Review: Kerry Belvisio’s Self Alignment Kit – part II

Tags

alignment, Anxiety, calmness, career, chakra cards, FREAKING THE FRACK OUT, Kerry Belvisio, Kinesiology, Love, Money, Negativity, peace, self alignment, Self-Alignment Kit, space, speaking truth, survival

[Read part I first]

Part II of this review is where I tell you all about what I did Sunday night for my first time using the Self-Alignment Kit!

Personally right now I’ve been pretty stressed about my impending potential unemployment.

You know… right before Christmas (spendy and not a great time to be looking for work!). Right before my fully paid for holiday (yikes!). No partner or anyone else I might be able to lean on for support (physically, emotionally, financially etc etc).

Freaking scary, let me tell you! But also, I’ve been in this place before. For months, actually. And the thought of going through that again scares me silly.

So I thought I’d try to get some self-alignment happening around all of this. Because if I can get rid of some of the anxiety/negativity/blurry vision around my work situation, that has to be a good thing, right?

Working the process to get aligned

So I read the workbook first (as recommended), then printed off a worksheet. You use a new worksheet each time you want to get aligned with one of your goals.

The first thing the worksheet asks you to do is to work out your area of focus.

For me right now, that’s easy: Money. Career.

The next question is about how you feel about those things. Haha. I wrote: Scared. Upset. Freaked out. 😀

Then, there’s the process of figuring out your goal for this particular session. The workbook has lots of helpful hints and even some suggestions around common topics like love, career, family etc, that you can adapt for your own purposes.

My goal is around securing a stable and well-paying job in the immediate future.

Then comes the fun part. I had printed out but not yet cut up my chakra cards.

A sample of some of the dozens of chakra cards in the kit

So part of this first time around was cutting them into their little coloured squares and messing up the order, shuffling them with intent and so on.

I did an extremely thorough job of said shuffling, then spread them out on my desk to choose one.

With my eyes closed.

Hands over the cards, feeling for a hotspot.

And which card do you think came up?

Yep…

At which I rolled my eyes, because DUH!

This whole thyroid/Hashimoto’s deal is about EXACTLY THIS.

Kerry wisely counsels: Assume that the first card you choose is the RIGHT card. Otherwise you might miss something important.

Smart cookie, that Kerry.

Because otherwise I might’ve done just that, thinking that “speaking truth” was just too obvious for me. And also too “big” for this career/money goal I was focusing on.

So I decided to trust the process, and was pleasantly surprised by what came up. I kept working through the questions on the worksheet and here’s what I figured out…

Speaking the truth about my current line of work is somewhat precarious. Obviously I don’t want to tell a potential employer that I’m only in it for the money until I get to the point where I can quit (for my excellently awesome future life plans).

BUT. Then I asked myself…

– Am I being truthful about what I will and won’t accept in this interim (meaning, “for now”) work I’m doing?

– Am I setting expectations with potential employers that honour and support my needs, while still doing the best job I can?

– Am I just copping out with how I’m viewing this interim work and therefore creating a rod for my own back? (i.e. “suffering” through things I don’t want to do, making life less enjoyable)

– Could I really be making more of this time, and with this interim work?

Hmmmm. Then I figured out the following truths:

• I know, of course, that the work I’m doing right now is not how I ultimately want to be earning money.
• But I’ve been treating it all as very much just a means to an end.
• I’ve allowed myself to take jobs that pay well, but haven’t necessarily allowed me to feel fulfilled or satisfied at all.
• But it doesn’t have to be that way. Even though I don’t really want to be doing this kind of work forever, I CAN find employment that allows me some job satisfaction.
• Doing this work is certainly a means to an end, but it doesn’t have to be just about financial survival.
• Oh wow… look at that.
  Here I am using the word “survival”, which has been the mode I’ve functioned in for the last 5 or 6 years.
  I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g…

So at the end of the process (which can be as short or long as you like!), I found myself writing the following:

• I don’t have to take just any job.
• The job I am offered will meet my physical, financial AND spiritual needs (somehow!)
• I can find people and lessons in this work I don’t want to be doing forever – these people or learnings will be of benefit to me in the future, even if I don’t know it now.

Which left me feeling… a little less panicked and overwhelmed.

Which created a little more space and calmness – as opposed to the FREAKING THE FRACK OUT that I had been doing.

A day later, I’m still feeling positive and calm.

I have an interview lined up for tomorrow at lunchtime, and I feel confident that I’m coming from the right place in assessing whether or not it will be the right job for me.

All in all I’m in a much happier place than I was last week, even though I’m closer than ever to potential unemployment.

Like the Self-Alignment Kit? Use this discount code!

Kerry has kindly offered readers of this blog a 15% discount.

Hooray for discounts!

So instead of AUD $59, you’ll pay AUD $50.15 – which is excellent value for something you can re-use time and time again.

Just enter this code when you order: imwithsvasti

Thanks, Kerry!

Timing is everything, and this little gift of the Self-Alignment Kit has been very timely indeed. I can’t tell you how much I value your support and love.

~~~~~~

Wishing you all peace, love and alignment, peeps.

~ Svasti xxx

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Review: Kerry Belvisio’s Self Alignment Kit – part I

Tags

alignment, Blogging, chakra cards, Healing, Kerry Belvisio, Kerry in your pocket, Kinesiology, Kinesiology Fan Girl, self alignment, Self-Alignment Kit, self-sabotage

First, a little back story

Just the other day I was thinking about the myriad of ways blogging has benefited my life. I’ve made new friends, new connections and learned So. Much.

Blogging has also kept me accountable for my healing process, even though I never would’ve suggested that’s what I was doing. And the writing of it all has helped me unravel much more than I ever thought possible.

Through a pathway of interconnected bloggers, at some point I found myself thinking: I guess I’d better check out this Nadine chick I keep hearing about from other bloggers. Which led to meeting Nadine AND Mark Whitwell.

It also led me to attend Nadine and Kerry’s Unstuck Workshop. Which meant that when the shizz hit the fan (AGAIN) after my five year…ermmm…anniversary of being assaulted, I called Kerry for an appointment.

Connections, connections.

So thanks to blogging I’ve been having regular kinesiology sessions for around twelve months now, and it has been incredibly transformative.

Hi. My name is Svasti and I am a Kinesiology Fan Girl.

I saw Kerry for months and months, but now I’m seeing Amanda – whom Kerry referred me to on account of all of the thyroid stuff I’m dealing with.

Because Kerry is just that kind of healer: putting the needs of her clients first.

(It should also be noted that the thyroid stuff came up, I suspect, because in a session with Kerry I was all: I don’t know what I need to do next!! Soon afterwards, it was: hello, physical health! See, I need to get that all sorted before I run off adventuring around the world.)

Of course, that creates a bit of a quandary for me because now I have TWO lovely kinesiology ladies that I adore for all of their amazing work. So whenever I’m recommending kinesiology to my friends, I always give them both Kerry’s and Amanda’s details.

Anyway, on to the ACTUAL review:
The Self-Alignment Kit

Kerry has gone and created a brilliant piece of DIY-at-home kinesiology* in The Self Alignment Kit.

*Just to be clear – while I’ve just described the kit as a piece of DIY-at-home kinesiology, it’s only a part of the work that kinesiology does. So if you ever get the chance to have a session (or two or three or…) then do it. You won’t regret it!

I was already planning on buying one, but Kerry generously offered the kit to me as a gift!

So I thought I’d repay her in kind by sharing my experiences to date.

Already, I know this is a tool I’ll use many, many times over.

So. What does the Self-Alignment Kit contain?

A few things, actually:

• A handy dandy audio guide of Kerry talking you through the steps.
  Very helpful, especially the first time you try the kit out.
  It’s kind of like tucking Kerry in your pocket and bringing her home for a chat. 🙂
• The step-by-step guidebook – which talks about how we get stuck and misaligned with our goals, as well as lots of info on how to use the kit.
• A worksheet – you’ll need a fresh one every time you use your Self-Alignment Kit.
• A set of chakra cards – this is the main tool for figuring out where in your body/chakras you are misaligned to your goals.
• A little book of goals – something I plan to use extensively very soon. I just didn’t have enough time on the weekend.
  This part of the kit looks like a luxurious adventure in getting clear on your future life plans. Which hey, I’ve got a lot of those and I’d totally like to be in alignment with them!

So what does the kit actually do?

Think of it as a tune-up tool for your life’s plans and goals.

Doesn’t it bug you when you want your life to go in a certain direction but you feel like stuff keeps dragging you down and/or backwards?

It sure bugs me. Sometimes I’ve felt like I’m walking on the spot on a treadmill, but don’t even know it. There I am, looking towards where I want to be but finding those things just out of reach.

That’s misalignment in action.

Getting aligned with where you want to be is seeing and getting off the treadmill, and really and truly being able to move forwards.

Some pretty cool stuff about the Self-Alignment Kit

Just a few observations:

• Part self-coaching, part kinesiology session, it helps you to focus on your goals and ferret out any little self-sabotages you’ve got going on. Stuff that unbeknownst to you, is getting in the way of your own happiness.
• The process is simple and it works.
• Not that I had any doubts about something Kerry has produced, but even for this first attempt it worked better than I expected.
• It’s empowering. Something that most of us need to learn is that anyone you go to for healing is the facilitator of your own natural healing capability.
  Using this kit really helps to see that for yourself, in case you didn’t really get it beforehand.
• Kerry’s chakra cards are cool. Being a yoga student and teacher, I know a few things about chakras. But I really like the kinesiology way of referencing various physical/emotional needs with our chakras, and I especially like Kerry’s chakra cards!
  They are no-nonsense, colourful and to the point. For someone like me whose never been into much of the really New Age “woo woo” stuff, this is my kind of tool (along with the yogAttitude cards!).
• Make it quick or take your time. If something is playing on your mind, you can get in there with a quick, intuition-driven self-analysis. That’s what I did on Sunday night (see part II of this review).
  Or, you can plan a more in-depth goal setting and alignment session. Maybe over a glass of wine, with some music and incense. A night just for you to get real with your own life.
• It’s a completely digital product, so there’s no delay once you’ve purchased it. You can download everything you need from Kerry’s website and get going straight away!
• Eco-preferences: You can choose to print the e-books or not: it’s up to you. However, the chakra cards do need to be printed. I intend to get a set laminated so they’ll last for as long as possible.

So as you can see, there’s plenty to like about the Self-Alignment Kit, right?

Part II of this review is about what I did on Sunday night. Check it out!

~ Svasti

Continued: working without a net

Tags

Anxiety, belly relaxed, bliss, breathing smooth, Depression, don't look down, heart open, hecticness, I trust in abundance, I trust myself, I trust the Universe, muse, PTSD, Self-Alignment Kit, working without a net, world of impermanence, Writing, yogAttitude cards

Meditate. Be bliss. There's a lesson in that for all of us...

This is just a quick post to say hi, really. Well, and a couple of other things.

First of all

Suzanne, who won the give-away of Nadine’s wonderful yogAttitude cards has seemingly gone AWOL. So I’m on the verge of re-drawing the prize!

Suzanne, I’ve sent you three emails and left a comment on your blog. No reply! If I don’t hear from you very soon, I’ll re-draw a winner from the other entries (no new entries, just to be fair!).

So please get in touch by Friday 4th November if you would still like to receive your prize, as I need a postal address. After that, I will draw another winner.

Secondly

I’ll be doing a review very soon of Kerry’s Self-Alignment Kit. I think I’m gonna try it this weekend, on account of the fourth point of this post (below).

Also: if you’re interested in Kerry’s kit, hang about for the review because there’ll be a discount code for readers of this blog!

Thirdly

Things are crazy-hectic for me right now at work. The last few months we’ve been working on a H-U-G-E project – a whole bunch of websites that’ll be going live, hopefully this weekend. New branding, a new content management system, new content. It’s been absolutely massive and there’s been so much to do. Insane.

Which has meant no time to finish some of the posts I’m writing. Stuff I really want to get done!

Fourthly (is that even a word?)

This is the working without a net thingy.

In 2008 I left the world of stable, full-time employment. At the time, I was going on a long retreat in the wilds of north-east Thailand. It was a massive turning point for me.

Earlier that year, I’d finally gotten my butt into therapy and was formally diagnosed with PTSD. It was the beginning of my healing journey, and leaving my job was a part of that. I’d been in the same job for 4.5 years and most of that time I also had PTSD. So I’d been trying to hold down a high-performance job while being pretty dysfunctional. I’d also had the misfortune of telling my bosses what had happened to me, and having them use that as a means to bully me. I was burned out.

After retreat and coming back to Australia, I haven’t had a permanent job. Well, none that has lasted anyway. There’ve been a couple of periods of unemployment and lots of contract work.

Simultaneously, I’ve worked my ass off to heal PTSD, anxiety and depression. Which I’ve done, although it hasn’t been easy. I’m still working on healing myself – now it’s my body that needs support and love, while it too, processes the aftershocks of everything my mind and soul have been through.

Integral to all this healing has been learning to really trust myself and my place in this universe – as big or small as that place might be. The first time I found myself unemployed, it was terrifying. I made a whole bunch of decisions at that time that I’d do quite differently now.

All of this short term contract work hasn’t exactly been easy when you have hair-trigger anxiety, either. It’s basically like facing unemployment on a semi-regular basis, never quite sure where or when the next job is coming.

If I’m not careful, such things can cause crazy-excessive-heart-thudding and concrete-heavy-belly feelings.

Even though I have my own, I can't help but stop to talk to other kitties I meet. Such things help me keep life relaxed and calm.

Which is where trust comes in. You see, I’ve found that if I let my fear and anxiety rule the playground, my world gets very small. In such a small world, it’s much harder to get my needs met. So I need to stay open and relaxed.

With the end of the big project I’ve been working on, my current contract is due to end in just under three weeks and I don’t have another job to go to yet.

I don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s been a flurry of recruiters calling me, but so far none of those conversations has turned into anything concrete. I even went for an interview and everything looked good but there have been some issues at that company with getting the job “signed off”. Yep.

So I talk and pray to the Universe daily. I keep my belly relaxed (as much as possible), my breathing smooth and my heart open (which is what I ask my yoga students to do – just walking the talk).

I keep thinking that perhaps I’m just missing whatever lesson the Universe is trying to teach me. Or maybe this is just a constant reminder that nothing is permanent, and now that I’m open to that, my world looks entirely impermanent all of the time?

I’m not sure to be honest. But one lesson I have really learned is that when working without a net, you simply don’t look down.

Clichéd perhaps, but true.

Fifthly (ditto re: existence of word)

I now have two books that I need to write.

The first one is my children’s book. It’s totally buzzing around my brain, showing me new characters and scenarios. Whenever I’ve read about authors talking about their characters coming to life, I didn’t really understand what they meant. Until now.

Must. Write. Book!

The second one is actually Nadine’s fault (said with a grin!). We caught up a few weeks back and had a rambly natter about all kinds of things – yoga, healing, trauma etc.

At one point she said something like: Well, that’s some wisdom you’ve gained there. What are you going to do with that?

I was all, ummmm….?

But the Muse strikes at the oddest of times, doesn’t She? Tuesday night I was walking to the school where I teach yoga every week and She whispered: Write an e-book about what you’ve learned in recovering from PTSD, depression and anxiety.

Oh dang! Before I’d reached my destination, several chapters had laid themselves out for me.

So… I guess I’m writing that one, too.

~ Svasti