Practicing The Art of Receiving

““Appreciation is an excellent thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, as well.” ~Voltaire

While the old proverb tells us it is better to give than receive, countless people bemoan the absence of grateful receivers. Thank you letters seem to be a relic of the past and expressions of gratitude are often drowned out in a sea of complaints about what is wrong with the world.

When you get back nothing or little in response to what you give, it’s natural to feel mystified or even resentful. Interestingly, our culture spends a lot of time on the value of giving, while little attention is paid to receiving. Yet, for every giver there is a receiver. And when something is not received well—whether it is candy, a gift, or a compliment—we notice!” From The Tiny Buddha.

September means back to school, back to a new routine or back to an old routine. Any time our routine changes, this can be stressful. We find comfort in a routine, and when that changes, it can be a little unbalancing at first. Gone are the carefree days of summer, the long days and the warm evenings. Fall brings change and more structure as a routine changes. Are we able to let go and fully receive this change? Is self-care the last thing on this list to get your attention?

Below are some tips to ease into a new routine using the art of receiving:

Notice What’s Happening Around You:

Embrace the change - Maybe your summer morning was a leisurely coffee watching the sunrise before the family woke up or a run outside before work with some friends. As the days get shorter (and more chilly!) this might not be possible or maybe you need to pack lunches and get the family off to school, work or daycare. This could be as simple as saying “Thank You Summer” and accepting the new routine that comes with fall. Or maybe there’s an aspect of the new routine that you can fall in love with. Cherish that “Love you!” or “Thank You” as you say goodbye to kids as they head off to school. While the new routine will take some getting used to, I assure you there’s something to embrace and hold onto there too.

Drop back into your body and into the present moment:

Belly Breaths - It's how I start every facial so have people drop into the body and into the moment. Diaphragmatic breathing, sometimes called belly breathing, is a deep breathing technique that engages your diaphragm, a dome-shaped sheet of muscle at the bottom of your ribcage that is primarily responsible for respiratory function. Many people get into the habit of breathing only with their chests. Restrictive clothing, poor posture, stress, and conditions that weaken the muscles involved in breathing all contribute to chest breathing. This breath can be used not only before a facial, but in almost any moment in our life when we need to reground.

Take a step back and break the energy:

Reground the mind - Many times, we’ll worry to the point, we can’t sleep or we can’t be present in the moment. It’s almost like our minds are a broken record repeating the same thoughts over and over again. While changing the mind is hard to do quickly and that cycle can be pretty intense. Meditation can work great for this, but again it’s hard to turn off the mind. Start with a step back, reground with the belly breathing and try using an essential oil, or a facial mist to help us drop back into our bodies. Sometimes the essential oil can help refocus the mind.

Clear the space:

Physically clearing the space - This encourages the mind to clear the space - I want to invite everyone to use sage or palo santo to clear spaces. Energy can build up were we have spent a lot of time and it is important to clear the space. If you cannot use a burning element like sage or palo santo and your favorite essential oil into a dark blue glass spray bottle with spring water and spritz the space while setting an intention.

These tools are easily available everyday and the more we practice them in our daily life the better we become in our bodies.