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The way (in vastly oversimplified terms) the subconscious works is like this:

• Information is taken into the brain through the senses.
• The subconscious brings forward all the information related to the information.
• We use this information to inform our choices in the moment.

Most of the time this process happens in a straightforward way.

• I see my friend. My subconscious tells me how much I love them. I greet them with a big hug.
• I see a car speeding towards me. My subconscious lets me know that 1800lbs of metal hitting me at full speed is dangerous. I jump out of the way.

This process also happens in not so subtle ways. I smell fresh bread and I think of my grandfather. I hear “The New Kids On The Block” and I think of being 13.

There are times when this happens in such a subtle way that we are not able to connect the dots at all. All of a sudden we feel stressed or sad. Something in our environment reminds us of something painful from the past, but we don’t consciously know what that memory or association is.

There is a simple way to tap for this without having to know what the subconscious is tuning into, and if we tap for it when we sit down to work we can ensure we are fully present to what we are doing.

This week I want you to use a simple process each time you sit down to tap that will clear any unknown emotional charge you have for the environment in which you are working. It won’t take more than 5 minutes and it will make you much more productive.

1) Sit down where you are going to work and take 3 deep breaths to get settled and focused.
2) Slowly look around you and scan your environment. Look at your work surface, the walls, the floor, and the whole room. Don’t rush. Don’t try to think of anything in particular. Just observe the space.
3) Take a deep breath, pay attention to any emotions that you are feeling. You don’t need to focus on investigating why they are there, or what they are about. Simply name the emotion and name what it feels like in your body.
4) Scan the room again. If any new emotions show up or the old emotions intensify repeat step 3.

It is really that simple and it will make a huge difference.

I have found that when I am calm and in the moment it is much easier for me to make good, thoughtful choices.

When I am stressed it is just the opposite. When stressed I fall back into old habits, I am more rushed, and I don’t make the choices that I need to make to do what I want to achieve.

Other than tapping, the most useful tool I have found to keep me calm and in the moment is a Qi-Gong breathing exercise called “Tree Breathing”.

You don’t need to duplicate this tool exactly for it to be useful. I will explain how I use the technique and then I will explain the key parts so you can duplicate it in a way that works best for you.

How I Do It
I stand in front of a tree in a comfortable stance. The exercise is made up of a total of 10 breaths, done in two sets of 5.

For the first 5 breaths I imagine that energy is moving in a circle out of the top of the tree and into crown of my head, passing through my body, leaving via my feet, entering the tree through its roots, and then moving up into the trunk.

While I am doing this I take a long, slow inhale through my nose and imagine the energy coming out the the top of the tree and into the crown of my head. Then, while I exhale slowly, I imagine the energy moving from the soles of my feet into the roots of the tree.

For each of the 5 breaths I imagine the energy moving in a full circle.

For the next 5 breaths I do the exact same thing, but this time I imagine the energy moving in the opposite direction. On the inhale I imagine energy leaving the roots of the trees and entering my body from the soles of my feet. On the exhale I imagine the it going out of the crown of my head and back into the top of the tree.

Again, this is done 5 times.

When and Where I Do It
I do this exercise regularly. And what I mean by regularly is I have chosen one particular tree in my neighborhood and every time I walk by this tree I do the exercise. Because I live in the city and mostly move around on foot, I walk by this tree between 3 and 5 times a day.

Every time I pass the tree, regardless how much of a rush I am in, I make myself stop to do the 10 breaths. It takes a little more than one minute…

…AND IT IS AWESOME!

It has made a huge difference on many days.

How You Can Use This
Before I share how you add something like this to your life I want to make one quick point. To be honest, I have no idea if when doing this I am moving any energy or if I am getting anything in particular from the tree in the exercise. For me, it is much more about slowing down, paying attention to my breath, and letting go of everything else.

With that being said, here are the key points for how you can add this to your day:

1) Do something that will get you out of your head and into your body
You don’t have to do 10 breaths, but I would recommend it. Also, by imagining the energy moving in a circle it forces me to pay attention to the process. If I was just taking long, deep breaths it would be much easier for my mind to wander.

2) Punctuate your day with it
I like the fact it is not something that I have on my schedule. It interrupts whatever I am doing. I am much more likely to need to be grounded in the middle of my day at some random time. Pick a place that you pass through regularly as the moment that prompts you to do it.

3) Make it a non-negotiable
Part of the reason it works so well is that I make myself do it no matter what. It is now a habit which makes it little effort. Until it reaches that point it was something I had to do. The times I was most resistant to doing it were the times I needed it the most.

You don’t have to customise the process too much. You could even duplicate my process exactly. Just choose a way that will work for you.

Let me know in the comments what you are trying and how you tweaked it.

When I am working with clients I have them tune into the emotion they want to work on and then ask them to tell me where in their body they feel that emotion.

75% of the time the emotions are located in one of three places. In the stomach, the solar plexus, or the throat.

Typically when emotion anchors in the stomach it is about fear, when in it is solar plexus it is about self esteem, and when it is in the throat is about speaking truth, hearing truth, or both.

We will go after each of these one at a time. This week we are starting with the throat.

This process won’t take a lot of time, but it is important that you give it your undivided attention. I strongly encourage you to get out a piece of paper and write out your answers. This will do two things. First, it will give you greater clarity by writing it out. Second, you might come up with more things to tap for than you have time for right now.

Part 1 – Answer the following questions:

1) What truth about yourself are you afraid to hear?

2) What truth about your future are you afraid to hear?

3) What truth are you afraid to say to yourself?

4) What truth are you afraid to say to someone else?

Part 2 – For each of the answers above complete the following sentences (meaning you will complete these two sentences for each answer):

1) The worst thing that will happen if I speak this truth is…

2) The best thing that will happen if I speak this truth is…

Part 3 – Read your answers out loud and tap

Warning: This is a powerful tool and which will allow you to clear some major issues. There is a part of you that already knows this and that part is trying to talk you out of using this tool. Your inner voice is saying, “I don’t need this….I don’t have time for this….There is nothing left unsaid.”

Thank your inner voice for trying to keep you safe from something that is scary AND then do the exercise.

This is one of the best things you will do for yourself!!