One Balanced Life

I just returned from co-facilitating a retreat with the fabulous Renee Trudeau at Kripalu. I am deeply grateful for the work I do, for the places I visit, for the amazing team I work with, and most of all for the women who choose the share their stories with me. We had an amazing group of women attend. It is such an honor to watch the transformation that occurs in a weekend. When the retreat starts on Friday, I see - fear, pain, confusion, anticipation, hesitancy, resistance and by Sunday it is joy, hope, and openness.

I believe this transformation has a lot to do with moving one's energy around. We get stuck in old patterns, ways of thinking and being, and we can't seem to create any movement in our lives. The only way to create change is to move that "stuck" energy around. And one way to do this is simply trying something new and different...like a retreat. At the beginning of our retreats I talk about "doing it different" and encourage participants to step outside their comfort zone. For some this was openly sharing their story, for others it was Yogadance class, or a solitary walk in the woods.

For me it was a new Healing Arts session Kripalu is offering called Integrated Energy Therapy. It was a little out there for me but I always try to do something new when I am on a retreat. And WOW! It moved my energy! I have had a homework assignment from my coach that I ave resisted for months. I felt it the minute she gave it to me...the voice in my head was screaming "No way in hell I am doing that!" Day after day I would write it on my to do list and then ignore it. I just didn't want to do it. I woke up the morning after my treatment, sat out on the lawn, picked up my journal and started writing. The resistance was gone and it was a powerful exercise and experience.

I share my story to encourage you if you feel stuck about something try to do something to move your energy around maybe a quick walk, a dance with the kids in the morning, a new class, or the getting support you wouldn't normally reach out for. Just find a way to move it!