As some of you have seen, I used time during the "stay at home and shelter" portion of covid-19 to become certified in Animal Reiki and then completing coursework to become a certified Reiki Master. With the ongoing chaos occurring world-wide, I wanted to share some of the foundations I've been exploring during these trainings...the 5 Principles of Reiki. Just for today I will:
Of course, you can interpret these in different ways and should - each principle should resonate with each individual who reads them in unique ways. Like spirituality, faith, Love. Same foundation, each uniquely expressed in and through us. Still, I hope that they bring you some peace as they do me. Practical tools for daily living. That's what walking the Nourished Path is about - living life fully and from the heart. Feel free to share your thoughts on Facebook or Insta @NourishedPath or email to AlongNourishedPath@gmail.com.
0 Comments
Today’s #SundayEssentials is to pause and breathe. Why? Life has been hard, chaotic, stressful. Rising stress = rising cortisol levels. This creates a cycle of freeze, flee or fight. Movement can release some of that adrenaline coursing through your system, but it takes breath-work to restore balance. Long, slow, wide breaths where we fill ourselves up into our bellies and exhale slowly. As slowly as we can. Inhale through the nose, exhaling twice as long, also through the nose. This may be a challenge for many of us as stress brings our breathing up high in the chest, so it can feel awkward. Do it anyway. If you’re really having a hard time understanding wide and deep breaths vs every day breathing, relax on your back and place a hand on your chest + one in your belly and breathe normally a bit. Now, inhale (nose) slowly - a few more seconds until you feel your rib cage expand (move out on the sides). Exhale slowly through the nose. Now, try it again and go deeper - feeling your belly rise and your ribs “go wide.” You can remain lying down or sit up, but continue this slow, deep + wide inhale through the nose with an even longer, slower exhale. As you inhale, imagine peace, light and love coursing from your lungs thru your entire body...as you exhale, envision all strain, fear, stress, anger, frustration, pain, grief being washed away by the breath of Love. At first, you may only be able to do this a few moments so do a couple sessions a day. Especially, if you’re feeling stressed. Try to work-up to 11 minutes to really tone the vagus nerve and reset your body, mind and spirit. This is a tool you can use anywhere at anytime and it helps our energy system, body and mind rest fully + build resilience. If you are pregnant or have medical issues - please consult your physician. FYI- if you’ve tested positive for covid, deep breathing exercises like this are even more crucial to maintaining lung health + reducing fear. Questions? Email me at AlongNourishedPath@gmail.com. Today, I woke far too early to nature’s morning song outside my window. I snuck to the bathroom and Sir Duncan (dog) was awake and lying in his new spot — between the bedrooms/bath area and the living room...a space where he can see the back and front doors, plus know if I’m moving about. This new sleeping spot can’t be great for his old bones, but is an adjustment to his hearing loss...and, I’ve realized, his way of guarding his space when this sense he relied so heavily on in his youth is mostly gone. This scene melted me. When he sensed my presence, gazed over his should to see me awake...THAT look on his face...THAT is pure Love. His scramble-up and fully-body wag is slower than it used to be, but still joy. So, I put on some exercise clothes, checked the time, plucked him up and plopped us onto the sofa for a snuggle. Resting my head gently near his back, fur in my face, I breathed in the scent a fresh air as he dropped his head into my arms and feel asleep. Me, I listened. Watched. Closed my eyes and gave thanks. Then, I cried softly in the most reverent gratitude for this soulful being that has endured trauma with tenacity, if not always grace. I shed tears of pure love for him and the love, lessons and blessings of 13+ years with this quirky, strong, loving, tender, feisty, defiant, ever-present, wise old soul. I share all this because allowing love to flow in our lives is the most profound gift we give and receive while on this planet. Our heart resonates to a frequency in love that can then synchronize with our brain’s frequency to literally alter the health of our bodies, minds and lives. From this place of coherence — magic and miracles are possible! Our stress levels drop dramatically. Tissues, organs and biological systems work in unison moving us closer to homeostasis = balance = health. DNA is repaired. Telomeres lengthened (part of a cell that gets shorter as our cells replicate/divide to make new cells = relates to aging). Our cells are bathed, quite literally, in the high vibe energy of Life. From here, we can extend this Universal Love to our environment and those in it. Time after time, research shows the impact our held thoughts paired with deep emotion have on us — body, mind and spirit — and the world around us. This works equally well when we sit in fear and panic as love and gratitude. This means it is crucial for us to feel the heavier emotions (anger, fear, panic are lower frequencies) in order process them for release. Unlike our furred or feathered friends whose systems, in times of duress, asses the danger, fight or flee and then literally shake from adrenaline to release it from the body/mind, we tend to get stuck part way through this process. Our bodies’ natural stress hormones stay elevated and keep our cells soaking in compounds and frequencies that lower immunity, speed-up cellular decline/aging, turn-on genetic codes for illness and leave us unable to think clearly, perform our best and love fully in the present moment. The solution is simple — soak ourselves for 15+ minutes a day in higher frequencies... First, we feel our fears, sit with our shadows and accept them. If we need support moving panic through and out, for example, we can dance, jump rope, walk, sing, etc. Once we stop or slow the cascade of stress hormones, our brains and bodies are better able to see the other emotions available to us. Then, we love ourselves enough to look for a way to move to Love. Being in nature helps. Giving thanks for the little, mundane and grand things in our lives is key to this process. We can focus on someone (or being) we love and then slip into the space where we transfer that love to all things. Or, perhaps through prayer or formal meditation. Practice to find what works for you! My expanding knowledge of this phenomenon comes from listening to, reading and watching the work of Dr Joe Dispenza - OFFICIAL NEWS & FAN PAGE on social media and his Gaia TV series #Rewired. However you drop into deep love, universal energy, the frequency of the cosmos, God, Life Force (feel free to call it what you are comfortable with personally), this coherence between the heart and head somehow frees our souls. Thanks for joining me for another #SundayEssentials. If you have topics you'd like to explore together, feel free to email to AlongNourishedPath@gmail.com, DM on Facebook (click here) or on Insta @NourishedPath. Please join me here on Sundays for a bit of wit, wisdom and love.
It may be writings, essential oil tips, recipes of various types, videos, meditations or anything that speaks through me on a given day! It’s about living our sacred lives along a nourished path. Today it’s this nugget: My cathedral is nature. Here is where I feel immersed in and absorbed by the Divine. The birdsongs are the choir. The trees, my pews. Whether your practice is an organized religion, the beauty of nature, your inner voice, a mix of things or something altogether different...take time at least one day a week to sit in reverence to the power of Love. Listen to music, pray, meditate, stroll, light a candle, swim, head to temple/church, bathe, hold a petal, read something inspired or the like. Then, breathe, pause, listen...allow the guidance, the love within you and all living things to move you...embrace the holy and sacred in Life. Let inspired action flow through you. If it’s more challenging to get there, try burning a candle or incense, diffusing or wearing a drop of essential oil - frankincense, palo santo, sandalwood and myrrh have been used throughout the ages to help connect to the Source/Inner Knowing/God. Music/mantra is extremely effective at lifting us higher, or a sacred cacao (Coco) ritual, or bath. You can also journal in this heart-space...perhaps start with five things you’re grateful for this day. This doesn’t have to happen on Sunday, but making time for your Self in some type of sacred space at least weekly will have profound effects in your life. We’re back with another fact over fear post on using essential oils (EO) with the animals that share our lives! Today, we delve a bit more into how to use the oils – quantities. The very design of many animals means they may be more sensitive to the effects of EO. For example, animals have more hair follicles than humans and may be able to absorb the oils more effectively as a result. The more hair follicles per square inch of body, the greater EO absorption. This means that a cat can absorb more EO through its skin than a dog or cow since the dog and cow have coarser hair. As noted in Animal Essential Oils Desk Reference, if a 160 pound person uses 3-5 drops of EO, then a 1,600 horse would require 10 times that amount and a dog weighing 16 pounds would need 1/10th the human amount. If that made your head almost explode…first, there’s an oil for that (Rosemary or even Clarity would help) and, second, there are other ways to approach this. Smaller and exotic animals require less oil and a less intense initial exposure. So, while applying oil directly to the hoof of a horse (like humans applying to the soles of feet), you will want to dilute EO for small dogs, cats, exotic pets. In these cases, diffusion may be a great way to start. As noted in previous posts, several species are more sensitive to the compounds in some oils so be mindful using “hot oils”/oils high in phenols, sesquiterpenes, eugenols like Clove, Thyme, Oregano, Cinnamon, etc. Please dilute these oils with a carrier oil like V-6 in a ratio of 1 drop EO to 6, 8 or 10 drops carrier oil (depending on size of your companion animal and personal experience with your pet). Also, citrus oils (Lemon, Lime, Citrus Fresh, etc.) should be used carefully around felines. Since “how much” EO to use can be confusing, I’m going to refer to the guidelines in the Desk Reference for animals (complete credit to this source for the details below)… Percentages:
General Guidelines
Remember, if you’re unsure please start low and slow — small amounts of oils and consider diffusing. NOTE: Young Living’s Animal Scents® line makes getting started so easy! From EO for pets to shampoo, your four-legged, feathered and furred friends can benefit from products designed especially for them. A portion of all proceeds from Animal Scents® products goes to support Vital Ground, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the habitat of grizzly bears and other wide-roaming wildlife. Finally, always, always, always use only the highest-quality, therapeutic grade, organically raised and thoroughly tested essential oils. Preferably those that are sustainably harvested and follow a strict process like Seed to Seal®. You can order your oils at www.BlossomWithOils.net, or via link on our Services page here at NourishedPath.net. Please email with any questions: AlongNourishedPath@gmail.com. . As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have and excited to hear how you use EO and EO-infused products to help you and your family (including the non-human ones) live well along the nourished path... |
author
I'm Mary Ann. I am a storyteller using skills, interests, education and experience to help others. Together, we'll explore your story and write a new ending for your journey along the nourished path. Categories
All
archives
January 2023
|