The Not-So Patient Patient

patient_conniehabash_counseling_psychotherapy_yoga_spiritualityIt’s been 4 weeks now that I’ve been dealing with this. The first two weeks were a sinus infection; the last two have been an ear infection. Everyday, I wake up and wonder when my ears will feel normal again, and when I’ll hear clearly out of my left ear.

Sometimes when things aren’t going as I expect, I start to get a little panicky. When will it be healed? Is it OK? Is there something wrong? Should I be concerned that it hasn’t healed yet? I’m not the most patient patient.

We all want to be in control. We want to KNOW what is happening, and how long. But as I have learned lately (again), we can’t always know. Sometimes, we just have to be patient.

Be Like A Bird

bird_conniehabash_counseling_yoga_meditation_spiritualityI love to sit in my backyard – just taking in whatever I see, hear, and feel. This practice is called the “sit-spot” – a technique used by naturalists to immerse themselves in the experience of a chosen location in nature, to get to know the flora and fauna in a much more intimate way.

My eyes captured a bird, hopping on the ground. It was clearly an insect eater – small, with a long, pointed beak. I wanted it to come closer, but it slipped through the lattice work of the fence to my neighbor’s yard. I decided that if I wanted to know this bird better, why not be like a bird?

Pause and Be Present

Amma_conniehabash_menlopark_counseling_spirituality_yogaI have this painting you see here on my stairway. It’s a print of a watercolor of my spiritual teacher, Amma. I fell in love with it a few years ago, and knew it would look lovely on the landing of our stairs.

Every day, as I descend the 7 steps at the top of our staircase, I pause facing her image. Her eyes are closed and she has radiance beaming from her third eye in the center of her forehead. She holds her hands reverently, just above her solar plexus, in some sort of mudra – similar to folding them in prayer, but the tips of the little and index fingers touch.

Every time I come down the stairs, I take a few moments to pause with her image. I, too, close my eyes, and take a mindful breath. I put my hands in the mudra, and imagine the light at my 6th chakra. I silence my mind, if only for a moment.

Awakening of Gratitude

HMB 1I was lying on a treatment table at my acupuncturist’s office, with a painful ear infection. I had felt mentally, emotionally, and energetically better since the first treatment two days ago, but the ears continued to feel blocked, and I still was spitting up yellow phlegm.

Nalinee, my acupuncturist, talked about how much my energy field had improved. In her Thai accent, she reminded me of the power of the mind, and how harnessing that would facilitate healing.

I knew that, of course, but had been humbled. I had been struggling with my emotions for several days, feeling fearful and sometimes depressed, and had not been able to make the full shift in my consciousness to a true healing mentality. I wasn’t practicing what I knew.

Am I Better or Worse Than…?

sadmonkey_conniehabash_counseling_psychotherapy_yoga_spiritualityThe mind likes to do a lot of comparing. Am I doing as well as that person over there? My yoga poses suck. I am the best in the class! Their car is nicer than mine. It would be easy to write pages of this, wouldn’t it? It’s all too familiar.

In my years as a counselor, it’s become apparent to me that comparison is the root of depression. We wish things were different than they are, and we tend to focus on what we don’t have, or what isn’t happening right now. This is a sure-fire way to ruin your mood, and it does nothing for creating what you really want.

The Power of Dandelions

dandelion_conniehabash_spirituality_counseling_yoga_meditationOne of the first flowers to reveal itself in the spring, the Dandelion is a common sight in sidewalk cracks and my own front yard. I saw the first one stealthily growing next to my African daisy by the front fence.

I pledged to stop pulling up these plants, what we usually consider to be “weeds”, as a way to support the local bee population. They are one of the first flowers to nourish honeybees when they emerge from hibernation. And since the honeybee is in serious danger in North America, I figured it was the least I could do.

On further reflection, I realized that there is more to the Dandelion than meets the eye. What a powerful little plant, and how much I can learn from it.

Think Small

bird_conniehabash_counseling_spirituality_menlopark_meditationI’m tired of everyone telling me to think bigger. “You need to play on a bigger field! You’re capable of so much more!” Does that message ever exasperate you?

It sets us up for feeling we’re not enough as we are. And that whatever we do, it doesn’t measure up, or isn’t significant enough. We’ll never feel at peace within, because we’re always comparing ourselves to what we think we should be and do – bigger, better, and more of.

Ring in the Great Mystery

conniehabash_inspiration_meditation_counseling_spirituality_yogaI know you’ve made goals and resolutions. You’re thinking about a fresh start, because it’s the new year. Most of us have a long list in mind of what we want to have, create, and achieve after January 1st.

But sometimes, it helps to let go of all that planning, resolving, manifesting, and goal setting. The truth is that All That Is arises from the Ineffable – the Great Mystery.

Don’t Should!

Man JumpingHow do you know when you should do something?

Well, first of all, if you “should” do it, it’s probably not coming from your soul

Because your soul, your spirit, you see, follows its line of power and passion.

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