The Body Knows Better than the Mind?

SBS news: article on experiments on touch typists.

Yoga Workshop, Espern, Hamar, December 2009 - Part Five

Removing the Layers of Illusion

“we are separate”

Removing conditioning. Removing negative thought patterns, removing limiting beliefs.

We have to be careful now, because we are living in a world where advertisers have understood the mind and how we think. That is, to make money, 'they' study psychology. 

‘because you are worth it’… your kids are worth it – worth what exactly?  Worth what? 

Ask yourself this question. What is your worth? And when did you suddenly start believing you could be bought? ‘Everyone has their price.’ What’s your price?  Where is your treasure? That’s where your heart is. (Top of the cupboard, ‘those shoes’. I never wear them but I love to look at them.They make me feel better when I feel sad.) 

Any time a marketer/advertiser talks to you directly to the heart  through the art of advertising, its because they believe they have tapped into the consciousness of the people. They are selling you solutions to your fears and keys to your desires. They are keeping you hostage to your fears and desires.

Understand what I am saying. You have two buttons. 

Fear and Desire

Everything you do is based on these two things. Think about it. Trace your actions back to the original point.

You didn’t want your mother to be angry at you, you were afraid, so you enrolled in the course.

You wanted to look ‘better’ so you coloured your hair because 'she' looked good like that. 

You were afraid the other kids would laugh, so you lied.

We all do it.

Advertisers are a great enemy of self realisation, because they want you to stay a victim to fear and desire. They need you to feel needy, so that you buy things to fill the hole inside of you, and in thanks, you fill up the hole of their bank accounts with a ton of things you don't really need. If you don't believe me, open a cupboard. Do you need that stuff? Really? How much did it cost and how did it get into your house?  And the next cupboard, and your child's room? How many toys and things do they really use at all?

But advertisers are also our greatest teachers. How often do we respond to advertising because it taps into our fears? I don’t look cool enough, I don’t look rich enough, I don’t have the right coloured sofa, my pet is the wrong accessory for me, by breasts are the wrong size or my penis is too short.  ok then, just notice what advertisers  are tapping, embrace it, accept this fear/desire that you have, but take away the action related. We are just watching, observing.

Fear Desire, Desire Fear.

What if I said that yoga will teach you that you already have everything that you need, right now? How does it make you feel? Happy? Bored? Relieved?

We love the sea-saw of our lives. We must, because we keep living the exact same way all of the time. We get angry, then we get sad, then we are depressed, then we say oh well, and then we accept, then we swing up again, and we’re happy, and then, because she said that, we get a bit resentful again.  Its just a bit circle of events.  We are victims to 'them' and 'out there'.  As long as we are victims, we are not equals, we are not brothers and sisters, we are in a position of weakness and always trying to prove our worth. We can not come together from a position of inferiority of not being good enough. 

It’s a constant change. Impressions, feelings, sensations, emotions. They are constantly changing.

Does this make you afraid? To recognise that life constantly changes? That time really does change your memories and how you feel, and it softens the edges of things past.

Do you wish to hold everything exactly as it is right now? For nothing to change. Have you said that before? ‘I wish everything could stay exactly as it is right now?’   Or ‘I wish things could be the same as they were.’

The mind jumps around all the time. Just watch it. Watch it. Observe its motions. Notice the repetitious behaviour of your mind.

Your mind is a wonderful, amazing and undisciplined chit.

When I talk to you about awareness of the mind, I do not mean mind control, in forcing yourself to believe certain things. I just mean that we would like to shift the relationship we have to the mind.

The One that can see the mind jumping about is what we call the Big Self. The mind that jumps about like a monkey, is the little self. So, we say, instead of the Big Self being lead about by the little  self, lets train the monkey mind to become a powerful ally to the Big Self. So that, we can sleep when we want to, we can concentrate when we want to, we can do what is necessary at anytime we want to, without being a victim to the little self’s demands of ‘I want’ and ‘I need’ and ‘its not fair’ and ‘what about me’isms.

And more, if you suffer negative thoughts, if you suffer depression, if you suffer from your mind’s negative patterns, then yoga is going to be your best friend. And guess what, its not going to cost a euro. Just your time and patience.


Part Four of the Workshop 
Part Six of the Workshop 

Advice for Sadhana by Amma

“We are like pure rainwater that has become impure by falling in the gutter. The water in the gutter needs to be cleaned by connecting it to a river, and this is what sadhana does. Even though we are, in reality, the untainted Atman, because we are bound to the gross, physical world, there are impure vasanas (tendencies) present within us. We have to purify our minds by discriminating between the eternal and the ephemeral, and through meditation. And as we are purified by meditating, we grow strong.”

Amma Embracing the world for Peace and Harmony

Healing from a Sufi Perspective

The following is an except from Mystic Saint's Blogspot:

The goal of the Sufi and all spiritual paths is nearness to God. In Sufism this is done via following the Sufi path and practices and Jihad or struggling against the lower self or nafs. It is the lower self that keeps humans distant from God. Islam and Sufism is about surrendering to the will of God through following this path. Once near God, alterations of mechanistic laws may occur. This nearness to Allah is the explanation of so-called miracles performed within religious contexts of ancient times and today.

Spiritual Energy Healing in the Sufi Way

Yoga Asanas are Purification

Yoga is unity and harnessing energy. Yoga is about unity. The enemy of unity, is ‘me, me, me’ thinking.

Asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing) and dhyana (meditation) are ways to clean the body of ‘me, me, me’ so there is more of ‘thee, thee, thee’.

Who is ‘thee’?

The ‘thee’, in this circumstance, is the will of nature, of tao, of the way, of ‘what is’, mindfulness, of the universal consciousness – what ever you’d like to call it.

Every experience we have, every thought, ever action, every moment, we create. The act of creation causes a consequence, repercussions, even if we can’t see it right now. The mind takes in so much information at a moment’s glance, at a moment’s rise or fall in emotion, in an idea – we leave traces of the past where ever we go.

Yoga helps to clean us from the out side in – by releasing the hold the past has on our body tissue. There is a school of thought that suggests the body holds the memories of the past. Not the mind. Our body freezes when we hear certain noises. The ‘feeling’ we have is from our body. The mind is quiet, waiting, while the dinosaur walks past the cave.

Yoga is purification of the mind and body, so that we can move the self aside, and reside in the Self that is unity.

Cleansing Processes

Yoga Journal – purification

Blue Yoga

Three Words On The Way to Unity

Belonging

When we come into our yoga class, we have an opportunity to practice unity. We start by gathering our mind together. Releasing the memories of the day. Letting go of the tomorrow. And we use the presence of our body to bring our awareness into focus.

This is the first level of unity for us during asana practice.

Practicing acceptance

When we resist what is, when we fight it, we are against it. It is different from us. It is something our mind does not want or comprehend and we reject it. This is not yoga.

During yoga practice, let’s say ‘its ok’. Let’s accept our limitations. Let’s understand that getting it ‘right’ or getting it ‘wrong’ is the same thing. It is. If it is – then its ok.

Once we start judging, we can’t see clearly. Once we get emotional, foggy is the word for our vision. One breath at a time. Because it is.

Belonging

Belonging is an extension of acceptance. In savasana (corpse pose) I like to use the words ‘you belong in your body’, or ‘you belong, right here, right now’. There is no other place you should be. Should is a term the mind made up. We want to get closer to the ‘what is’ – not further away. Thinking in terms of ‘should’ turns us away from the centre.

Grasp it. Embrace it. Because it is.

The Human Mind and The Universal Mind

The human mind can’t understand a fragment of it all. Don’t try. The human heart understands. But we have to give up trying to figure stuff out. We just get angry, sick, unhappy, frustrated, depressed and confused.

Breathe through the heart. The world works on an energetic level. Your heart understands it. But listening with your heart is painful. It hurts. It breaks. It tears. And it knows that the bigger it gets, the more it understands. Your heart belongs. It is. Its pulse is the pulse of life. The gentle breeze in the evening. The rhythm of the ocean.

Trust

God or Universal Consciousness – what ever you want to call it – trust it. Because it is. Your mind resists. But when was a human right?

Nature is. It’s a fact. It does its thing no matter what we do to try to stop it. We chop and change and burn and pollute and still flowers bloom. Still the storms come, and still the sun shines.

Because it is – trust it. We change our mind at a moment’s notice. We say we like this, and like that – and if we don’t get it, then change – and what ever – inconsistent and ever changing is the way of the mind. But It – is. Never changing. Always present. It’s the only thing worth putting our trust in.

Acceptance, Belonging, Trust.

Three steps to Unity.

Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom

This is a lovely website, containing information about one woman's search for her take on spirituality. Take a peek. It has some great information.

Yoga Asana Without the Mental Discipline

Today, while beginning my morning asana wake up routine – I opened the right side of my body – and heard this -

We are opening our bodies. We are creating more space within our physical bodies. But as it is above, so it is below – and the corresponding opening is within our mind.

What does that mean?
If we open our mind further, but continue to fill it with the same negative thinking as before, then we create a denser and more powerful version of our selves.
However, if we open our bodies and our minds, and welcome in the ethical and spiritual teachings that make up the totality of yoga – we have a real and honest chance of integration.

My advice
If you practice yoga asana, I want you today, right now, after reading this, find out a bit more about the other limbs of yoga. Discover niyamas and yamas. Learn one little thing at a time. When you read about discipline – don’t quickly move onto another word – stop – learn, discover what that word means to you. Dwell in the information. There’s no rush. Just a little bit every day – til you understand what it means to do yoga.

Remember, if you open your mind, but keep filling it with the same things as you have for the last 5 years, then you just create yourself again – but bigger.

Begin internal questions. Begin looking within. Understand if you just want a prettier body… or if you want to touch something magical – something that will transform you.

That is true alchemy.

The Sensation of Meditation

I’ve been meditating on and off for 14 years.

The beginning
There’s an immediate feeling of layers falling away.
The thoughts chasing each other across my mind fade away and I am instantly aware of the sounds around me. Birds, the wind in the trees, distant traffic.
It all becomes bearable.

My body is quickly at east and soft.

My eyes pick out details and I can see the light and shadow interplay.

The beat of my heart becomes like a reverberating drum I can both hear and feel as the centre of my being. Its beat is the reminder of my life, of my connection, of my energy source. It sends the blood and air through my body, and I watch it, and feel it.

The middle
All is quiet. All is alive. All is.

The end
I begin to hear the birds, and see the leaves move in the breeze. I feel the muscles in my body and my position on my mat. I’m aware of the little smile on my face. I refrain from wishing to hold onto the moment. I let it be… with a little shadow of attachment.

I smile at myself.

Two Energies in Yoga.

a
Mountain Pose in Practice

There are two forces at work.
One is positive and one is negative.
They can be expressed by the Taoist symbol.

One is not more important than the other.
They are interrelated and interdependent.

All of life can be expressed by their interplay.

Hatha Yoga
In hatha yoga, when standing in Mountain Pose, we can tap into these two energies very simply.

* Remember, the exercises in them selves are not magical or a ‘cure all’. The asanas, the meditation, the pranayama – all of these things are tools to help us get to know and express the basic philosophy of yoga – that of unity and wholeness.

Mountain Pose
Try this exercise outside.

Posture
- Feet together or hip distance apart.

- Lift and place the toes. Rock gently from side to side to bring your awareness into your feet.

- As you move up to your knees, see the connection between the feet, though the calf and up into the knee. See, in your minds eye, the connection and flow of skin, blood, and bones.

- Lift and tighten the knees.

- Pull up the thighs.

- Remember, while everything is lifted and aware – it is still ‘ light and strong’, rather than ‘tense and brittle’. Feel the difference.

- Tuck the tail bone through – we want the jutting hip bones and the pubic bone on a similar vertical plane.

- Take in a deep breath. As you breath out, gently draw the lower muscles of your stomach in.

- Lengthen through the spine. Long and tall.

- Keep the movements soft, gentle and smile a little with love and care towards your body.

- Lift the shoulders up, roll them back and gently let them settle into place. Check your ribs don’t stick out.

- Relax your arms beside your body

- Lengthen through the back of your neck.

- Soften the face. Soften the back of the neck and head. Soften the jaw. Relax the eyes.

The meditation
Once you are comfortable in your pose. Once you have breathed and felt your body. Take a slightly different perspective. See yourself as one person, standing on the face of the earth. Your feet are connected to the earth. Your head is reaching up towards the sky.

Now, as a matter of fact, you are now in the position for being the perfect conduit for the two energies – just as you stand. The earth is heavy, dark and passive. The sky is light, bright and active.

Begin with your feet. Begin to draw up the energy through the earth up into your body. As you begin to feel ‘something’ – visualize the great expanse of the sky above you. Imagine the energy of the sky begin to pour into your body through your head.

Keep both energies flowing up into your body.

They meet in your centre. In your navel. Your navel is the meeting point for the two energies. You are the perfect vessel to hold these two energies in balance in your body.

Breath.

Continue your practice.

Living Yoga Off the Mat

Yoga is Unity.

The study of yoga, is the study of unity.

When we, in the West, study yoga, we often mean that we study poses, or asanas. Asanas are a part of hatha yoga, but by no means, its entirety.

Asana based yoga focuses on learning poses, and people are often drawn to it for the positive physical effects of disciplined training. They may, at a later date, discover other positive side effects from practicing asanas.

In contrast, the concept of living yoga off the mat is taking the philosophy of yoga (its foundation stone of unity) with us, even when we roll up our mat. This concept is for people who are interested in putting the theory of unity into ‘real life’.

It includes the study of the self in relationship to itself, the family, friends, society and the world. It includes the study of unity with regards to the environment, politics, sociology, science and religion. It is, in the broadest terms, the study of the application of unity to life itself.

Unity does seem to infer the concept of integral ‘oneness’ or wholeness at some stage of existence.

However, if we are to deal with the reality of the sense of ‘self’ that we experience, the sense of our own individuality, then we need to come to an understanding of how to bridge the gap between me and you, rather than to go into further discussions about why and how we feel isolated. At this point in time, this blog needs to set some boundaries for its expression. There are many other places to discover the why and how of the individual’s sense of isolation.

This idea, of living the philosophy of yoga, is for people who already believe in the philosophy of yoga, and wish to learn, to discuss, to create and be the embodiment of their belief.

I’ll label future posts dealing with this subject as ‘off the mat’.

I created a group on facebook called 'Living Yoga Off The Mat'. If this topic seems relevant to you, consider yourself invited. You need to be signed in to facebook to access this link.

Three Blogs!

The trinity.

The three is actually, just the one.

Suddenly I have three blogs. It wasn’t intentional, but somehow they have evolved, and if I am honest with myself, they represent three categories.

Patheya.blogspot – Body orientated news (body)

On being human – What I’m thinking about (mind)

The death of me – My current spiritual/philosophical outlook (spirit)

The topics are interrelated, but sometimes I’m focusing on one aspect of the self above the other. So, if you are a reader of one of these blogs, perhaps its worth knowing about the others, just to have a better overview of what’s happening.

At this moment in time, I’m focused on my spiritual outlook to life, so the patheya.blogspot hasn’t been receiving as much attention as it once did. The thing about life is it seems to go in cycles… so I’m sure my energy will be focused on the body again in time.

I wanted to apologise to anyone who may have expected more articles and news in the patheya blogspot. You are more than welcome to take a peek into the other blogs for a bit of interesting reading.

As always, comments welcome.

Exercise for the mind

Its time to get some balance into the ‘healthy’ equation.

What ‘s the point of having a strong and health body if your mind is a slob?

Readers of this blog believe in holistic health, and yet, we focus on the health of the body, and submit our selves to a life of spending money we don’t have to buy goods we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.*

Does this sound like you? Just think about the last three items you bought. Were they to gain admiration from people you don’t respect anyway? Could you really afford the last luxury item you purchased, or did it chain you further to your bank and to your job?

We are blinding ourselves with the power of our credit cards. It’s a band aid effect to help us cope in a world where we see hypocrisy, lies, uneven wealth distribution, shocking overseas news, fallen family values, deceitful friends and unfaithful lovers.

Just put the brakes on.

Just say stop.

I’ve seen people thrashing it out on the treadmill. I’ve seen people at body pump classes struggling with something more than wanting a tighter back side. And I’ve seen yoga students dealing with a lot more than joint flexibility.

We’re talking a reassessment of our values. We’re talking about prioritizing our time. We’re talking about living our yoga off the mat. We’re talking authenticity for our ‘ideals’. The very things we, in our heart, believe in.

Healthy body
- exercise in moderation (or a little more, not less)
- fresh, healthy food
- fresh air and out door activity
- sunlight in moderation

Healthy mind
- be aware of what you spend your time doing. Is it contributing to the health of your mind, or is it making you more paranoid?
- Be careful not to read beauty magazines – they sell you products that are overpriced and values that in your heart, you can not believe.
- Is the TV repeating fearful stories? Is it telling you to hope for when you win the lottery? Is it telling you that you need to buy more? Turn it off.
- The internet is a wonderful world. What do you spend your time doing? Looking at celebrities? Looking at Hollywood movie reviews selling more superficial values and idealism of romance?
- What do you talk to your friends about? Are you criticizing other friends? Are you being supportive? Dou you dislike your friend because they seem prettier than you?
- What does the voice say inside your head? Is it positive, or complaining?
- Are you always tired and don’t know why?

Then stop the lies. You know what I’m talking about. Stop lying. Stop living a lie. Stop telling yourself lies. Stop telling your children lies.

Don’t take the easy way out. Leave it to someone else to do. They can’t make you a healthy mind. Just like nobody can come and take your yoga class for you. You’ve got to do it yourself.
Balance. Healthy body. Healthy mind.


* Rewritten quote from Affluenza by Clive Hamilton, Richard Denniss (2005)

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The Missing Link

I’m afraid.

I’m missing something.

There’s a piece of information that just doesn’t click into place.

I’m a mind and body teacher. This infers that I study and teach methods that unite the mind and the body. That unite ideas with action. And I’m stuck.

There is a piece in the link that doesn’t make sense to me. The space between ‘I know what I’m doing is bad for me, but I’m going to do it anyway.’ And I’m not just talking about everyone else. I’m talking about me too. That’s how I know for sure. Cause it happens to me too.

But what is it?

A woman knows that smoking is bad for her. Absolutely, without a doubt, knows it, but still lights up.

A boy knows that being worried about spiders in his bed, in his clothes, on the couch, on the floor makes him act with painful nervousness. Even if he only sees one spider a week, and that one outside in a tree, it doesn’t help. He still worries.

A man knows that his body is getting fatter, and he’s losing his youth by sitting at a computer all day at work, and sitting in front of the tv all evening. He knows it. He sees it in photos that are being taken. But he still does it.

I know that caffeine in espresso shots makes my heart race and interferes with meditation and yoga practice. I know that I need to drink more water because my lips are dry and I’m thirsty. But I don’t do it. Even though I know for a fact that its good for me to stop drinking half the amount of coffee I drink, and to increase my water intake. (I now go and drink a glass of water)

So what is it?

What creates change?

Well, in the case of the smoker. Her story changed when the doctor discovered a hole in the back of her throat. Cancer. He said if she didn’t stop, she’d die for sure. She also suffers emphysema, and needs medication every day to keep it in check.

So do we need the imminent toll of punishment and doom to kick us into gear? Is that the only way to give ourselves the kick up the posterior that we all seem to need, in varying degrees of impact?

What creates change?

Some times its circumstances. If we change our daily habits, we can change the triggers that make us want to do the ‘negative’ thing. (Its not a ‘bad’ thing. It’s a ‘negative’ thing, something that has a negative impact on our lives.) For example, if I start reading a novel, then I like to sit down with a latte or cappuccino. I could change the drink. I could change the place I start to read the book. I could start by just being aware of the circumstances that produce the negative behaviour. (By the way, I love coffee. I’m not saying to you that you can’t drink it. I’m just talking about coffee’s impact on my body. Other people don’t have the same biological responses to one shot of espresso that I do.)

In the case of the man who’s body was falling into disuse and increased amounts of body fat. He decided that instead of driving his car to work, he would walk or ride his bike, depending on how much time he had in the mornings. He still drove when it was raining, but it was a start. And its no story of a miracle cure. He still sits in front of the computer or the tv all day. But he does get out a bit for a walk every now and then.

Fear

Fear of death. Fear of punishment. Fear of society’s scowl. Fear of being uglier. Fear of turning out like our parents.

One of the reasons I began meditating in the first place was in direct reaction to NOT wanting to be like my mother.

The straw that broke the camel’s back

One man I spoke to said he changed his lifestyle because there was only so much of wishing and wishing that you could do. It acts like a pressure cooker. It builds up steam and then ‘pop!’ You’re off and away.

I guess that’s the typical explosion that puts a stop to negative relationships. It’s a gentle ticking that builds up into some sort of time bomb… Just waiting for the right minute.

Sudden inspiration

People say, ‘oh, I don’t know what made me do it. It just kind of happened.’ This is a mysterious one. Some people seem more likely to do impulsive changes than others.

Ok, so there are a few ways to change. But, what makes change so difficult?

Inertia. Laziness. The TV. Society promotes stability. Fear. Better the devil you know. Lack of motivation. Lack of really caring. What’s the point. Not seeing the effect of your actions. Not looking at life from a long term perspective. Just have fun. Don’t worry about the future. Seeing the future as so so far away. Living with the Hollywood mentality of young and free and stupid and beautiful (but having fun and looking good cause if you’re old iiiiiik) But my friends. But my family. But my children. Nobody understands me. Following the patterns of someone else. Living a life a magazine tells me is the ‘right’ thing to do. Not thinking. Not taking responsibility for ourselves. Expecting someone else to do it for you.

I think a lot of our inertia problems, and it’s the big one for me, is that there was no initiation into adulthood. Nobody said, well, now, you will be responsible for your life. Do you understand what that means? Nobody explained what it meant to be a human. The learning parts. The progress of baby, child, teenager, young adult, adult, mature adult, senior. So if I look out into the world for role models, for something to build a future on, what do I see?

Well, personally, I see my mother. Who, earlier, didn’t do a good job. So I ejected that one.

I see my father. He wasn’t too crash hot either. Eject button.

I look at my grandmother. She was obsessed with cleaning the house, she had no life outside of checking specials at the supermarket and vacuuming. Eject.

TV? MTV? Girl magazines? I didn’t want to be a boy toy. I don’t want to learn the secrets of flirting or how to shake my booty. I don’t really care about the newest concealer or who is dating who. Its not striking a chord with me. EJECT.

So dig further, but it takes time. And slowly you start to find your way. And change is often viewed in the society as a sign of instability and anarchy. Its untrustworthy. So you have to fight that too.

Change. Ever widening gyre. It spreads the good in ever widening circles.

I’m not sure I’m any closer to the answer.

What stops you?
What motivates you?
What makes you change?
What’s made a difference?

Qigong in a Rain Forrest

I love to do yoga and qigong outside. Its not just the fresh air that’s so beneficial, it’s the play of the environment on your senses.

Last week we were visiting Mapleton Falls National Park. Its inland, between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia.

I practiced qigong breathing exercises and completed half of the Lohan form before mosquitoes made their presence felt.

The air is dense and heavy with humidity. You can smell the earth and the creation with each breath. The interplay of yin and yang is emphasized. My movements were soft and fluid.

Yin and Yang

Qigong is the interplay of opposites. The breathing in and out. The movements are always finding the balance between the two. In a rainforest, we’re dealing with the heavy wet earth. The yin is emphasized. But as you breath in and reach upwards, towards the sky and the yang element, one can almost feel the yearning of the young thin trees reaching for the sun.

We’re held down on the earth. We’re heavy and grounded. But the sun and the light pulls us upwards in a never ending interplay.

Finding the balance between the two. Moving with the flow. Allowing the breath its full range, and keeping the body soft and gentle.

And don’t forget the insect repellent.

For more on Lohan Qigong

Tips for Relaxation

Steps to Relaxation

- Relax your head. Feel your face muscles, your scalp and even your hair relax. Notice your jaw and the backs of your eyes.

- Relax your shoulders. Move them back if you need to. Feel the line from your ears to the ends of your shoulders become softer.

- Relax your chest and front part of your body. Let there be space in your chest. Mentally follow the curve of your breasts. Feel how natural your breathing is.

- Relax your back. Feel all the muscles loosen. Notice the back of your skull.
Relax your upper limbs right down to the finger tips. Wriggle your fingers to help them loosen up. Release tension from your mouse hand and forearm.

- Relax your lower limbs right down to your toes. Feel all your tension running out of the soles of your feet. Let your mind be aware of the groin and inside of your thighs. Relax your centre.

- After you have relaxed your whole body. Relax your thoughts. Breath deeply, and on every out breath, let your body softened and release.

Induced Chi Flow

Feel the Flow

recommended for intermediate qigong students

What is it?

This is a method of Qigong training. A practitioner increases the flow of chi (energy) in the body, and allows the chi to direct the body's movements for self healing.

How? (notes taken from SIFU WONG KIEW KIT'S Book The Art of Chi Kung)

Begin by standing relaxed and upright. Place your middle finger (left for men and right for women) on your dan tien and gently press about ten times. Then drop your finger to your side.

Use the other middle finger (right for men and left for women) to gently massage the baihui vital point, at the crown of your head, about five times. Then drop the finger to your side.

Perform a simple two breath qigong exercise about 15-20 times. Pause between each sequence to feel the chi flowing down your body.

Perform a different two breath qigong exercise 15-20 times. Pause between each round to feel the chi flowing through the body.

Stand relaxed with your eyes gently closed. If you are already swaying or moving follow the movements gently, don’t go against them. The movements are enjoyable and agreeable. To begin with your eyes are closed.

If you are not moving, then imagine a cascade of energy running down your whole body, and enjoy the pleasant tingling feeling, if you feel it.

If you start to move too vigorously, tell yourself gently to slow down. You are always under the control of your mind. Remain calm.

When you’re ready to stop, then stop slowly and gracefully. Its that simple.

Chi self massage at the end of the session and walk about briskly.

For more information about this technique, click below -

http://www.wongkk.com/general/chuah.html

Personally

I love it.

I find it the most effective way to clean my body. I like to trust my body and allow it to move into positions it knows will benefit my health. I feel refreshed and positive when i've finished.

What happens?

After a short amount of time (and I have been practising for over 12 years), I feel the heat and energy of my body begin to swell and take over my actions. I allow the heat to move and direct my physical motion.

Often my head falls backward, stretching my thoat and releasing energy in the throat energy centre. I learn about my self from the sessions. I am face to face with the negative build up in my body. I see directly the relationship between my mind and body.

If my throat is hurting, or swelling, it is usually in direct relationship to my inability to express myself, or it can represent something 'negative' I have said. The energy builds up in my body and i can feel it.

After some time, anywhere up to 30 minutes is usually enough, I wake slowly and regain full control of my senses

How Often?

Once a week is enough, for me, for health maintanence. More for spiritual and meditational growth.

Stress Reduction - a discussion

Identify your stress triggers and learn how to reduce stress and increase energy.

Regain your sanity!

Introduction of stress and what it is and how it feels.

What is stress?
When confronted with a stressful situation, adrenalin starts pumping, your muscles tense, your senses heighten. Your body is primed to deal with stress in two ways – fight with your utmost strength and energy, or run away as fast as possible. It helps you by giving you energy, quickens your response rate, your mind is sharper and clearer. If you recognise the sense in your body and move with the energy release you can enhance performance in whatever you do.

As its part of my job, I’m practising awareness of stress in my daily life, and observing stress in others. I’m quick to see the obvious effects in my family and friends, in people I see down the street, in films and, as I travel, in people from different cultures.
When, as a teenager, I began to understand the effects stress was having on me, I quickly began to research methods to alleviate the problem. I was suffering severe migraines and had already been on daily ‘what if’ painkillers for two years before I understood how important it was for me to take responsibility for my own health.
I was stressed about the world in general. I felt unsafe and uncomfortable. I was angry and unreasonable, bitter and hurt. And these emotions compounded into insufferable migraines where at 17 years of age I was laying on a bed, unable to move my head for the pain of a hint of the dimmest light or the slightest noise produced.
I began to facilitate awareness of stress triggers.

Now, the problem is not stress itself. Its when the fight or flight response is engaged too often that we see the adverse effects. Bodies can only take so much stress and if you take too much your body and mind will break down. Maybe you’ll get sick, collapse from exhaustion, or loose enthusiasm. Our day to day world constantly bombards us with stressful situations. Our culture rewards those working under pressure. We want over achievers, high powered, assertive and I can do any thing types.

Where does stress come from?
What events typify your stress trigger?

Stress Triggers include
- thoughts (power of the mind),
- memories (negativity is usually translated as heaviness in the body)
– cars
- demands
- deadlines
- children,
- guilt
- money
- bills
- parents
- then the pressure of the social world
- what we look like

The list is endless and customised for each person.


Does the stress comes from outside of us? -from other people or things we can’t control? Ask yourself if you can honestly do anything about it?
And the answer is, often, no.
so… if we can’t change what is happening to us, what do we have control over?
Our selves and our reactions. Our responses.

What happens when your body begins to stress?

The immediate effects include
increase heat
begin to sweat
heart rate increases
internal focus, senses heightened
urge to urinate
breath quickens and becomes shallow
pupils dilate
muscle tension – stomach, shoulders, hands

In the long term, stress contributes to
poor sleeping patterns and/or insomnia
anger
frustration
head aches
heart palpitations
hypertension- high blood pressure which can cause arteries to harden, kidney damage
nervousness
blood flow increases to muscles and brain
depression,
cancer


Questions to answer.
How do you currently deal with stress?
What does stress make you feel?
What relaxes you?

Why reduce stress?
Because its detrimental to health, work and relationships. Stress reduces interest in sex, decreases vitality.
Reducing stress in the work place will increase production and your analyzing skills will improve.
Your family, relationships will improve- decrease in anger, frustration – increase in appreciation. Observational skills will improve.


Introducing the mind/body relationship

– postural signatures – body language – holding tension in the body
How are you sitting now?
Recognizing other people’s postural habits as a way to see your own.
When we learn to tune into our bodies, we can recognize stress immediately.
We can decrease stress physically. The mind and body relationship is powerful.
Emotional states have their physical correlation. Physical states create emotion. Its been suggested that the memory of emotions are not located in the brain, but in patterns of proprioceptive activity in the muscles… for example – one’s experiences are literally embodied. Postural signatures, our reactions to stress are learnt, learnt, learnt! And then memorized and repeated.

Understand the relationship between your mind and body. How positivity, like happiness, makes us feel good, and how worry creates tension and pain. Is this true?

Activate self responsibility and self awareness.

Some stress management options
Qigong,
Yoga,
Meditation,
Affirmations,
Massage, (Self massage; scalp, forehead, cheeks, eyes, mouth, neck, shoulders, hands feet)
Acupuncture,
Atmosphere (lights, aroma, music, colours)
Exercise,
Humour,
Sleep.


Relaxation Exercise

Lie down or lean back in a comfortable chair. Yours hands are loose by your sides. Close your eyes. Clear your mind of thoughts. Smile from inside. Take several breaths. Slow and relaxed. Smile from inside your heart.

Repeat to yourself ‘I am going to enjoy deep relaxation for five minutes. When I come out of the meditation I will feel fresh and calm.’

When you feel that five minutes are over, gently stretch your body awake. Open your eyes. Massage your face. You will feel fresh and calm. Practise this daily for the greatest benefits.


It is not stress that is the problem.
It’s how we handle stress that needs attention.

Stress down combining elements from stretch, breathing awareness and visualization techniques
How do you deal with stress? Think about a situation - - -
Learn about yourself. Know thyself. – you hold the key to your greatest journey, your greatest discoveries. The unknown territory of the self.
What relaxes you?
Can you think of ways you could deal with stress that would be more ideal? Humour?


Points to consider in reducing stress.
Place options into temporary and long term solutions.
Lifestyle
Nutrition
Exercise
Self time
Escape?
Holidays (get a way from the ordinary stress triggers)
Massage (release of muscle tension)
Exercise releases positive endorphins in the body, creating a high, known to reduce stress
Relationships - loving, supporting, caring, sex…
Pet – love, caring
Guidance /counseling – pool of humanity, learning from each other, finding the right guide.
Identifying where stress is coming from
What situations trigger stress
Affirmations. Note! The subconscious doesn’t know you’re joking…. What is your self description- the main thing you heard as a child- you’ve heard it over and over until it’s the truth. Recreate your self image using self affirmations – golden rule – in the present tense.
Time management
Music sensory
Shopping – feels good at the time. Temporary. Can become an addiction. Self mirrored in possessions…
Drugs – temporary, addiction, can help people through certain periods in their life. .difficult stages
Partying – escape… abandonment , giving up of responsibility
Escape/movies – escape/leisure
Sauna – relaxation, heat takes tension out of the body, relieves muscles
Retreats – most common problem is learning to bring what we have learnt from a retreat into the ‘real’ world. Useful. Inspirational.
Reinforce your learning
express gratitude
compassion
writing
singing shouting affirmations
enjoying exercise
love!
love of the self
valuing the self
visualization
mental imagery
reading
studying
Keeping a diary – reviewing the day

More TOOLS!

Stretching is one of the most efficient ways of exploring ourselves and our inner states. You will experience yourself in the present as each instant goes by.. As you practice, you are remaking proprioceptive maps of yourself, and you are finding new ways to resolve those places in your body that suffer the reactions to the stresses of daily life.

Yoga - some mental stress can be physically worked out in the asanas. Concentrating on body awareness during asana practice gives a mental break from worrying about other things… long savasana releases mental and physical tension. Pranayama calms the nervous system.
If you practice asanas close to your edge, you can momentarily boost the sympathetic nervous system (involved in flight or fight response) and therefore you are dealing with stress in a safe, controlled way. With conscious breathing. . . then you follow up with restorative poses- you then activate the rest and repair response from the parasympathetic nervous system … you become calm and relaxed. Heart beat slows, respiration steadies, blood pressure drops. Stress hormones are decreased and healing mechanisims in the body are turned on.

Qigong emphasis on posture and breathing accounts for reduction in muscular tension and stress. Practitioners report greater ability to cope with fear and anxiety. Physical benefits are reflected in their mental attitude. Helps to neutralize stress, rather than resist it. Qigong practitioners report less tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion and anxiety – they feel more vigorous and had less mood disturbances. Boosts the immune system, maximizes the body’s full potential to regenerate healthy cells which slow the aging process. Promotes deep acceptance and self awareness.

Self responsibility and self awareness.

Exercises
Write down some words: home, family, work, self (desires, needs, wants), social, study, leisure
Then put that group into sub divisions, for example - Home – children, cleaning, cooking, responsibility
What produces unproductive stress for you?

Then, write up an ideal scenario – write up a way to get it.

Discussing what self esteem is based on.
Learning patterns from parents… we thought out parents knew what they were doing - they didn’t. Welcome to the greatest myth of childhood - Responsible Parents. Self must be responsible for the self’s actions and life style


Mind control – Why? How? Exercises.
Why self awareness – higher awareness, participation and observation of life.
Increases opportunities, Observing the self in action. Feels good, no – feels great! Vision is clearer, our ears open to listen, our eyes open to see.
Increasing self awareness – why? (no longer random, you choose, environment no, but your response..)
Perspective – artist
Stretching the body stretches the mind. Using the different tools to create the same outcome – self awareness, balance, clarity of thought, deeper insight, enhanced creativity. ‘yoga offers a a safe environment to challenge yourself – to your own limit.’
become aware of the chatterbox…. Incessant criticizing, talking, observing, judging good and bad.. /proud of our chatterbox (wit, personality)-----?
Turn off the chatterbox. When its gone you experience happiness without labeling it as such. It turns off naturally when you are immersed in being rather than thinking of being….
How? Through self awareness. Breath control…

Step one – self awareness through exercise. Getting to know the body, the breath, feeling your body talking to you. Listening! Respect / love – of the self.
Step two – becomes second nature. The mind stills, observes, and vision becomes clear, uncluttered, focused – all senses heightened – yet the body is involved with everything and still the mind is still peaceful, being- aiming to increase this feeling for longer periods each day.

Stress down combining elements from stretch, breathing awareness and visualization techniques
Consider spinal awareness, feldankrais, pilates, mensendik…..

Pointers to remember
Learn to delegate and prioritize (don’t make others helpless and needy by your need to organise and be in control)
Learn to recognise your stress triggers and how to deal with them. Knowledge is power!
Is your self esteem based on looks, or possessions, and what you do… rather than being? Focus on being.
Retain a child’s ability to be joyful

Where does bound less energy come from?

Love!

Because when we love to do it, nothing is difficult.

Holistic Health Consultant

What’s a holistic health consultant?
It’s a mind and body practitioner. Someone who has studied holistic health and can apply their knowledge to clients with specific problems. ‘holistic health’ is a way to view the mind and body as one. In other words, holistic health consultants may ask you about your diet, your regularity, your exercise, your daily life, your thoughts, your dreams, the things that motivate you. Holistic health consultants understand that if you have a head ache, a pain relief tablet is ONLY masking the pain. A pain relief tablet is a temporary measure. A holistic health consultant wants to know why you have those headaches, and will do their best to give you advice that will help you regain your health so you don’t need pain killers again.

They offer
specialized programs designed to suit your needs using an integrated holistic approach to health and well being.


Stillness fosters awareness.
The aim is to harmonize body, breath, mind and spirit


Your program could include treatment methods like

Hatha yoga
Qigong
Self massage
Massage
Chinese medicine
Stress management
Time management
Stretching
Meditation
Breath control
Concentration exercises
Self awareness techniques
Pilates
Feldenkris
Homeopathy
Aromatherapy
Reiki

Who are Holilstic Health Consultants for?
Everyone who is interested at digging up the root of the problem. We treat the cause of the problem, not the symptoms.