11 minute read

How to Train Your Mind for Emotional Resiliency

How to Infuse Energy Work into Your Life and Career By Ashleieigh Sacks

Energy is in everything: people, plants, animals, food, rooms, furniture, tools, products, etc. When you strip all of these things down to their microscopic components, all that is left are waves of energy. Energy is invisible to the naked eye, but we know that when we plug in a lamp and turn the light on, energy is causing the light to shine. We usually just think of energy as this invisible magic that allows us to make coffee in the morning and turn on our blow dryers, but there is much more to energy.

Imagine the feeling you get when walking into a hospital versus a yoga studio. That feeling is based on the energy in everything in your environment. When you are conscious of how energy works you can think of yourself as a wall outlet possessing the power for others to plug into and light up. Start a Personal Practice

The most powerful way to infuse positive energy into your life (including your treatment room or spa) is to start a morning energy-producing practice using the four M's: Meditate, Move, Manifest and Mantra. “The scientific benefits of meditation are indisputable.”

Meditate

Meditating simply means focusing on the present moment, feeling your breath circulating in and out. The scientific benefits of meditation are indisputable, but as someone who practices on a daily basis I can assure you that meditating for even five minutes in the morning will make you happier, calmer and more appreciative and aware of what you have. Meditating daily makes you a stronger outlet. If the thought of sitting still and focusing on your breath for even five minutes is daunting, you can begin with the assistance of guided meditations on YouTube or use apps like Headspace and Calm.

Move

Exercising results in obvious and again scientifically proven physical health benefits. What we may not understand yet is that exercising also moves stuck energy out, making room for positive energy to flow. The stuck energy I am referring to is the stress, negativity and trauma that you accumulate every day and over a lifetime.

My movement of choice is yoga and I practice from home mostly using a free app called Down Dog that allows you to choose your level and duration of practice (from 5 minutes to 90). I also like to follow a few yoga YouTubers, some of my favorites are: The Journey Junkie and Boho Beautiful. I started with Yoga with Adriene's 30 days of yoga that is suitable for all ages and strength levels. The optimal form of movement is the kind that you will do every day whether it be walking, running, dancing, yoga, pilates, etc.

Manifest

Where focus goes energy flows. When your morning is focused on meditating and moving, you have elevated your vibratory field making you a powerful outlet full of energy ready to be plugged into. However, before giving your energy to others, use that golden energy for yourself to manifest. Close your eyes and visualize your goals and dreams (including your day ahead) as if watching yourself on a movie screen.

Mantra

Creating a personal mantra (i.e. a word, thought or statement used to aid in concentration in meditation) for when challenges and obstacles arise (e.g an angry driver or stressed out client) is a powerful tool. Repeating a mantra when you are presented with these situations will bring your awareness back to your morning state of being and protect your energy field from being infiltrated. Getting upset or angry (although these emotions are normal human behavior) will only affect your energy field. Send positive energy to those in need and maintain your high vibration for those suffering to tap into. An example of a personal mantra is “I am the light.” Reiki Healing

REI - meaning high power, spiritual consciousness and KI - meaning universal life force energy is an ancient healing art that has been around for thousands of years with origins in India and the East dating back to the time periods before Christ and Buddha.

How Does Reiki Work?

Reiki heals by directing energy through ones body to free restrictions, blocks and negative energy that have been clogged and lowered by negative thoughts, feelings, bad choices and habits. A reiki healing releases lower vibrational energy and allows for the flow of healthy, vibrant energy resulting in feelings of happiness and well-being. Reiki can also be used to send positive energy to a room, your products, tools, etc.

My first experience with reiki was quite miraculous and a defining moment in my career. After about 10 minutes of lying on the practitioner's table, with my eyes closed, not understanding what was actually happening, I started crying. There was no emotion or control behind my tears, no specific thought or reasoning. During our after-treatment discussion, I learned how blocked my energy flow was, stuck from the trauma of my twin sister's struggle with Anorexia and other mental health illnesses for over 25 years. Once I was able to unblock that energy, I felt light and inspired. I became reiki certified in order to perform reiki healing on myself. As I healed, I couldn't deny the benefits and felt called to help others. My career developed new life and purpose and I started channeling reiki energy into my services and products. Beauty is Energy

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (a mental illness characterized by a persistent preoccupation with at least one perceived defect or flaw in a person's physical appearance) effects an estimated 2.4% of Americans (around 7 million people). People suffering from BDD can focus on any part of the body, but the most common areas are the skin, hair. According to mentalhealthamerica.net some warning signs of someone with BDD are: • Spending excessive time in front of the mirror or purposely avoiding mirrors • Expressing hatred, disgust or general dissatisfaction with either their general physical appearance • Expressing a strong desire to get cosmetic surgery or other cosmetic procedures • Spending more money than the average person on grooming or makeup products • Seeking reassurance about their physical appearance • Making comparisons to others

Sound like anyone you know? Beauty is not the enemy, beauty is spirituality on the outside, a form of self-love and huge source of light energy (imagine yourself as a beautiful flower). However without releasing the stuck energy within, beauty can also be dark and lead to BDD and other mental health issues. Our industry NEEDS energy healing!

Spas offering services like reiki or other energy healing treatments will add value to existing clients but also attract new clients; people who think that beauty is for the self-absorbed, people who don't “care” about beauty, moms or dads who believe they are being selfish by getting a facial and/or people who feel they are unattractive and not worthy.

Change the mindset surrounding our amazing industry from superficial to spiritual. Every human is beautiful, it is our job to make them feel it. Be the light.

Ashley Sachs Ashley Sachs is a Beauty Healer, Writer, Licensed Esthetician and Certified in Reiki Level 2 located in Chester County, PA . In order to balance beauty's magic and curse, Ashley combines energy healing in her custom blended makeup, eyelash extension and microcurrent services.

How to Train Your Mind for Emotional Resiliency By Shayna Meyer, Founder and Creator of The Enjoyment Method

Use the mental strategies of top athletes to support emotional strength.

I admit it, my favorite thing to watch on TV since I was a little girl is the Olympics. Additionally, it did not matter what sport it is. Yes, I am a sucker for ice skating and gymnastics, but I'm also just as amazed by basketball, hockey, water polo, track and field, and every other event.

I remember laying in my parents' bed while my mom folded laundry nearby, watching the 1984 Olympics. Mary Lou Retton was going for the gold medal, and I remember being in complete awe of her talent. I thought to myself, I want to be that good at something one day. At that time, my dad was one of the world's top professional rodeo cowboys, and I had been exposed to, for the entirety of my life, what it takes to be a professional athlete. At the age of four, I had already comprehended the amount of both physical and mental effort it would take for any athlete, in any sport, to be the best.

As the years went on, and I began a serious quest to become a professional dancer, I learned just how many mental and physical sacrifices it would take for me to achieve this goal. Of course, there were bleeding toes and almost constantly sore muscles, but there was also the loneliness of being away from my family at such a young age (14) and the mental strain of so much responsibility. It took all I had-both mentally and physically-to achieve my dancing goals.

What I have learned growing up in a family of professional athletes is that there is no way to separate the mind from the body. If a person wants to succeed at anything physical, it will take the strength of the mind, as well, and vice versa. In the state of our current world, it seems we are almost constantly dealing with extreme emotional situations. May I suggest, if we want to be prepared for all we will encounter emotionally that we begin looking at ourselves as athletes? says it best, “We can do hard things.” This is such a simple, yet profound statement. I believe one of the reasons for emotional weakness is due to people's inability to put themselves in challenging situations and stick to it.

We have a fear of pain, so we shy away from it. However, just like diamonds, we gain our strength under time and pressure. The quicker we can put ourselves in a challenging situation and follow through with it, the quicker we can gain mental and physical fortitude. This leads to self-worth and confidence. I am not referring to putting yourself in a financial or relational hard spot, rather I am talking about truly challenging yourself to do something you thought you never could.

Many people have a hard time just sitting alone with themselves. When was the last time you went out to eat or on a vacation all alone? To truly just be with yourself without anyone else to distract you. What do you think you could learn about yourself by doing something you never thought you could do? Have you committed to working out five days per week but settled for three? Our confidence and self-worth are built and lost in the honoring, or not, of the commitments we make. If it is important to have emotional strength, we must possess both self-worth and self-confidence. Seek out challenging opportunities and conquer them for no reason other than to build emotional strength.

Unlike a medieval soldier going off to war, when it comes to emotional strength, I view this more as a disrobing of armour. As we go about our lives and people hurt us through both small and large wounds, one by one, we add pieces to our armour. At some point, this armour feels suffocating, and we are either easily triggered or so confined we can't feel anything at all. traumas and helping the body move through them and heal. Wim Hof, an athlete known for his extreme ability to withstand freezing temperatures, is an incredible resource, and I encourage everyone to add these practices into their weekly routines. If you are like me, the daily cold shower will also satisfy the “we can do hard things” mantra. However, the zest for life that rushes through my veins when I am done, makes it all worthwhile.

As we train ourselves for emotional strength and fortitude, there may be nothing more important than getting to know ourselves on the very deepest of levels. Take time to sit in the stillness of the morning or night with a clear head and remember the stories that hurt you. Let them hurt again, and ask yourself, why does this hurt? What is it that moves me? As you go about your day and you notice things starting to irritate you, just step back from it and, again, ask yourself, why? The healing is the remembering. When we connect the dots of our past, we can build the bridge to our brightest future.

As emotional athletes, we must create a life of healthy rituals that build self-confidence and help us understand ourselves at the deepest of levels, so we can walk through our lives as present and emotionally available beings. When we fervently work towards these concepts on a daily basis, we craft a life where we are able to stand tall in our boots, aligned and confident in exactly who we are and with quiet resolve. This is how we become emotional Olympians.

About: Shayna Meyer, Founder and Creator of The Enjoyment Method, guides women to deep-rooted peace and enjoyment in their lives. Shayna utilizes a variety of tools and tactics including breathwork, herbal cleanses, a collection of meditations, effective education against various vices, and cutting-edge thought processes to create a safe space where women can find true and lasting levels of enjoyment in all the fibers of their lives through healing. Her own healing journey took an extended peior to find restoration and reach a state of daily, predictable enjoyment.