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AMB Life Coaching

Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat 
at any time and be yourself~ Herman Hesse

“Milk Maids Blooming With Hound's Tongues Beginning to Peek Out”

We had our first seasonal contemplative walk in the hills of Portola Valley in February. It was a gorgeous day on the land of the Puichon Ohlone: with clear skies and perfect temperatures for a walk in the woods, we were treated to a never-ending symphony of busy and loud woodpeckers, to a mating dance by young happy juncos and to a deep, warm and intimate conversation between two bullfrogs. Inspired by the ancient Japanese calendar of 72 micro (ko) seasons and 24 small (seki) seasons, a participant titled our first walk: “Milk Maids blooming with Hound's Tongues beginning to peek out”. It’s amazing what one starts seeing, hearing and sensing when in stillness and silence even for just a few hours!

Join me on a future contemplative walk on May 9, August 22 and November 7.

Anxious? Thrown off Balance or off Schedule?
Nature Is Powerful Medicine!

How are you doing In the midst of the rapidly changing conditions of our world requiring new behaviors (social distancing, telecommuting, nesting, ..); destabilizing your daily schedules; disrupting planned trips, social visits and vacations? Are you feeling anxious and in need of new practices, fresh air and rest from the news?

I am adding to my list of events four seasonal half-day contemplative walks for women in Garland Ranch Regional Park in Carmel Valley, California. We will walk, breathe, relax, and find grounding for a more resilient self. The format will be similar to the Portola Valley events: we will walk the same trails each season, attuning to the land and the season through mindfulness-based nature practices.

The dates in Carmel Valley are: April 4 for Spring, June 13 for Summer, October 3 for Fall and December 5 for Winter. You can register for any or all of the walks with the link below.

If you are unable to join me on any of these walks, you can always schedule your own walking/coaching session where the benefits of being in Nature are compounded by the opportunity to be listened to in a deep way.

The self-reflection, practices and poem below further explore the topic of reducing anxiety in your life.

Be well.

Anne-Marie

PS: The pilgrimage to Shikoku, Japan is being cancelled due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for new dates either in the Fall of 2020 or in 2021.

Understanding My Anxiety

Self-Reflection: Please stop at least once a day and write down brief answers to these questions.

During this last period of time:

  • Did I experience anxiety? In precisely what form?

  • How did I respond to the anxiety? What effect did that have on me and the anxiety?

  • What could be a more skillful way of responding to it?

  • What will I start, stop or change from what I observed in this exercise?

If you’d rather draw, you may get inspired by Andrew Kuo “My Wheel of Worry” and create your own.

Practices: What works for you? Here are some options:

  • Body scan

  • 4-7-8 breathing practice

  • Box Breathing

  • Meditation

  • Yoga

  • Qigong

  • Dance

  • Exercise

  • Spending time with a loved one

  • Getting a massage

  • Taking a walk

  • Time in nature

Resources:
Seminar: Working Through Anxiety Ann Weiser Cornell- focusingresources.com
Article: How Anxiety Can Trap Us and How We Can Break Free by Sabina Nawaz- HBR 
Video: 4 7 8 Breathing Technique Dr Andrew Weil- www.drweil.com
Brain pickings: My Wheel of Worry by Andrew Kuo

Poem: The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.