Dear Common Awakening Friends,

What makes you most uncomfortable might just be the entrance point you need to find what your heart most wants. 

In this week's podcast segment we head into the realm of discomfort and pain sharing personally about why these moments are so valuable. Our instinct, our very nature, is to avoid what hurts and attempt to bypass or overcome what is painful, but is that best? Might there be a portal into something more if we learn to be with what is rising and follow present energies— even unwelcome ones— into something transcendent? Might what is uncomfortable be the portal we need to usher us into the true state of Fullness and connection that we seek. 

Finding some simple practices to help you get comfortable with getting uncomfortable can be a good place to start. There is some good research to show that taking a few steps into discomfort can provide self-growth in unexpected ways. Moreover, according to mindfulness research, as a person becomes more aware of what they are experiencing in the present moment without stories or judgments, the more their perception of pain decreases. By being present with what is, we live true empowerment and freedom.

Ready to get uncomfortable?  Here are a few steps to take this week to notice and use what is uncomfortable to support you to enter your own spiritual portal into the more that awaits you:

1. Notice when you tune out or go away from what is uncomfortable in your day to day. Awareness is your first step.

2. Use a centering practice like putting a hand on the Heart Center and Wisdom center (down near your gut) and taking a few deep inhales through your nose to support staying present, even if for only a few moments.

3. Use a mantra like, " I am here," "Stay present with," "Allow" to support you in tolerating what is uncomfortable.

4. Notice the movement of energy as you stay present with something uncomfortable and notice what shifts, even if it is subtle. This will teach you that the discomfort is moving and so are you. 

We invite you as a sacred community to join us in staying with what is uncomfortable to invite in the more that wants to come.

With love,

Annie & Annmarie