Hello again friends. What a time to be living in.

Here at Wellness on Whyte our monthly mantra, “I am at Ease”, seems to be relevant to the world now more than ever. The intensity of emotions being experienced world wide is essentially a magnifying glass on the emotional fluctuation we all deal with on a daily level.

Whether it’s consciously or unconsciously, we spend our lives navigating the fount of emotions oscillating within us. Oftentimes the ‘negative’ ones tend to overwhelm the ‘positive’ ones, and in the face of chronic stress, fear and anxiety it is only natural to strive towards ease. After all, who doesn’t want to live a life of happiness, love and gratitude?

However…

After having had the honour of studying with shaman elders of Q’ero Inakan Lineage of Peru, I thought it might be nice to share what the shaman thinks of, ‘being at ease’. The shaman is not at ease. She does not turn away from negative feelings because she feels like she ‘should’ be feeling the more positive emotion. In fact, the shaman does not think of any emotions as negative or positive, they just are what they are. She uses her insecurities, anxieties and fear as tools to discover herself within the discomfort.

These emotions are visitors and not to be ignored. They are the way that our subconscious communicates with us to tell us what isn’t working anymore. And if one is naturally feeling happiness, love and gratitude? That is perfect.

Yet, as much as we might strive towards ease, if we are suppressing or ignoring a pattern of chronic & underlying emotions – guilt, shame, stress, sadness, anger, fear – then we are not truly calm. It takes facing our fears and embracing our discomforts in order to heal and experience true ease.

Why are you feeling this? When was the very first time you felt this way? How has your view of the world changed because of this?

You might need to re-evaluate and change your relationship with:

• People
• Places
• Material objects
• Jobs
• Money • Beauty

You might then have to evaluate and change any obvious or underlying:

• Habits
• Beliefs
• Addictions
• Jealousies
• Judgements
• Perceptions
• Self-defeating thoughts

Once a shift has been made, you can practice:

• Redefining your mindset
• Identifying limiting beliefs and create a journey statement (Aka a mantra)
• Paying attention to your internal dialogue and self talk
• Identifying and loving the rejected parts of yourself (Yes, we ALL have them.)

If you haven’t noticed, change is the key here…which can be scary in itself! We don’t experience growth or change from a place of comfort – it takes travelling through the discomfort in order to truly flourish.

Now saying all this, I want to remind you that sometimes it takes asking for help in order to travel this path. The most powerful changes I’ve gone through have always been with the help of a professional. Whether it be a psychologist, counsellor, shaman, or certain acupuncturists and massage therapists – it is important to remember that there are professionals specifically trained to support you through this.

In the meantime, I encourage you to explore the ‘why’ behind any discomfort. What do you have an emotional charge to? What triggers you? You know that icky spot in your life that you tend to avoid thinking about? Yeah. That’s exactly the right place to start.

Journal on it. Meditate. Talk to a friend. But most importantly, our oxymoron of the day: Remember to approach this path with ease and curiosity.

Christine Woodlock R.Ac, TCMD