I wrote a blog post with the following paragraphs that I want to highlight and bring attention to. It is in an article on aging. Through the experience of working with an age range focused on the interconnectedness of mental, emotional and physical behaviours with the intent to increase functions this topic plays out in one’s abilities for tolerance and flexibility. When people age it is presented in one’s appearance to those who have a trained eye.
Here goes:
What makes a common person an authority I wonder. It demonstrated their limited worldview and yetthese people would normally consider themselves fair-minded, non-judgemental, non-racist, and societal leaders in the community through their careers and interests. These outbursts on someone else’s character due to the comparisons destroyed the self-image they were portraying in their communities.
This is an experience I have in real-time with real interactions in a state of being conscious of it while it is actively being enacted out. I can choose to disengage fully and pull energy back or engage on some level of connection between these stages in states of aloofness or full-on engagement. As a healer, teacher, coach and mentor I have learned to become selective in whom I engage with and the effort I put in. It has become an inner sensing of whether the interactive experience will be life-enriching or life-draining. My objective is to cultivate awareness and learning opportunities so I usually choose to move away from life-draining conditions when there is no opening for change. When there is an openness for change the effort is stimulating and enhances life, however, when there’s a lack of openness based upon corrupt and hidden views and actions the effort carries a struggle that creates diseased thinking, emotions, bodies and spirituality (cults).
As a somatic and empathic practitioner, teacher, coach and mentor some patterns have shown themselves over 25 years that are relevant to include in the cultural soup for consideration and future development. These have my unique perspective as they mirror the dominant somatic, empathic heart-centered filter I have for interpreting incoming information of environmental stimuli.
This perspective has been a focus of attention in the integrative studies in learning groups and sessions. It is a topic that will be featured more in-depth through the mentoring programs @ Inside Awareness and in conversations and articles. Subscribe to stay InTouch and connect to new material and opportunities, or follow Renee on social media. Hit like if you enjoy content.
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, and Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®
Listening is an action of hearing the sounds in the surroundings. This includes other people’s voices. Hearing what others are saying is a way to get to know what is important to them and to learn from them.
Remember Dialogues definition from last week:
Dialogue is a conversation with others that increases understanding, addresses problems, and questions thoughts and actions.
Dialogue and Listening are needed to have a balanced conversation of meaning. This balance brings success and achievement for all in relationships equally. When someone speaks they are leading the conversations and the listener is following.To have equality the speaker becomes the listener. This means the listener becomes the speaker.Leadership is a balance of giving and receiving in dialogue.
This pattern was developed from a talking circle. The format was to go around and ask each participant what the focused value word meant to them. Sometimes a definition from the dictionary was read out first. People often did not know the definition meaning. ‘Renee Lindstrom’
I do not often use the word addictions. Only recently have I used it in my posts. I don’t let it influence my personal or group lessons. It is such a distracting word with so many changing definitions and a word that is normally very personal to the person speaking it into life, or listening to someone else speaking it to life. What I focus on is the instinct that turns one towards an addictive quality. For me the instinct is triggered by survival. An easy example is sex. Sex is a basic need in the base level of needs along with water, food, shelter, air. If someone is operating under anxiety, stress, fear, or anger emotions it will trigger an instinctual reaction. In this example it would be self soothing through basic intercourse without much meaning, other than relief. However, the urge in the gut is often still there during and after. If one increases sleep patterns, eats healthy, and starts to experience self fulfilling needs being met, including meaningful relationships, the instinctual need to self sooth shifts as the survival instinct diminishes. This doesn’t mean one loses their sex drive, it just shifts it into more meaningful interactions. This self soothing example can be replaced with the actions of gambling, drinking, drugs, smoking, food, etc. Often the focus is on the label – addiction, which can shift the mind focus to the past behaviour, memories, or blaming and shaming self and others. If one can capture the moment, there is a felt sense of the instinct that is felt prior to going into the habit of reacting to it. This is a moment to observe what just happened. (Something is happening in the moment of the trigger.) This can be the point of change. Notice the trigger and instead of going into the strategy for self soothing, one can process the trigger and create inner balance. This is an important skill development. Leaving it unchecked creates a type of random chaos either by oneself, or others who have clued in on how to keep one in the agitated state. (Yes, common strategy for others is to redirect someone’s focus of attention to get their own needs met). The person who introduced this to me, Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., used an example of eating. Often when people become uncomfortable, they will reach for food. He would suggest the person reaching for food to stop and ask themselves if they are hungry, or if something else was instead gnawing at them. Usually, they are not hungry, and this pause to check in is enough to shift the experience to talking about whatever it is that instigated the action of reaching for food. It could be as simple as being asked an uncomfortable question. The trigger is inner conflict. If you disagree with someone, it can cause inner conflict. If you hear a hard to hear message, it can create inner conflict. If someone tries to control you it can cause inner conflict. etc., etc.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:
Learning opportunities:
Integrating personal and group values to create a point of connection in relationships and environment
Introduction to transforming reactions into value focused connections
Integrating values through intention
Integrating values through the environment
Somatic Movement to increase physical, mental, and emotional function, health and wellbeing
Clarity of Environmental Stimulus to reduce blocks to health and wellbeing
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®
In relationships it is the quality in the experience that creates the space for someone to present as their best selves. Any type of relationship. This means that there are the attributes of respect, acknowledgement, appreciation, cooperation, participation, equality, fairness, trust, stability, to be seen to be heard, to be valued, responsibility, integrity, balanced give and take, empathy, compassion, kindness, equal giving and receiving, clarity, understanding, patience, acceptance, etc., etc. These above attributes are not a part of the interactions, or in the relationship overall if one dominants to get their needs met on the backs of others. The above attributes create inner connection and connection with others and in their absence, an environment of conflict is stimulated inside and outside. A lack of these attributes creates ill health and shifts the focus of attention into survival, fight or flight. If one is not heard, seen or valued chronically it can increase the ill health mentally, emotionally, physically, in the space and out into groups, and the community. Only someone who lacks these qualities in themselves, ie. lack of self respect, self appreciation, and self accountability, etc., would treat others with this base note behaviour. Why, if you respect yourself, you can respect others. If you hold yourself accountable, you will hold others accountable etc. It creates a value in the space surrounding you that people enter into. Time is better spent and more productive and efficient. People are speaking creativity and with innovation. Which direction is your motivation taking you and those around you? Are you elevating people into being their best self or are you dragging them down into your possible jealousy, hatred and greed?
Learning opportunities:
Learning opportunities:
Integrating personal and group values to create a point of connection in relationships and environment
Introduction to transforming reactions into value focused connections
Integrating values through intention
Integrating values through the environment
Somatic Movement to increase physical, mental, and emotional function, health and well being
Clarity of Environmental Stimulus to reduce blocks to health and wellbeing
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®
Reflection of yin and yang balance (feminine and masculine energies)
Yesterday I shared an exercise to introduce a connection to mindful intention and action in one’s personal environment. It is the first tip of 31 created to cultivate somatic and mindful awareness.
In 2013 I wrote a little booklet to support an introduction for practicing techniques to ground and expand mindful connection using focused attention on the integration of intention with action. The purpose of these tips is to cultivate conscious awareness. One way you can bring your goals into reality is to consider these daily awareness techniques and actions to define your intention. Bring them alive by making time to manifest physical change in your living/working space. It takes a few minutes a day. Designed for slowing down and consciously pausing to reflect, notice and take actions. It is for creating your dreams and taking actions to make them happen that combines mindfulness and physical action to create your space of ‘success’. Each day for 31 days there is a short pattern or exercise to integrate in one’s environment to support change and connection!
Here is the second tip on day two for you to investigate and experience. Each January I follow this program to remind myself and reconnect to my space and things with intention and mindfulness.
Here is a pdf of exercise 2 for your enjoyment!
Leave a comment and share back how this exercise was for you. For me I felt pleased after doing this task that I have done numerous times before with no sense of joy, rather felt effort previously. The difference was the connection to my intention and purpose. It change the inner vibration in the action that began with a different mindset. My mind was refocused and the thought stories were of a higher vibration.
This post is the first in a while. The last one I posted focused upon the numerology meaning of 2024. As I reread it I recognize my own focus of attention aligns with this interpretation. The last half of 2023 had a focus upon defining the balance of material and spiritual wealth. The last few decades has had a focus on the evolution of ego that began to transition from an elusive somatic experience into an obvious mindful perspective.
What is the evolving focus for Renee in 2024 at the Learning Center for Inside Awareness for Healthy Living?
Defining humanness through somatic function
A strong propensity that created an unintended boundary in earlier years was a strong-willed action for not pursuing comparable modalities. This meant choosing one main method for somatic integration and diving deep into the patterns. Rather than entering into somatic confusion by trying many similar methods the only consideration for pursuit was a compatible functionally focused method that was an identifiable missing link. For example it is well known among Feldenkrais Practitioners that Moshe Feldenkrais was a poor communicator. Hence, there was a gap in speaking and listening skills for me. Rather than pursuing comparable movement modalities my focus was on integrating speaking and listening skills to create a fuller holistic experience between movement and expressed mindfulness. Starting in 2004 the modalities I mentored and personally practiced were contained and isolated from each other. However in 2014 I began to relax and integrate them somatically. In the past 10 years, the progress in personal transformation in others and myself has been identifiable. Observing these transformations has been rewarding. With a focus of attention on integrating inner change with an intention to shift outer experiences requires an environment for retraining habitual learning. A person needs to enter into an adventurous space for unlearning old behaviours while in the action of exploring new ones in a mindfulness state of expanding their awareness. Rather than assimilating methods with an egocentric focus of attention the focus has been on functional mindfulness in day to day that defines humanness through somatic function. The change in 2024 will reflect this somatic integration process. The successful components of these years will be reflected in offerings.
Some of the topics that will be added in 2024:
Reverse aging
Classes and workshops have been held in activity centers since the late 90’s. These have been seasonally with no breaks which has offered the opportunity to work with aging personalities, communication and physical abilities. Culturalization of aging has been a big proponent in the aged that has been intriguing. This has been a low key focus these years that moved into the forefront in the last five years. This topic will become a larger focus this coming year.
Cultural entrainment
In the 90’s entrainment was a focus of attention when entering into homes, offices and organizations to consult on spacial awareness and influences. This awareness has expanded into its relationship in the minutia of all day to day functions. This topic will become a larger focus this coming year.
Expansion
Requests for creating supportive development programs for training purposes, consulting and resolving conflict through empathy, to connect first before change versus compromise, has increased the depth energetically in the ethos this past year. Expect to learn more about these offerings as they expand outward into other potent life areas such as institutions, corporations, organizations, groups. Of course personal transformation materials will continue to grow in offerings for transformation to define humanness in somatic function. More growth this coming year.
Turning the cultural definition of manifestation into an active vibration
A focus of attention for health and wellbeing that will dominate our 2024 expression will be upon the use of vibration in manifesting. The purpose is to transition goal setting into an active expression versus an outside strategy. The intention is integrating it into a mindful process versus demand. This topic will become a larger focus this coming year.
An example is the first step I wrote in a manifestation booklet in 2013 and still use personally now. Each January since I follow this program to reconnect to my space and things with intention and mindfulness. Here is an example:
Here is a pdf of exercise for your enjoyment!
Leave a comment and share back how this exercise was for you. For me I felt pleased after doing this task that I have done numerous times before with no sense of joy, rather felt effort previously. The difference was the connection to my intention and purpose. It change the inner vibration in the action that began with a different mindset. My mind was refocused and the thought stories were of a higher vibration.
This sensitive earth sign influences all five of our sensibilities; touch, taste, sight, sound and smell. Taurus needs are for abundance, stability, support, loyalty, to be grounded and heard.
How behaviours of out of balance Taurus may manifest
#3. Balance and calm Pisces environment – Awareness of Space
This earth sign is deeply sensitive to the environment and their needs are for luxury, comfort and harmony. A sign of the sensibilities their style will include visual and textured beauty such as expensive art and their preferred styles are conservative and traditional. More on Calming decor accents for out of balance Taurus behaviours.
This sensitive earth sign influences all five of our sensibilities; touch, taste, sight, sound and smell. Taurus needs are for abundance, stability, support, loyalty, to be grounded and heard.
Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning 