Interview with Gail Love Schock

Something a little different for everybody here at Keep Fit Kingdom, as we interviewed wellness coach Gail Love Schock. After surviving more accidents than she saw was natural in her twenties, Gail decided to make a drastic change in her life in order to prevent others from following the same dark path that she saw herself on, by specialising in Heart-to-Brain cohesion. 

This draws from ancient practices such as Buddhism, Celtic and Mayan traditions in order to harmonise your three centres: your heart, body and brain. Gail is a motivational speaker, constantly being booked to speak at seminars and conferences. She offers one-to-one counselling sessions too for people to get more connected or to discuss a specific goal they would like to achieve.

Hi Gail. Nice to have you with us. A couple of quick questions, so we can get your opinion:  Have you explored our site, what do you think of the name Keep Fit Kingdom?

Yes! And I like the mix of easy access and the drawing of attention to the full needs of mind, body, and spirit. From alternative training methods to vegan calisthenics, guidance from old strong men and women and everything in between.

Thank you! So, on your website, you describe ‘drawing power from your Divine Feminine’ – could you elaborate on this and is this something that you feel everybody should do, to become more in touch with themselves?

I think it’s really important to draw on the divine feminine, and masculine. Most women think they are leaning into their feminine and more often than not, it’s the masculine. For example, it’s the masculine which gets us up in the morning, attends to the to-do list, ensures the bills get paid and the kids go to school on time. The feminine is intuition, knowing, trust – the wise woman who makes food with love for everyone who stops by. It’s knowing someone needs you without saying so and picking up the phone before it rings. It’s a partnership of both and when we work with both aspects of ourselves and those combined energies we can really change our lives, becoming more whole instead of split halves of ourselves.

Interesting! Okay so what is ‘mind-body medicine’ in your view, and how does it help to improve people’s lives?

Mind Body Spirit Medicine (MBSM) is a way to recognise the whole person: spirit and soul; body and heart; mind and everything which ping-pongs around in there. My work is about witnessing the whole person in front of me, not simply one aspect of them. When we are fully seen, it leads to wonderful and sustainable changes. For example, I have previously helped clients find their voice, stop blushing, improve confidence, step into a new role, leave a high paid job to set up an incredible project, heal from miscarriages, recover from surgery and so much more, simply by using this technique.

I see…So what is the first step that people can take when getting in touch with their more ‘spiritual’ side?

The first step to take is to suspend thinking there is a ‘spiritual side’; this is who we are! 100% human and 100% fully divine, spiritual. As soon as we pause the illusion that these are separate things, we start to power up our intuition and our heart-to-brain cohesion. Our systems improve, we see life more clearly and we make decisions from a place of joy and not fear.

Fascinating. Your website mentions spiritual retreats, what does that involve and what kind of person is it best suited to?

The retreats I run are very much about allowing space for wholeness, to return to self and quieten what I call the ‘shitty chitty’ – the mind chatter which can be incessant! Retreats are full of delicious food, always set in beautiful surroundings and have an approximate schedule. For example; morning kundalini yoga, meditation, nature bathing, breakfast, a salon or workshop, lunch, walking, or beach exploration in the afternoon. There is space for you to relax and explore what’s coming up as a result of the retreat themes, moving into evening rituals such as gong baths, deeper meditative journeys and there are always a few surprises before or after supper. The main thing is you get space for you, to connect to nature and to Love. All sorts of people come on the retreats, from women working in financial services, HR and banking, to mums, entrepreneurs, celebrities and everything in between. If you’re human, you’re in!

I loved where you said you ‘binned people’s BS’ on your website. What kinds of things would you suggest people should let go of, to begin with?

Our BS can be a lifeline, and we get used to sharing an old experience incessantly until it becomes a crutch. We fear failure, but failure is a way of finding out which approaches don’t work for us, leading us to a wee bit more freedom. We look up, open our fronts a little more and get into this wonderful life we are here to live. BS is fear and worry dressed up in a jazzy outfit, which prickles you and anyone who gets too close; it’s the emotional hedgehog of the human world. I don’t suggest anyone lets go of anything, especially if something has woven itself into you like a tapestry – you might not know where you or the BS begins or ends. BS can often protect you and until you understand what you are protecting yourself from, it’s difficult to put down the shield and/or the sword of the tongue.

Instead, I invite people to accept what they are experiencing, the key thing being able to accept it without judgment. Acknowledging BS helps to acknowledge fear, shame, worry, neglect, anger, but simultaneously joy, love, compassion. If everyone could be a little more compassionate towards themselves, life would feel easier to manage. There’s always room for greater compassion in action.

What is the connection between what you eat and becoming happier within yourself?

Interesting question. My immediate response is if your gut health is out of alignment, it doesn’t matter what you eat, your emotions will be off. The gut and the heart are the key influencers of the brain, but the heart more so. This is why we meditate, to tune into the heart, take some breaths, feel where we are in life and make decisions.  Decisions include what, when and how to eat. It’s too easy to say ‘avoid the sugar and crap’, but if your gut is out of whack anyway, your brain will be feeling off balance and it won’t matter what you eat, as the nutritional balance is all off. This isn’t to say that if your system is balanced you can simply eat what you want, i.e. crap, because you won’t want to. Your body always knows what is the best fuel for it.

Also…and this might be tricky to accept, but nothing, literally nothing makes us happy outside of ourselves. It really is a heart-to-brain journey. We’re born wired for joy, we take some knocks, we lose trust in the world and turn to punishing regimes to get control and become happy, but what if you were already happy? The world is actually doing better than we will allow ourselves to celebrate, everything is better than we think, but there is still work to be done.

What we eat isn’t simply attributed to food, it’s the people we spend time with, the programmes we watch, the blue light from tech late into the night. It’s essential to look at the whole plate and what’s on it at any given moment. For me, one of the most freeing experiences was working with an Ayurvedic doctor, getting to know my system, understand her ‘weather’ and what was needed at what points in my cycle. This meant becoming stronger, connecting to inspiration and having a much better life experience.

What kind of foods would you recommend to encourage the spiritual awakening process?

If you are waking up, you’re waking up, food doesn’t necessarily play a part in this. However your body will tell you what it needs and when, the question is, are you listening? The more natural your food choices can be the better in general – take out isn’t going to kiss your kidneys in a loving way, but a wee bit of what you fancy is important. I eat predominantly plant-based, but I do eat meat once or twice a month; I feel it helps my cycle. I make sure I buy meat from a good butcher, local farm and bless the animal for the fuel and support it’s giving me. I love to cook, which also makes life easier; equally if I know I’ve got a really busy couple of weeks coming up I’ll order recipes and ingredients from somewhere like Able + Cole. Plus I love a good old cup of normal tea and a Twix!

How important do you feel exercise is when it comes to unlocking your true potential/spirituality?

For me, movement is part of my ongoing devotion. Right now I carry out 108 prostrations every morning. It takes about half an hour, moves everything, demands focus and trust me, it gets sweaty! It’s a beautiful practice found across a variety of faith paths and traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Earth Practices, and Christianity. Prostrations improve circulation, metabolism, flexibility and focus. Basically, anything which dials down the shitty chitty is welcome as far as I’m concerned.

Is there a particular kind of exercise you promote?
I carry a lot of energy and fire and have to use it for something. If I don’t move, I feel stagnant and inflexible. I move differently each week, the more natural the better: walking, yoga, swimming, stand up paddle boarding, calisthenics…I used to go to the gym, but I can’t handle the environment anymore. That’s not to say I wouldn’t return, but I love being outside and really, the most important thing is to be able to lift and move your own body. Mobility and movement of freedom are key.

What message would you like to share with Keep Fit Kingdom readers and followers right now (to help them get and KEEP their Fit on)?
Begin your day by breathing deeply in bed and with a good old stretch. Give yourself a chance to wake up before you dive into your day. Your future self-says thank you for anything you do today and remember you’re doing better than you think you are.

That’s a fresh look at things, thank you, Gail!

Gail continues to help people return to wholeness, with as much love and humour as she is capable of. If you’d like to experience some of her healing, motivational words for yourself, please visit her website Gail Love Schock.com. She has opened up her schedule for new clients and the following are her next special events:  Temple of The Ribcage – 28th July 3-5pm Stretch, London; Bridge Between Worlds – 27 Sep – 1 Oct Retreat, Ireland and New Years Retreat – 30 Jan – 2 Jan, Wickhambreaux, UK

Want to recharge your body, mind and spirit? Then get intimate with the secrets revealed in our health, fitness and wellness book: How Squats Can Change Your Life, available on Amazon!

Have you had coaching, mentoring or counselling before, how did it help you? Let us know below,  join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. (Check out our other mindset and motivational posts and interviews to help inspire you to GET and Keep YOUR Fit ON!) 

Georgie Clark

Georgie is a 21 year old English Language and Creative Writing graduate from Preston aspiring towards a career in journalism. She's a keen yogi and bendy enough that she might even give Elastigirl from "The Incredibles" a run for her money! She swims a lot and eats as much vegan food as possible (she loves vegan cheese)!

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