Hey everyone. I have so much to share with you! As you know, I have been getting my feet planted on the ground here in Sydney, Australia. I believe I have been pretty open with you about my journey thus far, and boy do I have more to fill you in on :+)
Do you know the feeling you get when starting a new fitness or health program, and how uncomfortable it can be in the beginning? Well, that is the way everything feels when it is completely new to us and foreign to our bodies.
I knew before I ever left the States what an impact this move would have on me physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. In order to get to the good stuff however, I have to be willing to go through some of the challenging and uncomforatble stuff first.
It is common to experience a deep sense of resistance around certain actions and choices, when we realize they may create chaos and discomfort for a while. Unfortunately, it is this sense of resistance that can tend to keep us from creating any movement, or from fully embracing the very changes and decisions that have the power to bring about transformation in our lives.
While I knew moving was going to be a serious ride, with many ups and downs, and although many fears came with that knowing, what was even stronger for me was my belief in all that I would gain and benefit as a soul , a spirit, a person, a friend, a lover, a writer, a coach, a trainer, a sister, a daughter, and more.
This is the same exact thing I tell my clients when they struggle with staying motivated. If we focus on the things that feel scary or uncomfortable, we won’t get very far will we? Stepping into our highest selves, and living our best life, requires more than that from us. We must remain focused on the feelings we want to experience in our lives, such as freedom, creativity, exploration, feeling fully expressed, and experiencing oneness, authenticity, and true connection. These are the feelings, that if we focus on them, will carry us through all of our fears and doubts. As we move toward what we want, it is common to confront lots of discomfort. Feeling uncomfortable is not a bad thing. Feeling uncomforatble can mean a few things, such as:
- You are no longer in alignment and it is time to make the necessary changes to get your life and yourself back into alignment with your highest self and purpose.
- You are stepping into the unknown and exploring new territory. This means you are growing, evolving, and expanding
- You are not accepting where you currently are, and therefore are being called to explore a deeper sense of acceptance in your life, such as acceptance of yourself, of your loved ones, and of what is currently showing up inside of you and all around you. You may even want to explore what it’s like to accept that life isn’t suppose to look like anything. It just is what it is, for each of us.
I have just recently been hired to help run a Heath and Well-Being retreat centre in The Mornington Peninsula, just outside of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. Yep, I am on the move again. I was just down that way last week for about 5 days, for the grand opening, to explore the offer they made and the space they have created there, and to really see if it felt like an authentic decision and something that would be good for both them and me. At this point in my growth, it does feel good, and I have decided to go have a new experience and see what unfolds from it.
Being a part of running the retreat centre will definitely require me to step outside many of my comfort zones. There will be things I love to do and many things I may feel resistance around, but all in all, I will gain a lot of new insight, awareness, and absorb so much new information that can only help.
Over the weekend there was a workshop held there, called Natural Order Movement Patterns. This type of workout has to do with connecting back to our roots and moving the body like it was designed to move. We did all kinds of exercises with rocks, logs, and different types of climbing and crawling exercises just using our body weight, but moving in ways we just rarely, or do not ever, move anymore. It has totally opened me up in many ways about how to improve upon the coaching and fitness programs I currently use for myself and my clients, and I feel inspired.
Inspired. This is a word I love. This word has the power to change minds, to shift people’s actions, and to change the world. Whenever I am walking through something new and uncomfortable, difficult, or scary, I always seek the inspiration I can find within the experience. This is sometimes the ONLY way to get through things.
If we are willing to be inspired and committed to seeking such inspiration out of every situation we are put in, we will have a much better chance of experiencing more joy and genuine happiness in all that we do.
We are made to believe that life isn’t easy, being healthy is hard or boring, healthy food tastes gross, it’s best to conform, we can’t have what we want, and that to achieve anything, we must work overtime to get it, and perhaps even sacrifice our value system. This is just NOT TRUE. This should however, make us aware that we are being called to shift our perceptions and to begin to question what we have been taught. For so long there has been a disconnect between what we feel inside, and what we are told is happening, and thus many of us suffer from inner conflict.
As we begin to connect to the truth within ourselves, it gives us a sense of something bigger, a greater plan unfolding, and amongst all that feels impossible, we can remain anchored in our belief that there is a purpose and a reason for everything.
As I crawled through the grass last weekend, carried logs, jumped up onto tree stumps, and threw rocks, I began to remember even more deeply that I am ONE with nature, ONE with you, and ONE with all that is. I felt inside of me that although I sometimes have NO IDEA where life is taking me, that I am being guided, and directed, and all I have to do is keep believing in what I feel in my heart. There is so much to learn by being in nature.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Everything is happening as it should. As we give ourselves permission to just be where we are, this acceptance becomes the very instigator of transformation. This is the power we all have inside of us. To know and not know all at the same time is O.K. If we can allow what we know to exist, even though we may not understand it enough to put it into words, it can be the very inspiration we need to keep us seeking, exploring, and trying new things, even when we are not sure where life is taking us, or how things will ever come together.
When I left Los Angeles just 8 weeks ago, I couldn’t have known that I would be moving to the Mornington Peninsula to run a Health and Well-Being Retreat Centre so soon after arriving in Sydney. Some things we just can’t know ahead of time. That is why we are much better off to live from the place of how we want our lives to feel, and stay focused on that. From that place we will manifest opportunities and relationships that support everything we have intended to create.
It is important to remember that somewhere deep inside, each of us KNOWS our “natural movement pattern.” It is innate, something we feel because it is our natural and most authentic rhythm and instinct.
This move to Australia has made clear to me the importance of getting anchored in our own beliefs about who we are and what feels right for us personally. If we are not anchored in our truth, it can be so easy to conform. Just like so many people are hitting the gym every day and doing workouts prescribed by someone else, that actually move them away from their intuition and their bodies natural ways of movement, so too do our social settings tend to move us away from who we are and what we believe is possible for our lives.
Whether we are moving countries, moving towns, changing jobs, moving in and out of relationships, moving our bodies, or just shifting our perception, things can feel scary, lonely, challenging, impossible, and as if we may never make it. I invite you however, to notice how those same things also feel exciting, freeing, expressive, expansive, creative, authentic, and empowering.
We have the power to choose how we use our attention as we move through the things we face in life. When you get uncomfortable, what do you choose to focus on? Do you see what’s impossible or what’s possible? Do you see yourself as weak or as powerful? Do you feel compassion for yourself and your efforts or do you beat yourself up with harsh judgments? Do you wallow in self-pity, or do you get out of yourself and go help someone else?
You have the power to be yourself and to do whatever you want.
Please share your experiences, questions, and comments with me here. I believe that we are all here to learn from each other, so I value what you have to say. In fact, I LOVE hearing from you!
Lots of Love,
Erin
Erin Lanahan Method 