MONTHLY QUESTION
We’re continuing on our Come Alive journey with the centering question, “am I here, now?”
Remember, there will always be much more to these question than meets the eye, and that’s intentional! Expansive questions ask us to get curious and open up our perspective (which, in turn, allows us to welcome in more aliveness).
Before going any further, take a little time to listen to our first podcast episode of the month, called: "Am I here, now?" ◐ Part 1. This’ll help set the stage for what we’ll be exploring together this month.
On the 15th of the month, our second episode of the month will go live, called: "Am I here, now?" ◑ Part 2 with Makenzie Marzluff. This one will add another layer of richness to our exploration by bringing in another perspective.
Toolkit Prep
As we touched on in the Resources area, the most important tools for you to bring to your self-study practice are yourself and a sense of curiosity - but you can add in anything else that brings you joy and helps you cultivate a sense of connection.
I personally love a good ritual, and I find that setting a ceremonial space with some of my favorite simple tools creates an awesome-feeling and safe container for me to unfold into.
Have fun with this! Create an experience that speaks directly to who you are and what you love. Even just the simple process of curating your personal toolkit (which will likely change and evolve over time) will facilitate a deeper connection with your intuition, mama nature, and life itself.
My personal favorite tools are both practical and enjoyable - they help me engage in the present moment, delight in my senses, and intentionally shift my vibration - all leading to more aliveness. It’s like I’ve set up a little Pavlov’s Dogs reward system for myself, and I actually wake up pumped to dive into my practice. It just feels so good (which also makes challenging days feel a little softer and kinder).
You’re only limited by your imagination in terms of how many or how few tools you want to include, but as a bare minimum for this practice (in addition to this module on whatever device you’re using), you’ll at least want to have these at-the-ready:
A notebook
A pen/pencil
Headphones
This month’s Podcast episodes (Part 1 released on the 1st, Part 2 released on the 15th)
This month’s essential oil (if applicable - details towards the bottom of this page)
centering meditation
Now that you’ve prepped your self-study toolkit, it’s time to clear some energetic space for your practice and get centered. Take a few moments to find a comfortable seat, pop in your headphones, and close your eyes. Then press play and let me guide you through connecting with the aliveness in and around you, dropping out of your thinking mind and into your heart, and moving into a coherent state with this grounding breathwork meditation.
Self Study
If this is your first time workin’ your way through a Self-Study Module, I am so pumped that you’re here - and I’d encourage you to take a quick little detour over to the Welcome, Start Here! page to get a better feel for how we’re exploring and experimenting with aliveness together.
Before diving into your journal prompts, here are some quick reminders to keep top-of-mind:
Practice radical self-honesty. You don't need to hide from yourself or anyone else.
All of your feelings are welcome, and there's no need to fear them. Let them vibrate through and out of you instead of stuffing them down.
There's no need to set expectations or cast judgments, it'll just make your journey more challenging.
Be gentle with yourself and others, we're all doing the best we can, and we're all at different points on our personal paths.
Regularly question and investigate thoughts, feelings, and actions - especially those that feel constricting. What would have to change to make them feel expansive?
Move in the direction of more freedom, always (even when it's the more challenging option).
Have FUN!
Journal Prompts
Now’s the time to get cozy with your journal and start working your way through this month’s prompts. Word to the wise - don’t feel like you need to get through all of these in one sitting. Allow them to weave themselves through your daily experience over the course of the month, see what type of pace and format feels best to you and go with it.
Each question in the left column is meant to be considered in the context that’s explained at the top of the columns to the right. Let curiosity and honesty lead the way, they’ll never steer you wrong!
Questions
Genuine Curiosity:
How can I explore this concept in my own life? Dive deeper than surface level.
Sun
Outer Expression:
How would I answer this question in an interview?
How do I think I *should* answer?
Moon
Inner Expression:
How would I answer this question in my journal?
How do I *really* feel?
Align
Outer+Inner Expression Misalignment
What needs to change to align my outer and inner expression?
Noticing+shedding the inauthentic
Earth
Integrated Expression:
How would I answer this question as a fully-integrated, authentic version of myself?
Embodying my innate wholeness.
How does asking myself the question, “am I here, now?” make me feel?
Why do I think that is?
What does presence mean to me personally?
What happens in my mind, body, and heart when I’m fully present?
What’s my relationship like with the present moment?
Has it always been that way?
If not, what has changed over the years?
If so, why do I think it’s stayed the same?
If I had to estimate, what percentage of time do I spend mentally...
… jumping ahead to the future?
… dwelling on the past?
… engaging with the present moment?
What are the most common thoughts and feelings that I notice when I’m mentally...
… jumping ahead to the future?
Are these thoughts + feelings based in reality?
… dwelling on the past?
Are these thoughts + feelings based in reality?
… engaging with the present moment?
Are these thoughts + feelings based in reality?
What are my personal distraction default settings?
Do I use specific distractions to resist the present moment?
Do I use specific behaviors to try to tightly grasp onto the present moment?
What triggers and/or sensations do I notice when I switch into default distraction mode?
When does it feel especially challenging to be present?
Why do I think that is?
What beliefs make anchoring into full presence feel difficult?
How can I change my relationship to these situations to support my ability to be present in them?
When does it feel especially easy to be present?
Why do I think that is?
What beliefs support me in anchoring into full presence?
How can I create more of these types of experiences in my life?
How motivated am I to create more freedom and spaciousness in my life?
What would having more freedom and spaciousness mean to me?
What am I willing to start doing to create more connection with the present?
What am I willing to stop doing to create less disconnection with the present?
Integration Experiments
Ready to take your practice our into the real world? It’s experiment time! Pop on your scientist goggles and bring self-study into your daily life with these presence self-check questions (for when you need them, in the moment):
What feels challenging right now?
What can I appreciate right now?
How can I open my awareness to include more of what’s happening within and around me right now?
How can I invite more acceptance into my experience right now?
How can I meet any internal feelings of seriousness and constriction with curiosity and play right now?
How is my breath right now? Can I deepen and lengthen it?
What am I feeling right now?
How are my emotions manifesting themselves in my body right now?
Can I be with my emotions right now without trying to judge or change them?
What am I perceiving with my senses right now?
Can I be with my senses right now without trying to judge or change them?
PLANT MAGIC
Essential oils are my personal favorite plant allies to pair with my self-study practice. They each have their own unique vibrational frequency and energetic actions, and I’m constantly blown away by both the subtle and profound shifts that I experience while working with them intentionally.
While I love to encourage people to let their intuition lead the way when it comes to selecting oils for their practice, I wanted to offer a specific oil each month that I’ve hand-selected (intuitively, of course) to allow us to sink even deeper into our theme.
If you’ve ever worked with high-quality essential oils, you’ll already know that they’re super powerful for shifting our state and returning to balance in the moment, but there’s also something to be said for choosing to work with a specific essential oil for an extended period of time and leveraging the compound effect.
Creating an intentional connection with one oil each day for a full month will allow your relationship with the plant to deepen, while giving it time and space to work closely and consistently with you - both physically and energetically, and communicate its wisdom to you (which it will convey in all sorts of different ways if you choose to stay receptive).
As for guidance around how to use this month’s essential oil for best results, there are lots of options to choose from, but I lean towards a combo of topical and aromatic use to ensure the max vibration-shifting effects. I’ve included some usage ideas in the PDF below so you can give them a whirl.
Vetiver
This month, we’re deepening our roots in the present moment with the help of Vetiver. Download this PDF to get familiar with its earthy, golden-honey vibes.
Community Connection
Human connection makes the world go ‘round, and in the Come Alive community, you’re automatically among friends. Hop into our Community: Conscious Connection area to ask and answer questions, connect with other cool humans, share your experiences with the theme, and anything else that’s coming up for you. We can’t wait to get to know ya better.
