The latest Real Women Shine podcast features The Holistic Hippie, better known as Jessi, and sparks an enlightening conversation about appreciating the journey when it comes to internal healing and finding spirit within one's self.
Jessi is a holistic nutritionist who utilizes the practice of Bhakti yoga, Jhana wisdom and breathwork and guided meditation to find healing and grounding in a world of chaos. Such practices offer the opportunity to live in the present moment and be in tune with oneself.
Photo by Natalie.
For Jessi, breathwork is a good place to start because it is neutral in practice and can be done anywhere, anytime. Physiologically, breathing practices are a great expansion to the pineal gland and calms the nervous system. It can help quiet the mind from anxious thoughts and bring a sense of grounding and control over oneself. It may be a temporary sense of healing, but if done routinely, it will easily become a part of everyday life and help begin the journey of connecting with your higher self.
We can become so caught up with external chaos that we end up seeking quick fixes that bypass the process of internal healing. That quick fix can lose touch of simplicity and cause us to forget what it means to live. In a world where everything has become fast paced and digitized, it is important to quiet down and pay more attention to the inner workings of our body in order to embrace the ugly part of ourselves that may be hindering us from reaching the higher self.
Photo by Gaspar Zaldo.
While recalling her experience on one of her retreats, Jessi mentions a “shadow side” which is made up of parts of ourselves that are difficult to accept. This shadow side stems from varying factors that affect each individual differently.
One factor that has become quite prominent in today’s world is the “age of the highlight reel," in which social media causes many to display the best sides of themselves. Social media has become an outlet where people have total control of how others perceive them which creates a façade of one's self that can become internally damaging overtime. It has created a toxic environment of people trying to outdo one another and causes constant comparison between themselves and others.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska.
In order to get away from such madness, it is important to embrace the ugly parts of ourselves and stop comparing ourselves to the unrealistic standards of social media. It can be very difficult to come to terms with our flaws, but it is not impossible.
By doing so, we can build scar tissue around deep wounds and identify where such issues lie. So long as we protect our inner wounds, we are not able to let stagnant energy create illness in the body. This in turn develops love and acceptance for oneself and begins the process of achieving the higher self of contentment.
Another factor that many people feel the most pressure from is ancestral and generational trauma. This energetic tension may be caused by being raised in tension in which the hardships of early generations are passed on through their parenting and continues to grow until it finally boils over where the most recent generation faces such consequences. I
n the podcast, Jessi mentions that generationally, generation breakers occur roughly every 40 years and sparks the movement of becoming vulnerable and honest with oneself in order to deal with familial trauma.
Photo by Pixabay.
Asking the hardest questions in relation to dealing with generational trauma can feel shameful and can be really difficult to discuss with immediate members of the family because of differing values and opinions.
However, addressing those difficulties helps to purge the illness and trauma that has built up overtime and offers a process of healing in order to live a life of purpose without the weight of outside factors that hinders oneself from reaching self actualization.
Learning how to listen to the small voice within ourselves and build a relationship with it allows our true spirit to be released and achieve a higher consciousness. Finding connectedness from our external selves to our internal selves can be done through spirit guiding by finding something that connects you to the moment and must be done often in order to develop “spirit” and eventually spiritual growth.
This spirit can differ for everybody and can be practiced through different outlets such as art, walking in nature, looking after your loved ones, exercising, etc. We also tend to naturally gravitate towards like-minded people because we feel ourselves through them as they also go through those same spiritual journeys.
Photo by ArtHouse Studio.
The journey towards reaching your higher self falls upon the consistency of how it is dealt. However, before you can reach this higher level of consciousness, it is important to take care of physiological needs, safety, belonging, and positive self esteem. Consistently looking after oneself and building a healthy routine builds the discipline needed to take on the journey of spiritual awakening. It also helps to build an understanding of your limits so as not to push yourself too hard when trying to heal oneself.
It is important to understand that change is not instantaneous. Rather, this spiritual process can take some time and requires a lot of patience with oneself. It is also important to know that even though you are working solely on yourself, you are not alone. Your friends, family, and community of like-minded people are also there for support and encouragement and you may learn a thing or two from them as they go on about their journey as well.
So where do you start? Well, the answer is different for everybody. It is important not to feel pressured to drop everything and start right away in order to catch up with everyone else. Everyone is on their own journey and it is important to listen to your own body to understand when you should start. And eventually, you will be able to be harmonious with your mind and body.
Also check out another recent Real Women Shine Podcast: Real Women Shine Podcast ft. Fine Jewelry Designer.
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