The Mind-Body Connection

The Mind-Body Connection

by | Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

While packing up the Centre, I came across a flip-chart with posters from a seminar given many years ago here.  As I read it over, I had to smile; some things never change, and here was proof! This seminar could have been delivered during the covid lockdowns or more recently due to stress over rising inflation.  Yet the effects upon humans remain the same.  Let me explain ….

The seminar explained, in general terms, how the mind-brain-body connection worked. And by understanding this process, it helps to better understand how our responses and reactions to life are influenced.

Here are the main players in the game:

THE MIND
  •  Non-physical in nature 
  • Where thoughts, feelings, instincts and imagination exist
  • Positive thoughts = Positive Mind = Positive Experience
  • Sometimes called the Unconscious Mind 
  • Jungian theorists say the Collective Consciousness resides here
THE BRAIN
  • Both physical and chemical in nature
  • Physical structures (eg. brain tissue, neurons)
  • Chemical structures (eg. neurotransmitters, hormones)
  • Brain processes AND feels what the Mind puts out
  • Limbic system connects many parts of the brain and is responsible for bringing forth memories, emotions, primal urges, creativity
  • Brain has two main branches: Central Nervous System (CNS) and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which process AND feel what the Mind puts out
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
  • Consists of the Brain itself and the Spinal Cord
  • CNS takes the thoughts and feelings from the Mind and PROCESSES them – makes them Conscious; analyses them
  • CNS decides to react or hold on to these thoughts and feelings; can store these for many years – and sometimes bury them away from consciousness to be dealt with at another time, or not at all
  • Can be under or over stimulated
  • Under-stimulated is coma state; no functioning is called death
  • Over-stimulated is panic level anxiety; if left unchecked, can lead to physical / emotional exhaustion and death
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
  • Has two branches: Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS)
  • Sympathetic NS is where our Fight, Flight or Fright reactions begin; the proverbial Adrenaline Rush
  • Parasympathetic NS is where our Relaxation and Calmness begin; the proverbial Vacation Mode
  • The ANS takes all thoughts and feelings from the Mind and FEELS them – in our body and its functions
  • So, where the Mind goes, the Body follows

HORMONES

  • Both the CNS and ANS influence release of hormones based upon the processing and feeling of what the Mind has put out
  • The Endocrine system is that which produces and regulates the release of hormones in the body to create physical and emotional effects
  • Connection between the Brain and the Endocrine system is possible because of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands which are situated in the physical Brain but function as keys to the Endocrine system and its functions (ie. neuroendocrine)
  • Once the Brain has processed what the Mind has put out, the hypothalamus and pituitary glands go to work to tell the Endocrine system to release or inhibit the hormones
  • There are some exceptions to this process – some hormones are regulated in a different manner than this.

So just what does this Mind ~ Brain ~ Endocrine ~ Body actually mean in real life?  Basically, your Mind can be filled with all sorts of thoughts, feelings, memories urges and creative ideas.  Getting your Brain to pick up on these things requires taking quiet time so you can hear/see/feel/intuit what is coming your way. A busy Brain hasn’t got the time or interest in being still in the moment, so the Mind cannot find a way to connect. For example, take the Monkey Mind ….

People with “Monkey Mind” are those who are so busy thinking in their heads, distractible, impatient and restless that the real Mind has no way to come through.  This state of being increases the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) so that the Fight, Flight, Fright response takes over. Adrenaline pumps through the body, placing it on Alert and Alarm. Heart pumps faster, blood pressure goes up, digestion can get tricky, bowel issues might start up and sleep is not as good as you’d like. This heightened state of arousal is sustainable for the short term, but if this is how someone functions for weeks or months (or years), then the body will wear down.  Physical illness is likely, as is emotional exhaustion. People weren’t designed to be “on-call” 24/7.

Now take a look at what happens when we allow a moment for quiet time.  Imagine walking on a beach or in a forest or just sitting in a lovely garden. Phones turned off, no music or work noises around.  In this place, you will find yourself starting to relax, breathing more deeply and slowly and starting to notice what is all around you. As you let yourself be soothed by the surroundings, you may discover that you begin to have thoughts, sensations, feelings that have alluded you lately.  Maybe you figure out a solution to a problem that has been plaguing you.  Maybe you retrace your steps and remember where you put those important documents that you’ve been searching for all week.  Maybe you remember an old friend or family member that you wish you could see again.  The Mind has had all these things to send you, but until this quiet moment, it had no way to get your attention and “download” to you. This is a time when the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) is in charge.  Lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, deep breathing, growling stomach able to digest food and healthy bowel function to move it through.  Sleep is restorative which helps us to be more resilient during the day.

No time for a break?  How about stealing a few minutes to yourself and just imagine the walk or the garden or wherever your Happy Place is? A short cleansing/calming visualization done during your morning shower or evening bath can feel wonderful.  Even a 10-minute nap any time of day will help to reset the Stress Meter a wee bit and help with the Mind’s “download”.

There is a lot of potential and power in allowing the Mind its say.  Anything you can do to help yourself be receptive to your Mind and its knowledge will be beneficial to your Brain and Body.  Try it for a week and feel it for yourself.

Here’s The Story

Here’s The Story

by | Life Reflections, Psycho-Spiritual

It was February 1995.  The Friday found me leave a nursing faculty meeting to attend a weekend workshop on Healing Touch energy healing. By the end of the weekend, I felt inspired to become a holistic therapist. But how was I to quit my “day job” for something so unconventional? Upon returning home that Sunday, I asked my husband, Mel, what he thought I should do.  His wise counsel was, “Follow your Heart.”  So, on Monday, I tendered my resignation from the College! And that’s how this whole adventure called Natural Comfort started.

My aromatherapy business was small but slowly grew into a larger affair.  In 2005, with help from family and friends, I started the Natural Comfort Wellness Centre.  Going from a one-person aromatherapy business to full-time office staff, a retail store and several consulting holistic therapists was a huge leap – but a very exciting one. I must acknowledge the steady support and expertise that Beverley Hawkins offered in those early years- computer literate, business savvy and so organized! She was there from the beginning to help with setting up and running the Centre. Those of you who were around for those first few years know that we had some very interesting guest speakers, courses and events, a large retail store and a choice of many different therapists offering their health and healing talents. There were some challenges met along the way, but all offered great life and business lessons. As I’ve often said, “It’s all information – how we choose to look at it and use it is always up to us.”  And so, after five years at the first location, we began the search for another suitable place to hang our shingle.

As the Universe would have it, our local Hospice was moving from its office space in the Tsawwassen Medical Building to its newly built location in Ladner. In Spring 2010, I signed the lease and began our move. Not only was this location ideal, but we met a most unique person who just happened to be the landlord!  You can tell when someone is really there for you. Greg definitely has been there for both me and the Centre through it all.  For the first three years, the other therapists and I offered courses, holistic services, practice groups and ran the retail store together at this new location.

Another pivot.  In 2013, I decided to downsize and return to private practice.  Grateful for their help and understanding, the other therapists helped me to downsize the Centre so I could manage it by myself. I was able to split the space, which also made it easier for me.  But who knew that just a few months later, the chiropractors would need a space for their practice, as their location had been destroyed in a devastating fire?  And so, it was – Tsawwassen Chiropractic and Natural Comfort became neighbours!  And have been ever since.

These past nine years have found me expanding my private practice and improving my holistic offerings.  I’ve always hoped to offer a place of Comfort, Peace and Possibilities to everyone who entered the Centre, and for the most part, I think I have achieved this.  Although I’m not ready to hang up my therapist hat just yet, I realize that it is time to make another adjustment in how I offer my services.

And so, the newest change begins!  Natural Comfort Wellness Centre now becomes Natural Comfort Wellness. Later this month, Natural Comfort Wellness will offer as many services, seminars and meditations as it can using the Zoom on-line platform.  Some services will be unavailable as a Zoom offering (haven’t figured out how to do massages through a computer screen!). Some services will be available using Zoom or the phone. Seminars, consultations and meditations are already held on Zoom. All will be offered with the same heart-centered care that has always been the guiding principle at Natural Comfort.

In closing, I am grateful to everyone who has entered the Centre these past 17 years and offered their friendship, expertise, time, stories, tears, laughter, smiles, songs, humour, prayers, healing energy and hugs. I started this healing journey as a nursing student in 1974 and an aromatherapist in 1995.  Who knew that 48 years after stepping onto a nursing unit, I’d still love what I do and who I work with?  The location is changing – but not the love I have for this work and for my clients and colleagues.

My heartfelt thanks go to the following people who have worked with me at the Centre.  You made this a great place to work! Lots of memories – lots of laughs – lots of love!

2005 – 2010:
Office staff: Wendy Marshall, Barbara Bell, Charlene Boswick
Therapists: Beverley Hawkins, Janet Walsh, Cheryl Larden, Judith Schweers, Donna Guillemin,
Ruth Stubens, Shirley Maurice, Doug Markert, Julia McKinley, Kim Jew

2010 – 2013:
Therapists: Beverley Hawkins, Cheryl Larden, Donna Guillemin, Ruth Stubens, Shirley Maurice,
Doug Markert

2013 – 2022:  Pat as a solo act at the Centre!

2022 – who knows?:  The physical Centre closes and Pat goes virtual with Zoom

And through it all, my husband Mel has been my biggest fan and supporter!  Without him, none of this would have been possible. He has believed in me and this work every step of the way. I am forever grateful to him!

Now ….  Time to Zoom!

Living in the Moment

Living in the Moment

by | Energetics, Life Reflections

Excerpts taken from a seminar done at Natural Comfort in 2016

“You can learn from the past and imagine a beautiful future,
but you must live in the here-and-now”
Colette Baron-Reid

Whenever you set your sights too far ahead, you run the risk of losing your footing, for rarely do the Present and Future match up exactly in your life story.  The Future has no substance right now; it is a place that has no grounding yet.  You can’t live there, yet you can take measured steps toward a goal or a dream.

The same goes for Nostalgia.  You can look into the Past wistfully and remember beautiful moments or revisit lessons learned.  However, you can’t live there, nor can you change what was.  Yesterday is gone forever.  There is no point in longing for that which has already gone.

Live fully in the Present.  The “now” is the most powerful place to put your attention.  Its magic reaches out in every direction, further than the heart and soul can see.  Live one day at a time.  Each day is a new beginning filled with truth and beauty.  Find joy in what is present in your life today.

Here and Now is the only reality.  The past is a story we tell based upon hazy recollections.  The future is a daydream produced by our hopes and fears.  No matter how difficult the present may seem to us, it is inevitably richer than any fantasy of the future or memory of the past.  These are only virtual realities. They have no substance.  Here and Now is always preferable, because only here and now IS. This is where Life is really happening. 

 We are always Here and Now but our attention is often lost in regrets about the past and anxieties about the future. We must learn to be fully present in what we are doing and really hear, see and feel in each moment instead of being lost in our thoughts about life.  ….  If you need help learning how to do this, spend time with a young child.  They understand how to appreciate the magic of each moment.

It may sound silly to us when someone says, “Live in the Present Moment”  because we may think that if we are somewhere physically, how could we not be present?  In reality, many of us are rarely fully in the present moment, because we are always either thinking about the past or constantly planning the future.  When we continuously dwell on and live in the past, what happens is that we recreate it as part of our present experience.  Even though the people, places and things from our past experiences may have come and gone—in fact, even if they no longer exist—if we are perpetually reliving them in our present reality, they make up not just our past, but they become part of our present reality as well.

On the other hand, there are some people that always focus on the future by looking for the next thing to satisfy them. However, many of these people are rarely satisfied, because they aren’t able to enjoy their present experience long enough due to the fact they are constantly looking towards the next thing to satisfy them!

When we are present, we are at our most powerful.  It’s the present moment where we are able to manifest our desires the most quickly.  It is the present moment that is our reality.

“Mindfulness means paying attention on purpose, in the present moment,
with qualities like compassion, curiosity and acceptance.”
Shamash Alidina

Through being mindful, you discover how to live in the present moment in an enjoyable way rather than worrying about the past or being concerned about the future.  The past has already gone and can’t be changed.  The future is yet to arrive and is completely unknown.  The present moment is ultimately the only moment you have.  Mindfulness shows you how to live in this moment in a harmonious way. You find out how to make the present moment a more wonderful moment to be in—the only place you can create, decide, listen, think, smile, act or live.

Mindfulness is a translation of the ancient Indian word, Sati, which means
Awareness ~ Attention ~ Remembering

 IF NOT “NOW”, WHEN?

If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always gotten

Quantum Physics has proven the energy within and around our mind/body/spirit

What we think, feel, and do right now
Sets the future we will find ourselves in.

In every nano-second, we can choose something else which will alter that future.This is why being in the Present is the most powerful place to be in.

Things to consider when committing to being Present and creating the most joyful life we can possibly imagine:

Aligning with our Highest Good and Highest Power
Power of Joy
Power of Love
Positive Intentions
Attitude of Gratitude and Appreciation
Blessings and Positive Affirmations
Miracles and Magic

JOY sets our blessings, miracles and dreams in motion
LOVE sustains them

How do we increase our daily experience of Joy?

Self-Love & Acceptance
Releasing Attachments not Positive Connections
Being Present—In the Moment
Giving & Receiving
Imagination & Creativity

ACTIVITIES TO HELP YOU STAY IN THE PRESENT

 

The more of these you do each day, the more in alignment with life you’ll become.  Then watch how your life becomes more magical and meaningful.

¨ Breath Work

¨ Visualizations such as Smiling Heart or Miracle Shower to bring in peace, joy and excitement with being alive

¨ Mantras and Positive Affirmations

¨ Offering Gratitude and Thanks

¨ Increasing Natural Elements in your environment such as flowers, colours, music, sunshine, aromas, crystals

¨ Releasing the Past with saying:  That was then; This is now;  And Now I choose  _________ for myself.

¨ Mindfulness Meditations

¨ Playing with Young Children or with Pets

¨ Feeling the Earth/Water under your feet;  the Sun/Wind on your body;  the Rain on your face;  really feel and appreciate your       ,       physical presence

¨ Paying attention to your Five Senses

¨ Use the word, NOW, to remind you to pay attention, be aware and remember your experiences in this world

¨ Be creative through art, gardening, tending others, music, writing, painting, dancing, cooking, sports, exercise and anything that     brings you JOY

Spring Flowers & Aromas

Spring Flowers & Aromas

by | Aromatics, Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

As Winter leads to Spring, so our attention moves from what is inside to what is peeking at us from the outside world.  Gardens, forests, seaside grasses are beginning to awaken.  What glorious examples of rebirth and continuous life cycles.  There are a few Spring flowers distilled for their essential oils and absolutes that are used in aromatherapy blends.  To help welcome Spring, I present you with a few descriptions of them taken from authors Scott Cunningham, Felicity Warner and Valerie Worwood.

Hyacinth

  • Associated with the planet Venus
  • Element is Water
  • Magical influences are: overcoming grief; peaceful sleep; love

The Hyacinth personality is forgiving and trusting; their gentleness and good nature is apparent in everything they touch. They are mindful of other people’s feelings and love to be privy to their secrets. They don’t mean to pass those secrets on, but because they love to talk, it sometimes just slips out!  They have a fragile, delicate nature which can have a tendency towards tension, stress and stress-related disorders.

Narcissus

  • Associated with the planet Venus
  • Element is Water
  • Magical influences are: love; aphrodisiac; hypnotic state

The Narcissus personality can be mesmerizing, empowering and hypnotic to encounter. A person of closeness, clandestine moments and a seeker of truth.  Sometimes called “old souls”.  They are masters of camouflage, so as not to give away all their inner secrets and yearnings.  They have a highly developed precognitive faculty that can most often predict danger or mistakes.

Iris

  • Associated with the planet Venus
  • Element of Water
  • Magical influences are: love; psychic awareness

This plant was named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris. The dried root is known as Orris Root and can be pounded into a fine powder to apply to clothing, linen or skin.  Its gentle, iris aroma is found to be alluring.  Both the root and powder have been used for centuries in love-enhancement rituals. The aroma can assist with psychic awareness if it is inhaled with intent and focus.

Although a wonderful Spring flower, this next one is not distilled commercially.  Should you find something on the store shelf called Lily of the Valley Oil,  you can be certain that it is a fragrance oil – made in a lab. There may be a CO-2 extraction out there, but it would not be available to the general public.  And if it was available, it would be very expensive.

 Lily of the Valley

  • Associated with the planet Mercury
  • Element is Air
  • Magical influences are: peace; conscious mind; memory

The Greek God Apollo is credited with finding this plant and presenting it to Aesculapius. Although dangerous if ingested, the aroma is quite safe. Using visualization while inhaling the aroma heightens one’s ability to recall old information and strengthen powers of memory.

Watching the Spring garden come to life brings true joy to the mind, body and soul.  Colour, aroma and life again – all wonderful energetic offerings to help bring us out of winter slumber and doldrums.  If you don’t have a garden, treat yourself and go to the local nursery or florist to get a few potted plants or cut flowers that can brighten and aromatize your personal space.  Notice how by adding just a bit of Spring Bling to your surroundings, your mind, body and spirit feel just a bit lighter and brighter.  Definitely gifts worth investing in.

The Blank Page

The Blank Page

by | Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

At our last seminar, we explored some of the basic designs used in Sacred Geometry.  Although it takes basic forms such as the point, line, circle, spiral and ellipse to create all the other forms, everything must start with the Blank Page.  You may know this by other names:  Clean Slate, Blank Canvas, The Void, The Black Hole, The Great Mystery.  Call it what you wish, it is the place where everything must start.  It is the place of nothingness and deep silence. Yet, it is the place of pure potential – where anything and everything is possible!

 

In ancient times, it was the geometer who sat at the tracing board, waiting for inspiration to come forth.  Looking back at the geometer from that blank tracing board was a design, waiting to come forth.  But only the geometer could take that blank page and create the design.  Until that first point was made on the board, nothing happened.  Nothing was created.  Nothing came into being.

 

In those times, it was believed that the Earth was holy and that anything done upon the Earth must be done with great care and with the input of Spirit.  If the design was to be sustainable and enhance both the Earth and those living at that place on Earth, it was imperative for the geometer to have connected with a force far greater than human ego when creating the design. In order to achieve this connection, it was necessary for the geometer to “go within” – to “go to Source”.  And that place was complete stillness and darkness – complete nothingness.

 

A place that dark and still can be frightening.  It can create much anxiety, confusion, indecision, and resistance.  It can be so overwhelming that a person avoids it so as to not become unravelled or scared.  Much easier to stay distracted in the world around us than to wait to hear/feel/sense what Spirit has to offer.  But in order to understand the connection between the spirit of the design and the actual manifestation of that design, one must stay quietly receptive in that place of nothingness, silence and darkness. From that place, the “knowing” comes to us.  And with that knowing, we can connect our inner and outer worlds.  With that connection, we can now proceed with the design.

 

The Blank Page or Tracing Board can also be used to illustrate our journey in life.  Everyone has a Blank Page that is all our own. But in order to create the best design for ourselves, we need to go within first.  We need to find that place of complete stillness and darkness within us and become comfortable with staying there as we await input and direction from a Higher Source. As we come to understand our own unique life design and the part we play in creating that design, we can then sit at the Blank Page that is our life and begin to trace upon it the life we are meant to have.  The person we are meant to be.  The experiences we are meant to have.  These are the things we discover when we go within ourselves and listen for the answers from Source.

 

Life offers us many Blank Page chances.  It is not a one-time offer!  It requires work on our part to learn how to go within and understand what we discover.  Then we need to learn how to bring those discoveries back and apply them in our world.  As we grow and change, so does our unique design.  Nothing is static – including us!  So, what will your design look like today?