Ooh, Ah, Om!

Juls Explained Here

Last month I turned 47. Not a bad number. But edging a step closer to the next 0. Those zeroes used to be exciting: 

• 10 - a decade/double digits!
• 20 - no longer a teenager, one more year to buy alcohol 
• 30 - a mature adult. . . The voice began here, "You are 30! What have you done with your life? What have you accomplished?
• 40 - free from the marriage that wasn't, started my Master's Degree with Ohio Writing Project, was working out with Bill at MGB Strength, was the strongest I've ever been, feeling alive and free.  "Who cares what people think?!" said 40.

Then 46 came along. Frustrated with food allergies and IBS symptoms, aches and pains, now on two prescriptions  and the threat of blood pressure pills from my doctor. "We have been treating you for stress related illnesses for. . .  ." she started.

"20 years," I interrupted. "That's how long I've been teaching." "Was she going to make me change careers to save my life? What else can I do with my teaching degrees and make enough money to live the life I want to live?" I wondered. I have been asking myself the second question for about 15 years.

     
The doctor told me to lose weight. I told her I've been trying to meditate, and that I am practicing yoga. Sigh. I didn't tell her I hadn't been to the gym in 3 months. 

So that's where I was in April. I decided to double my yoga practice from once a week to twice a week. Amazing. I felt twice as good! During this time I learned about an upcoming workshop at my local yoga studio with a medical intuitive.  We were told by our yoga instructor that this woman could do a "reading" and tell you what is going on with your body. I went home and investigated online. Cost? Is this serious? Anything to help, right?  

    
So I contacted Dana Skrodzki http://www.dsyogandhealing.com/and set up a private session.   Dana contacted me soon after.  She offered to do a free online reading since her workshop was cancelled and she wouldn't be coming to Cincinnati.  I really didn't understand how this worked, but free is good so I sent her my name and age as requested.  It took a few weeks before I heard back, but when I did, BAM!  Did I ask for it or did I ask for it?!  Her email to me went something like this:

Your heart is screaming...Listen to me!!!  and you're fighting it in every way that you can, but if you listen it changes everything for you ( well, your mind believes this anyways). . . 

I am 46 and what have I done with my life.  do you find yourself asking this lately?  There's no meaning, there's no substance. This is what I feel you are telling yourself.  You need to stop leading the life that everyone expects you to lead and start living the life you feel in your heart. . . .

You're over working you mind and your body is paying the price.  You're not listening to your gut and your heart, so your body is producing to much cortisol as you continue to be stressed out with life.   You've been asking for it to stop and it very well might do this.  But, you don't want it to stop, so please stop saying this!!!!   I see a lot of anxiety over the things you can control and things you're unaware of!  Stop doing this to yourself!!!! Now!!!!

So, rather than encourage my body to stop like a bucking bronco throwing me to the ground, I chose to do something about it. I started talking to my body and listening to it. 

Last week I had the ultimate pay-off.  At my Sunday morning yoga class (Thank you, Lulu Lemon, Kenwood), my body yelled at me.  Yes, it yelled at me.  Yes, it was inside my head.  It said, "Why do you think you can work us this hard when you only work out once a week?! It doesn't work like that!"

I, of course, was a bit stunned.  So last week I worked out.  Tuesday I had nothing planned so I asked, "What would you like to do today?"

The voice in my head answered, "The elliptical machine, yeah, the elliptical machine.  Oh, and maybe some weights."

So I drove to Fitworks for the 2nd time in 2014 and got on the elliptical machine.  After about 20 minutes I moved to free weights.  I started out with low weights because I hadn't lifted in almost 7 months.  First set of reps was easy. I slowly increased the weight and before I knew it I was lifting the same weight I had lifted in December.  Listening to my body worked!  The amazing thing to me was that my body was singing the entire time.  It wasn't singing words, it was singing a vibrational hum that seemed as though all my cells were dancing.  It was amazing.  I felt so good!

So, my question for you is how can you listen to your body?  What might it say?  Are you drowning in stress and anxiety like I was?  Are you loving and listening to yourself?  What would happen if you did?