7 Tips To Find Inner Alignment And Balance
Have you ever considered the importance of bring alignment to your body, mind and soul? Do you know what it would take to achieve that? If you did, do you realize that you would be able to feel more calm, centred and clear and be able to have more focus and a feeling of freedom? Nearly everyone wishes they had balance in their lives. Do you know what you need to do in order to bring about this sustainable balance?
Recently, I have had a few things going on in my life that I found really knocked me off balance. I had been a bit lazy with my morning routine, which normally helps hold me strong from day to day, and I really felt the blow from the things that hit me from the outside. You know what? From my experience, the more off-balance that I am internally, the bigger the blow that I may receive from the outside. If I am committed to self-care and looking after myself first, the blows are not as big, and I am so much stronger, flexible and grounded to be able to handle what comes my way. Honestly, it’s like magic!
So, I have found that for me, I have had to relook at what makes me passionate about life. Spending some time contemplating this and has helped me to you get back in touch with who I was, and to start to feel that flow of creative energy inside and feel a wonderful excitement for life and what lies ahead of me.
Passion can help you to achieve those feelings. Whether it’s through faith, music, or some other type of artistic expression, or simply through your passion for your livelihood or just walking in nature, you must find what will awaken you in order to strike a balance in your life. Here are some tips to guide you:
- Goals. What are your goals for the future? What would you like to ultimately achieve in your life? Is it spiritual enlightenment? Is it social status? Or is it merely to be the best person you can be, and make a contribution to society? There should be no judgment on what it is. What is important, though, is the process by which you attain your ultimate goal. That is what will generate your passion. Ever heard the saying, “It’s about the journey, not the destination”?
- Breathe. You can be more relaxed by focussing on our breath and by breathing in and out deeply. The more you allow your body to be filled with deep breathing, the less stress you will place on our body and mind. The more we practice our deep and controlled breathing, the more natural it becomes and we can call on it at any time of day to help us through those tired or stressed out moments. Try focussing on your breath whilst you are walking or doing menial tasks like the dishes.
- Simple stretches. Do some simple 5 – 10 min stretches when you wake up or when you have been sitting at the computer for awhile to allow your energy to flow and not get stuck. Your body contracts at night and whilst you are sitting for lengths of time, it’s important to move and get your energy flowing so as not to create stagnation in our body, and thus your life.
- Refocus. Know that what you focus on gets bigger! Try to focus on the positive, and do not dwell on the negative. Easier said than done, right? When you are going down the rabbit-mind-hole and thinking of the negative, pause and recall your accomplishments, good deeds or times that you felt in complete joy. Feel what it was like when you were in that moment. Doing this will help shift you back into the positive and help keep your spirit up. If you constantly remind yourself of your mistakes, you will find it harder to succeed down the road, and your mind, body, and soul will work against you. This is an ideal thing to do when you are in the middle of a stressful day at work or with the kids; it provides the perfect opportunity to regroup.
- Meditation and visualisation. In the last 10 years, there have been hundreds of studies released in regards to the benefits of meditation. Remember back to your positive experience that was discussed above? This can be turned into a wonderful and simple goal visioning meditation. Focus on your breath with your eyes closed. Start to walk through your body from the top of your head down to your toes and back up again. As you focus on each part of your body, feel it relax. Once you can feel some relaxation, take your mind to a comfortable place, a time that made you feel a lot of joy and that fills you with happiness. Focus on that feeling for a few minutes. Then, focus on a simple goal that you would like to achieve. You need to use all your senses with this experience. See yourself achieving the goal. Feel yourself achieving it. Then maybe there may be smells as well. And know that ‘it is done’.
- Make a change. Do something a bit out of the ordinary. Plan a vacation, even if it is just camping for a weekend. Or maybe you just go for a long walk in nature somewhere that you have not been before. Sometimes a little change of scenery can help shift us out of our stuff. You might want to go somewhere that will be to let loose and have some fun. Try it on your own. It might sound scary, but you will be surprised at how relaxed and refreshed you will be after you spend some time out, all to yourself!
- Try some daily affirmations. Pick three things that you can say out loud in the mirror. Put those affirmations on small cards or sticky notes and have them in various places where you will see them. Saying something often enough has the power to help create that truth for you. Remember, what you focus on gets bigger. You get what you think about, whether you want it or not. Say your positive affirmations as if they are your reality. Three basic affirmations that you can work on include:
- I am safe and secure.
- I am healthy and vital.
- I attract whatever I need.
Mahatma Ghandi has a famous quote that outlines how your beliefs shape your destiny. He is quoted as saying:
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
Why Choose Shiatsu As Your Massage of Choice?
I remember clearly the first time that I tried shiatsu massage therapy. I had not long returned from a year-long ‘sabatical’ trip to Asia and India post graduating from law school. I loved the university life but never enjoyed studying law. I studied law because I could and I never quit because I didn’t know what else to do at the time.
Upon my return from overseas, I was experiencing a lot of hip pain. The doctor offered my anti-inflammatories, which did nothing and the physio could not seem to completely resolve the issue with their machine and some simple exercises.
My friend, Sarah, had been studying shiatsu whilst I was away and offered me a session as part of her practice hours. I had no words to describe what I was feeling when she finished. I could feel blockages of energy suddenly release and surge through my body. In all of my 26 years, I had never experienced such a feeling quite like that before. I mean, I had experienced other types of massage before, but I had never felt the way that I did at the end, like having a shiatsu massage.
I booked in for a few more sessions and was astounded at the results that I received. No more pain in my hips!
Well, you could say that I was certainly more than intrigued! I enrolled in the next intake at the Shiatsu School of WA a couple of months later. What a journey that began for me!
It’s important to understand that shiatsu is one of the oldest forms of massage known. In English, the word shiatsu means “finger pressure” and is considered to be a Japanese form of bodywork.
Similar to acupuncture, shiatsu massage therapy is based on the holistic system of traditional Chinese medicine where the underlying philosophy is that a person does not feel well due to imbalances in their energy flow, or their life force.
To fix it, a shiatsu therapist uses finger and palm pressure on the energetic pathways known as meridians to improve their life force.
Scientists have a better explanation for this by saying that shiatsu calms the overactive sympathetic nervous system. By doing so, it helps improve blood circulation, relieves stiff muscles and alleviates stress.
For shiatsu to be effective, a shiatsu therapist applies perpendicular pressure to specific acupressure points and meridians in a continuous rhythmic sequence. By applying constant pressure to these points for slightly longer than you would receive a normal massage, the body begins to release its own endorphins. So the person leaves feeling so much more relaxed.
These endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers and while you might feel some pain when receiving the treatment, the release of the endorphins should make you feel energized soon after and for several days after the treatment.
A shiatsu treatment is done on a low massage table or on the floor on a futon mat. Two others things that differentiate this type of massage therapy from the rest is that it does no massage oil is used and it is done while you are fully clothed. This may be a comforting drawcard for those who prefer not to take their clothes off. Teenagers love shiatsu for this reason!
Shiatsu treatment can relieve many different problems within the body, from stress and nausea to other symptoms that are caused by any form of blockages or circulation problems, such as:
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Constipation
- Depression
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Poor digestion
- Stress
- Tiredness
- Premenstrual syndrome.
It is so good that it is recommended to have shiatsu regularly as part of your health maintenance rituals or just for some well-deserved relaxation.
Not everybody can enjoy needles used in acupuncture, so shiatsu is a fantastic alternative. It is not safe for people who have open wounds, have undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy, immediately after surgery, and are prone to blood clots. If you don’t have any of these problems, then by all means, you can enjoy a shiatsu.
When you schedule an appointment, make sure you don’t eat a heavy meal before going. Also, if it is your first time, try to be there at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment since you will have to fill up some forms first. But if you are regular, just be there 5 minutes before.
For shiatsu to be effective, the practitioner must be relaxed so he or she will be able to give comfort to the person lying down on the mattress. Proper positioning is also required and both hands must be used at all times even if one hand is still and the other is active.
