The Secret to Self Care

Wherever you go, there you are. There’s no escaping it - your world is a reflection of you and if the view in your mirror doesn’t elicit a certain spark perhaps it’s time to question the underlying assumptions.

As someone who has worked intensely with the body – as a personal trainer and holistic health counselor – it always surprises me when clients don’t do the things that clearly would bring them to a healthier state. When I look a little closer I see that they’re still out there looking for what is only found ‘in here’. Your pursuit of fulfillment can certainly lead you to a never ending spiral of wanting and a maze of improbable options. However, unless you nourish the source of your renewal – your own being – you will always look for the next diet, gadget, guru or solution.

The answer to your seeking doesn’t lie out there somewhere. It resides within you. The quality of your answers is dictated by the intention of your questions. Why is self care on the bottom of the totem pole? Why is making money more important than making LIFE? Finding the expression of what lights your fire in all you do is what gives your world its meaning. Primary food – what feeds your soul, your essence - is your raison d’être.

"We are all functioning at a small fraction of our capacity to live life fully in its total meaning of loving, caring, creating, and adventuring. Consequently, the actualizing of our potential can become the most exciting adventure of our lifetime."

Herbert A. Otto

The best kept secret – and we all know it – is that self care is all about self love. If you still believe that something out there - making $1,000,000 a year, finding the partner, etc. – will bring you happiness you’re in for a rude awakening. There will never be enough ‘out there’ that will make you feel like enough ‘in here’. That’s not the way it works. Self nourishment is what brings outer nourishment. If it’s been a while since you’ve felt this level of vibrancy and vitality in your daily life, it’s helpful to look at the signposts that may indicate you’re off track. What are some of those indicators?

• Life feels flat or dull and you're not fully engaged with work or playn • You feel chronic stress, you compartmentalize things in order to manage your lifen • Your relationships lack depth, your work is boring, your body is out of touchn • You’re not expressing your passionn • You’re mostly in a state of doing vs. beingn • You’re very busy but you don’t have a sense of meaningful accomplishment

Does this sound like your world? Who are you right now? Does your work excite you? Do your relationships nurture you? Does your body please you?

Remember a time when you were fully engaged and passionate about your life. Who were you being? Being Fully Alive is about savoring the juicy-ness of your here and now. Life is not a spectator sport. Many of us make choices everyday that deaden our experience of life, when we could be making choices that make us come alive! What’s the solution?

Consider that when you’re Fully Alive you’re energized, aware, and doing what you love. You are fully present, creating your life with joy and excitement, while you navigate the dynamic content of your world. You surf the wave of change, tune in, assess and take your next step. You are here now, fully engaged.

How can being Fully Alive help you recover your essential self? It will provide you with tools and support on a weekly basis to:

• embrace your intuitive nature and enhance your mind/body connectionn • identify your limiting beliefs and where you’re holding outn • discover your energy drains and realign with your intentionsn • design a self care program that fits your unique needsn • develop a spiritual practice that sustains youn • identify exercise and movement that feeds your body playfullyn • enhance the quality of energy for work and play with ease and joyn • tap your passion and assist you in incorporating it into your daily life

Being Fully Alive is about YOU – who you are, how to nurture yourself, how to connect to your core, how to show up as YOU in your world.nnnn© 2005 Adela Rubionn