Satyam Holistic Wellness

In my last blog post, I shared about my two eye surgeries in January.  I was waiting to see if I would be well enough to fly to Colombia on February 14th for a spiritual retreat with my teacher and community.

The verdict is…I’ve been grounded!  It was just too soon and too risky to take the trip.  I shed a few tears, letting go of the idea of the journey my heart had been so excited for.  

A wise friend/sister offered some wisdom.  She said something along these lines, “If this is not able to happen for you, can you imagine the possibility that something even better, something that you can’t see at this time, is coming?”  Of course, it was difficult to imagine, as I sat there with my left eye red, swollen and sore, the view obstructed by a gas bubble.  And, as I looked out the window through my right eye, all that was visible was an endless sea of white snow.  

The truth was, my friend was showing me another perspective of my situation, expanding my view beyond what I could see in that moment, (both literally and figuratively).  I was grateful for her wisdom.

A few days later, I spoke with my teacher in Colombia and she proposed I come in March instead.  A friend of mine would be there at that time, and I could stay with her.  I called to change my flight and it was seamless, with not even a penny difference in price.

For now, I have been given an opportunity to retreat here in my cozy home and heal my eye.  At times, I feel a restlessness, wanting to do more and be more active.  When I do over-exert, my eye speaks to me, calling me back inwards, eyes closed, resting.  Grounded again!

I speak to my eye, asking her what she needs from me.  She tells me, “I am fragile.  I need your kindness, compassion and love.  Be patient with me as I heal.”  Imagine that each of our organs has its own story.  You could interview your liver or your kidneys and hear their tales.  Or perhaps your organs express themselves in a more creative, story-telling format.  Maybe there are some poet organs in your body.  

In my sessions with clients, I often get them to focus on a part of the body, and organ, that feels the most aliveness.  They connect with the energy there and get a felt sense of it.  What does it look and feel like?  If it could make a sound, what would that be?  I get them to make the sound out loud, to release that energy from the cells of the organ.  Then, I ask them to hum.  There is so much power in the simple act of humming.  Firstly, it uses the sound of your own healing resonance, which is empowering, to induce calmness and reduce stress.  Humming lowers the heart rate and blood pressure.  It draws you inward and soothes the mind.  On a physiological level, humming releases the love hormone oxytocin; love is certainly the most powerful healer of all medicines.

After 3 minutes of humming, it is common to feel very cozy and serene, and receptive to remain sitting in stillness and silence.  In this state, we experience another powerful medicine, meditation.  Meditation opens the space for us to be as we are, to relax, and to be friendly to ourselves.  Meditation invites the appreciation of the present moment as it is.  You can have a crazy mind, a quiet mind, body pain, feelings of sadness or anger; it doesn’t matter.  When you sit to meditate, you simply let yourself be exactly as you are, with no judgements.  You are leaving yourself alone.  And when you are in that place, accepting what is, you can let go and expand to meet the greater totality of yourself and your existence.  From that perspective, you see how small your little hurts and pains truly are compared to the immensity of your spirit.  

Life moves in cycles.  Sometimes we are called to be outward, active, moving in the world, creating and connecting. Other times we are called to rest, reset, go within, die, gestate, and be reborn.  Of course, we need a balance, if we are all out, we burn out; if we are all in, we become too removed from the world, too in the cave. 

I leave you with the following simple daily wisdom tips to move with whatever cycle you are in…

Five Daily Tips to Lighten Up!

1. Accept your life as it is.  There is nothing wrong with you or your creation! Everything is happening in perfection for you to learn and grow.

2. Put your energy into what brings you joy, where you feel the most passion.

3.. Listen to how your body speaks to you and take care of it, obey it without delaying, (eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired, move your body: walk, dance, yoga, whatever you like, pee when you need to pee, etc…it’s that simple).

4. Choose daily practices like meditation and breathwork that lead you to experience a more expansive, unlimited awareness of who and what you truly are.  This will relax your stressed-out mind and release tension from your body.  It will also increase inner peace and joy, as you relate to a more authentic version of yourself!

5. Have fun!  Don’t get too serious about yourself and your life.  Play with a child, laugh with a friend, be silly and SMILE often…even when you don’t feel like it…ESPECIALLY when you don’t feel like it!

Know that you are forever included in the circle of divine tenderness…

Namaste,

Satyam