I did get caught up tonight in looking at a Youtube that came up on “favorite things”.
I wondered how this subject would be broached. My takeaway after watching, one that my mind seems to often go to, is feeling good means being aware in our bodies. Being tactile and being conscious make sense to me. When we notice scents, touch texture, hear music and see colors… when we taste rich dark chocolate or jump into the wind- we are living.
If we could only allow ourselves to do our favorite things more often, we might be able to easier let go of judgments, find more joy, and stop being so angry. We might reach for each others hands rather than turn the other way. We might forget our differences and feel into the things that bring us together.
We as human beings are meant to have pleasure and to feel it down to our very tippy toes.
So I am going to share this youtube with you. I found it on www.digg.com . Notice how you feel as you watch:)
Sharon Hartnett LMT
(614) 372-6598
Columbus Ohio
PS. My favorite thing besides my human family? Horses… What’s yours?
Sitting outside at sunset listening to the birds, and hanging out with horses.
Our bodies are created as a result of a creative force, our thinking and our actions.
When we stop living fully in our bodies, our life force diminishes, we loose our spark and joy.
So What does this mean to you?
Well, through life, most people encounter some type of suffering, discomfort or pain. When this happens, we have different ways of coping. We may ignore the pain and push through … we may disassociate from what the body tells us and disassociate… we may pretend that everything is alright with a happy face when we don’t feel that way at all. There are many type of coping mechanisms that help us to avoid pain when our thinking is trying to leave the situation.
The Challenge is that when we oppose what our experience is telling us, that information stays stagnant until we stop defending against it whether subconscious or not. That energy of pain that is not originally felt waits to complete its cycle into health and integration. To unwind these patterns, it is necessary to include unwinding the body too. It is through opening and feeling deeply that we can restore our energy levels and wellbeing.
My experience as a professional Structural Integration Therapist is that there is soft pain that is often tolerable. This is a basic natural reaction to getting physically or emotionally hurt. For example, a child falls off a bike and has a boo boo. He/she goes to Mommy gets a kiss and bandaid and all soon is well. It hurt but was taken care of with kindness and sensing. This is a positive interaction because it allows flow but also keeps our physical being safe and wise in interacting with our environment. This type of pain is helpful in keeping us alive physically. What causes the real suffering is not feeling deeply into it when it occurs in the moment. An example of this might be a soldier goes to war and the experiencing is overwhelming. When home, PTSD or other biological processes need to be integrated because the experience was just too much. Our defense systems assist us when life feels overwhelming and intolerable. This intelligence has its benefits. Yet when that defense system becomes a habit, and it often does, it is important to question the benefits of maintaining its system.
Pain can stay numb or can show up later in life if it is disregarded longterm.
What has helped me assist clients is to work with people in their zone of comfort.
I enjoy being a bodyworker with a lot of modalities under my belt. But one of my favorites in giving and receiving is Structural Integration. That is because by layering deep into the fascia, all that cellular memory begins to awaken. The tissues soften, rehydrate and the body actually reshapes itself from its own wisdom. Structural Integration is a wonderful method to help the body find its proper alignment, leading to more ease and freedom in the body, mind & soul.
Now Rolfing has had its negative popular opinion. Historically it has been known to be to rough and abrupt. Some people have claimed that it is painful in itself as a treatment. And it is true that when the tissues are felt, the natural defense systems kick in and that closed system is not necessarily happy to be unprotected. The mind is smart and wants to to keep things status quo. Yet if the body is not allowed to stay open, relating, and communicating as a whole, we become segmented.
Structural Integration as I have learned it is the same as the Rolfing method, but as with the Rolfers, many practitioners have learned to slow down and stay in the zone so there is no re-injury. Yet I have to say that Structural Integration is not for that half-hearted. It will be uncomfortable at some points and there may be some pain involved. But that is the pain that already exists in the body and is being touched and awakened. Often clients tell me that it hurts, but it is the good kind because as the resistance dies, new energy can surge in that is very healing and helpful. At the end of a session, clients can be very giddy and happy because they have let go of old patterns that have kept them down. It is wonderful to witness this.
It is my promise as a Professional Structural Integration Therapist, to help you to feel deeply into your body. I will do this at your pace, in your time and with your consent. In order to keep in the zone, we set up healthy boundaries of communication. If anything feels over the top, then we slow down or give you a rest. Now I don’t want to scare you off, but I am being honest that this work does usually include discomfort. The key to a great session is to listen, allow and be in the moment. The mind will resist at some point the changes that are happening, and I will ask that you feel this softer discomfort when it shows up. But your dialogue and wishes are always respected.
When clients finish going through the 10 series of Structural Integration, their whole body changes. They stand straighter, they feel more energy, and the pain in their body diminishes quite a bit. Life is general changes just because people feel better after a series even if they can’t put their finger on it.
Because this takes a commitment to your overall health and wellness, take your time and consider the possibility of Structural Integration. As Marianne Williamson says in one of her quotes, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Opening to feeling vitality and joy means moving through inner resistance… mental, emotional and/or physical. It’s easier to stay in our habits than to break through.
Here is a quote by Byron Katie that I think about when I consider Structural Integration Work in relationship to the mind:
I also offer more gentle modalities like Craniosacral Therapy, Brennan Healing Science, Aromatherapy and more. This is just one road to healing. As I mentioned in the beginning, each person’s make-up is unique, and if we are to heal, we need to be met where we are.
When you decide to ask for help… interview, ask questions. Find the right practitioner for you.
While I had not been blessed to study directly under Dr. John, I have enjoyed working with Dr. Chas Perry ofIntegrative Intentions, an Advanced Teacher who teaches Craniosacral Therapy at its’ very best. He stays true to the basic principals of the Institute and travels around the world spreading this fantastic work. He also is in charge of the inter-species program with the dolphins and in bringing people together for comprehensive intensives. Personally, I have been deeply transformed with CST, especially with the aquatic dolphin experiences.
In my experience as an Advanced Certified CST, I have seen Craniosacral Therapy work wonders on helping people to find balance, a new vitality and to heal on a very deep level. While I feel comfortable speaking about the many benefits of this type of work, I wanted to also bring you a video of one of my teachers in order to give you another perspective. Take a moment to watch this to see if it answers any questions you may have of CST.
We each have a way that we have configured the energy in our lives.
There is a “Yes” current and a “No” Current.
As Human Beings, we have access to a certain amount of energy to use every day.
With this being the case, the ego always has a way to align with either positive or negative intention and thereby create.
Where do you focus your attention?
What if you were able to align your flow current with an optimistic view of life?
Could your life change if you focused on the very best in every moment?
Intentionality
It does not always seem easy to change old harmful habits of thinking. Especially if these ways have served well in the past. However, you do have the choice now to make a new decision about what type of life you want.
Only we can create positive lives but focusing on positive intentions.
Finding compassion for those who have hurt us may seem like it is about the other person, but the truth is… you’ll be happier and find more joy if you can let go of your own anger and pain.
It’s interesting as a Massage Therapist/Bodyworker to witness this firsthand. While I am not a licensed psychotherapist therapist, often on the table doing the work I do, as people stay more deeply connected into their bodies, stuck or chaotic emotions tend to arise. If the clients can stay with their experience and open their hearts, something beautiful happens. I can’t help but to notice this connection between the mind, body & spirit as I observe and connect with the person in front of me. Each session is a delightful surprise as the Unknown reveals itself, and I always trust it is exactly as it should be. I am committed to helping my clients to let go and forgive, allowing new space to open to more kind ways of Being.
I do like to dance with the moment during the sessions by listening, through contact, and by experiencing life as fully as possible. Sometimes this means that resentments, anger, hate and darker feelings show up. But these are all part of the blessed realm of humanity. I hold the container for these to transform. The reason I like to do this type of work is because I have found time and time again that it is our resistance to love that keeps us in pain. If we want to release this stress, the key is to change our thinking and to allow ourselves to feel whatever else that has been stored away that no longer serve our Highest Good anymore. Helping people to let go and forgive opens the door for a better life. How wonderful is that to be part of someone’s process in support? For a few people, life awakens spontaneously. For most people, life is a practice about choosing to let go and opening the heart and mind for healing. We all have a choice how we want to live in each moment.
A Teacher I admire-Byron Katie, teaches that we need to question our stories and turn them around if we want to peace of mind, and the truth of all things. Mindful work about our thinking is also very helpful if we want to turn our lives around. The four questions about stressful situations are: 1. Is it true? 2. Is it absolutely true? 3. How do you react to the thought? 4. What would your life be like without that thought? Try this with a stressful situation in your life right now and see what happens. It’s an easy experiential to open up the mind and our thinking. While you do this, stay in contact with your body. Notice the sensations and other information that shows up to be released.
We can’t find true forgiveness within our Selves until we forgive those we blame and feel deeply into our own resistance and soft pain.
Sometimes I ask myself why is it so easy for some people, and so difficult sometimes as a committed healer and bodyworker. What I have found is that the benefit of facing our own challenges is a depth and a surge of experience that is unlike none other. The meaning I have found is to let go means to be free of misconceptions and to find a way to reconnect with the rest of life. It is in our humanity that we ride the waves of despair, jealousies and resentments. But it is also in humanity that we remember love and compassion as a whole. People who decide to take a journey into forgiveness in life, set themselves to a life of liberty and a not only pursuit of happiness, but the real deal.
So if you are wanting to let go and forgive… open your thinking and feel deeply into your heart. This is for your peace, your richness, your love. When you are anchored firmly there, join into a relationship and heal that too. It is in unity that harmony and vitality are lived.
A bit about my journey: As a licensed Massage Therapist witnessing and holding the sessions with the up-wellings of feelings during sessions, I became more curious how could I be in service to those who are in deeper stress and not healing on the different levels of consciousness. To be honest, my journey started with an interest in myself, but also with the world and all living things within it. I wanted to find a deeper meaning and sense to this life. So I attended the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, studied at the Hakomi Institute in a two year program, which is a body centered psychotherapy, later attended a course to help people with trauma, taught by Pat Ogden, founder of, “Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and lastly learned how to dialogue through SomatoEmotional Release at the Upledger Institute. Integrating these practices for myself has helped me to support my clients to let go of dualistic beliefs and non-beneficial feelings by feeling deeply within themselves with a container of respect and beingness during our time together. Changing ourselves this way positively helps us to unlock unhealthy cellular memories.
