Costa Rica Part 1: Release Inner Resistance with Ease

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What If It’s Not About Willpower?

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of discipline or willpower—but energetic resistance your body could release with ease, once guided to do so?

Many of us believe that if we’re stuck, it’s because we’re not trying hard enough. And when we can’t push through, we judge ourselves for lacking willpower or discipline. That judgment feeds a vicious cycle that keeps us exactly where we are. Have you ever felt that way?

I certainly have.

Until recently, I still thought of myself as a “chicken” for not sledding down a steep hill as a kid, even when younger children were doing it with joy and excitement. That same fear came back when I saw the zip-line activity scheduled during the transformational retreat I recently attended in Costa Rica.

I had signed up for the retreat because I sensed this fear was showing up in more areas of my life than I realized. But I didn’t know what was truly underneath it. Encouraging myself to be brave didn’t work. Pushing through wasn’t working either. I knew I needed to approach it differently.

As my turn on the zip-line approached, I began to panic. But then something unexpected happened.

A vivid childhood memory surfaced, and I realized—it wasn’t me who was afraid. It was the one-year-old version of me still living inside me, frozen in fear. As she cried and sobbed through me, I gently reparented her, telling her I was the grown-up now, that she wasn’t alone, and that I had this under control.

When the moment came to let go—I did. We did.

We screamed on the first zip-line and marveled at the beauty of the treetops on the second. By then, she was fully on board. I didn’t even have to talk to her anymore.

Later, my retreat friends told me they were sure—given all the tears—that I would back out at the last minute. They were amazed to see me leap without hesitation. That’s when I shared what had been happening inside me—and they understood: this wasn’t just about zip-lining. It was a healing.

And that healing didn’t stop there.

Over the course of the retreat, I met and overcame several challenges—each one helped by this embodied experience of letting go. That experience will continue to support me anytime fear shows up.

I wouldn’t have been able to do that inner work on the spot had I not been trained in decoding and releasing resistance—not just psychologically, but energetically.

What’s Possible When Resistance Lifts?
1. Clarity from reconnecting with your resourceful, integrated self
2. A sense of lightness and freedom
3. Action steps that arise from inner alignment

The word resistance, as I use it, has many faces—fear, frustration, doubt, confusion, procrastination, or general discontent. But the good news is: it doesn’t have to be managed by force or willpower. It can be released. And sometimes, that release happens in a single session.

If you’re curious about what might be possible for you beyond resistance, I’d love to support you.
Simply reply to this email to schedule a free discovery session.

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for over 30+ years and is the author of Body Wisdom Magic, a 2025 publication with a foreword by Mary Morrissey—world-renowned speaker, life coach, best-selling author, and founder of the Brave Thinking Institute. She also trained as a TranscenDance Facilitator and is receiving training in a Life Coaching Certification focusing on how to support herself and others to release resistance with ease and effortlessness.

Prior to that, Cécile also wrote The Wise Way to Yoga and published numerous articles. Her work has been featured multiple times on TV and the radio show “Expanded Awareness,” and her yoga blog has been read by thousands in over 100 countries.

Cécile’s work is rooted in the Alexander Technique—the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and world-class performers who rely on it to perform at their best with optimal safety. Today, it is embraced by people from all walks of life. Building on this foundation, she developed the Body Intelligence Activation Process™—a holistic, mind-body-heart-soul approach that helps her students increasingly experience ease of movement & ease of being.

She specializes in helping people with poor posture, recurring muscular tension or pain, joint issues, and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, natural good posture, and the peace of mind that comes with true well-being. As a certified Inner Coach™, Cécile helps people overcome resistance and mentors students on a path of embodied and integrated personal growth.