help me calm down. It does, to the point of lethargy during the night and even the following day. This is an example of a habit that needs tweaking.

Do you have habits that are not serving you?
Do you have a goal and continue to fall back on old ways?
Do you notice a specific belief or set of beliefs that lead you to that old familiar place of fear and implosion?

The road to well being is filled with challenges. Here are some ways to take inventory of your habits and clarify your intentions, as well as some healthy rules of well being.

*Notice how you are living your life. (eg how you show up in relationships, what you think about yourself, how authentic you feel and act)
*Forgiveness is key to well being and change
*Ask for support. It is important to let go of our secrets, so if there is something that is bringing you down, tell on yourself! It might help lighten your load.
*Eat and live as if in full view of others
*Chew and walk one bit @ a time
*Is what you're doing bringing you happiness and enthusiasm? or is it bringing you down
*Move towards love, or the things that light up your life
*Do your best and forgive the rest

If you are struggling with your weight, or working towards discovering your work and purpose beyond where you currently are, I want you to know you are not alone. I am thrilled you found your way here and promise that in reaching out, you will discover you are connected to women everywhere who share in the struggle. The blessing is the ability to connect, forgive yourself and move forward, holding the hands of women who are with you on the path to well being.

Resistance

Resistance is necessary to life. If you are on your way someplace, there will be traffic. There will be things that take your attention off your path. There will be noise in your head that will try to take over the wheel. You will forget where you are going. You will want to fly off onto someone else's journey. You will see something better and feel the pain of not having it, or take the plunge in a whole new direction.

This is a part of life. A part of having a great life is learning to recognize and deal with resistance. I have had moments, periods, months and what looks like years of resistance. I have thoguht never, so I don't even try, could not should not will not. And then I have acted as if.

What are some ways to bust through resistance and break through to a whole new you?

Recipe for having a Breakthrough:
1. Take baby steps.
2. Courage: feel the fear and do it anyways.
3. Get support--people, places and things that remind you of what you want.
4. Make yourself accountable and follow through.
5. Dumb it down--get back to the basics!

Do you have a familiar story that is keeping you crouched down in a ditch, waiting for someone to save you or to recognize you need help? Needing help is healthy, wanting to do it all on your own is crazy-making. Somewhere in the middle there is a thin thread attempting to weave itself through you to make sure you are giving and receiving to that which cultivates wholeness and a healthy heart for you and those you touch. Holding back is resisting what you are meant to receive and taking it all in at once or taking over and not sitting in the pain is not moving through what could be the most liberating and necessary piece of your evolution.

Somewhere in the middle there is a breakthrough occurs, when we are ready, willing and able to make use of the gifts we were meant to recieve and climb out of a hole of broken-hearted, shame-based, malfiunctionality, ie: should-ville.

Welcome home, where your heart remembers who you are and what you want, and your mind is allowed to move out of the way to allow your potential to shine forth into the world!