I’ve been thinking of how to reconcile my Christian faith, with the view on the natural elements that are founded in Chinese Medicine and Shamanism, to be able to incorporate them as a way to create a balance and a theme for the classes and practices to be offered at Telluselle Living Center. Yesterday, I found the answer, as I bought an old book at a church sale from 1941, with translations of Saint Francis of Assisi’s original texts – the very Saint Francis whom the city San Francisco was named after. While I just started reading, I found the first written down poem from 1225 that fits exactly. I cite it here:

The Canticle of the Sun

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures; especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night; and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks, and serve Him with great humility.

Amen.

So, through this poem we learn to honor God through the elements of His creation, but not to worship them single handedly.

We’re all part of One.

The other day, I came across a woman named Emma Marshall on Instagram, who recently has published a thesis about how dance is medicine, also with rave. When I did yoga in the beginning of 2000’s and studied at Malmö University, I wasn’t taking any dance classes, but often was out clubbing, and realized this through my own experience as well, since I rarely even drink and never do drugs, but can get high on the dancing itself. This in turn led me to begin with WestAfrican dance in 2004, whereupon I was introduced to Hawaiian Hula in 2005, and then reconnecting with regular dance classes in Jazz and Modern in 2006 and onward. Here you can take part of Emma’s story on Ted, with which I truly can relate:

And you can find more about Emma on her webpage here.

This revelation about the benefits and similarities to shamanic practices with rave and clubbing, is also the foundation of Ecstatic dancing, and why I think it’s important to also offer at Telluselle Living Center, as an alternative to choreographically led classes.

By moving our bodies, we free our minds and release stress.

A couple of days ago, I had planned on participating in a webinar about AI in coaching, through Zoom, when I found myself running late and in need to eat. I decided to eat in front of my computer in the kitchen, with the camera off meanwhile, and then resume, which I did. But, I became so stressed!

Many years ago, I used to eat in front of the TV, sometimes. I’m pretty sure, many others do too (or the phone). However, I stopped doing so, to not have to ingest, and digest, anything else but the food, as well as practicing being more present. And, I’m so glad I have. The stress of doing two things at once, having your attention on two different things at the same time, is completely un-necessary to provoke ourselves. It’s one thing, that life may produce those moments, but we for sure don’t need to seek them. This also made me realize how much more calm and at peace I am nowadays. Something I’d never would want to trade. I’m also much more focused and efficient (when I’m not being stalked).

We seldom know how stressed we are, until we no longer are. How is your level? What can you do to make it less?

I’ve made a new vision board! It’s been almost ten years ago, since I made my last one, but a couple of nights ago, I felt this inspiration coming back and decided to make one directly on my computer, all digital. Normally in life coaching, vision boards are made of cuttings from various magazines and papers that you assemble into a collage, with the added variable of becoming a journey of discovery, so that you can see what you’re being drawn to and need in your life. However, if you feel sure about what you like having, and would like to have, you can do it this way too. I did mine in Powerpoint and it took about three hours. You can also collect clippings, or images, for a while first.

In the middle, place a photo of you. Then, simply gather photos that you already have, or gently download those things that you either want literally, or that symbolize what you want. You can then add various words that are important to you. This now becomes a visualization – a vision – of what you are going to attract and manifest. Look at it regularly, to remind you, and help you keep focused on your goals. Then leave it, from time to time, and later see what you actually did attract into your life! You’ll be amazed!

I’ve written a little book about creativity, where I share my experiences and tips on how to become more creative. Here is the description:

What is the new Creator Economy and how can you be part of it? Copywriter and Lifecoach Hannah Telluselle, takes you through the basics in A book about Creativity. Here you’ll learn what defines true creativity, whether it’s art, an invention, or an innovative method. She shares tips about how to make up ideas, which type of professions you can seek, and guides you through the creative process with coaching questions. All this enables you to become self-actualized and a co-creator of the world, where you can express your authentic self, reduce anxiety, and serve others, whether as a pastime passion or a full-time job. As a reward, you’ll feel happy and fulfilled, as an honest participant of progress in society.

If you’d like to buy it, you can find it on Amazon and Kindle here.

In the mid-90’s, I had a boss named Gert-Allan Persson at the advertising agency Södergården, I worked at as an employee and later for as a freelancer. He taught me the importance of having an employee manual made, also for small businesses, and the importance of budget transparency. Every week, we started off with a meeting to delegate and follow up our campaign plans and projects, as well as the finances of the firm. How much we had been able to invoice, how much our salaries cost, and thus how many hours we needed to have completed with actual client work, to make it even. Then, we also received a small bonus, when we exceeded this. In this way, it became clear how a business is run and how my part as an employee plays in. This is something I’ve carried with me since then, as a positive example to forward and use.

At Telluselle Living Center, it therefor is necessary to be transparent with the income and the costs, so that each instructor, teacher or coach, can see for themselves what their contribution is. For example, the cost of the house can be budgeted with anything from property tax, maintenance and mortgages (unless I can find an investor or two…), to insurance and utilities. This cost is set per month, regardless. To meet this cost, it’s then easy to count how many visitors need to show up and pay for each class, and how many classes. Anything above this, and salary taxes and marketing, will be what becomes the profit for each instructor (teacher or coach), with some to me. My hope is, that this kind of transparency and model, both becomes grounded in real facts, as well as encourages leadership and responsibility for each contributor. If owned together, it will be equally divided as a co-op. The question is, whether this should be a for profit, or a non-profit, organization.

How is it for you where you work? How much business, knowledge and collaborative effort are you contributing with? Are you paid accordingly and equally?

To release tension and stress in your body, you can try getting the Hawaiian massage Lomilomi. It’s traditionally performed by a therapist using both underarms and elbows, besides hands. Likewise, it’s important to give both sides of the body equal attention, and at times with pressure diagonally, which helps to reconnect and balance our right and left sides. Some therapists, offer to say a prayer first, and together using your own breath, you can get a deeper healing experience, helping you to push through and release any built up tension that is stored in your muscles.

For me personally, it’s been very helpful to get Hawaiian Lomilomi, which has enabled me a spiritual realignment and centeredness too, that I felt especially in Lund, in the south of Sweden, where I got my first treatment in 2009, and later in Honolulu, HI 2010, and in Estoril, Portugal 2015. It’s how I became reconnected with my inner child and could let her integrate. A couple of days ago, in Stockholm, Sweden, I got myself a new treatment, which was focused primarily on my physical wellbeing. Nonetheless, it also brought back some feelings of nostalgia and relief. I believe the effect becomes more wholesome and better, with the add of ocean air and salt water, but it feels very comforting and re-assuring that Hawaiian Lomilomi can be offered throughout the world, including here in Sweden. And naturally, this is why I’d like to include this in the offerings at Telluselle Living Center.

Having had to live in closed and shared quarters for many years, now having enough space to roam in, makes the difference palpable, also internally. Not only can I practice yoga, qigong and dance warm-up at home, I can physically define areas in my apartment for rest, for work, for eating, for socializing etc. To each area, I attach, and detach, what comes with it. I can leave each at its own, and thus can be more present and more relaxed, showering it off before going to bed.

We all want to feel safe. Especially at home, in a home that we can call our own. Having one, is the foundation for getting all our needs met, as well as having room to process, plan and execute action-steps towards fulfilling our goals. This is why having one, always is a priority. Why I have had to fight for this, so many years in a country like Sweden, is very cruel.

As someone, who always seek to create and communicate, not getting my train of thought disrupted, is invaluable. Having a space to sit and write without interruption, makes it possible to keep the tone and desired way of expression much easier. It’s like the external space, also enlarges my inner space, so that I can manoeuvre and navigate my feelings, impressions and ideas much easier, which in turn makes for better decision making.

This is why I personally, use Feng Shui, and live in a simple color-coordinated harmony, free from clutter and any excess things, which means free from distractions. (This in turn, is what I seek to extend, when I build Telluselle Living Center.)

And when we feel safe, we can contribute more with our time and energy, for the benefit of others.

Think of a time, when you felt pure joy. What were the conditions like? What were you doing? And what were you thinking? By realizing this, through our own experience, we can seek to re-create it. Maybe this is even why it’s called recreation?

I’ve found that the common denominator for me, is when I’m able to lose myself in an activity and letting go of my self-consciousness. That is, when my worry for how I look, or what others will think of me, takes the back seat. Or I don’t even think about it at all! This doesn’t mean that I’m not aware of how I look, for example of my posture while practicing dance. But my focus is, in the here and now, completely. Experiencing it. It might just be so with everything that we do in deep concentration, and with an outwardly expression, which means that it’s also true when we’re immersed into a conversation, or any activity that you fancy.

It can also be when you feel victorious, such as having overcome a fear, or remembering what it was like, when you grew up and played. To experience joy, add therefore an element of play into your action – approach what you’re doing with the eyes of a bold child and have fun.

Joy is right there, for you too.

Most of us, say we want change, yet don’t do what is needed. There are various ways to look at this, and find both the motivation and the energy. First of all, the reward of changing must be greater than not, including taking action. If you’re too tired, you’re too tired and thus need rest. Then, resting is more rewarding because it feel better and is even crucial to your health. But, if you’re just feeling sluggish, you will feel better after going for a brisk walk in the forest, for example, and this feeling, is the reward of moving your body and getting fresh air. Discover what makes you feel better, is an important step.

Second, feeling frustrated or even getting into a conflict due to someone asking you to change, whether at work or privately in a relationship, can actually create the energy needed. Think of it as friction. The friction we feel when we rub our hands together, is what creates heat. And friction forces us to get out of our comfort zone and seek out action. Action that creates change.

And third, it’s natural to feel resistance. It’s scary to try something new. You might have to overcome your ego, just wanting to be in the right. Or perhaps you feel pushed into the change, by your boss or significant other. Then the best thing you can do, is to take charge by finding your own reason to change:

What can I get out of following through with this proposed change?

Will you get better paid? Become more fit? Free up time? Look better? Become seen as a hero? Grow closer and deepen a relationship? Develop a sense of being more trustworthy? Or even, finding a reason to quit altogether and not go through with someone else’s desired change, but turn it into an event you’d like to have, but with other people and elsewhere?

A lifecoach, can also help support and clarify your options. What do you need to change?

Photo and make-up by Model House Sweden

The first time, I realized that I was able to reflect in action, was on stage. Reflection in action, is a term developed by Douglas Schon, who together with Chris Argyris also developed the concept of double loop learning. Reflection in action means to be able to be so present and aware that you can catch yourself in the midst of doing something, and alter course, such as changing how you’re communicating. Performing a play or dancing on stage, can be an opportunity and a must to, such as if you lose a line or someone else does in your play, you need to be able to improvise and steer it back into the original text. The same goes for dancing, if you forget a piece of choreography, or danced a motion too fast, you have to be able to improvise and do another motion, in order to not lose flow and keep the audience entertained unbeknownst.

Translating reflection in action, to our daily lives, means to remember to be aware and present in all your interactions. Ask yourself regularly: Am I doing what I planned to? Am I doing this my preferred way, or the right way as told? Am I coming across to others in a manner I didn’t mean and can say something differently or in a different way? Being present like this, also enables our instincts and our intuition to speak more loudly.

Then we can of course also reflect on action, which means to think about what we did, said and wanted afterwards an event, situation or in a relationship. This enables us to evaluate what we’re doing so that we can understand and find our own motivation to change, and do so accordingly.

To discuss your reflections, don’t hesitate to contact your favorite lifecoach!

There is something enchanting about how art can inspire another art. A piece of music, can move a dancer and inspire a choreography. A dancer can inspire a painter. And a poet can inspire a musician, for example.

It’s all about one thing – capturing a motion. A motion, often originating in nature.

Like Isadora Duncan has said: “To seek in nature the fairest forms and to find the movement which expresses the soul of these forms — this is the art of the dancer.“

Painting: Fairydance by Hans Zatzka

Usually, yoga is associated with being flexible and practice various asanas (motions) that help us become more flexible. But, yoga can also be used to develop strength. This is done, by holding ourselves in the position through our own resistance and discipline, while we stretch, such as in this photo. I’m stretching the sides, but keeping my hips still and facing forward, which enables me to get a focused movement on the sides, while using focused breathing. The motion becomes a dynamic between stretching and holding.

Another simple example to try, is while you stretch out the front part of your thighs by bending your knee and holding your foot behind you, try to also squeeze your butt and push it slightly forward. Can you feel the difference?

Learning to hold our positions, is what enable us to develop strength. Something that can be translated and used in life too.

To see a video with the side stretch, click here.