The 2011 Challenge: March
The end of March marks the third update on the the #Reverb10 prompt for my blog-along with MathNerd314 and SunflowerAKB.
Here is the prompt for those who may have missed the first post:
What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?
How will you go about eliminating them?
How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
My list of 11 things
******************************
I've seen my massage therapist 3 times since the last monthly update. My usual massage therapist is still out of commission, post-surgery, but she recommended a very good friend of hers, and I finally had the courage to call for information and an appointment. The new massage therapist's space is beautiful, aesthetically, yes, but particularly in terms of the energy there. It's truly a place where I feel safe, supported, and loved. I knew this the moment I walked in. Some of you may be thinking "Who cares what the space is like if her hands can maneuver ChemGal's oh-so-tight muscles, releasing some of the deeply held tension, and reducing her headaches?". I'm a firm believer that the emotional "stuff" we carry around tends to reside in particular places within our muscles. Some yogis go so far as to ascribe particular muscle groups or sides of the body to particular types of "stuff", but all you need to know is that the idea that specific situations or emotional bits are held in specific parts of my neck and upper body is absolutely reasonable. For me to be free of those physical tensions, I also must also part with emotional scars that are tied up tightly inside those physical knots. Not-so-happy and occasionally-very-dark thoughts float through my head while I'm on the table. If I don't feel safe enough to cry and spend a bit of time with those thoughts as I encourage them to shrivel and leave, my sessions would be far less effective.
Most people think of "getting a massage" as part of a pamper-yourself-after-a-mani/pedi-spa-day thing. Deep tissue/medical massage is quite the opposite. These sessions are work for both me and my massage therapist. It's not "relaxing" in the traditional sense of the word; it's not always pleasant. I am in rough shape and need to do a lot of work, with help from outside hands, to get back to a better place. My massage therapist's space is so safe partly because she approaches her practice of massage from the same sort of place from which I approach my (currently-non-existent) yoga practice. For that reason, we work very well together. At the start of my first session, she hesitantly broached the idea of having an intention for the session. She asked me to tell her what I was hoping to add to my life and how we could focus on that together during the my time on the table. Coming up with an answer for her took me a surprising amount of time. I realized after I left her space that that's because I'm in need of serious massage therapy because I'm already too full. Too full of stress. Too full of worry. Too full of anxiety about so many things. I don't need to add to my life in those sessions; I need to let go.
How fitting that that's the entire point of this year's blog-along. Letting go. 11 Things I *DON'T* need in my life in 2011. Getting rid of excuses so that I am able to do the things that fill me up and sustain me. Getting rid of needless worry and anxiety so that I am able to be a good scientist, a good wife, a good friend. Getting rid of those things will let the fun flood back in. I'll be able to enjoy all that I do so much more than I am able now. This work cannot be completed in a month or even three months; good thing I have nine more left to keep this as my focus.
Here is the prompt for those who may have missed the first post:
What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?
How will you go about eliminating them?
How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
My list of 11 things
******************************
I've seen my massage therapist 3 times since the last monthly update. My usual massage therapist is still out of commission, post-surgery, but she recommended a very good friend of hers, and I finally had the courage to call for information and an appointment. The new massage therapist's space is beautiful, aesthetically, yes, but particularly in terms of the energy there. It's truly a place where I feel safe, supported, and loved. I knew this the moment I walked in. Some of you may be thinking "Who cares what the space is like if her hands can maneuver ChemGal's oh-so-tight muscles, releasing some of the deeply held tension, and reducing her headaches?". I'm a firm believer that the emotional "stuff" we carry around tends to reside in particular places within our muscles. Some yogis go so far as to ascribe particular muscle groups or sides of the body to particular types of "stuff", but all you need to know is that the idea that specific situations or emotional bits are held in specific parts of my neck and upper body is absolutely reasonable. For me to be free of those physical tensions, I also must also part with emotional scars that are tied up tightly inside those physical knots. Not-so-happy and occasionally-very-dark thoughts float through my head while I'm on the table. If I don't feel safe enough to cry and spend a bit of time with those thoughts as I encourage them to shrivel and leave, my sessions would be far less effective.
Most people think of "getting a massage" as part of a pamper-yourself-after-a-mani/pedi-spa-day thing. Deep tissue/medical massage is quite the opposite. These sessions are work for both me and my massage therapist. It's not "relaxing" in the traditional sense of the word; it's not always pleasant. I am in rough shape and need to do a lot of work, with help from outside hands, to get back to a better place. My massage therapist's space is so safe partly because she approaches her practice of massage from the same sort of place from which I approach my (currently-non-existent) yoga practice. For that reason, we work very well together. At the start of my first session, she hesitantly broached the idea of having an intention for the session. She asked me to tell her what I was hoping to add to my life and how we could focus on that together during the my time on the table. Coming up with an answer for her took me a surprising amount of time. I realized after I left her space that that's because I'm in need of serious massage therapy because I'm already too full. Too full of stress. Too full of worry. Too full of anxiety about so many things. I don't need to add to my life in those sessions; I need to let go.
How fitting that that's the entire point of this year's blog-along. Letting go. 11 Things I *DON'T* need in my life in 2011. Getting rid of excuses so that I am able to do the things that fill me up and sustain me. Getting rid of needless worry and anxiety so that I am able to be a good scientist, a good wife, a good friend. Getting rid of those things will let the fun flood back in. I'll be able to enjoy all that I do so much more than I am able now. This work cannot be completed in a month or even three months; good thing I have nine more left to keep this as my focus.