RWP Episode #143: Embracing Midlife Expansion with Reiki Women Podcast

In this episode of the Reiki Women Podcast, hosts Bronwen Logan, Michaela Daystar, and Carrie Varela delve into the concept of a midlife crisis, questioning whether it truly deserves the label 'crisis' or if it represents a period of immense potential and transformation. 

They discuss biological, social, and spiritual changes that occur around midlife, particularly for women but also affecting men. 
The conversation includes personal insights into menopause, societal expectations, and the importance of resting and reflecting. 
The hosts emphasize the role of Reiki in navigating these transitions and how it can help individuals connect with their inner knowing and embrace cycles of life. 
The episode concludes with thoughts on reclaiming power and wisdom during midlife and encouraging listeners to approach this time with curiosity and openness.

00:00 Welcome to Reiki Women Podcast
00:35 Introducing the Midlife Crisis Topic
01:38 Michaela's Perspective on Midlife Changes
09:37 Carrie's Quarter Life Crisis Experience
17:00 Bronwen's Menopause Journey
26:45 Reclaiming Natural Rhythms and Cycles
44:02 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Additional Resources:
- Join our Facebook Group: Embodying Reiki
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1564135767437136

- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6Jk8QD_8hjlfpSM8suMIA

Bronwen Logan: https://ReikiwithBronwen.com
Carrie Varela: https://www.reikihealingsociety.com
Michaela Daystar: https://www.heartscapesinsight.com/

Transcript

Speaker 3 0:07

Hello and welcome to Reiki Women Podcast. It's me, Bronwen. Bronwen Logan from Reiki with Bronwen. And I've got my two colleagues here with me as always. So we have Michaela Daystar from Heartscapes Reiki. Yes. And Carrie Varela. It's been a while since we had a podcast. I'm forgetting everybody's details. Carrie Varela from the Reiki Healing Society. So welcome, welcome, welcome. And today we thought we'd have some fun talking about a subject, which, uh, since we are the Reiki Women Podcast, even though our podcast is obviously for men and women, we, uh, We are women, uh, hence the name of the podcast. And, uh, lots of reiki practitioners are women. So there's something specific to women that we, uh, all go to go, go through if we get to a certain age. And that is, um, this thing, which sometimes is called the midlife crisis. Terrible thing. Crisis. Oh my goodness. Um, so. Is it a crisis? Is it not a crisis? Does it possibly have more potential than being a crisis? We're going to chat about that today and, um, uh, see where we're at with that, what we think and what we can do to possibly, um, not avert the crisis, but perhaps transform the crisis. So, uh, I'm going to pass it over to Michaela, who's going to tell us what she thinks on this subject.

Speaker 6 1:47

Yeah, it's a juicy one. Um, yeah, it's, it's one of these that really kind of has us play in this intersection of like what's happening biologically in our body, what's happening, um, socially in our families and in our life. Uh, how does our culture view. us as women and, and as people in general, when we go into a stage of transition in terms of age, um, and then what's happening spiritually, right? What, what is happening in the unseen spaces? And of course, as always, how can our Reiki practice intersect with all of this and perhaps, you know, bring some, uh, spaciousness and some insight into this time. So the, you know, the context that we're working with here, there's. There's kind of these different sides of it. There's this concept of the midlife crisis, at least in, in America and in various places, there's this idea that you hit your mid forties. Usually they're about somewhere in between 40 and 50 and things start to shift, you know, for women, of course, we, we start heading towards perimenopause and menopause, uh, for men, there's. There's things happening hormonally. We're hitting, you know, career stages that often feel like they have transitioned to them. There's, you know, family stages. Sometimes our kids are kind of moving out of the house around this time. So there's all these shifts and changes and transitions in all realms of life that tend to be happening around this time. And that's, you know, a lot of that is external, but then there's this whole internal experience that we're having. And. Here's what I think, Michaela theory. Okay, so asterisk. This is my theory. I don't know if this is a thing, but What feels to me as I say as I as I am in the midst of this myself as a 47 year old woman With many of these challenges and changes and transitions happening in my life right now That there that there's all these shifts happening But our culture doesn't make a lot of space for what's happening internally. So we, we tend to examine this from the external, right? The, the shifts in our family, in our career, in our biology, um, and we try to make meaning of that and the upheaval. And so we call it a crisis. And then, and then we kind of give permission to all kinds of maybe Not great behavior, you know, like if somebody goes out and buys a sports car, like goes on a gambling binge or, you know, make some drastic change in their life that maybe isn't particularly well thought through. It's like it's there's an excuse for it. You're going through a midlife crisis. You're supposed to do some kind of big, you know, I don't know what, just do whatever you want, like experience because you're in this crisis, but really what we're looking at is hitting up against a wall of deep discomfort and being in the midst of many changes that are happening all at once and not giving, being given a lot of space to examine that from that internal place. What is really, what is actually changing internally? And I think that that leads to so much discontent. And we've had some great conversations about navigating discomfort, about navigating change. How can our Reiki practice support us when we're going through a big upheaval or those tiny changes that happen all the time? How do we, you know, be with discomfort in a way that doesn't cause us to lash out or behave badly because we're uncomfortable? And all of that. is magnified when we're in a period of life. And this isn't the only time that this happens, but when we're in a period of life where the changes and the discomforts are just piling on top of each other. And, um, and as I say, I am smack in the midst of that right now, right. In terms of family, like my mom just moved in. So we're blending our household. That represents a big transition in her life as well. As far as her life stage, you know, my kids are growing up, like all the things are, are happening in my life right now. I'm definitely feeling perimonopause just kind of flirting with me over there in the future and the not so distant future. Um, and there's been moments where it has felt like, Oh shit, this is the crisis. This is it. This is the time when I'm supposed to be freaking out, you know? Um, but I really, as I've been with that, this past. I mean, this summer in particular, ladies, this summer has whooped my ass. Like, it's just come in hot and hard, just absolutely has been bringing all of the things. And so I've really been in this place of reflection about this. Like, why do we associate this experience with crisis? Why do we give ourselves this? This context that says my life is in crisis right now, right? Because a crisis is like the worst thing, right? Like, like, that's the worst thing if you're in a crisis, right? And so how, how do we reframe that? And I remember years ago, before I was anywhere near this phase of life, Hearing another person who was in this phase of life refer to it using a different adjective, and I don't remember what the adjective was that they used, but that stuck in my mind, this idea that we can reframe this away from a crisis to something else. And so I've been really playing with that. And. You know, midlife alchemy is what started to come forward, right? Midlife expansion, midlife transition, um, lots of different adjectives that we could put in there. And what I realized is that thinking about it, framing it that way, and even be in a playful way, an open ended way, like, hmm, what else could this be? Has really, really my relationship with it, right? It feels like you mentioned possibility in the intro, Bronwen, like it feels like, actually, actually, this is a time of unleashed potential, right? It's like when the butterfly goes into the cocoon and melts down and all of its earthly form melts down into this golden, ooze of raw potential and then it reforms itself into something different. And so that's, that's what I've been playing with is this question of what actually is this? It is not, I reject crisis. I do not take it on. I don't, I don't take, I don't, I don't accept it. It's not a crisis. What else could it be? And of course, um, In what way does the fact that we have this consistent, supportive, expansive, nurturing practice of Reiki, like, come alongside this time period and help to lean into this idea that what's actually here is a pool of raw potential? So that's the question that I'm going to turn over to Carrie.

Speaker 4 8:54

Oh, I love this conversation. I really, really enjoyed your posts and celebrating, you know, reframing around. This whole season in our lives, um, and I think our generation, the generation of women before us are really pioneers in so many ways of reframing this time in our life and really taking it, um, in a way that can be a ritual, it can be a celebration, it can be a Um, a real way of initiation and marking into a new stage of our life. Um, and so, as I was thinking about it, just midlife crisis, I, I, What comes to my mind is that I genuinely had a quarter life crisis, and I don't wish that on anyone. I actually feel like I already know what it's like to have a midlife crisis, because I had something that, um, in all intents and purposes was a crisis. It was a quarter, what I called a quarter life crisis. And I've come to, you know, come to peace with it and stuff like that, but basically, when I was 27, I Completely, like, 180'd my life, and I had been on this track to be, you know, an environmental scientist, and I was in a relationship, and I ended up getting a divorce, and then I followed this path of Reiki and yoga during that kind of time period of my life. Well. I was in counseling going through this quarter life crisis and it was just this crisis of like what do I want out of my life and what really matters to me, like what really makes me happy, what makes me tick, like what, how do I want to spend my time, like, um, and my counselor that I was working with was an astrologer and we ended up doing an astrology session and And lo and behold, like literally the day I, uh, left my husband and this left this relationship behind, Saturn had entered a new house in my life and I had a traumatic Saturn return. So if you're familiar with Saturn, it transits 27 years through your chart. And and it marks the really what used to be the three real stages of our life. So our youth, our childhood, that first cycle is like 27 years like this is us like in our youth. And then the second stage is this midlife time. And then Saturn comes back through our chart or we go through a whole revolution of Saturn through our chart, you know, around the year 54. And then, again, in our 80s, right? Um, I think it's 81. I'm doing my math right. Um, so. But now that we actually can experience, with our longer lifetime, we can experience four transits in Saturn. Um, and, uh, it was just very interesting that it was literally the day, you know, that this shift was happening for me astrologically, that, like, this major life transition happened. And it gave me this kind of humbling awe for the cosmos. And that, you know, maybe through my practice of Reiki, I am connected to this universal energy. And, um, I'm not saying that astrology is perfect by any means or that I can use it to predict my destiny or anything like that, but it just like it, it tells a different story, right? Of, of kind of our subconscious pulling and leaning in. Um, Yeah, so it was just a, uh, so now when I think about somebody having a midlife crisis, I actually have a lot of compassion for that process, because I can imagine if you've been on this earth 54 years or, you know, moving in that direction, at a certain point you got to Question like, what do I want out of life? Am I getting what I want out of life? Have I enjoyed my life enough? Um, am I doing the things that bring me joy? And so maybe that somewhat explains why people buy their really fancy cars or they leave relationship behind and things like that during this time in their life. And interestingly, I just bought my, like, dream car. So I'm kind of juggling about that too, because I'm like, I don't give a shit. This is a car that I love and I want to celebrate myself and love myself this way. And, um, it just so happens that it's It's an electric vehicle as well, too.

Speaker 6 13:28

What's your dream car, Carrie? What did you just get?

Speaker 4 13:31

Well, I mean, there's a lot of them. I was having a little obsession moment. But I want this, um, Volvo. So it's a Volvo, and it is a plug in hybrid. So I can go 30 miles on that car without using any gas. And we just so happen to put solar on our house. which was just like amazing. And these are all kind of my values coming together. It was really exciting to see this happen, but I literally can drive 30 miles on sunshine every day. And like that makes me really happy. And actually every time I make my, that car payment, I am so stoked to make it because I love driving my car and it's a great car. It's got three rows. I can throw the kids in there. It's like a soccer mom vibe, but it's also this bad ass car and it's really, really safe too. Like there's never going to Support vitality in this car. So, you know, all these things make me really happy and I just, I just joy. Right. And we don't allow these joys we should. And in our midlife we should be able to, like, maybe that is one of the fruits of growing older is that we can. Enjoy life's comforts, hopefully more, um, and, uh, underneath this, right? Um, but it's also just really interesting, too, because I am also feeling the leanings towards paramenopause, and I'm not really sure why I actually have a doctor's appointment coming up, but I have missed my first period, and I am 43, and I really should not be probably going through paramenopause so early, but I am, and it's, uh, it's also It's quite a profound transition, and I'm just really tapping into it, and maybe the beginnings of it can be the most painful in some ways, because, um, I literally feel like part of my body is dying, and I am going through this process of death and transformation, and, um, And I think actually, Bronwen, when you said it once, you know, on this podcast once, it's like, you know, how our womanhood is sometimes so defined by, uh, you know, our menstruation, our cycles, and like, Like, you know, this is whole periods of our life where we're not menstruating and like we still are this vibrant and you're still women. So I'm really feeling into that, but it is a journey and a process. And I'm really feeling like the intense, intense hormonal shifts and, um, things like that. And so I don't think we're talking about, we haven't been able to talk about that enough, uh, generations of women prior to us. Um, to really talk about the, you know, impact this has on our mental health or emotional health or physical health. Um, so I'm excited about this generation of women like all of my friends and, you know, there's a big part of me that still feels like I'm 30, you know. It's just like sometimes I'm like, oh my goodness, like I don't, um. It'll be really interesting how I feel when I'm 54 and when I'm 70 and, um, you know, that inner feeling of like, God, I've, I've just, I've witnessed my life and this, this, this kind of. Movement and shift and, um, transition, uh, through many stages of my life, but coming into, um, my elder years, uh, I'm kind of not, I'm not ready yet, but I'm, I'm, I'm opening the door. I'm allowing myself to be part of it. Yeah. Well,

Speaker 3 17:03

I still feel like I'm, you said 27, I think 27 is probably a good age I'd pick. So yeah, it's a funny thing. It's a bit like, you know, we've, we've often talked also about that idea of the labyrinth Yeah. that you're always in the same spot, you just have, so it's still like, I still feel 27, but it is different to what I felt when I was 27 because of, simply because of the life experiences that I've had between when I was 27 and, and now I'm 57. So that's 30 years difference. Um, yeah, I remember when I was a kid, And my mom talking to her female relatives and, you know, it, everything would be whispered and it was very much, um, the words, I think they used to call it the change. Is that right? I think that's what they used to call it. And it was always very hush, hush. And it's always like, you know, so, um, yeah, no one really, I mean, thank goodness we don't live in, in that time because, you know, that whole putting everything under the carpet and not being able to talk about it. And, you know, we, we, we really are blessed in that sense that we can just actually talk about it. And it's not such a big, you know, thing. I think since I went into, uh, well, I guess perimenopause, uh, when I was 49, which apparently is the medium or whatever, you know, that is sort of like out of all the, the, the ages, that's where you, that's the most common age, I guess. And, uh, yeah, what was I going to say about that? See, that's, that's what happens basically. Um, it did happen to me. Um, but I, I have actually regained a lot of that, but I know like when I was that age, I was actually, I was just starting a third year in a, um, Bachelor of Arts doing philosophy and literature and my brain left me completely. It just left me. I could not get my thoughts together. I don't know what, I just, I've, I felt like I couldn't. couldn't get my thoughts together. I had to stop study. I had to stop everything. I had about six months of no brain at all. And I, that I could not believe that that was, that, that this was happening, you know, it was very strange. Plus, you know, you have the hot flushes and the da da da, it just goes on. But so there are a lot of changes. It's very real. But if I think about life, and this is sort of what you were just saying, Carrie, life is change. You know, it's just that at some times there's more changes than other times. Oh, and I did remember what I was going to say before. Since that I, went into menopause, then, uh, I have noticed so much being written about it. And it, it never used to be. It's really become something that people, you know, women, we are, we, you know, we hold up half the world. So, you know, we, we, are talking about and writing about and that's really wonderful and I'm so thrilled to see all that out there. And, uh, it was strange when I started seeing that and I thought, wow, um, you realize how it wasn't spoken about and how people didn't You know, didn't want to talk about it and I, even, you know, even me, I felt a little uncomfortable like, Oh my God, all these articles about menopause. Do we need that? You know, almost I felt like that because it was just so unusual to see and, uh, so wonderful actually, right? Um, Yeah, I just, Oh, there's so much about this, but yeah, I think this thing about always changing and you know, when I started, um, working with the system of Reiki, they had this thing called a healing crisis. And uh, that brought to mind what you were saying, Michaela, you know, I, I was really against this idea of a healing crisis because I was like, how can healing be a crisis? you know, and it's also making a drama out of something, uh, that, you know, we love drama. We love stories. Um, but it doesn't have to be, and it's just how we would view it. And so, you know, I, I immediately sort of, I was like, well, I'm not going to say healing crisis, cause that is ridiculous. So, you know, uh, whatever it is, you know, that, We're clearing, we're shifting things and we feel it and that really actually translates through to what is happening to us as women and This idea that you know, yes, we have our periods for I don't know 20 20 to 30 years of our life. Well, that's a limited period of our life. And you know, the fertility of that. So that is, once that's gone, it's just a shifting and a changing, but we shifted and changed into that in the first place. And now then we shift and change out of that. And now what happens, this is what, I think is the exciting thing, and I think you've both touched on it, that thing of that expanse of, is out there in front of us, and it's not bound by, um, uh, Maybe I'm going to have a baby or not, you know, whatever, you know, it's not bound by, um, this, the body doing those sorts of functions. In fact, it's a freedom and it's a wonderful freedom. And if we can, you know, we have to adjust and shift and, and accept the different things that happen to us. So, you know, I still get hot flushes and that's like, Oh, what is that? Seven years on. Right. But my brain came back, thank God. And, uh, you know, I mean, there, there's things, Oh, and I got a Buddha belly. We've just been talking about this in my household. And, um, I was trying to reframe it in a, in a positive, uh, in a positive light. And I thought it's a Buddha belly. I just had this recognition. And now I'm like, it's a Buddha belly. That's what I've got. Um, I am actually sort of probably going to, I'll keep it for a little while, but I don't think it should stay. But, um, you know, it is a lovely idea that if you think about it, I know that Buddha was, Well, a guy, I guess, if we're looking at in those terms, but, you know, this idea of, you know, you see those beautiful little statues, let's say they're androgynous, you know, and it's this thing of the belly and being a sign of wisdom and, and, um, maturity and, you know, uh, I thought, well, I'm going to embrace that and, uh, yeah, take that in because who do we become? I mean, archetypally, you know, I guess we become what the crone? I don't know. Michaela, you're, you're up on that. I don't know. Do it. Do I want to be a crone? Yeah, but I mean, do I have to label myself? I feel like I said, like there's this freedom of, of anything. I saw Julia Roberts, um, there was something, I don't know if you've seen pictures of Julia Roberts more recently. I saw them on Facebook and, um, you know, she, she has aged and she's not, she, you know, she was a very beautiful woman. She still is a beautiful woman. It's really interesting. And she's aged and she hasn't, um, obviously been doing anything to change her face or anything like that. She's just let herself age. And it is such a joy to see that. And that's why when I, uh, when I do stuff for my Facebook stuff or my website or whatever, I often try to incorporate. older women into it because we need to see older women. We need to see what they look like. And, you know, I'm hoping to move into that myself. You know, I want to be like a beautiful older woman and I don't mean beautiful by no wrinkles or anything like that. I want to shine as myself and be myself. And if I do have a Buddha belly, well, I guess maybe lucky me. I don't know, you know, it's just that whole having to embrace something that our society hasn't embraced. And, and that is changing. I do see that changing. And the thing for us is that we are all a part of society. So even though we don't realize it, sometimes we have these prejudices. I have prejudices. Of course, I have prejudices. And I, um, Uh, I need, that's why talking about things like this together is really great because it helps us to release or, or recognize shine light upon and start to think about, Oh, actually it's okay if, you know, and, uh, so I'm feeling pretty good and, um, moving into, yeah, like you said, there's external changes, internal changes, but that's life. It doesn't stay the same. And it is opening out in front of us. I'm open for it.

Speaker 6 26:41

You know, that, that all is so rich. And as you were talking about that, like six month period, when, when the hormonal changes like seem to rob your brain for that period of time, it's really profound to hear you say, and, and I, and I stopped school and I rested and I stopped, because I think that's part of why we interpret it as crisis. because when we go through these organic changes that are gonna happen, like they're, they're part of the natural cycle of things, but we're inside of a structure that says, well, you have to stay consistently productive until you retire at age 65. So you go into this, you know, crisis at, in your mid forties, early fifties. And. You slow down, your productivity shifts, your ability to concentrate shifts, the things that you care about shifts, but you're supposed to maintain a certain status quo until a certain arbitrary period of time. Yeah, no wonder that feels like crisis. You know, we're not encouraged to and given space to rest, to stop, to reassess, to reevaluate. How should I be spending my time now? And, you know, we now know that, like, this isn't just connected to the biology of child rearing, although that is certainly the biological container that, um, you know, is most consistent across people. But even energetically, the idea of, like, there being this. middle part of our life where creativity and productivity and nurturing and expanding is, is like, is the energy of that time. And then there's this shift and there's a different energy that comes in, right? There's a wisdom energy. There's a, there's a rest energy. There's a reflection energy. There's a freedom energy, as you named. And our culture just does not have any time for that. Like just no room for that until you're much, much older.

Speaker 28:38

So

Speaker 6 28:38

no wonder we think about it as a crisis. And so, you know, a lot of my, um, process of becoming an adult over the last, certainly over the last 12 years, I would say most specifically has been, yeah, I didn't start identifying as an adult until the last 12 years for sure. Um, a lot of it has been, An investigation of how can we reclaim these natural rhythms, even inside of this unnatural container that we're in and where can we create spaces that honor those rhythms, even inside of this larger container that doesn't so that we can stay connected to those rhythms, even though we can't necessarily live our complete life that way. And I'm really thinking about that because I just came back from one of those spaces this past weekend over the. the holiday weekend for four days. I was at the Women's Herbal Symposium, the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium. And it's, you know, it's basically a four day, like, hippie women village in the woods, uh, you know, so if you can imagine a, you know, an intentional community built entirely of women and children, and entirely honoring cycles of life and the rhythms of life, and then coming together to teach each other about, you know, herbal medicine and energy. And I did, I always volunteered to offer Reiki sessions there and you know, women's health and reproductive health and, and plant relationships and, um, and folkways, you know, so how to make things with your hands, how to create things, um, you know, and just, just in this communal teaching and learning. It changes the rhythm, even just being there for four days. And there's lots of spaces like this, right? And, and spaces where people have created a different rhythm. This particular one is, this is the 34th annual, so it's a pretty well established thing. But also, you know, quite young when we think about the fact that it's, It's looking back to ways of being that are quite a bit older than our time. And I love that we're in this time of like modernity and an acknowledgement of the need to look to different rhythms, right? Both of you have spoken to that of the way that, you know, people talk about these things differently than they did even 20, 30 years ago. There is more of an acknowledgement of the need to be in, in conversation and in relationship with cycles and with rhythms in a way that. Isn't necessarily aligned with the capitalist cycle of productivity that we all live inside of to one degree or another. And most of us to a pretty high degree, the culminating event, um, at, at this symposium is a three hour ritual that walks through for, uh, transition rituals, the transition from childhood into young personhood, the transition from young personhood into adulthood. And the transition into the crone age, they do use that term, uh, crone, but you know, the, the kind of elder wisdom age and then into death. Um, and I've, I've witnessed this ritual conducted the same way a number of times and it's, it's so powerful and it's so beautifully designed and worked out where, you know, as a community, we're really feeling those cycles coming through and then we're feeling our particular process. place and we're stepping into the ritual at the moment when, you know, that represents wherever we are in that, um, in that process. And then also just everybody holding everybody wherever they are in that process. And it's just this like full nervous system, like full system reminder that we are animals. of this earth, and we do move according to the cycles of the earth. Our bodies are designed that way, right? We are designed to move through seasons and to do that in a way that's according to nature's laws, not the laws that we design as people. At least in these days. So, you know, all of that is to say that, um, we're, we're well positioned, I think, culturally now to, to have these conversations and to, to find that sweet spot where we don't, we're not going to, you know, cancel modernity, right? Like, we're not going to cancel, you know, the way that life is now, but we also don't have to forsake, you know, What we've always known, and this piece around, um, like mutual education and taking responsibility for teaching and learning with each other outside of formalized institutions, trusting our own, knowledge and skills and the lineages that we have followed to get into those places of authority in a particular realm. And to, to, to trust that is, is a really powerful thing. I mean, in three days working in the wellness center, I learned, first of all, this is going to maybe blow some people's minds. It blew my mind that our uterus can get quite out of alignment with where it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be in a particular spot, for a particular reason, in a particular orientation. And it can and does move around, and it can and does get stuck in the wrong place. And that causes all kinds of problems. And that sounded really scary to me when I first heard that. But then I, I spent all weekend watching women Just fixing that problem, just moving it back into place, just identifying what was going wrong, and just fixing it. And these profound, like, miraculous healings that occurred because somebody got back into proper alignment inside of their body. Not because, you know, of an authority figure, but because another woman just knew how to do that. And this is the, the, uh, traditions that we've all come from somewhere back in our lineage. And, You know, I have a similar feeling in my Reiki practice, that this is a lineage of, of healing and of people passing it from person to person with authority and with respect to lineage and with specific knowledge that gets passed in particular ways. And we've certainly spent a lot of time in this space talking about the importance of, you know, preservation of knowledge in particular ways and passing it along with integrity. Um, but to do that in a way that really creates. individual family and community, like empowerment and sufficiency around our own wellbeing. Uh, and puts us back into the cycles of life in a way that tends to our overall health in a way that nothing else can. So I, I, I offer that as an invitation to, you know, to us and to all of You out there listening to us to, to find those spaces that are creating that kind of remembrance, whether it's a women's space or some other type of space that is really, uh, leaning back into community empowerment and sufficiency around, how do we be? An animal in this world and to do that well.

Speaker 4 36:02

Yeah, I think one thing that just really resonates with wealth of what you were saying, and I love that you took that time, bro, to rest, and that's ultimately actually what I did too. My quarter life crisis is that I really disconnected from my life period of time, um, and rested. A lot of Reiki and, and kind of re emerged while I went to India and traveled for, you know, a bucket list trip that I've always wanted to take. And actually like getting memories from when I was at, in India 13 years ago, kind of popping up in the year. Um, so it's always so beautiful to reflect on that time in my life, but you know, that was what finally like, you know, or that's what I needed. Yeah. You know, and I knew that I needed that. I knew that in order for me to feel like I could really, like, ground into what I really wanted in this life, like, I needed time to step away and reflect. And I had wished that, had I known or had I given myself that permission, like, after high school, or after college, or if there's any season in our life, where we can just have some space to figure it out. I mean, how many of us are, like, lost and confused? I mean, we have spent most of our life lost in confusion, and, uh, it's an unfortunate truth, but, you know, there's moments of this really profound clarity, and that's what, what I found was like, you know, the thing that really makes me happy is breaking yoga, and that's what I want to spend my time doing. I'm going to trust that this is the right path for me, and that's what I did, you know, and. I see that, you know, it can happen at so many different stages in our life, but, you know, uh, you know, unless you're like a professor, like that, you're not gonna give us freedom to take a year off and have a sabbatical. And, um, we need that, like, you need that. And I see some people, like in my, you know, parents generation, they never had that their whole life. And, like, their retirement. Has become this time of rest and reflection and it like literally force and push themselves their whole life To the point of really really not. I mean, that's not healthy. I I agree I think we really do need more time to step back and reflect and you know I think just to tether this back to Reiki It's just that like how powerful it is is to in our Reiki practice to meet ourselves where we're at so Like in this day and step away from like what could have been, what should have been, how I could have done this, I could have done that. Just be who we are today, accept that and also trust that, that we made the right choices for us and you know, life and, you know. Universe is like medium square. We're at like, it's never like, Oh, let's go back 10 steps. Like, no, here you are today. So where do we want to go now? And the, but there's just this unlimited, vast potential at any moment of what's possible. And that's something that my Reiki practice always helps me tap into, that if I can get out of my way, if I can get out of my worried, obsessed mind, if I can get out of my anxiety and overwhelm. I can realize that there are an infinite amount of possibilities for which possibilities do I want to breathe life into and create for myself and for others too, right? And, uh, and we can feel those tugs in our heart. We can feel those tugs in our consciousness. We all have an ability to tap into that. Um, and so I think for so many generations. for us and hopefully many generations beyond us is like it's testing our own inner knowing that is also something that we can really access with breaking that inner knowing and trusting that it is taking us into a place of fulfillment and joy.

Speaker 40:16

We

Speaker 4 40:16

will find fulfillment and joy if we choose to follow that path of those that bring us fulfillment and joy and we're worthy of it. That's the ultimate, uh, you know. Um, practice of self love is to give yourself what you love and, you know, not just once, but a lot. And, um, love to hear what your thoughts are, Bronwen.

Speaker 3 40:47

Yeah. Well, I sort of, I guess I feel like I can follow on from that a little bit. You're talking about cycles and just that whole cyclical, um, state of being, you know, how, I mean, we have big cycles, we have, we have small cycles, we have cycles within cycles and, you know, it's us moving and shifting. And it's sort of like what I was talking before about this idea that we are always in the same spot, but we're still going through these, these cycles. And, uh, our society doesn't really work with that. And it's something that we have to somehow control of that ourselves and, and listen to that. You both talked about that being. in tune with your nature and nature And, Uh, that is something that the system of Reiki brings us because that is what it's about. It's about, I mean, Rei, you know, this, this, this thing, this, this nature of which we are a part. We're not separate to. So, Um, yeah, I think that definitely the system of Reiki, if even even just thinking of it, if our heads are in the space of it, that it helps us just to see ourselves differently. And the mind is such a powerful thing. So, um, very, very, very powerful, um, place for, for us to be. And, um, yeah, I, um, I just thinking about moving through those different, cycles. And I realized, you know, just looking back that a lot of those, um, cycles that, you know, I felt that I've had to move through are cycles of, um, Having to listen to other people tell you about yourself and not really being yourself. So having to cycle through that and out of that and move into a new cycle. And for me, I think that's pretty amazing. a lot of what this is. And it's, you know, yes, we talked about freedom. It's actually finding things for yourself that are not being, um, I don't know what the words are here, but not being told by others what that is and really discovering it for yourself. Um, Finding the joy, as you were saying, Carrie, and really moving and shifting with that rather than other people's, I guess, expectations, maybe is part of it. Um, and, and yes, just having that, it's a reclaiming of power and, uh, I'm all for that and, uh, I'm enjoying that process and the cycle of that. So, um, I look forward to see where it takes me, my colleagues. listeners. And Oh, I have to say, we do have, um, male listeners and you know, men, you also have your cycles, right? That may not be quite as extreme because you didn't give birth to anyone, but you know what it, I mean, that is sort of like, what's the shifting changing thing, but we all go through cycles. And I actually know that there is a male version of menopause called andropause. So, um, we can't forget that you to have your own. Things that you need to move through. And I'm sure there is, uh, similar to us. There are, you know, moving into your own power. I mean, we all, as a society have pressures upon us as, uh, as parents, uh, as first children, parents, and then moving beyond. We'll always be parents or some, you know, related to something like that. But. We can move beyond that. And, uh, you know, I believe that that is, um, the Buddha belly of life, right. The wisdom. So, uh, yeah, that's it, baby. Um, so, um, I will say goodbye to you all now. And, uh, uh, thanks for listening in. Please make sure, we really should say that, like, at the beginning, in the middle, you know, I notice people, press like, do subscribe, please follow us. All those lovely things. And, um, we'll see you next time. It's been lovely. Lots of love.