Category:

Do you find it hard to trust?

15/6/2021

Our life is the journey of the soul towards God… A journey of love… Deepening the loving connection until you reach the ultimate destination… The Beloved (Al-Wadud) الودود
But, how can we love if we cannot trust. In the worldly life, to love and to trust means that you know, acknowledge, and accept that your heart might be broken - your loved one can abandon you, disappoint you, or he/she might die or fall ill.
In the same manner, we experience an agony when we commit to Divine love and trust… Yet, it is a different type of agony. we know that God won’t ever abandon us or disappoint us and He is the All -Present, the Living who never dies… yet sometimes, it feels like we’re alone, abandoned and deserted… We strive to understand “why” things happen
What we fail is that we are not supposed to understand… We are supposed to TRUST… But, can we blindly trust, though?
The first page of the Quran praises those who believe in the unseen — to trust we have to learn to see beyond our limited external senses.
Life is a series of paradoxes. We learn as we go along.. but the most valuable lesson is when we realize that it is impossible for us to see the whole picture, the whole wisdom, the full story.
We’re all caught in own tiny stories… we strive to enrich those stories with details and wisdom that we gather from the signs sent our way… Signs that we discern in ourselves and in the world around us - yet, we need to acknowledge our human limitations… We’ll never know it all. Prophet Abraham never knew that billions of Muslims will follow the path of the son he was ordered to leave in the desert of Arabia 1000s of years ago. Prophet Youssef never knew that his bothers casting him in the well will pave the way for the story of Moses who came out of the Egyptian land to stand against the tyranny of the Pharaoh.
To reach peace, we need to acknowledge that some stories have to be dropped and abandoned, some stories have to be left open ended - to be continued in another time and place, maybe in another era altogether or maybe never.
There is always a big picture, sometimes bigger than what we can ever see… We are to train the imagination faculty of our souls to fly high and see - yet we acknowledge that there is a ceiling that we can never cross no matter how hard we try…

Invitation for 30-day of Deep Reflections!

13/4/2021

Following my theme for 2021: “Connecting,” I chose to spend some time during the holy days of Ramadan connecting with my heart and my Lord through daily reflections.
Each day, I will choose a few verses of Rumi’s Masnavi and reflect on them in the light of my current reality and how I can apply the wisdom for a better connection with God.

I am not sure how the daily reflections will go. I am not trying to find specific answers. I am at a stage in my life where I am trying to embrace ambiguity - “the not knowing”. I am still learning to “walk in the dark” while enjoying my journey, every step along the way even if the journey seems scary at times. Through the reflections, I will be opening my heart and my soul to receive guidance, much-needed guidance in our chaotic noisy world.

I am inviting you to join me… I will be sharing my reflections on my blog and in the private Facebook group, but this is just for ideas and hopefully inspiration … you need to do your own reflection, walk your own path, and start your own journey…

So, I am inviting you to join me on a 30-day reflection…

Note that, my reflections are not aimed at explaining or clarifying the selected poetry. In fact, sometimes, it might seem that they have nothing to do with the verses. Yet, it is about the feelings, thoughts, and insights the verses have evoked in me. So, let your Imagination roam freely and allow those:

Visuals,
Estimation,
Memories,
Reflections, and
Narratives to develop…

These are the faculties of your soul. Your five inner senses as Traditional Islamic Medicine calls them… These are our path to knowing ourselves so we can better know our God.

Here is my Day 1… It’s short and sweet:

“Now listen to this reed flute’s deep lament
About the heartache being apart has meant
Since from the reedbed they uprooted me
My song’s expressed each human’s agony,
A breast which separation split in two
Is what I seek to share this pain with you.” (M I: 1-3)

Nothing can kickstart this practice of reflection better than Rumi’s Song of the Reed. We’re just like this poor reed, uprooted and disconnected from our origin. Our hearts are heavy, overwhelmed, and weary by life challenges; so entangled in the web of daily hassles that it drifts away from its one and true consolation, from God. Like the reed, I lament. Lament about this deep yearning, this longing for connection, this heartache that splits my chest in two. Like the reed, I’m in agony, agony caused by separation, estrangement and disconnection. And, like the reed, I know that it is a journey I’m destined to travel – until we meet again!

Now, it’s your turn. Grab your journal and start writing.

Ramadan... Let's Tame the Elephant!

6/4/2021

Ramadan is approaching fast… One week to go.
In our daily life, our hearts grow unavoidably heavy, exhausted, and weary. Our fast-paced life, our endless mental chatter, our daily chores and tasks urge us to run and rush all day long. Even when we rest our bodies at the end of the day, we rarely give our minds a break. Our mind keeps running while watching the news, surfing the net, scanning social media, or following the latest soap opera. Once a year, Ramadan comes to help us reach inner peace in our hearts and souls. Ramadan is the perfect opportunity for soul regeneration, for renewing our intention and reconsidering our life mission and meaning. It is time when we are reminded to live in the moment, truly embrace our sacred connection with God, and let it touch our hearts and revive our souls. Once a year comes the time to recharge our spiritual energy, purify our hearts, and clear our minds along with ridding our bodies from toxic burdens. It is time for refueling and recharging for a whole year to come. But How?

Jonathan Haidt in his book The Happiness Hypothesis compared our subconscious mental reality to an elephant that has its own will. And, our analytical, logical conscious mind is the rider on the back of the elephant. The rider seems to hold the rein and direct the elephant right and left… But, don’t be fooled, the rider can never force the elephant into a direction it does not want to go. The elephant is the one running the show… If the rider wants to stay in control, he better tames the elephant… And the best way of doing that is by LISTENING to what the elephant needs.
On one hand, the elephant is wired for self-protection, he only sees what is directly in front of him. He feels immediate pains, seeks immediate pleasures, and is motivated by pure survival instincts (well, food and sex mainly!) … In other words, our elephant has the control button for dopamine release- our feeling good and motivation neurotransmitter. The rider, on the other hand, is a visionary. He can delay gratification for future upcoming success. Yet, he possesses limited strength. Long struggles against willpower exhaust him so his hands get loose on the reins and he lets the elephant roam freely.

In our everyday life, we exhaust our ‘rider’ by too many choices, decisions, and useless struggles… We end up stressed and drained because we wear ourselves out with 100s of little daily choices and temptations… from resisting this doughnut with our morning coffee to controlling our temper with daily traffic, to choosing the outfit that makes us look thin or sexy, to managing our cool with the new boss or new employee or teenage boy or toddler…. We face 100s of tiny choices, temptations, and self-control decisions that wear us out. Trying to just go through life with the illusion that only by willpower we can achieve everything is just that: An illusion.
We keep beating ourselves up because we are lazy, we are weak or we didn’t try hard enough. Cut yourself some slack… regardless of how hard you try or how strong you are you can never pull the elephant if he does not want to come along with you.
As we are talking about Ramadan, We have always learned that Ramadan fasting is there to strengthen this self-control muscle… it is there to train us to be more in control of our desires… but unfortunately, we got the mechanism all wrong… if we treat our fasting as a mere training of self-restriction and self-control… we will be further wearing off our self-control muscle… this is why we see fasting people in this holy month more irritable, stressed, angry, and doing all sort of wrong stuff that fasting should actually solve not cause.

For Muslims, Ramadan fasting is not a mere physical exercise that trains us to withstand hunger.
Neither is it a mere psychological exercise that trains us to control our desires, temptations and urges.
Rather, Ramadan fasting is first and foremost a spiritual practice. “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety (God-consciousness).” (Quran, 2: 183)

Training our self-control muscles does not mean pulling harder on the rein and fighting the elephant. On the contrary, it means making peace with this elephant and motivating him to walk the path we want to walk.
We can only do that if we slow down, silence the chatter, purify our hearts, and LISTEN.
We can only do that if we reach inner peace within our hearts and souls.
This peace is achieved by slowing down and silencing the mind chatter… reaching this inner stillness in an increasingly noisy world. The silence we cultivate should strengthen our connection with God, with ourselves, with our family, with the whole society, and with our life meaning and purpose.

So, as we are approaching the holy month, I invite you to slow down… relax… take a deep breath… roll back your shoulders… and LISTEN! Deep inside, your heart knows its path… it knows its mission, it knows its direction and its ultimate purpose… You just need to LISTEN… The silence you cultivate will strengthen your connection with your purpose, will refine your intention, and add to your sincerity.
And, of course, we cannot ignore that “elephant in the room! The pandemic… For the second time, Ramadan is coming during these challenging times. As we won’t be able to congregate in the mosques; and extended families and friends won’t be allowed to gather over dinner tables, this Ramadan offers yet another special opportunity for deeper reflection, deeper connection with God, and deeper restoration of the soul focusing on Divine love and service.

Embracing the wisdom of your feminine cycle

26/2/2021

Since the dawn of civilization, women intuitively knew about that ‘time of the month’ when they were more vulnerable. Not just physically, but also emotionally. They knew that there is a time when they needed more support, love and care; another time when they may need to be more self-centered (not selfish), introverted and reflective. And, there are other times when they are more sociable, giving, creative and expressive. Women’s menstrual cycles express these different needs at different times of the month; and women in all traditional and ancient cultures intuitively knew and followed its natural flow.

And, since the dawn of civilization, women also intuitively knew about that ‘time of life’ when they grow wiser and emotionally and spiritually stronger and braver. In traditional cultures, menopausal years are empowering years of wisdom and experiences, they relate the story of a soul reconnecting with its ultimate source of wisdom!

To regain the health of your second chakra, you need to learn from this traditional women’s wisdom. You need to stop suppressing your feelings with legitimate distractions and sweet indulgences and silencing your pain with pain “killers”. You need to listen to your Body Whispers® and follow your intuitive wisdom.

This week, let’s delve into the meanings and wisdoms of our feminine cycle… Let’s learn how to flow with its delicate nature and tune in to the valuable whispers our body is sending us every month

The female menstrual cycle with its regular repeated pattern of hormonal change carries regular repeated pattern of emotional change. It holds much more than the physical reproductive power. It holds the power of producing ideas, meaning, missions, and changes. By understanding its pattern, you can access your own deeply held feelings and needs, you can listen to your body and understand what is bothering you, what is annoying you, what makes you stressed, unhappy, sad, or frustrated and thus learn how to align your steps back on the right track.

Emotionally and spiritually speaking, we can divide the female menstrual cycle into four phases:

1. The Follicular Phase: Preparation & Exploration

Follicular phase: starts with the period (day 1 of the bleeding) and ends by ovulation (mid cycle around day 13)

Follicular phase is the time when the eggs are ripening in women ovaries. At this time of the month your

Estrogen is balanced
Progesterone is low

Women at this time of the month are in their nurturing mode. They have the energy and mental ability for nurturing others… other people, other ideas, other projects… They are in the peak of their self-expression, quite sociable and outgoing. They are full of enthusiasm, open to new ideas, experimentation, explorations and experiences. Their left-brain logical thinking is dominating, so they seem very understanding, able to plan, analyze and organize their life and their work. They have full control over their thoughts and actions knowing what to say and what to hold back.

2. Ovulation: Illumination
Ovulation occurs around day 12 or 13 of the cycle. This is when the creative nurturing and exploration that took place during the first follicular phase is ready to give its fruit. A balance in the left-right sides of the brain (analytical-holistic thinking) is taking place and your ideas become clearer. You seem to suddenly understand life much better.

The ovulation is initiated by a rise in two hormones secreted from the pituitary gland in our brain (FSH and LH). These hormones cause your estrogen level to rise. Estrogen, besides being essential for ovulation, is also a brain messenger that stimulates your left-brain activity… more logical thinking, verbal fluency and understanding. At the same time, testosterone is secreted to increase libido. Again, testosterone is not merely a sex hormone, it enhances your visual-spatial mental powers, functions of your right brain.
So now at this time of the month, you become sexually attractive and more receptive to the outside world, more willing to care and being cared for, to give and receive love. You are more relaxed, content and understanding. You are in the peak of your mental and emotional creativity with clear view and ideas.
It is like when the egg is ready for fertilization in our uterus, we are also emotionally and mentally fertile land for creative and innovative insights.
We came to look at this stage of our menstrual cycle as “the good stage” since we are much more valued by the outside world.

3. Then comes the Luteal Phase with its Premenstrual Nightmare: Incubation & Percolation
If no fertilization takes place, the cycle continues. The sexual phase is wrapped up and preparations are made in the uterus (and the body) for another cycle.

The Luteal phase starts with ovulation and continues after that with all the premenstrual or PMS days ending when we start the bleeding again signalling the beginning of the new cycle.

During the luteal phase, and before the period, estrogen levels drop.
Estrogen is known to increase the production rate and receptor density of serotonin (your feeling good neuropeptide), dopamine (your motivation hero), epinephrine and nor epinephrine (your stress-managing hormones) and Beta-endorphins (your natural morphines). So when estrogen drops, all those neuropetide levels drop with it… This explains the low mood, low motivation and low tolerance of the PMS time of the month.
During the luteal phase, the sudden drop of estrogen leads to progesterone dominance. Progesterone is responsible for calming down your brain chatter and cooling off your brain over excitement. Nature is designed this way to actually give us access to more clarity and calming time… This phase of your cycle is actually a blessing, a gift… you can see it as a little window that opens every month for you to peek into your intuitive wisdom and see more clearly. If you tune in and trust your Body Whispers®, you will see that this phase is there to give you a much needed time for yourself. Time to calm down and shift your focus inward. This is a right-brain oriented time, an invitation to see the ‘big picture’, to reflect and ponder.

The luteal phase is the perfect chance for whole life integration, for a holistic view. It initiates a meditation and evaluation mode that makes you wonder: what did I achieve so far? What needs to change in my life? What aspects of my work/relationship/social life aren’t working for me?
The luteal phase is there to tell you that you need to slow down in order for you to hear your intuitive voice and heed your inner wisdom.

During the follicular phase, your left-brain was more active, your logical thinking and analytical mind were alert, you were able to calculate your steps and rethink your words before uttering them, you knew what to say and what to hold back. During the Luteal phase, though, you find it harder to control your emotions and hold back your anger and tongue slips. This is the phase when you are harshly judged by your surroundings or highly medicated to turn off those inner whispers that society usually find inappropriate.

Telling a depressed, furious or anxious PMS sufferer to learn “self-control” or “manage her stress”, is like adding fuel to a raging fire… not only useless, but highly damaging. The debris that surface during this time of the month are but signs and warnings… your subconscious is sending you messages through your Body Whispers®. Silencing the messages is like shooting the messenger. The debris will still be there, but instead of rising to the surface, you are sending them inward to wreak havoc not only on your emotions but also on your physical body.

We all need to slow down and listen, we need to notice and learn, we need to connect with our inner wisdom and there is no better time to do that than our pre-menstrual window. During your luteal phase, your intuition is at its peak. You just need to tune in and trust. Journaling is most essential and most valuable at this time of the cycle. It helps you discover the missing elements in your life, unveil your hidden fears, worries, and bottled emotions and see clearly once more.

If we refuse to slow down and listen, the calming down of this time of the cycle turns into isolation and repression… and you end up with mood swings, anxiety, overwhelm, and depression.

4. Menses: Organization & Reorientation
The first day of bleeding starts our next cycle. The period is a biological and physiological cleansing phase. As your uterus is shedding its lining to prepare itself for a new cycle, it is time for you to start shedding your fears, anger, and worries; and reorienting your life for a new beginning.
Menstruation is the ultimate time for letting go of what is troubling you, of your negative feelings, destructive emotions, fears, frustrations, blames, shame and grief. It is the ultimate time for reorientation, reorganization and ridding yourself of old baggage.

Take a moment now to tune into your body and reflect…

Which phase of the cycle are you in?
How to you feel, emotionally, physically and mentally?
Is there any part of your life/ of your soul that needs your attention?

Let's Connect... Monthly Virtual Coffee Chat

2/2/2021

My word for the year of 2020 was “Safe”… Safety has been a concern for me for years… Maybe not as much as physical safety, but more of a psychological and emotional safety. It is no secret that 2020 has been as far from “safety” as one could have imagined. Yet, this overwhelming chaos forced me to redefine what safety meant to me.

Safety is a function of our first chakra, our root and foundation. It is our anchor, one of our basic needs. It is related to the feeling of belonging, of being part of a community, a tribe, a family, a society where you feel acknowledged, welcomed, heard, seen, and understood. Safety also encompasses the concept of structure… a predictable, yet flexible, framework that governs our life.

Somehow, I’ve mistaken safety for predictability. I expected life to flow on my own terms, following my designed timeline. Although my Islamic faith taught me that life challenges are here for a reason. It taught me content, trust in God, and resilience, I was still uncomfortable with ambiguity. I’ve always hated surprises (I have good reasons for that, believe me). I noticed that I take good care to walk with my clients at their own pace holding the space for them to explore their own chaos taking all the time they need. I wasn’t that tolerant with myself, though. I wanted to know – for better or worse, it didn’t matter. I just needed to know, NOW! I dreaded the chaos, the mess I was involuntarily thrown into.

So, last year, I started my journey of learning to “walk in the dark”… to embrace the mess in my life. Now, I am seeing the chaos and the mess as essential parts of my learning and growing journey. I now know that safety is about learning to walk in the dark… about finding light in the midst of a sombre journey. And, belonging starts from within… from my connection with my own self and with God… 2020, was a year I had to spend in my “Innermost Cave”, in the “belly of the whale,” as Joseph Campbell puts it. It was a year of deep reflection; a year when my loneliness turned into blessed solitude and my mind-chatter gave way to a peaceful silence. Yes, the anxious worry shows its ugly face from time to time; yet, I’ve learned to reach within for my “Inner Castle,” in the words of St. Theresa of Avila, where I find my safe haven in the presence of my Lord.

My word for 2021 is “Connection”… I’m seeking to deepen and strengthen my connection with God, with myself, with my family, my friends, my community, the earth, and the whole Cosmos. And, since connecting is an essential part of “Connection”, I am inviting you to join me on the Second Monday of every month in a friendly “Coffee Chat” via Zoom, where we “connect,” chat, support one another and help one another heal.
Totally Free, no strings attached…

Our first Zoom meeting will be on Monday, February 8th at 6:00 PM EST.

If you are on my newsletter list or on Body Whispers FaceBook group, you'll get all the details.

Hope to see you there.

Have a wonderful day,

Amira

Reflection for 2021

22/12/2020

Despite its obvious challenges, there are tons of things I am truly grateful for in 2020... May be the most important ones are:

Having my kids back home as the university studies shifted to online format;
Graduating my Masters of Pastoral Studies program and starting my practice as spiritual care practitioner and registered psychotherapist (Qualifying),
Resuming my work in the Women Whispers Academy after a long pause due to personal bumps on the road.

As usual, this reflection was challenging. Sometimes when we look at our life, we think we did not achieve much because we did not reach any concrete goals yet... But, on second thought, I believe I did a lot lying the foundation and the groundwork for my next stage in life.

I did a lot of inner work. I really needed it. Again, this might not appear as 'great achievement' if we measure it from a Western mentality standpoint. But, I feel I am much peaceful, grateful, confidant, and focused.
Working on putting a structure to my Women Whispers Academy to start taking it into its new level. For those of you who have been following me for some time now, you might know that my dream is to spread holistic health, happiness, and wellbeing and reviving health and wellness spirit in the whole world… I believe I am taking serious steps towards that dream now!
Starting my private practice as an integrated psychospiritual therapist (RP Qualifying).

This year has been full of turbulence and uncertainty. If there is one thing I learned (and still learning) is that nothing is certain – change is the only constant in our life.

I learned (once more) that life does not stop flowing for better or worse, and it is up to me to decide whether I want to flow with it or inflexibly stand in the face of the storm till it breaks me.
I learned to embrace the chaos, the mess and walk in the dark, making peace with ambiguity. I learn to acknowledge and honor my fears yet do not let it stop me from moving forward and stepping out of my comfort zone.
I learned that true friends are rare – hold on to them!

2020 taught me that God’s plan for me is always better than what I could ever plan for myself. Sometimes it is frustrating to be in the dark, not knowing why “bad things happen to good people”. It is hard when we can’t see the full picture, we can’t understand the wisdom behind our challenge. But, I’ve learned – and still learning- to TRUST & SURRENDER. I learned that I have to let go of old patterns and beliefs in order to make room for growth and open a new page of my journey.

I learned -and still learning- to let go of the need for people to know my side of the story.
I learned -and still learning- to let go of toxic relationships and I am much better now at setting healthy boundaries.
I learned -and still learning- to let go of the need to know.

My word for 2020 was “safe”… This was the feeling I wanted to have in 2020… Looking back at this unusual year, it might seem as if it has been as far away from safety as it could be… Yet, on a second glance… I was safe! And, I am so grateful. It depends on how you perceive it… How do you define safety? Your wishes and prayers could be granted in ways you never expected. If we wait to have it our own way, we might miss the blessings constantly sent our way.

In 2021, I want to feel AT PEACE in my mind and my heart and I want to feel CONNECTED to God, to my true self and to the whole Cosmos.

My goal in 2021 is to work towards CONNECTION on all levels – primarily and most importantly to God; then connected to my true self, my family and friends, my community, nature, and the whole Cosmos.
Establish my business through Women Whispers Academy with valuable online courses and a community of like-minded women and health practitioners, therapists and coaches.
Freedom of old baggage –physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

The habits I need to set in place:

Slowing down and mindfulness daily practices: through various tools like meditation, breathing, Divine remembrance, journaling, art…
Healthy eating and Physical exercise
Be consistent in my work on my Women Whispers Academy.

Now, it's your turn to do some reflection and set some goals... have a happy, healthy, and blessed 2021!

What’s your favourite way of SLOWING DOWN?

15/12/2020

Do you feel that you are running and rushing all the time?
Are you tired and exhausted?
It’s as if you’re looking for something but don’t know what it is… Your mind is working nonstop… Your mind chatter is torturing… And, there are those heart palpitations and speeding heart beats… Your breathing becomes shallow and your hormones a mess… PMS, pre-menopausal symptoms, thyroid issues… You have low tolerance to people and daily annoyances… Sounds familiar?

In the past month alone I had more than 20 clients and students approaching me regarding their anxiety issues…
Anxiety is very individualized condition. It comes in various shapes and forms, different severity and intensity. It carries different pains and signs and poses varying challenges for its sufferers. The DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) lists more than 30 different disorders under anxiety… Yet, if you dig at the core of it, no one really knows what anxiety is and where it comes from…

New studies link anxiety to autoimmune disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis being a common one I see in my practice… Yet, is it a cause or an effect of the autoimmune disease? No one really knows. What we know for sure is that anxiety increases inflammation in the body and the inflammation in its turn increases anxiety… A viscous cycle. Turning on the furnace in our cells turns it on in our brain and vice versa.

I see anxiety as a gentle (or may be not so gentle at times) warning sign sent our way to tell us that we’re over doing it… over thinking, over acting, over working… We need to slow down… slow down the pace of our life and the speed of our thoughts… we need to close those pop-up windows that keep surfacing out of no where and jamming our mental screen. We need to slow down this crazy chatter and endless clutter of to-dos, ideas, information, worries, and fears…

My favourite way of slowing down is taking a deep breath, grab my journal and do a “Brain Dump”… Pouring my thoughts onto the pages gives my brain a break… It helps me organize my thoughts and decide on what I need to keep in my mind and what I need to let go of…

Hit reply and let me know, what’s your favourite way of SLOWING DOWN?

It’s time for some self-love

8/12/2020

Some days you feel that you don't want to leave bed in the morning… nothing worth waking up for. And, there are those random aches and pains that you can’t even begin to define… It feels like you are stuck in a dark place that you can’t define or get out of, even with every ounce of your will power.

Your chest is tight… you can’t breathe… can’t take in life… you feel like a zombie… The days pass by without any meaning… You no longer enjoy anything, even the things you used to love: your kids, your morning walks, your books, the friendly chat with your partner, the taste of ice cream or chocolate… Everything is meaningless… joyless… Your relationships are getting complicated… you feel the disconnection… from your spouse, your friends, your family… You don’t understand them, or maybe they don’t understand you… They can’t tolerate your state … But, you’ve tried to change this state… you’ve tried to get out of this dark place… you’ve tried so hard… you simply couldn’t... You couldn’t lift up this heavy heart, lighten up those dark nights, or brighten up this gloomy mood… Now, you are blaming yourself… beating yourself up for not being good enough… not being strong enough, or brave enough… Now, you’re sinking even deeper and deeper into this darkness…

The biggest misunderstanding of the ‘positive thinking’ theory is believing that we should be happy and cheerful all the time. We even feel guilty, ungrateful, and ashamed if we let our tears fall or our anger boil… Emotions are but signs and signals. They are there to let us know that something is not right, something is not working, something needs to change…

Deep at heart, you are brave, you are confident; you are the one who holds your house, your family, your kids, your community together… But, you’re also a beautiful fragile soul that has been running on dry for so long and now feels stuck, depleted, and exhausted.

You’re a kind, caring, loving heart that nurtured everyone around it and now endures the silent pain of emptiness, loneliness, and boredom…

You’ve tried for so long to keep up with the demands of everyday life… of everyone’s life… and you ignored your body, heart, and soul needs for so many years… you’ve put your dreams on hold, you ignored the whispers your body kept sending you and you even silenced the screams with analgesics and anti-depressants.

I have seen women staying on painkillers, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety medications for years trying to cope with their stressful reality, life demands, and loneliness.

I saw women going ballistic every ‘time’ of the month and others suffering from hot flashes and menopausal symptoms having no idea what their body was trying to tell them…

I believe that we all have what it takes to live a healthy, happy & successful life. I believe that our body has the amazing power to heal and that our soul has the innate wisdom to find happiness.

You’re not alone… Data shows that the rate of antidepressants use in the US has increased by almost 400% between the late 90s and early 2000s.

No one of us wants to be among those statistics… do we?

It’s time to move forward… it is time to remember this sweet old dream you’ve placed on the shelf years ago and allowed it to disappear under a pile of dust.

It’s time to find clarity… to release the blocks on your path that kept you unhappy, unfulfilled and stuck for so long…

It’s time to focus on what truly matters… on YOU!

The first step is Naming your feelings... What are you really feeling? Is it grief, sadness, anger, frustration, fear, worry… Dig beneath the surface … How do you feel? Where do you feel it in your body? And, then, acknowledge those feelings… own them … Your emotions are not you… they are yours… Acknowledge your right to be scared, hurt, exhausted, or angry… It is ok to feel sad or mad... It is ok to feel down, depressed, or gloomy … It is ok to lose motivation and drive … Acknowledge your vulnerable human nature... cut yourself some slack…

So, today, Pause… Take a deep breath… and, give yourself some self-love and compassion… What act of self-love will offer yourself today?

Slow Down and Listen to the Whispers

1/12/2020

It all starts as subtle whispers... or, maybe mild symptoms like headache, heartburn, insomnia, or racing heartbeats... But you ignore the whispers... you pop a pill when you have a headache or an antacid when your stomach objects... or, maybe you watch a movie to distract your thoughts or burry your boredom in a double chocolate cheesecake only to hate yourself, even more, when you step on the bathroom scale at the end of the day...

All what you are doing is neglecting your body’s warnings, or even worse, suppress those warnings with quick fixes so that the whispers just shut up and stop bothering you... But, the whispers won’t go away, they will keep getting louder and louder until they turn into shouts and screams now requiring medical intervention and you end up with an official diagnosis... a ‘label’ that needs a prescribed medication.
But, the medicine won’t solve the problems you are facing at work... it won’t force your son to study... it won’t heal your broken heart... pay your bills... fix your relationship... calm your anger or ease your fears...
All what it does is suppress those whispers... it makes them stop nagging so that you can step back on the hamster wheel and keep spinning... non-stop.

I’m here to remind you to slow down the pace of your life and listen to those Body Whispers®… You are the only one who can listen, decode, decipher, and devise a healing plan…

Your body possesses an amazing healing power. If you give it what it needs, it will achieve all the healing… and what it needs is not just food, drink, vitamins, minerals, or supplements… but also emotions, feelings, mental patterns, and spiritual needs…To restore your health, you need to look at your health from a much wider perspective, wider than drugs or even herbs and vitamins… you need to work on your body as well as your mind, your heart and your soul.

So, today, it is time to Slow Down and Listen to the Whispers: What is one thing you can do today to help you slow down?

What is your Body trying to tell you?

24/11/2020

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?

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.

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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

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