Honor Your Past (but don't allow it to dictate who you are!)

We all have many iterations of who we were at varying times of our lives. Our past experiences have shaped us, molded us, and informed where we are today and each version along the way.

While I believe whole-heartedly that it is important to honor our past….dwelling in them, re-hashing the nuances of the stories and situations….does not serve.

In my work, I certainly support the processing of old traumas, painful situations, and overall past imprints, yet I am consistently supporting clients to unwind the ridges of the past, come into the present moment, and move forward. Taking with the medicine of these past experiences and the wisdom gleaned in navigating them. 

Life is short. Preciously short.

Spending our beloved life-force energy on stewing in the past, is detrimental to our health and harming to our wellness on the whole. 

When we have been through massive occurrences in our lives, it can feel dense and impossible to release these memories and ways of existing. Yet, if we can make the moment-by-moment choice to acknowledge the stirrings of our past, take those deep breaths and drop into our bodies, access the present moment through our senses, and recognize that we have the power to create a new experience of living, we can liberate ourselves from the shackles of our past.

This is where we can tap into that well of power from deep within….true empowerment.

We can live our lives with the deep embodied awareness of our past imprints, yet simultaneously and continuously finding our legs in a new way of living and being.

This, by no means, diminishes the pangs of the past. This approach is not about erasing our past traumas, dramas, pains, heartaches, and dis-connects…..

The call to action here is around choosing to not allow the suffering of the past inform our fresh, new, full-of-possibility future. 

What can you learn from your past?

How are your stories from your past experiences interfering with your current life?

What do you feel ready to release from your past to move forward?

Have you been consciously or unconsciously allowing your past imprints to dictate your current life?

Are you operating in your life dictated by past experiences, encounters, and/or events?

Do you struggle in relationships due to the impact that your past relations have on your present?

 Further inquiry into your relationships…

Are others holding you hostage in the bubble of your past? Who may need to be released from the past in order to unhook yourself from that hold?

What relationships are supportive of your ever-evolving self? Nurture them.

Who in your life allows you to grow with open arms and an open heart?

 Are you holding onto past experiences around someone else?

How can we work with the residual gunk of the past to continuously come into the present? How can we excavate our true essence, our true selves, at our core, by liberating ourselves from the past imprints?

To me, it is all about getting it out of our bodies and keeping the energy and emotions moving. Below are some simple suggestions for supporting your own process of unwinding the past from your being so as to open the channels for new possibilities in living. 

·      Writing: The practice of unabashed free writing is cathartic and deeply healing. Grab a cheap spiral notebook (not a pretty neat and tidy journal!) where you can turn to and release all of the messy, chaotic, confusing, painful, and REAL stuff.  Writing first thing in the morning (after meditation) is ideal but really anytime you have the space to write and release, go for it!

·      Movement: As our healing is not linear, nor are our bodies. Try a mix of movement practices to liberate and open ourselves and our bodies is extremely supportive. Some ideas are: dancing (both slow and mindful as well as big and bold), gentle/unwinding yoga, walking, hiking, jogging, grabbing some hand weights and working on building strength from our core, etc. etc.

·      Create an outlet for your emotions: There is truth that sometimes a good cry is exactly what is needed….allowing the flow of our emotions is crucial. The sadness, the grief, the anger….all of it.  The trick is to find those moments in time where you can feel your feelings and also to not allow yourself to drown in them.

·      Seek support: Sometimes we just need to be held and supported by a professional. There is no shame in this! Having professional guidance in these moments, with someone who understands this process and has the skills to usher you forward, can be pivotal in one’s healing process.

·      Work from within: There are endless herbs and supplements that we can take to soothe and nourish ourselves from within.  I will be offering the amazing WishGarden herbs and Thorne supplements on my website in a few weeks.  I am so happy to offer you a free consult about these if this is of interest. 

Overall, anything that we can do to bring ourselves into the present moment so as to release us from the past moments of angst, trauma, drama, and challenge on a micro and macro level.  To release the imprints of the past sticky moments in our everyday lives as well as larger, more momentous ones.

How can we find the gems in the journey….in reflection of our past? Even our most unearthing life experiences can provide so much medicine. I think often of my house fire back in 2016… I will never forget that day pulling up to smoke bellowing out of my house with my then 6-year old son. I will never forget those moments of recognizing that I had no control over what was happening and that I could lose everything that I’ve ever worked for. This is devastating to anyone, yet, felt exceptionally devastating as a hard-working, single mama.

In the rubble of the aftermath of this house fire in the days and weeks that followed, I found infinite opportunities for gratitude, for appreciation, and for the experience of receiving.  I was able to heal a deep wound that I had felt for so many years parenting alone, feeling separate from community. Those days and weeks that followed showed me that there are so many good people in the world. That I was, in fact, not alone.

I was gifted with the opportunity to feel was true community felt like through the many that showed up with helping hands to clear out my house, donations were made from various venues, and overall, I felt held in the arms of those that I barely knew, yet became intimately connected instantly.

Was my house fire a “good” thing? Absolutely not. It caused tremendous trauma to both myself and my little boy. It was an extreme upheaval that I did not know if I could get through (yet I did marvelously!).  But, what this incredibly disturbing event gave me was perspective and the medicine of receiving service out of pure love and care.  That particular imprint has held steady in me since that fateful moment in time. 

Life unfolds in miraculous ways leaving imprints of all flavors in its path. How we continue along our unique, individual journey becomes a moment-by-moment choice demanding consistent practice and connection to our inner selves. 

I will leave you with these final questions for today:

What in your past are you still holding onto?

Who in your life is perhaps holding you in the box of your past self?

What or who do you feel as though you are ready to let go of right now, in this moment?

What can you commit to putting into action, on your own behalf, to bring yourself out of the past and into the present full of infinite possibilities and potential?

 May we all hold each other in love and with deep compassion for this human ride of life. 

As always, I am out here if you need any connection and/or support. HERE is a link to schedule a free 20-minute clarity call.