Good morning!  How was your January?  Did you make good on all of those promises you made to yourself to change this, add that, stop doing yada yada yada or improve such-and-such?  If you are like me, you are faithfully doing some of items on the New Year's resolution list, while others have already started to fall
away amongst the multitude of tasks in a busy life.
 

One of the most important priorities I identified for myself at the end of last year was to get back into my body.  Ever since my family and I moved to Minnesota a year-and-a-half ago, I have put the care and (proper) feeding of my vehicle on the back burner.  (Actually, it was off the stove altogether and nestled behind the pretzel rods in the pantry.)  Naturally, the logical consequence to the continuous mistreatment of my physical self was a rapidly-expanding waistline and chronic lower back discomfort.  UGH!  Not only have I been berating myself for having to go down this healing path -- AGAIN! -- but I have also been dreading the agony that would be my reemergence into the physical realm.
 

When I made the commitment to start to move my body joyfully, I went back to the tried and true of healing modalities: Yoga.  My yoga mat is a sacred place for me, one that allows me to gently infuse some much-needed juju back into the ol' bod.  When I first began my yoga practice, I was more than a little P.O.'d about having to struggle with certain poses that I had easily performed back in my EnergyWorks healing center days.  With every grunt and groan, I felt like a Failure with a capital F.  However, I couldn't deny that after completing my yoga practice, my body felt GOOD.  Damn good.  Amazingly good.  It was almost like getting a massage.  Almost.
 

What I noticed during my yogic exploration is that we so often avoid growth and change because of the initial discomfort it can bring.  Tinges of pain, stiffness or crunchies emerge when we move from unconsciousness to consciousness, as if the body, mind or spirit declares, "Oh, so you are awake now!!  Let me show you how much of your unprocessed ick I have stored for you while you were away!"  When faced with a flood of physical pain or negative emotion, it is our instinct to run away from it.  Hence, the perpetual cycle of dysfunction/awareness/sensation/disconnection/dysfunction continues.  However, I decided that I wasn't going to unplug from myself again.  I vowed that I would push through the nasties, as if I were birthing a new version of me.
 

One of the activities that has helped me through this unpleasant yet transformational time is to give myself permission to enjoy moving my body in one of my favorite ways -- DANCING.  I have put aside all of my negative self-talk that says I'm too old, I'm too big, I'm too suburban, I'm too nerdy, I'm too X, and I shake my booty like my life depends on it!!  Yes, there is a lot to shake, and no, I do not stand a snowball's chance in Sarasota of being a contender on So You Think You Can Dance.  But, despite all of the internal rationalizations that tell me I shouldn't "waste time" on dancing, I have done it anyway.  I put on groove-worthy tunes and move to the rhythms of Jai Uttal, Jason Mraz, Anya Marina, B-Tribe, Jace Everett and many others.  At the end of my dancing sessions (Don't call them workouts!), I am blissed out, opened up, and feeling ready to tackle any obstacle in front of me.  Granted, my body often aches for hours afterward, but it finally feels ALIVE again.  I have missed it.  

I am by no means a picture of healthy choices.  As I write this, I am sitting at a Minneapolis coffee shop slurping a decaf cafe mocha and eying a particularly delectable looking chocolate croissant.  However, I do feel like I am returning back to balance, one shimmy at a time.  I am not concerned about how much weight I am going to lose (if any), or what snazzy clothes I'll be able to wear.  What keeps me moving is the thought that I only have one body, and I want to do as much as I can with the limited time I have on this big beautiful rock.  So I dance.  As a result, slowly but surely I am returning to my body and back into my full power.  And it won't be too long before I'll be able to be outside and dance within my hoop!  WOOT!

Please join me in going into those places of discomfort and unconsciousness to unleash the power that is available.  Wake up a little bit more to the essence that is you.  Let Spirit dance within you!  Don't be afraid.  Don't judge yourself against anyone else.  Don't allow your past mistakes/choices deter you from honoring yourself to the fullest extent possible.
 

Thank you so much for your support of my work, and I hope you enjoy a beautiful February full of love of others, and more importantly, LOVE OF SELF.
 

Blessings,

Theresa
 

LIVE JUICY  *  LET GO  *  RECEIVE   *  BE BIG

Lake Harriet Spiritual Community

4401 Upton Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN  55410

612-922-4272

Theresa is a national motivational speaker, award-winning author and engaging workshop facilitator whose mission is to educate, entertain, and inspire people to become aware of their unlimited power.

For more information on Theresa's work, please visit www.TheresaRose.com

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