Amira Ayad, PhD
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Online Courses
  • My Books
    • Body Whispers Book
    • Body Whispers Journal
    • Healing Body & Soul
    • The True Secret
  • Resources
    • Chakra Self-Assessment
    • Boost Your Immunity
    • Videos
    • Find the cause & Fix the problem
    • Washwasha
    • kitchen Dispensary
    • My Library
  • My Blog

[Art, Stories & Body Whispers®] On Staying Challenged

6/9/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
This month story builds on last month’s Daring to Live theme. It’s about staying challenged.

Story

Picture

The Japanese love sushi, but the waters around the island do not hold many fish. So, companies built large fishing boats to go farther out to sea. But, the farther out they went, the longer it took to bring in the fish home. The catch was not fresh anymore, and the customers’ culinary palate detected the difference. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go even farther and stay longer.
However, the Japanese could easily taste the difference between fresh and frozen. And, sushi can’t be made with frozen fish. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks on their vessels, into which they stuffed the live catch. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving in the tanks; they were dull and sluggish but stayed alive. Unfortunately, this solution did not work either. The Japanese could still taste the difference - because the fish had not moved freely for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste.
Finally, they found the solution in a simple saying: 'A person thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.' To keep the fish lively and fresh, fishing companies added a small shark to each tank. Sure enough, the shark ate a few fish, but the rest arrived in a vibrant energetic state. The fish were challenged!

Art

Draw a big rectangle on your page - this “tank” is your life - In it, jot down all the autopilot routine roles you have to play on a daily basis: driving to work, office stuff, replying to emails, cleaning, cooking, studying, taking care of the kids, spouse, watching TV…

Now, add a shark to your tank!

Remember, there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Your art could be realistic or abstract… don’t worry about the drawing skills… don’t worry about colouring inside the lines, perspective or proportions… just freely capture the feelings you are experiencing.
Take your time and keep adding any words that come to mind.

When you are ready, take a good look at your art:
  • What color is your shark? What shape, texture?
  • Is it big or small?
  • Does it look docile or vicious?
  • Did it take all the space or was it a tiny representation on the side?
  • Which "Fish" will the shark swallow first?
  • What is the shark trying to push you to do?
  • How scary is this challenge?
  • What blocks/ stands in the way?

Traditional Wisdom of the Month

Picture
“Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, once you’re perfectly free.”
- Rumi, from Coleman Barks The Essential Rumi






Reflection & Journaling prompts:
  • Is there an area (or areas) of your life that is/are starting to stagnate, to feel stale, areas that  are slowly decaying, that are gradually becoming lifeless, sluggish and dull?
  • What “shark” do you need to add to your life to keep things flowing?

Body Whispers

As you know by now, your Body whispers are unique to you… You need to sit and listen.

Generally speaking, the main energy centre that starts to whisper when we are leading a meaningless, dull, boring, and lifeless existence, is our sixth chakra.
Our sixth chakra energy feeds our senses, our central nervous system and the pituitary gland.
​The pituitary gland is the master commander of our endocrine system directly governing the hormonal functions of the first chakra (the adrenals), the second (the sexual organs), and the fifth (the thyroid) along with many other critical roles.
When your days feel dull and lifeless, the whispers start. They might manifest as stress, anxiety, or immunity malfunction (first chakra-related disorders); PMS and reproductive tract disorders (second chakra-related issues); metabolic dysfunctions and thyroid hyper or hypo activity (fifth chakra-related disorders); or eye, ear, and nerve issues (sixth chakra-related disorders). Listen!
Picture
0 Comments

[Art, Stories & Body Whispers®] Soul Yearning

1/8/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
This month, we’ll resume  our series: Art, Stories & Body Whispers® .

As you know by now, to follow along, you will need a blank-page journal or sketch book and some basic colours or collage materials. Every month we will explore a theme using art exercise and stories, sometimes I will suggest songs, poetry,  or traditional wisdom that will add some insight to the theme. Finally, we’ll discuss common Body whispers® related to the theme we are exploring.

This month is about soul yearning and daring to live.

Story

Picture
Years ago, my cousins and I used to rent a small boat from the shores of the Alexandrian sea. The fisherman would warn us, “you can row far and wide, but never cross the boughaz (the inlet)” – this was a small opening in the wall of the breakwater rocks that the city had instilled years ago to protect its shores from the raging sea…. The Alexandrian coastlines were thus tamed and peaceful. Still, its sea was vast and wide… you can safely row for hours and hours and stop your boat to fish and cast your net… You’re safe and protected as long as you don’t cross the inlet - the boughaz!
Yet, crossing we did… EVERY SINGLE TIME… We couldn’t help it… Those bunch of rebellious kids who wanted to experiment with the unknown. As soon as we got the hang of our tiny boat, we row and row away from the shore and out of sight right through the boughaz… it’s a whole new world out there, a magical feeling. In just a few seconds, you are thrown into the wild and the Mediterranean shows its true face, its untamed and scary side. It is much more alive than the boring smooth waters of the safe coastlines. Once we've tried it, we could never enjoy the tamed sea again… we had to cross the inlet every time we’re out in the sea… and, it was our little secret. The beauty, serenity, and the peacefulness of the vast blue waters that meant the world to everyone, was but a boring illusion that kept us away from the true taste of the mysterious world – a world with no boundaries – the true Mediterranean – the True Sea, we yearned for.

Decades later, I am wondering where this adventurous rebellious girl went… I can’t remember how many times I surfed art supplies stores buying art supplies and stocking them in my already busy drawers and tool boxes. When I decide to finally paint, I open my tool box, gaze at my endless materials and think: “No… these are too precious, I’ll save them for a more serious project.” And, guess what! This ‘more serious project’ never comes. My paints, glue cans, and mediums wait in their safe storage until they dry up and flake, until they turn from precious to useless waiting for the ‘perfect moment’ that never came, and may never come.
Of course “art supplies” here are but a metaphor for everything in life… every new adventure, opportunity, dream, passion… that we stock in our safe drawers waiting of the perfect time. Kind of like the story of the poor fisherman throwing away the big fishes he catches as he only has a tiny frying pan at home. The big fishes just won’t fit!!!

The most important lesson I learned from my art classes at the faculty of Fine Art back home is to be bold, to take risks. You are faced with a blank canvas, you could paint it any way you wish. If you choose dull, monotonous colors just to ‘be on the safe side’, you will end up with a boring lifeless painting. “What if I mess up? What if I used the wrong colors?” I asked. “Just add a fresh new layer,” my professor calmly answered. Accidental mistakes and bad choices in art, like in life, are revealing strokes. They teach us and force us out of our comfort zone, “see them not as mistakes, rather as opportunities,” my professor taught.

I’m wondering whether the beauty, safety, and comfort of our modern life became but a boring illusion… a veil that denies our soul its yearning of crossing the boughaz, of reaching out for its True Sea?


Art

You might have already guessed our art project for today… Open up a new page spread in your art journal and just pour a blob of random paint - any random color… better yet a color that you don’t really care for.
Then, close the journal while the paint is still wet and open it up again.
Now that you created a mess, use more colours, paint, scribbles, collage, whatever you fancy and turn this blob of random mess into a monster. Yes, a monster!

Remember, there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Your art could be realistic or abstract… don’t worry about the drawing skills… don’t worry about colouring inside the lines, perspective or proportions… just freely capture the feelings you are experiencing.
Take your time and then jot down any words that come to mind.

Now, look at your art:
  • What colour did you use? What texture? What shapes?
  • How strong, sharp, heavy or light are the colours, lines and shapes?
  • Who or what is your monster? How strong, sharp, heavy or light is it?
  • What is he/she trying to push you to do? Or prevent you from doing?
  • How scary is your monster? How big is it?
  • What triggers it?
  • What calms it down?
  • How does it block/ stand in your way?
  • If you want to add yourself to the page, where would you be?

Here is a song, you might enjoy while painting your monster:
Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying

Traditional Wisdom of the month

Picture
Rumi gives the simile:

“When you load your cargo on a ship, you do
that with full trust God keeps it safe for you.
You don’t know whether you might drown
Or, you’ll be saved from ever sinking down.
If you say, ‘till I know which one I’ll be
I won’t go on the ship or in the sea,
I need to know if I’ll be drowned
Reveal to me if I’ll arrive safe and sound?
I won’t embark on a journey with all the unknown
The truth to me has to be clearly shown.’
No trade will be accomplished, then, by you
Because the answer is hidden far from view.
The frightened merchant with a fragile nature
Finds neither loss nor profit in his venture.”

Reflection & Journaling prompts:
  • Name your fears

Body Whispers

Picture
There are so many ways your body can whisper to you that your soul is yearning for more out of life… You need to sit and listen. Everyone is unique.
Yet, usually, the parts of the body that get affected when we deny our life passions and yearnings, when we let our fears prevent us from pursuing what we are called to pursue, are the sexual organs and the thyroid.


  • Sex organs & female hormonal imbalance - things like PMS, hot flashes, uterine fibroids, PCOS, and ovarian cysts... are trying to tell you that you are missing joy, excitement & creativity in your life.
  • Throat & thyroid whispers want to tell you that you need to be heard; you need to reclaim your authentic voice. This area is also related to issues with surrender and learning to align our will to the Divine will without compromising or giving up on your dream nor ignoring your voice.

0 Comments

[Art, Stories & Body Whispers®] On Fear, Letting Go & Trust.

11/7/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
This month, I am starting a new series I have been thinking about for a long time now, combining my three favourite subjects: Art, Stories & Body Whispers® .
It will be sweet and brief as I know we’re all busy.

To follow along, you will need a blank-page journal or sketch book and some basic colours or collage materials. Every month we will explore a theme. You will start with an art exercise. Then, you’ll move to a story that will usually be some symbolic take on the theme. Finally, some common Body whispers® related to the topic we’re exploring.

This month we are exploring Fear, Letting Go & Trust.

Art

Open a new spread in your journal and using colours, images, collage materials, drawing, doodle, scribble… explore: What does fear look like for you?
There is no right or wrong answer nor right of wrong way of doing it. Your art could be realistic or abstract… don’t worry about the drawing skills… don’t worry about colouring inside the lines, perspective or proportions… just freely capture the feelings you are experiencing.
Take your time and then jot down any words that come to mind.

Now, look at your art:
  • What colour did you use? What texture? What shapes?
  • How strong, sharp, heavy or light are the colours, lines and shapes? How strong, sharp, heavy or light is your fear?
  • Is it contained or pervasive?
  • What triggers it?
  • What calms it down?
  • How does it block/ stand in your way?
  • If you want to add yourself to the page, where would you be?

Story: It is Written in the Sand

Picture
​There is an old Sufi tale about a Stream that flowed freely for years. It is said that he began his journey from up there in the mountains far far away… He passed through hilltops and lowlands… He survived ditches and travelled plains … until one day, he reached the desert.

The Stream has been through a lot on his journey and was certain that he can pull through this one too. So, he tried and tried; and the more he tried to cross the desert, the faster he kept sinking into its Sands… the Stream’s waters were disappearing and the Stream was gradually fading away… it was scary!

The Stream knew that he was meant to cross the desert… but, he had no idea how… And, he began to wonder why… Why was he facing such a hard task?  Why can’t he just continue flowing as he used to? This is when the Stream heard a gentle subtle voice that seems to come from afar … the voice whispered: “the Wind crosses the desert, so can you.”
“But, the Wind can fly,” replied the Stream, “it can flow over those harsh arid Sands that keep sucking the life out of me.”
“Maybe you’re pushing too hard,” whispered the voice,
“maybe you need to let go… To trust.”
“But, what would I be if I let go?” Wondered the Stream. 
“If you just allow yourself to be absorbed in the Wind, it can happily carry you to wherever you are meant to be.”
The Stream fiercely objected, letting go meant losing control… it meant facing the unknown… it meant embracing the change that is taking place … a scary ambiguous change.
Yet, what will he be if he does not let go? Continuing to push against the harshness of the Sands is futile. He will soon be absorbed away or turned into a swampland. 

It was a hard choice to make… After all, the Stream only knew one way of flowing… one way of knowing. All his life, he has been flowing in his old familiar way… he has been knowing in his old knowable way... he was free, or so, he thought… he had never relinquished his control before… “Will I remain the same Stream that I am today?”

“Your essence will never change… whether you become a new stream, a lake, or a river… whether you choose to sink in the Sands or turn into swamp or marsh... you are and will always remain you… your secret… your most essential you.”

“How do I know that this is true?”

“You need to trust.”

The Stream was more confused than ever… So many questions needed to be asked. But, the answer did not come from the faraway whispers this time, the answer came from deep within. The Stream vaguely remembered once upon a time far faraway when he was held by the caring Wind… it felt safe… it felt true… or, did it? 

And, the Stream allowed his waters to be absorbed in the Wind… and, the Wind gently carried the waters to the mountaintops far faraway. The Stream was watching and learning... He was flowing like he had never flown before… He was knowing like he had never known before...
The Stream still did not know where the Wind is carrying him… And, he still did not know what or how he’ll end up being… But, it felt true… it felt real… it felt safe. The Stream somehow knew that he still was and will always remain the Stream that he had always been and he also knew that he no longer was and will never remain the Stream he had ever been.

And, on his journey up to the mountaintops, he heard the familiar gentle voice whisper again, “We have always known, because we see it happen all the time."
And, this is why it is said that the journey of your Stream of Life is written in the Sands.



*The story is from Tales of the Dervishes by Idris Shah

Reflection & Journaling Prompts:
  • What do you need to let go of?
  • What is your relationship with trust?
  • Do you trust yourself and your judgements?
  • Do you trust God? What does trusting Him means to you?
“If tomorrow morning by stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, every shrink in the directory would be out of business.” Steven Pressfield
What “first step” you need to take now towards pursuing your dream?

Body Whispers

Picture
Knees
Knees problems hide an underlying sense of fear, worry and insecurity. You are missing the feeling of belonging, integration, and grounding ... the feeling of being part of a secure, safe family, community or society.
Knees pain signals some reluctance or unwillingness to move forward or change direction especially when you feel unsupported by your family or community, you feel that you are flowing against the current and striving to change what cannot/would not be changed.
Knees also start to ‘whisper’ when there are some major changes going on in your life. It could be some material change or changes in beliefs and thinking pattern… when your beliefs about what is true and valuable in life are challenged by your reality, community and environment… When your identity and self-worth are at stake or questioned.
If your knees are causing you problems, you need to start asking yourself where in my life do I need to surrender more? What do I need to let go of? Do I need to be more flexible and understanding? Am I being stubborn, hindering life flow with ease and spontaneity?
What fears am I storing: is it fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of change, fear of being not enough, fear of criticism, fear of breaking hearts or crushing dreams?
Knees problems could also signal some form of conflict with the ego, a prideful unwillingness to give up or give in. Pride doesn’t always mean arrogance, sometimes pride denotes the inability to accept our human limitation as we keep fighting, struggling and banging our head against a wall in a futile battle.




Picture
Kidneys:
​
When your kidneys start to whisper, your body is trying to tell you that you are harbouring too much fears, especially fears related to safety, financial security and worry about tomorrow.
People with kidney problems are experiencing a growing feeling of vulnerability, they feel lonely and unsupported. They fear being left alone in the world. They also harbour lots of negative emotions that they are unable or unwilling to release: worry, resentment, criticism, self doubt, self-blame and frustrations. They fear that they won’t be good enough or that they might fail.

0 Comments

Best Books I read in 2022

10/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
This is the time of the year again when I evaluate the books I’ve read last year and pick my favourite. As you know I am a bookworm, so it was very difficult to limit my list to 12 books, but here we go… No specific order:


1. Love Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - by Irvin Yalom
This is a compilation of case studies highlighting the inner dialogue that is occurring in the therapist’s mind as he is dealing with clients - Yalom shares very openly what is going on in his mind - very valuable learning from the safe and effective use of self and the countertransference to the simple frustration and annoyance … Brilliant, very honest and really brave.

2. Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure - by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
The book discusses how the over-protection of the young generation in modern-day society un-intentionally led to many cognitive distortions that crept their way into young people’s mind and became like a kind of Orwellian’s groupthink - I am unique, I am entitled to, I deserve, it's my right…- and how these distortions are re-enforced by the social media and internet which helped what the authors called “consensual hallucinations”. The authors explore many consequences of these distortions like increased fragility, low tolerance for others who are different from us, and many forms of anxiety, depression, and violence at times. They also offer valuable suggestions and solutions.

3. People of the Lie: Towards a Psychology of Evil - by Scott Peck
Are there some “evil people”? Why are they behaving in a destructive way? Are they aware of the harm they are inflicting on themselves and others? Is “evil” an illness? Is it a form of personality disorder like the ones described in the DSM? Scott Peck defined evil as “the use of power to Destry the spiritual growth of others for the purpose of defending and preserving the integrity of our own sick selves. In short, it is scapegoating.”
As the book suggests, as therapists and counsellors, we can’t start dealing with or “healing” evil and its victims unless or until we have the courage of naming it. Yet, naming it, in itself, is very problematic. Who has the authority to name it?
In my practice, I now meet women who call their husbands narcissists just because they refused to take out the trash or forgot her birthday or maybe got the wrong birthday gift… People are randomly throwing the narcissist and psychopath labels at their spouses, family members, parents, neighbours, and colleagues … Evil will even bear a stronger connotation if we start randomly naming it… Yet, to heal, we must name it. How can we solve this dilemma?

4. Atlas of the heart:  Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience - by Brené Brown
A must read for every therapist and even-dare I say- for everyone. Giving name to those itching feelings that rise in our heart beyond the simplification of sad, mad, glad, and afraid. There is charm in simplicity - but, when it comes to emotions, simplification keeps you on the surface. This book empowers you with the language and knowledge that allow you to dig deeper into your heart and name those feelings. It is only when we name them that we will be able to tame them.

5. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - by Naomi Klein
Brilliant and Shocking! And, by the way, it was published before the pandemic. Let me just quote her here: “That is how the Shock Doctrine works: an original disaster [be it natural or man-made] puts the entire population into a state of collective shock […] serve to soften up whole societies. Shocked societies often give up things they would otherwise fiercely protect.”
“This desire for god-like power of total creation is precisely why free-market ideologues are so drawn to crises and disasters. An attraction to a kind of freedom and possibility available only in times of cataclysmic change - when people, with their stubborn habits and instant demands, are blasted out of the way - moments when democracy seems a practical impossibility.”

6. The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind - by Gustave Le Bon
A classic that is highly relative to our contemporary life.The author argues that “a crowd forms when an influential idea unites a number of individuals and propels them to act towards a common goal. This influential idea however is never created by members of the crowd. Instead, they are brought into the world by minds of great individuals” - those of course are the “gurus” of our modern-day, the influencers, the politicians, the “experts”…
Le Bon sees that the crowd is psychologically organized, “the sentiments and ideas of all the persons in the gathering take one and the same direction and their conscious personality vanishes” - “ A collective mind is formed.” Feelings and thoughts are turned into one direction , no trace of individual autonomy. They “feel, think and act in manner quite different from that in which each individual of them would feel, think and act were he in a state of isolation.” The sense of responsibility vanishes, the effect is contagious, and the crowd starts to obey all suggestions of the so-called “great individual” - the crowd starts to form its “unique characteristics and has moral bearing”. Impulsivity and emotional thinking are main characteristics of the crowd.
In our modern-day, we can find those crowds forming the “echo chambers” - social media pockets where beliefs and ideologies are amplified and re-enforced by repetition; and are isolated and shielded from opposing arguments and diverse perspectives resulting in un-intended (or maybe intended) confirmation bias and polarization. Sigh.

7. Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes -  by Jacques Ellul
Another classic. Published in 1962. Even before the age of the internet and social media, Ellul saw propaganda as a pervasive phenomenon that shapes our thinking and alter our worldview at the deepest most fundamental levels. “Development of sophisticated scientific techniques for manipulating minds along with the use of mass media for applying these techniques on the widest scale […] to effect changes in human personality.” He advised, “preservation of our freedom and autonomy will require recognizing its power.” - The question remains, how to remain self-aware so we do not get sucked up into this black hole - especially with the new technology, social media algorithm, increased life stresses, “Stolen Focus”, and all the demands of our modern age?

8. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention & How to Think Deeply Again - by Johann Hari
The irony is that I got this as an audiobook because I don’t have time to sit and read the book - if you read my earlier blog about the “Duck” - here it is in action - our modern society is turning us all into what Rumi calls, Ducks of Urgency. We are running and running all the time unable to slow down and actually enjoy life. And, it is not a matter of simple will power or self-care practices. The problem, as Hari describes it, is much more systemic than we think.
A great read. It made me take my “Duck” problem much more seriously and start to implement lifestyle changes to slow down and take life in - Enjoy life instead of “speed reading” it.

9. Lost Connections - by Johann Hari
Another Johann Hari book. The author outlines 9 disconnections in our modern western society that pave the way to depression. Very well researched. I would add a 10th disconnection, though, disconnection from the Divine, from a Higher source or power.

10. Contemplation: An Islamic Psychospiritual Study - by Malik Badri
The book sheds light on an important worship practice in Islam Tafakkor - which could be roughly translated as contemplation, meditation or reflection. The author chooses “contemplation” to differentiate it from the Far Eastern practice of meditation. Tafakkor is a cognitive as well as spiritual practice. It engages the mind with its reflective ability along with the heart with its spiritual, emotional powers. It involves deep thinking with one goal in mind: developing spiritual awareness along with consciousness of and connection with God. As you are contemplating, you embark on a journey of discernment of the Divine signs in and around you.

11. The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life - by Melody Moezzi
Lovely autobiographical narrative. The author relates her journey, as an American exploring her Iranian roots and heritage, finding healing and restoring sanity with Rumi’s poetry. I love her honesty and vulnerability and love her interaction with her father/mentor with his gentle approach to conveying his traditional Rumi wisdom. The author takes us along her personal journey of  interpreting and applying this wisdom to her everyday life. Many topics explored: mental illness, isolation, distraction, depression, anxiety, anger, fear, disappointment… and more.

12. The Diary of Frida Khalo: An Intimate Self-Portrait - by Carlos Fuentes 
This is one of my weird-taste books - so, warning: it won’t appeal to everyone! Personally, I find it AMAZING!
This is the published unedited diary of Frida Khalo - what can be called in our modern-day, her Art Journaling. Although I feel it is an invasion of her privacy, I can’t help but marvel at it.
I use my journal pages to make sense of my world and create some order in the midst of chaos and I guess Frida’s diary was the fertile ground that sprouted her beautiful art that we all enjoy. Frida’s art is so vibrant and colourful, yet we know that she endured so much physical and emotional pain.
The diary feels like a doorway to the mind of this amazing artist, a peek into her soul- the aches and pain, the love, the hopes, the dreams - all raw and randomly scattered on the pages yet intimately interwoven. Maybe I love it because this is how my mind looks like - messy and randomly scattered, chaotic, confusing - it makes sense only to me - like this diary, although visually appealing, it would make sense only to Frida.
0 Comments

Let your imagination roam

18/5/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
If you are anything like me, I find change very hard... any change... so, now after the 30 days of the holy month are over, I need time to resettle into my daily life...

To start getting back into my routine I needed some mindfulness practice. And, my favorite is Art journaling.

I’ve kept an art practice for years… I’ve always used visual art as a form of meditation, stress management, and self-exploration... But, it was only a few years back when I realized that I have been documenting my life in those pieces. I have always seen and interpreted my world within the pages of my art journals - my visual representation was an attempt to make sense of a very complicated (or maybe rich) reality that I struggled to make sense of.
In the Quran, God tells us: “We will show them Our signs in the horizons [the universe] and within themselves until it is evident to them that it is the Truth.” (Q. 41: 53)

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ (فصلت ٥٣)
My art practice was my humble attempt to discern those Signs that God was sending me “in the horizons”. And, my Body Whispers’ teaching was an attempt to discern those Signs “within ourselves.”

Avicenna (Ibn Sina), the famous Muslim physician (d. 1037 C.E.) saw that, in addition to our five external senses, our soul has amazing 5 inner senses that help us “see” the world and connect to its higher meaning and purpose. One of those inner senses is Imagination (Al-khayāl). In our Western culture, we might be familiar with creativity and intuition, but Al-khayāl goes way deeper than that. Imagination (Al-khayāl), according to Avicenna, is the power that bridges the soul (al-nafs) to the Spirit (al-ruh), it connects us to the higher wisdom, the sacred Divine Breath within us.

Yet, this Imagination (Al-khayāl) needs to be trained for it to be able to discern the signs, to speak the language of symbolism and archetypes, and for this, it needs reflection, creative practices, silence & mindfulness, and self-awareness & awakening.
And, like all faculties of the soul, Imagination (Al-khayāl) also needs to be tamed, and this is the role of the heart - a pure, sincere heart is our gateway for a whole magical world of imagination - a world that strengthens our connection with our Creator as we see His Signs everywhere “in the horizons” and “within ourselves.”

Maybe I will be brave enough to share some pages of my art journals with you …

For now, I highly encourage you to start your own mindfulness practice… Open up to the universe and it will open up to you! Let your imagination roam freely.
Have a beautiful week,
0 Comments

What is your Body trying to tell you?

24/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Do you feel that something is wrong with your body but you cannot quite define it?
Your lab results are normal. The doctors tell you that it is all in your head or maybe it is just stress. Yet, in your heart, you’re just not ‘you’.
Or, maybe you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic disease. You took medicine after medicine with no sign of relief. Some symptoms are fading; yet, you’re still tired, exhausted, and depleted. You lack energy… You’ve lost the zest of life, motivation, and enthusiasm.
Or, you’ve just recovered from a serious illness, life trauma, or grief. People praise you for how brave and resilient you have been. Your doctor tells you that you can finally get off your meds; you don’t need them any more… Yet, deep inside, you still feel depleted and weak. You’ve tried to eat healthy, live healthy, exercise, and sleep early. You’ve tried all the supplements, herbs and superfoods your friends and nutritionists recommended. Yet, you still have a deep feeling of unrest and unease. You start feeling helpless and discouraged with all your seemingly endless complaints that no one acknowledges. You start believing that this is the norm and you just have to get used to those body aches and pains... you have to get used to this brain fog, chronic exhaustion, anxiety, and depressive mood...
Your body communicates to you in a way that is uniquely yours—it is the sum of your experiences, memories, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs. You are the only one who can decode those Whispers… You are the only one who can devise your healing plan. Start by listening… What is your body trying to tell you?
​
0 Comments

Do you believe you can make your dream a living reality?

10/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Are you feeling stuck, tired, and depleted? You cared for everyone and about everything. You have put your dreams on hold for so long that you don’t even remember what they were any more. Or, you might have achieved many successes, climbed the corporate ladder, took care of the home and the kids… and feel that you should be happy… but you are not.
 
Inside you, there is something missing… the joy… the excitement of everyday life… you are feeling incomplete, un-fulfilled… maybe even depressed, bored, or lonely… You are hungry for more… more joy, more love, more peace, more energy, more impact in the world… You crave excitement… You crave passion.
 
You’ve tried in the past to fight depression, random aches and pains, brain fog, or chronic illness and fatigue but failed… You are still feeling stuck, depleted and overwhelmed… You still feel lost, unfulfilled, and are hungry for more despite all your efforts. You’ve been wondering why you just can’t manage to live joyfully, excited and inspired… Dear exhausted soul, if you’ve been concerned that you just can’t find motivation and passion that make you jump out of bed in the morning looking forward to the new day, it is not your fault.
 
I don’t want you to lose sight of your dream. … I know you have a dream … that’s why you’re here reading those words. It doesn’t matter whether it is a big or a small dream… Whether you just want to be happy or pain-free or you want to heal yourself or embark on a mission to heal the world… regardless of the size of your dream… it is important to you and I believe you can make it a living reality.
But, what matters the most, do you believe you can make your dream a living reality?
 
David Feinstein in his book The Promise of Energy Psychology, says that in order to change our life, we need first to be receptive for this change. While we logically accept and wish for those positive changes (like being happy, losing weight, healing our body, taming with our anger, calming our anxiety…) many of us hold this inner conflict that is unconsciously running the show, blocking our progress and hindering our healing.
 
Don’t underestimate this subconscious resistance. It cannot be simply overcome by will power, in fact, the harder you try, the tougher the resistance becomes… The more strictly you hold on to that diet, the more stubborn those fat cells become in holding on to your waist line… the stronger you push to hold your temper and repeat those mantras, the louder those anger bursts erupt at the most unexpected time… Your relentless efforts produce opposite results as your subconscious is trying to protect you at all cost. It is trying to hold on to some values or beliefs you acquired years back and don’t even realize they existed… “Those fats will keep men away, so I won’t be hurt by another failed love story”; “This anger keeps me safe in a hostile world”; “This drama feeds my muse”… Those are the inner stories that run in our heads all the time…To heal, you need to unravel those deeply held tales… you need to challenge them, you need to change the story you run in your head and write your own new version…

0 Comments

The Healing Journey: How to keep going when there are no guarantees?

9/5/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
Few years back, after a tough personal trial, I was left broken… emotionally and physically broken… I woke up one morning with a cloud on my right eye that would not lift. I could barely feel my right leg and moving my right arm felt like swimming in molasses.
I embarked on my personal healing journey. It took drastic changes in my diet and lifestyle to be able to lift the cloud and move my leg and arm again. It took tremendous time and efforts, but most importantly, it took changing of a thinking pattern I was conditioned on since my early childhood years… A pattern of “I’m not good enough”… “I am not worthy”… “I need to keep giving and giving, accepting what I hate and denying what I need in order for me to gain people love and approval”
 
Changing the diet to a highly restrictive one wasn’t an easy task, yet changing the thought and belief patterns was even harder… way harder…
It took me a whole year of relentless work… working on my thoughts, my actions and my feelings… when you embark on such a journey you never know where it’s going to lead you… Sometimes the improvement is so slow, you think nothing is changing… little that we know most of the change is taking place below the surface…
 
I am a mixed media artist and art quilter… I specialize in a special form of art that entails drawing with the sewing machine in a free motion intuitive stitching. This needs tremendous leg and hand control and coordination… After my ‘perfect storm’, I could no longer do that… My leg was too weak to control the sewing patterns.
​
Picture
​On the outside, people saw me back on my feet, working, running and rushing. But, behind the perfect façade, I was putting a relentless effort to hide that limp, I was crying over a lost hobby, a lost passion and a lost strength…
I shifted to acrylic painting… no sewing required. It worked well, people admired my painting, they were exhibited in shows and galleries, but again, behind the perfect façade, only I knew that those weren’t mine… This wasn’t my art, my choice, my work or my passion…
I kept going any way… working on my diet, my supplements, my lifestyle, my choices, my mission and my career… and above all, working on my thinking pattern… Shedding the helplessness, martyrdom and worthless mentality… generating joy and honouring the struggle as my favourite mentor Brendon Bruchard says.
 
You need to keep going until this becomes your life, until you forget about your pain and your wounds and you only remember the Big Picture, the big meaning… Until you find yourself effortlessly smiling again, laughing again and engaging in life again and again…

And, one day, I took my sewing machine out and gave it another try… It worked! My leg wasn’t protesting any longer… It was moving forward along with my life!
 
My clients keep asking me: “will I be able to walk normally again?”; “Will I ever be pain-free? Headache-free?”; “Will I ever get my vitality back? My strength? My life back?”
The truth is, I don’t know… No one can give you guarantees… But what I can guarantee is putting you on the right track; empowering you with the knowledge, science and information; motivating you to keep going and supporting you all the way until you reach your goal…

True healing comes from the One & Only Healer… from God. Our role is seeking all the worldly means: eating the right food, taking the right supplements, managing stresses, changing perception, making better choices… doing all the work while praying for guidance. Divine guidance is our ultimate goal… guidance to the Right Path, to the right intention, to the right decision… guidance to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be… guidance to finding our true life meaning, purpose and calling and embarking on a quest to fulfil it… Only then, healing is achieved.
Picture
This is my first art quilt after my leg recovery
2 Comments

Art from the Heart

23/4/2012

2 Comments

 
When I was a young girl, my art teacher never liked my drawings. They weren’t very ‘artistic’, she used to say. I always tried to conform to the rules: color within the lines, watch myperspectives, follow design ‘rules’… No wonder I never felt artistic enough. I never gave the chance for my deep feelings to be expressed, explored or released on papper.

It was only when I decided to draw for ‘myself’, not for pleasing anyone else that I started to feel free. Only then, I gave room for my true creative self. ART for me is my therapeutic tool that heals life stresses, worries, woes, aches and pains. Art therapists teach that the word ART stands for: Access, Release, & Transform. And, this is exactly what it does for me. Colors, shapes, pictures, symbols, chosen ephemera, collaged bits and pieces, fabric scraps, and charms… all have meaning, a deep meaning hidden in every selection, in every choice you make, in every decision that alters the shape of your canvas as it alters the shape of your life. These selections are your mean to access your heart feelings, your insights, ideas, and creative thoughts, as well as your hidden hopes and fears. Your canvas, or any other medium you choose to express your art on, is your way of releasing. Releasing negative thoughts and beliefs, releasing erroneous perceptions and hurtful feelings that no longer serve you at this point of your journey. And, as your piece of art develops, as it takes shape and form, you gently, yet powerfully, start the transformation journey. You experience your anger melting into acceptance and forgiveness; your frustration converted into peace and wisdoms; your challenges transmuted into lessons and tools for growth; your pains shaped into a mold of satisfaction and insights… With my art, I heal my heart.

Surprisingly, now that I no longer wait for others appreciations and acceptance, I receive loads of that. Many friends try to convince me to take a professional step in art practice, sell my paintings or accept orders. I diligently refuse. “It will just take the magic out of it” I reply. It will force me back to look outside for acceptance rather than looking inside for answers. I choose to keep my ART as my heart healing ally.

Try it for your self
Have a wonderful week
With Health & Healing


2 Comments
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    About the Author

    Hi, I'm Amira... I'm all for simple, natural, uncomplicated life... My core values are derived from my Islamic faith... My definition of wellness includes lots of smiles, human interactions, delicious food, music, joy, colorful paint, Mediterranean sunshine, blue sky and turquoise sea, care, love, compassion and deep heart-felt peace.
    I love learning… I love books and art supplies… And, I am saddened by human conflict and intolerance.
     
    I am an introvert who loves being around people... I love building communities and gathering around the kitchen table... I am a teacher at heart... I simplify complex health science and speak openly about heart and soul stuff...

    I've been helping people on their health and healing journey for more than 20 years now and I am committed to be authentic, caring and a beacon of love and peace.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Art Healing
    Body Whispers
    Emotional Healing
    Energy
    Functional Nutrition
    Holistic Healing
    Holistic Living
    Islamic Medicine
    Mental Body
    Mind/Body
    Nutrition
    Recipes
    Spirituality
    Stress Management
    Stress Mangement
    Workshops
    مدونات باللغة العربية

    RSS Feed

 Disclaimer
My wellness coaching, workshops, teachings, and all the services I provide are at all times restricted to education, teaching and training on the subject of natural health matters intended for general natural health well-being and do not involve the diagnosing, prognosticating, treatment, or prescribing of remedies for the treatment of any disease, or any licensed or controlled act which may constitute the practice of  medicine. 
Any questions? Please email me at info@amiraayad.com 

Privacy Policy    Terms of Service