a swollen tenderness of unusual proportion

This past weekend was an opportunity for me to rest deeply. Napping three days in a row, I metabolized the 2nd vaccine shot and felt a swollen tenderness in my armpit of unusual proportion. Here are some ways I used this swollen tenderness, this restful weekend, and really the last year:

Swollen Tenderness Practice

  • a mindfulness practice, noticing my yoga practice is vital to my wellbeing. It requires reaching with my arm, doing downward dog, pulling on my armpit, and so many other activities of daily living require and benefit from this stretch!
  • a reminder that I’m willing to care for others in a way my selfish (read this clear example:”I don’t need the vaccine”) part of me doesn’t. Prior to the pandemic, I opted out of many vaccines. a demonstration of how I shifted from the extremes and became more “middle way’ in my approach to communal health. (see above)
  • a curiosity as my in-laws, in their mid-70s, had little to no reaction to their 2nd shot and my friends and I did? (a reminder “we” are not me; we all respond differently to life.)
  • a reminder to tap into my tenderness over and over again: Releasing the pain of my right hip and embracing the tenderness of my lymph system doing its job. an opportunity to be grateful for what I have and what I don’t. I don’t have a list of family and friends who died in the pandemic. I have privilege. (How do I use it for good is a vital question for me)
  • an inspiration for me to share and be grateful I know myself even more after the last year of the big pause. (I hope you do, too.)

Mother’s Day 2021

On Sunday, Mother’s Day, I cherished the time with my boys. Snuggling and reviewing assertive communication skills and sharing joys of familial connection. I realized after our hour long huddle/cuddle puddle about this very topic that Everett and I actually taught a Masterclass on it years ago.

Here’s a recording of this golden nugget. The link is below and it is also embedded in one of my favorite photos of him when he won the “Compassion Award” three years ago.

This Masterclass Recording is My Mother’s Day gift to you. Please share freely with others who you feel might benefit from deeply knowing themselves and being able to assertively express that to others.  Your Relationships, Reimagined: Assertive Communication with your Child

You matter. Your relationships matter. 

Warmly, 

Amy | Relational Health Guide
for a heart-storming phone call or an empowering communication clarity Zoom

p.s. Have a laugh with this great video about relationships upon re-entry!!! 2 min Gum commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7mOX7NE8ZI

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Labor of Love

Love: Romantic Phase

Let’s face it, there’s no denying the level of heartache around the planet presently. Many of us long to live whole-hearted and yet we feel that when life gets lifey, exhaustion overwhelms us, and keeps us stuck in negativity & grief. 

Let’s take a moment and focus on what your tender heart can do. Sign up:

Labor of Love mini-retreat, Monday, September 7

Refill your cup, fuel your creative fire, and align with your own personal power points in this mini-retreat from the Hawaiʻi Island.

I promise you will come away feeling inspired, resourced and tender.

here’s my quick video invite:  

Quick Video Invite 

Let’s step in the command central of our nervous system with the support of some trusted guides, hand-picked friends of mine who are transformational coaches, all of us are ready to pour into you so your cup runneth over. 

This virtual love offering supports you in developing key practices to ground in the peaceful paradise wherever you are. This is important for us all to do right now, particularly if you’re feeling the trauma and the drama is too much and you want more aloha and compassion: this is the place for you.

Here’s a schedule so you can join us for what resonates:

  • 8am: Power of Sovereignty:   Amy Elizabeth will offer warm welcome, tune-up, breath-work and launch ignition of the 3 power centers in each of us to get the most out of this mini-retreat.
  • 9am: Power Center of the Mind:   Alexandra Deubner from Vienna, Austria leading us in a beautiful visualization and Moonshot Meditation to help you energetically align with what matters most to your head. 
  • 10am: Power Center of the Heart:   Tia Christiansen from New Hampton, Massachusetts guiding us in a cosmic smash booking exercise to help fuel your creative fire and energetically align with what matters most to your heart. 
  • 11am: Power Center of the Core:   Mark Van der Gaag from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania inspiring shift and making miracles happen to help you energetically align with what matters most to your soul.

This half-day mini-retreat is an opportunity to recharge your batteries.

Please take what you can use and leave the rest.

This is designed to uplight you, not drain you further. 

Sign on when/if you can and come and go as needed. 

This is a love offering and any payment, now or later, is welcome and appreciated. 

Love Offering

What to bring to my Zoom Room from the comfort of your own room:

  • coffee, tea, water
  • comfortable cushion/chair (there will be ample breaks)
  • journal, crayons, markers
  • favorite tree (sit by a window or have a photo)
  • favorite place in natural Great Beauty (a place you can access right now whether in your minds eye or actually through modern technology).

We are going to ground in the great Natural Great Beauty and play. 

Together, we rise. We divide our sorrows and we multiply our joys. We cannot do this gig called life alone.

We are going to spark joy, fuel our creative fire and fill our reservoirs in order to be resilient and compassionate change agents in the world.  

Resilience is about tenderness, not toughness.

Whenever we toughen up to get through difficult experiences, it is as if we prolong the inevitable need to feel it to heal it.   How do we find the courage and the heart space to feel all the feels when it seems like another relentless headache, bellyache, broken-hearted moment after another?   

  • we trust ourselves to no longer abandon ourselves
  • we focus on our own hula hoop and let go of comparing our suffering to others (the only person we can legitimately compare ourselves to is ourself left over from yesterday)
  • we repair our part of whatever nightmare is happening
  • we allow faith to hold us in a web of grace and surrender

We dwell in the Realm of Resilience

  re·sil·ience /rəˈzilyəns/  

Resilience ordinary definition:

the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Resilience extraordinary definition: 

the capacity to transform hurt into opportunity; tenderness. 

Ready to join me in the new extraordinary story of tenderness vs. the old story of toughen up? Great, letʻs talk, hit reply now, leave your number and time zone, and we’ll hop on the phone. 

With much Aloha,

Amy Elizabeth Gordon MA 

Relational Health Coach & Compassion Activist  

  • clear your mind
  • open your heart  
  • rekindle your spirit  
  • energize your life 

p.s. Hereʻs a panel interview I had with 3 powerful women to discuss resilience and the power of declaring your Moonshot.  

check it out >>https://vimeo.com/371968695