The Practice of Harmony: SPIRIT Month Wrap-Up
Your monthly guide to living a truly integrated life
Darling,
We are nearing the end of October—SPIRIT-themed month. I feel like I truly, fully connected to spirit and the concept of spirituality for the first time in this way. It has been so rewarding to fully immerse myself in the theme for each month and take the opportunity to integrate the tools with what I’m experiencing and I hope you’ve had the pleasure, as well!
My definition of spirituality is very simple: it’s a matter of being in harmony or out of harmony. Understanding this is key when it comes to my other favorite aspect of SPIRIT—community. The more we focus on attunement, harmonizing our instrument, the deeper we can connect with others, the more present we can be. It used to be very challenging for me to “drop in” with people. I had a restless nervous system that kept me on the “go, go, go.” Through daily attunement, my relationships have deeply enriched.
Highlights of SPIRIT Month
TAP INtegration ACT Facilitator Meetup
TAP INtegration powered a Spirit-themed ACT Facilitator meetup. Mary Olivar presented on how to work with the elements, and then we got to connect with each other and share what was alive for us.
Dinner with Strangers
I hosted a Dinner with Strangers dinner party for the first time in a while and remembered how much I love communing with others while breaking bread. The theme was Home/Belonging. I realized there is a part of me that has always felt “homeless,” and accepting that has allowed me to really let go.
Texas Yoga Retreat - 25th Anniversary
The Texas Yoga Retreat was another big highlight—it was their 25th anniversary. Ellen Smith did an incredible job of creating safety and connection with the participants. She also brought some of the greatest spiritual teachers to give workshops. It felt so good to connect with a new community of truly committed people on their path of harmony. While taking a workshop on Neuroscience and Yoga, I realized how connected our nervous system is to the energy we give off. Then I thought: NERVOUS system... we equate it so often to nervousness in the system. We need a new word. I came up with Ner-VINE system—for when we are connected to the DIVINE as our energy system.
30 Day Gratitude Challenge
Every morning, we practiced a few minutes of gratitude together. What a game changer and one of THE BEST ways to rewire the default mode network from “cup half empty” to “half full!” It’s not too late to start your own daily practice.
Watch the gratitude videos here!
📖 Wisdom from Outrageous Openness
“Eventually the individual ego’s drive to ‘make things happen’ falls away, replaced with a relaxed, trusting openness to answers as they spontaneously arise.”
“If you align in any moment with the flow of life as it presents itself, all will unfold in the right way at the right time with a certain spontaneity and ease.”
—Tosha Silver
💬 Monthly Q&A
Q: What does it mean to “harmonize your instrument” and why is that important before connecting deeply with others?
When I talk about “harmonizing your instrument,” I’m talking about tuning into yourself, your body, your breath, your energy. Think of it like tuning a guitar. If the strings are out of tune, everything you play sounds off. Our nervous system, our energetic field, our emotional state, these are our strings.
Before my daily breathwork and meditation practice, I would show up to conversations still carrying the stress, tension, and preoccupations from earlier in the day. I wasn’t really there. I was physically present but energetically scattered. When we take time to attune, we come back into harmony with ourselves. And from that place of internal harmony, we can actually meet others where they are.
Harmony is:
Flow and ease, even when things are challenging
Deep, natural breath; relaxed shoulders
Moving through your day with curiosity and openness
Being present and available for genuine connection
Trusting the process rather than fighting reality
The beautiful paradox is this: the more work we do on our own attunement, the less work connection becomes. It flows naturally.
Q: How do I know if I’m truly connected to spirit, or if I’m just going through the motions?
When you’re truly connected to spirit, there’s a quality of aliveness, of presence, of flow, and openness. Even in difficult moments, there’s a sense of being held by something larger than yourself. You’re not white-knuckling your way through spiritual practice.
My telltale signs when I’m disconnecting are, I become more reactive, more impulsive and compulsive. I find myself mindless shopping, eating, talking. I consume more content. I stop doing my nighttime routines.
Everyone’s symptoms are different. Do you know what yours are? If not, start to become aware of when you’re getting out of tune.
Here’s what I’ve learned: if you’re asking the question, you’re already paying attention. That awareness itself is a form of connection to SPIRIT.
Q: What role does community play in spiritual practice? Why is it so important?
Community is everything. We are relational beings. We heal in relationship. We grow in relationship. We discover who we are through the mirror of others.
Growing up in communes, so much of my imprinting and relational damage came from community. It’s also where the healing began later on in my life. It has take years to feel comfortable in community settings and all I can say is, its worth the discomfort!
Community also keeps us honest. It’s easy to get lost in spiritual bypassing or ego inflation when we’re alone. But in candid community, we’re reflected back to ourselves. We’re called to walk our talk. We’re supported when we stumble. I want that tough feedback because the nature of blindspots is to become blind to us again and again.
Q: How does working with my nervous system affect the energy I give off to others?
This was one of my biggest realizations at the Texas Yoga Retreat. Our nervous system is constantly broadcasting. When we’re disregulated, stressed, anxious, contracted, people feel that. They may not even understand why they want to move away. Like nails on a chalk board, our frequency becomes discordant and is tough to be near.
I started thinking about how we always talk about the “nervous” system, and how that language itself reinforces a state of nervousness, of being on edge. What if we reframed it? What if instead of operating from a state of nervousness, we operated from a state of connection to the Divine?
That’s the Ner-VINE system. When we’re connected to the Divine—through breath, through presence, through spiritual practice—our entire energetic field shifts. We become calm, open, receptive. And that’s what others feel when they’re around us. That’s what allows for deep connection.
The work we do on our nervous system through, it’s not just for us. It’s a gift we give to everyone we encounter. When we show up regulated, grounded, and connected to the Divine, we create a field of safety and possibility for others to drop in too. Just like we have to get our cars checked to make sure they aren’t polluting the air, how wonderful would it be if everyone began to take responsibility for the energy transmission they give off?
What’s Next: MIND Month
Next up is MIND month! We’ll be exploring the power of our thoughts, beliefs, and inner wisdom. Dave Lawson will be presenting some powerful tools for connecting with our inner wisdom at our next facilitator meetup. If you work in the transformational space, in any capacity, we would love for you to join us. If you would like to activate meetups in your city, reach out to me!
INtegration is INtegrity. And INtegrity is wholeness.
Where is your structure not sound?
Where might you be out of integrity? With yourself, your relationships, your purpose?
These aren’t easy questions. But they lead to real transformation.
Integration isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being whole; the shadow and the light.
Got questions about integration, facilitation, or navigating transformation? Drop them in the comments or DM me. I’ll answer the most common ones in next month’s issue.
With gratitude and harmony,
Olivia Eden MacDonell
Founder, TAP Integration
P.S. If this resonated, forward it to someone who needs it. Integration works better in community.
TAP INtegration is partnering with Conscious Physician to release a practitioner training certification. Stay Tuned!
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