The body-mind-spirit connection is something that has, for me, moved beyond belief into knowing and experience.
Without going into too much detail, for the past six weeks I've been dealing with a persistent, severe health issue that has affected every aspect of my life. However, I had so much on my plate, I told myself, "Oh I'll deal with it later when I have time." I was working on two books, I had a conference coming up where I was speaking and teaching four classes, and I had my Nia white belt, which was seven long days of classes and intensive movement. Throughout, the problem persisted and worsened. It would flare significantly and painfully at the most inconvenient times - when I was onstage speaking, when I was socializing, when I was teaching a class, when I was dancing. It would flare to a point where I couldn't ignore it, and I would have to remove myself from what I was doing to rest. My body was desperately trying to get my attention. Finally, early last week I had some downtime, and I took the time to ask my body what it was trying to tell me. Lots came flooding in, much of it about uncomfortable emotional baggage I've been carrying for years. As soon as I pinpointed the issue and gave the intention to release and heal it, my body started to heal, and the issue improved, but it lingered a little. I knew there was one final concrete step I needed to take although I wasn't looking forward to it because it involved me going to someone and admitting I was wrong and had been engaging in emotional bullshit. I did that yesterday. Today, the issue is completely gone. Healed. It's almost like it was never there. Caring deeply for ourselves requires attention to body, mind, and spirit. We cannot separate the three, as much as we'd like to. I'd done everything physically possible (short of going to my doctor who would've recommended surgery, of that I've no doubt) to heal my body. It wasn't until I dealt with the emotional and spiritual aspects of the issue and followed my intuition about what I needed to do that it cleared up 100 percent. Body, mind, and spirit are intertwined, and each affects the other. Tools for Healing Healing - and what brings it about - is highly individual. But self-examination is an important tool in your arsenal when you're trying to heal a health issue. Before I get to deeply into the tools, I need to say this: if you are experiencing a life-threatening issue, if you suspect a disease process that requires treatment, if you are bleeding or broken, working with the emotional and spiritual aspects of your health issue shouldn't override getting appropriate medical care. It's important to your health you seek appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. Then, work with the spiritual and emotional in conjunction with proper health care - it should supplement it, not replace it. Ignoring a medical issue is never a healthy choice - your body is trying to get your attention. When your body is stabilized, however, you can turn to spiritual and emotional tools to help you find balance. Step #1: Find the chakra the issue is associated with. Every physical issue has an energetic chakra association. In general, physical issues are energetically linked to the chakra in the general region of the body. So leg, feet, hip, and bowel issues, for instance, might be associated with the root chakra (chakra #1), while throat issues, like thyroid disorders, might be linked to the throat chakra (#5). One of my favorite tools for a great snapshot of your chakra energetic system and how it may affect your body, emotions, and spiritual issues is Caroline Myss's Chakras, which is an interactive Flash presentation that tells some of the truths associated with each chakra, briefly highlights the body parts associated, and gives you guidance for examining in depth issues that may be affecting the energetics of that chakra. Step #2: Practice deep self honesty without judgment. Observe and notice. As you begin to examine the issues associated with the chakra you've identified, it's time to be very honest with yourself. I know it's difficult to do this without self-judgment, but it's time to step back, be an observer, and notice the issues without self-judgment. Instead, notice how you feel about certain situations, how issues from your past might affect you, how your behaviors and choices may be affecting the issue, etc. This goes beyond physical - it's important you look at mental, emotional, and spiritual issues associated with these chakras, as well. In the Caroline Myss Flash linked above, there are questions for self-examination for each chakra. MindBodyGreen also has a list of questions for each chakra. Answering them honestly and thoroughly may be very helpful for you, and it may spark other questions you can ask yourself, as well. It may help to write what you notice so you don't forget. Keep digging deeply until you've identified the issues that are affecting that chakra and/or body part. I find there's a sort of "click" when I hit on the right one - this feeling of "ahhhhh....okay." It's a knowing, and your body and spirit will send you an undeniable signal you've hit on it. Step #3: Ask if you're ready to let go. Ask yourself, "Am I ready to release this, or is it still serving me in some way?" If you feel it still serves you, it's important to examine how and why, and if this choice is truly in your best interests or if it is holding you back from what you feel your purpose in life is. Again, non-judgment is critical here. As much as you can, do this from the role of the observer. If feelings arise related to the issues you are bringing up, certainly allow yourself to fully experience those emotions so they don't get stuck in your body, but allow them and move through them without self-judgment and with the intention for self-compassion and love. If you are truly still not ready to let this go, then just be with it and notice when it arises in your life and how it affects you. At some point, you may notice it no longer serves you and decide to move on. If and when that occurs, move on to step 4. Step 4: Set your intent to heal. In self-healing, intention is everything. Noticing is the first step to healing. Letting go is the second. Intending to heal is the third and most powerful. You can do this silently, out loud, while looking in the mirror, in writing, in meditation, or wherever and whenever it feels most appropriate to you. I have a meditation I like to do when I'm setting my intention to heal, and you are certainly welcome to use it if it is something that resonates with you. I close my eyes and visualize the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical issues I've identified as dark shadows in my body. I state my intent to heal, and I allow the dark masses to drain from my body into Gaia (the Earth) where they are absorbed and neutralized. Then, I visualize healing light flowing into me and filling every cell in my body, filling the empty spaces left behind by the dark masses. Step 5: Take appropriate action. If you've noticed what you've discovered requires some type of action, such as making amends to someone else, changing behaviors, etc., it's important you take appropriate action in your life consistently and consciously to meet these needs. Step 6: Express gratitude. It's a true effort from your mind, body, and spirit to help you find blockages and remove them. Give thanks to your body for the warning. Give thanks to your intuition for assisting. Give thanks to your mind and spirit that you are able to intend to heal. Step 7: Use vibrational healing practices for the affected chakra and all other chakras. Moving forward in the days and weeks that follow, I treat that chakra with love and care as I work to strengthen and heal it from the long-term energetic toll the issue has taken on it. I do this with a variety of tools. I use singing bowls, tuning forks, and vocal toning meditations or mantras and mudras (hand positions). I use crystals, essential oils, or movement forms associated with the chakra I'm working to heal and to balance that and all other chakras. I also use energetic healing modalities like Reiki and quantum touch to balance the chakras. I recommend finding vibrational healing practices that resonate with you. Celebrate Your Self Care This is an intensive process. It's not easy - certainly taking a pill is quicker, easier, and less emotionally intensive, but is it really fixing the problem? This process arises from self love and can be the impetus for tremendous spiritual and personal growth. It can remove blockages in your life and allow you to live more fully and vibrantly. It's important to approach it with an attitude of openness and non-judgment, without expectations of results other than those that are in your greatest and highest good. This deep level of self-care is a beautiful thing, and you deserve to love and care for yourself in such a way. Celebrate the self-love this takes, and offer gratitude to every aspect of yourself - body, mind, and spirit - that you are embarking on the process of deep self-healing. photo credit: Hadock Quiet the mind and the Soul will speak photopin (license)
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My last three weeks have been packed. I had the OGC first, and I spoke and taught several classes there. Then the past two weekends I engaged in long days of movement and training to earn my Nia White Belt. In between, I've been working on ghost writing a book for a client, working for my employer, and a few personal projects. I also filed taxes and FAFSA. There was lots going on.
Throughout that time, I struggled with a disruptive health issue. I was frustrated my body wasn't cooperating with me. I sent it love and energy. I visualized. I gave myself Reiki. I affirmed. I begged and pleaded. I used toning and meditation. I resorted to medications to suppress what was going on as patches to get me through. Yesterday after my White Belt graduation, I was reflecting and the simplest idea occurred to me. I needed to ask my body what it needed. So I did, and it told me via intuition and dreams what it wanted and needed. For three weeks, I have ignored my body's signals so I could get through what I wanted, frustrated with its lack of cooperation. I saw my body as being in the way of my work and goals. All the while, my body was trying to get my attention. As I ignored it, it chose increasingly more inconvenient times to signal me until I finally listened and asked what it needed. Today, I feel like I'm on the mend as I meet my body's needs. Before every energy healing session I do with others, I stand at their feet with my hands in prayer position and ask what they need. Then, I am guided to provide that. Yet it never occurred to me to offer myself the same thing. All the tricks in the world won't work if I don't listen to my body. Heard and noted. There's nothing really magical about cleansing rituals - I believe they do as much to reset your mind and help you set intention as anything else. Therefore, while I'll make some specific suggestions, what I tell people who wish to engage in cleansing rituals is that they should listen to their intuition. If something feels appropriate to you and your situation, then do it with the intention to bring about positive change and remove negativity.
The Power of Intention I want to start our discussion of cleansing rituals talking about intention. When working metaphysically, intention is everything. Therefore, your first and most important cleansing ritual is recognizing a pattern of negativity has entered your life and setting the intention to convert the negative energy to positive. Then, you need to continue to re-set that intention until it becomes ingrained. Affirmation and visualizations are both very powerful methods of re-setting intention. A simple intention setting exercise you can perform is this: sit quietly somewhere that you won't be disturbed with your eyes closed. Breathe in deeply and then exhale. As you breathe in, say to yourself, "I breathe in the positive," and visualize positive energy flowing in through your nostrils with your breath and filling your body. As you exhale, say to yourself, "I exhale the negative," and visualize negativity flowing out of your body with your breath. Continue doing this for as long as you feel is appropriate. Then, throughout the day as you notice yourself caught up in the negative energetic patterns, take a moment to briefly close your eyes, place your hands over your heart, take a deep breath, and visualize breathing in the positive (restating the above affirmation) and breathing out the negative (restating the above affirmation.) Another exercise for releasing negativity and converting it to the positive is a simple visualization. Sit or lie comfortably with your eyes closed. Visualize the negativity as dark shadows in your body. Now, watch those dark shadows leave your body, rising out into the atmosphere or flowing down into the earth and dissipating. Next, see white light come from above and surround and fill you completely. Do this for as long as you need to feel the energy patterns shifting. Then, throughout the day as you notice the negativity slipping back in (as it inevitably does) breathe in white light and breathe out dark energy, saying to yourself, "Release." Using Smoke for Cleansing Many people are probably aware of the ritual of burning sacred herbs, such as sage, to transmute energy. Sage is probably the most well-known and commonly burned herb, and many believe it clears negative energy, setting the stage for more positive energy to come in. After burning sage, you'll need to burn another herb to invite positive energy, such as palo santo (my favorite), sweetgrass, or lavender. When burning herbs, you can leave them in the middle of the room to fill the room, or you can walk with a bundle around the house starting at the front door, and making sure the smoke goes around all doors and windows. You can also use incense smoke as a method for clearing energy, or you can burn resins like frankincense or myrrh. Nag champs is a a good incense choice, although you can find incense to be burned for all kinds of purposes in metaphysical stores. Of course since the cleansing rituals are intention based, you can also do something that requires very little, such as light a candle and let it burn. As long as your intention is to signify a change in the energy, this may work, as well. Choose a scent like sandalwood or frankincense, which have sacred properties. Although it isn't technically smoke, you can also diffuse essential oils, choosing oils that have properties of the energy you are trying to bring about. Here's a good link with properties of many essential oils and fragrances: http://www.spiritual-path.com/aromatherapy.htm Cleansing Your Environment Cleansing Your Environment: A cleansing ritual can really be anything that allows you to begin to shift the energy in your life. When you're ready to start to shift energy patterns, it's time to literally clean house. Use scents that uplift you - I recommend happy aromatherapy scents like grapefruit or lemon. Remove clutter, clean out closets, vacuum away cobwebs, and wash your windows so the sunlight or moonlight can enter in to your home. Open the windows and invite in fresh air. Once your environment is sparkling (don't forget your car!), bring in positive energy with objects you love - like a bouquet of flowers or a scented candle. If you're cleansing energy in the wake of a toxic relationship or friendship, remove objects around the house that maintain ties to the other person. Clear out things that may leave you still energetically linked to that other person - such as gifts they've given you that are still around the house. Remove those energetic links by getting rid of the items. Don't just shove them in a closet. Donate them or throw them away. Once you have, replace them with items that invite positive energy - such as crystals, aromatherapy diffusers, photos of beautiful landscapes, or anything that makes you feel positive, happy, and whole. Cleansing Your Environment: Once you have created an environment that makes you feel healthy, happy, and whole, add objects that invite good energy. I have several in my home, placed where I can see them as a reminder of the positive energy I wish to invite. I love aromatherapy diffusers and a few in places where I spend my most time. I make my own blends. I use a blend of mandarin, cinnamon, and clove in one diffuser, and I use a blend from doTerra called Console in another. I also recommend Himalayan pink salt lamps and/or candle votives, which release ions to improve serotonin levels in the brain and boost energy. I keep those where I work as well as in my Reiki studio. Creating Positive Energy Flow Once you have cleansed the energy in your environment, you can create a flow of positive energy throughout your home. How the energy flows throughout your space is important. I once worked with a family whose home had such an awkward layout that the energy came into the house and then just swirled around in the foyer because the house's architectural features and layout didn't allow it to flow freely. There were spots in the house where they had consistent energetic issues (i.e., they felt these were spots where "bad" things always happened.) We were able to help change this energy by placing objects in and around the house to invite the energy to flow throughout and not stagnate. Inviting positive energy into your home starts with the front door approach to your home. Make the approach attractive and free of debris that may block the energy. Having an attractive front porch also puts you and other visitors in a positive place as they approach your home. Living plants are especially helpful near your front entrance, such as on either side of the steps, and a lovely mat invites the energy inside. A small water feature placed near your front door is also excellent for inviting positive energy into your home. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or expensive - just something that moves water to invite the positive energy. Indoors, you can place water features in the entryway to help energy continue to flow. You can also use items like wind chimes, which can keep energy from stagnating. Mirrors and crystals can also help direct energy throughout the space or reflect away negative energy. For example, if when you walk in your front door you have a small foyer and then a sharp turn to a staircase, placing a small mirror at an angle facing both the front door and up the staircase can direct the energy you have invited in up the stairs. Likewise, if you feel you have negativity coming towards your home from a neighboring property, you can use a small mirror to reflect that energy away from your home. Wind chimes set up around tight turns in your home can also help to allow the energy to continue to flow. Placing crystals throughout your home, as well as himalayan salt lamps and other items that make you feel positive and joyful can help keep positive energy flowing. One of the things I recommend doing is, after meditating, walk through your home and make an effort to sense the energy as you move throughout the space. Note where it flows nicely and where it feels stagnant. This is pretty intuitive, so just listen to your inner voice as you do so. Then, sit for a few more moments in meditation after your walk through focusing on the best ways for you to remedy any energy stagnation. Remember, intention is everything here, so there aren't a lot of missteps you can take because it's about creating the energetic environment that is best for YOU and your family. Listen to your inner voice and follow the wisdom it offers. Personal Cleansing Sometimes, what really needs cleansing is your energy. It's easy to get trapped into patterns of negative energy and thinking, so personal cleansing rituals can play a meaningful role in helping you re-set so you're on a more positive track. Again, choose a ritual that is meaningful to you. For instance, try cleansing by fire. No - don't light yourself on fire. Instead, write all your negative thoughts or worries on a piece of paper and burn the paper. Then, replace them with a series of more positive affirmations. A ritual bath may also be valuable for changing personal negative energy patterns to positive. Light candles in your bathroom, turn of the lights, and fill the bathtub with hot water. Add sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and a few drops of an essential oil, such as rosemary. Soak in the bath, imagining all the negativity flowing into the water. Then, pull the plug while you're still in the tub and allow all the negativity to flow down the drain. Once it's gone, get out and dry off. While the water drains, I like to repeat positive affirmations. You can use any other ceremonial cleansing rituals, as well. For example, cleanse yourself with incense or sage smoke, spritz yourself with an essential oil spray, seek an energy healing treatment with the purpose of clearing negative energy, play a singing bowl and bask in the vibrations of the music, take a dip in the ocean or another natural body of water, or dance in the moonlight. The key is to set the intention in your mind that you are now changing your patterns of negativity for a new, positive energy pattern. To many people, the world may feel like a scary and tumultuous place right now, and I understand. I believe we are seeing the push back of darkness (old energy) because so much Light (new energy) has entered via individual's spiritual work.
I believe what is happening is the darkness (old energy) is seeking to create balance with the Light (new energy). I also believe the way to resist the darkness is with our own Light. Darkness is an illusion. It is the absence of Light, but it easily vanishes when you flip a light switch. Stay in the Light. Try to step away from your anger, ego, fear, judgment, and reactions and be the true Lightworker you are. Spread Light, unconditional love, compassion, and peace by recognizing the Light in you and in others. Namaste (नमस्ते)- The term roughly translated means 'the Light in me recognizes the Light in you.' Live in namaste. Focus on the Light and not the dark. When you focus on the dark, you give it power. When I saw the women's marches and how strong, peaceful, loving, and powerful they were, I got chills. This is the new energy - powerful and loving and based in a positive focus about what we DO want, not about what we don't want. The Light always wins, and going through the "battle" leads us to a better place and makes us stronger Lightworkers. नमस्ते Namaste. I love you for the Lights you are. |
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