She was on her phone and I started doing a short sequence of brain gym movements called PACE.
I do this short sequence at least once a day to wake up all my senses and prepare my brain and body for new learning.
She got curious and put her phone down and decided to join me.
She asked me what the last move, a posture called "hookups", was good for, and I said,
"It is good for having a clearer sense of boundaries, feeling grounded in the moment and positive about whatever you need to get done"
---to which she replied,
"I need to do this all the time!......Maybe that's why you are always so g-d d*mned happy all the time".
This made me chuckle, and also was interesting to hear, because I am not happy all the time, but when I think about it, happy IS my predominant state of being.
If not exuberantly so, then certainly with a overall sense that life is generally good.
However, this was NOT always the case.
There are times I remember wen I was younger, crying in the car driving to work because I was so sad over a breakup, or feeling totally stuck and helpless around my work and life purpose.
I had been doing all sorts of bodywork and talk therapy at that time, but it didn't really feel like it got to the source of why I felt the way I did.
It really only started to shift in a noticeable and consistent way when I started doing brain gym.
Among many things we just accept as our way of being in the world, I always had difficulty organizing my schedule, managing my time, getting rid of clutter and communicating my feelings when I was feeling triggered or emotional.
There was a distinct tipping point moment about a year into doing brain gym, when I saw myself still speaking my mind clearly in the midst of a "heated discussion" with my boyfriend.
It has been over 10 years of self exploration and practice doing these movements to shift my brain out of stress states into integration states.
The more I do them the faster I get back to feeling good. Each time I get back to my center, there is a inner sense of resilience that builds.
This resilience has built a kind of faith in myself over the years--because I know that no matter what happens or what I am faced with, I have this consistent method of tapping into my inner resources and getting back to feeling good.
This faith also makes me feel less scared of going into uncomfortable situations.
Life is really about taking the necessary risks required to learn and grow, and I realizing more and more that uncomfortable situations are pretty much the only place where growth happens.
One of my teachers says, "People come to change through inspiration or desperation".
In my experience with clients it is mostly the latter that drives people to take control of their brain.
I know from personal experience if you do it intentionally (before life does it for you) it creates amazing changes and opportunities and you feel like you're working in alignment with your life rather than being beaten down by it.
I am living better and happier than I imagined was possible for me back then.
I am grateful every day for the ability and opportunity to do what I do.
If you want to feel happier and more in control and on purpose in your life, let's set up a time to talk to see if this work is right for you.