Is that even a thing??

Looking across Lake Tahoe feels like energetic hygiene to me on so many levels. Something about the color of that water contrasted with the magnificent mountain backdrop gets me every time! And according to Adriene Mishler, energetic hygiene is indeed a real thing!

If you’re not familiar with Adriene, please check her out: http://yogawithadriene.com/

I found her on YouTube after hearing about her from a friend. This video from her Yoga with Adriene channel (how cute is her dog?!) is what sparked this blog post content.

Lately I’ve been drawn to forms of exercise that provide heart opening space to start my day.  And while analyzing this very thought at the moment I write this, I realize this is not a new attraction for me. I simply didn’t realize THAT was what my morning routine has been about for at least the last 10-15 years! Looking back, I clearly see I found grounding, peace, and energy in my morning routine. For as long as I can remember, that routine was centered around my four-legged furry kid(s).  And therein I see the epiphany — my morning routine was rocked hard last September by the tragic loss of one of our dogs — I am now realizing this means my heart is finally feeling strong enough to be open and vulnerable again.

Now tying back to the Yoga with Adriene moment… I was getting into my zen when I heard “energetic hygiene” come from her mouth, and I instantly thought, “I need to go write that phrase down so I can use it later”.  And then guess what?!  I actually resisted the urge to interrupt my zen-seeking and remained present in the moment.  Holy wow!! Perhaps I am making progress in my “meditation” practice? You see, calming the mind is difficult, yet everything I read and hear depict fabulous benefits from learning to do so.  So, here I am having all sorts of energetic realizations while learning to switch off the constant “work” mode.  Being in the moment and calming the mind to truly enjoy conversation, reading, sounds of nature, laughter, smells, breathing, yoga, stretching — stimulation of the senses — isn’t that what life is truly about?  And I’m finally feeling confidence on this path to live the life I want and to share my creativity as best suits me and my tribe.  This creative outlet has allowed me to engage the desire to share my passions and dreams, as well as tend to my energetic hygiene.   

• Do you think energetic hygiene should be part of the daily hygiene regimen? 
  
• Have you analyzed your routine to see how you might actually be implementing an energetic practice without realizing it?
  
• Have you identified your inner critic to offer clarity to energetic patterns you’ve become accustomed to?  
  
• I know just spurring these thoughts in my mind has created a multitude of personal observations for me…
• How do you tend to your energetic hygiene?
  

“And I think that vulnerability is the cornerstone of confidence. Because you have to allow yourself to take the risk to be open, to live as a wholehearted person.  When you can do that, you recognize that you’re really just like everybody else, and that gives you the confidence to be yourself, which is all you really need in life, to be more of yourself.” 
– Oprah, from conversation with Brené Brown in The Wisdom of Sundays