Writing those words, ‘The Harmonizing Series’ is a bit of a ‘gulp’ moment. A commitment to a series of blogs in the knowledge that it’s been a while since I’ve written a single post. However, I’ve just returned from a five day workshop led by by the truly inspirational Dawn Breslin founder of the Harmonizing programme.
Dawn describes the Harmonizing process as:
a gentle step by step process, similar to a car being serviced, whereby aspects of our life are systematically reviewed and re-aligned to strengthen our foundation of confidence, courage and resilience. By re-aligning our life choices with our core values, positive thinking patterns and optimal behaviours we power up our whole system (emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually) to realise our full potential.
I would describe it as all of the above AND an act of fierce self-care. A process for people who realise that their lives are out of kilter with how they want them to be. A programme which encourages people who feel trapped in a cycle of seemingly never ending pressure and ‘to do lists’ to press pause and take stock.
Why described it as fierce self-care? Because it takes courage and often fierce energy to say, ‘I need to do this work and am going to carve out the time and resources to do it.’ To say, “I owe it to myself.’
Why choose the Harmonizing Programme?
I came across the programme when I was looking at the Coaching Academy site. You know how sometimes when you are looking for something specific you get distracted and end up in a different place – that’s what happened to me.
Landing on Dawn’s homepage I began to read and was instantly drawn further and further in. The ideas she writes about resonated deeply. A programme which:
strengthens and prepares individuals to make the essential life changes they need to live in harmony with their true potential and natural flow of energy and vitality.
The focus of the programme also reflected the experiences of many of the women I coach in my coaching practice. Women over loaded with meeting other people’s or organisational expectations and needs. Women who have reached a point of asking fundamental questions like, ‘how can I be more of myself , honour my values.’ Fundamentally, ‘how do I reconnect with myself.’
The Harmonizing Process
Before I dive into a blog series (gulp, there it is again!) I thought I’d share some general background about the programme. The programme I attended is for coaches who want to learn to deliver Harmonizing. The basis of the workshop is to experience the programme over 3 days before learning how to deliver it in the final two days.
The three day programme is one of challenge, reconnection and exploration built around five steps:
- Building self-awareness and confidence
- Cultivating the right environment to thrive
- Awakening the energy to grow
- Letting go of fear, control, resistance and attachment
- Co-creating with the Universe by moving into flow.
The programme itself comprises 10 ‘modules’, one per week over a 10 week period. But in truth the process actually started before I left home.
We were asked to complete a thought provoking lifestyle evaluation which really made me think about where I am at the moment. We were asked also to bring photos from different stages of our lives of when we were happy and magazines that resonated with us. This led to several happy hours of delving into my keepsake trunk focusing on happy times memories and, ‘oh joy’, permission to buy some favourite magazines.
Over the course of the first 3 days we explored how natural cycles are founded upon periods of cultivation, growth, letting go and recovery and how we can get stuck into a process of continuous growth. Does that sound familiar? Before you finish one thing you are already thinking about the next without a pause for reflection, recovery and revitalisation?
We explored and reconnected with parts of ourselves which had got drowned out in the busyness of our everyday lives. Can you remember the lovely things about yourself as a little girl? How often do you revisit her? We thought about the things that drain our energy as well as those that revitalise and energise us and we developed a lifestyle planner to put our work into practice. I will tell you about over the coming posts.
And so much more
The course took place at Lendrick Lodge on the shores of Loch Venachar just outside Callander. The perfect setting to reconnect with and immerse yourself in the natural world. Surrounded by hills, woodland, lochs and silence. No wifi and limited phone signal. A total detox from emails, work and social media. Swims in the Loch at sunrise, early morning yoga, a large roaring camp fire under the stars, a sound bath experience and, every day, wonderful healthy food prepared by someone else! The group of women I shared the time with were, each in their own way inspirational, amazing women. Committed to a journey of personal growth and fiercely supportive of each other.
Just incase you are drifting into a world of cosy self-care lets go back to where we started, fierce self-care. The sessions were full of supportive challenge, there was laughter a plenty but there was also tears. Tough questions were being explored which took you to places you may have been avoiding for a long time. This was fierce courage in action.
Want to know more?
All of the information about the programme is on Dawn’s website. You can dip into it on different levels, a one day introductory workshop, an online programme or through working with one of the Harmonizing Coaches listed on the website.
Want to experience the process?
To complete my certification as a Harmonizing Coach I am required to take 3 people through the process on the basis of them providing feedback on their experience. So I am looking for 3 women preferably in or around Cumbria/Lancashire who would be interested in doing the programme with me. There is no charge for this but a commitment to complete all 10 sessions is needed. If you’d like to find out more about this please contact me via the contact info on this website.
Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash