​I was recently asked about my morning and evening wellness rituals.
I like to formulate habits to feel well: peaceful, vibrant, creative, happy, inspired, and grateful are descriptive words that come to mind.  I do my best to keep a positive outlook on life. I don’t tolerate ​high stress levels very well.  Over the years, I gathered tools to help me navigate the ups and downs of life with greater ease and grace.

​​Why is empowering your energy important?

Part of my daily intention is to raise my vibration and live high vibrational – call it a healthy addiction. When my energy is elevated I like the person I am. I feel more connected to the greater universal life force and can tap into its infinite wisdom. When we are connected to the Source, our energy is abundant, sustained, we are inspired, creative, alert and curious. I trust in a higher power, call it what you wish but we are a part of it. When we learn to flow with the natural currents, life becomes less of a struggle.

Why this matters.

We can choose what we focus on. Consider this: angry people will always find a way to be angry and optimistic people will always find a way to be happy.  Your vibe affects your tribe. Who would you rather be around? A kind, caring, optimistic person or a frustrated, nasty, negative person?  

Who do you choose to be?
If you can choose to stay upset about something can you not also choose to be happy or grateful about something?  Yes. Let go of the old beliefs and behaviours that are holding you back.  Choose to walk a new path and explore something different.

Simple but not Easy

If you are putting yourself out there in the world, then chances are you will be challenged. When we are  challenged, we are often out of our comfort zone. Therein lies the opportunity. Can I stay centered and grounded no matter what happens? It is not easy when our feathers get rustled. I feel energy intensely, from others and the environment. Even my granny used to say “you’re too sensitive dear”, I am starting to understand what that means at a deeper level. (I will explore that is another blog). It doesn’t mean I don’t get shaken, I do. The difference is that I now have the tools to restore balance more quickly when I feel out of sorts.  There are people on this planet who I find highly inspiring and others who can be extremely depleting.  The inspiring ones to me are generally people who apply their own wellness principles and are living in alignment with their passions and purpose.  They make me want to be better too.

​Two ways to shift from low vibe to high vibe

​Love or fear.
We can only operate from these two states.

Being in a state of love means we are thinking, speaking, choosing, acting and resonating at a high vibrational level that has the capacity to elevate ourselves and those around us, it is beneficial to all. We feel inspired to create and connect with others. When we feel loving, is easier to be kind, considerate and uplifting to others. We savour our self-care time.

Whereas, operating from a state of fear means we are aligning with fear based energies, chasing after time, over doing it, negative thoughts steam through the mind frequently, feeling frustrated or agitated, limited beliefs hold you back, angry dialogue and behaviours bubble to the surface often and we feel unbalanced or depleted. We also may have difficulty offering ourselves self-care practices.

The analogy can also be explained through the Indian tale of Two Wolves.
One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said "my son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.  One is evil. it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.  The other is good. It is joy, peace love, hope serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."  The grandson though about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:  "which wolf wins?..."  The old Cherokee simply replied, "the one that you feed".

Conquer your dark wolf through self awareness. Get self-aware by getting quiet to sense your own inner currents. Clear out toxic energies by healing old emotional wounds that are still driving your life, don’t entertain negative thoughts, don’t habitually engage in dramatic conversation or gossip. Most dark wolf energy stems from hurt and fear and we all have it. I know my dark wolf really well so I can catch him when he tries to take charge!

Do feed your white wolf as often as you can. Choose compassion, understanding instead of judgment, caring in all you do from making your meals to tucking in your loved ones at night, kindness through smiles, or helping those in need, lending an empathetic ear and listening with full presence to those around you, open your heart and Love, begin with yourself. Simply being aware of your behaviours and choosing to act in a new way will help wire new patterns in your brain to make the shift to a more elevated state.
 
Even in the toughest moments, each day offers opportunities to practice shifting the energy around us; contemplate how you can bring possibility to confusion, clarity to obscurity, love and kindness where there is hurt.  We each have the ability to raise the vibration anywhere we go.

It seems that some people have the ability naturally to uplift another. Most of us need to work on it to reprogram old beliefs and behaviours. We can. Our brain is designed to learn, grow, shape, and shift to new stimulus. We just need to be willing to do our best. I am not perfect, when my stress levels get too high my old patterns of impatience and anxiety is triggered. In that moment I breathe, reframe my perspective and make a choice to break the old habit by replacing it with a more beneficial one. I try to do and be better.

Get your vibe right means setting the intention to do so – daily

The practice.
The following are three of my rituals:

1. Live in a state of coherence. I close my eyes and connect with my higher self. I silently say this statement “I am making conscious contact with my higher self now”. The inner pulse and a feeling of a peaceful heart tells me I am there.
At this point, I begin the practice of coherent breathing, a slow rhythmic breath in through my nose and out through pursed lips for five minutes. Feel the breath move through the heart center. Connect to feelings of appreciation and deep gratitude until you sense a warmth within, feelings of love expand the heart area and calm the nervous system. Bring to mind only positive and powerful images that shift you into a state of loving expansion. Be sure to sense the emotion that these thoughts create, just a quick thought won’t do the trick – you need the FEEL it.

Examples could be: your loved ones, your pet, nature scenes, fun, joyous moments of your life, kind gestures, wonderful opportunities that you have experienced. Flow through them all if you need to. Stay with this practice for several minutes or as long as it takes for you to get into an elevated state. Your vibration is increasing and your heart aligns in a more coherent state resulting in feelings of well-being, peace, gratitude and joyfulness.

2. Get into nature everyday. Get quiet, breath consciously. Plant your bare feet on the ground, or lean next to a tree, become one with the landscape where you are. What does the tree, rock, earth, waves, wildlife have to teach you in this moment? Nature will speak to you and tell you exactly what you need to know. The next step is trusting the process and applying the insight you have gathered. The application of these practices will transform your life and enhance everything else you do.

3. Give your self the gift of Space. Space to breathe, space to think, to move, to contemplate, then speak in alignment with your uplifted vibration. Also, allow for space in your schedule, I have learned not to over-schedule myself.   There are always unexpected events that pop up in our days. I allow time in between appointments. Time to breath, to regroup and be able to shift gears while staying present and steady.
Give yourself space daily to just Be – even two minutes will make an impact on your well-being. Sometimes I just pause to look at the tree outside my office window. Some days there is a big Blue Jay staring back at me or I see a dancing leaf or a fluttering butterfly. Those gifts of nature bring me peace and contentment.

Just a few minutes of regular, consistent practice will leave you clearer, more focused, uplifted and in alignment with the flow of life.

Laura Warf is the founder of the School of Happiness, which crafts methods integrating tools from ancient teachings to today’s cutting-edge research. The mission of the School of Happiness is to guide and inspire individuals to become conscious creators of their well-being in mind, body and spirit, following their eight essential elements to health and happiness. Laura is a healthy living advocate, passionate wellness educator and mind-body specialist offering classes, retreats and services in corporate wellness live and online.  

Visit www.LauraWarf.com and www.SchoolofHappiness.ca/