 We recently celebrated Earth Day. In honor of our planet and the change of seasons, I'm sharing three health benefits that come from grounding with the Earth. By grounding, or making physical direct body contact with the Earth’s surface, we can reduce inflammation, improve our sleep and decrease stress. This concept is commonly referred to as 'earthing' or 'grounding.' BENEFIT 1: REDUCED STRESS If you go outside and put your toes in the grass, walk along the seashore, or touch the trees in your backyard, you'll likely experience a feeling of relaxation. When our body makes contact with the ground, it soaks up charged electrons that come from the Earth. Our nervous system is electrical and when we pump it with these negative electrons, we can induce a state of calmness and reduce stress. BENEFIT 2: IMPROVED SLEEPING While we no longer sleep on the ground as our ancestors did, we can still derive benefits from grounding with the Earth's surface. Emerging research suggests that earthing can shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and relaxation). In addition, scientists are finding that grounding the body during sleep might be important for setting the biological clocks regulating diurnal body rhythms. BENEFIT 3: REDUCED INFLAMMATION Earthing can enhance your health by reducing inflammation and pain in the body. The connection we have with the Earth enables free negative electrons to flow upward through the body, mitigating the effect of positively charged free radicals that are generated by inflammatory factors. Moreover, earthing normalizes cortisol levels, which can improve inflammation. Wow! Now that is a proactive health boost that is doable, simple and loving to yourself. Let's pump our bodies with feel good vibes by soaking up those negative electrons. Take some time each day to make direct contact with the Earth. This simple act of earthing can help your body heal inflammation or pain, reduce stress, and help you sleep better. Feel the gratitude and give thanks to the connection you have with Earth and the life that flows through everything! How Wendy Practice EarthingGardening and nurturing plant life Sitting on the ground or leaning against a tree, watching the surrounding insect and bird activity Immersing her body in the water Walking the beach and feeling the connection with the sand, rocks, shells and waves Taking off her shoes before walking on her lawn How will you practice grounding for your well-being? Share in the comments below and join our conversation in my private Facebook group, Mindset Masters Unite!
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1/31/2019 0 Comments Snowshoe Into SilenceStart 2019 off with a deep peace that can be found in the stillness of the beautiful 80-acre Northwoods. Snowshoe across a small wildlife lake, sit amongst the trees, and listen to the winter birds, all in silence. Using a grounded balancing breath practice, we will explore the stillness within ourselves and around ourselves. Afterwards, we’ll take the opportunity to share our experiences with each other over refreshments and nutritious soup. Why would we want to participate in a snowshoe into silence? Many of us spend our days thinking, moving, doing, judging, and evaluating. Our minds are scattered with a constant barrage of information, which can cause depression, anxiety, and stress. Aside from the almost instant feeling of calm and contentment that accompanies time outdoors, walking in nature and being nurtured by connection with others can alleviate anxiety and stress, improve concentration and focus, and reduce inflammation. Foster deep well-being and experience the stillness and silence of the woods. Do you need to find some balance and clarity in your life? Join us on our magical 80-acres of sacred beauty. We offer participants a chance to tap into your own inner peace and well-being.
1/31/2019 0 Comments Do You Have Bear Energy? February is the time for hibernation in bear country, or the Northwoods, but for us humans, we hunker down in winter and call it ‘going within’! Why would we want to focus on going within and what does that really mean anyways? Going within is a process that helps us direct our awareness and attention down into our bodies, bringing ourselves into the present moment. This exercise allows us to accept whatever is happening in the moment and allow any emotions to surface and be released. Going within encourages us to point the finger toward ourselves and BE the change we wish to see in the world. Any time you are triggered or have a strong reaction to something going on in your life, that is a clue to go within to track where, when, and who your reaction is in transference too. “The truth will set you free, but first it might piss you off!” - Gloria Steinem Most of us spend a good chunk of our day focusing and pointing a finger outward -- we are always judging and evaluating everything that is going on around as as good, bad, right, or wrong. We act as if we are victims of the lives we live. What if we shifted our focus inward? How would a focused change of going inward instead of outward, affect our everyday life?
Take a minute to FEEL how that shift might feel in your body -- no judgements and no critical evaluations. Instead you might have a quiet mind and a feeling of peace, love or joy. Have I convinced you to hunker down and start your journey of going within? If so, here are some tools and events that will help you get started. Having a silent breathing practice is they key to start you in the right direction. 1. My free PDF Breathwork Tool will help you practice your breathing, focus inward, and calm your mind down. If you practice enough, it will create a lasting change in your life. It sounds simple, but until you actually take on this mindful practice each day, you will not notice a change! 2. Check out my recurring event, Snowshoeing into the Silence, located on our beautiful 80-acres retreat, the Northwoods, just 15 minutes outside Traverse City. These snowshoe meditations are from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm on February 10th and 17th. After a silent snowshoe trek around the lake, hot drinks and nutritious soups will be served. And to finish the connection, we will have the opportunity to share our own experiences. If you can’t do a snowshoe with us, just go outside and connect, be silent and do some sort of movement. Do you have any other pointers for going within in your life? Leave your suggestions in the comments below! 8/29/2018 0 Comments You are not your story
What do you want to create with the precious time you have left in life?
No thinking...just answer the first thing that comes to your mind. Ok, now write it down on the top of a piece of paper. How does it make you feel? Do you feel excited? Anxious? Irritated? Frustrated? On track? Depressed because you don't think there is a way to create what you wrote down? How you feel about your answer will help determine the work you'll need to put in to move toward your answer. Our intention and commitment are based on having a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is stagnant, wanting perfection, and hoping that things will make you more — more happier, more lovable, etc. This orientation is an attempt to enhance and improve the ego. A growth mindset is just that — you are focused on growth without a destination in mind. You are curious while on an adventure of the present moment. With a growth mindset, you're not giving up on yourself. The mindset can diminish and dissolve the ego, rather than enhance it. The ego cannot pursue a true aim, only presence can. Instead, your aim is to understand yourself now. It is the dance of life. 
Life is not about where you want to go. It's not about waiting and striving to get someplace other than where you are right now.
​Do you spend your day waiting for lunch time? Or, the end of the work week? Are you always looking forward to something different than what is happening right now in the present moment? If so, then you have a fixed mindset and you are living a future-orientated life and you have some work to do! Do you enjoy your day no matter what time it is or what day of the week it is? Do you find joy in the ordinary and simple tasks you need to perform? If so, then you have a growth mindset and you're doing great! "The growth mindset is the dance of life."
If you think you have a fixed mindset, then it is time to STOP meandering through your life with no directional compass, hoping someone will come and save you, or change it for you. YOU are it! When you are committed to ego-boosting activities, as you are with the fixed mindset, you're like a hamster on a wheel. When you reject the present reality and hope or imagine a future that will be better than what you have right now — you begin a pattern of rejection, hope, and desire. It then feeds into the belief that you are not enough. Such thoughts keep us stuck in our childhood and past core beliefs that simply don't serve us anymore.
So, what are you spending your precious time doing? Will you take the step to unravel your "stuck" places or habitual patterns today? Choose to accept the growth mindset! Find more about the fixed and growth mindsets in Carol S. Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.  I tie one end of a long towrope to my wrist and one end to the boat beached on the shore (no place to tie to the raft) and push off. My head, butt and upper arms are in some water, but the rest of me is pretty dry. It is 90+ degrees here today and the water temp is 76 degrees! Within a minute, a dragonfly lands on my leg, exactly where I have my dragonfly scar. I keep saying that I should get a dragonfly tattoo in that spot, is this a sign? I have loved dragonflies for a very long time and have always felt their ancient calling.
Anyway, another dragonfly dive-bombs that dragonfly and off they go. They seem to be very territorial. Another one (or perhaps the same one) lands on the same spot and this continues for a while. One lands on my right hand. I bring it up to my face and we stare at each other for a while. Their huge compound eyes are truly amazing! One lands on my right knee, then right big toe, right nipple, and finally left knee. Then two damselflies land on my left knee and start to mate. (Damselflies are different, smaller, and very delicate looking compared to dragonflies and when sitting still, their wings are together whereas dragonflies’ wings are straight out). They are a beautiful light blue color. The male’s tail attaches to the top head of the female. Her tail comes up under her and attaches to his belly area. It makes a perfect heart shape! They stay this way for 20 minutes while I watch, trying not to move. I was trying to be "one" with my surroundings. Many other damselflies land on my legs and stomach while this is taking place. Feeling at peace with life in this moment. PS - Has anyone read Dragonflies: Magnificent Creatures of Water, Air, and Land by Pieter van Dokkum? Thinking of adding it to my reading list... |
AuthorWendy Wagoner has explored numerous avenues of disciplines over the last 30 years. She is a professional Awakening Coach, healer, and experienced workshop leader. Archives
May 2019
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