Spring Fever - March 08 Newsletter

Reaching Down, Reaching Up
My friend Auretha pointed out to me that at this time of year the plants in the ground are reaching their roots down into the earth to gather the nutrients they need to spring forth from the ground. So I’ve been practicing reaching down into myself to get the energy and focus I need for this year. I’ve been doing this by resting, allowing myself to take naps and sitting in the sun to write and read. I invite you to ask yourself the following questions:

• Where do you need to go to nourish yourself?
• What are you stretching into?

Check out the Tips and Tools section (below) for a great body centered activity that will get you fully in tune with this.

Death and Rebirth
It’s also Easter time, which for me I think of death and rebirth, a time of transition. I think at this time we are coming out of the death of winter and into creation of spring. I asked a question at the dinner table tonight that I want to share with you. What is dying in you and what are you giving birth to at this time? My answer to this question was that my will power is dying and I’m giving birth to my willingness. All of us at the table were able to bring to consciousness the vital process that was going on deep inside ourselves. Try it on for yourself.

Tips and Tools
I believe that learning isn’t complete until we get it in the body, so here is a whole body activity to assist you in birthing your new creations this year. Do this activity on your hands and knees if your health and flexibility allow. You can also do this activity sitting. It would be great if you could actually do this outside for full effect, but indoors will do if your ego or the weather doesn't allow it.

Activity:
Feel all of the parts of you that are touching the ground. Now imagine you could grow roots from your feet, knees and hands down into the earth. When you sense the roots are in deep, begin to feel them sucking up nutrients and imagine this energy coming up and filling your whole body with life and energy. Take some full belly breaths in as you do this. Breathing up the nourishment and breathing out back into the earth. Do this for a few minuets until you feel a flow of energy. When you feel this flow, begin to stand upright stretching your limbs in as many directions as you can. Stand on your tippy toes and stretch your fingers way out. Imagine as you do this that you are stretching into life and your dreams. Notice how you feel in your body. Make sure and generate some clear pictures of what you want to create as you do this. Remember your mind creates with thoughts and images; your body creates through feeling and movement. This activity engages your whole body in the cycle of creation. I recommend that you do this practice every day for a week, and longer if you like.

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An Once of Prevention

I'm feeling so much better. Thanks to all who sent me positive intentions for my healing. I've been getting feedback from my body caregivers that I'm making an incredible recovery. I believe that when you directly address the emotional issues of any physical problem that recovery is sped up considerably.

A friend of mine, Julianna, who is in a graduate program with my mentor Kathlyn Hendricks, called me up during my recovery process to share with me something that she had learned in one of her classes. She told me that she had learned that body pains were an indication of withholding. So she asked me if I had any withholds. By the way withholds are when you have feelings /thoughts/ judgments that you haven't acknowledged to yourself or others. This holding "back" (get it) puts a tremendous amount of pressure on our bodies. I most often think of it as something I haven't spoken to someone that is putting a wedge in my relationship. In the case of my back injury I realized that I was withholding from myself, including sadness that I had held back for over 23 years.

I wanted to share this with you to give you the opportunity to breath into any aches and pains you might have and ask yourself "Is there anything I am withholding from myself or others? Is there anything that I'm resisting feeling?" What I know is that if I'm not proactively cleaning house then I usually create some cosmic 2x4 to remind me of what I haven't been willing to look at. I hope you can let yourself learn form me and don't "hold back."

And, once of prevention is worth a pound of cure... An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Ok, I'll stop. You get the point.
Later
Megan

Body Talk

Friday I was playing tennis and pulled my lower back. Luckily I had a massage already scheduled for that day. On the table Margaret (my massage therapist) said this feels really emotional and asked what was happening right before this happened? I told her that I had lost 8 games in a row to someone I felt I should be beating. The point I hurt myself on, I missed and was very angry. I realized that even though I've been practicing self love now for several years that I still am very hard on myself in sports.

I took this back even further to coming down to the US from Canada at 15 years old, a little greenie ready to take on the basketball world and become an Olympian. I ran into coach Freestone whose style was to tear you down so you would prove her wrong. Sadly, I believed her and took myself out of the game and my dreams. Later I found out that she was telling her first string varsity team that I would take one of their positions on the team before years end. I felt huge waves of grief and sadness at not having gone all the way with that dream. I had known this but never felt it all the way through it.

I realized that I've been internally coaching myself from this place ever since. That even though I'm a Genius coach and see the potential of others and cheer them on, I don't do the same for myself. I'm often critical and expect perfection from myself.

I'm also in the middle of another transition where I am moving into being an international speaker and I have not been my own best activist. This weekend I have had some time to think, since I have been confined to sitting until I can get into my chiropractor on Monday. I see this injury as a gift. To remind me to love myself and to learn to coach myself in an entirely new way. I wonder if I might have been taking myself out of yet another dream. As much as I use all the skills and tools I teach, I realize that I haven't been holding myself as whole which is the most essential thing a coach can do for their clients. I feel like I have created a tremendous amount of success for myself even with this old coaching style, so I'm excited to see what I can create from using my own inner genius coach to champion me both on and off the court. I recommit to see myself as whole.

I have already made the Varsity Speaking team and I am playing first string. As a starting player I commit play full out.

So, dear reader what "Varsity Team" have you already made that in your mind you are still trying out for? Would you be willing to congratulate yourself and start playing?

Peace Out
Megan