magdasabatino

Art has the power to inspire, heal and completely transform your life. Our creative expression is our birthright and is an integral part of our holistic well being. Through its mysterious ways, it reveals to us our interior landscape.

Art speaks to us in a nonverbal manner, giving us access to our deep emotions. Often, gaining this access becomes the catalyst to a healing journey. Stepping into the flow of a creative process may loosen our preconditioning and we may discover new, exciting parts of ourselves. We may begin to see fresh possibilities in places we previously felt stuck. Reconnecting with our creativity may give us the courage to let go of old beliefs and rewrite the narratives of our lives.

Being engaged in an artistic process is also very healthy for us because it helps to balance our brain. When we create, we give a rest to our left side of the brain and we move into the right side of the brain which is more intuitive and holistic. By using the right side of our brain, we gain access to a deep well of inner wisdom, which can bring unexpected insights.

Personally, creating art has become the most essential aspect of my holistic well being. It brings me joy, inner peace, healing, relaxation, and a sense of fulfillment. Because of all these benefits, I want to bring some of this magic to other people’s lives. This is how my passion for organizing creative workshops and retreats was born. I invite you to join me on this magical adventure!

Holistic Counseling is a form of therapy that focuses on the integration of body, mind and spirit. This integration is viewed as wholeness and is considered an essential expression of personal health. As multidimensional beings we need all of these aspects of ourselves to be aligned and connected in order to experience a true well being. Many of today’s issues stem from a lack of integration resulting in persons dissociated from themselves, the community and the environment.

My Holistic Wellness Program is designed to take you on the journey back to yourself so you can become whole again. You will revisit your past to meet and heal your inner child. You will understand how your childhood wounds shaped the narratives of your adult life. You will learn how to be in the present moment by becoming less reactive and more responsive. And you will reconnect with your intuition and creativity so you can visualize and craft the life true to yourself.

You will gain a deep understanding of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of yourself and receive guidance on how to nurture yourself as a whole being. Eventually, you will realize that with a little reflection and self-compassion you can become your own healer and create future full of peace, joy and wonder.

I can easily call myself a recovering perfectionist. For most of my life, I have tried to do my best. But that “best” seemed to have an exceptionally high bar. Either it was performing academically, cleaning the house, organizing an event, being involved in volunteering activity or mothering my children, I wanted to do it “perfectly”. Yes… There was a certain sense of pleasure and reward in carrying out these tasks with such high quality. Lots of recognition, praise, and a feeling of accomplishment. But as I got older, this strive for perfection begun to wear on me. I was drained by the constant pressure to keep up with the high standards I placed on myself. I slowly began to realize that my perfectionism was a way of looking for external validation of my worth. It became clear that I have mistaken perfection for happiness. Exhausted and unfulfilled, I made a decision that things have to change. So has begun the journey of being true to myself rather than being perfect.

As I searched for answers, I learned that perfectionism may be a response to experiencing excessive criticism or neglect in childhood. This type of criticism develops a major emotional wound of not feeling good enough. By striving for constant perfection, we are trying to prove that we are worthy of love and approval we so desperately need. However, it is a losing battle cause perfection is unattainable! But what is instead?

In order to leave perfectionism behind, I would like to suggest starting with self-acceptance, self-compassion, and joy! If we accept ourselves just as we are with all our imperfections we realize that we have always been good enough and worthy enough.

Perfectionism used to stop me from doing things. It was crippling. It was the root of my procrastination and a killer of my creativity. I would spin in place, refining or preparing forever and never even taking the first step. Because of that, many of my projects have never manifested. But today I know better… I know that in order to fight perfectionism is to take one tiny imperfect step at a time! Done is better than perfect. Is it scary? Yes! Is it easy? No! It takes practice but it is so worth it!

These days I will take joy, self-expression, and connection over perfection. Life seems so much lighter and meaningful this way! I breathe deeper and smile wider every day. And yes, I enjoy the journey rather than the destination, the process rather than the final product. I wish the same for you. Let go of your perfectionism and let in your joy and peace!

There is something magical about preparing a cup of tea. It’s like a sacred ritual. It takes me into a different world, in which I can dream, feel happy and peaceful. I love watching the steam raising, I am inhaling the scent, put my palms around the cup and enjoy the warmth spreading all over my body. This simple ceremony fills me with so much joy! In one instant my home feels cozy and everything seems right just the way it is. Mmm… The first sip… Bliss

Drinking tea is about connecting, either to myself or people dear to me. It brings so many memories of deep conversations, great gatherings or tender introspection.

I invite you to think of one of your favorite little rituals and give yourself permission to engage in it in the next few days. Maybe it’s something you’ve been doing for years. If it is, take a moment while you are doing it to really take it in. Savor it. Notice the good feelings it gives you. Or think of something you used to enjoy but didn’t allow yourself to do in a long time. Dig deep! Close your eyes and listen to the whispers of your heart. Let the joy be your compass. And then do it. Even if just for a few minutes! I would love to hear where your soul has led you.