The final tip for cultivating vitality involves inner knowing.  This is related to your crown chakra which is located at the top of your head and is the portal to your subconscious mind.  This place of deep knowing can be accessed through meditation, when you quiet your active thinking mind to hear the voice of wisdom within.

Deep inside each of us is a knowing that we are all connected.  We are not separate from others but are an integral part of the whole system of life.  Embracing this notion means acknowledging commonalities with all living things.  When we realize our wellness is intricately tied to our environment, we can mindfully create exactly what we need to ensure vitality remains a constant part of our life.  This may involve mindful food choices, mindful exercise, or mindful pursuits that bring reward and fulfillment to your life.  Take a moment to step outside and admire the abundance of nature thriving around you.  Breathe deeply, soak in the warmth of the sun and revel in truth of our interconnected natures.

Last weeks tip for vitality involved releasing habits of over thinking and story telling.  To take this one step further, detach yourself from the stories you create to make sense of your life.  See yourself as much more than your thoughts and stories.  See yourself as an energetic being who is constantly evolving.

Align yourself with the wisdom of your body.  The human body has a natural ability to regenerate itself.  Why not adopt this perspective for yourself?  Believe that you are the naturally vibrant person you want to be.  Imagine this is true right now.  How would it feel?  What would you be doing? The choice is yours!

Do you spend a lot of time in your head thinking, planning, worrying or trying to understand the past or future?  If so, it is vital that you shift away from this habit to embrace greater balance in life.  Let go of over thinking and creating stories to make sense of life experiences for you.  These stories allude to an illusion of reality that can be as addictive and captivating as a great saga in a very long movie.  Instead, bring yourself to the present moment and allow yourself to truly see, smell, taste, hear, and feel the moment in all its intensity.  Vitality lives here when you become one with the present moment!

Move your body.  Your body is comprised of more than 50% water.  Movement creates flow, like the flow you observe in creeks, streams and rivulets.  When you move through exercise, dance, or play, your blood circulation increases while toxins are released through sweat.  Magically, your mind becomes more clear as the sediment is joyfully washed away.  Movement is refreshing and rejuvenating for the body.  Movement is mother nature’s natural remedy for loving your body and experiencing enhanced vitality every day!

Embrace compassion and love.  When you find yourself feeling off-balance, tap into your highest self and immediately take action to nurture yourself.  Begin with deep breathing followed by soothing music or even singing a favorite song.  Sing like no one is listening.  Sing your heart out!  Honour all of your experiences, light and dark.  It is perfectly normal to lose balance from time to time.  The important thing is to catch yourself when it happens and respond wisely. Eeeh eeeeehh eeeeeeeeehhh!!!

Let go of judgement.  Anytime you get caught up comparing yourself to others or comparing other people, stop.  It is easy to go into storytelling about which person is better, smarter, or faster but the cost of doing this is great since it leads to conflicting energies.  For example, the term better alludes to others being inadequate, worse or even bad.  Remind yourself the value of being unique and how you deeply appreciate feeling validated when you are true to yourself.

Let go of unnecessary control.  If you find that you spend a lot of time and energy trying to control outcomes and other people’s behaviours, you may be draining precious life energy without even knowing it.  Bring awareness to thoughts and frustrations that circulate endlessly in your mind.  Thoughts and emotions have energy and if they do not contribute to vitality, choose others that do.  Trust that everything will work out.

Make it a habit to frequently connect with your authentic self.  Drop into the moment and check in with your bodily sensations and emotional feelings.  If you notice there is any tension or emotions rising, create space for them to simply be without engaging in stories or inner dialogue.

Focus your attention on breathing deeply from your nostrils and lower belly.  As you become one with your breath, you may notice the tension begin to dissolve.  Gradually, a sense of openness will appear and in this space, you can ask yourself what would serve you best in this moment.  Perhaps it might be expressing your true desire:  “I need to take a break.  I’m going out for a walk.”

Security is the foundation for wellness.  Ask yourself what you need to do in order to build a sense of safety and trust in your life.  Perhaps you will need to revisit past wounds and heal fears from old stories that do not serve you well.  Dark stories harbour dark energy, clogging the energy system and blocking vitality.

Find someone you are comfortable speaking with and who will simply be a container for your truth.  Ideally, this person will remain neutral and empathic without taking sides or becoming emotionally embroiled.  As you release your story, allow any tears to flow and along with that, dark energy from your body.  You may feel significantly lighter and freer than you have ever felt in years.  Take good care of yourself in this process.  Make time to nurture your body, mind, and spirit.  This may very well be one of the most difficult tasks you take on in clearing your chakras but it is also one of the most beneficial and far reaching.

Our body is energy.  According to ancient eastern wisdom, there are 7 major energy centres within our body.  These are called chakras (pronounced SHOK ruhs) and they govern our health and happiness.  In our most natural state, they operate perfectly in balance.  However, when we feel stressed or unwell, they can become clogged and out of balance.  When this happens, we simply need to cleanse them.  There are many ways that we can do this.  The next several posts will offer tips for cleansing and balancing chakras so that vitality can return in a timely way.

This weeks’ tip is to bring awareness to the quality of foods you eat.  Choose foods with a high level of life energy to support optimal chakra functioning.  Foods that are naturally grown, whole grains, and organic food sources are preferred over processed and enriched foods.  Minimize or cut back on any sources that were mechanically produced, contrary to nature.  On a subconscious level, we absorb what we ingest.  Our body reveals this.  Our emotions reflect this.  Our Spirit knows this.  If you find you have a skip in your step and love bubbling within, it’s a good indication that you are making good food choices to support natural vitality!