Consciousness Chiropractor
We’ve identified how we want to feel, now we have to figure out how we get there.
Congratulations!
After reading today’s lesson, you will have a new title: Consciousness Chiropractor.
But don’t panic.
I know you, likely, wear enough hats already - adding one more may feel like the last straw.
But this title is necessary, and may even cause you to realize you can eliminate a few others that you carry.
At the very least, it will help you to better prioritize them.
Small, seemingly insignificant decisions we make to feel more aligned with our favorite self.
These are Consciousness Chiropractic Adjustments.
Consciousness Chiropractic Adjustments allow us to operate as a more cooperative part of our ecosystem.
They provide the link to feel the spiritual electricity that connects us all.
Doing yoga teaches us how to take a deep breath and stretch beyond our comfort zone.
Dancing teaches us that self-expression can look a myriad of ways.
Walking in nature teaches us that we are a part of something big.
Taking a group training class teaches us that we are stronger together.
Running teaches us that a pounding heart isn’t always a sign of fear.
Crocheting a mini Yoda teaches us that a single stitch can lead to something much more complex.
Being held hostage by a cat laying on your lap teaches us that life can actually be the most fulfilling in the in-between.
Sitting in the sun teaches us that, even when life seems the darkest, the light will eventually break through.
Texting with a friend teaches us that energy can be magnified and we don’t have to do life alone.
Playing with kids teaches us that playing is an essential part of the game of life.
These are a few of the infinite ways we can return to ourselves..
And it turns out, this isn’t just poetic - it’s neurological.
Hundreds of years ago, Aristotle proposed his theory of “Eudaimonia” - flourishing or living in accordance with your deepest nature. With this theory, he expressed that the “good life” isn’t about achievement, but about the activities that align with what innately fulfill us.
From Acceptable and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Steven Hayes explains that identifying your values (how you want to be and feel) and then choosing actions that align with them enriches our minds to be more flexible and resilient.
Further, neuroscientist Gregory Berns suggests that the “feelings-first” approach is, literally, more satisfying to our brain because novelty and meaning - not just external reward - drive dopamine release. Activities chosen because they align with how we want to feel generate a fundamentally different neurochemical response than activities chosen for external validation.
But, in order for us to make adjustments, we have to know where we are misaligned (hint:we started that work yesterday), and we have to remember how to course-correct.
Your body already knows the answer to this question.
you just have to learn how to listen.
