Joanna Schmidt - Energetic Boundaries 101: Empowering Tools for Sensitive People

ENERGETIC

BOUNDARIES 101

Joanna Schmidt

ENERGETIC BOUNDARIES 101

Copyright 2016 by Joanna Schmidt

Published by
Joanna Schmidt

www.joannaschmidt.com

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to: Joanna Schmidt,

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

Illustrations Joanna Schmidt

ISBN-13: 978-1523753888
ISBN-10: 1523753889

To my teachers and allies,
thank you.

Contents

Introduction

We Are Brilliant Beings

Our Wonderful Energetic Boundary

Gouda or Swiss?

The Energetic Survival Spectrum

Creating an Energetic Boundary

Developing a Personal Practice

Introduction

Welcome! I am glad you have picked up a copy of Energetic Boundaries 101 .

This book covers the basics of creating an energetic boundary and many of the things we do with our energy when we are not working with clear and loving energetic boundaries.

The concepts and exercises in this book are the foundation of a large body of work on energetic boundaries. This work is an accumulation of my original work and a few time tested centering techniques Ive assembled over the course of my twenty-year healing practice.

At the start of my career, I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of prevention and wellness resources for empathic and energy-sensitive people. Too many of the energetic tools created to support sensitive people, unfortunately also place us in the role of victim by encouraging disassociation from the very people and situations that could most benefit from our gifts and help us personally grow and evolve. Even energy protection techniques, created with the intent of helping us feel safe in the world, place us in the role of persecutor by labeling normal emotions and relatively healthy energy patterns as toxic and negative.

With my frustration increasing, I chose to reevaluate how we can approach and interact with our energy, our body, and our world and create energetic boundaries that honor all of life. It was out of my desire to transform these outdated ways of looking and working with energy that this work was born.

At the core of this practice is learning how to root our body and subtle energy in the present moment. As a practice, aligning our being in the present can take courage and effort as we often rely on leaving, shrinking, creating walls, or even hiding when things get difficult. It may also require us to take responsibility in how our energy interacts with others and transform any patterns of blame and judgment of others we may carry.

In writing this book, I have purposely used the word energy rather than soul , spirit , aura , consciousness , and so forth, in an effort to create a practice that can be as nondenominational and as kid-friendly as possible. While you are reading, I encourage you to substitute the language that most resonates for you.

I also invite you to read with an open heart and mind, as this book challenges many of the ways we have been taught to perceive and work with energy and interact with others.

Many of the techniques I describe can feel challenging to maintain at first. I encourage you to keep practicing. Many of us have spent a lifetime mastering the ways of interacting with others as illustrated in the energetic survival spectrum. It is our norm, our primary way of being in the world. Learning to recognize these often subtle patterns, and transform them, takes courage and much love and gratitude for who we are, our story, and those around us.

It is my hope that the practices shared in this book will help you to feel safe to shine your light in the world. The world needs sensitive people to feel empowered and share their unique gifts, now more than ever.

Shine on,

Joanna

We Are Brilliant Beings

As humans we have a rich and dynamic being that consists of both physical matter and energy. Our earthly physical body and our spirit body both contain a vast amount of information that helps make up who we are, including our personality, the divine mission for our life, and how to go about achieving it.

We are brilliant beings

Our physical bodies are amazing!

Within our physical being is a powerful mix of earth matter, water, and stardust. This amazing earthly mix within our cells, bones, muscles, and blood is a rich, dynamic pool of information about us, our ancestors, and our world.

The earth matter, water, and stardust within us did not start their journey with us. The water within our bodies has been a part of oceans and rainstorms, has lived within trees, plants, and other animals, before finding its way to us. Imagine the stories held in each glass of water you drink!

The earthly matter, too, has had a long journey before meeting us. It has been soil, and earthworms, before growing into a tree to grow the apple we had with our lunch.

And think of the journeys the stardust has had as it floated through space before forming our little planet Earth and helping to form our bodies!

These amazing physical bodies of ours hold a treasure trove of information about our ancestors, our planet, and our universe, all of it helping to make up our unique selves.

Our physical body radiating its amazing story

Showering your physical body with attention

In this exercise, give yourself plenty of time to listen to your inner being by using all of your senses. Follow your breath inward to listen to and feel the subtle movements created by your breath, as well as the many inner pulses and rhythms that your body creates.

1. Start by feeling the movement within your body created by your breath. You do not need to take more air into your lungs; simply listen inward, intent-fully, to the rich inner world within your own being.
2. Trace the curves of your body from head to toes, from inside your own skin, with your awareness, breath, and attention.
3. Notice how many different rhythms and pulses you can feel in addition to your breath and heartbeat.
4. Notice the areas in your body where you feel more heat and the areas where you have a harder time feeling anything at all.
5. If an area of discomfort is holding most of your attention, that is okay. Try listening to what that area has to say rather than blocking it out.
6. Simply feel your breath from inside your own body, how it moves through your lungs and belly, and how it comes into contact with each and every aspect of your physical body.
7. Shower your whole being with gratitude for carrying you through your day and holding you while you dream.
8. When you are ready to finish, allow your inner senses to soften as your awareness once again includes both your inner being and the world around you.

Our brilliant energy body

In addition to our physical body, we also have an energy body.

Depending on what you believe (and there are many possibilities!), we are also made up of a dynamic electromagnetic field. Some call this energy body spirit or soul , and others call it consciousness . Our energy body surrounds and works in tandem with our physical body and is a brilliant mix made from our light, vibration, and energy, containing a ton of information about who we are and our lifes mission.