9 Steps to Inhaling the Good Shit & Exhaling the Bull Shit
Tips from a Mindfulness Teacher & Neuro-Rehab Occupational Therapist
“Inhale the good shit & exhale the bullshit.” I love that phrase — It reminds me to learn from the breath.
It is not a coincidence that the act of inhaling is called: “INSPIRATION” & the act of exhaling is called: “EXPIRATION.” When we inhale, we are inspiring our mind-body with a fresh new moment & life nourishing oxygen. When we exhale, we are expiring the past moment & detoxifying ourselves of what we no longer need, such as carbon dioxide.
However, because OUR LIFESTYLES ARE SIMPLY A SERIES OF HABITS, “inhaling the good shit & exhaling the bullshit” is a phrase that is easier said than done. Due to the effective neural wirings of our brains, old habits do die hard, & new habits, well, I’m sure you know of someone whose new years resolutions have already been squashed. So at times, we could all benefit from concrete tools & practices to help us shed light on what exactly it is in our lives that we need to create, what it is we need to let go of, and how to effectively go about doing so.
I recently went to Sedona, Arizona for a 5-day workshop called “Release & Renewal” — taught by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana — author of “FULL BODY PRESENCE” & developer of the HEALING FROM THE CORE workshop series. www.healingfromthecore.com
Throughout this course, I gained an understanding of some Native American perspectives on BALANCED LIVING. For instance, I learned how the Sacred Medicine Wheel can be used as a tool to bring clarity to the things in my life that needed to be RELEASED along with things that I needed to bring into my life to feel RENEWED. Example: by going through the different stages of the wheel, I was able to clearly see 1) how I needed to let go of thoughts & habits of self-sacrificing & people pleasing; 2) the barriers to consistently LETTING GO of these things included my fear of judgement & fear of failure; & 3) I needed to renew myself by embracing new qualities such as VULNERABILITY & AUTHENTIC SELF-EXPRESSION.
Since I’ve been back, I’ve founnd myself being, doing & accomplishing more. Interestingly, nothing has changed…except that I am now more clearly aware of what it is I want to keep releasing, what it is I want to keep renewing, & what the habitual barriers are. Mind you, it has only been 1 month since my return from Sedona & so on that note, I’m going to share with you some tips that will serve as a reminder for myself when it comes to releasing & renewing. For funs sake, let’s call this:
“9 Steps To Inhaling the Good Shit and Exhaling the Bull Shit:”
1. START & END THE DAY WITH GRATITUDE. Energy really does follow attention. So when you pay more attention to the abundance in your life, it is no wonder why abundance continues to flow through. I recommend bringing tangible form to your thoughts by either journaling, praying aloud, or simply verbally stating all that you’re thankful for.
2. BRING AWARENESS TO EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YOU NEED TO RECEIVE OR RELEASE. It may be a certain quality or a trait, a habitual thought or behavior, a person, thing, or simply an expected outcome. Any practice that brings awareness to your mind-body will help ie) meditation, yoga, body scans, journaling re: food, thoughts, emotions, sensations, or the Native American medicine wheel as described above. I’m also a big fan of seeking counsel from therapists, social worker, mentors etc. Whoever will tell you the truth about yourself is a good ally.
3. BRING AWARENESS TO THE BARIERS THAT GET IN THE WAY OF YOU RECEIVING OR RELEASING WHAT YOU NEED TO ie., excuse making, fear, resent. There’s no point in setting forth our goals, affirmations, & intentions only to have them backfire due to habitual ineffective, self-defeating, thoughts & behaviours.
4. PRACTISE MINDFULNESS MEDITATION. The practice of meditation supersedes all practices in its ability to train our minds in the skill of LETTING GO & RETURNING. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has been scientifically proven to improve our ability to re-direct our attention. The practice of letting go begins with the ability to let go of a thought (once you’ve brought awareness to it) & then re-directing your attention to the sensations of the breath in your body. If you can practise this skill of letting go & returning, letting go & returning, letting go & returning, then there is hope that you can LET GO OF ANYTHING & CREATE ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING.
5. WRITE DOWN THE GOOD SHIT. I’m sure you know Ghandi’s famous words of how thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, actions lead to habits, habits lead to values, & values lead to destiny. So move your goals, affirmations & intentions down along this process and write them down, son! Some powerful affirmations often begin with:
“I am…”
“I choose…”
“I receive…”
“I am creating the possibility that…”
“I am open to the possibility that…”
6. SAY IT! While there is strength in the written word, I find more manifestation power in the spoken word. So don’t be embarrassed, post up the good shit you’ve written down for yourself & say it aloud!
7. FEEL IT! There’s a substantial amount of continuing research proving the mind-body connection. I’m sure you yourself can describe some physical sensations that arise when you’re either nervous, angry, or anxious. Similarly, you can often tell a happy, confident individual from a depressed, insecure individual simply by their POSTURE. So for instance, if you’re intending to manifest courage in your life, then by golly stand with courage & EMBODY what courage would feel like from your head to your toes & from the front of your chest to the back of your back! Life cannot be cognized or intellectualized - It can only be EXPERIENCED — so whatever affirmation you’ve written down & are saying…FEEL IT FROM THE FULLNESS OF YOUR BODY!
8. PRACTISE DAILY. As Aristotle has said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” The process of releasing & renewing or in other words, the process of healing & growth IS ALL ABOUT HABIT. All habits become habits because they are practised — whether you’re aware of it or not. So on the daily, make it a routine part of your day or night, to practice gratitude, meditation, and whether you call it a prayer, intention, goal or an affirmation, say it aloud & feel it.
9. Finally, BE CURIOUSLY OPEN to receiving! My good friend & Reiki Master — Pearce Cacalda — enlightened me one day by giving me a new view on the “PRESENT” moment. By trusting that our thoughts do manifest, we can find confidence in the great possibility that we will receive what we had literally “PRE — SENT” to ourselves & others via our intentions. So, in each present moment, be open & curious to receiving what you’ve already pre-sent!
So good luck my friends. As we inhale the good shit & exhale the bullshit, remember that the key to our health & growth begins with BREATHING.
