How I met Anita and what has happened since then is a bit mental, and I am writing it down now. Two years ago, I achieved my biggest goal: buying my own house. Well….I got a mortgage and got a house …is that the same thing? It was and is a massive deal. Neither of my parents or grandparents on each side ever owned a home. But that is a blog for another day. Anita, by trade, is an estate agent and was part of the process of buying my house. Then, early this year, I had a moment when I was debating about moving to Australia. It could still happen at some point, but there was a moment this year when it was a serious conversation, and Anita came around to value my house.

Now, here is the mental bit….and I can’t really explain… during Anita talking me through my options, we became friends. I can’t explain it, and, if you know me, it’s very unlike me, but I swear….it was like we had forgotten we were friends and had been reminded. By the time she left, we had disclosed our spiritual journey to each other and decided that we were going to do part of this together.

A few weeks later, we met in a local bar on a rainy evening, and we discussed everything from why we had both started looking at spirituality to where we would go next.

 Anita said it was a shame, as she didn’t know how to get her voice out there in terms of what she has to offer the world. I said yes; that is a shame because a year ago, I would have gotten you to write me a guest blog, which would have helped. Unfortunately, I can’t really write anymore, and I am thinking of closing the blog down….

So we made a deal: I would start writing again, and Anita would write me a guest blog. But If I didn’t start writing again, there would be no guest blog.

In return, I gave Anita a deadline….. and she stuck to it.

If you’ve been enjoying my blogs again, there’s one person you should thank-Anita. Over the next year, I believe you’ll see more of us and others as we delve deeper into the realms of coaching, spirituality, and personal growth. Our meeting was no coincidence, that’s for sure.

Allow me to introduce my dear friend, Anita, who has a unique way with words and a passion for spirituality… and a penchant for stroking feathers, as she fondly puts it.

It’s official. I am a feathery stroker and proud! You may be thinking “weirdo!” and move on, or you may be thinking “what is this she speaks of?” and want to find out more. Either way, that’s fine by me. We find our tribe, and this weekend I found mine at a Chakra Dancing & Meditation Retreat run by my good friend of 18 years, Elizabeth Whiter, in Sussex. Look her up, she’s an  incredible healer doing wonderful things for people and the planet. 

I originally did my Chakra Dancing Diploma seventeen years ago. Bloody hell, where has that time gone? I presented at holistic festivals around the UK and Ireland, retreats in the South of France and ran regular classes in my home town of Nottingham. As a Weight Loss & Stress Management Coach, I had private clients I supported too. Then, life changed drastically. Recession hit and myself and my partners holistic business had to be sold and we moved to Kent to be near family. I got a job in estate agency, and in less than a year, myself and my husband separated and got divorced. As they say, shit happens!

I gradually drifted away from my spiritual roots, swept up in life, stress, work, etc., and keeping a roof over my and my daughter’s heads was a challenge. But I was okay; I was surviving. We say this a lot, don’t we, when people ask us how we are doing—”Ah, you know, surviving!” as if that’s all we deserve and all we should expect from life. Either that, or we are being modest, although I suspect not!

Fast forward to now and I am happy in a relationship of over ten years. We have had our challenges as we all do – life can shit on you from a great height at times can’t it and it doesn’t favour you according to how much its dealt in the past! “Well, they are pretty covered in shit still, but I think they could do with a splash more here and there.. PLOP!” like an artist assessing a painting. “Lets see how you deal with that sucker!!”

But life goes on and so must we. Get up, go to work, do life, wash, rinse, repeat. But it’s ok, because we are surviving.. until.. you find yourself driving to work one morning and begin to inconsolably cry at the traffic lights while parents on the school run cross the road in front of you, peering through the windscreen wondering what an earth this crazy woman is doing with her contorted face and a cascade of mascara running down her cheeks! I’ve never seen them usher their children across the road so fast. If you were one of those parents, please forgive me, I had no warning!

So here I was, feeling empty and alone and struggling to face another day at work. I went, but I knew in that moment that something needed to change because my soul was dying. It was not being fed and nourished with what it needed. Time to call an emergency meeting with myself!

In fairness, the universe had been nudging me anyway, but as I had ignored it up to this point, this was one of those PLOP moments to make me sit up and notice. Message received and understood!

I had been listening to podcasts and no matter the topic, the message I kept hearing was do what makes your heart happy, what you feel passionate about, and I realised that mine is helping people. Now as a manager of an estate agents, I do that in some capacity, but the real pleasure comes from connecting with people, letting them offload about the stresses of caring for mum who has dementia, or sharing memories of a partner who’s passed away. These are the moments that mean the most to me and from these moments, I know that there are many people out there feeling lonely, grieving, overwhelmed stressed, unwell and sick…just surviving. 

I knew that I was stressed, I was overwhelmed and I was unfulfilled, which led to the screamy, snotty, crying mess moment in the car that morning. So, what next? Well the universe had my back as it happens. It’s good like that, but only when you start to LISTEN. A meditation diploma course popped up on faceache which caught my attention. I researched the hell out of the founder, as you do, and it all looked great. Click! In my basket! I already felt as sense of calm and satisfaction from this one action. I now have a Meditation Diploma. I love helping people, in fact, I have been asked on many occasions “have you thought of being a counsellor?” Well, as it happens… BAM! Another one in my basket! I am currently studying to be a Master Spritual Life Coach and Trauma Informed Coach. Funny that!

The universe was not done yet, oh no! I had been thinking about the Chakra Dancing and thinking how amazing it would be to get going again, but it’s been so long etc, could I still teach? Then another BAM! Liz Whiter was running a full training course with two days available to former graduates to attend as a refresher. Guess what? In my basket! I was on a roll! 

So this weekend I set off excited and a little nervous of what was to come. It’s been a long time since I had embraced my hippy self and I’ve shied away from letting people fully see that side of me. In a corporate environment, that sort of thing is not really “a thing” and not many people know about my past life so to speak. 

I needn’t have worried. Hippy Anita was happy to come out and play, in fact, it was just what she needed. We worked through each Chakra, dancing freely, in the moment, purposefully working through anger, frustrations etc (it felt SO good!) shifting stagnant heavy, debilitating energy and cultivating a more balanced, vibrant energy in the mind and body, strengthening that connection. You literally feel lighter afterwards. Top that off with blissful meditation at the end and I felt like I was floating in the clouds. I was not prepared for what came next though. The universe was really testing my trust!

There I stood, being stroked (fully clothed I may add) by a feather, down my arm, back, legs, head, left and right. Eyes closed and slightly weirded out to begin with, I started to realise as I surrendered to the moment that this was exactly where I was meant to be at that time. Fully present to the sensation on my skin, the sounds around me, the beat if my heart, the inhalation and exhalation of my breath, out of my head in to my heart. How often do we get to feel that? 

As I drove home last night, I knew I was different person to the one that drove there just the day before. I am no longer afraid to show the real me, because, at the risk of sounding dramatic, its a matter of life or death. We are all here for a purpose, to leave a legacy, and if we ignore that for too long, the wake up call will come and it will get louder the longer you leave it. News Flash! We were put here to THRIVE, not just survive! It’s our divine right as humans.  

Of course, I still work in estate agency, but next month I start working for a new company in a non managerial role, so less stress, and get this – the office has beautiful crystals dotted around so the energy is amazing! Coincidence? You decide. I am back on the path I was put here for, and one day, I will be a full time Spiritual Life Coach, but for now, I will begin with setting up Chakra Dancing and Meditation classes so others can enjoy the power of this amazing healing modality. Come join my tribe and begin to THRIVE!

Much love, 

Anita Whittaker xx 

If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to email me at chakradancingwithanita@hotmail.com