SCR

The Self Care (r)Evolution is a movement, led by Traci Trimble and the team at The Tranquil Garden Retreat Centre, dedicated to educating people on the value and importance of making the commitment to take care of themselves first – body, mind and spirit. It is focused on the 6 key pillars of wellness – health, family, finances, society, business and personal development – to create balance and harmony in their lives and the lives of those that count on them.

All of Traci”s articles can be found on FengSHe.org – an online magazine for balanced living. We highly encourage you to check out the incredible content that can be found there by clicking on the logo to your right. The Tranquil Garden is a proud alliance partner with Feng SHe…

Article 1 of 5 – Introducing the Self Care Revolution

In general and for too long, many Canadians have left their health care responsibilities in the hands of others – the government, the medical system and pharmaceutical companies. We have blindly trusted and allowed the convenience of it all to negate our reasoning. This lack of self care, disregard for prevention and passive acceptance of being excessively medicated has become a great burden on individuals, families and our society as a whole.

The time has come where awareness and acceptance of alternatives to traditional health care is now main stream. People are looking after themselves better and are accepting that they need to make health and wellness a priority in their lives.

As women and mothers we have created false beliefs that we must sacrifice ourselves for the ones we love. This could not be farther from reality. If we do not look after ourselves how can we possible care for and set excellent examples for the ones who depend on us the most – our children, our partners and our own parents.

The self care revolution is one of awareness, exploration and prevention. I am asking you to question traditional medicine need for you to fill a prescription and learn about what alternatives there are for your health, wellness and personal development.

If you are just learning of the Self Care Revolution and are interested in engaging start slowly – read a book that you can learn something from, take a bath or go for a walk. Do something for yourself that reduces stress, creates happiness and allows you “me” time. If you are a novice but want to branch out to truly learn, share, grow and prosper then take a class, a workshop or a training seminar on something that will help you to create balance in your life and allows you to maintain that harmony. If health, wellness, spirituality and personal development are already main-stays in your daily life then consider giving back to your community – tell people what has worked for you.

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Article 5 – Depth

In preparation of writing this article, I was evaluating the degree of my own personal depth. I began to compare myself with others whom I consider to be “people of depth” and wondering where I fit into “having depth”.

I considered all of the things I thought would be important components of “accumulating” depth – like being an expert in something specific – as though the gathering of knowledge or the creation of faith were “things” one acquired to be a better person than ones who did not. This train of thought whirled into something even more unattractive and completely ego based.

I actually got caught in some kind of debate in my head that had nothing to do with the theme of depth. Let me tell you that writing gets a little tricky if you spend too much time in your own head.

It suddenly came to me that that I did not consider myself to be a person of depth. I see the big picture and yet often just cannot be bothered with the details. How does one acquire depth and not be interested in the details?

My entire life (and I don’t mean my adult life, I truly mean my entire life) people who love me have been telling me to focus on one thing. That is just not my speed. I get so bored being “focused” on just one thing. I was (for only a brief moment) beginning to wonder if perhaps there was something of value in the ignored advice to focus on one thing. Would it have been “better” for me to have had a singular focus? To have become an expert on just one thing and stay focused there? I am confident to say that I know a little bit about a whole lot of things… not just book experience but in real life experience, too. However, I have never really considered myself as an expert on any one given subject. So I started to question my personal depth again. Asking “what is the depth of my contribution to my community” and asking if I am really in a place to write about it.

Sill, nothing was coming to me. I must have been talking out loud while I was feeling a little like this was not a subject for me to be exploring let alone writing about when my business partner, Jenny, piped up and reminded me of one of my very cool skills… I am a visionary.

I have an incredibly agile ability to take that which is in the now and to see the unlimited possibilities far into the future. I am able and willing to dream, create and then live my vision of that future as though it were now. When most see an acorn lying on the ground – food for a squirrel – I see, first, the tree born from the seed that then becomes wood used to build a home that then is part of a community where people of all walks of life flourish.

Well, heck, that… my friend… is called DEPTH. Depth of VISION!

Here it all begins to flow…

Being able to see farther ahead than what is directly in front of me is my gift and it has served me in many ways. First and foremost it makes me a thought leader – someone who truly “gets” the big picture of most situations. I am a strategic planner, a visionary, a person of great belief in infinite possibilities. I have been called crazy for seeing something so clearly that has yet to explained, yet to be proven, yet to exist. This only drives me more to achieve it. It creates excitement that is contagious. As my dream or vision begins to manifest into that which I, with unwavering faith, believed it could have been then evidence is created for others to see, feel, touch and taste it. This evidence is the fuel needed not only for me to continue but also for others to trust in my ability… in my depth of vision. With such trust people are compelled to follow my leadership, to be inspired by my vision and to trust their own desires to be, to do or to have anything that they want. Together, with a broader depth of vision than any one individual could possibly have we create a community of dreamers. A community of like minded people!

When I walk through every day life I do so briskly (focused not on one but on many amazing possibilities) with my head held high and looking not just in front of me but also to the farthest left and to the farthest right. I do this so as I can take in all of the opportunities to notice things that are happening in front of me… to enjoy all of the gifts that this world has to offer – ideas, people, places and circumstances that are far off of the radar screen of most. I bask in the depth of vision. I invite you to join me on this journey… notice the gifts around you, create a depth of vision and live your dream!

Article 4 – Joy

For me, Joy truly is a state of mind, body and spirit. It is that much anticipated “place” where the “wanna be” alchemists in me creates an artistic blending of the sheer excitement (of knowing and living my passion) and of complete belief (in my dreams that are being realized) that culminates as effortless, unconsciously competent creation… my complete alignment with source. It is my desired place, my desired physical state – where everything just flows – body, mind and spirit.

In joy, my body is healthy, balanced and always in motion. It is like living in a tranquil yoga mediation where my body flows completely and in tune with each breath I take. I am aware of and completely physically capable of feeling each and every body part starting with my toes, the bottom of my feet, my heels and ankles all the way up my legs, through my hips, up my spine and across my shoulders, into my face, up to the crown of my head. I have the capability to see and feel the constant flow of chi energy through my physical space and then balance each of my chakras.

In joy, my mind is actively gaining knowledge, creating new possibilities and envisioning a future full of infinite potential. What I think about most of the time is who I am and what I do. Therefore, my mission in life is to feel good every single moment of every day… and then to feel just a little bit better.

In joy, my spirit is in complete alignment with the purpose that my soul chose for my physical body. I am open to receive the gifts the universe has to offer. I receive these gifts because I ask for them and they are given to me.

This description of joy suggests that perhaps this state is effortless. Well, not so much. Today this state is a constant effort, a pleasure of creating a practise that I am willing to inject into my daily life so that it becomes a competence. The ease of living in Joy comes from the knowing that by caring for myself – body, mind and spirit – that I lead the Self Care rEvolution by example.

I am Joy. And, for each of you I wish only… JOY!

Article 3 – Synchronicity

What an absolutely incredible couple of weeks. I was manifesting left, right and centre. Unbelievable things are happening! Everyone I have spoken to this week agrees. Can you feel it? Have you seen it? Wow!

For starters – the theme of this month’s Feng SHe pretty much sums it up… synchronicity. What does that mean to me? Well, two things specifically. First, I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Things line up perfectly to your vibration – positive or negative and if you are paying attention you can actually see and feel it. It is very cool.

Second, I am a strong believer in the law of attraction – the premise that you can have, do and be anything you desire if only you create a desire and believe in it. By asking for what you want and believing it will come all you need to do is sit back, feel great and watch for the synchronistic events that move mountains to get you what you asked for. Most importantly is when they come up we need to recognize them and act on it.

Like I said, this week has been absolutely incredible. The synchronistic events that have lined up to make stuff happen have been insane and abundant - ranging from huge like manifesting an investor for the Centre in less than a week to hardly recognizable like getting the exact Teller I wanted at the bank exactly when I needed it most. Let me give you an example from the mid range but still crazy. Our furnace system at The Tranquil Garden is not functioning. We really need to convert over to natural gas and get a new economical and environmentally friendly system. However, we have been in limbo all summer because at this moment in time that kind of investment just has not been in the realm of financially feasible. We want heat (ask and ye shall receive) – so early this week in walks Ann Burns, a good friend and ambassador of The Tranquil Garden, with some great news. She was talking to a friend about our heat issue, he has a contact that does furnace retrofits, they talk to this guys and he comes on over to take a look at the situation. Awesome…just who I needed, exactly when I needed it.

I am loving this high energy, conscious awareness and allowing state that many of us are experiencing. It is so exciting to be present at this place and time. Now, I understand that not everyone has had success at manifesting their desires. I also know that is because it isn’t being done properly. I have always been able to manifest things that I want when I want – the amazing man I share my life with, my partners in business, The Tranquil Garden. I am a manifester – but sometimes it just doesn’t work for me either. I could never figure out why until just this past couple of weeks.

I discovered the most amazing 12 hour audio training program that shifted me into a state of conscious competence. I want to share some of the great things that I finally comprehended. Most of the information was not new to me. What was new, refreshing and totally impactful was how the trainer put it all together for us. It seemed to just stack together and register deep in my brain and into my heart. Here are just a few of the keys concepts that caught my attention. They are the ones that best allow me to measure the synchronistic events in my life:

You are what you think about most of the time. Experts in personal development like Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightengale have been sharing this wisdom since the early 1900’s. Every personal development guru preaches it. So I beg the question why? Why is it that we continue to fill our heads and our hearts with junk – the self doubt, the negative talk, the worrying about what we don’t have and can’t be. If you feel crappy, then crappy things will happen. If you feel good and work on feeling better than good things will happen for you. I say let’s focus on just feeling good or at least as good as you can right now. Be grateful what we have and more great things will come from that. Notice when you are not feeling positive and just shift it. Seriously shift right back to feeling good and then watch for the good things that come your way.

Be willing to learn and to change. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and actually expecting different results. Many of us do not even realize that we are in a continuous loop of negativity. When we are thinking about what we don’t want and can’t have then we are attracting a whole lot of negative. By law… the universal law of attraction that states like must attract like, and then we are getting exactly what we are asking for. If we feel bad then we are going to get bad but if we feel good we get good. So let’s focus on learning to change just one thing a day that helps us o shift to the positive and then watch for the good things to come your way.

Readers are leaders. I loved this statement, completely connected with and then realized why it was true. When you read you are in a constant state of thought and feeling about that subject. You are attracting to you what you are thinking and feeling. So this realization opened up another key point for me… I should only be reading, watching and learning about what I want to be, do or have. I have decided that those whom I am listening to, sharing with and learning from need to be those that I want to be more like. It sure makes it easy to shift my perspective on watching TV or at least the things I choose to watch on TV. I am suggesting that we take some time to read about something that creates a positive vibe. I would highly recommend anything written by the Hicks. The teachings of Abraham were fundamental for me to connect with the law of attraction. Once you read this stuff then really pay attention to the synchronistic events in your life. Then share them with others – it creates excitement for them and maintains it for you!

Article 2 – Receptivity

“I am open to receive; I accept the flow of cosmic energy into my being; I recognize, absorb and hold all of the divine gifts the universe showers upon me; I give, receive and accept love and abundance into my life”

Not that many years ago the words above, that are now a part of my daily meditation, would have completely eluded me. Open to receive… huh, what does that mean? Yet today I truly believe that receptivity is an essential way of life for each of us – whether we are aware of it or not. However, without the conscious awareness of our innate ability to receive the messages meant to guide us we struggle because we do not trust in, listen to, understand or follow our intuition… that beautiful voice, or that feeling in our heart centre that divinely guides us to remain true to our vision and our authentic self.

Cultivating that inner voice is the essence of receptivity. It is the gift of allowing that we give when we take a moment out of each day to give back to ourselves and to give to others. It goes by many names – gratitude, awareness, breathe, hope, faith, love, light, infinite possibilities. The list goes on and on and on.

3 simple daily activities that will assist you in cultivating your intuition and increasing your receptivity:

SLOW DOWN; choose to take a deep breath…
BE AWARE; choose to listen, to take notice of what is happening around you…
CREATE A PRACTISE; choose to take daily action…

Slow Down
Pay attention to your breathing right now. Is it calm and flowing, shallow and abrupt? Do you inadvertently hold your breath? Take a deep breath – through your nose and out of your mouth. I mean really let it out… make a noise. Try it again. Take a deep breath starting in the depths of our root chakra and slowly pull it up through your heart centre and into your third eye only to let it out with a gigantic loud orgasmic sigh. This is known as the “vegus breath”. It actually creates the production of serotonin in our system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found in our “gut” that biochemically produces feelings of well being. Huh, acknowledge the feeling in our gut to create a sense of welling being. There could be a theme here…

Be aware
Pay attention to what happens around you. This world in which our spiritual bodies have chosen to have their human experience in is interconnected. You will virtually see this as you become more and more receptive to the synchronicity that occurs moment by moment. It could be an idea you had when you woke in the morning but chose to ignore it or perhaps were not even fully aware of it. Then you are reminded of it from a song you hear on the radio in the car to only later that afternoon be reminded again as you run into a friend who just happens to be on her way to an event exactly about the idea you had this morning. Pay attention to your thoughts, the ideas you have, the people you run into. Practise “seeing” what is happening within and around you each day. Look for the connections. Listen to the messages. Notice the sense of well being created from living in those moments.

Create a Practise
Take action everyday to cultivate your intuition – savour the moments that you breathe deeply, listen to the messages and absorb the divine gifts. It does not really matter what you choose to do as long as you choose to do something. Any practise will suffice as long as you are in joy doing it. I, personally, am in complete joy as I walk the labyrinth at The Tranquil Garden and I invite you to join me. I day dream and future vision, I gift myself the time to meditate in a group setting and journal my adventures. I love mantra. Perhaps you have one of your own or wish to create one. All that is important is that you take the time out of your busy day to give back to yourself.

At the end of the day it really is up to you how receptive you are. It is a choice. The choice to listen (receive) or ignore (shut out). All you have to do is make the choice, pay attention and take action. Here is to Infinite Possibilities.

Article 1 – Introducing the Self Care Revolution

The Durham Region holds a wealth of experts in Self Care – body, mind,family finances and business – coaches, energy workers, nutritionists, homeopaths, doulas, psychotherapists, addiction counsellors, massage therapists, chiropractors, family counsellors, investment advisers, yoga instructors, acupuncturists, Chinese medical doctors, doctors of naturopathic medicine, thermographers, reflexologists.. . the list goes on and on.

Traci Trimble is a Visionary in the Self Care Revolution – a movement dedicated to educating individuals, especially women entrepreneurs, on the value and importance of making the commitment to take care of themselves first – body, mind and spirit. Her business is The Tranquil Garden – a Wellness Community and Retreat Centre in Oshawa Ontario Canada, where people are empowered through personal development to create and maintain balance and harmony in their lives. As a coach and speaker she offers a life altering program called Living Your Vision™. As an energy worker she is a Reiki Master, practises Jin Shin Do®Body Mind Acupressure ™ and Future Visioning. As a TV show host she interviews others dedicated to the Self Care Revolution on Rogers Cable 10 in Durham Region. As an Executive leader with TCNW.ca, an online resource for entrepreneurs, she provides inspiration and education in health, wellness, spirituality and personal development.