Healthy Self-Care and Spirituality: A Marriage Made in Heaven

Ultimately, everything I teach and preach, whether as a meditation group facilitator, a writer, a book discussion group leader, a workshop facilitator, a motivational speaker, a Life Coach, or even as a mom, spouse, grandma, family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker, or yes, even a stranger, if it comes from my heart of hearts, is intended for the Highest Good of all concerned, including me. The Highest Good, in my mind, is to be committed to Conscious Living as we continue our daily walk along the path of the Spiritual Journey that we simply call our "Life."

So, what is the role of healthy self-care and why is it so important?

Healthy self-care truly provides the essential foundation not just for wellness, but for Conscious Living as well because without the benefit of healthy self-care, the mind and the body can become distractions or even perceived to be obstacles in the process of Transformation. As it has been said, your body is the vehicle that houses the soul and I might add, your mind is the bridge between the two. Anything you wish to manifest in this lifetime, which runs the gamut of all you wish to have, be, and do, will be manifested through the combined Wisdom and the Power of Mind, Body, and Spirit. That is true whether we are referring to attracting more money, enjoying the mutual support of loving relationships, sky-rocketing to career success, or any other aspect of living. If any one component of the triad is out of balance, it will inevitably have an effect on your entire Being. 

Let's face it, it is far more difficult to function, let alone shine, if we don't have the energy to get out of bed. How can we expect to live a life of purpose, when we are so busy and stressed that we never take a break from the hyper-beta state of the racing, thinking mind to relax, renew, and refresh? How do we purport to know what the next action steps we need to take are when we haven't even stopped long enough to even consider the direction in which we are heading at the speed of life? Can you imagine driving your car, but not taking the time or making the effort to maintain it and, at the most basic level of care, to provide the proper fuel and fluids needed for it to run smoothly and efficiently? Of course you know what would happen! We care for our cars as the vehicles that get us where we want and need to go. Well, guess what? In this lifetime, your body is your vehicle, your mind is the driver, and your Spirit is the GPS! Again, as I stated before, if one component of the triad is out of balance, it will effect your entire Being and your ability to get where you intend to go. There's no way around it.

Lastly, can you imagine thinking that it was "selfish" to allot the necessary time, money, and energy to fueling and maintaining your car? Of course not! That is absolutely ridiculous. Sit with that thought for a moment, let the analogy sink in, and I don't ever want you to question whether you should allot the necessary time, money, and energy for healthy self-care ever again. And if, for whatever reason, you still need additional prodding, here's a little Biblical wisdom to seal the deal: Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF. Self-love, properly understood, is not in conflict with any Spiritual Truth - it is a foundational principle.

Healthy self-care is NOT a luxury; It's a necessity. It's time to Nurture U!

As always, I trust that these words will find their way to the right people, at the perfect time, and have the intended impact on the lives and hearts of my readers for the best and Highest Good.

With Blessings, Love and Light,
Nurture U

Be Still and Know - What is Interior Life Coaching?

"Interior Life Coaching" is the term I coined to describe the work that I do because all other terms and labels simply seemed inadequate because as I often tell people,  I am a "Different Kind of Coach with a Decidedly Different Approach."

I started out my formal training and received my designation as a Registered Corporate Coach through the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. That is how I learned to use the art of questioning to help my clients get clear about what it is they wanted as the initial step in the process of goal setting and change. This same skill is employed throughout the coaching process as well to check progress and to assess and re-assess goals and action steps. I like the analogy of the process being like a pilot who continually monitors the flight pattern and conditions in order to arrive at the intended destination through course correction. The coaching process is an effective one. I watched many highly motivated clients soar to success in their personal and professional lives. Coaching is indeed a fabulous support for growth and change. However, I also started seeing over time that there were clients who were not as successful in achieving their goals due to the presence of limiting beliefs that were deeply ingrained in their minds and reflected in their habits and behaviors. There must be another way...

A-ha! In leafing through a local holistic publication, I remembered seeing an ad for training to become a Certified Hypnotherapist! That's it! That's the "hot ticket" to success: Help people to use the conscious mind to reprogram the subconscious mind in the direction they want it to go! Awesome! I had seen first hand the effects of the subconscious mind, sometimes referred to as the habitual or conditioned mind. In fact, I personally knew the stranglehold the subconscious mind had on me at times as one who grew up in the "far less than ideal conditions" of an alcoholic home. Through my training, I learned what I already knew which is that everything we have seen, heard, and experienced is held in the subconscious mind like a virtual storehouse for life. So, since the subconscious mind is a "goal striving mechanism" that takes direction, all we need to do is to drop down into a relaxed state, also known as the alpha level, and plug in the right commands and Voila' - change happens. Hypnosis works! I saw it time and time again! My clients were losing weight, improving their relationships, increasing their income, quitting smoking, learning to manage stress, and so much more! So, why did I think there had to be more? What was missing?

Since I already held a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, my coach designation, and hypnotherapy certification, further training was out of the question! So, why did the Yoga Teacher Training keep coming into my mind and tugging at my heart? Was it part of my calling? Was I simply a crazy, perpetual student in search of something elusive? The answer to these questions came to me in audible form, clear as a bell: This is about healing YOU. I will be forever grateful that I listened to my Inner Advisor on this one. Yoga allowed me to heal in so many ways. I learned to become more deeply present in my body and my life. I learned to step out of my ego-driven personality. I learned to breathe. I released old wounds. I restored the flow of healing, life-giving energy. I opened my heart. I learned to be more flexible - literally and figuratively. I learned to not just "relax" but rather to be still. Yoga paved the way for me to step more fully and confidently onto my Spiritual Path, which now I know, is the only way to go.

It was not until recently that I have openly claimed the Spiritual Path as the one that I now choose to walk and I can never go back. This is the path of Truth. This is the path of Power. This is the path of Joy and Peace and all that is Go(o)d! As it has been said, we truly are Spiritual Beings having a human experience. Therefore, in order to move from striving to arriving, we need to go deep. We need to go beyond the conscious and the subconscious mind to what is called the "Superconscious Mind." This is where we make conscious contact with God, Spirit, Our Inner Advisor, the Angels - whatever you choose to call your Higher Power. It is only when we regularly engage in Spiritual practices that we will find our way to the best and Highest Good for all concerned, including us! It is from this space that we confidently acknowledge our desires and choose our intentions, are inspired to take action, and affirm ourselves in the process. Without eventually taking Life to this level, we simply cannot achieve enough goals, make enough money, or accumulate enough material symbols of success to appease the longings of this insatiable "hungry ghost" and that's why anything less than allowing for the possibility for clients to move to a deeper level of healing through Spiritual Life Coaching simply left me as the one in need of "more". All the work I do facilitates positive change, but for truly life-changing holistic transformation to take place, Interior Life Coaching is the way to go.

Interior Life Coaching is a deep process of change from the inside-out. It is about tapping into the Power of the Superconscious Mind to inform the conscious mind and direct the subconscious mind. Interior Life Coaching requires a commitment on the part of clients to engage in stillness. Clients must commit to regularly engage in spiritual practices, whether in the form of centering or contemplative prayer or meditation. The so-called label and the format, method, tool, or technique to "get there" are far less important than the commitment to come to stillness. It is in the stillness that we do little, yet garner so much. It is in the stillness that we listen, we receive, we observe, we witness. It is from the stillness of Be-ing that we empower our do-ing. We plant the seeds that will yield the rich harvest. In stillness, we come to understand what it is meant by "being transformed by the renewing of the mind."

Interior Life Coaching is about Transformation, not just change. I am happy to support you in the process if you are willing to "Be Still and Know."

As always, I trust that these words will find their way to the right people, at the perfect time, and have the intended impact on the lives and hearts of my readers for the best and highest good.

With Blessings, Love and Light,
Nurture U