
1st Quarter Moon
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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP @ Inside Awareness, Living in Natures Love Blog & Renee Lindstrom Live

Natural Foot Motion each of us was borne with. Without it one is less likely to have balance.
For 13 years I have been asked about what shoes I would recommend by clients and students in my Feldenkrais® Private Movement Practice and Awareness through Movement Classes. Shoes are a very personal decision and one must be comfortable with the design, style, fit and personal concepts of what will give them the best support.
An opportunity to work more closely with foot pain led to some postural patterns becoming obvious. Postural patterns that seemed to be created by the insoles in ones shoes. Insoles that hold the foot in one place with no natural shift of weight through the foot from back to front, front to back and side to side. This surprising awareness was enough to break a 13 year pattern of not getting into shoe talk and the start of taking a deeper look.
This pair of Adidas will explain one of the reasons I have not recommended shoes in the past. It goes against the past few decades of advertising and marketing that has been somewhat misleading. Yet these are quite possibly the most comfortable shoes I have ever slipped on. These are wide enough to let ones toes move and the uppers are soft without any weight, seams or tight bands or pressure. It has a sock fit construction with pull tongue and heel making it easy to slip on and off. The insoles are a soft foam with no rises, valleys or dips letting the weight move through the feet and toes curl to create natural arches. This design lets one have a more natural gait. The only aspect of this shoe that I have reservations on is the slight incline of the heel, however smaller concern than I have for other styles.
Why recommend they type of shoe?
“Flexible Body, Flexible Mind” Moshe Feldenkrais
I am going to recommend this type of shoe as they are weightless. When wearing them the focus is not on lifting the shoe in the same way as the more familiar styles of shoes. This will increase the potential of increasing the movement of the foot and ankle versus the effort of lifting a heavier shoe. Ideally one would not lift their foot from the floor or ground to take a step. Instead they would use the ground to push-off from that comes from a shift of weight through their foot to create a pattern of movement moving up the up leg. This shoe design has the potential to allow one to have freer movement through the bone structure in the feet. The sock fit of the shoe eliminates the distraction of laces and weight at the top of ones foot allowing more felt sense awareness of how ones foot is moving. My experience of this shoe is the one can begin to cultivate awareness of their feet in motion versus loosing a connection to them in heavier more confined shoes.
Link to Adidas Ultimafusion on Amazon
more on Healthy Feet (reducing pain) coming soon
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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP @ Inside Awareness
This desk corner is about abundance. Abundance in finances, investments, and resources. For me it also represents abundance in the quality of experiencing life and relationships that includes the cycle of giving and receiving. An example is the balance of giving and taking. If wealth is from natural resources the question to consider is in the equal contribution back to restore and maintain balance and the quality of nature and the environment. In other words, is only taking and not giving back?
3 Wealth Corner Tips:
Integrative experience for physical, mental and emotional wellness
Find out more on how integrating the arts of movement, communication and space compliment your experience and encompasses a holistic approach to wellness in your space
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In Cultivating Awareness foundational for experiential learning one will read about the similarities and differences between Renee’s educational programs and a Mindfulness Mediation Practice.
The focus of this article is on cultivating awareness to retrain the brain and balance used of left and right sides of the brain that Renee encourages her students to learn in the process of becoming self-directed and connected to what and how they are speaking.
The importance of a particular practice of identifying types of thoughts became relevant when a student came back to class and shared their life changing self-awareness experience. They discovered that they compare themselves and others while making critical moral judgments based upon their filter of jealousy. By slowing down to observe these patterns, this recognition can shift and transform their experience. The types of thoughts we address are in the following illustration.

In this diagram a maze is in the area of the fore-brain that depicts the essence of figuring it out and hitting walls until one finds their way forward. This can be complex and draining process.
In the following diagram a larger spiral leading directly into the center point is shown in the fore-brain area that demonstrates the ease in which cultivated awareness through communication can mirror. This cultivation is not unlike the growing ability to focus ones attention as they would in a sitting mediation. It is a different focus, pattern and foundation that one would practice that would include more of ones whole functional ability than the limiting thought process shown in the above diagram.

Go back to – Cultivating Awareness foundational for retraining the brain
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Each of the these experiential learning opportunities share the same objectives of cultivating awareness and focusing attention.
Another thing in common they have is that they are inclusive of the four aspects of the human condition and function: mental, emotional, physical and belief systems. These components are not isolated as separate functions as in other wellness styles. In each of these functional events there is an education aspect that includes a mindful pattern cultivating expanded focus.
Here is a way of cultivating awareness through a pattern one may be familiar with:

Step #1 – Begins with a foundation
Mat, Cushion, Posture
Step #2 – Then a focus point
Breath
#3 – Followed by a pattern
Observe your thoughts & environment while following your breath
Improving the ability to notice, discover new connections, refine self-use, and integrate your new skills through the experiential learning techniques anyone can integrate the skills and action steps that creates a ‘being in the moment experience‘ like in a dedicated meditative practice.
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History of weight gain
In 2016 I was at my heaviest weight. My last child living at home had been employed at an infamous coffee shop that sent their food products home with the barista. This was a primary diet lasting about 6 months during a major decision-making process she was making. Easy pounds on, difficult to take off.
Since having children 25 years ago weight gain and loss has been a pattern. A few diets that worked during those years were the Atkins and Curves diets. However they were not sustainable in a lifestyle of a single parent busy trying to create a sustainable business and practice and helping teenagers process emotional ups and downs..
Awareness through Food – Subtle shift to a healthier lifestyle
In 2016 the last child left home and another returned. I found my attention turning back to my first love of nature to help sort out the big emotions I was now unexpectedly experiencing from an empty next. This connection to nature has revolutionized my lifestyle and it began whilst in despair standing by a Privet tree we planted. This Privet was now to 7 feet high and standing beside it experiencing my loss there came a sense of being embraced by it. This ignited a journey into a relationship with the plants around me which included making medicinal remedies , discovering edibles and learning their values. This included remedies created with this Privet. This lifestyle change has increased my health and wellness that has resulted in higher energy, vitality and weight-loss.
I turned to outside strategies in loosing weight in the past that didn’t focus on my lifestyle. Introducing plants that reduced appetite naturally, improved nutritional value and brain function, and increased levels of tolerance, Weight loss was an organic result. Weight loss was not a primary focus at the time however is a happy outcome. Other outcomes have been increased sleep and sense of humour.
Unexpected grieving process
In 2017 I received some personal news that affected someone close to me. That marked the start of a deeper grieving process that I truthfully believe the natural plant kingdom helped me to navigate back into a happier, healthy state of being. The only periods of time I felt any aliveness was when I was supporting and mentoring clients and students. When the appointment was finished there was a return to the loss.
Focusing on intention to meet goals
In 2017 I committed to emphasizing turning intentions into goals in my practice with students that struggled to move through difficult circumstances. This extended to my integration and commitment to doing the same. This resulted in a shift in 2018 that almost seemed organic. The focus of my goal was to integrate natural homesteading ways in my kitchen and types of foods to my diet to meet greater wellness.
Imagine my surprise to see that a shift of a large amount of weight has been achieved organically as a result of an integrative changing lifestyle.
Sharing the unique perspective of an Em-path, Wellness Practitioner and Coach
My intention for sharing this is that I would like to contribute to those interested in the unique perspective of a Feldenkrais Practitioner and the changing physical body functions and abilities and from an em-path with the skills of mindfulness using Nonviolent Communication.
Since the 1960’s being slim has been the coveted model for beauty. This cultural shift has created a self-image that in 2019 is a base line for moral judgement. As an em-path it has been a profound experience. This em-paths experience of connection isn’t limited to the outward appearance of someones physicality, it begins inside. Imagine the surprising information this em-path receives when in communication with someone whose philosophy and gauge for beauty is focused solely on outer self-image expectations while being asleep to inner sources of beauty actions.
Living life out of balance
This em-paths beauty indicator starts from inside and when that is ignored outer beauty represents conflict. Inner and outer are out of balance and what someone in that condition is contributing to relationships and the community is conflicted. It is their filter of how they perceive and act in the lifestyle they have created for themselves.
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Renee’s 2019 goals continue to focus on increased the health and wellness areas of her 9 life areas. Late fall of 2018 and early winter of 2019 has involved clearing clutter from her 9 life areas that today is resulting into higher motivation and inspirational levels. There is growing inner space and yearning to focus attention specifically on fitness and weight-loss! This yearning source is in between the Sacral and Solar Plexus chakras. This is exciting as the urge is coming from the inside out, not from the outside in! 2019 marks the end of 5 year cycle and start of new one!
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THINK, SPEAK, ACT IN A WAY TO INSPIRE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION
Learn to speak a language of peace and compassion following a model designed by the late Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, Author of Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life . Explore a four-part model that will turn reaction into connections. Enhance and move forward in your relationships!
Class Series 6/106.00 (Code 39726)
Register @ Monterey Recreation Centre – 250-370-7300
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Mindful Communication & Heart Focused Language Development
Explore ways to simplify and understand dialogue to increase being seen, heard, acknowledged and valued. Turn the disconnection of moral judgement into ‘connecting experiences’ by learning how to integrate an empathetic response. Empathy has a role in developing a Consciousness of Nonviolence that increases tolerance and values all parties equally.
