Ready to Make a Change? My Experiments in Lifestyle Re-Design

We all know it- that day, that moment in time when something shifts and we know that it’s not okay any more. For some of us it’s the day when our anxiety is so gripping that we are paralyzed.  Or when that bit of depression that has been sitting over us like a cloud shifts so it is completely enveloping us. Sometimes it’s when our clothes don’t fit and we feel like we are in someone else’s body. Or my most memorable episode- when I sat down at a drugstore blood pressure machine and the reading was so high that the possibility of having a stroke or heart attack was staring me in the face.

So what do we do when we are finally ready to make change?  When we cross the threshold into a clear place of wanting things to be different- and we know that the only way it can happen is if we do it- if we take responsibility- if we take the first step?

Making change is a lot about readiness.  But there are some other critical factors that also need to fall into place:

  • We need to find support.  Creating change and making it LAST is hard- and we know that having a community who can provide support and keep us accountable will give us a much higher chance of making permanent change.
  • We need to link into a clear path of effective practices that we can execute ourselves.  “Shiny object syndrome”- this is a common practice of always looking to the next new “thing” that will solve the current problem. Sometimes it means spending money on powders and products and tinctures. Sometimes it means outsourcing your health care to someone who has learned the newest trick for managing your pain or fatigue.  Picking a clear path of simple and effective practices that are time tested and under OUR control is a new way of thinking for many of us.
  • We need to learn the basics of habit change science.  Most of us have no idea how to get started in a way that results in getting to the finish line and making our new way of being a lifelong shift. How to get started? How to sustain our new habits? How to make sure it is lasting change?  When we are ready to make a change, habit change science offers us critical tools for making it real and accessible.

So here’s a thought- if your approach to change is normally a passive approach where you outsource your care to someone else or you rely on products- how is that working for you?

For me, the constant outlay of money and time for appointments and concoctions gave me temporary relief but no real ability to create what I wanted in a long term, sustainable way:  awesome energy, a clear mind, a strong and healthy body, freedom from pain, a relaxed and loving attitude, and freedom from the medications I’ve had to take in the past for everything from asthma to chronic pain.

So what changed for me?

My studies in yoga linked me into an Eastern system of health care called Ayurveda, and eventually into studies in Yoga Health Coaching with my teacher Cate Stillman. Since 2012 I have been working with her learning how to re-create my health in a constant process of evolution. And for the past year I have been diving in really deep, learning how to teach others the 10 habits of daily health that have given me exactly what I wanted- the ability to wake up every day feeling healthy, bright, pain free, restored and really grateful for the life I am unfolding.

For me, re-designing my lifestyle to support my health has meant leaving behind my night owl persona and becoming an early bird. I have shifted the way I eat, when I eat and what I eat in a way that keeps my lungs healthy. I have taken control of how each day unfolds, and I balance myself in a way that means I can be the loving and constantly learning person I strive to be in all my relationships.

Curious?  If you want to know more about how I teach the habits of Ayurveda and habit change science- and how I create a supportive community of like-minded beings who are ready for change- get in touch.

I offer free 30 minute Health Strategy sessions where we can talk about what you are wanting to create for yourself, and how you can begin your own experiments in lifestyle re-design.

Get in touch. You just might be ready!