Can walking lead to emotional or spiritual breakthroughs? How does being in nature and out in the world cleanse your spirit? What can you do to redirect your life’s path after a stressful or painful life event?
In this podcast episode, Lisa Lewis speaks about how a spiritual pilgrimage can change the trajectory of your life with Kathleen Donnelly Israel.
MEET KATHLEEN DONNELLY ISRAEL
Kathleen Donnelly Israel cared for her husband for the 17 years that he had Parkinson’s disease till he died in 2018. During this time, she studied spiritual healing from many enlightened thought leaders and teachers. She wrote her book about her travels on the Camino Santiago in Spain and about sharing her wisdom with those she met there.
Visit Wisdom on The Camino and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
IN THIS PODCAST:
- Walking as meditation
- Hoʻoponopono for healing
- Lessons from the Camino
- Kathleen’s advice to listeners
Walking as meditation
Walking can lead you into a meditative state because it allows you to take deeper, more regular breaths as you walk.
Additionally, walking is rhythmic. Walking at a regular pace for a long time puts your body and mind into a more peaceful, observant place where you can allow your mind to both rest and explore.
Walking through the wilderness … is so cleansing for your soul and the people that you meet along the way; I really believe that my guardian angel arranged the whole thing!
Kathleen Donnelly Israel
Additionally, you might walk because you are looking for some space and peace, but often people go walking because they are searching for something but they don’t know what.
Hoʻoponopono
Hoʻoponopono is a Hawaiian traditional healing technique and practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. You can practice it with members of your family or by yourself.
It loosens the binds that we have with people that have hurt us … they’re bound to us and we have this hurt inside but it loosens those binds.
Kathleen Donnelly Israel
It is a deep practice that can be nuanced and should be practiced with respect and care. Essentially, you practice your forgiveness with the power of the words:
- “I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”
The true Hawaiian prayer is longer and more intimate. If the wound is deep or you are not used to this prayer, “soak” yourself in it and speak it truly and deeply even to yourself to start.
Lessons from the Camino
Kathleen’s first and biggest lesson from having walked the Camino was to learn how to put herself first, and to take care of herself.
She was so used to caring for others that it took a big step for her to focus on figuring out what her needs were and how to fulfill them.
It was a good thing to have that experience of just caring for myself for three months.
Kathleen Donnelly Israel
Kathleen’s advice to listeners
If you’re ever in a position in life where you don’t know what to do, try Kathleen’s prayer:
“Dear God, please make everything turn out okay. Dear God, thank you for making everything turn out okay”.
RESOURCES MENTIONED AND USEFUL LINKS
BOOK | Kathleen Donnelly Israel – Wisdom on the Camino: A Spiritual Journey Sharing Forgiveness and Possibilities to Inspire the Rest of Your Life
Visit Wisdom on The Camino and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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CONNECT WITH ME
Email me: lisa@amiokpodcast.com
ABOUT THE AM I OK? PODCAST
So you’ve been told that you’re “too sensitive” and perhaps you replay situations in your head. Wondering if you said something wrong? You’re like a sponge, taking in every word, reading all situations. Internalizing different energies, but you’re not sure what to do with all of this information. You’re also not the only one asking yourself, “am I ok?” Lisa Lewis is here to tell you, “It’s totally ok to feel this way.”
Join Lisa, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, as she hosts her, Am I Ok? Podcast. With over 20 years of education, training, and life experience, she specializes in helping individuals with issues related to being an empath and a highly sensitive person.
Society, and possibly your own experiences, may have turned your thinking of yourself as being a highly sensitive person into something negative. Yet, in reality, it is something that you can – and should – take ownership of. It’s the sixth sense to fully embrace, which you can harness to make positive changes in your life and in the lives of others.
This may all sound somewhat abstract, but on the Am I Ok? Podcast, Lisa shares practical tips and advice you can easily apply to your own life. Lisa has worked with adults from various backgrounds and different kinds of empaths, and she’s excited to help you better connect with yourself. Are you ready to start your journey?