Each moment is an invitation to mindfulness. Sometimes we accept.

This weekend I went to a training in Motivational Interviewing -- which is a strange name for a simple and profound way of being with a client that helps you get out of your own way, explore and resolve ambivalence, and be able to make the improvements you want in your life.

A new day, a new inspiring leaf-in-a-stream picture

A recurring theme in the training, or perhaps simply one I was especially primed to notice, was the idea of letting go of perfection, and allowing the good-enough (which “any” is, inherently) to imperfectly unfold. One person talked of the “need” to floss daily, and how this often stops us from doing it on any day. Similarly, another spoke of wanting to re-start a movement practice after an injury, but continued to not do any because she hadn’t yet found the “right” one. Over and over again, we examined this tendency, and laughed in love at ourselves, because here we were, a group of mindfulness-inclined practitioners, and we knew the futility of this line of thought -- yet experienced it anyway, because we too are perfectly flawed beings.

And so in that spirit I blog today -- despite months of “I’ll restart soon, really” and of too-good intentions blocking good-enough actions, and despite not knowing what I will do tomorrow, next week, next month.

Because as my clients and I practice in the room, there is only this moment, this “now” that is gone as soon as we think of it. “Shoulds” for the future and guilt or shame for the past pull us out of this moment, and we miss this opportunity for action.

Ah, but look -- here comes another now, and another chance. I think, for today, I will take it, and let go of when I did not blog, and the need to know whether I will tomorrow.

What is pulling you out of this moment and the action you want to take right now? What might happen if you forgave yourself, right now, for not having done it yet?

"Life is what happens to us when we're making other plans"

And oh boy did I have plans -- for expanding my hours, for continuing education, for workshops and classes and marketing, oh my.

Life is not a straight line

And then my spouse had a stroke.

First: he's doing great, and he's expected to have a full or near-full recovery. The stroke only affected his coordination and balance, not cognition or memory. After 11 days in the hospital and intensive in-patient rehabilitation, he's home, and our children (and he and I!) couldn't be happier about that.

But still: he had a stroke. And though things are getting back to normal, it's a new normal, and for a while the new normal will involve accommodations for his healing brain. Which means rescheduling workshops and classes, postponing CEs, and for a few months, reducing my hours.

I look forward to continue to work with you to reduce pain, practice mindfulness, and help you feel better in your body and about yourself.

In wellness, wherever we find it,
-Arwyn

Upcoming events:
Chair massage at Fat Fancy
Fall in Body Love Workshop

AND: Help us set a new Well Now class time by filling out this short survey!

Introducing Well Now, a non-diet approach to improve your health and make peace with food

I don't know about you, but I had quite the busy winter break, with lots of ups and downs and life-turn-arounds. But we're back to the usual wonderful routine now, full of massage and laughter and food and family -- and soon, facilitating a great wellness class!

The Well Now course has been helping people improve their health, confidence, and compassion in the UK for years. Now, thanks to Lucy Aphramor and the USA's own Linda Bacon, I've been lucky enough to receive the training and licensing to offer it here in Portland, Oregon.

About Well Now:

Do you want to transform your relationship with food?

Well Now is an 8 session course that helps people feel better about their eating and weight using a non-diet approach called Health At Every Size (HAES). You can read more on HAES practice here [pdf].

It teaches you how to:

Tune into your body signals
Embrace body respect
Replace eating guilt with gentle nutrition
Move from food panic to food autonomy
Heal from body shame
Practice mindful eating
Explore the bigger picture of health and wellbeing
Learn compassion for yourself and others

This 8 week course will be offered Sundays 2-4pm starting February 16th, 2014.

The cost of the course is $360, but if you register by January 22, 2014, you can take this life-changing class for just $295. Class limited to 10 people, so sign up now!

Imagine:

• Eating effortlessly and healthfully, without struggle or guilt.
• Enjoying movement, rather than using it as punishment for "indulgence".
• Feeling confidence and pleasure in your body right now, exactly as it is.
• Improving your relationships, as compassion and justice replace criticism and judgment.
• Taking real steps to improve your health in measurable ways, like lower blood pressure and blood sugars, without restrictive food rules.

It may sound like a dream, but it can be reality. Join me to explore how to make it yours!

Contact Arwyn with any question or to sign up. Or, for your convenience you can register online now.