liveyourdream's Blog

At four years old, she was told something that became her belief, her truth…

At any age, we all seek a fundamental truth, a truth we initially look for outside ourselves, a truth we derive from others to validate our lives; the truth of unconditional acceptance and validation of our being, of our worthiness. The truth is we “know” our truth, but often times get disconnected from our truth.

I had the most amazing soulful connection with an 80 year old woman this past week in the therapy clinic. This woman has been questioning the struggles she’s had over the past few decades of her life, although she was very successful in her business before retirement. In my brief observation and through conversation, I sensed she had been allowing herself to die slowly and painfully with the aging process; dying to self; denial of self; deprecation and destruction of self; denying herself the joy that stems from living her passion, a passion that moves her spirit and fills her soul.

She questioned, what was the point anymore, what was the purpose to her life? She questioned what it was to have faith or to “trust in the process.” She said that getting old was painful and nobody really cared.

For years, she has had difficulty sleeping and feels depressed when awake. One would think she was simply depressed, which is a common occurrence with aging. She recently had surgery and her body was healing, but in addition to the physical healing, she was dealing with many emotions that were surfacing; feelings of unrest and uncertainty.

I asked her what she enjoyed doing. She told me she spends time with her family. She has been married for over sixty years, and has children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She told me she looks at old pictures of herself and sees a young girl who is no longer present. That profound comment immediately caught my heart’s attention. I looked directly into her eyes and said, “That girl is still very present, she still lives inside you, she has never left you, it is you who have left her, denied her.” She looked at me, there was a moment of silence. As I continued to talk with her, I found out her interests and talents, which are indeed, her passion…poetry and art, painting and drawing. “How beautiful,” I remarked. I shared that this natural ability to creatively express, was a gift, uniquely hers.

“What’s the point,” she said, “no one cares about this kind of stuff anymore. They are too busy with other things, with gadgets and interests elsewhere. I don’t want to bring people down with my views on life. My views are not like yours.”

I asked her how she felt when she used to write poetry and paint. She said she felt alive, she was inspired. The creativity came through her onto paper and onto canvas. I gently brought to her attention that while she was expecting others to find value with her inspired works of art, she was not appreciating and valuing these works for herself.

Although her outlook was pessimistic and doubtful, it was her reality being expressed, her feelings and perspective that had me intrigued and inspired. I was greatly inspired by our connection, the enriching content of our heart and soulful communication. She expressed feeling inspired by my outlook but said she could not connect with it. I challenged her on this, for I knew on a deeper level, she was truly moved and engaged but was resisting her own authentic truth... for the truth that she has known and lived with for eight decades, a truth told to her in her youth by her father, a person she dearly loved and respected, had prevailed throughout her life. I asked her to consider that the intention of our meeting was to bring attention to her symptoms of restlessness and depression as a message from her body, to open her to a new perspective that the possibility her truth did not match her father’s truth. She acknowledged me with a look, neither denying nor confirming the possibility. To be continued…

What do you FEEL will follow from this interaction?

What are you seeking in life? What’s the bottom line to your life and to living? Is having life and living the same?

HONOR yourself. CHALLENGE yourself to change…OPEN to a new perspective.

Do you acknowledge yourself, your deeper authentic self that you “know” intimately OR are you afraid to open up and reveal for fear of misunderstandings, judgment, criticism, or ridicule? Are you wrestling or resisting your truth, your authentic truth? Are you questioning something someone told you, a belief that you made your own? Are you revisited by your conscience, your intuitive guide?

At any age, our authentic truth remains the same. There is value and meaning to our lives, our life matters, we embody a Divine Spirit, that which is love of the purest kind. This loving Spirit nurtures us, keeps us “Whole.” We are worthy of giving and receiving love, we are magnificent in design; we are remarkable, there is value and meaning to our lives. This is Our AUTHENIC Truth!

Commitment to your honoring your authentic truth takes courage, patience, loving intention, appreciation, and trust in the process. Be gentle with yourself.


With Gratitude for Heart and Soulful Connections!

Deborah

Author: Straight to the Heart of What Matters

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Hello Braveheart sisters. I recently submitted an article to an online paper that I would like to share with you. We are in a community that inspires curiosity, greater awareness, and consiousness, allowing for our healing and our growth. As a physical therapist, I desire to facilitate healing at the deepest level. I desire to positively influence and contribute to your life. I trust you will appreciate the content of this article, as it is intended to lend to your awareness, emotional and physical healing, and personal and spiritual growth.

Your Body is a Masterpiece, a Symphony, a Magnificent Creation…

We are energy, we are light, and we are music in motion-- a harmonic expression…we flow, we resonate, we radiate, we express…

Our body communicates with us. The terms we use to describe our life, our situation, or our circumstance, mirrors what is happening on the inside of our body. The tensions, restrictions, adhesions, compensations, holding patterns, and disease processes that occur inside our bodies due to injury, neglect, abuse, and trauma whether physical or emotional have us languaging in a way to bring our attention inward; to bring our attention to what we are really feeling on a much deeper core level. Most of us are not aware of this until our attention is directly or indirectly brought to it.

The energy we expend to compensate, hide, resist, brace, hold on to, and harbor, is significant. Its effects can be direct, indirect, and subtle on our health and well-being both for the short term and long term without our awareness. When we are out of alignment within our body, out of sync, not flowing freely and comfortably, this has effects on how we view our world outside our body…how we view our lives, our situations, and our relationships.

Our cells, tissues, nervous system, and all our systems are constantly interacting and responding to our experiences; responding to our environment both on the inside and the outside of our body.

I ask you now to give your attention to the light presence that is within you; the light that is you, that radiates through you and beyond you. Raise your vibration to align with your highest self, your higher intuitive knowing self, the self that longs and cries for your attention. Embrace and appreciate all that makes you unique.

May you find peace within.

With Gratitude for the Divine inner guidance that is within us all.

Deborah S. Howell

Author: "Straight to the Heart of What Matters"


I invite you to Join the Global Mission and Vision of Victory in Action.
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How many of you know someone who is feeling stressed out? The incidence of stress related illness and burn-out are affecting many lives, including our youth. Advances in technology has provided us numerous benefits but has also taken a serious toll on our health. As a society, we are physiologically bombarded with stimulus throughout our day whether we are conscious of it or not.

Stress has significant influence on pain and immune function via chemical, musculoskeletal, and autonomic (automatic) nervous system responses. Our beliefs, thoughts, and emotions lend to support or breakdown life at the cellular level. Continuous, high levels of stress and distress gradually result a state of imbalance, impairment, and/or dysfunction .

An amazing weekend retreat workshop has been created to allow you to take a well earned "TIME-OUT" to recharge and reorganize! Learn how you can unwind, release, rebalance, and revitalize. Visit www.actonyourhealth.com (view events)

Here's to living your best life possible!

Deborah

GET TO KNOW YOUR PELVIS AND PELVIC FLOOR

It is important that women and men have a healthy regard and awareness of their Pelvis and Pelvic Floor. This area of the body is the HUB of all activity, contributing to overall health--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. It is an area that is in constant communication with the upper and lower body and the organs they support. It is an active, dynamic, and multifunctional area essential to activities of daily living. The pelvis and pelvic floor have muscles, nerves, fascia, ligaments, bones, joints, blood, and lymph-- all which function to provide the necessary core strength, stability, mobility, vitality, sensitivity, proprioception, and functionality. Information transits through or directly into the pelvis and pelvic floor allowing us to:

1. Maintain a stable base of support for upright posture in sitting or standing
2. Transition in and out of various positions while maintaining a supportive function
3. Mobilize or stabilize in order to walk, run, jump, etc.
4. Have effective bowel and bladder function
5. Engage in healthy sexual activity

The pelvic floor lies in the base of the pelvis, in a sling like fashion, attaching to your skeletal frame. These attachments are made anteriorly, posteriorly, and laterally connecting to the pubic bone, sacrum, coccyx, and hip bones. The resting tone and voluntary control of the pelvic floor muscles are important for optimal pelvic support and function.

The Pelvic Floor Functions to:
1. Support the pelvic organs-- the bladder, uterus, and colon
2. Assist in stopping or starting the flow of urine or the elimination of gas or bowel
3. Aide in sexual function and appreciation
4. Provide support during pregnancy and permit for childbirth

Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions can limit your daily activities and profoundly affect your relationships and your lifestyle. These dysfunctions can be painful, disruptive, and stressful.

Common Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions: Bladder or Bowel Incontinence, Prolapse, Constipation, Sexual Pain / Dysfunction, and Pelvic Pain. Other chronic conditions may include: hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and abdominal pain.

For more information on pelvic floor rehabilitation, please visit www.actonyourhealth.com

To living your best life possible!

Deborah Howell, PT

April 1st, better known as April Fool's Day, happens to be my birthday. Having a birthday on April Fool's day is a mixed blessing. It's an easy day for people to remember, but it also makes it easy to be a target for jokes, especially as a child. As a child, I was on the receiving end of many April Fool's jokes and teasing. I look not to prank anyone on this day because I had enough of that from my school days. Today, I listened to a joke on the radio that may have been funny for the ones making the joke and some of the listeners, but not for the ones on the receiving end.

As an adult, I have greater appreciation for this special day. I delight in the fact that I was born at home and my grandmother, a mid-wife, delivered me. I am an Aries "fire sign" woman and a Braveheart woman. I am grateful for the many blessings in my life and am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve others.

I appreciate the genuine, heartfelt sharing in our BraveHeart community.

With Gratitude,
Deborah
"Liveyourdream"

I am truly inspired and in awe at this very moment...
Ellie, I am deeply grateful for your inspired heart and your vision of our BraveHeart Community. As individuals and as a community, we embody the spirit of love and compassion. We are here to share and to serve. We are willing and able to reach out with a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, and a loving, cheerful heart. In this community and as far as we can reach, let us offer hope and inspiration to every life we meet. Let us recognize our own value and lift our hopes and dreams to a new level. Let us live with unwavering faith, courage, and humility as we embrace this era of infinite possibilities. Let us sow and grow with the seeds of faith, grace, possibilities, and significance.

In quiet reflection, let us allow our hearts and souls to sing in harmony with our deepest passions and desires. In our daily lives, let us rejoice and express our gratitude as we humbly lift our hearts and voices--for we are living and thriving with the greatest of positive intentions and inspired actions-- for we know our lives have great purpose beyond ourselves individually.

Yes, we can move through any adversity and triumph over any obstacle. Yes, we can dream and have our dreams come true. Yes, BraveHeart women, we can inspire and be inspired!

www.braveheartwomen.com/liveyourdream
www.actonyourhealth.com