SOVEREIGN BY NATURE
RISE INTO RESILIENCY
30 DAY PROGRAM
WEEK 4- INTEGRATION
The final week of this program is to integrate and accelerate what we have been doing over the past three weeks. We’ve created healthy grooves for new habits, now it is time to follow through so we can make more permanent change. We’re well into reshaping our neural chemistry, so let’s march forward with brio.
Changing and/or creating takes time & effort and the process is different for everyone. “It takes the time it takes,” for us to work through things — as long as we’re working, then change is inevitable. Unhook from how short or long it will take to make this change. Besides, there is no direct scientific proof on how long making/breaking a habit actually takes.
Each pattern is specific for the individual and requires different techniques. As a general guideline, the more you do something the more it will become familiar and engrained (the reverse is true for the less you do something).
The intention for this month is not just for it to be “a month,” but for it to fundamentally restructure ourselves so we can launch forward into a new way of being.
MORNING RITUAL
One key to living a balanced, harmonious, peaceful, energetic, positive & productive life is having a daily practice which aligns your mind, body, and spirit. Commit to this daily practice by following the step-by-step guidelines below. No matter where you are on your life’s journey this framework is a catalyst for achieving what you desire. It has the power to change your life dramatically — and it’s so incredibly simple.
GENERAL OUTLINE:
-Rise between 6-6:30am - as close to sunrise as possible
-Upon rising do not reach for your phone- wait at least 1 hour before doing so
-Skip coffee first thing- start with the morning beverage outlined below.
-Move - 15-30 minutes of gentle movement. Below you will find access to several movement exercises to support your practice.
-Meditation - 15-30 minutes. Below you will find audio meditations to incorporate into your practice
-Breathwork - 5-20 minutes. Below you will find breathwork recordings to integrate into your daily routine
-Journal - Below you will find prompts that will help guide and deepen this inquiry into resiliency.
-Plan Your Day / Goal Setting: What are the top 3 things I need to accomplish today?
-
Prioritize the top 3 things YOU MUST DO ABOVE ALL ELSE, and do those before you open social media, emails, etc. Once you complete, or at least move those projects forward, you can then move on to other things.
* If possible, dedicate around 2 hours upon rising to your morning practice
Morning Beverage Options:
Select from options below - please note we will begin our day with a non caffeinated beverage.
1) Water/Warm Water 8-12oz
2) Alkaline Water = water with ½ lemon and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (acv), pinch of sea salt in 6-8oz of water (Balances pH (see Chapter 3 in Robust Vitality for more on Acid/Alkaline balance) Improves gut health, detoxification and digestion)
3) Reishi Tea - Benefits of Reishi include: Anti-inflammatory, Boosts Immune System, Reduces Fatigue and Elevates Mood; For more information: see Robust Vitality Chapter 10. If you do not have access to Reishi select an herbal tea of your preference.
INTEGRATION
How do we make change?
Some say that we need the necessary tools, willpower and courage. What is the outcome of change? Where and when do we start? Here and now. Choose courage over comfort.
Healing is only one part of the human journey, growing into the fullest expression of physical, mental and spiritual health is next. By reconnecting with our wise & sacred core, with nourishing attitude and disciplined action, it is possible to enjoy and sustain unabiding robust vitality.
We will look at what we have accomplished and continue to forge our path ahead. This meaning discerning what has worked for you, why and how you are going to continue to march forward.
Part of the integration phase is forward looking which means creating goals — S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Revelant, Time-bound):
Goals Template: CLICK HERE
HOLISTIC APPROACH TO INTEGRATION:
NATURE
Nature has an amazing way of healing. Perhaps it’s the fresh air, the colors or the reminders of how great & gorgeous Mother Nature is. Getting into nature is trendy nowadays and for good reason. Some call it eco-therapy, forest bathing or wilderness therapy. This is a way for us to reconnect with our sacred center by connecting with our natural source.
Nature is source. It is through our relationship with the natural world that we activate our health, intuition, inner wisdom and resiliency.
It is through this reverence that we activate healing through nature…
Reverence is deep, activated respect for our personal wellbeing. We can honor ourselves through nature because we are nature.
THE PHYSICAL BODY
Embodiment is a gift. By nurturing our physical organism we can build resiliency to face the challenges that come our way. Pain, injury and discomfort are inevitable — we seek to awaken our body’s innate wisdom to heal, regenerate and thrive. By evaluating how we eat, move, breathe and care for our bodies we will learn ways to nourish our body into an ultimate state of wellbeing.
The old adage that our body is our temple guides us to look at ourselves with a special sense of reverence. Now is the time to activate the medicine within each of us so we can live in robust vitality.
Food/Nutrition:
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” This famous quote is accredited to Hippocrates who suggests looking at our food choices as the fundamental way to heal (and to thrive). Our food rituals shape not only our body, but our mind and emotions. Whether we call it habit or ritual, food is essential for living vibrantly and important for our integration process.
We are not eating just to eat, we will always be exploring our relationship with food. We will tackle how to get the right nutrients, investigate our food sources & ingredients and identify the necessary changes to be made for our daily intake. Purification practices invite us to re-establish our body’s natural way to cleanse and heal. By establishing a strong foundation we will create habits that will serve us for a lifetime.
Movement:
Movement is essential for a thriving life. Our biped existence calls for movement regularly. The cultures that move naturally during their days live the longest and with the least amount of pain. Movement gives us the opportunity to become present, fully embodied and empowered.
When we cultivate a movement practice we will unlock our body’s innate movement intelligence, instill discipline joyfully and discover our own intuitive expression. Having a movement practice is important because our body’s are designed to move for the sake of survival and wellbeing. When we move we are connected to our natural essence; when we move with freedom, we can maximize our fullest potential.
We seek to inspire you to overcome stagnation, revitalize your body and enhance your energy with a movement practice that is suitable for you.
Breath:
Our breath is capable of energizing and purifying our whole being. It is a boundless pathway for self-discovery, revitalization and holistic integration. Breathwork purifies the emotional, energetic and physiological systems, while nourishing the spirit. The word respiration comes from the Latin root, spirer, meaning spirit. We also see this root in the word inspiration.
When our breath is full and deep, we think better, feel better and deliver vital nutrients to our body. A sense of balance, calm and centering is delivered by breath awareness. An added benefit from a conscious breath practice is that diseases cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment.
The goal is to become consciously aware of our breath so it can become automatically healing.
Self-Love/Self-Care:
The practice of self-love and personal care is reverential treatment for our multidimensional self.
Explore ways to support the body (mind and heart) to induce relaxation and healing. By enjoying these practices we can fill our cups of love so we have more to pour from.
By receiving we can learn how to give. This is a practice of reciprocity — which in the Peruvian Andes is a spiritual practice called Ayni. It’s the art of balance and harmony by allowing a fluid dynamic between giver and receiver and back again.
This puts ourselves first through the arts of massage, acupuncture, energetic healing techniques and personal nourishment practices. By enjoying their benefits we will become more centered, pain free and joyful.
MIND
“Your biography becomes your biology”- Carolyn Myss
How we think is crucial for our health and wellbeing. Our consciousness eats just in a similar way to our body. The information that we consume affect our decision making, mood and daily success. We need to find the best nutrients for a healthy mind and purify toxic thought patterns. Focus, mentality clarity and a new way of being is largely created by how we think.
As we exercise our mind, it is useful to remember that just like the body’s muscles, mental awareness must be built through stamina, working toward goals and accepting the ‘soreness’ along the way.
Changing mental habits is not necessarily easy because we have pre-established habits that have created strong neural networks. Essentially, the more we do something, the stronger our neural networks become. It is like traveling along a multi-lane highway, fast, easy and familiar. When we change our habits we are creating new, less traveled pathways, like a dirt road. Over time, we can turn unpaved roads into super highways and deconstruct highways of bad habit. Changing our neural pathways is what scientists call neuroplasticity — it’s great news for those of us ‘old dogs’ wanting to learn new tricks.
With a bit of willpower we can make the changes necessary to shift away from old thought patterns that keep us in undesirable loops. We can learn to reframe our stories around stress, anxiety and self-deprecation to become more equanimous, clear and centered.
Meditation:
Our “monkey minds,” as Buddhists would say, is something that can be our greatest ally or our greatest foe. Learning to harness the power of our brains can help us tap into our inner knowing, cultivate present moment awareness and promote mental agility.
Meditation is not something that is reserved just for monks, yogis or executives at technology companies, it is essential for our day-to-day health. We will de-mystify the art of meditation to make it accessible and show you how easy it is to build into your day.
Space:
Sacred space is not something only reserved for churches, yoga studios or monasteries, it is something that is essential for our practical, daily success. The ancient art of Feung Shui, a deeply spiritual practice, is one of the most basic. Simply put, our external environment is a reflection of our inner landscape — and our external environment has a great impact on our lives.
Creating space and clarity in our lives can be as easy as donating one article of clothing. Anyone that has ventured into a decluttering process can attest to that this process is not only a spatial thing, but a mental and emotional experience as well. By creating a space that is tranquil, orderly and full of things we love, we will invite a sense of vibrancy into our lives.
Journal:
Journaling gives us the time for self-reflection and the release of looping thoughts. It helps us to become aware of how we are speaking to ourselves and to get clear on what we really mean. It is also a way to tap into our subconscious. It’s a way for us to discover what’s beneath the surface.
You may start in one place and end up somewhere completely different. Keep writing, stay rolling, try not to stop. Do not worry about grammar, punctuation or clarity. Enjoy this beautiful process, especially if you’re not a writer.
SPIRIT
Laden throughout the fabric of many of the world’s cultures is some form of spiritual beliefs and practices. They play a major role in shaping our worldview, informing our daily actions and activating a sense of connection with something greater than our human understanding.
Spirit and spirituality means different things to different people all around the globe.
Spirituality is often considered something people do by going to church, meditating or living an ascetic lifestyle. These are just a few ways to express our awesome divinity. Through this integration process we will shake off our preconceived notions about spirituality and redefine what it means to be connected to self, source and the divine.
Some of the most practical and basic practices are the most powerful and deeply spiritual.
Now is the time we take these techniques off the mountain top monastery and bring them to main street.
RELATIONSHIPS/INTERPERSONAL
Compassion:
Compassion is a practice that is touted by many spiritual traditions as a way to connect more fully with others. It allows us to navigate situations that are not necessarily going well. Through graceful action and nonjudgmental awareness we will have compassion for ourselves and others. According to Tibetan Monks, compassion is a way to quick healing. They offer sincere words of affection to comfort and connect with others.
INFORMATION/RESOURCES
Our consciousness eats, so the information that we consume is important for ‘mindful’ nutrition. Everything we read and watch impacts our thoughts, defines our actions and shapes our worldview. The type of life we create for ourselves is greatly determined by how we inform our reality. What are we feeding ourselves?
The resources we have provided are nutritious and inspirational. They are geared toward…
*what do you let into your mind environment? What is this information doing for you? Numbing? Teaching? Making you laugh? Media.
BREATHWORK:
Breathing is something that is absolutely essential for living and plays a tremendous role in our mental and emotional wellbeing. We will focus on basic techniques to establish a healthy breathing practice that will become automatic. It is during times of stress, conflict, fear or intense exercise that many of us have a tendency to not breathe to our fullest potential. In some situations in life all we can do is breathe.
Week 4 - Breath of Youth
This breath comes out of the Yoga Tradition. I’ve learned it in various forms from different teachers. Mietek Wirkus, one of the world’s greatest bioenergy healers, taught this particular method to me. He learned it from a Tibetan monk. According to the monk everyone who practices it will experience eternal youth, be able to sense and feel energy transference and protect themselves energetically from others.
1) Become aware of your breath without trying to change it.
Notice its:
-
quality
-
texture
-
sound
-
length of inhalations and exhalations
Observe:
-
the rise and fall of your chest
-
the expansion and contraction of your rib cage
-
any movement in your belly or elsewhere in your body
Allow your consciousness to float upon your breath like a leaf on a stream.
2) Visualize your breath traveling from the base of your spine (pelvis area) up your spine and into your head on an inhalation.
3) Pause gently when your breath comes to your head and image it traveling from the back of your head out your forehead through the center of your brow point (in between your eyes).
4) On the exhalation visualize your breath traveling down the outside of your body (about 4 inches from your body) parallel with your spine.
5) At the bottom of your exhalation pause gently and visualize the breath coming back into the base of your spine around your pelvis area.
6) Inhale and repeat the process.
Now that you have the loop in your mind and your breath following that pattern you will add in a specific count.
Inhale: 8 seconds, the breath moves up the spine.
Pause: 4 seconds, the breath moves from the back of your head out the front of your forehead (about 4 inches outside of your body).
Exhale: 8 seconds, the breath travels down the front of your body
Pause: 4 seconds, the breath travels from outside of your body into the base of your pelvis.
This type of breathing creates a loop.
MEDITATION:
Mindfulness exercises cultivate a sense of equanimity and balance. Meditations, contemplations and reflections are key for developing a clear and focused mind. These techniques will also help us to partner with our mind, rather than be at the effect of it.
Week 4 - ELEMENTAL EMBODIMENT MEDITATION
-Carve out 25 minutes for this meditation every morning.
-Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lie down.
Embodying the elements creates a pathway that connects your outer and inner world. It is a doorway back to your nature and the sacred ways of the earth. It reminds us that Nature is the source of our being and becoming.
Understanding the wisdom of the elements helps us to cultivate reverence for our unique human design. Join us on a journey through Earth, Water, Fire, Air & Ether.
JOURNAL
Journaling is a fantastic way to process information. We will offer daily prompts to reflect upon. The intention for journaling is to allow for your mind to unwind and relax. Put it down to put it down. In many ways this practice allows us to unpack our streams of thought so we can create space and clarity. Journaling is meant to be fun, free form and creative. Doodles, colors, poems, incorrect grammar and punctuation are all invited.
Plan Your Day / Goal Setting:
-What are the top 3 things I need to accomplish today?
Prioritize the top 3 things YOU MUST DO ABOVE ALL ELSE, and do those before you open social media, emails, etc. Once you complete, or at least move those projects forward, you can then move on to other things.
DAILY PROMPTS FOR WEEK 4: Feel free to elaborate on these inquiries.
11/9 What does integration mean to me?
11/10 In general, when have I been successful in following through?
11/11 What has worked throughout this month?
11/12: What have I enjoyed?
11/13 What has been a hurdle for me to follow through in my life?
11/14 What has been the biggest change since starting this program?
11/15 What will I continue doing?
MOVEMENT
As humans we have evolved and survived through moving. Our modern culture has lulled us into a condition of movement poverty — this is detrimental for all facets of our wellbeing. Brain development, emotional balance, cooperation and immune strength all happen best when in motion. The movement offerings that you will be able to choose from will be in addition to your regular exercise. Movement needs to be threaded throughout the day, so it’s our goal to deliver that.
SELECT YOUR MOVEMENT PRACTICE
Remember to incorporate movement throughout the day.
AFTERNOON
It is of the utmost importance to instill a midday practice so that our lives can become fulfilling, productive and easeful. Most of us have obligations during the afternoon whether it be work, running errands or tending to personal items. It is crucial to create time for ourselves so we can flow with our daily duties with maximum efficiency. This means creating a new schedule so we can be more present, engaged and focused when we “need” to get things done. This may be tough at first, but again we are creating a new routine. We owe it to ourselves to carve time to generate this new way of joyful living.
Set aside about 30-45 minutes in the afternoon
GENERAL OUTLINE:
-Breathwork - Select a breathwork exercise you want to deepen in - Centering Breath, Breath of Fire, 478 Breath or Alternate Nostril Breathing
-Movement - Select 15-30 minutes of more rigorous movement from the library
-Mindfulness Exercise - See below
INTEGRATION CONTINUED
Questions to Consider:
-
What worked for me?
-
What didn’t work for me that I know will be beneficial?
-
What kind of support do I need to fully integrate this change into my life?
-
What was my biggest challenge throughout the program?
-
What is unfinished that I need to complete?
-
How do I bring more meaning into my life?
-
What are three actions I can take to keep the ball rolling?
-
How can I bring more joy into my life?
Tips for Integration
-
Set Goals
-
Connect with groups that support your goals
-
Journal
-
Refer to the Rise into Resiliency program
-
Seek out books, videos and teachers who can further your education
-
Breathe
-
Move
-
Make time for yourself/self-care
-
Food: diet, cleanses, food choices
-
Quiet time, meditation
Recommended Reading
-
Mans Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl
-
Spiritual Emerson - Ralph Waldo Emerson
-
Pulling Your Own Strings - Dr. Wayne Dyer
EVENING
The goal of our evening routine is to decompress before bed. This is our chance to wind down and prepare for rest and rejuvenation. Spending time on our devices is a hazard to accomplishing a deep and restful experience.
All screens should be shut down at least one hour before bedtime.
-
Screens disrupt your sleep patterns. The blue light blocks the production of melatonin - essentially it tricks your body to thinking it’s day time
-
Social media, work-related emails and personal responsibilities keep our mind running while we sleep.
Guidelines for Rejuvenating Rest
-
Try to be in bed at a relatively early hour - between 10pm-11pm at the latest, this will help you rise earlier feeling rested.
-
Turn your phone on airplane mode. Wifi signals can disrupt sleep. We are around electromagnetic fields (EMFs) all day. Remove them from where you sleep to give your mind a rest and allow your body to sync with its natural evening rhythms. This also prevents you from being sucked into the social media trap. And stops you from being always “on”. It’s time to turn off!
-
Set aside time to read, be creative, write, reflect, meditate, play music. Use this time in completely different ways than you do during the day.
-
Set a gentle alarm (you never want to wake up abruptly) for the next morning and take care to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Proper sleep can alone change your life.
EVENING BREATHWORK
478 Breathing for stress reduction, better sleep - by Dr. Andrew Weil
This practice includes breath retention, if you’re unfamiliar with the practice ensure you go at a slow pace and that you’re laying / sitting in a safe place in case dizziness occurs. If dizziness occurs, you can retain for less time until your body adjusts.
Sit or lay in a comfortable position, if possible palms down on knees or on your sides
Tune into the natural rhythm of your breath for 5 breaths
On the 6th breath- Inhale through your nose slowly for a count of 4
Retain your breath for a count of 7
Exhale through your mouth fully for a count of 8
Repeat this 4 times
DAILY EVENING JOURNAL
ACCOUNTABILITY ENTRY
-Enter your daily activity, accomplishments, inquiries, etc
MEDITATION
Unwinding Your Day
The meditation technique of unwinding the day comes from Stuart Wilde’s book Infinite Self. It encapsulates two of the key concepts of meditation: focus and concentration (with the intention of leading toward self-awareness). It is a great meditation on its own or can be used as a preparation for deeper meditative practices. The excerpt below describes the method:
This process comes from the Hindu tradition and is usually done at night. It involves reviewing the day’s events, in the mind’s eye, running backwards through the day from bedtime to dawn. Don’t ponder or comment too much on what happened — just watch. This exercise is a way of unraveling those experiences. It cuts down on the need for lots of trivial dreams, where the mind processes things that happened during the day. It’s like moving backwards in time; it’s a discipline to do just as you fall asleep so that you notice your life. Life will not be just passing you by; you’re taking time to notice it. In reviewing the day’s events, it un-clutters the mind and allows you to go to sleep in a very pure state of consciousness. (Wilde 94).[1]
Notice the thoughts that take you out of this meditation. Become aware of how your mind can sidetrack itself. It is ok if this happens. Tangents are part of the process. They are the integration of an earlier experience. Witnessing yourself in the storyline and then assimilating it is the unwinding of static mental and emotional patterning.
[1] This is only one of the many useful techniques that Wilde offers for personal and spiritual development. (Infinite Self is highly recommended to further your pursuit of Robust Vitality.)
SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
Presented by Alejandro Quiros
Practical Advice on How to Explore Your Spiritual Path:
We have to understand that we are not the mind, we are not our emotions and we are not the body. We are Spirit and the mind, the body and emotions are here to serve the Spirit.
We also have to understand that we are here for a purpose that may change throughout our lifetime. Limiting beliefs, agreements, programs, fears, etc keeps us in an illusion that does not let us walk the Spiritual path. It is our duty to clean out all of these veils that do not let us align with our spirituality and generate a sense of separation from all living beings.
Our purpose in life is guided from the Sacred Mystery and we have all the tools, help and guidance we need there.
We need to have faith and courage to know ourselves, look inside and hear the voice of our inner wisdom that is the Spirit in us.
Spirit is LOVE, unconditional love and we must spend time alone in silence with Mother Earth to find what we really are and then the Spiritual guidance starts to talk to us.
Wisdom is needed for understanding. It brings light inside us to make changes in our patterns that limit us.
Then with faith and willpower, we go in the direction of our spiritual purpose. The mind will not understand because it makes no sense to it.
Remember you are not the mind. Have trust and patience on the journey.
You are LOVE.
WEEK 4 - Prayers & Intentions
Intention is the first step of every dream, vision and manifestation. It is the creative power that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money, relationships, spiritual awakening, or love.
"An intention is a directed impulse of consciousness that contains the seed form of that which you aim to create." Deepak Chopra
Set aside time to connect to the great mystery - pray and or set intentions you can reflect on throughout your process. This is the time to shine a light on the things that are truly important to you. Bring in the awareness of reverence for your life's journey.
The Spirit of Water:
Dr Masaru Emoto and Water Consciousness - For over 20 years until he passed away in 2014, Dr. Masaru Emoto studied the scientific evidence of how the molecular structure in water transforms when it is exposed to human words, thoughts, sounds and intentions.
DAILY: Speak your prayers / intention directly into a glass of water in the morning. You can set intentions for your day, pray for someone, send someone love, give thanks for your health, it is completely up to you. Close your eyes and mindfully drink the water - nourish yourself and embody your prayers and good intentions.
SOVEREIGN BY NATURE is a global platform to awaken the human spirit — a community calling for reconnection with nature, regenerative lifestyles and personal empowerment.
Our intention is to foster human vitality by claiming responsibility for our health and the creation of our life’s story. By embracing our sovereign nature we become stewards for the wellbeing of ourselves, others and the planet.
