Growth. In The Grey

. No matter what your past experiences are, you can use touch to create a new experience moving forward. Learning about attachment styles and how past experiences have shaped how we function day to day was eye opening to say the least.... The most powerful part for me was that it helped me understand why I was connecting with people the way I was up to that point and gave me awareness that it was more than possible to change it if it wasn’t working for me. Your attachment style isn’t a fixed label, it’s something that can be shifted toward more and more security with time and effort. Touch is one of MANY tools we can use to nourish our relationships (to self & others) to make them more secure, where you can feel seen & understood. A few ways to bring more intentional touch into your day today could be: - while putting on lotion, rather than just slathering it on, take an extra minute just noticing how the lotion feels on your skin. How parts of your body react to having that nurturing attention. - Offer or ask for a hand/foot or maybe a scalp massage with a partner or solo and take in how your body & mind shift afterward. What would you add? Take good care, lovelie

. I use the power of touch every day with clients, either doing manual therapy myself, guiding them to use their own hands, tools or movement to create the relief their body is searching for. SAVE this post & revisit as you need. Connection is a core principle of the work I do and what light my soul on fire.... Right now we’re more isolated than ever as a collective. I’ve heard from so many people that even though they may have people physically close to them (hello instant work from home partners ) they’re wanting to feel more connected to them right now. Touch as a tool has the power to create such incredible healing, whether explored solo or with a partner. That’s why I’m working on a new offering that you’ll be able to explore in the comfort of your own home to help alleviate stress & the tension that comes with it, nurture secure attachment to ourselves & with others, and deepen connection needed to create more intimate relationships in our lives. What’s your fave area of the body to have treated when you go for a massage? I’m team neck/head/scalp hands down!!

. BODY LEADS, MIND FOLLOWS words of @iamtoriwashington that feel more and more like home for this gal who has spent most of her life performing in her body but living in her head, leaving very little room to feel connected to myself on a soul level. Body leads, mind follows... soul speaks.... When I use the word perform I mean as an athlete, high achiever, a person with strong people pleasing tendencies (undercover master of controlling all the variables I could and attempting the ones I couldn’t), anxiety that showed up, and still does at times, as over functioning I demanded from my body... I pushed, restricted, controlled, dismissed its needs for my minds wants. The only time I knew recovery was a fraction of time spent counting the seconds until it was over so I could get back to the stuff that counted or the inevitable shutdown/burnout when my body finally said no more There was little to no reciprocity, and very little awareness on how to build a healthy relationship that allowed me to push and also allow the true recovery. This learning has been a slow unfolding for me and continues to evolve in my own life and the way I work with my clients in my massage therapy & coaching practices. I’m curious, do you relate? Do you desire to explore a deeper connection to you whole self body, mind & soul??

. For #bellletstalk day I want to remind you that you don’t owe ANYONE your story, you decide who/how/what parts/when and if you want to share. I have cultivated relationships in my life with people who can hold me when I’m in the messy middle spaces, these are sacred to me. The ones who can be with me grounded in themselves when I feel anything but, allowing me to anchor to something so that my body can find it’s way back.... This is the beautiful healing of co-regulation. Giving your system the experience of relationships being safe and able to have your needs met and regulate with another, when it may have not been in the past. I’ve done this with professionals I’ve invested in, and I do this in my work with clients EVERY DAY. I’ve done this with my pets and in nature. I’ve done this with intimate partners, family and friends who are my chosen family. Not everyone can hold the parts of you that feel tender, to witness you where you are and not rush you into feeling better... that’s ok, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s less love there either. AND you are still worthy of finding the ones who can. There’s such gifts in leaning into the discomfort of being able to allow in support in whatever form feels right for you right now. Take good care, Jenna

. When I softened from trying to fix and rigidly control myself to desiring to understand myself so I could create healthy dynamics in every area of my life, doors began opening I didn’t even imagine were possible. 2020 was my year of learning to loosen my grasp (read: death grip) of the things that are out of my control... unclenching my fists again and again. Meeting myself in my full, beautifully messy humanness and learn to FEEL my way through it.... my stumbles, falls, my anger, confusion, grief, fears and deep knowing that I can and will always rise again... endings & beginnings that showed me how I can hold myself and allow myself to be held in support which continues to be a profoundly uncomfortable and unbelievably healing experience. my mirrors and blindspots illuminated that are showing me when I want to armour up and where I get to go next in my self exploration, inviting me into deeper connection with myself in my healing. my JOY which I’m learning to pause, experience every detail and allow myself to savour. So I’m personally not wiping my hands clean of 2020 in hopes to forget it, I’m continuing to walk into this year eyes open, choosing to stay cracked open witnessing, listening to understand, asking questions to gain clarity, moving slowly with intention and open to learning how I get to show up empowered & in my sovereignty so that I can support others in doing the same. I hope 2021 allows you to experience all the things you need to so that you can stand in awe of this evolution of yourself, lovelie Jenna

. I see you, I honor you. You’re a f*cking inspiration, lovelie!!... Leave a if you can relate or tag someone in your life that inspires you with their healing journey. Ps. You can totally tag yourself too

. If you find yourself frustrated with the tension in your body right now... start here. It’s usually the seemingly insignificant actions... the one’s that part of you will say oh fu*k this is ridiculous... ... are you serious, we don’t have time for this stuff!! Yep those ones , that make the biggest impact in feeling connected to this body you get to live, move, create and BE in. To move from IGNORING to ACKNOWLEDGING, try this... 1. Get curious what is coming up for me right now? Where do I feel it in my body (feel free to put your hand(s) on the area if it’s available and feels good to do so) 2. Settle into a comfortable inhale (don’t worry about it being deep or sharp - that will actually keep you in a more activated state) and see if over a few rounds of breath you can make the exhale longer than the inhale to help ground yourself. 3. Tune into this area, what does it NEED stillness, pressure or to move? Trust what comes up and if it’s movement, think of moving through molasses... slower than you think. This is a practice to explore, not a quick fix... you get to at any point, choose to start building a unified partnership with your body. One that creates expansive freedom (whatever that means to you) instead or rigid control. I’d love to know what came up for you if you moved through this exercise, comment here of DM me to share.

. THIS or THAT... When the focus is on which one is the key you’re missing a BIG piece of the puzzle Your mind or your body aren’t broken, or a weak link ... we’re just not typically taught how to go from an... either/or conversation (which focuses on the value and function of each separate part) to a yes/and conversation (which recognizes how all parts integrate to create a thriving whole... no part is lesser value because they all have an integral roll to play) Some tough-ish love this Monday (heavy on the love ) that the rigidity of either/or keeps you (all of us) stuck and frustrated because you’re trying to dismiss the nuances of what it means to be a human being... With you in this, Jenna

. One of my favourite aspects about the work I do with my coaching and massage therapy clients is offering them a container to explore their current relationship to tension and effort when it comes to their body, and what they need to feel safe to slow down... Slowing down, ease, rest can have so many layers to them and rarely are they ever unpacked to be understood. My perception of these words are based on my experiences and so they’re going to hold different meaning for me... than they do to you. As a guide, I have no desire to tell you what they should mean to you. I believe too much in your innate capacity to try to control that for you. I’m curious to witness you unpack them for yourself so that you have full ownership over the decisions and actions you take from what you find. . . ? , ? I’d love to know what comes up for you, so leave it below or message me.

. Not quite the usual weather I enjoy spending a day in the sand, and nonetheless my soul is happy!! My reminder that recovery doesn’t always have to be equal to my effort to be effective and sometimes it can look different than I imagined, and be just as powerful.