Living Authentically In Each Season
Just as the seasons change around us, so do they within us. What feels right for you in this moment, may not in the next. We are constantly learning and evolving. That is why it’s important to spend time tuning into our own inner guidance so that we are able to listen, make aligned decisions, and enjoy the peace that comes from living as our most authentic selves.
It starts with listening. Our busy lives don’t always allow for much alone time, but how can you create that for yourself today? Schedule a time for yourself to just be present. You might find a comfortable place in your home, or maybe choose to take a walk through nature. Then ask yourself the following:
What do I want this season to feel like?
Who do I need to be for that to happen?
Sit with those questions for as long as it takes for answers to emerge within you. It may take time! Write down what you come up with, or do a voice recording, but do it from the present perspective. For example: “I feel a strong sense of community. I am fun and social! I make plans with friends to go biking regularly and enjoy making new connections in the biking community. I love the energy of yoga classes, and am a regular in several each week.” List out as many as come up.
Next comes making aligned decisions. This one is subjective and can be tough, so it’s important to approach with a sense of curiosity. In order to make aligned decisions, it helps to have your full body onboard. Often times we know cognitively what decisions will help us reach our goals, but we choose the options that feel the most comfortable for us. To align our full selves to the thoughts we came up with, start by finding a comfortable position. If you wrote down your answers to the fist exercise, have them with you. If you voice recorded them, have that available to you.
Allow yourself to drop into your body and experience what is there. You might start by bringing attention to your toes, your legs, your hips. Slowly bring your attention up your spine, down your arms to your hands, and back up all the way to the top of your head. Take a deep breath in and follow the air down into your core. Keep your attention there and just notice. When you’re ready, read or listen to your thoughts from the first exercise. Pause and let your body sense through it. Listen to it a second time, and notice if anything feels like it needs adjusting. If any of your words don’t quite land. Experiment with saying different words or editing sentences until it feels right.
*Note: Working with a coach can be very helpful for guiding you through these types of exercises and sensing deeper into any resistance that comes up. Schedule a discovery call if it’s something you’re interested in exploring!
Once you have it where you want it, you might close your eyes and just be with yourself there, in that understanding where your body-mind is aligned. Where you don’t have to fight or “be more disciplined” in order to make decisions that support your vision of the future. You need only follow your intuition. Visit those re-written or re-recorded thoughts as often as you like, at the start of your days or weeks, for as long as it resonates. When it no longer resonates, allow yourself the space to repeat the steps from a clean slate and a sense of curiosity. Here is the final step of this exercise, where you enjoy the peace of living authentically, in tune with your mind and body.
