Shadow Workshop: Pathways to Personal Growth

Good Morning Kittens, 

I am so excited to be writing about our ongoing Shadow Workshop series. In this post I hope to convey what the Shadow is, what sorts of methods we use to explore the shadow and ways in which you can take this work and do it at home if you’d like. 

Shadow work is a transformative practice that involves bringing our unconscious thoughts and behaviors into the light. Triggers play a crucial role in this process, acting as signals that guide us toward areas in need of healing. By engaging in shadow work, we confront and integrate these hidden parts of ourselves, fostering greater wholeness. This is exactly what we’re going to be working with our time together on Wednesday. We are going to allow you to bravely work through triggers with supportive and lovely individuals who are all aimed at the same goal. By viewing these moments from different perspectives, we gain insight into their root causes, leading to deeper self-awareness and growth.

Triggers are those specific events, interactions, or words that provoke a strong emotional response within us. While often perceived negatively, these moments of discomfort hold immense potential for personal growth and self-understanding. Rather than thinking of the world in binaries of good and bad, the idea here is the view all things how they truly are. Triggers are teachers that allow us to, with some help, reframe our perception of triggers, viewing them not as setbacks, but as powerful opportunities for transformation.

Triggers are our greatest teachers, revealing the deep-seated beliefs and stories we've constructed about ourselves. These stories often clash with our true eternal Devine, whole and already perfect self. By examining these reactions, we can begin to understand and dismantle the narratives that no longer serve us.

Growth often requires us to step into discomfort. By intentionally placing ourselves in challenging situations, we open the door to profound self-discovery. When we examine why certain situations or words trigger us, we uncover the hidden aspects of our psyche, allowing us to address and heal them.

We’re going to be using a few different tools in Wednesdays workshop to get through this together. Dr. Carolyn Elliott’s work offers valuable tools for handling emotional responses. Her advocacy for existential mirror work helps individuals confront and understand their triggers, promoting healing and integration. Her understanding of the universe has been pivotal in helping me to release fears and truly start living the life I’d like to live. It’s allowed me to give myself permission to live to my own standards. My own path. My own journey. While people’s input is important, it’s far less important than living my own authentically me life. 

She outlines several really valuable tools to help us explore and look more deeply at ourselves. 

Byron Katie’s work and the 4 questions and turn-around are just one tool we’ll be using for our workshop. The following is the breakdown of those questions and how they work.

The Four Questions:

Is it true?

This question asks you to examine whether the thought or belief you have is absolutely true. It encourages honesty and reflection.

Can you absolutely know that it's true?

This question goes deeper, asking for absolute certainty. Often, this reveals that many thoughts and beliefs we hold are not as solid as we think.

How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

This question helps you to see the impact of the thought on your emotions, behavior, and overall well-being. It brings awareness to the consequences of holding onto the belief.

Who would you be without the thought?

This question invites you to imagine your life and your emotional state if you didn't have the thought. It helps to reveal the freedom and peace that could be present without the belief.

The Turnaround:

After answering the four questions, you perform the Turnaround, which involves reversing the thought or belief to its opposite. There are typically three types of turnarounds:

To the Self:

This involves turning the thought around to reflect on yourself. For example, "He doesn't listen to me" might become "I don't listen to me" or "I don't listen to him."

To the Other:

This turnaround reverses the thought to apply to the other person. For example, "He doesn't respect me" might become "I don't respect him."

To the Opposite:

This involves stating the complete opposite of the original thought. For example, "I am not good enough" might become "I am good enough."

These questions along with a guided meditation and some free writing exercises are what you can expect in this next workshop. All of this integration works because you are the one willing to step up and start looking more closely in the mirror. It’s all just you, remember?

The journey of embracing and understanding and working to incorporate your shadow is one of becoming whole. By facing our discomfort head-on, we unlock our true potential, living more holistically and with less emotional reactivity. This process not only transforms our relationship with ourselves but also enhances our interactions and relationships with others. 

Intermittent Fasting Protocols and Journey

Intermittent fasting ,or IF, is a protocol which helped me to loose 50 lbs over the course of a few months in Spring of 2018. I got the idea from Reddit and started a deep dive into videos and learning as much as I could about the benefits and risks before deciding to try it myself. Dr. Jason Fung and his book “The Obesity Code” helped me to really understand the science behind why this protocol works so well. Here is one of his videos which got me started.

The protocol is simple. You pick a time window in which you choose to allow yourself to eat for 8 hours. Then, you don’t eat anytime before or after that window of time. Personally I’ve chosen to stick to 12p-8p. You cook and eat 2 or 3 meals within that window . You’re also encouraged to not snack. Simple.

The reason this works is every time you eat there’s an insulin response. With sugars and carbs your body’s insulin spikes a lot more than with say fats and proteins to be able to break those foods down. When you’re constantly snacking and continuously putting your body into an insulin response, you reduce the efficiency and stress your pancreas out. This is why type 2 diabetes is so prevalent within our modern day culture. What if gives your body is enough time to actually rest and digest. Snacking breaks that rest and throws your body right back into an insulin spike. March and springtime are a really great time to be thinking about starting an if routine. 

It does take some getting used to the new protocol. Headaches, are common and also are general malaise and a strong urge to eat. Grellen is the hormone used to regulate hunger pangs. These pangs will naturally occur a few times during the day. Typically in the morning before you break-fast then in the afternoon around noon and then again around five or so. These are our bodies natural responses and yet responses which can be ignored and worked through with water. Sparkling waters help to quell these pangs and won’t throw off your fast. Once your body gets used to the idea of only eating in an 8 hour window the weight will naturally start to fall off.

Enjoy the ride my friends.

March Musings

March is here and with it comes a need to rebalance, recanted and reinvigorate or restart your practices. The sun is now peaking its head up earlier and earlier.With this comes the inability to sleep in for long period of time like we used to be able to do just a few short weeks ago.

This month we are experiencing the shifts in weather from chilly, downright freezing temperatures some days to almost hot days mid/end month. This combined with the wind and dry air contribute to headaches, dehydration and the almost need to just be outside. Spring is starting to pop everywhere you look. Green is returning to the ground and here we are ready to jumpstart our routines and self care exercises with a new gusto and vigor for life.

It’s time to get up and get moving. Getting to bed before 10pm and getting up before sunrise just before 6 is ideal. Water really helps to get that brain fog cleared first thing in the morning. Nety pots right after brushing your teeth also help to clear out the sinuses. Sinuses and your nasal passages maybe getting bogged down with new life springing up all around.

It’s also best to start your day with an invigorating movement exercise to help get the body moving and active. Even just a few squats and forward folds will help you to make the most of your day and keep you energized throughout the morning.

Favoring lighter foods during this time is a good idea as the liver is doing a lot of work to remove some of the excess fats which are being stored in your body as insulating layers. Salads, juicing, veggies of all sorts will be helpful for you. You may notice historically and religiously springtime is a time for fasting. Theres a reason you may also notice your lack of desire to eat much food. This is a perfectly natural phenomenon. With the earth heating back up, your body is too and it’s working to remove those layers of stored fat from the winter time. You may choose to work with with intermittent fasting during this time too which will also help to bolster your ability for your body to naturally burn fats. Dr. Jason Fung is who started my journey with intermittent fasting a few years ago which helped me to lose ~50lbs of fat. This is the video which got me started.

Enjoy the ride my friends.

Message from the future

We recently went to an event for our self care advocacy program in which we are participating in. During one of or gatherings, we joined in for a future self meditation. We allowed our mind and body to calm over the core of a few minutes before coming up with a scene in nature. My scene was near an ocean on a beach with a path leading into the tropical forrest. We were then asked to follow that path until we were confronted with our future self. I was surprised to met a 65+yo white haired, jacked AF version of myself who looked like a cross between The Dude and Santa. He was swole, looked comfy in his casual attire (think: yoga pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, beard and glasses) and felt wise beyond his years. This man has seen some shit. There was an overwhelming sense of primal passion and fierce love which was embodied in this human. We were asked to step inside and feel what it would be like to embody this person of myself. I am so darned glad I got to meet him. There was a smoldering fierceness, honesty and compassion within his purview. He also felt healthy, tight and strong as an ox. I loved the feeling.

Next we got to ask our future selves about anything we wanted. I chose to ask about the Samsara and the work we’re doing for the temple now. The messages which came through are the same messages I’ve been saying to myself and everyone else for a long while. Things like:

• “You have everything you need in this moment and you always will.”

• “There is nothing to ever be afraid of, ever.”

• “Be honest with yourself and others.” 

• “You’re already doing the things you love so keep going and keep doing the things you love.”

• “Comfort is queen and so choose comfort and ease in life.”

• “Yes you can.”

How neat is that? If there was nothing holding you back (money, fear of failure, fatigue, malaise about the state of the world) what would you choose? I choose me.