What is The Work | Living Consciously
The Foundation

What is
The Work?

An invitation to explore the parts of yourself still longing for love and acceptance.

In spiritual practice, they are viewed as opportunities for growth. They point to areas within yourself that need attention and compassion.

Triggers are invitations to explore parts of yourself that are still longing for love and acceptance.

Triggers Healing Spirit Body Mind Heart Consciousness
Owning Your Triggers

Healing happens
in the space of
compassion.

By embracing triggers with mindfulness and love, you begin to heal old wounds and move toward greater wholeness.

Triggers are emotional reactions, such as anger, fear, shame, guilt, feeling unloved, or hurt, that arise in response to specific situations or interactions. In the context of self-healing and spirituality, triggers are not punishments or signs of weakness. Instead, they are invitations to explore parts of yourself that are still longing for love and acceptance.

When a strong emotion is triggered, the process of self-healing involves noticing, feeling, and moving through the experience with awareness rather than avoidance. Healing happens in the space where you allow yourself to feel, allow, accept, and transform these emotional responses with compassion and grace.

The Process of Self-Healing

Four steps toward
wholeness

01

Pause & Notice

Recognize the emotion as it arises. Rather than reacting impulsively, take a moment to pause. Accept what is present without judgment. Awareness is the first act of healing.

02

Breathe & Feel

Notice where the emotion lives in your body, in your neck, in your stomach, in your back. This mindful awareness helps you connect with the physical sensation of the trigger, anchoring you in the present moment.

03

Explore the Wound

Beneath every reaction is often an unresolved wound or pain that is asking to be seen and acknowledged. Investigate with curiosity. What is it that the inner child needs?

04

Offer Compassion

Sit with the emotion, offer it love and acceptance, and allow it to soften. Can you nurture yourself? This gentle approach creates space for healing and transformation to emerge naturally.

The Wheel of Consciousness

The union of Spirit, Body, Mind & Heart

✦

Spirit

The main structure of the spirit is the union of the mind, body, and heart. Spirit represents possibility, the force that motivates and propels us toward what could be. When spirit is absent from our lives, we often experience a profound sense of loss and confusion, as if life has been drained of meaning or purpose.

As you learn to listen deeply to your body and heart, you become aware that spirit is always present, offering glimpses of new possibilities. In these moments of presence, spirit and soul converge, and you reconnect with the source of your own vitality and creativity.

◎

Body

The body is our home; it is where we live. The body is the repository of now. Presence is an act of self-care. A key function of the body is discerning reality, grounding us in what is real — not merely through tangibility, but through its ability to be fully present.

Your body already holds all the secrets you need. Everything required for learning is already within. Treat it as the temple that it is — offer it nourishment, protection, and care.

∞

Mind

One of the primary functions of the mind is to create intelligibility — understanding. The mind takes our awareness and forms a language. While the mind seeks wholeness, it can only conceptualize it, not fully experience it.

True meaning comes from the heart, which provides value and purpose. Understanding occurs when logic supports heartfelt insight. Meditation, movement, breathwork, and walking are all ways to quiet the noise and reconnect to your inner wisdom.

♡

Heart

You might wonder what lies at the core of our existence. It is the heart — not just the intellect — that guides our entire being. When an experience opens your heart, it enhances your attention and helps you connect more deeply with yourself and with others.

Feelings like gratitude, love, kindness, and belonging activate the heart and are key to connecting with it directly. Heart intelligence brings things together through connection and flow, supporting presence and bonding. Its goal is wholeness, built on safety and non-judgment.

Compassion enables true presence and full engagement in each moment. Value systems originate in the heart, while belief systems reside in the mind. What you believe comes from the mind; what you value lives in your heart.

"Whenever you find a place inside of you that doesn't move, that has become an obstacle, the primary question to ask is not 'What do I have to remove?' but more 'What is it that I have to love in myself in order to open the door?'"

— Armand Bytton