Bodywork at its Best: Spring Into Transition

Because spring is a time of transition and rebirth, it presents a perfect opportunity to make positive changes in our lives. In this article, Ben Thomson, Holistic Health Coach, gives practical advice on making the most of spring’s momentum.

Are you the type of person who feels a growing desire to experiment with and take on new behaviors, challenges and experiences? Here in “the city different,” are you living the life different? As I connect with friends, clients, students and strangers alike to get an idea of how “transition” is occurring for people, I feel and see wonders on the horizon as well as in the present moment. I would like to share these observations with you, that you might feel more a part of the transition into spring, or the spring into transition. I believe it is a great time now to take attention off of personal limitations and place that attention on fun, well being, and other intended outcomes.

If you sensitively feel the growing pains of your being or the arising desire for something more or different, I encourage you to read on and benefit from some of the personal experiences/suggestions of others like you; these may support your transition, shine a light on new possibilities, show you ways of placing a little extra attention in the area of self-care/self-organization, growth, and quite possibly more:

1. Make a special effort to free yourself from any unnecessary debt.
   
2. Clean up past relationships that lay incomplete (whether directly or through a ritual process).
   
3. Visit places/engage in activities that bring more joy and pleasure to your life.
   
4. Establish a morning/daily ritual that keeps you grounded and present to your needs and desires.
   
5. Nap more often; rejuvenate yourself and allow any unconscious shifting to occur effortlessly.
   
6. Make a dietary shift that adds a spring to your step or that supports your transition (colon or liver cleansing is a good idea, as is lightening your breakfast and spending more time and attention on meal preparation).
   
7. Exercise: I recommend a balance between cleansing and building. One day, stretch, do yoga or go for a longer-than-usual-walk (cleansing); the next, hike, swim, lift weights or cycle (building).
   
8. Express love and affection, especially in moments when you may habitually hold this back.
   
9. Find something to acknowledge about others during each and every interaction and express the acknowledgement.
   
10. Allow for more movement of your body, especially along the spine; experience greater freedom of movement accompanied by breath to encourage fluidity, healing, comfort, connection and peace (inner/outer).

It is my suggestion that you take on at least one of these practices per week and then add one for each consecutive week until we are fully in the spring of spring. Having a goal or a vision about what your life might look or feel like 3 months from now is a great way to keep yourself focused on the benefits of the steps you choose from above. In fact, journaling or collaging about outcomes and keeping that handy is a sure way to maintain the pleasurable aspects of a transition at the forefront of your mind. I hope you find these suggestions helpful. For more information about generating a results-based wellness plan or lifestyle re-organization plan, please feel free to contact me at connectswith@gmail.com.

by Ben Thomson, MA, HHP, Holistic Health Practitioner, Self-Care Trainer © copyright 2009 Ben Thomson all rights reserved.