At the recent Befriending Yourself: Spring Meditation Retreat (pictures here), I shared with participants that to me the characteristic sensation of the spring element in Chinese medicine is discomfort.

It’s not the discomfort of hurt exactly. Nor that of an ache per se. It’s more the discomfort of having outgrown where you’ve been without quite being ready for what’s next. Not yet.

Many of us are experiencing such discomfort right now. The temperature goes up, then down. The winter coat comes on, then off. When is spring coming? Have we outgrown winter yet? When can I go out and play? This is so uncomfortable!!!

Perhaps when the decision has to do with whether or not to grab that winter coat, the stakes are fairly low. But when you’re pondering leaving your job, going back to school, having another child, taking on some new role, starting a relationship, moving to a new home, making a career leap… well, the gains and losses feel quite significant then.

How do we know when is the right time to make a move? To grow in a new direction? To leave what we have come to know and spring into the next… unknown… uncharted… big big step?

When discomfort arises, I like to remind myself that it's natural. It's natural to feel agitated, restless, and uncomfortable. This is a feeling tone that pulsates with a desire for change, for growth, to blossom!

So next time you notice discomfort, sit with it for a moment if you can. Tell the feeling you wish to know what it’s about. Ask it, “What vision would you like to share with me? What decision do you wish for me to make? What action are you pointing me to?” Listen intently and together you may find exactly when and how you grow. 

• To further this inquiry, please enjoy a FREE MEDITATION on vision @ shiraozsinai.com/blog/whats-your-vision.

 

• The spring element in Chinese medicine is all about movement. When this energy is challenged in us not only do we feel agitated but also lots of body tension, aches in our joints and ligaments, as well as difficulty making decisions and an overall feeling of being stuck in life. Acupressure alleviates physical symptoms, eases mental processes, and balances emotions, so consider scheduling your springtime renewal today @ schedulicity.com/scheduling/SORJJM/services!

May discomfort reveal to you the unfolding of your greatness,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

Last week's email about how we replenish ended with this: "As we care for the water element in us, as we rest and repair on all layers of our being, we nourish the next element in the cycle--wood." In addition to giving our brains a chance to recuperate and our bodies a chance to destress, rest fundamentally nourishes our life force.

This is the vitality you feel after a good night's sleep. The pulsating sense of aliveness after a deep breath. The spring in your step after seeing a beautiful flower. It's also the renewed desire to grow, to express who you are to the fullest, and THRIVE!

As we make the transition from winter to spring, we still need plenty of rest and we may feel quite raw and vulnerable. At the very same time, that urgency to grow is beginning to thrum in our cells. What does your own power feel like? How are you wishing to grow? What do you need in order to stand fully in who you are and unabashedly proclaim to the world "I am ME!"? This is our springtime meditation, and here are two perfect places to explore these questions and more:

• Befriending Yourself: Spring Meditation Retreat, Mar 23-25, Annapolis, MD. With only 4 weekends to go and just a few slots left, I invite you to sign up now with a friend for a shared room and get $125 off each! Included are 6 retreat sessions full of Chinese medicine wisdom and mindfulness exercises, 5 plant-based, whole-food style meals, 3 Yoga Nidra healing meditations, 2 nights’ stay at a charming B&B, and 1 Chakra Tai Chi practice. Details @ shiraozsinai.com/spring-meditation-retreat.  

 

• Meditative Card Night, Thu, Mar 29, 6:30-8:30pm, Silver Spring, MD. The Spring Equinox on Mar 20 marks the astronomical first day of spring. Just as the trees and flowers start budding, we humans too are supported by nature to explore new ventures and renew our direction in life. So how about an evening of magic, play, and inspiration using oracle cards to call on the wisdom within? Register @ shiraozsinai.com/spring-meditative-card-night.

May rest transform your wildest dreams into reality,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

When our storehouses of energy have been overdrawn and depleted, how do we replenish? This is a quintessential Chinese medicine winter element question, one that shows up throughout all seasons of our life. ​Maybe we’ve gone through a bout of the flu or a nasty cold. Maybe we’ve had to tend to an ailing parent. Maybe work has been taxing and we’ve had to put in longer hours. Life does occasionally demand that we tap into our reserves. So, what do we do to replenish?
 
The answer is rest. But I don’t just mean sleep because sometimes sleep is inaccessible. Rest is a moment of reflection and a deep breath in the midst of a hectic day. It’s gazing at a beautiful flower or candle after hours of staring at the screen. It's listening to a Yoga Nidra recording at bedtime whether it puts you to sleep or not (downloadable here). We cannot survive without sleep. We cannot live without rest. We cannot succeed without reflection.
 
As we care for the water element in us, as we rest and repair on all layers of our being, we nourish the next element in the cycle--wood. And we all know what happens when a tree is watered... It grows, and so do we!

Consider joining me for the Spring Meditation Retreat one and the all new Spring Meditative Card Night!

May deep rest refill your reserves,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

​I was asked recently why my seasonal retreats are titled "Befriending Yourself." The answer involved reflecting back on a time when I did not know what being a true friend to myself actually meant. I was raised to be a good friend to others; never did anyone mention being a good friend to myself. 

I wish I could tell you a lovely little story of how I started cultivating a friendship with myself, but the truth is quite grim. Many winters ago, my tools for dealing with life were sparse, I felt lonely more often than not, and depression hung around like a black cloud that followed me everywhere.

While happy moments did occur, the lows were so low, so bottomless, that I'd often feel lost to myself for months at a time. It seems almost unreal now because my life today is so vastly different. But the felt-sense arising from these memories does not lie. 

It was on one of these down spirals, when I was so desperately longing for the presence of another in the darkness, that I realized I am here with me. I am here to hear my cries and wipe away my tears. I am here to see my pain and hold my hand tightly. I am here to smell the acrid odor of hopelessness and remind myself that "This too shall pass." It is I, my always-present presence, who is here with me always.

You don't have to suffer from depression to know what I mean. You just have to be human. We all have tough moments. So what would it be like if in your next tough moment, your own presence is within reach to offer you comfort and warmth? This is why I offer these befriending yourself retreats, so that together we cultivate a deep and loving friendship with ourselves.

Please join me for the Befriending Yourself: Winter Daylong Retreat on Feb 3, 2018!
​Details @ shiraozsinai.com/winter-daylong-retreat-2018.

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May you always feel your presence within reach,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

The bridge between Thanksgiving and the next holiday is often packed with lots of planning and doing, working harder at our jobs to wrap things up before the new year, and feeling a fair amount of stress and tension. Sounds familiar?

So much of the strain we experience, however, has little to do with shopping, budgets, travel plans, or hosting a gathering. That's simply the "surface" stuff.

What shows up as a tightness in the shoulders or a back ache (seemingly out of nowhere) is more often due to unsettling memories from past holidays, the painful absence of loved ones, broken promises, and/or unresolved strife between family members. 

Insert deep breath here. 

We need a deep breath here because this is the "deep" stuff. This is the stuff we might not be aware of on a daily basis. [More on this in my last blog, Am I Psycho(somatic)?].

These old memories, those unresolved arguments, this grief--all of it has a charge, does it not? And this charge pulls and tugs on us now. So... what do we do?

Here's a suggestion:

1. Notice where you feel the charge in your body. Is there an area of tightness or soreness? Tension or pain? Locate it in your body.
2. Come as close as you can to it with your attention. Study it. Observe it. Learn everything you can about it.
3. Only if it feels accessible, guide your breath to this area (as if you were breathing directly into it). Give it breath as you give it attention.
4. Gently place your hand on this area. Listen to what shows up and see what else is needed.

Caring attention and gentle touch are our natural healing tools. Throughout the holidays, keep coming back to this. It may not change how you feel overnight, but it does invite ease. And ease can help us all get through the holidays.


​May loving attention and gentle touch be a healing balm for all your wounds, 
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

Looking for additional ways to cultivate loving attention and receive gentle, healing touch?

#1: Starting THIS Tuesday, 6:30 - 7:30pm, 3 meditations for holiday stress relief!!
More @ shiraozsinai.com/holiday-stress-relief.

#2: There's really nothing more appropriate than eneregywork for meeting that electric charge in the body pulsating from unresolved past tensions. The style of acupressure that I use is specifically designed to care for the root causes of current challenges without re-living past horrors or losing touch with reality. While the touch is gentle, the healing impact is profound. Call me to see if acupressure is right for you or learn more / schedule your session @ shiraozsinai.com/acupressure.

It’s time to leave the house and go to work, but… Oh no, my stomach is hurting! Am I getting sick? Does it have anything to do with that big meeting today? Is it real? Could it be… Is it possible… Am I... psychosomatic?

As I prepare for a (sold-out!) Autumn Retreat this weekend, I reflect on the one last year and a fascinating conversation about the word psychosomatic. In our culture, psychosomatic is used to refer to physical sensations that have a psychological source. The heart of the debate is this: if a sensation stems from a mental, emotional, or spiritual cause, is the sensation really real?

For too long psychosomatic has been largely perceived as "irrational," "made-up," and "strictly psychological." But I ask you, when your stomach hurts over something, anything, are you really feeling the pangs? The contraction in the abdomen? The sweaty palms? The shallow breath? The nausea? The dizziness? The discomfort? The answer is in the evidence--palpable and sometimes excruciatingly real.

While we use the word psycho conversationally to mean “crazy,” the Greek origin actually means breath, soul, or mind. Soma means body. Psychosomatic then, in its essence, is the place where breath and body meet; it’s the place where the soul and mind connect with muscle, tissue, internal organs, and all other intricate workings of our human anatomy. You, and I, and everyone else are psychosomatic, in that we experience real physical sensations that form the dialog between who we are and our bodies.  

Like metal, the element of Chinese medicine with which autumn is associated, psychosomatic messages too are often hidden. These are the gold nuggets, life-sustaining minerals, and priceless gems that lie right below the surface of our awareness. In an acupressure session, you’ll undoubtedly hear me say, "Stay with it! What else do you notice?" whenever a strong physical sensation shows up. This is the gentle inquiry that uncovers our embodied knowing.

So when psychosomatic symptoms become more pronounced this autumn and holiday season, stay with it. Mine the sensation with your loving attention. It is the vein of ore that leads you to the precious jewel that you are.


May physical sensations guide you steadily to the shimmering preciousness that you are, 
-- Shira Oz-Sinai 

P.S. Schedule an acupressure session or register for one of the upcoming holiday stress relief meditations to uncover the psychosomatic messages you are receiving. Also, please enjoy the FREE MEDITATION on gratitude, streaming live until the end of November @ shiraozsinai.com/blog/in-gratitude4070217.

Over the last few years, I've developed a tradition of sharing some special treat with you in the month of November as a way of saying "thank you." This November is no different. 

Please receive my deepest gratitude for YOU! For taking part in classes, workshops, and private sessions; for serving as my teachers; for your thoughts, questions, suggestions, and comments; for your continued support and love; and most importantly--for sharing with me your precious presence. 

You have filled my life with a vital richness that inspires me to do what I love most. For this, I am beyond grateful. Please enjoy a FREE iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation on gratitude, available below for the month of November. (Learn more about Yoga® Nidra HERE).

Looking for more holiday ease? Check out the slew of new workshops and retreats! Also, acupressure sessions continue regularly throughout the month with sessions available the day before and the day after Thanksgiving. Learn more and schedule your session @ shiraozsinai.com/acupressure.


May the feeling of gratitude remind you of the abundance that you are,
-- Shira Oz-Sinai

The practice is 40 minutes long and starts right away. I invite you to settle into a comfortable position (sitting up or lying down), set an alarm clock if you need to be somewhere afterwards, rest back and click "play". To transition once the practice is over, invite gentle movements into your body, and give yourself 5-10 minutes to adjust.

Sorry! This recording is no longer available. Please check out other recordings under the "Free!" category on this blog or recordings for sale as MP3s at the store. 

​I woke up today noticing sadness. It was deep. It was full. And it left me feeling hollow. After a childhood in Israel at a time when terrorist attacks were prevalent, I feel a deluge of anguish at the mere thought of a single child in America, or anywhere in the world, experiencing the same kind of pain. 

But it's not a single child hurting now; there are too many to count. The two year olds and the twenty-somethings. The ones in Las Vegas and the ones in Puerto Rico. Our own children and our child-parts. They all need us! They don't need us to be strong. They don't need us to fix this right now. They just need us--our presence, our love, our attention. 

If you regard all emotions as children, then there's likely a host of little ones knocking at your door right now. In the last hour alone, I have been visited by grief and fear, heartache and worry, sorrow and helplessness. Since, like children, what they want is my attention, I give it. How?

I envision adult-me sitting next to child-me, perhaps child-sadness or child-fear. We sit on a comfy couch. It has a velvety surface and child-me runs her fingers on it. She likes the feeling of soft fabric on her palms. As we sit there, I tell her how much I love her and always will, how I regret not having the power to stop bad things from happening, and how I love her and always will.

Then I listen, whether she speaks or not, I just listen. I stay. No devices. No distractions. I simply offer her my presence. That's all she really wants. That's what all our children want, our emotion-children as well as our offsprings. So before the day ends, if you can, sit next to them, tell them you love them, offer them your undivided presence. This is how we heal. 


May all children as well as child-parts in us always be met with love, 

-- Shira Oz-Sinai

P.S. ​Not sure what I mean about child-parts or what to tell your child? Email, call, or come see me! I'd be honored to share with you what I've found helpful.

P.S.S. When we give our loving attention to our children, it makes them feel safe. For cultivating a sense of internal safety, I highly recommend Root Chakra for Grounding, a downloadable Yoga Nidra meditation. For you and/or your child (appropriate for ages 6 and up).  

Have you been worn out by the Back-to-School / Back-to-Work season? How about the shift from summertime to early fall? Are you sleeping well at night? Whether you have school-age kids or not, the “Back to School” season affects us all. It’s in the air, in the increased traffic on the road, in the new schedules and routines, and in the feeling that summer has come to an end. It often results in increased stress and fatigue.  

For most of us, it takes a concentrated effort to move through that August to September transition. And, as I wrote last week, that transition was made more challenging by natural disasters and political storms. But once the transition is over, once the storms settle, what can we do to unwind, release the accumulated stress, and reset the “effort button”? The answer is just rest!

Ironically, rest is both the easiest way to support ourselves back to balance after a period of stress as well as one of the hardest things to do when we are stressed. Isn't the irony striking?

I find that when I am stressed, I don't sleep well at night. I know I'm not alone in this; that's how us humans are. Even when we actually manage to sleep the whole night, sleep is not as replenishing, not as deep when we're stressed. This is why I love Yoga Nidra so much. This powerful and effortless meditation cuts right through the stress and transports us to the center of calm, peace, and equanimity within. Better yet, it has the tendency of putting me right to sleep! 

It may sound un-yogic, un-spiritual somehow to use meditation to fall asleep. I used to resist sleeping during meditation because I thought it meant I was doing the practice wrong. But, I gave all of that nonsense up when I realized that when I allow my body to rest during meditation, I am performing an act of lovingkindess and true compassion towards myself. To me, that's one of the greatest gifts of meditation--access to and (re)activation of your own self-love. 

I often listen to Yoga Nidra recordings on headphones while lying in bed in order to fall asleep and sleep deeply at night. For this purpose, I highly recommend Unwinding, an MP3 downloadable meditation that you can play on any of your digital devices. And it's no secret that I also find acupressure a huge help; I always sleep so soundly after I receive it. Learn more and book your session @ shiraozsinai.com/acupressure1. (It's 50% off a 90 mins for your very first acupressure session from now until the end of October!). 


May you always find your way back to deep rest and restore that which has been depleted,

-- Shira Oz-Sinai

P.S. Accessing rest is made easier with meditation, acupressure, other healing modalities, and certainly with a trained professional. But you can also do it right now on your own! As soon as you have a few minutes to yourself, turn your attention to your breath. Don't try to breathe "better" or "smoother" somehow. Just notice your breath the way it is. Notice where you feel it. Notice how it feels. That's it! Whether you feel the difference or not, noticing your breath for a few minutes throughout the day is a sure way to restore your nervous system and invite balance back.  
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Dear ones,

I'm so thrilled to be writing to you again! How are you? I am getting back in the groove of things after a summer spent not-doing what I usually do. Really, that's the best way to describe it. Something in me said, "It's time for a change." But that something forgot to give me the plan! 

So instead, I spent my summer days in uncertainty, with hesitation, befriending the unknown. What a journey! I won't lie, it was really hard to not-do what I usually do. Especially when what I usually do involves traveling to Israel, visiting with family, sun and fun filled days, and plenty of adventure. But I chose not-to. I chose to listen. I chose to stay and stay real close to what wanted change in me. 

Is there something in you that is asking for change? Is there something in you that has gotten too used to the same-ole-thing? Is there something in you that wants a change but has no idea, no plan, no clue as to how to go about it? 

With all that's happening in our world today, and with a transition from August to September made rockier by natural disasters and political storms, it's vital that we listen. Perhaps even before we listen to each other, it's vital that we listen to ourselves. 

So here I am again, changed and renewed from the inside out, and eager to share with you the practices that steadily support me along the way. Join me for a workshop or private session and let's listen together to the voice of change in you.
​

May you find the courage to respond to the voice of change in you and not-do what you usually do,

-- Shira Oz-Sinai