Spring has sprung and new life is all around us. In this season of new beginnings, what seeds are you planting in your life today that will grow and bloom into beautiful parts of your life!

So much of growth is beneath the surface and unseen.

Consider a child’s growth and how we feel they “grow overnight,” because they literally do. They may get taller by an eighth of an inch, develop a new way of thinking, or express a new feeling and all of these seem to be out of the blue, but actually they are always growing and blooming in microbursts that we don’t see with our eyes.

Consider a plant that shoots up and from a tiny spout to a small plant and a blooming flower, we do not see small incremental steps of nature as it emerges. The growth takes time and the blooming feels sudden, but in reality, it was preparing to bloom since it started as a sprout.

Planting Seeds in Your Life

What will be possible in your life if you connect with the unseen, the unconscious part of yourself, and allow yourself to bloom?

First, begin by being present with your body, so you may build awareness and plant seeds for your life. Awareness is essential to planting the seeds for the things we need, want, and dream about in our life. If you know yourself well, by simply being conscious and aware of who you are at your core, you will create a life you want from a place of truth and authenticity.

Before you do this practice, check in with yourself. Are you in a space that is comforting and relatively quiet? My soul care practices are a gift to you, but remember you always have agency over your own body. Allow these practices to be part of your life in your own space and time, and if something doesn’t feel right, open your eyes, look around, stretch your body, take a walk etc. There are no rules, only to care for yourself with the utmost compassion. The following breath practice is a gentle way to open your mind to growth and the possibilities of your life.

Soul Care Breath Practice

Slow, conscious breathing helps connect you to the present moment and all of the goodness within and around you. It will help you slow down and see more than you ever thought possible.

I invite you to bring your attention to your feet on the ground and your lower back and hips in your seat. Visualize all four corners of each foot connected to the Earth. Allow your body to be supported here and now.

You are being held as you breathe. Open your heart to receive the breath.

Take a few moments to pause and fully breathe. Sit tall and supported to allow the breath to move effortlessly through you. Deeply inhale through your nose, and exhale a slow, controlled breath out through your nose or mouth.

Feel your breath moving past your lips. Notice the temperature of the air of the breath moving in and out through your nose. Fully experience the cycles of breath moving in and out through your body.

Breathe in deeply and exhale completely. Repeat 2-3 times.

Be patient with yourself and stay in this moment. Perhaps place a hand on your belly to guide the focus of the breath down and simply follow the path of breath down through your center in your mind.

Notice how you feel as you breathe. Breathe as if you love yourself.

You are planting seeds. You are arriving in the present moment. You are listening to your body and your breath.

Stay aware of what comes to mind when you are in this calm, present state. What thoughts and feelings are you experiencing?

Perhaps write down your thoughts as they arise. Be sure to focus on the sensations in your body as well as the thoughts that come into your mind. The body holds great wisdom too.

Be with the tiny seeds of your awareness. Savor them.

Permission to Bloom

We all have thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors that hold us back from living our fullest, most beautiful lives. Human beings are vulnerable to the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors of others, especially if the person in your sphere has a perceived sense of influence, power, or knowing over you. We are all connected and one comment from a parent, teacher, or friend, may influence what you believe about yourself for a lifetime.

The words that are spoken to you by others, often become the way you think about yourself. Hopefully, you have been told many positive things about who you are, but most of us also have a few beliefs based on negative or false statements. What you believe in your mind to be true is called your mindset.

The good news is your mindset is pliable, so if you have limiting beliefs that are holding you back, you can unlearn them, and give yourself permission to grow. First you need to be open to receiving by creating the time and space for a new way of thinking.

When you believe in a growth mindset, you can shift your thinking in a positive way and make space for unbelievable growth.

Simple soul care practices will support you in this process.

Soul Care Gratitude Practice

Gratitude helps us to build trust. When you acknowledge and appreciate moments in your life, you build confidence in the truth of who you are and want to be. Over time, this truth becomes the foundation of your belief system and allows you to discover what is blooming at your core, even through the toughest parts of your journey.

Breath and gratitude practice are perfectly paired to teach you how to give yourself permission to bloom.

Now that you have the breath practice above, recenter yourself in this state again. Bring your attention to the present moment and breathe with your whole body. Let the natural flow of your breath expand.

Once you read the following practice, I invite you to explore your calm state by going inside, either by closing your eyes or having a soft gaze.

Open your mind to receive and acknowledge something in your day right now that you get to do (or be).

Gratitude, even in the hardest moments, is possible.

Even when things are hard, there are still moments we can appreciate. Gratitude is a stepping stone to healing. When you are beginning this process, you can always start with gratitude for your breath that gives you life. If you are reading this, you have the ability to breathe and learn to grow.

Perhaps one of these questions will help guide your gratitude practice today:

Who helped you today?
What made you smile?
What did you get to do today that felt good?
What relationships do you nurture?
What emotion was necessary for you to feel?
What are you opening your heart to receiving today?

If gratitude still feels like a struggle, open your heart a bit more to receiving. Sit with your palms open to the sky in the pose of receiving and notice what comes to mind.

The more moments you are open to pausing and breathing, the more you will discover things you are grateful for, the more you will build trust in the goodness of things, and the more you will have confidence in the future. One step builds on another.

Take deep breaths into whatever you are grateful for today.

If it feels right, place your hands together and rub them briskly together. Then, place a hand on your heart. Bring in compassion for yourself and your beautiful heart.

Pause a bit longer and breathe more love into your heart, and breathe out peace into the world. Open your eyes and slowly come back to your space.

In this short exercise, what did you discover blooming inside you? What seeds did you plant long ago that are growing in their own time?

You may want to write down your thoughts in a notebook or on your phone’s notepad. Begin a gratitude practice by writing down three things every day and seeing what you learn about yourself. Come back to this page for guidance as needed.

Over time, perhaps even a few days or weeks, with the practice of opening your heart to receive, uncovering your truth, and practicing gratitude, you will transform your beliefs and give yourself the courage to bloom.

Please email me anytime with questions: jenny@jennybaltazar.com.

Give Yourself Permission To Bloom