Marteniçka

 

Balkanlardan gelen bir gelenek olan Marteniçka dilek bilekliklerini 1 Mart’ta dileğinizi dilerken bileğinize bağlıyorsunuz, 1 Nisan’da da çözüp/kesip/çıkartıp bir bahar dalına bağlıyorsunuz. Daha önce leylek veya kırlangıç görürseniz de çıkartabilirsiniz. Hangisi daha önce olursa.

Bu bileklikler - geleneksel olarak - satın alınamıyor; ya kendiniz yapıyorsunuz ya da hediye olarak alıp verebiliyorsunuz.

Baharı beklerken tam da 1 Mart'ta Marteniçka bilekliklerinden haberdar olduğumda yıl 2022'ydi.

Balkanlardan gelen bir gelenekmiş. (Anneannem de oralardandı ama hiç duymamıştım.) 

Duyar duymaz nasıl yapıldığını öğrenip kendime yapmıştım ben ve her zamanki dileklerimle bileğime bağlamıştım. Bu fotoğraf 2022 yılındaki o bahar dalının işte. 

Bu kadar ritüel seven ben bile hiç duymamışken bu kadar çok bilenin olduğunu görünce epey şaşırdığımı hatırlıyorum; sabahın 10'unda seçtiğim çiçek açmış ağaçta bir sürü kırmızı-beyaz bileklik vardı.

Hepimize tüm dileklerimizin gerçek olduğu bir yaşam dilerim. 

Mucizelerimiz hemen ve daim olsun.

Martenichka Wishing Bracelets

 

Martenichka wish bracelets, a tradition from the Balkans, are tied around the wrist on March 1st while making a wish. On April 1st, they are removed and tied to a budding spring branch. If you happen to see a stork or a swallow before then, you can take it off earlier—whichever comes first.

Traditionally, these bracelets aren’t bought; they are either handmade or exchanged as gifts.

I first learned about Martenichka bracelets on March 1st, 2022, while eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring.
It’s a tradition from the Balkans—yet, despite my grandmother being from there, I had never heard of it before.

As soon as I discovered it, I taught myself how to make one, tied it around my wrist with my usual wishes, and embraced the ritual. The photo here is of the very spring branch where I placed my bracelet that year.

As someone who loves rituals, I was surprised by how many people already knew about it when I had never even heard of it. That morning, at 10 in the morning, the tree I chose was already covered with numerous red-and-white bracelets. 

Wishing you all a life where all your wishes come true. 

May your miracles happen NOW and last forever

The Book is On Amazon

 

Check the Sample

Change is a constant in life, so why should a book remain static? Upgrading Our Lives - Infinite Book of Infinite Possibilities is a dynamic guide dedicated to helping you reach your best version by embracing your authentic self every single day. This book doesn’t just offer timeless wisdom; it evolves with you.

In a world filled with chaos, this book offers practical tools and techniques, including breathwork, mindfulness practices and other methods, all designed to enhance your happiness, maintain calmness and clear the path to your desires. It provides everything you need to navigate modern life with grace and balance.

To support this continuous growth, the book features a follow-up blog that regularly updates its content, ensuring that you always have access to the latest insights and practices. Additionally, the blog includes a range of multimedia resources, such as guided meditations, audio recordings and links to further scientific explanations, designed to enrich your journey toward self-improvement.

As the author Selva says, “As you keep reading, I will keep writing.” Whether through new techniques, updated guidance or fresh perspectives, Upgrading Our Lives and its accompanying blog are committed to helping you evolve and thrive amidst the complexities of modern life.

Astrological Insights

The January Full Moon - The Wolf Full Moon

 A Perfect Opportunity to Set and Sustain Your Goals

The first full moon of the new year marks a powerful time for new beginnings and intention-setting.

Taking place in Cancer, this full moon highlights the emotional depth, familial bonds and inner security that this zodiac sign embodies.

The New Year period is often seen as a time for reflecting on the past year and setting new goals. Cancer’s nurturing and protective energy enhances this process, making it even more meaningful. 

Limiting Beliefs

 

A great time for getting rid of everything that doesn't serve us, including our limiting beliefs, is the Full Moon.

Here's a ritual you can perform:

Energetic Anti-Aging & More

 

We had a delightful introductory meeting with the wonderful hospitality of Bioritm Beauty Institute.

As a client of Bioritm, which has a 36-year history, I won’t bother with the exact number of years—like the African tribes who count as 1, 2, 3, and then say “many,” let me just say I’ve been a client for many years. 😊

In the lovely atmosphere created by the owners, Ayşegül and Güzin, we discussed many topics. I introduced Access Bars, a technique I love and both teach and practice. We meditated together, enjoyed food and drinks, and later demonstrated an Anti-Aging application while balancing everyone’s energy.

As a token of appreciation, we gifted each participant a Marteniçka wish bracelet to be used on March 1st, along with a Runic symbol for abundance and prosperity to place in their wallets.

Thank you to everyone who made this day unforgettable with their energy and presence! 

Cutting Energetic Connections to People, Situations or Emotions

 

Every person we interact with, even someone who merely glances at us on the street, creates an energetic connection with us which remain stored in our inner data bank, like a memory. These connections can either dissipate through neglect or strengthen with attention. 

Trauma Meditation

In this guided trauma meditation, we focus on releasing the emotional weight of past events and navigate the challenges of current disturbing situations with calm and clarity.

By doing this, we gently revisit traumatic experiences, rewrite the narrative and find peace within our body and mind. 

Whether you are dealing with past echoes or facing present-day challenges , this meditation is designed to help you reconnect with your inner strength and resilience.

Our Children - Our Child Self

It's well-established that the energies and frequencies in our environment significantly impact our well-being and sense of calm. Additionally, every parent and caregiver knows from experience that babies are soothed when they are picked up, gently rocked and carried.

Research published in Current Biology on April 18, 2013, confirms that babies universally calm down when carried, a response seen in both human infants and mouse pups. This automatic calming mechanism is deeply rooted in our evolutionary biology, helping ensure the survival of our species by soothing crying when held.

For parents, understanding this natural response can prevent the misinterpretation of crying as manipulation, which challenges outdated parenting strategies like "cry it out."

For those of us who were raised with such methods, engaging in "Healing Our Child-Self" work can be beneficial.

This should not be confused with Inner Child work. The concept of the inner child refers to the childlike aspect within our unconscious mind, a sub-personality that can become prominent when we face challenges.

Somatics & Butterfly Wings

To begin your day with energy and a calm mind, make it a habit to practice a somatic routine right after waking up. While still in bed, focus on regulating your nervous system through conscious breathing, gentle cat-like stretches, and soothing somatic exercises.

Somatic practices involve tuning into your body's sensations and experiences to enhance self-awareness and reduce stress. 

Tapping Solutions

This routine is intended to guide us into a neutral mental state, helping us release any heightened emotions or stress. By calming our minds and centering our thoughts, we can approach situations - whether a discussion, a decision or a reaction to a stressful event - with clarity and composure, ensuring our responses are thoughtful and balanced.

Physiological Sigh

The Physiological Sigh is a breathing technique popularized by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. 

It mimics the natural breathing pattern our body uses during sleep or or after sobbing when it needs to lower the carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. This often happens under stress or when the amount of inhaled oxygen is insufficient. To perform the physiological sigh most effectively, inhale deeply through your nose until your lungs are full, then take a second, quicker breath without exhaling the first one. 

Box Breathing

Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a simple yet effective breathing exercise that helps calm the mind, reduce stress and enhance focus. It involves inhaling, holding the breath, exhaling, and holding again, each for an equal count of time, typically 4 seconds. You can check your optimal count with a simple Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test and adjust accordingly, staying within your comfort level.

Breathwork

Breathwork is a practice that involves consciously controlling your breathing patterns to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. By focusing on how we inhale and exhale, we can influence our nervous system, helping to either energize the body or calm it down.

Breathwork has a profound impact on the body’s stress response, enabling you to shift from a heightened state of alertness to a more relaxed state, or vice versa, depending on the type of breathing technique used. It's a simple yet powerful tool that can be incorporated into daily routines to reduce anxiety, improve focus, increase energy, and bring balance to your overall system.

The techniques we’ll practice—such as Ha breath, Box Breathing, and long inhales or exhales—are designed to regulate your nervous system. Ha breath helps release tension and ground energy, Box Breath balances and calms the mind, and specific breathing rhythms (long inhales for alertness and long exhales for calming) will help you adjust your state depending on your needs. Through these practices, you can build a more resilient and mindful relationship with your breath, enhancing both your physical and emotional health.

Ha Breath

It's a powerful breathwork practice often used in energy work, healing practices and spiritual traditions such as Hawaiian Huna. 

It focuses on connecting with the life force energy - prana or mana - and enhancing vitality.

Ha Breath & Meditation

Inner Child Work

Inner Child: The inner child represents the emotional and psychological aspects of ourselves that carry the experiences, needs and feelings from our early years. It's often connected to our reactions, dreams and core beliefs formed in childhood.

Child Self: The child self represents who we were during our early years. It includes our authentic personality traits, behaviors and the experiences we had as children. This aspect of ourselves reflects how we interacted with the world and formed our sense of identity during those formative years.

Guided Meditation Sample