A great realignment
 (c) Lisa Galinski 2012 Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve written. Actually, I can. This whole autumn has been….really something. Movement inside, feeling big inner shifts. Some significant happenings on the outside – our Creating Infinite Possibilities women’s retreat, lawyering on the side for 1 month and what that opened up for me, and exploring new and exciting ways I can work with people. And creating, mapping, visioning, planning what’s coming into being as we move into 2013. Leaning in. This fall has been process of looking deeply. Looking deeply with clear eyes, an open heart and a desire to connect. A time of getting real. Asking myself: What do I deeply, truly want? Where am I’m holding back? What matters most when it comes to how I spend my days, my breaths and my life energy? I’ve been asking many many questions and noticing what questions the universe is asking of me. What’s really working? What’s not? What needs to shift to be in greater alignment with my self, my purpose, my soul, heart, mind and body? All of it has been deeply transformative & allowing me to see things newly and differently. I feel like a different person than over the summer (and before I got married). It’s oddly wonderful. But, by all means, it’s not all roses. It’s frustrating, disorienting, confusing. Noticing parts of me that want answers, that want to have it all figured out. And, simultaneously, knowing that there are no answers. Only experiments. Only actions. Only beliefs and patterns and choices and ability to see it differently and feel it differently and do it differently. Facing things I’ve been unconscious of, or consciously avoiding, has been an eye-opening experience. Seeing them, really, and staying. Not turning away. I see newly how parts of myself were not working in together in harmony, or even on the same team. My mind not aligned with my heart. My soul and body not communicating effectively. The energy it takes to work against myself in this way, and yearning to start to change that way of doing it.
I am really and truly asking myself what’s going to bring out the best in me, what is being called forth from me now. I don’t have any answers. I’m intending to do better with what I have and know (and don’t know) now. I am continuing to look deeply. I am continuing to foster natural alignment within myself. I am continuing to gulp and take another step. And for all of that and so much more, I am deeply thankful. Wild Heart is growing. She’s evolving. She’s taking in sights, sounds, smells and tastes from her environment, noticing what happens and asking important questions. She’s learning and maturing. I am thrilled. So you’ll see that evolution in this space and on my website in coming weeks and months. I’m awakening to a new experience of myself, my passions, my gifts, my offerings and my joy to share it with others. I am calling forth more of myself than I’ve ever brought forth before. I can’t wait to share it with you. Naturally, organically and from my heart. It’s thrilling, and I feel excited anticipation in my stomach. I remind myself to trust. Trust and hold this vision with deep care and love. Love, Lisa p.s. New News! On Wednesday the 28th I will be launching a sweet little treat that I’ve been working on for the holiday season and I can’t wait to share!! My heart is full.
Savoring: 28 Days Left of Summer
For me, part of savoring the last month of summer here in the northeastern U.S. is tuning into nature. When I tune in, I feel more at peace.
My mind can sometimes (often?) want to completely run the show (of my life), to the point of creating anxiety and frustration. This morning my good 'ole mind was having a field day, bringing up fear after fear after fear. It was not a great morning to say the least. After a couple hours of going in circles, I knew I needed to get outside.
So I put on my sneakers and ran to a nearby park with old trees, beautiful roses and a seasonal garden. I walked through the park, going wherever I felt drawn. I sat under trees, slowed down, tuned in, and marveled at the beauty of nature around me.
Hearts kept showing up.
On trees.
In leaf shapes.
I stayed tuned in. I felt so much more at peace. Soothed, clearer. I focused on savoring and gratitude. Feeling the warm sun on my skin, I reveled at how amazing nature is, and how lucky I am to live in a place that I can be with the beauty of flowers and trees and grass and small streams so easily.
Here's what I was savoring today:
The abundant beauty of nature...
A heart carved into a tree many years ago...
Leaves reminding me of my heart...
How does the natural world change your mood?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Ignoring The Mind
For the next couple weeks that I’m not going to automatically do anything my mind is telling me to do. Or take my mind’s musings too seriously, for that matter. For my mind's constant chatter says to focus, to work, to expand. It says to produce, to be productive, to DO.
When I listen to my mind, it’s like listening to the same tape on perpetual replay.
Does that ever happen to you?
The script remains the same, the messages coming through my mental speakers are always the same.
Doing the stuff my Mind Tape comes up with doesn’t feel like the right thing right now.
Right now it feels like time to be present, to pay attention, to stay in this moment, to open up and just BE. Be who and what I want to be in my life, and keep an open heart to connect with others in that space.
It feels like time to:
Trust.
Let go of concerns for an imagined future.
Welcome what’s here right now.
Breathe in fully.
Breathe out fully.
Live in my body and see what draws me and makes me feel alive.
Take root, of ground and settle into Mother Earth energy.
Listen.
It's time to BE.
Right now my inner feeling -- that deep knowing inside -- says to take a chill pill. Let it be summer. Feel everything I’m feeling. Allow growth take it’s natural time, and before I know it, it will be time again to move.
Just as the natural world flowers and grows on it’s own schedule , at it’s own pace, all in due time. Right now, I’m letting go and letting nature take it’s own course.
Now that is permission for me to just BE.
What does your inner knowing tell you is needed right now?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
The Growth Process
Life is a process, one that is ever ongoing.
One day is never the same as another, one moment is never the same as another. We always growing and changing, no matter what.
In that process of change and growth, we humans seem to always be wanting something. In my world it’s happiness, fulfillment, contribution, meaning – for me and also people who come to me for coaching as well. It’s a beautiful thing to want these things, in my opinion. Humans wanting to tap into their potential and live it fully, to enjoy life, to be a part of something larger than themselves, to help others.
And at the same time, it’s important to remember what we’re living right now. To able to be with whatever we’re experiencing now. It’s not always great, exciting, amazing, or a peak experience. It’s whatever we’re living right now. Right. Now. In this moment. The only place we can be.
I took this picture today while laying on the grass – of a dandelion seed and a flower. It reminds me of the time between when a seed is planted and when it comes to fruition. During that time – a time of change and growth – we are wishing for the flower, we are wanting the bloom to happen SOON. Sooner than it seems to be blooming. At least I often do!
So what do we do with that time? What do YOU do with that time? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
What Are You Nourishing?
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to nourish ourselves. The last couple weeks have been a reminder to me that I need to nourish myself in order to be the woman I want to be and do the things I want to do.
In my writing here on this blog I’ve spoken to the importance of nourishing our hearts – doing the things that put us in the space of feeling alive, feeling joyful, feeling fulfilled. Committing to nourishing your heart, and making choices over and over again to do so is a complete game changer. It’s amazing how your view of your life and where you’re headed can change when you get into that space. And, I’ve been noticing other realms of life that ask (and sometimes demand) to be nourished as well – our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. My physical body has been calling out for nourishment lately. When I go days and forget to eat breakfast or (and?) lunch because I’m feeling busy busy busy and on the go, my physical body yearns for nourishment. Or when I eat foods that do not nourish my body. No big surprise there! It’s something I understand intellectually but falls by the wayside in day-to-day life. Lately I’m increasingly FEELING the difference when I’m nourishing my body and when I’m not. It’s the difference between feeling like a human being who is full of life and one who is a meat-sack walking the streets living life! Case in point: This afternoon I went to a beautiful and amazing place organic food café & production location – Alchemy Juice Bar & Mamalicious Market. I went there with the intention to nourish my body. The life energy and amazing food I experienced there was a welcome oasis of the on-the-go eating I’ve been doing recently. The live veggie wrap and green smoothie nourished my body AND my soul more than anything I’ve eaten in a while. I felt truly nourished. My energy level boosted immediately and I felt clear and alive. Oooh, it feels sooo good. I’m also nourishing my spirit more consciously lately. For me, I know that being outdoors, breathing fresh air, walking in the woods, seeing the sky and laying on the grass nourishes my spirit. I spend a short while in the natural world – a few moments even – and I feel like my spirit can breathe again. It animates and comes alive. So I’ve been committing to spending at least 15 minutes outdoors every day to create a regular habit of nourishing myself and my spirit. Why 15 minutes, you ask? Because it is 1,000% doable. There is no excuse for *not* taking that time! And so I do. And it often turns into more – 15 minutes becomes 20 and becomes 30 or beyond. And my spirit thanks me for the breathing room each and every time. (places I go to nourish my spirit)
What nourishes your mind? I’ll start with a confession: When my mind wants a break I take a quick soujourn over to celeb news sites like UsMagazine and People.com. I’m pretty embarrassed to admit this guilty pleasure . . . and that’s why it’s just that, a guilty pleasure! But does it really nourish my mind? Um, no. It’s a light little break, but not nourishing. A different choice could certainly nourish me more. Now, I’m not advocating reading the Tao Te Ching in every free moment so that you can enrich your mind. I’m simply inviting you, me, all of us to notice what nourishes us and what doesn’t.
Because where we direct our energy, our time, our mental space, our heart space nourishes (fuels) something in our lives. What are you nourishing? Sometimes we’re feeding the critical part of ourselves. Sometimes we’re nourishing the future we are yearning to create. Sometimes we’re fueling habits that no longer serve us. Sometimes we’re nourishing a better relationship, a better career path, a better world.
So, just take a look. Are you choosing to nourish something that affirms you and where you want to go in your life? Or are you using your energy to fuel something that takes you somewhere else?
What choice can you make to nourish your heart, your spirit, your mind or your body today? (Note: That choice could be to take a nap! I’m feeling that urge myself on right now!)
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Why Nature Matters So Much (To Me)
If you’ve read my blog, you might have noticed that I use images of nature to illustrate the life concepts that I often write about. If you’ve read more than a couple entries that you’ve probably noticed that I use photos of nature very often in this space.
As I look back through my blogs over the last year I notice that virtually all of them use images of the natural world. And virtually all of them (99.8%) are photos that I take in my daily travels and select specifically because I feel that they resonate with the writing for the particular day.
You may be wondering...
Why so much nature, Lisa?
Isn’t it all a little too abstract?
Don’t you take photos of anything else?
Sometimes I wonder about these things myself. Yes, I do take photos of other things, but the majority of my photos are of nature. I mostly them on my iPhone, and I also take them on my Canon 50D. I take videos of trees blowing gently in the wind because I am awestruck. I take photos of grass and flowers and trees as if I were a scientist studying them – from different angles, capturing just-the-right light, documenting them.
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Why? Nature moves me. It speaks to me. It evokes my emotions – reverence, amazement, gratitude. When I go out into the natural world, somehow I remember who I am. My internal voice comes through loud and clear. My head empties out and I can hear what my heart is saying to me. I am at peace. I experience a different perspective of reality on this Earth – of tiny humans on a big planet, the vastness of it all, and how small a human life is while at the same time holding infinite potential to have an impact on this planet and its inhabitants. When I am out in the natural world and slow down, I think about how the air (oxygen) I’m breathing could have come from the tree next to me. How the sun shining on my forehead is the same sun that fuels the life of the grass beneath my feet and the food that grows in fields miles away from me. It makes me realize that the kale I ate in my salad tonight was grown with the help of the very same sun and the very same oxygen (and much more, of course), and that by eating it, then the Earth becomes part of me. The sun becomes part of me. The oxygen becomes part of me. It fuels me as I go about my day to day life. Same thing for the chicken that was on my salad. I realize what I’m saying is something learned in a middle school biology class, and yet when I experience it, I am amazed each and every time. Because everything is connected. There is no Lisa without the sun, just as there is no trees or air without the sun. What I breathe, eat and take in from my environment becomes part of me – literally! (And it leaves me and becomes part of something else, but truth be told I know much less about that whole process. But ‘nuff about that for now!) Thich Nhat Hahn says that when you drink a cup of tea, you can see a cloud in your tea. The simplicity and truth of that is so beautiful. So beautiful it feels beyond words and comprehension sometimes. And then there’s the effect that nature has on our souls, our spirits, our hearts – whatever you want to call it.
Nature heals.
Nature calms.
Nature brings us home to ourselves.
You know that sense of peace that seeps in when you walk through the woods when you’re mulling over a thorny issue? The quiet of the trees, the rustling, the breeze. It seeps deep into you and soothes. It helps you, and you may not even know why or how. But it does. You come home to yourself with help from the trees and the breeze.
What a gift we have to be on this planet. We can’t ignore that fact. And the power of nature – what it can do for our wellbeing, our minds and our hearts – is something that I’m going to be exploring more and more. In real life, and on this blog.
Nature helps us to know ourselves more deeply. It gets us in touch with the natural parts of ourselves, the wild parts of ourselves, the parts that are free and deep and knowing.
The world needs humans who are in touch with these wild, natural, free, deep and knowing parts. It’s how we’ll heal ourselves, our relationships with each other, and our connection to our planet.
Stay tuned for more :-)
How has the natural world spoken to your soul recently?
Yours in WILDNESS,
Lisa
Just Breathe.
 kyoto, japan (2010) For right now, just breathe.
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Tune into Nature
How do you de-stress? How do you clear out your mind when it gets full?
The other day I went to a beautiful park not to far from my house and sat in silence for 2 hours and 15 minutes under a tree. No talking, no phone, no distractions. Sitting, laying and gazing. Just being with nature. In utter silence. It was glorious.
It’s incredible how a few moments tuning into nature around us can make a world of difference when we’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or full of the day-to-day.
Next time you’re seeking some calm and clarity, head outside.
Find a place in the grass, in a tree, under a branch.
Then slow down and tune in.
Be patient – it make take a few minutes.
Smell the air. What do you smell?
Look with a soft focus. What do you notice?
Feel the air on your cheeks. It’s the breeze caressing your skin.
Hear the gentle sounds in the background. Rustling leaves. Birdsong. Mother nature is talking to you.
Imagine the taste of something grown in the earth. Flavorful, full of nutrients. Being with nature is ever-so-healing for the soul. Walk through the woods and it seeps into your being. Take in the view of a beautiful natural vista and know that we are made of the same elements that nature is made of. Watch a bubbling stream and see a cloud in the flow of water – we’re all connected.
Head outside and tune in. Remember how amazing our Earth is.
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
What Seeds Are You Planting This Spring?
When we look to the cycles of nature and relate them to our lives, we can begin to see how the ebbs and flows of Mother Nature resonate with an ancient knowing deep within us.
Spring is a time of new beginnings. Brown changes to green, life begins to sprout, the air feels fresh. As the sun gets warm, new things begin to bloom. Coming out of the cold and dark and barrenness of winter, spring is also a time to sow seeds that will come to fruition throughout the year.
The ground (literally & metaphorically) is fertile and ready for the seeds. Energy is available to help the seeds grow.
Seeds can be intentions for what you want to happen in coming months. The seeds can be the beginnings of plans you are setting in motion. They can be tangible actions that shift your course.
What seeds are you planting this spring?
Do you have an idea you want to move forward with, but find yourself stuck? Get in tune with the energy of spring. New ideas want to take root.
Do you feel a natural shift happening in your life? Just as the seasons change, you could be opening up to a new phase of your life. Get in tune with the energy of spring. Shifts and changes are welcome here (even if they are challenging and frustrating at times).
Spring is a fantastic time to be choiceful. There is promise at this time of year. There are many opportunities. When you choose your path consciously, it allows you to spend your energy wisely and effectively to make those choices come to fruition.
Remember that change usually takes time. Important shifts in your career, life, or relationships don’t happen overnight. When you harness the power of intention, it allows you to take the reigns of the changes.
So get curious ~~ what seeds are you planting this spring? What seeds do you want to plant?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
p.s. If you’d like a powerful ally by your side as you explore what options are available or chart your course forward, let’s chat! I help you make important life changes with confidence and choice.
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