It’s been awhile since I sent out an email with an experiment for you. Rather than feeling bad about it, I’ve been leaning into trusting life. I’ve been noticing the ways in which I have been doing what I’m most called to in the moment, and trusting the rest will sort itself out. And below, I’m going to give you a little experiment so you can try this out for yourself.
But first, you might be wondering…What have I been doing? Plus it relates to the below experiment.
In the beginning of April, I went to a 4 day conference in LA for people who teach the Inside-Out understanding that I teach in my Wisdom Workshops (next workshop is tomorrow and details are below). It was very rejuvenating. Most conferences are like fast food—so much information coming at you and, while a lot of fun, it leaves me trying to remember what I learned by the time I get off the plane home. This conference was like slow food—information shared slowly and deeply with time for rest and reflection which shifted some things for me at a deep level.
Then the sun was out, so I did some hiking, lots of biking, gardening, hosting of an out of town friend, and the usual housecleaning that accompanies that. And then my husband and I took some uninterrupted time together to connect while doing some of our favorite Spring activities like walking to dinner, a coastal drive, mountain biking, and enjoying the sunset on the patio while getting creative about our plans for the garden this summer.
I’ll be honest that it was often an option to worry that I should have been doing something more productive. I mean I took 4 days off at the start of the month. Shouldn’t I be catching up on things like this newsletter? The good news is that it was also an option to trust that by saying yes to all the things that I chose to do instead (nature time, exercise, connection, tending house and garden) I was doing just what needed to be done. I was leading the way in living a life of wellbeing and good feelings.
When I’d start to get out of a balance and worry about what wasn’t getting done, I could start to go into a tailspin pretty quickly. It often sounded a lot like ”Yeah, but shouldn’t I be…?” Yet the moment I could see that I had an option to worry or an option to enjoy, I gave myself a pat on the back for seeing this and relaxed. From that place, I was able to make the best decision in the moment, which happened to be less time on the computer. Until it wasn’t, and I sat down and wrote this newsletter.
Which leads me to my recommended experiment so you can try this out for yourself:
Mind Experiment: The moment you see that you’re getting out of balance, give yourself a pat on the back and stop paying attention to the “Yeah but”s. That moment that you can see objectively that you’re going into a tailspin about something is an everyday miracle. Even if it is a very short moment.
That’s your innate wellbeing trying to right itself. The problem is we often “yeah but” right over it. And we miss the power of what we are seeing. Seeing that we are creating our reality from our thinking. Seeing that we have free will. Seeing that there is something in us that is aware of what we’re experiencing. If we’re aware of our experience, we can’t simply be our experience. We’re not just an out of balance anxious, guilty, irritable person headed into a tailspin. We’re something purer than that, which can be aware of the humanness of it all.
Being human, just like me, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice this over the next 2 weeks. You may wonder, what else you need to do. Not much else. By noticing this every day miracle, you’ll give your innate wellbeing a little more chance to right itself, and then see what happens. That’s why it’s an experiment after all.
I’m pretty sure you’ll learn something cool from it. Let me know how it goes.
Upcoming EventsI’m extra inspired for the Wisdom Workshops after attending a conference in early April which took a deep dive into how to teach people to access more peace of mind. I’ve been studying this inside-out understanding since 2005, sharing it with friends ever since, and teaching it more formally to patients since 2016. Yet there is always more to learn for myself and for helping others.
Interested in feeling more peace of mind? Like to have more energy? Want to reduce your inflammation and improve your immune system? Join us for our April state of mind workshop to learn the inside-out understanding that allows people to thrive regardless of circumstances.
The next workshop is tomorrow, April 29. Seats are limited, so click this link to register or find a future date that works for you:
In this uplifting workshop you’ll learn how your mind works, so you can enjoy more peace of mind and:
- Supercharge your performance
- Improve your relationships
- Enter the healing zone
Because less mental stress (worry, rumination, frustration, guilt, over-analysis) isn’t just more enjoyable, it’s correlated with better physical health. And the bonus is that when you understand your state of mind better, it’s easier to make better decisions to support your health.
Tuition is $20 and all proceeds will be donated to the Ceres Community Project. Ceres supports the resiliency of our community with nutritious meals for families coping with serious illness. And they empower youth by teaching them to grow and cook the meals. If you’re not familiar with them, check them out!
What We’re Treating in the ClinicThe sun is out in full force in Sonoma County and gardening injuries are a thing. Back pain, neck pain, arm pain, hand pain, sciatica, you name it. Lots of patients have been reporting acute injuries and flare ups of chronic, repetitive-use injuries from garden and yard work.
The good news is that the style of acupuncture I practice is renowned for quick pain relief. Most people feel pain relief as soon as the treatment starts on my table. And the sooner you get in, the less treatments you will need to get you out of pain and back out there doing what you love.
Existing patients can book online here. Make sure you get a confirmation email and click “CONFIRM” in that email.
You can access our online booking anytime by clicking anywhere on our website that says “make an appointment” or “book now” and follow the breadcrumbs to “Existing Patients” and “Book Online”. Existing patients are always welcome to call or email us if you prefer to schedule that way or you’re not finding any appointments that work for you online.
New patients need to call or email us to set up their first appointment because there is just too much information we need to share with you.
Happy Mind Explorations!
Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc
