This week I am so excited to be talking about energy and flow with the amazing Mallory Wisong who is back on the show this week! Mallory is a coach and breathwork facilitator, as well as being my friend and colleague.
A few weeks ago we held a webinar where we shared some ideas that we ourselves are using to get into a place of energy and flow with, especially when times are hard and confusing. As things continue to be challenging, we thought it would be a good episode to share here as well. Don’t forget to check out the resources at the bottom, with links to all the things we talk about in the episode!
Energy and Flow with the Moon Cycles
The idea of energy and flow, and the way that Dr. Ezzie Spencer talks about it, is what first inspired this conversation between Mallory and me. The way she describes energy and flow, as shown to us by the moon, is that there are distinct times of waxing and waning cycles, or yin and yang. There are times where we are more naturally drawn to being, meaning we’re doing something more restful, and taking the time we need to recharge batteries. Then there are times of doing, which are more action filled or productive.
Are we seeing this pandemic and the things that are coming out of this as an invitation to see that there’s waxing and waning happening at a cosmic level?
We’re all being asked to change our lives, and it happened very quickly. As we struggle to shift from a productive and ‘doing’ state into a more restful and ‘being’ state, there’s a feeling of discomfort.
‘That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief’
The Harvard Business Review found a name for that discomfort everyone seems to be feeling: grief. Grief is not an emotion people are comfortable with, and one of the worries that comes up is the fear that you’ll do it (grief) wrong. In my interview with Julia Samuel, she shared that because we do not know how to grieve, we are afraid we will do it wrong, but there is actually no wrong way to experience grief. Any feeling or behavior that comes up for you during this time is absolutely fine.
If you would like more on the topic of grief, I interviewed Sharon Prentice about grief as a state of being, and Debbie Augenthaler spoke about grief as a process and how we are not alone in the experience of grief.
We’re All Connected
Not only are we not alone in our experience of grief, we are actually connected to each other all the time through our energy. And bringing back in the theme of nature and cycles, we can look to the trees for how to use this connection.
Here is a great place to start with visualizations: Insight Timer (where I have a series of meditations)
You can connect to other people through visualizing yourself, and how, similar to the trees, we are all interconnected. You can reach out and share the positive energy you have, and you can also ask for something that you need.
Grounding visualizations and meditations are one way of keeping yourself in flow during difficult times. You can also use the Serenity Prayer, the Prayer of St. Francis, or any other tool that you know works for you.
In this episode, Mallory and I talk about:
-Moon cycles, yin and yang, and the cosmic shift happening
-Grief, and the collective grief we’re all experiencing
-How trees communicate through their roots, and our connection to each other
-Examples of mindfulness tools we use, and that we’re finding especially helpful right now
Resources:
Lunar Abundance and the Lunar Abundance Workbook by Dr. Ezzie Spencer
HBR Article: That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief
BBC Article: Trees’ Social Networks are Mapped
Prayer of St. Francis
Paula’s Channel https://insighttimer.com/paulajenkins
Insight Timer/Sarah Blondin https://insighttimer.com/sarahblondin