Erin Joy Henry

13 Things I learned for sure in 2017

1/19/18

2017 went by like a blink in my house, but maybe that is because I was following a one and three year old around with a vacuum cleaner like Groundhog Day for about 365 days straight. One of the worst days of my year was when we ALL had the flu at the same time and my husband was conveniently out of town. They say children will make you work through all the issues you thought you already worked through and I can say that is true and then some in my case. Children have this unique ability to make us act our best and our worst, sometimes simultaneously. 2017 was a year my husband and I decided if we were to thrive, not just survive the years with our young children that we love “to Pluto and back” as my now four year old says, that we must polish off our old tools and add some new ones to our spiritual toolboxes of sorts. It was time to move like a team like we never have before and redefine our life goals, values and expectations as a family, opposed to the outdated and individual roadmaps of living we were using to navigate life.

I’m nowhere close to having it all figured out, but I”m moving more confidently towards a life of more joy, fulfillment and love. Maybe you will find some value in some of the things I’ve found to be true in 2017. Happy New Year! [Read more…]

What nobody reveals about perfection

1/13/18

Elizabeth Gilbert says perfection is the haute couture version of fear. It’s fear that’s all wrapped up in a pretty little package, always wanting to do the right thing even if it betrays it’s person’s own beating heart. It’s denial we are in fear.

I”m a recovering perfectionist. Perfection propelled me through bad diets( aren’t they all bad?), unhealthy relationships, anxiety, and worst of all an inability to truly see my full, imperfect self and have a positive relationship with that woman.

In my mid 20’s something came knocking on my door trying to deliver a message that there was a different path for me than the life I was leading. I was a girl who lost her way when she left college to pursue fashion modeling and ended up with an eating disorder and a boyfriend who wasn’t so good to her. Of course, like any sane woman trying to look perfect on the outside I slammed the door on that voice and continued painting the illusion to myself and others that I was happy, fulfilled and on the path of my life’s purpose as I tagged along with my boyfriend to his nightclubs ( really? I would rather have been in the woods with no tent) and lived in his big house. The messenger continued to come around every so often to remind me a different life was out there waiting for me. Panic attacks crept in, depression engulfed me and the boyfriend and his big boat with my name on the back started to feel like the last human on earth I’d want to be seated with at the dinner table. But I was terrified of leaving. [Read more…]

a surprising life tool you probably don’t know about

11/10/17

Way back in 2009 or so I began my studies in holistic living. This meant everything from nutrition, alternative therapies, spiritual psychology, meditation, yoga, herbal medicine and too many more New Age things to list. Some felt weird and even painful at times but I realized my discomfort was helping me break into new and unexplored parts of myself. Some taught me invaluable life skills to put in my toolbox and others just weren’t for me.

One of the classrooms I learned the most in was at the Philadelphia Rebirthing Center. A friend who seemed to have it all and topped it off with what seemed like endless happiness recommended it to me. What followed was a few years of learning the powerful ways in which the breath can help us move stuck emotional patterns through us to heal our life for the greater good. Rebirthing breath work is like the best high I have ever had to put it mildly. Such strong emotions and memories can be unlocked during the process that it’s important to be with an experienced practitioner when starting, but let me tell you, it was the root of my spiritual journey and it is powerful stuff.

What I learned to do to increase the power was actually to practice under water with a snorkel. Sound a little weird? It is, but the silence and stillness under water is difficult to match. It allows me to change my emotional state, eliminate anxiety and bring unresolved issues to the surface for my own consideration and healing. Not to mention it helps me sleep better, oxygenates the brain and reduces my cravings for unhealthy things.

If you’re on the East Coast or interested in attending one of their workshops, you can find the Philadelphia Rebirthing Center online here. I highly recommend this program because breath work is an ancient tradition but has become trendy lately and Tony and Maureen are experts at supporting people with the emotions that surface during this process.

Happy Breathing!!

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