How to Find Joy?
In your life, are you the type of person who walks around feeling joy and happiness?
If joy is elusive to your life, then you might want to consider another possibility on how you are living. We are not born to suffer. It is only something that we choose.
Perhaps that sounds farfetched to some people. And I am not saying that it appears easy to change one’s perspective about life and joy. However, I do believe that there is an inherent joy in everything if we take each moment and change our thinking to one of appreciation and gratitude. The mind is often a tricky thing. The thoughts that say, “That person hurt me” or “I don’t belong” are suggestive of the point that we are in a place of “they” against “me”. That is only a mindset. It is only in bringing our mindfulness to our hearts that we become more heart coherent. It is in our hearts that we come together in healthy relationship.
Have you ever noticed that when you are “loving” or “in love” that the world looks and feels like a different place? Does that make you wonder? Life is funny in that we often fall in love with a person, situation or an object. That “other” thing seems to help us to open up to a new reality that is expanded beyond the “me”. Falling in love is often fun, eye opening and can take your breath away. It feels so good. Yet, to push the edge a little further, have you also noticed that the sense of happiness also begins to dissolve at some point in the relationship? What made you smile and had your heart pound eventually turned sour or even painful? Love is a door opener, but when that aura drops away, it closes that door only to give you an opportunity to self-discover that new form of love for yourself.
The reality of life is that love is joy. However, when we begin to believe that is something other than ourselves, life decides to teach us a deeper truth. No matter what the circumstances are of the situation, when there is an “up” with infatuation, there will be a “down”. Nothing can remain on a pedestal forever. That is the way of duality. But we don’t have to choose “duality” anymore. It’s up to us to make this world a better place and that begins with self-responsibility to self-love.
When I work with people as clients, my most important intention is to listen well to what is here in the moment, and to be in service to awakening the abiding intelligence inside each person. I have faith that there is joy and love in each heart, and all that client needs is to remember. Sometimes when a person is depressed, there can be chemical deficiencies or habitually negative thinking that can be difficult to shift. If a client has been depressed for a long time and it is deep, it may take a whole team of physician, bodyworker or healer to help turn him/her around. However, I trust that if a person truly wants to change, it can happen. If he/she does not, that can be explored too and the quality of self-discovery hold as much value.
As a Massage Therapist, Healer, and Bodyworker, I have found that much of our suffering is only a condition that is chosen out of adaptation to our environment. The good news is that each of us is empowered to change and move more into a state of unconditional love. I know that there are beings who have been depressed a long time, and they believe nothing will ever help, but that is only the isolation speaking, not the joy that is buried somewhere deep Within.
How is joy self-rediscovered? When a person doesn’t see a way out in his/her own mind, help is needed. Usually people who are unhappy or depressed feel isolated and alone. But the truth is we are not alone unless we want that to be. So to find joy:
1. Find a healing team to work with you. (Physician, Psychotherapist, Healer, Minister, Bodyworker etc…) You need to remember that you are not alone. A good team will help you to rediscover your own value.
2. Make a commitment to yourself to see life as a fresh experience every moment. Before looking outward, bring mindfulness to your heart center. Live there and experience life.
3. When pain arises Within or you feel imbalanced or hurt, continue to stay focused on “Choosing love first” and put your hands on your heart. Linda Tellington-Jones recently said to do a circle and one quarter to initiate more movement there and I believe that helps. Allow the skin to move in a clockwise fashion.
4. Move more into Nature. When we are indoors, we tend to fall more into manmade living and limited thinking. We forget the wonders of life that are being revealed every second. Walk, sing, dance amongst the trees. This may sound a little out of the box for some, but there is something freeing about reconnecting with the beauty and intelligence that nature give us.
5. Bring more awareness not only to your thinking, but to the mind body & spirit connection. Often our thinking sets us apart. However, when we center on our whole body experience, new truths and awareness may arise that will change thinking. Cellular memory speak to us to help us to heal.
It is in unity that there is no conflict. When there is no conflict, we are in harmony and life flows easier. The Sacred Heart is the place where the physical and spiritual meet and the flame of love burns brightly in each of us. If you do not feel that, perhaps it is time to unload the baggage of your mind and choose another course. Be patient with yourself as we each have our own unique blueprint of life. That is the gift of our differentiation.
Know that We each are empowered. When we stop blaming and realize that, we contribute to the awakening of ourselves and all things on this planet. It that is true joy.
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT
Call: (614) 372-6598
Bodywork that listens to the mind body & spirit connection~
Mind Body & Spirit Connection and Massage
mind body & spirit
At Lighten Up Therapies, my hope is to find a way to engage the entire “Beingness” of my clients. I truly believe that my role is to be an educator and a questioner in the process of awakening into wholeness and comprehensive health. Your session is about having your needs met and in allowing healing and movement to take place to support your Wellbeing. This is often best served through exploration into the mind body & spirit connection
Massage can be an experience where you just come into relax. Some clients have a difficult time quieting down with their work and busy schedules. The best thing for them to do is close their eyes and enjoy. Massage can increase circulation, lymph flow, relax muscles, lengthen the connective tissues and balance the body’s systems.
are other benefits to Massage Work too. Massage is a field that has grown wide and deep. There is Medical Massage, Swedish Massage, Thai Stretching, Lymphatic Massage, along with many other specialty areas. Massage Therapists often get pulled into a certain direction depending on their love for the work and their own proclivity towards the various modalities of healing. To be a Massage Therapist in most states, one has to take Continuing Education before renewing their licenses. This is good news to our clients because it keeps us on top of all the new developments and expertise out in the field. Education helps us to keep doors open so that we can introduce new techniques, understand medical issues, and be aware of the ethics involved in being a bodyworker. With this said, I have taken the path of exploring the Mind Body & Spirit Connection with myself as a practitioner and with my clients in order to enhance quality of life. This does not mean that I see myself as a psychotherapist because I do not. Education is more my focus. However, I do have a lot of experience working with clients who bring up physical, emotional and spiritual issues. I don’t give advise, but I do follow my client’s own body intelligence and support them in finding their own truth for the most part. I trust that we each have a connection to our own Source, and my job is to support self-discovery and deeper contact at the client’s request. My training at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and the Hakomi Institute have taught me to allow the organic process of bringing awareness into the present moment so that the mind can still enough to bring forth more spaciousness and opportunity to step outside of tension and conflict on many levels. Touch is one of the best ways to do this, especially once trust is established and the sensations of the body are changing the brain’s perception of history to the present moment. When we feel safe and at ease in our bodies, it is easier to address other issues that arise. A professional Massage Therapist will ask you what you need to feel comfortable and to build a confidential and trusting environment for you to relax and touch into the calm waters of your “Being”.
I find that it is helpful to listen to my client’s wishes when they visit. I usually take an additional 15 minutes for intake on the first session so that I can hear their history and understand their concerns. I like to know what has been helpful in the past and what they didn’t like. It’s important to respect a client’s feelings and to engage where he/she feels comfortable. Once this happens, the mind, body & spiritual issues naturally begin to unfold and open into a place of more light and clarity. So when the intake is complete, I invite the session to be about what is happening in the moment. What this does is to allow the mind to take in a new awareness, even when the brain is thinking about all the different things that it does. By Witnessing, Experiencing and being Curious during a session, the light inside becomes more transparent and it’s easier to feel healthier and to make better decisions about life and how one wants to use their energy. The massage is helpful in bringing more attention to the cellular awareness and discovering the tensions and the role they play in your life. I like to think that our issues have a positive role in helpful us to see things that we may avoid in order to help us resolve past issues whether physical or otherwise. This type of bodywork is meant to Awaken the mind body & spirit Experience. It aligns clients with a more holistic approach to life.
Either way… a massage to relax and fall asleep or a bodywork session to awaken and enliven the senses, Massage can be very beneficial to you and your evolving Spirit. Our Spirits are living in these human bodies… transformational tools for our hearts, psyches and physical health. Be proactive in your Self-Care and your quality of life can be much better. Whatever is happening in life can be eased by feeling good with yourself.
Warmly,
Sharon Hartnett LMT www.massageincolumbusohio.com/energy-therapy/
mind body & spirit connection
(614) 372-6598
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a light touch approach in bodywork that invites profound change and improvement into your life. It releases deep tensions from around the brain and spine to relieve pain and dysfunction while improving whole body health and performance. A seasoned Craniosacral Therapist begins by gently listening to different areas of the body in order to monitor the craniosacral fluid’s rhythm that is flowing around the Central Nervous System. It is possible to get a sense of where the flow is strong, weak or out of balance. As the Craniosacral Therapist follows the listening, she can move toward the source of the dysfunction and help to rebalance the problem areas. A Craniosacral Therapist is also trained to gather information within the fascia, a connective tissues that wraps around the body and interconnects as a web throughout the body. By using both hands to re-educate the memory of tissues, the body starts to remember a more healthy and relaxed state of being.
What are the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy?
First and foremost, Craniosacral Therapy balances the nervous system. For people who hyped up and have a difficult time relaxing, they will generally notice a deep letting go of tension and stress. On the other side of the coin, people who are tired and find themselves with low energy often feel more vital and sharp. By bringing the body back into balance, it resets itself to operate more efficiently. Because the Central Nervous System is engaged with the rest of the body, CST is helpful in other areas as well. some of the conditions that CST address are:
- ADD/ADHS
- Scoliosis
- Central Nervous System Disorders
- Infant and Childhood Disorders
- Chronic Neck and Back Pain
- Migraine and Headaches
- Stress and Tension Related Disosrders
- Chronic Fatigue
- TMJ
- PTSD
- Orthopedic Problems
- Learning Disabilities
- Fibromyalgia
- Coordination Challenges
- Balances out Emotional Feelings
- Autism
Sharon Hartnett is a certified Craniosacral Therapist through the Upledger Institute. She has a practice in both in Worthington, Ohio, and Worthington, Ohio. For a free 15 minute phone consultation, do give her a call at: 703 509-1792