Happy New Year!
I want to wish you a beautiful, loving and joyous new year celebration and a healthy and prosperous 2017!
Did you get a chance to do some or all of the steps in my previous post? If you did, I’m curious…what came up for you? Specifically, what did you notice when you did the first step? The one on listening to your deeper, unconscious self first thing upon waking. Did you find it easy? Difficult? Confusing?
I’m asking as from my experience Step #1 is the one that most people struggle with getting so I thought I’d offer some additional guidance.
Firstly, I like to ask you a question …. How much of your life are you living from the chin up? In other words, in your head. Not truly connected to your body. And to your heart? When you pause to ponder this question, I’m going to guess that you went to your head to get the answer. Did you feel it? Did you feel your attention go up into your head to gather facts, recall past or current experiences and memories for the answer? Great! An important first step is noticing where you source your information.
When your mind is not truly connected to the sensations and feelings in your body and heart it can result in a deep sense of feeling disconnected with your true self. If you ever find yourself acting and behaving in ways that are inconsistent with what you believe in, your values and your intentions, this is often a sign you are not connecting (enough) with your body and your heart. This is where your intuitive, inner self holds the deeper wisdom of who you are as a person. And where your intuition and dreams are tucked away.
Read more on the intuitive nature of your heart here… ‘Thinking from the heart’ by Dr. Dominique Surel
The split between mind, body and heart sets up incongruencies, gaps between the person you want to be and the person you are acting and behaving like in real life. These disconnected parts and incongruencies can block you from living a truly authentic life. And move you farther away from living your dream life.
In the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming NLP, we practice a step by step method of connecting your mind, body and heart. If you want to go deeper into this (you won’t truly fulfill your dream if you don’t!) then join me at the next NLP Café on January 16, 2017 and ‘Wake Up To YOUR DREAMS!’ Where I will be teaching the group a step by step method.
So you can continue practicing until then, here are some steps to help you get more connected to your body and heart. These steps are simple and powerful!
Step #1 – Move your body with an intention to connect to your deeper self. Dancing, walking, skiing, whatever activity you like will usually work. Although it’s important to note this is not exercise. While your body will benefit from the movement, the difference between moving to get exercise and moving to get connected on a deeper level is setting a specific intention of waking up your connection with your heart and intuition.
This step can be done with music (in my experience, instrumental works best as you want to avoid thinking in your head, repeating the words to the song). Move your body with varied rhythm. Notice the sensations you feel in different parts of your body. Your hips, shoulders, fingertips, jaw. Stop periodically and wait. Feel the sensations and touch that part of your body. Thank your body – yes, that’s right. Say internally, or whisper, “thank you”. This is a simple, yet powerful way of quickly connecting with your deeper inner self. By saying the words, “Thank you” as you place your hand on your heart, or touch the part of your body where you felt a tingling sensation, helps to close the gap between your logical mind and your intuitive mind and begins to integrate mind, body and heart together.
Step #2 – As you continue to bring your mind and heart together, while moving (dancing, swaying, or walking with rhythm) ask yourself, “What is my dream?” Again, have paper and pen handy to write or draw an image of anything that comes up.
Step #3 – Once you have a sense that something has come up that you like slow down or gently stop moving. You might notice a visual image came up where you see yourself performing in a certain way, playing a role in a new job, interacting with people – whatever it is that comes up, I want you to notice what colours are in the image. Do you see red? White? Blue? And what else did you notice? Were there any sounds? Describe the sounds. Were they loud, quiet, intermittent, constant, or rhythmic?
If you’re not seeing an image it could be your mind is a bit stuck in the ‘words’. Or your mind might be creating a story. In NLP, this is called your ‘auditory digital system’. Your job is to shut down this internal dialogue and pay attention to the colours, images, sounds and feelings. This step takes practice so please be kind to yourself. I know that when you keep practicing you will get this!
The secret to these steps working is actually doing them. Remember, the difference between people living out their dream compared to those that are living someone else’s, is that they’ve made a commitment to follow their heart.
Our theme at Holistic Directions for 2017 is ‘Never Give Up On Living Your Dream!’ The entire year’s focus is on providing you tools, coaching support and training to help you make your dreams come alive. I’m going to support you every step of the way – from planting the seeds to full bloom.
If you are getting more excited and really wanting to make your dream come true in 2017 and you know there still some missing pieces. Let’s start working together in making your dream come alive.
Jacquie Nagy is a Professional Speaker, Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) International New Code NLP TRAINER & Coach, Certified Adult Educator (CAE), Art of Feminine Presence™ Teacher, founder Holistic Directions Inc. (2008) and creator of Holistic Self-Coaching™. Jacquie offers personal and professional development workshops, NLP Certification courses and 1:1 private coaching and mentoring for individuals and entrepreneurs internationally and in her home city of Winnipeg, MB, Canada. You can find out more about her speaking, coaching and training services at http://www.holisticdirections.com
Contact Jacquie to Help You Make Your Dreams Come True!