Happy Summer Soltice Friends
I have so many things I want to share out with you it’s hard to narrow my focus today. First of all, happiest of summer solstice’s to you all—may your summer be off to a wonderful start here in 2023! I have been fortunate enough to have already started my summer a little early this year, with an incredible 3-week tour of England. We reconnected with family, longtime friends, and road-tripped from one coast to the other along the way. “A proper holiday indeed,” as the Brits would say! I had more cups of tea, pints of ale, and tasty pastries than I care to count, but a balance was struck with plenty of countryside walks, belly laughs and castle tours. And almost all of it done in the gorgeous sunshine!
We had a very tight schedule during our 3-weeks and practicing Mindfulness, or staying in the moment, was often a challenge. Looking to the next stop and planning ahead was always a temptation! Yet on my 9-hour flight over I took the time to set my intention for the trip, and I was glad I did, because it really paid off. I intended to let go of my personal agenda and expectations, and truly open to what was right in front of me. And my reminder of said intention was the exhale. With each exhale, I said, “relax the mind, relax the body.”
While mindfulness practice often looks like letting go of mental agendas, on this particular trip, I knew I needed to be free from expectations, so the journey could be as smooth and as fun as possible. Honestly it felt like the only way my mind could take a vacation as well as my body!! Too much planning makes me feel like I’m working. Now that I’m home I’ve decided I’m sticking with this intention and seeing how it works Monday through Friday. Sometimes I wonder who created agendas and expectations….are they necessary? Okay at the very least they’re over used and over-rated.
Next I’m excited to share that registration is now Open for the Summer, “Hustle No More” Coaching group, starting July 11th. We will knock at the door of our inner worlds, together, and see what needs attention in the realm of our relationship to self and the battlefield of hustling for our sense of self. And by hustling I mean, what is it you do, habitually, in an effort to feel good about yourself, that doesn’t really serve you. A mental loop, activity, addiction, or otherwise, that is more like a smelly old bandaid covering up a wound that never heals.
That’s right, bring your whole self, and your smelly bandaids, to the park this summer and let’s work it out together, in safe and sacred space. If you have never worked in a group with me before, the vibe here will be fun, exploratory, educational, and honoring. Not a therapy group, but a personal growth and learning group, where you learn from hearing others stories and diving into your own story via your own body, mind, and heart! The coaching piece includes guiding you through meditations, energy medicine practices, asking pertinent questions and giving you exercises for home practice.
Who says summer can’t be this kind of fun too!! We never know what freedom may lie on the other side of “not enough” until we are brave enough to explore what this means for us and how it holds us back from the life we are dreaming to fully embody.
Final share: I have launched a brand-new “Engage & Inspire” campaign on my social media pages! Which is a personal growth and learning offering that takes one topic each month and unpacks it over a dozen or more posts. This month we will be exploring, Hustling for Worthiness—good guess. So if you can’t make the group, but the topic interests you check out those posts several times a week, both on Facebook and Instagram. Per always my aim is to build community and share out inspiration, so please join us for some of this summer fun!!
In Gratitude,
Kari