Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Takeaways from teaching Somatics

Hello Dear Ones,

I have begun teaching my Contemplative Somatics course. It is a great group and I love dropping into deeper embodiment (even though this takes times) in good company!

I love communicating (and not just verbally), that trauma happens and it can be repaired. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and in fact, most of us are stronger / wiser / more resilient for the experience.

One awesome aspect of teaching is consciously and explicitly creating a safe container. What do we need to feel safe?

In this particular class, my guidelines for safety are a powerful and compassionate introduction to the participants. Some of them received potent wisdom just from creating a structure of safety:

First, welcome. Welcome to who and how you are, welcome to your strengths and weaknesses. We welcome you thoughts and emotions.

Second, we agree to hold mutual support and cooperation toward each other. We are not in a competition in this class. There is not a “finish line” or a one-size-fits-all form of embodiment. We respect where we and each other are and wish for us all to move toward a win-win situation. We want to support each other and I as teacher will hold this intention – advocating for our best selves to show up (even as we might be with challenging emotions that arise).

Third, the guideline of choice. This helps to re-pattern any previous situations in which we were forced to do something. Without having an authentic “No”, we will never be able to get to an authentic “Yes!” Therefore, if you or your body object to doing an exercise, at least express that objection! Or you may want to do it a different way, or go slower, or do less. Or just lie down and take a nap instead. What would that have been like in high school? To object and say, “Nope, I need to lie down after a busy morning.”?!

Fourth, the guideline of self-regulation. Here I am referring to checking in with yourself. What sensations are arising? What pace do I want to move at right now? Can I slow down? Is that okay? Checking in with your body. And if something feels off, or confusing, please call a “Pause.”! Say, “Timeout, I am feeling kind of fuzzy.” Or light-headed, or head-achy, etc. That pause will be honored – if you need space, we will take space with you (and give you time to integrate).

Fifth, self-care. Can we all agree, at least while we are here in the class together, to practice good self care? Go to the bathroom if you need to. Drink water, have a snack if you need to. This is not a sit-rigidly-upright-as-I-lecture type of class! I want you to notice what feels good, what feels comfortable, what feels pleasant. Do more of that! Stop forcing yourself to override the desire to rest, stop pushing through regardless of bodily sensations. We are leaving the rat-race culture of Western life behind, even if only for 90 minutes!

Sixty, we discussed confidentiality. Anything that gets shared, any stories which arise, they will stay in the group. We have to get someone’s explicit permission before sharing about any else’s experience in the group.

These are what I brought to the group. They mentioned a couple other things that would help them feel safe, which is great!

Just creating this container of safety and acceptance is HUGE! It is often profound someone in the class. It feels good to me as facilitator. What is it like to sit in a group that is oriented toward true well-being? (Not merely paying lip-service to it.)

It is my intention to teach more classes this spring and summer. Let me know if you would like to be included on my email list!

kirby [at] mkirbymoore [dot] com

Thank you for reading!

Kirby Moore

Room left in upcoming Contemplative Somatics class

Hello Dear Ones!

I am letting you know that there is space for one or two more participants in this upcoming class. It starts Thursday – the 24th from 7:00 – 8:30 PM EST, it is an online class format.

We will do easy and fun exercises to drop down into the body, to come back into alignment and to move toward Well-being. Plus each class there will be a few minutes set aside for a meditation as well.

Bring your curiosity, your presence, your aliveness and we will gather with good company (on Zoom). There will be time for napping and integration as well (“in the napping is the learning” – Julie Henderson).

This class will meet every 2nd and 4th Thursday now through mid-June. 7-8:30 pm EST. I am asking for a $25 / class suggested donation ($200 total) but please attend if you need to pay less. I want to share presence with good company!

See https://astrodharma.me/2022/01/29/contemplative-somatics-an-online-series-of-classes/ for more info!

Let me know if you are interested by emailing me – kirby [at] mkirbymoore [dot] com

Hope to hear from a couple of you!

Have a good week,

Kirby Moore

One Very Important Detail in Working with, Treating, & Observing Trauma

In case you are new here, I (Kirby Moore) practice Craniosacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Birth Process work. I have taken advanced classes in working with the Polyvagal System, in addition to working with Pre- and Perinatal Trauma. I hold a Massage Therapy license, so my scope of practice is a bit limited. With that said, I have been practicing Emotional-process-oriented bodywork since 2005 (17 years now).

If you are experiencing unusual trauma symptoms, I would recommend you find a very competent practitioner – https://directory.traumahealing.org/ This is the SE practitioner directory.

You could also look here: https://www.ppncenter.com/ (Kate White’s center for working with PPN challenges)

Or here: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=working+with+ppn+trauma&atb=v1-1&ia=web (This is a search list of resources for working with PPN trauma)

In working with trauma, we always do better by reaching out for support (even though it might be very difficult to do so) and working with a very skillful practitioner. Please reach out to one of these resources above if you need support!

(I offer in-person and long distance sessions on Zoom, by appointment only. You can schedule a free consult to see if we might be a good fit to work together here: https://wisdomhealingtherapies.schedulista.com/)

I am writing this after mentioning it to a few of my clients recently. For some people this is big information. Here is the important detail: when we have trauma symptoms (or any defense mechanism / survival tactic / coping strategy for that matter), it is often the case that that symptom goes back to an early wounded part. Whether we are talking about birth trauma, or early developmental trauma, there is probably a little one (wounded part) that is HIGHLY IDENTIFIED with that particular symptom. The symptom is there as a survival strategy. And if we attempt to get rid of the symptom without tending to the little wounded part, then the little one thinks we are trying to kill it.

To repeat that last part, the little wounded part of us (our early nervous system from that early time) created these challenging symptoms as a very skillful survival tactic. And that same little part is closely tied together with that symptom (survival tactic / coping strategy / defense mechanism). Therefore, if we attempt to get rid of the symptom without taking the little wounded part into account (wishing them well, having compassion and tenderness for them, etc), then that little part feels like we are trying to kill it off. Ooph!

And you know what? If we try to get rid of the symptom without tending to the little wounded part, then ultimately the symptom is going to get worse. (This makes sense considering the little wounded part thinks we are trying to get rid of it.) Keep in mind that early primitive nervous systems – that is very young nervous systems – cannot differentiate minor threat from significant threat. Everything is black and white, life or death, thriving or barely holding on for dear life. So trying to get rid of the symptom without tending to the little one feels like a life or death reaction. Hence the reason the symptom will get worse if we don’t attend to the little wounded part.

What would it be like if all doctors, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and people in the caring professions knew this?

This topic is a bit controversial (to play the devil’s advocate against myself). Research into pre- and perinatal psychology and other PPN topics has really only been started in the past 25 years (not a lot of time to create a solid foundation for these theories). Some people would argue that we don’t have to deal with early stuff to get repair and healing to happen. Yes, I agree! Thankfully we don’t always have to do depth psychology to get repair and transformation to occur. However, in some cases, this information will be very beneficial to the practitioner (and possibly even to the client).

I learned this from Myrna Martin – one of the primary educators in Pre- and Perinatal Birth Process work in North America. I did her training in British Columbia, Canada, however she did travel and teach more around the U.S. There was so many insights coming out each day (in those trainings), that I heard this piece, about trauma symptoms and little wounded parts, and I just wrote it down. It was only after doing more work with clients over the past few years that I have realized the gravity of this information.

Back to the topic at hand…

Basically what this comes down to is, if we have compassion for our little wounded parts, if we tend to them, tell them “that was then, this is now” (looking at how many resources and how much health I have now compared to back then), then we can gradually repair that early wound and the symptom(s) can start to improve as a result.

You may agree with this, or not. Hopefully it is able to benefit some readers.

I would highly recommend getting started down a healing / nervous system repair path – whether you choose narrative medicine, Craniosacral Therapy, Birth Process work, Somatic oriented work, counseling, etc. Hopefully it is a rewarding and insight-filled journey!

May we all lean into nourishing support!

Thanks for reading,

Kirby Moore

Daily Yoga Practice

Hello Dear Readers,

I seem to be practicing more yoga as of late. And I love the results that I get from it.

I heard a story recently on NPR (Ted radio hour) regarding (over) Work, Play and Rest. And I appreciate how the world is starting to realize that the rat-race, push-push-push, override-override-override patterns that we have in our corporate world, are not sustainable or healthy.

I think I have known that for most of my life. And the way that relates to this topic, is that I have been drawn to Yin Yoga, or more restorative yoga, at least for the past seven or eight years. In fact, I can recall a time in Hawai’i (which is where I was born and spent a number of years), where these well-tanned, well-muscled people were doing Hatha Yoga on the beach, in the sun. And I sat down about 100 feet away in the shade and started doing Svaroopa Yoga (much more restorative and supported than a standing Hatha practice). I got a few strange looks, because at least at that time, not many people had seen Svaroopa yoga. That was at least 12 years ago.

Sure, I had fantasies about being a famous, stretchy yogi when I was in my 20’s. I would see people doing amazing yoga here and there, but were they doing it for them? Or was it a bit of a performance? A status symbol? Look how special I am! Now, I am 42 and almost 43 years old, a bit wiser and more experienced. And certainly more aware of how rare a precious human rebirth is. And I have a much deeper appreciation of how beneficial it is to slow down and feel our organic healing rhythms!

So I am going to discuss some of my supportive practices – in the form of yoga. That would be Yin Yoga, 5 Element Yoga and Svaroopa Yoga.

I took my first Svaroopa Yoga class back in 2006 or so. There was a friend who lived nearby who had a large family room type of space, and she hired a teacher to come and lead classes for about eight weeks. It was awesome – walking a few blocks to a very supported, slower-paced, restful and rejuvenating yoga class! I ended up taking several classes there and benefiting from each one.

Svaroopa means “body bliss” if I am not mistaken. It is oriented to how can we have more support when doing yoga, how can we listen to what the body needs? For a time, I considered going to Pennsylvania for teacher training, but my vocation has taken a slightly different path (see my previous posts for more about my healing facilitation work).

I learned dozens of poses from my original Svaroopa yoga teacher (Joanne Wolf) and I am so very grateful. I am especially glad I learned the quick eight poses – there are four that we can do in bed (lying down) and four more that we can do in a chair. These have stuck with me, considering I use them at least once / week.

You can find out more here: https://svaroopa.org/

Then, in the past five years or so, I have learned more about Yin Yoga, or Restorative Yoga, or 5 Element Yoga. I put these names together, even though there are slight differences between each. But I think that each of them is all about slowing down, holding the poses for longer, getting a deeper stretch as a result, and opening the subtle energy channels a little bit more as a result.

My previous partner has a book by Sarah Powers entitled, “Insight Yoga.” In this marvelous book, the author discusses how to do yoga for each acupuncture meridian or organ system. For instance, there is a Heart / Intestines / Lung protocol or a Kidney / Bladder protocol (list of poses). She recommends holding the poses for 2, 3 or 5 minutes (gradually building up to holding the poses longer). There is a shorter list of poses in case you only have about 20 or 30 minutes, and there is a longer list, where you can spend up to 90 minutes working on a single organ / meridian system.

I love this book. Several times a month, I do the list of Kidney poses, or the Liver poses. And it is so beneficial. I feel more centered, more grounded and have greater clarity. I also find that my boundaries improve – and I become more spontaneous in a wisdom-mind sort of way. Like I just want to do and to be, rather than think about things.

I am calling this Insight Yoga practice 5-Element-Yoga, because of how she focuses so much on the individual organs and meridians. In fact, she even divides them up by element (similar to 5-Element Chinese Medicine). You can find out more here: https://sarahpowersinsightyoga.com/

I hope you discover the practices which lead to greater alignment and clarity! If you are still seeking these out, you might want to investigate one of these yoga practices. Obviously, practice within your limits (don’t push too hard). And I would highly recommend finding a good yoga teacher to work with, especially if you are just beginning.

Thanks for reading!

Kirby Moore

Incredible Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Hello dear ones!

A friend just gave me a big bag full of Elderberries (they were frozen and on the stem). And I just made an awesome batch of syrup out of them!

Ingredients: At least 2 cups of Elderberries with stems mostly removed. Then I added filtered water, cinnamon sticks, Reishi mushroom chunks, whole cloves, organic lemon rinds, Osha root, turmeric powder, Chaga mushroom powder, organic lemon juice, local organic honey.

In this case, I made a larger batch, meaning it took me 90 mins to remove all the stems from the berries. Then another 90 minutes of cooking / simmering the syrup mixture. Then letting that cool a bit and adding honey… all totaled, from start to bottling took 5 hours or more. But I didn’t have to be attentive to the process the entire time.

Throughout this entire process, try to maintain clean (sanitized even) surfaces / tools, as we want to avoid mold getting in the syrup. The sweet honey acts as both a preservative (lengthens syrup life) and it might even act as mold food if many spores get in there. The boiling process will sanitize the berry mixture, just be mindful after that.

First of all, be very careful in taking the berries off the stems. The stems and leaves can be toxic (boiling them with the berries produces a little bit of arsenic), so try to get as many stems as you can out of the berry bowl. A few tiny stems doesn’t matter, as we are only taking a teaspoon or less of elderberry syrup daily as a cold remedy / preventative. I think freezing the berries can help with this process of berry / stem separation.

Then I put the berries in stock pot. I completely covered the berries in filtered water. Then I turned on the burner (gas burner in this case) to low / medium. As the mixture was heating up, I cut up the organic lemons, and then juiced them, keeping the juice separate for now. Then I put the organic lemon rinds in with the berry mixture.

Then I added the hard / larger ingredients – cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, Osha root and Reishi mushroom chunks. Once this watery mixture was boiling, I turned the burner down all the way to low / simmer. I let this simmer for one hour.

Then I added the powders / lemon juice – turmeric powder, Chaga mushroom powder and organic lemon juice. I stirred up the red juicy mixture and then kept it simmering for another 30 minutes.

Then turn off the heat and allow to cool for 45 mins with the lid on or until you can barely touch the pot without burning yourself (do be careful here!). Then strain out the berries, cloves, cinnamon sticks, lemon rinds, etc. Cheese cloth works well, as then you can also squeeze the messy mixture to get every precious drop of medicine out of it. I used a strainer with a fine mesh and then pressed it down with a large spoon to coax out more precious medicinal syrup.

At this point, you need to carefully add the organic honey. Stir it in to the liquid (already strained) elderberry syrup mixture. I would suggest adding one cup of honey for every 2 cups of syrup base liquid. Then allow to cool closer to room temperature before bottling it.

A friend suggested putting the syrup in an ice cube tray and freezing it – then you can use a couple of elderberry ice cubes each week! Brilliant! I am using small plastic containers to freeze it – that way it won’t go bad.

Because of the honey (which in this case acts as a preservative if you maintained a clean process throughout), I have heard that the finished Elderberry Syrup can last a few weeks in the fridge. I wouldn’t drink it beyond that point – hence you want to freeze some for later!

Good luck and let me know if you try it!

Thanks for joining me on this culinary, medicinal journey!

Kirby Moore

BTW Osha Root, a.k.a. Bear Root, is from the high mountains of the West (Rockies, Sierras, etc). I’m pretty sure it only grows above 7,000 ft, meaning it is very rare. Better to buy it from someone who you know is ethical about harvesting it (I think it is occasionally endangered). It is a very potent adaptogen for preventing / treating respiratory sicknesses. I got my Osha Root back in 2017 when I did my Birth Process work training out in British Columbia. Glad to be using it all up now and so grateful for the medicine!

Contemplative Somatics – an online series of classes

Hello dear ones,

I am excited to announce that I will be leading a series of online classes from late February through the middle of June. This class will be a small group setting – I am seeking a maximum of eight to ten participants, as we want this to a safe space and a space where it feels comfortable to share and connect.

I am looking to host a space where people feel safe dropping into greater embodiment, and where it feels comfortable to move toward well-being. Which is a brave thing indeed, and not a small commitment. Therefore, get in touch if you want more good company around you, and if you are willing to explore greater presence, compassion and possibly getting in touch with some vulnerable places inside.

Why this topic? Over the past few years (maybe even 10 – 15 years!), the more I have dropped into therapeutic spaces and groups, I have been appreciating how the world of meditation would benefit dramatically from more embodiment. Sometimes there is a harsh demarcation between meditation and somatic process-type work. And I see this as detrimental. We must be in our bodies if we are going to truly connect the clarity of the head (brain), the compassion of the heart and the potency of the pelvis. Spiritual bypass takes many forms – but one form is to continue to push harder! If a little is good, why can’t I get there faster with more? This is a common error and a cultural misunderstanding! Therefore, it is hard to get away from.

In this series, we will be operating from a space of “less is better than more.” We will discuss how “going slower will actually get us there faster.” However, as we gradually slow down and get in touch with healing organic rhythms, it can also bring up some uncomfortable stuff. There may be parts of ourselves that only feel safe moving along at a fast clip! So if you attend my class, be curious about possible resistance and be ready to breathe, to move and to be flexible in the face of old rigid patterns. In other words, only attend if you want to grow and stretch yourself, in unexpected and surprising ways (as we hold the intention of moving toward greater health and aliveness).

In a typical class, we will go through three embodiment exercises, with time for sharing and integration. Plus there will be time each week to start practicing meditation. There will be time for questions as well.

When: every 2nd and 4th Thursday evening, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm, starting February 24th and going through mid-June

Where: Online – Zoom format for now, if the pandemic improves, there will be space for a few people to join me in my large spacious office

Cost: suggested donation of $25 per class, pay what you are able to

To register: contact me at kirby [at] mkirbymoore [dot] com

Thoughts about classes (I want your feedback)

Hello dear ones,

I realize we are in the midst of several big things right now… pandemic numbers all over the place, wild astrological “weather,” etc, but I want to get your feedback if you might be interested in taking my class(es) this year (2022).

Several options… first, I am sitting with whether to focus more on nervous system repair classes or to also include astrology in that topic (and be more trauma-informed astrology in appearance).

Please fill out the polls below if you might be interested in any classes I offer. Thank you! At the bottom, you can leave your email in the feedback form to keep in touch!

If you are interested in any potential classes, and you want to be on my contact list if / when I offer classes, please fill out the form below!

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Attending SE Advanced Touch training

Hello Dear Readers,

I just got back from Atlanta. Where 40 of us participated in this awesome training. SE stands for Somatic Experiencing – Peter Levine’s creation (modality) for helping the nervous system move back to resilience and coherence if it is disrupted by trauma. It is one of many forms of trauma resolution out there.

I have been participating in this training now for close to three and a half years. Thankfully Covid did not derail my training time too much (half of the modules – there are eight total normally – we done online).

In fact, one silver lining to the pandemic is that we got two extra days of training (and they were free – we paid for travel and lodging, but no tuition for this last weekend). Somehow, they normally include material about working further with syndromes, energy wells, global high intensity activation, working with the diaphragms and the viscera and touch in just 6 days. That would be a ton to cram into my brain in a week-long workshop!

For us, knowing we could not meet in person last year, we broke some of that up. The touch portion was peeled away for a later training.

Lael Keen led this training, and she is amazing. Humble, graceful, skillful, very knowledgable – she led us in spite of wearing lots of personal protection equipment (double masks and face shield). I learned a lot and / or was reminded of a lot of great wisdom. In my biodynamic craniosacral therapy training, some of the “nothing to do” approach was similar. We are listening and inviting the system to come into coherence. It was good to practice in person again!

Honestly, it would have been great to break this 2-day touch skills portion up into 3 or 4 days! We packed so much good material into a couple days, with the entire afternoon portions devoted to exchanging sessions (in PPE gear). So there was not quite enough time for questions – I approached Lael during a break to get a couple of questions answered. There were a few periods for Q & A, but there was no time to debrief or ask about the demos that she led – which were incredible (of course).

It was noted by one of my colleagues – “how do these SE faculty get volunteers to work with a specific topic or theme, and they somehow usually end up choosing people who definitely are in need of healing / nervous system repair.” As in, they often choose the person with worst symptoms. And the faculty members feel confident enough to work with this person in front of a large group of people. Very skillful and confident in their abilities! And the demos were amazing!

And now I have completed all of the requirements to get my SEP! I turned in my paperwork recently, and got my certificate via email within a couple days. I am so grateful to have participated in the process. I learned SO MUCH. I am now literally seeing clients with symptoms that two years ago, I would have run away from very quickly. You might say I leveled up several times in the past couple years. I love being able to benefit a wide variety of clients (and a variety of symptoms I must add).

I am actually thinking about becoming an assistant occasionally – the trainings go really well because there are usually a high number of assistants. That way, there is a high ratio of support people to participants. Plus as an assistant, we get to see new ways to discussing the material and get to see how different faculty members do their work.

I am an SEP now! Yay! Let me know if you want to receive nervous system support – I offer distance sessions and they are usually quite beneficial! You can check out my site and even schedule a free 25 min consult to see if we would be a good fit to work together: http://www.mkirbymoore.com

Thank you for reading,

Kirby Moore

Working with Plutonian metaphor

There is an Inuit tale about the Skeleton Woman. Clarissa Pinkola Estes well-known book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, introduced the Western world to this beautiful tale. And many psychologists, analysts and spiritual teachers have worked with these beautiful metaphors and stories of embodiment.

If I may share some things from an astrological perspective, as Pluto is wrapping up its time in Capricorn, right in the heart of Saturn’s world, we are going through some interesting times right now! Right?! Ooph! I should say, I am wishing everyone well, as (at least among my friends and clients) many people are struggling with Covid fears, lack of sunlight (here in the northern hemisphere), cold weather and snow / ice and more!

With regard to Pluto in Saturn’s realm… I am wondering how long several things will continue. First of all, the disparity between the uber billionaires and the poorest people, even here in the United States is staggering! Socioeconomic inequity is terrible right now (and it seems like the mainstream media is doing a decent job of distracting people from that fact). That would be another one of Saturn’s deceptions – if things look fine of the surface, they must be okay… If I just work a little harder… If I can save another $1,000… and for what? What is the end goal?

The stock market always seems to go up. Yes, there are a few days here and there when investors are concerned by unemployment claims or the jobs market, but for the most part, wealthy people have been doing very well for themselves! How long can this continue? The housing market, post-Covid-2020 is bizarre! In the course of 6 months, at least here in Central Virginia, the price of a house jumped up by 40%! What?! I am curious about this current housing bubble. And praying it doesn’t pop like it did back in 2008.

Working with Pluto can also be a very rewarding time for doing inner personal growth type work. Sometimes it is best to work with someone on these types of goals. I offer long distance sessions if you are interested (let me know!). You can go to http://www.mkirbymoore.com and click the schedule a session button. I do have free 25 min consults for new prospective clients.

For me personally, I am planning to use 2022 as a time to answer some difficult questions. Some of these questions come from the Skeleton Woman story. You should go out and read it btw if you haven’t already. It is moving! You can find the tale and some interpretation (by a Jungian analyst) here: https://apjq.org/en/Lecture%20-%20The%20Skeleton%20Woman%20-%20Final%20version%20-%20Nov%202011.pdf

Here are some of the tough questions I am pondering:

What needs to die, so I can live more fully?

How can I connect with nature every single day?

What wants to live within me now? That I have not been giving enough life to?

I want to make time to feel my authentic yearning. What is it my heart desires? Can I make space for that?

And then, understanding my yearnings, can I ask for that? Can I appropriately go out and meet some of those needs?

I have established a potent baseline around embodiment, embodied wisdom and spiritual awareness (nothing too special tho). Can I pat myself on the back and be with the amount of work I have already done? Saying, “Good job, good job!” And then notice if there is a part of me being hard on myself. Having compassion and tenderness for any “should’s” or “I-need-to-be-doing’s” type of inner dialogues.

What if I have already established a state of harmony, comfort and inner peace? What if I am already there? Then these “tapes” of old messages are just weeds growing in my garden. I need to realize that I might already be there. My spiritual practice is becoming more subtle, more refined. Know that, what do I do with that information? I need to check in with my heart teacher, my root Lama (as a Tibetan Buddhist).

Yes, more good company. More virtuous conduct. Continue treating bodywork and trauma clients – and dedicate the positive energy which that generates! (Dedicate the merit.)

Thank you for joining me on this journey,

Kirby Moore

Brightness and Dullness

Hello friends and dear readers,

I am actually writing this blog post to share some of my less-than-bright news. Don’t worry! It is not anything bad. But I wanted to share that I notice the “Facebook effect” on my blogging – meaning I usually only write posts when I am feeling good, or feeling very inspired. Which sometimes translates to only posting once a month! Of course I am staying busy with seeing clients these days, and I am contemplating what to teach this upcoming new year. I am basically writing this post to inform you that I too am human, that I go through stretches of time which are difficult or at least lackluster. And I am doing the best I can in spite of everything!

So here is information about some times in this past year where things were less-than-inspired: I separated from my partner of two and a half years this past May and June. So this summer was interesting – I feel like I pushed really hard to get clients and work as a way to distract myself. Only now am I feeling like I can really move on from that. I am glad she and I are still friends and that it has now resolved amiably. But for a couple months there, it was very hard. I have been working with an awesome Somatic Experiencing practitioner around this stuff, which is so helpful!

Then, this past October, around the time Mercury was retrograde, I noticed myself being tempted to fall back on a previous past time of playing occasional computer games. For some people, an occasional outlet like this is innocuous and maybe even a necessary release and letting go. For me, if I am not careful, the dopamine hit I get from gaming can become addicting. So I would rather not fall back on those habits from the start. I think it was / is my reaction to the less socializing, less getting out and less good company as a result of Covid. I always ask myself, “What do I want to fill my life with? What do I want to put in my heart on a daily basis?” And in case you have been under a rock for the past two years… social distancing sucks! I was good at it for a while, but gosh it drags on me (right?!). Doing better now though and excited about several things coming up this and next month!

On to some brighter news: I am going to be teaching a class this coming February or March. I think it will be on gentle ways of working with the nervous system. As we say in the SE world, “How can we titrate this even more?” How can we make the chunks even smaller so they are easier to digest and integrate? How can we make this even more gentle?

So the upcoming class will probably be a series of 6 or 8 class meetings. In each class, I will go through two novel exercises and interventions. We will discuss reasons we might consider doing them, we will talk about their benefits and what state of the nervous system we should be watching for. There may even be the opportunity to try these exercises with each other. Watch for upcoming announcements! And of course always feel free to drop me a comment or to let me know if you might be interested in this type of class. 🙂

I am doing a little beach vacation after Christmas, so this is also something I am eagerly awaiting. I love the water element, the vast spaciousness of the ocean and sky, the cyclical waves and tides – and pondering how these reflect my inner states!

For me, 2022 is gearing up to be great. I hope it will be for you too! I also understand that many people are having a tough time now around the holidays, so I wish that you and all beings get the support they need! At the moment, I am taking new clients, even long distance people, so let me know if you want to get support from me!

www.mkirbymoore.com

www.traumainformedastrology.com

Thank you for visiting!

Kirby Moore