What is your Emotional Propensity for Change?

Tonight is a Full Moon in Pisces, the adventure-driven fish that is caught deep within its waves of fantasy and emotions.

Where can we be a little bit more fluid in our day and where can we bit a little bit more still in the subtle shifts taking place around us?

Are you ready for the September that is about to shift our global consciousness to the Extreme?!

As the weather begins to change and the sunsets wane every evening, the days becoming shorter and shorter, where is our capacity to embrace all of the present gifts and offerings?

For me personally, I’ve been taking large steps to prepare for my move to Germany (packing away clothing, giving away larger items away, cleaning the house, and searching for full-time employment in Berlin), and while I have had many days to research, get organized, and clean, I am so grateful for these days in between where I can sit and relish in the backyard with the dogs the amazing and focused summer that this has been.

I have been saying No to many new opportunities which may seem very difficult for me, as September always harbours change, new projects and collaborative efforts. The effort of purging many old items while packing has made me realize how very little a human individual actually requires as an essential item to pursue four seasons in another city in the world. Of course, there is also the extreme of packing like a minimalist (i.e. four interchangeable outfits and limited undergarments). Last year, I packed light for three weeks while travelling around Europe and I made it out alive with just a backpack and a carry-on, roll-on luggage.

These past two seasons has been very uplifting for me personally, as I was curious to try and seek the help from professionals such as therapists and life coaches to aid me in my professional journey as I move forward as a wellness advocate and arts facilitator. With the pandemic, it has been an interesting experiment of prioritizing my time wisely to insert a psychotherapy session at least once every two weeks. Each session has actually been something I’ve REALLY looked forward to as a recollection of my thoughts and summary of my worries poured out into one direct vacuum. (I HIGHLY recommend considering therapy, if you’ve been curious about it and have been thinking about it for a while. It helps wonder to improve your own waking and sleeping states, mental health, productivity, and overall well-being). I found my therapist through Shift Collab, whom tries to break down social barriers and normalize therapy and social work for working professionals.

As I move into a state of transience, packing valuables and belongings into hidden compartments, relishing on all the amazing experiences outdoors - from stand up paddleboarding, to bike rides along the beach, to housewarming parties with old friends, to birthdays on patios and midnight picnics in the park, I am TRULY grateful and blessed to have spent SO much time with almost all of my favourite human beings.

Living slow with unconditional love and unobstructed attention has been kind of nice, ya know?

"We don't see things 

as they are

We see them

as WE are."

A gentle reminder to ease into September with a side of caution.

While we may have spent the entire summer enjoying a particular lifestyle and accomodating for friends and family, know that not every individual has been living the ideal. As we are all on a rampant pace to resume our busy lives as we move in September, just pause for a moment and witness the reactions from other people. Our perceptions are only limited to our own scope of understanding and how much we've put on our plate this year.

But just think, we are all attempting to resume our lives at different paces and different points of our comfort levels.

There is an innate desire for us all to do well together.

Let's take the time to step back just for a little while longer.

What emotions are coming up for you today and what are you ready just to settle with and let go?

Consider a Mindfulness Practice on the Water

Water as Therapy

It’s no wonder so many people are wanting to decompress and relieve physiological stress by being around water.

From sensory deprivation tanks, cryptotherapy, hammam spas and steam rooms, to a luxury bubble bath at home, water in its many forms (breathing in the vapour, bathing in the liquid, and consumption of its liquid and solid forms) has many benefits for human beings. It can return us to a state of equilibrium prior  to experiencing a distressing trigger such as dealing with a demanding manager at work, coaxing a crying child, or responding to a passerby going into shock. Staying hydrated prevents us from feeling light-headed and allows a state of homeostasis in our bloodstream, preventing inflammation and soreness in our muscles.

Water is all around us, we consume multiple variations of it to stay hydrated as our bodies are composed of 60% of water, with our brain, lungs, and heart existing at 75%+ as water!

source: vsco.CO

WATER CALMS YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM and improves your cardiovascular health

The natural flow and rhythm of water stimulates alpha brainwaves in the brain. Alpha brainwaves are of a moderately slower wavelength and are present in our resting state and when we meditate. As we allow ourselves to let go of mental urgencies while submerging or being afloat on water, we become more present, alert, and open-minded.

Being in cold water stimulates your vagus nerve (a bundle of nerve fibers extending from your brainstem down towards your abdomen). Your vagus nerve regulates your heart rate and breathing, mood, immune response and digestion in relation to the lower organs in the body. When activated, the vagus nerve turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, preparing the body into “rest and digest” mode, slowing down the heart rate and pace of breath. The vagus nerve also orients the neck muscles, head movement, speech and vision, releasing the hormone, oxytocin from the pituitary gland. When released in the body, oxytocin allows us to build trust in others and ourselves, become more compassionate, and cooperative with others.

It improves your mental and physical coordination.

Low-impact sports in the water such as swimming, surfing and stand-up paddleboarding require many motor abilities including balance, stability, core engagement, and alertness. In an open body of water, you are being challenged to strengthen your depth perception of incoming winds, direction of the water current, and enhance your proprioception (your recognition of objects on the water and in the sky relative to you). Lastly, you should also consider the power and restraint needed to paddle or swim if you are going for longer distances, are paddling or swimming against the wind direction, or are avoiding and steering clear of other obstacles in the water such as boats, swimmers, and other paddlers.  

It releases tension in sore muscles, connective tissue and joints.

Swimming and floating are low-impact activities on your hips, knees, and ankle joints, easing mobility for movement, especially if you are suffering from injury, or are sensitive of bearing weight for a long period of time. Being submerged in water also helps to alleviate chronic fatigue from habitual movements such as tech-neck, and rounded shoulders from sitting infront of digital screens for long periods of time.

Cryptotherapy, submerging into cold baths for short periods of time, can actually reduce inflammation in the joints. The more frequently that you submerge your body into cold water, your mind trains your body to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to slow down your response to stressful triggers such as the immediate shock of cold water. Your blood vessels and capillaries begin to dilate, sending blood to the areas of the body experiencing the change in temperature. Your heart rate begins to slow down and your breath begins to deepen, creating a sensation of calm. These physiological responses becomes more translatable out of the water when dealing with everyday stressors at work, at home with family, and on the street encounters with situations out of your conrol.

Staying present and focused on the current task.

When your body is submerged in the flow of water, your mind also begins to enter what is known as the Flow state. In the brain, the default network mode (composed of the pre-frontal cortex, the medial parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobe) turns on, allowing us to become introspective, create new memories, and focus on our current experience. We become less focused on other distracting tasks such as previous anxieties or to-do lists, and instead draw our attention on our present environment and how we begin to engage movement in the water.

Letting go of control and expectation of your ego on the water gains you greater awareness of your physical strengths and limitations while in the water. As many of us are used to being bipedal on land and meticulously articulating tasks with our hands, the force of water changes the sense of balance, agility, and mobility while moving within water.

 

CONSIDER A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE ON THE WATER TODAY

• Scuba Diving

• Snorkeling

• Swimming

• Stand Up Paddleboarding

• Kayaking

• Canoing

• Sensory Deprivation Floating

• Cryptotherapy

• Surfing

• SUP Yoga

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION TO GET starteD?

CHECK OUT THIS READING LIST:

1. Messages from Water and the Universe by Masaru Emoto

2. Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do by Wallace J. Nichols

3. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

Messages from the water and the universe by Masaru Emoto

Blue Mind by Wallace J. NIchols

Barbarian Days: a surfing life by william finnegan