Author: Nicole

Uncategorized

Happy New Year! A Little Late but Right On Time

by Nicole3 Comments on Happy New Year! A Little Late but Right On Time
Image of a golden yellow sparkler.
Photo by Malte luk from Pexels

Yes, I am wishing you a Happy New Year on Feb. 2. Not only did I miss the traditional Jan. 1 New Year, but I also missed the Lunar New Year. Even so, this New Year’s wish is taking place right on time for me.

Between holidays, travel, work, and sickness, I wasn’t in a place on Dec. 31 to consider the New Year or what my “resolution” might be. I frankly had no intention of making a resolution. Resolutions seem forced to me, and they’re either quickly forgotten or cause too much stress — and are then quickly forgotten :).

But in January, my meditation teacher invited us to think about our intention for the New Year. She asked us:

What is your deepest intention for the New Year? Kindness? Simplicity? Courage? Compassion? Resolve? Peace? Explore what really matters and to stand by yourself (as you would a dear friend) as you do so.

This resonated with me. She was asking us to be quiet, go inward, and see if a word arose. Just one word — not some grandiose resolution about losing weight, starting a business, or changing careers.

So I sat, quieted my mind, and listened. One word arose: non-striving.

Now, I don’t know a lot about non-striving — what it means or how it’s practiced. But the word deeply resonated with me. Even though I’d bypassed making an “official” resolution, my head was swirling with what I wanted to accomplish in 2020. I wanted to grow this blog. I wanted to start freelance writing again. I wanted to eat healthily, get in shape, lift some weights, maybe join a gym or yoga studio. I wanted to explore meditation and Buddhism more deeply. I thought I could take an art class. Oh, and I wanted to decorate my house and clean out my closet.

Yup, that list went on and on and was, frankly, ridiculous. It was mid-January, and I’d already made myself feel like a failure in meeting my goals, and I was exhausted physically and mentally.

Non-striving seems like the only healthy approach I should follow for 2020. Not only is it encapsulated for me in this Clearing poem, but this blog on Psych Central gives a simple explanation of non-striving: Trying less and being more.

I still intend to accomplish things in 2020. I will still set goals and work toward reaching them. But I will not push against the universe to do so. I will not overburden my heart, my mind, and to-do list with endless tasks that weigh me down instead of lift me up. In my non-striving, I hope to honor my health and my goals instead of sacrificing one in the service of the other.

Uncategorized

#WooWoo Wednesdays: She’s in My Head!

by NicoleLeave a Comment on #WooWoo Wednesdays: She’s in My Head!
Photo by Ahmed Aqtai from Pexels

Yup, I know hashtags are overdone. But after my #TheTeaTalksTuesdays post, I couldn’t resist #WooWooWednesdays. After all, it seems like a perfect hashtag for The Land of Woo. So, what’s the purpose of #WooWooWednesdays? It’s to share ways the Woo is showing up in my real life, like…

  • Those coincidences that are just too coincidental
  • That health change that’s a little too good to be true
  • That mind shift that puts everything into perspective

It’s also a way to make sure these Woo Woo incidents aren’t slipping by, unnoticed. It’s to help me pay attention, so I can notice and celebrate the way the Woo is showing up in my life.

This week’s #WooWooWednesdays happened on Tuesday. I was shopping and stopped by this fancy little “epicurean boutique” — their description, not mine — to get some hot tea. See, I live in Napa and Downtown Napa is going through a revitalization. I try to shop, eat and drink in Downtown as much as possible. After all, I want my downtown to be successful.

While this epicurean boutique is adorable, filled with fancy vinegars, olive oils and mustards, it plays horrible dance music that is just Way. Too. Loud. I stopped by once this summer and had an awful time communicating with the barista. The music drowned out his voice. I could barely order my iced tea.

On Tuesday, I figured I’d give this little boutique another shot. There was a different barista behind the coffee bar, and when I walked in, it happened to be the silent moment in between songs.

That quickly changed. The second I started to ask the barista about their selection of teas, the music started blaring again. Yet again, this barista’s voice was drowned out, and I had trouble hearing and ordering.

“Why can’t they just turn down this stupid music?” I pleaded silently in my head. And I also vowed to never, ever shop in this store again.

Then, the Woo stepped in.

The barista looked up at me.

“I can’t stand this music,” she said. “It gives me a headache listening to it all day.”

I was stunned. She was picking up on the conversation I was having in my head!

“Do you have any control over it?” I asked. “Can you turn it down?”

It was just the two of us in the store. She looked up at me, stepped out from behind the bar, walked into a back room and turned off the music. She then walked back to the coffee bar, looked at me in triumph, and we stood there in blissful silence, with smiles on our faces, as my tea steeped.

I think I’ll have to rethink my vow to never return to that store.

Uncategorized

#TheTeaTalks

by Nicole1 Comment on #TheTeaTalks

I’ve had a sore throat this week so I’ve been drinking a lot of tea. I mean a lot. So much that I’ve started looking forward to the words of wisdom printed on the labels of my tea bags.

Now, not all of these words of wisdom are winners — like how not all fortune cookie fortunes are winners (or even actually fortunes). But some of these words of wisdom feel like they are being sent from the universe.

In honor of this tea bag wisdom, I’m starting #TheTeaTalks — beginning with this gem I received today.

Let things come to you

It could not be more timely, reflecting the message of “Clearing,” the poem I posted yesterday. For me, this will be a year of non-striving (more on that later). Rather than forcing my exploration  of The Land the Woo or holding onto expectations of where it will take me, I want to keep an open and curious mind.

In 2020, I need to strive less so I can learn more.

Uncategorized

Making My Own Space

by Nicole2 Comments on Making My Own Space

My mediation teacher read this poem to us a couple weeks ago, and it left me speechless. It was as if poet Martha Postlewaite was in my head, reading my mind.

The poem, “Clearing,” was exactly what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it. It may be my mantra for 2020.

Image of the woods showing a green grass clearing in the middle of tall trees.

Clearing

Do not try to save

the whole world

or do anything grandiose.

Instead, create

a clearing

in the dense forest

of your life

and wait there

patiently,

until the song

that is your life

falls into your own cupped hands

and you recognize and greet it.

Only then will you know

how to give yourself

to this world

so worthy of rescue.

Uncategorized

5 Reasons Why I Started The Land of Woo

by NicoleLeave a Comment on 5 Reasons Why I Started The Land of Woo

I am no expert in Woo-Woo. In fact, the more I learn, the more overwhelmed I feel.

There’s so much that can be considered Woo — energy work, chakras, crystals, manifesting, mysticism, craniosacral therapy, EMDR, magnet therapy, prayer, traditional Chinese medicine, Rolfing, mediation…..

The list goes on and on, and it varies based on who you talk to and what they believe.

So, why did I start this blog?

  1. The Woo fascinates me: Ever since I was young, I was intrigued by the idea of the mystical, the spiritual, the unexplained — like people who say they’ve had past lives, or experienced spontaneous remissions, or survived near-death experiences. I find these stories fascinating (although sometimes I also find them super freaky and unsettling and I have to stop reading).
  2. The Woo is helping to keep me sane: I have always had problems with depression and managing stress. I’m a bit of a Type A personality, and I hold on to my emotions deeply. I see a therapist regularly and take anti-depressants. But it wasn’t until I started meditating that I could begin to really calm my mind and manage some of my stress.
  3. The Woo gives me a different perspective: As an adult in my 30s, I developed unexplained hearing loss. That triggered an increase in my depression and the never-ending question of why did this happen? Western doctors say the hearing loss is permanent, they don’t know why it occurred, and there is nothing they can do to help me. Reading books and watching videos by Dr. Joe Dispenza or listening to the teachings of Abraham Hicks is giving me a new perspective on my hearing loss and helping to lighten my load and my depression.
  4. The Woo offers insight: Why are we here, on this earth, in these physical bodies? That question has plagued me since I was 11, and I started learning more about life and death. The Woo gives me new ideas and concepts to ponder that are helping me form my own answers to this very unanswerable question.
  5. I want to learn more about the Woo: I am a journalist by background. I love reading, researching, and writing. I’ve realized that over the years, I’ve actually been exploring a lot about the Woo without even realizing it. I’ve tried energy healing, Alexander Technique, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, essential oils, manifesting, meditation, and talk therapy. So why not chronicle my journeys here?

I see this blog as a safe place to question, explore, and experiment with “alternative” treatments and ideas. What I make of these ideas may be totally different than what you do, and what I end up believing may be different than what you believe.

But that is part of the journey into the Woo.

Please note: I want to emphasize that The Land of Woo does not give out medical advice, and I’m not advocating that you give up your Western doctor. You need to do you, and what is right for your body and your health.

Uncategorized

I Lie Down When I Meditate. Is That Cheating?

by Nicole1 Comment on I Lie Down When I Meditate. Is That Cheating?

I took a pretty intense meditation course about eight years ago. Or maybe I only think it was intense because it was my introduction to meditation. But I remember the class vividly because it marked the beginning of my struggle with “The Sit.”

The course was a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Class, based on the teachings of Jon Kabat- Zinn. My doctor recommended I enroll in the class. At the time, I was highly stressed and depressed. I was clenching my jaw so tightly at night that I was doing twice-weekly acupuncture treatments to get it under control. During the day, I was being driven crazy by ringing in my ears (tinnitus), which was accompanied by hearing loss.

So I enrolled in the eight-week course. We met once a week, three hours at a time. While we didn’t sit the entire time, we did sit during each class. For our weekly meditation homework, we sat some more.

I spent most of these “sits” crying.

Sitting triggered pains in my shoulder, my neck, my back. Sitting brought my tinnitus into focus. In short, sitting caused pain, and it made me feel like a failure. Once the course ended, so did my meditation practice.

Photo by Mike from Pexels

But two years ago, I found my way back to meditation after taking an online course. In the interim, I’d done hypnotherapy, learned to quiet my tinnitus, and made lifestyle changes (namely, changing my job) that helped lessen my stress.

While my new meditation practice has stuck, “The Sit” hasn’t. I still find sitting uncomfortable. My back pain flares. My shoulders ache. My neck strains. My jaw clenches.

Instead, I’ve found a meditation position that works for me: I lie on my back, a thin pillow under my head, and I put my legs up on an ottoman. It’s a sitting position–on my back. I love it. In this pose, I “sit” longer, my “sits” are deeper, and my love for my practice is growing.

Only I feel like a cheater.

Meditation books, blogs, and gurus emphasize the importance of “The Sit.” Lying down is usually only recommended if you are sick, in pain, or bedridden.

I finally spoke with my meditation teacher about my sitting problems. I feel like a failure, I told her, or a cheater. While I sit on a chair during our weekly meditation classes, I lie down at home. “Is it meditating if I’m lying down?” I asked her.

She responded with her typical warmth and calming smile. Yes, she assured me it is. And yes, she said, I’m doing just fine. I’m listening to my mind and my body, and right now, lying meditation serves me.

Maybe over the course of my practice, I’ll transition. Maybe one day, my “sits” will truly become sits. But if I can quiet my mind, find increased inner peace, consistently follow my practice, and feel my body healing, I must be doing something right.

For now, I’m embracing a sit that truly serves me–even if my “sit” takes place lying down.

Uncategorized

I’m Now That Woo Girl

by NicoleLeave a Comment on I’m Now That Woo Girl

I read the first paragraph of this Glamour article on Reiki energy healing, and instantly fell in love:

Reiki Helped Me Heal From the Trauma of Sexual Assault

I’ve recently become one of those people who are into Reiki—aka “energy healing,” a form of alternative medicine. This is a complete shock to me. I generally raise my eyebrows at mentions of “chakras” and “attuning”—but I’m now that girl. Whenever it comes up in conversation that I’ve not only tried Reiki but find it really powerful, I tend to get one of two responses (both of which involve raised eyebrows). Version one goes, “Oh, I’ve always been interested in trying that!” Version two goes, “Oh, wow,” accompanied by a studious sip of a drink.

–By  Krystin Arneson

Why did I fall in love with this article?

Because author Krystin Arneson captures what drew me to The Woo and what kept me from exploring it for so long.

In all honesty, I didn’t want to be that girl. I was a girl who wanted to get good grades, have a good career, and live a life filled with close friends, family, and my husband.

But this narrow path that I’d put myself on began to unravel in my 30s. In fact, I actually tried energy healing in my late 20s/early 30s when my job as a journalist, which required stressful hours in front of a computer and very few breaks, was causing chronic pain in my shoulder and neck.

After nerve block injections didn’t alleviate the pain, my doctor sent me to a woman who specialized in The Alexander Technique movement therapy … and energy healing.

While the Alexander Technique was helpful, I was more intrigued by the energy healing. I’d lay on a massage table, with my eyes closed. I’d inhale various essential oils while my therapist would hold her hands over me. It sounds similar to the Reiki treatments Krystin received. I don’t fully know what transpired while my eyes were closed, but I always felt better, more relaxed, and calm after a session.

Eventually, I stopped seeing this therapist, and I slowly stopped giving this energy work much thought. I moved on with my life even though my physical pain persisted, as did my struggles with mild depression and negative thinking.

But you know what they say in The Land of Woo — what you ignore only gets stronger. It took much more serious health issues to bring me back to The Woo, to make it an integral part of my life, and to start gaining the confidence to talk about it.

So, Does the Woo Work?

What I love about this article is that it doesn’t hide the fact that doctors have yet to fully grasp why Reiki may work. But that hasn’t stopped mainstream hospitals like Johns Hopkins, Yale New Haven Health, Cleveland Clinic, and UCLA Health from offering the treatment.

Maybe, some doctors speculate, Reiki works because it relaxes people. Perhaps, some doctors guess, Reiki works because it quiets the fight-or-flight response.

Or maybe Reiki works on some level we have yet to understand, cannot grasp, or will never be able to pinpoint.

The important thing is that Reiki does bring relief and healing to some people. And that is why I am becoming that girl.

Uncategorized

The Courageous Act of Saying No

by NicoleLeave a Comment on The Courageous Act of Saying No

The real question is, are we brave enough to want our heart’s desire? Are we daring enough to believe that we can have, be, or do what we want? 

– Sheri Salata, The Beautiful No

I recently read Sheri Salata’s book, The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence, and Transformation.

If you haven’t heard of Sheri, you have most likely heard of her boss — Oprah Winfrey. Sheri was the executive producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and then co-president of the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Yup. In short, she pretty much had *THE* dream job followed by another dream job. 

Then she quit.

Why? She was unhealthy and unhappy. She was 100 pounds overweight and single, with no relationship in sight.  She was in her 50s and knew something had to give. That something turned out to be her job.

I devoured her book. 

Here was someone who had access to all the great thinkers, leaders, and healers of our time, but she still avoided taking the difficult step of putting herself first and making room for her own health and happiness.

“I could recite the tenets of best-life living backward and forward. I could produce the hell out of transformation. I just continued to avoid producing the transformation of my own life.”

– Sheri Salata, The Beautiful No

That’s what I’ve done for years. I’ve defined myself by what I produce at work, how much money I make, the clothes I wear, the house I own. But no matter how many milestones I achieve – Bigger house! Nicer wardrobe! Cooler job! Happy clients! — it hasn’t made my soul happy. I’ve felt lost, unfulfilled, and confused because I was living the life I thought I was “supposed” to be living. 

What Sheri did takes courage. Yes, she had the means to walk away from a fabulous, well-paying, prestigious job. So, on some level, it was “easier” for her to walk away. But walking away and leaving your professional identity behind — especially as a middle-aged woman — takes guts.    

For me, starting this blog takes guts. I want to explore an aspect of myself — my fascination with The Woo — that is outside the bounds of the person I always thought I would be. It means giving up the life I thought I was supposed to have to live the life I was meant to have.

I hope I’m ready to produce the hell out of my own personal transformation.