How to Move Effortlessly Through Life

by SharonHartnett | Sep 28, 2024 | craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, grounding, healing, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, move effortlessly

Grounding: Move Effortlessly with Grace

Move Effortlessly. It’s easy to escape the moment. To not be fully present. The mind easily wanders into the past with regrets and guilt. Undoubtably it moves forward with worry and anticipation as well. This is to be human.

However, what if there is a way to engage with life more deeply and fully?

I was reading FB today and came across a beautiful post about grounding. I feel it’s so important to connect to the earth. She supports us and nourishes us continuously. We are made of the earth, and she lives within all that we are. So I am including this writing by “Lowen” to share here. Let go of your burdens my friends… Discover Your Human Body.

Lowen is credited with coining the word “grounding” in the physiological and psychological sense and emphasizing it’s importance in human development. I believe it has now become a term widely understood (if not precisely understood) in the broader pop culture.

“Once he is grounded, a person no longer holds himself up but allows the ground to support him. By coming down to earth, he finds that his blood pressure also drops. But effecting that kind of change requires a commitment to the body and to a way of life that respects the body and it’s needs.

Unfortunately, our culture is moving away from the body as the source of feeling and spirituality. Our fitness programs are not designed to enhance the sensitivity of the body but to hone it as if it were a machine. In so doing, they produce people who are fit only to run the race of life. I suppose that if reaching the top is one’s goal in life, our modern-day fitness programs may help. But if one’s goal is to experience the joy of being fully alive, the excitement of feeling part of this pulsating universe, and the deep satisfaction of being a person who is both graceful and gracious, one must turn elsewhere.

When I was a young man, being “earthy” was regarded as a virtue. I never hear anyone descibed that way anymore. Has the quality of having one’s feet on the ground lost its meaning? I believe it has. The modern individual is more properly described as “flying high and fast”. It is hard to slow down when the world is racing by. It is difficult to be grounded when the culture itself is ungrounded, when it denies reality and promotes an illusion that success represents a higher state of being and successful people live richer and more fulfilling lives. All the same, the real values of life are “earthy” values: health, gracefulness, connectedness, pleasure and love. But these values have meaning only if one’s feet are planted firmly on the ground.”

– Alexander Lowen from The Spirituality of the Body

To Move Effortlessly is freedom and Joy

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

7 Things to Know about Highly Sensitive People

by SharonHartnett | Sep 8, 2024 | barbara brennan, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, healing, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

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Recognizing the Gifts of Being with Highly Sensitive People

Understanding Sensitive People takes effort. Yet it’s definitely worth your while. About 20% of people are sensitive. Basically, what this means is that we (I am including myself) react more to life’s stimulation. At times, it’s not as easy for us sensitive people to screen out certain stimuli. Things can become overwhelming for us if we aren’t mindful to our comfort zones.

Anyway, in the recent past, I was talking to my Craniosacral Therapist about my sensitivities in group relationships, and she recommended the book, “The Highly Sensitive Person“, by Elaine N. Aron. As I began to take the test in the beginning of the book, I checked off almost every single characteristic of a Highly Sensensive Person (HSP). Wow, this woman understood my life without even meeting me!

Honestly, I can’t tell you how alone I have felt (on a certain personality level) for a long time being highly sensitive. Most of the world either masks it or is less sensitized. I have processed things and been in the healing and therapist field for close to 30 years. I have worked on boundaries and so many things. Yet, still-when I walk into a room, I feel the mood of the people, and all the nuances in human relationship. I hardly miss a thing, especially emotionally. This even extends to plants, trees, and watching a bird fly. It’s as if I feel ever flap of the wings. My heart resonates. Yet I also feel very vulnerable.

At the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, we learned to develop what Barbara called “HSP” Higher Sense Perception. Same acronym. This is a fine tuning of seeing, feeling, tasting, sensing etc at a very subtle level. This helps people who work with energy or relationships to become astute and skillful in meeting people in connection, the auric field and other dimensions. This has benefited my clients in that I can deeply sense stress, pain, and dysfunction simply by tuning in. When I do this, I can use my sensitivity skills to help ignite the healing response within.

For me, being aligned with my sensitive nature is tremendously helpful in my work. I can sense things and support where others may not. On a fine level, I gather so much information through listening and melding. I know how to meet the “Other” in a gentle manner with touch which can encourage wonderful openings. At the same time, I often have to take some alone time afterwards to settle and digest life experiences. Being senstive doesn’t necessarily make me an introvert, but I do need to rest and integrate often. Self care is crucial.

Aron, writes in her book that our mind/body experiences are different and unique. Some of our positive traits that she mentions are:

1. We are better at spotting errors and avoiding making errors.

2. Highly conscientious.

3. Able to concentrate deeply on things where we are drawn.

4. Especially good at tasks requiring vigilance, accuracy, speed and detection of minor differences

5. Good at being able to process materials at deeper levels.

6. Deeply affected by other people’s moods, which help us to understand and be more present.

7. Able to learn without being aware we have learned.

There is so much great material in this book. What I like best about it is that I don’t feel so alone in that I feel different than so many others. Also, It helped me to refocus on the gifts of this personality I have lived with. I feel so aware of the interconnection of all of life. I feel it deeply. Sometimes, life hurts as the casing around the heart breaks wide open, but I am also able to have such profound life experiences. I have become emotionally stronger in my vulnerablity and can hold that for others in “Presence”

I am sharing today about being sensitive, and I hope this helps someone else recognize that there are many other of us around. We need to learn to accept ourselve and find the seeds of truth and kindness inside to make this life of sensitivy so worthwhile. We do this through self nourishment and awakening to our authentic selves.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Aligning Your Life with the Truth of Your Body

by SharonHartnett | Sep 6, 2024 | Craniosacral Therapy, Healthy Body, mind body & spirit, mindfulness

The Truth of Your Body

Believe in the Truth of Your Body. It’s honest. It’s integrity. It is what is real in the moment. What I mean by this is that the physical is not making up perceptions. It is what it is. An expression of your human physical state of being. It lives and does its’ thing!

The mind is what perceives and creates stories. Your thoughts, experiences and learned beliefs influence the body. But the body is not the thinker. Rather, it is living physical relationships dancing cheek to cheek inside of you on a physiological level.

From one perspective, this includes individual parts. The human body can be seen as cells & their parts, tissues, organs and systems. They are all separate, yet the truth of your body which also exists is experienced as a “Whole” dynamic creative expression. The body exists in partnership through fluids and connective tissue as ONE Living Experience. It shapes based on mind and from Source itself.

When a professional and experienced manual therapist works with you, they are listening to your body primarily and also your story (if this is their practice focus) if they are to be precise and accurate in discovering and supporting the health of any physical tension areas. While a person may come in and say, “this hurts”, the therapist listens verbally but also stays curious primarily by where the body directs us. By placing our hands on the body, we allow the body to lead us to the pattern that is most significant in the encounter. This is where we work rather than on the place that hurts. Generally, the pain spot is what speaks from a mind perspective. It could feel like the weakest link. However, the truth of the body is more accurate in its’ objective communication.

I know that sometimes people do have stories and issues where they need to be heard, and understood. This IS valuable information on a different level. Often this is key in healing too. This can be addressed in Somato Experiencing type of work. It needs to be mirrored and given equal measure. Yet if we truly want to address the physical piece, we need to understand that it’s vital to address the truth of the body to remedy what ails you.

When you trust the signals of the body, it is easy to move and meet the current concern. Feeling the pull towards that area is easy with practice. Dr. Barral says, “The body hugs the lesion”. I find this to be very true in my work as well.

What differentiates a talented manual bodyworker is the ability to listen on different levels. We have to stay open minded and learn our anatomy. If you want better alignment in the body, find a therapist who listens to the truth of your body.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

Moving Into the Light: How to Lift the Shadows

by SharonHartnett | Aug 27, 2024 | change, Craniosacral Therapy, healing, mind body & spirit, Spiritual Healing, thought for the day

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Your Sacred Light Opportunity

We are all mixtures of light and dark. Sometimes others will try and fool you. They present themselves as holy, as illuminated and high and mighty. That’s ego.

The Truth is that we are all made from the same Source, the Creator. The story of origin lives and dies everywhere all the time. We are all ordinary in our sameness. We are all extraordinary light creations in our unique experiences. We are all small. We are all great. Every soul possibility that lives with me, lives within you. That is the substance of God. It is the love of God that sustains us whether we remember or don’t.

I used to wonder when I was younger, why am I alive? What is my purpose here? How did I get here? By my 30’s, I felt such a deep dark hole near my heart. I missed something in this lifetime, and yet I didn’t know what it was. By now, in this stage of my life, I know it was the Light within. But I have to decide to take the path of truth and love many times over to wake up. We are all interconnected. We all do better when we unite.

Anyway, for me, this hole has been my teacher. The spirit which lives within me has chosen to be a spiritual seeker. I move toward the “whole “open heartedly. I am an opener of doors. Yet I also know that to constantly seek can present its own stuck dilemma loop. Therefore, I aslo love to choose gratitude as well. I tend to rejoice more in the moment.

Personally, I am a Pisces, so I am overly sensitive, creative and very emotional. This thing called life has been so easy in some ways, but internally not so much. I live inner struggles all the time by trying to understand how to fit into humanity and its polarities, and to feel, and understand how limiting my beliefs and others can be.

I recognize that in our own way, each of us suffers. We all feel pain. Nobody wins the prize for who has it worst. However, what we decide to do with all that we have been given-that’s what matters. That’s what give meaning to our lifes. That’s where we get to join into the school of human evolution.

We have two choices in life really. A “Yes” or a “No” to what life has to offer us. Being human, we identify as being individuals. These are the rules we live by. I am me. You are you. We are taught from and early age, our names, and some type of social order to which we belong. Our tribe so to speak. Yet, at some point, do we want to step out? What does he take to move away from the familiar?

Each tribe has its own resonance. It’s own ways of doing things. We belong until we don’t anymore. It is inherent in all of us that we will have opportunities to grow. Awareness is moving in and out as waves of new consciousness , intending to wake us up to something bigger than our individual selves. Alas though, we can resist change too.

These tiny brains that we are given soak up everything which is being mirrored to us. Our identify is formed by all the outer influences and how we dance with them based on our soul configuration and personality. Because we each live different lives we each end up experiencing, accepting and also confronting expriences which are Light Opportunities for us to grow and shift into the Greater Whole.

The 3 Main Core Challenges:

1. Choose Love or Move Away From It

2. Take Responsiblity for our Choices and Actions or Deny Life as It IS. Also included here is to Blame in order to avoid oneself.

3. Choosing to live authentically or to pretend to be what others want and tell you to be.

For us humans, it’s not so easy to love all the time. Conflict is inherent in indivualism at this point of our evolution. Some times we are just plain mean spirited. Often we can see ourselves and others trying to hurt each other. Underneath all of us are woundings that have never been fully met nor understood. So we repeatedly act out our lower selves. We are living in an illusion of our own making. Our social media imposes fake reality all the time. With AI emerging, even more so in the future. Still, we can choose love and light at moment. It’s available.

Often, it seems so hard to take responsibility for our hurtful and cruel choices. At a young age, most of of learn to slip the blame somewhere else. It gives us an instanteous relief. However, in our youth and until we learn, we don’t realize that the lies we tell ourselves hurts our health, wellbeing and our soul self. Pointing a finger creates nasty karma when we don’t sense and feel into the consequences of our own negative actions. Choice point moments are to accept Yourself as you are. You are Light.

One of the most painful things is to live by the standards of others. Although we train for this starting at a young age. We all do. Eventually though, as we mature, we are intended to break out and find God in our own individuality. I truly believe that is why we are all here. We have these Light Opportunities to transform and transcend beyond what we ever imageined we are capable of. Change can be found in the smallest acts or grandiose. However evolution enters into your life, you get to choose to hold onto a past that is over. Or- you can choose to be in your truth and express the true authentic you. No matter what the cost. There is profound beauty in being yourself.

This world is a low dark place on many spots. At the same time, the Brightest, Most Beautiful Compassionate Light is EVERYWHERE. Sometimes it will be more apparent. Sometimes we have to listen through our senses intently to catch sight. The best place to begin to look is Within. Learn to Trust Yourself and to be kind.

In conclusion, God is not “Out There”. God is in everything. That includes you too. Perhaps people have labeled you as “bad”, “not worthy”, or “not wanted.” But that was them. Live in your own lane, and follow your heart. Your reason will align with compassion, kindness and generosity to Self and others that way.

I’ll give you a little hint. What I have discovered is that the path is going to continue your whole life. We are not all awakened all at once. No matter what color skin, which religion, or type of job we take. We come here to journey in these skins together. So take the opporunities one at a time. Learn from your mistakes and glory in the gifts of nature. Everything is here for your taking and understanding. And when it’s enough, you’ll remember that you are embodied, whole and complete. The seeking stops.

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Love Your Body No matter How it Looks

by | Aug 27, 2024 | better posture, craniosacral, Craniosacral Therapy, Energy Healing, hakomi, Healthy Body, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, Spiritual Healing

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Love Your Body, Mind and Spirit

Here are some tips for Shifting your Mindset about your body. It takes time to Learn to Love Your Body.

Every morning before you get out of bed, bring mindfulness to your body and sense into it. Forget any preconceived ideas that you have believed. Living in these bodies are pretty miraculous. The good news is that we have plenty of fresh new starts.
When you get out of bed, feel into the Ok-ishness of your body. This is the beginning of practicing self-acceptance. Any perfection thoughts need to be put on the shelf!
Be mindful about how you speak about your body. You can change the patterning of your thinking. Drive in a new lane. The Love Your Body Lane. Eventually your belief system changes when you drop the old thoughts.
Every person deserves to feel love. And we are all different and unique in how we are configured. Realize that norms are group beliefs. It really says nothing about you. The more you move inward, you self-realized your essence. Imagine what it would be like if we all could appreciate the different skins in which we live.
Question your thoughts. Byron Kate,has great free worksheet for this in the website The Work
Receiving bodywork can bring a whole new awareness to you body.In our society, so much emphasis is placed on what is going on inside of our heads. However, we are whole people, body, mind and spirit. For example, Craniosacral Therapy is great for helping you to embody.
Meditation is a great way to open your mind about your body. It gives you a sense of understanding through neutral listening and understanding. It also opens up the path to compassion.
Exercise. Find movement that is comfortable and fun. Even basic walking can make you feel better.
Choose foods that are healthy. Maybe start a garden for herbs or fruits and vegetables. We feel good when we partake in the organic processes which sustanin us.

When you are alone, take off the clothes and get comfortable in your skin. Turn off your computers/phones/ and TVs. Relax and Breathe. Know Yourself!

Our culture makes it hard sometimes for people to accept and love your body. Yet, we have many choice points to make up our own minds about how we related internally. You are the Captain of Your Own Ship. Sail the seas of Self-Love. Learn to be Ok with who you are- body, feelings, thoughts and all.

It’s not always each, but choosing change is a great intention.

With gratitude-

Sharon Hartnett CST-D

703 509-1792

www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com

How to Find Joy Again:Walk Away For Your Own Wellbeing

by SharonHartnett | Aug 24, 2024 | Craniosacral Therapy, meditation, mind body & spirit, mindfulness, upledger institute

Wellbeing is an Intention

I don’t know about you all. For me, growing up, life was quite often about others rather than my own wellbeing. How they were feeling. What they wanted or didn’t want. Building up the other just so there was some peace. When things were settled, everything was great. On the other hand, when that shoe dropped, cater cater cater. I learned to do whatever I could to make sure everyone was as happy as possible. In childhood, I don’t think I even realized there was a “Self” who had real needs too. Neglect is a silent wound. Not until I grew up did I begin to realize the void.

For a kid, that’s a big burden to carry. Too big really. In the order of things, it was never my place to try so hard just so I could feel secure in the family. As a child like this grows up, often in relationships, the young person doesn’t learn how to ask or how to receive openly and with trust necessarily. It’s a foreign concept. Into maturity, this leans even further into supporting the “other” at a huge cost. The cost being “Sense of Self”. Sometimes, this could even move into agreement to abusive relationships.

As a Craniosacral Therapist and Healer for about 30 years, I have had to truly look inward to discover my True Self. To find my own sense of power. To Live in Integrity. Still, in my 60’s, there is sometimes residual clutter that causes my attention to move outward and about even now. It takes a strong intention to learn how to stay “Present’ and in Service at the same time. It take a commitment and alot of compassion toward the Self, and towards others.

The biggest lesson I learned was to create a healthy boundary if I wanted wellbeing in my life. I learned to listen and take in as much as I could in relationships. As long I made decisions that felt healthy. However, when it was enough, my feet began to know how to walk away instead of leaving myself. For a long time now, I know that I deserve wellbeing. I now embody that sense of Self. When I take care of myself, I have more depth and space to be in presence for others too.

Conclusion:

Don’t wait too long to claim your own sense of power back. If something inside hurts inside because of the person you are with, or the current circumstances in life are overbearing, walk away. Don’t let the narcissists and the bullies win this game of life. Instead find out what you are made of. Sometime wellbeing means walking away and being in your own space. By gifting yourself this, you will be surprised how incredible you truly are indeed!

Exercise:

Mindful centered Meditation is a great place to start. This practice involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. A daily meditation routine can reduce stress, increase concentration and improve overall mental health and wellbeing.

Joy to you!

Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com