Day 170 of 365 - Our Soul's Craving
Although I am spending less time overall these days listening to multiple interviews on summits of different topics related to health and wellness, I tuned into one talk today. This was on a series about reclaiming your energy.
The speaker was a woman named Annamiek van Helsdingen, from the Netherlands, who does what she calls soul based coaching, a form of life coaching. She has such a gentle spirit that, I immediately relaxed when I began listening to her. She has an interesting perspective and helpful strategies.
She started with an example of a different way of looking at physical challenges, something that all of us go through and perhaps more as we get older. She suggested considering not only what the challenge takes from us, but what it invites us to do. Perhaps we need to look at something we have been ignoring. (This can be true for any kind of challenge we experience.)
Our culture has taught us that life can be controlled if we plan all our steps, but life does not really work like that and can't be forced. Having plans can guide and serve the vision we have but does not guarantee the outcome.
Annamiek suggested that instead of being upset about what does not go the way we expected, that we honor and embrace what comes up with curiosity, surrendering to what is and attending to our longings which arise.
To do this, we need to be able to witness ourselves in a kind and compassionate way, like a wise grandmother, she says. Stay present to the feelings and allow them to guide you, rather than hooking into critical or analytical thoughts. Doing this can help us connect more to what our soul craves.
By holding space for ourselves and asking the simple question 'what would I like to have happen?' with curiosity and positive expectation we can become more aligned with what we long for. She says it is surprising how, if you surrender and stay with this process for just a few minutes each day, how the answers and action steps will intuitively arise.
It is a paradigm shift, to be able to embrace what may feel disorderly or chaotic instead of trying to control it. We usually tend to push away what we most need because it does not fit the regular expectations of our world. She suggests that reclaiming different and intuitive ways of knowing wants to be awakened and can serve us well.
This requires letting go of old stories about why or how things are, just noticing, staying present and repeatedly asking what you would like to have happen. After following this process for awhile, ask what you know now and what you are to do with that information.
Annamiek provided a little ten minute audio which could be used to guide us through this process on a daily basis to help us develop this different way of looking at life and what leads our actions.
I have bookmarked it for reference and will use it as a reminder.
As someone who has had a lifelong tendency to problem solve, trouble shoot and just figure things out this is definitely a different kind of approach. But, given the many changes that I experience moving into my senior years, it seems worth considering and trying as a creative option.
The speaker was a woman named Annamiek van Helsdingen, from the Netherlands, who does what she calls soul based coaching, a form of life coaching. She has such a gentle spirit that, I immediately relaxed when I began listening to her. She has an interesting perspective and helpful strategies.
She started with an example of a different way of looking at physical challenges, something that all of us go through and perhaps more as we get older. She suggested considering not only what the challenge takes from us, but what it invites us to do. Perhaps we need to look at something we have been ignoring. (This can be true for any kind of challenge we experience.)
Our culture has taught us that life can be controlled if we plan all our steps, but life does not really work like that and can't be forced. Having plans can guide and serve the vision we have but does not guarantee the outcome.
Annamiek suggested that instead of being upset about what does not go the way we expected, that we honor and embrace what comes up with curiosity, surrendering to what is and attending to our longings which arise.
To do this, we need to be able to witness ourselves in a kind and compassionate way, like a wise grandmother, she says. Stay present to the feelings and allow them to guide you, rather than hooking into critical or analytical thoughts. Doing this can help us connect more to what our soul craves.
By holding space for ourselves and asking the simple question 'what would I like to have happen?' with curiosity and positive expectation we can become more aligned with what we long for. She says it is surprising how, if you surrender and stay with this process for just a few minutes each day, how the answers and action steps will intuitively arise.
It is a paradigm shift, to be able to embrace what may feel disorderly or chaotic instead of trying to control it. We usually tend to push away what we most need because it does not fit the regular expectations of our world. She suggests that reclaiming different and intuitive ways of knowing wants to be awakened and can serve us well.
This requires letting go of old stories about why or how things are, just noticing, staying present and repeatedly asking what you would like to have happen. After following this process for awhile, ask what you know now and what you are to do with that information.
Annamiek provided a little ten minute audio which could be used to guide us through this process on a daily basis to help us develop this different way of looking at life and what leads our actions.
I have bookmarked it for reference and will use it as a reminder.
As someone who has had a lifelong tendency to problem solve, trouble shoot and just figure things out this is definitely a different kind of approach. But, given the many changes that I experience moving into my senior years, it seems worth considering and trying as a creative option.
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