Latest / Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul / Ep 16 | Navigating Your Body's Signals and Needs: The Sensitive Woman with Spark | Highly Sensitive Series

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Ep 16 | Navigating Your Body's Signals and Needs: The Sensitive Woman with Spark | Highly Sensitive Series · Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul

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Welcome to Rise and Realign, conversations for
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the sensitive soul. I'm Melissa, and this space
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is for those of us who feel deeply, love fiercely,
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and sense the world in ways that are hard to
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explain, but impossible to ignore. Here, we honor
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your sensitivity as a strength, not something
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to fix. So I'm just going to briefly touch on
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the highly sensitive series blog that I've been
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referencing. You can certainly read it at your
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leisure on my website, realignwithmelissa .com.
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But this is in the body part, part five, navigating
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your body's signals and needs. And this again,
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it just speaks to you know your body's reaction
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to stress being more intense and nuanced than
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others might experience you know so again why
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we need to understand what it means to be someone
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with this high sensitivity trait right because
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whether it's emotional physical or environmental
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your nervous system your unique design responds
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with a cascade of reactions. We're talking your
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nervous system, stress hormones, your digestion,
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and your recovery time. You know, that's often
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longer than others might need. And again, that's
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something that sometimes we may wonder, like,
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why am I not over this yet, right? Like, this
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is that depth of processing. So this isn't a
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design flaw. right like this is a very sophisticated
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way for your body to process information um and
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again you always have dr elaine aaron's research
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you know if you um enjoy reading um and this
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particular blog i do cite some research from
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2012 that you can look into if um you so choose
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um but i I also want to talk more specifically
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because, you know, what does it mean to be a
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highly sensitive person, right? Some people are
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well aware of, you know, being an HSP and, but
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it doesn't mean that we all understand the complexities
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within being a highly sensitive person because
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Even the 20 to 30 % of us who have this high
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sensitivity trait, we are all so very unique,
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right? I mean, I see it just in myself and my
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family, whether that's my family of origin or,
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you know, with my children. And I see it with,
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you know, the clients that I work with. So just...
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discovering how it's helpful and supportive for
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you is what really matters most because again
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the the way our high sensitivity shows up is
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unique to each of us and you know where our areas
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of focus or even challenges are right are are
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specific to each of us and our own very unique
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journeys so Connecting with our body, though,
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is really important because many of us don't
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understand that stress response. Many do not
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yet know the sympathetic and parasympathetic
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and why being sympathetic dominant in that fight
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or flight chronic state. is so unhealthy for
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us, right? I mean, it is absolutely increasing
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inflammation in our body and the mind -body connection
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is, again, there's no separating it. So we need
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to work with the wholeness of who we are so that
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we can be able to relax, so we can recognize
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the pattern that's even there. You've probably
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heard me say I was a very high strung individual
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and I just thought that was my nature, right?
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I didn't recognize that that was actually dysregulating
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to not only my nervous system, my gut health,
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right? Increasing inflammation and having an
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autoimmune condition like Hashimoto's, right?
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Like these are really important things to understand,
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but I didn't always know. And so I'm very passionate
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about raising awareness because I feel that we
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all deserve to live healthy, happy, and harmonious
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lives, right? Like riding the ebb and flow of
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how life goes, but again, with as much peace
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and harmony as we possibly can. And, of course,
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surrounded by love. But what I really wanted
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to talk to is that some of the sensitive individuals,
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you know, may call themselves, well, I'm an introvert,
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you know, and they may not understand that they're
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actually a highly sensitive individual. And that's
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okay. I mean, there's great work out there. on
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introversion. And, and oftentimes, it's speaking
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to those who are actually highly sensitive. And
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again, that's a certain part of highly sensitive
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individuals, right? 70 % of us are introverts,
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where 30 % are extroverts. What I have found
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is that I myself, I consider myself an extroverted
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introvert. Right, like I'm somebody who loves
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my alone time so that I can tend to my own needs.
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And I'm also someone who feels very energized
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when I'm around those who I resonate with, right?
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Like the same, we'll call it vibe, right? I'm
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very extroverted and being in leadership roles,
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that makes it really easy, right? So I really
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want you to understand that if you are a highly
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sensitive person, it's not a specific label,
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right, that minimizes your identity. Like it
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really, it's important to me that If you recognize
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that you have this depth of processing, right,
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where you're taking in more stimuli, you're processing
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it more deeply, you have that more felt sense
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of, you know, the interceptive awareness on the
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inside and then the external, right, that sensory
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intelligence. That's something to nurture. That's
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something to begin to understand so that you
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can keep yourself healthy, right? You can recognize
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earlier signals. And then I've talked about,
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you know, the really artistic sensitives, right?
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Like we've got... so much beauty in the art world
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right that comes from sensitive individuals because
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they can see so much more detail they can create
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so much more from this depth of processing right
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so i really want to help shine a light on the
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beauty of being a highly sensitive individual
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and it's very intricate layers of how our sensitivity
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can express, right? I do call it a gift, even
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though I'm very aware that it creates challenges
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for some as they're navigating, you know, the
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ups and downs of life. And if they've had childhoods
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that were challenging and not as supportive as
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they needed, right? Like that just... That's
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a process and we can't rush that process. But
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I definitely want you to know that as a sensitive
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individual, you're not alone. you know, there
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are evolutionary reasons why some of us have
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this more finely tuned, you know, nervous system,
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why our neuroanatomy is just a little bit different,
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right? So that we have this capacity to have
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a higher awareness, to access an intelligence,
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right? To access the spiritual realm. And again,
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it's just unique for each of us. But again, just
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helping those who have been curious, you know,
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like, geez, why do I react, you know, this way?
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Or why do I cry this often or so easily, right?
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Like, this is just a way to understand what can
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happen for those with this trait. There's also,
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you know, something that I found really helpful.
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You've probably heard me talk about the human
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design system, which is a way to just see, again,
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other nuances of how we might be experiencing
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life and just gives another perspective as to
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why, you know, we might be living the experiences
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that we are. But for me, I've noticed that, I
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don't know, I see it like sensitivity with a
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spark, you know, like there's this, the sensitivity
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is the, again, it's that felt sense, you know,
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both subtly and, you know, like your heart, your
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soul is just guiding you in ways that may sometimes
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feel confusing and you may doubt yourself, right?
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Like you still have, of course, this sensitive
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nervous system, but there's also this deep desire
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for meaning, for understanding, you know, to
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be with others who resonate with you and your
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experiences like aha you know yes I'm really
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not alone you know and I find like that comes
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through a lot in the women that I work with in
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our one -to -one sessions and also in our group
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sessions because you know women who are will
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say Highly capable, right? Self -sufficient leaders
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in their families, in their career, whether it's
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entrepreneurs, right? Or in the health and wellness
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field or corporations, right? Like the point
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is, is as a highly sensitive woman, you have
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this enormous capacity. And what I see is That
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sometimes that high capacity means you take on
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more than your nervous system, right? That your
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overall wellness can tolerate. And that's where
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inflammation can increase in our body, right?
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That's where we may start experiencing that digestive
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upset, right? That's where the stress hormones,
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right? And that stress response becomes more
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chronic. And that's not a healthy state for anyone,
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right? But especially highly sensitive individuals.
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So, you know, I used to be a high -strung individual.
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Like, I just thought that was normal. I thought
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that... you know, well, I need to stay on top
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of things, right? Like I can't let anything slip
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out of my reach. You know, I need to stay on
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top of my career. I need to stay on top of my
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home, my finances, my marriage, right? And then
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when kids came along, okay, I need to stay on
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top of all of their needs. And right, and we
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become these super women who are juggling way
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more than is actually healthy for us. And so
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what is unhealthy with that chronic stress response
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just becomes that abnormal yet normal for us.
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Because we just, it just becomes what we're living
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in, this chronic, you know, bracing, this chronic,
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you know. a type of hyper vigilance, right? Like
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always ready to jump what's needed. What do I
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need to do next? And again, I find that it's
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with certain types of sensitive women, right?
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Like it's the ones that have this, again, I call
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it spark, but what I feel like for myself was
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just my heart. my soul would just kind of call
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me towards something, you know? So I would just
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take these courageous leaps, right? Or I would
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just, again, follow my heart, follow my dreams,
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even though I had no idea how that was going
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to work out. And guess what? When we are a sensitive,
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empathic woman, right? When we're taking those
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courageous leaps, our nervous system is still
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reacting. Right? So over time, that chronic stress
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just builds and builds and builds because it
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needs time, right? Like we need to tend to our
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nervous system. We need to be connecting with
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nature. We need to connect with our breathing,
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our body. We need to be able to move into parasympathetic,
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that rest and digest. Just relax, right? Be yourself.
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Not on, right? Not ready to jump into action
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mode. But this is me time. And not, you know.
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with a glass of wine or you know a substance
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no this is just you getting yourself you know
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into that calm and spaciousness now I realize
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that that's not the easiest thing to do Again,
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I speak from my own lived path, right? So as
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someone who was very high strung, I did find
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it difficult to connect with my body, to slow
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down. My attendance at yoga had dropped off by
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the time I think I became a mom. Like there was
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just so much going on. It just didn't fit in,
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you know? So I really want to, again, just remind
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you that there's nothing wrong with being a highly
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sensitive woman. It's a very nuanced gift, right?
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I mean, the ability to see more beauty and experience
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deeper awe and love and appreciation, right?
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But there's also that other side of... And we
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need to tend to ourself, right? We need to be
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able to slow down. And so I'm speaking each week
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in a calm tone, mostly, right? Occasionally my
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passion will kick up and I might talk a little
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faster because I'm definitely excited about life
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and have passion. And that's something that I
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notice in the women that do come to work with
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me, right, is they also have this passion within
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them, this courageousness within them. Whether
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it's moving across the country, whether it's
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realizing that the relationship that they're
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in is no longer aligned with who and what they,
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you know, are feeling and living and wanting
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in a relationship. And it takes courage, right?
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It takes that fire, that spark within your heart
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to say, I choose me. I choose to go where I'm
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guided to go, where my heart is calling me forward,
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right? And so I just really want to honor these
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women who I can recognize is also who I've been,
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right? I moved across the country when I was
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18. Gosh, I moved across the country again when
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I was, I think, 40. So again, taking aligned
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action is what I call it, right? When you're
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aligned and true to yourself and your heart,
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you make these courageous leaps. that's not always
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easy to navigate. It certainly was very challenging
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for me. And I, you know, reached out to the communities
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that I felt resonated for me, I felt was the
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right vibe for me. But it didn't always line
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up. And you know, that's part of the journey,
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right? Sometimes we do need to navigate alone.
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And I found that that was helpful at times. But
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Again, whether you are choosing to walk your
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path without any additional support from another
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sensitive woman, right? Like, I just want you
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to know that you're not alone. You know, whether
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you feel like you are walking clearly, you know,
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and you are navigating and tending to yourself,
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you know, awesome. That's beautiful. Because
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again, I know that as a highly sensitive woman,
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you're capable, right? Like you are high functioning,
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you are deeply caring and loving, and you show
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up and give it your all. And I also want to remind
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you that you're also very worthy and deserving
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of receiving support, you know, when it would
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be helpful, whether that's support in slowing
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down your breathing, whether that's connecting
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with your body and starting to understand it
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in a deeper way. Whether you are facing some
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challenges in your health because of this chronic
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stress, right? Or whether, you know, you are
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navigating away from a relationship or towards
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some new direction, we'll say. That can feel
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scary, you know, no matter how high functioning
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and capable we are. I know for me, I had an experience
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recently. I was alone. My son was visiting elsewhere.
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And I just remember feeling alone and, you know,
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momentarily startled. And I've walked this path
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for a long time. So I know how to, you know,
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realign very quickly. But I didn't always. And
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so because of the amazing women that I've been
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working with and because of what I've been recognizing
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in these women and in my own journey, right?
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These women who have the sensitivity, you know,
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this depth, you know, are awakening to, again,
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their own path and their own purpose more and
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more and want to trust that inner spark, right?
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They want to trust what their heart is guiding
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them towards, but it feels new. It feels different,
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right? And again, that sense of meaning, you
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know, we want to understand like, and why am
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I experiencing this? And why, you know, did I
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take that step? Was it really the best one for
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me, right? Like, because of this depth of processing,
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we can, we can, take yes the courageous step
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right we can follow our heart follow that passion
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that that spark that's lit and move forward and
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then there's the reflecting right that deep processing
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that says oh but was that the right thing to
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do oh how is that going to affect them right
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and then sometimes that can really weigh on us
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so i just want to speak more clearly to the women
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that I've been resonating with, who come to work
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with me. Because if you recognize yourself in
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any of that I'm sharing, I want you to know that,
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you know, you're invited to join me tomorrow,
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Thursday, February 19th at 5pm. And I'm offering
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it again on Thursday, March 5th at 5pm Pacific.
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It's a moment to pause, a space to inquire, and
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it's an opportunity to just come together with
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me to just see if, you know, what I share resonates
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with you. If, you know, It helps you to, again,
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connect with your breath and your body and just
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give you some space to relax. You know, that's
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my pleasure. I love being able to invite you
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into that space to just take a break and breathe
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love. You know, that's the way I like to say
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it. just to breathe into that space of love,
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you know, and we need to slow down to do that.
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So that's why I called it a moment to pause and
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a space to inquire so that, again, you can ask
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any questions and just be in a space with other
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sensitive women. I do additionally work with
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women one -on -one and I also offer the Realign
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Journey, a three -phase spiral of healing and
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remembrance. And I just completed the autumn
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equinox. spiral of that. And I am just beyond
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grateful and blessed to have walked that journey
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with amazing, sensitive, empathic, strong, intelligent
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women. And the next one is the spring equinox.
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So it begins on March 26. And that's 12pm Pacific
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on Thursdays, and it meets for 20 sessions. And
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there's 18 core themes that we go through covering
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the mind, the body and the spirit, because as
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sensitive and deeply intelligent women, you know,
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it's, it's transformational journey to walk when
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we understand ourselves more when we can come
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back into alignment with, you know, our own inner
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guidance. So these are just, again, from my heart
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to yours, because yeah, it's not the easiest
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to walk this path. And I just want you to know
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that there's absolutely nothing wrong with you,
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right? And I am absolutely honored to remind
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sensitive and strong women. that there is no
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need to apologize for emotions. There's no need
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to apologize for who you are. And it really is
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an honoring, you know, and a way to soften into
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your own heart and let go of any judgment or
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doubt and to just help you to realign with you.
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So this seems like a good time for us to pause
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and, you know, let's connect with the breath
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and the body now. Let's inhale through the nose,
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nice and slow and deep, hydrating your body.
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And then exhale nice and long and slow out your
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mouth and just relax. Release. Let go of any
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tension that you may be holding. And again, just
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continue at your pace. Inhaling, just feeling
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that air moving through your nostrils. Feeling
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that exhale coming out your mouth. Nice, slow,
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long. and feeling your shoulders release some
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tension relax down and just again tuning into
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you as your breath naturally moves and you know
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you can explore um These offerings that I mentioned
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on my website, realignwithmelissa .com. There's
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a links page as well that will kind of just give
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you shortcuts to find everything as well. But
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let's, you know, just remember that we are here
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together to rise. Rise up out of old beliefs,
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old operating systems. old patterns and habits
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to rise up into alignment with you and your truth.
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So we're here together to rise, to reclaim, to
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remember. Where the heart leads, the body remembers,
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and the soul awakens. So remember to return to
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your breath, your body. to what feels true for
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you right now. There's nothing you need to fix.
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Just notice what's here. So again, you are invited
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to join me at any of the offerings. It would
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be my pleasure to support you. Take good care
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of you. Much love and light.