A Spiritual Workout (Mine) In Real Time

Two hours ago: Enjoying time and space in Hawaii with bride, groom, and friends who have gathered and are gathering for a wedding (I'm officiating) on Saturday. Communion. Lightness and joy. Mixing and mingling. Anticipating a hike to waterfalls (my favorite) and more. Sitting at the table, crossed one leg over the other like I do a thousand times a day and TWEAK! Lower back. Ouch.

For the record, this has happened twice before and has left me almost paralyzed. For weeks. So many places to go in my mind, none of which are helpful in any way. Mind and body are connected. So right off the bat, while kind of beginning to lament about what has been a fairly speedy progression from "tweak" to "paralysis," I start a mantra in my mind: I am so happy and grateful for my strong and healthy back. (Shooting pains.) Over and over as I quietly make my way down to my room.

I so don't want to be having this experience yet I am having this experience so I switch right into a new thought - be present - to run in my mind as I continue to make my way to my quiet space. I love this pain in my back. Thank you, pain, for coming to me with a message. I welcome what is happening. Mind and body are connected and body is responding in real time. I can feel a great deal of energy swirling around in the "affected area." I am NOT going down!

Now in my room, pacing, moving, breathing, stretching. Stretching more. This is where, in the past, it all kind of locks in and I'm done for. My past is not my future. I choose an entirely different experience than I've had before. Continuing to monitor every thought, remembering that I am a spiritual being with lots of love and guidance and support all around, I ask for what I need. Thank you for a clear communication. Thank you for telling me the spiritual issue this is related to. Thank you for support for my physicality. (Physical pain is pretty high; constriction is prevalent.) I am happy for this energy to move right through me. I am happy and grateful for my strong, healthy back. I am happy and grateful for this experience and what it is teaching me.

Not wanting to make a federal case or call any extra attention to myself, begged off the hike with relative ease. Received offers of mind and body treatments - a direct response to my having asked. Wow!

A Spiritual Workout is in full force and now I bring in E.F.T. (Emotional Freedom Technique) a k a "tapping." Even though I really, really don't want this to be happening right now, I love and accept myself completely. And even though I am in physical pain right now, I choose to remember that my back is healthy and strong and even though this has happened before, I know that this particular episode is different. Mind you, these are just brief examples of the incessant tapping I was doing - on the pain itself, on what it all meant, on my resistance to it, and more and more and more and more. Still pacing, stretching, etc.

I got the message (which I will keep to myself for now). I know what it's about and am, of course, working spiritually on that project, too.

Skipped the hike, but chose not to complain about it on any level and wished everyone a fabulous time. (The law of attraction is always on and who wants to attract more of what I'd be complaining about?) Here at a wonderful house with time to do things I want to do. (Be present; we are here for a reason.) There is some pain and restriction in my lower back, about 10% of what I thought it could have been - and I am best friends with it.

This is not meant as anything other than a real-time illustration of a lot of the concepts we talk about. The whole accepting things as they are idea. The whole mind and body are connected idea. The notion that the law of attraction is always on so giving attention to the pain even when in it won't get us out of the pain. And, I think you will see, so much more. The Spiritual Workout is all about making life make sense and right now, this little experience is making perfect sense to me.

One of my intentions for writing this post is to urge us all to look and see beyond what might be happening in our lives here and now that is not to our liking - be it something in our personal lives like loss or poor health or something in our collective lives like wars or nuclear meltdowns - and know that we have the tools to change it all. All of it. And because we are all connected, each of us doing it in our own time, way, and space lifts us all.

Namast'e.