May Day – An Inner Ritual of Unwinding and Renewal May Day Greetings Friends
We did it, we made it to SPRING – to MAY – YEAH !! Traditionally this was a day to gather and celebrate the return of spring, the start of the growing season (for Northern Hemisphere cultures), and a time to connect to the Spring Energy of clearing, cleansing, making way for the NEW. These gatherings often included a May Pole dance. Where dancers would each hold a twine or ribbon, attached to a tall pole or live tree, and dance a dance that created a woven design on the pole or tree. And then dance in reverse to unwind it all. The image of the May Pole dance has been coming up for me a bunch in the last few weeks. Both for myself, and my own inner spring “cleaning” self care rituals and ceremonies, as well as working with my beloved clients in managing their energy fields and bodies. Your energy, your life-force (your prana, your chi) flows though you in pathways, streams. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) calls them meridians. In Yoga & Ayurveda we call them nadis (Sanskrit for stream or channel). The metaphor is like a garden hose that water flows through…your energy, your inherent life force flows through these pathways, these rivers of life, these “tubes”. Keeping prana flowing freely through the nadis is one of the big benefits of the practice of yoga (as chi flow is for Qi-Gong and Tai Chi). We know that knots or tightness in the multidimensional body leads to diminished energy flow in the channels. There are thousands and thousands of these nadis in your human energy field. In yoga philosophy, we describe the master nadi, the main river of life as the central channel that runs along the length of the spine. We use this sushumna nadi as the master attuner for the energy field. When prana is free flowing in it, then all the others attune to this master rhythm. Imagine your spine and your central channel as the May Pole. And the ribbons and the dancers represent every thing that has ever danced its way across your life and your attention field. Everything you have ever heard and said. Every single experience you have had. Each one has the potential to wind around you, like a maypole ribbon, interwoven within your multi dimensional body mind soul field. If you have enough of the ribbons wrapped tightly enough it impedes the free flow of your energy. We all know that feeling of being “all bound up” by a memory or an emotion or a thought. And having this binding translate over the physical body. Yoga literature calls these The Granthis. The Sanskrit word granthi means “knot” or “doubt” and also means “an especially difficult knot to untie.” There are three major granthis to untie as you progress your way through freeing your flow of energy. One in your lower abdomen/lower spine that is said to correlate with fear, anxiety about survival, base needs (food, clothing, shelter), feeling grounded. The second is between the navel and the heart, around the base of the ribs, and this knot is associated with your personal power and “I AM” presence. The third is described as being in the forehead, around the third eye, and the knots there inhibit the flow of clear seeing and thinking, and mire you in illusion and doubt. (if you want to read more this is a good resource article https://jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm/untying-knots-bind-us/) How do we proceed to unwind these knots?? There are many prescribed methods in the practice of yoga, and you are free to research and follow any one of these that resonate for you. I am not going to recommend those yoga traditional methods (like applying the bhandas and doing severe or austere actions to burn them away). I find those personally to actually bind me up further, and are just not that pleasant. I find that what helps me personally is making things super FUN and JOY filled. We can follow the lead of our ancestors who danced the dance of the may pole at this time of year to unwind and release. May Pole Inner Ritual of Unwinding and Renewal Take a few moments to yourself to breath, ground and center. Connect to your core. Connect to the core of the earth and get grounded. Sit or lie or stand still, and breathe, watch allow what you notice in your body. What part of your body can you feel first? Which part is speaking to you the loudest right now? You might ask it what it may be holding, or communicating, and then take a moment to listen. Follow the flow of your sensations to notice feel and allow your awareness to flow with several body parts or areas of the body. And include the mind/thoughts and your emotions as things to notice and be aware of. While some knots will appear in the physical body, many others will present in the mental body or emotional body. Put on a song – pick a thematic match to what you are feeling, or a song that helps you move and groove, any speed, and genre, your choice. Or make a playlist of several favorites. Rub your hands together and get your energy flowing, then place your hands where they are called to go, anywhere on the body or in the air or on the ground. There is no prescribed way to best do this, and the most potent will be a self directed experience, a ceremony of meditation in motion. Then move your hands in such a way that you begin to unwind. Pull, push, sweep wipe the energy away. Dance, stomp, prance, using arms legs spine, whole body. Twirl, whirl and unwind these invisible ribbons, cut the threads that tie and bind you. Get out your machete or chain saw (imaginary!!). Bathe yourself in light or flame. Douse yourself with oil or water. Smudge your field with sage or herbs. Use a spray of water and essential oils. Or paint or write, there are as many ways to do this as there are individuals. Find your style, your method for this May Day. Make it fun, make it powerful. Make it joyful and potent. You will get the inner sign when you are complete. Then call in – light, love, joy, new fresh spring energy! Let that flow of renewal energy flood your field and nurture you at every level. Honor yourself and your journey, and sit or stand quietly again and see how you feel now. How much you have shifted your vibration and created free flow in your field. Happy May Day! !* * PS – do this anytime this week or month, or anytime you need it, we are free of the old style of “having to do this on a certain date”. We are operating in unity field, so anytime you are able is the perfect time
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Balance Your Energy Flow with the Five VayusThe Five Vayus – The Winds of Life – Energy Currents Prana is life force, the primal and vital energy of life. Prana is the animating intelligence of the universe. Creation flows or breathes this force into every living being. Prana follows patterns and flows in ways we can learn and master. Just as the earth has streams and rivers and oceans that circulate the planet’s water, and the atmosphere has streams that direct air flow and drive weather patterns and moisture in the atmosphere, your body and energy field has currents of air and prana and energy flow that you can actively work with to embody balance. Just by learning about these flow directions, and bringing your awareness to how they move energy thru your body and field already is creating balance within. You can also use pranayama (energy aligning breathing techniques) and visualizations to direct these currents for smooth free balanced flow. Prana (life-force) can be subdivide into 5 constituent flows with distinct directions and characteristics. Ayurveda calls these the Vayus (the Winds). Prana-Vayu flows in and upward Apana-Vayu flows down and outward Vyana-Vayu flows from core to periphery (center to edge, centrifugal) Samana-Vayu flows from the periphery to the core (edges to the center- centripetal) Udana- Vayu flows all around, swirling whirling spirals Here is a diagram to show these flowing current patterns…. (note the color code of above list to the picture) Currently, in Spring of 2018, we are under some heavy influences of wind. There have been storms and blowing currents and intense weather throughout the planet most of March and April. And currently there is a solar wind blowing from the sun towards earth. We live in a constant influx of media and information. All of these are having a cumulative effect of overly activating the Prana-Vayu (pictured in purple). An over excited updraft of Prana-vayu can lead to: - increase of anxiety, swirling thoughts and an overactive mind, trouble settling the mind down at the end of the day, trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Headaches, jaw stiffness and pain, teeth “stuff” (esp molars), sinus pressure, pressure behind the eyes, vision fluctuations, frayed and wiry nervous system – generalized feelings and ungrounded-ness and trouble settling yourself. We can balance out this tendency in many ways. Therapeutically, we would target both soothing out and softening the over predominance of the “updraft”, along with opening the downward flow in the Apana-Vayu channels – to help you ground, soothe and get steady. We need to give the “extra” energy that is flowing up and out a pathway down and in for balance. Here is a list of some of my favorites and most easy to use and effective techniques… To pacify and soothe an overactive Prana-Vayu - Keep yourself warm, keep your feet warm, use hats, scarves, shawls on your head and neck/shoulders - Eye pillow, to rest the eyes and relax the muscles, warm eye pillow even better - Enjoy periods of quiet with minimal stimulation (avoid TV, media, reading etc esp right before bedtime) - Warm baths, self massage with oil, eating a bit more healthy fat (avocados, healthy oils) – keep yourself lubricated - Warm beverages (tea, lemon water, spiced chai minus caffine) And, then we stimulate the Apana-Vayu to open the channels of “down and out”: - Foot massages, rolling a ball under soles of feet, grounding feet to earth - Self massage or use of balls on the Marma points at top of shoulders, top of thighs, sole of feet - Thigh stretches, particularly ones that focus on seating the head of the thigh bone deeper into the hip socket. Forward bends, standing poses, restorative yoga poses, Constructive Rest position. - creating ceremony to release unwanted thoughts and energy patterns If you would like some personalized advice and assistance getting your mind clear and balanced, and getting grounded and steady, an Inner Space Journey is a great way to balance the 5 Vayus, give yourself a spring tune up, and ensure your energy and inner wind currents are flowing smoothly. I am also offering a classes on April 15 at Inner Space called "Ground on Down" to hold space and offer tools and techniques for balancing the 5 vayus, specifically opening the Apana-Vayu. There is a class in person, and an online version so everyone who wants to participate can connect in. Click here for details... Hridayam - The I AM Center - The high HeartGreeting Friends and Light Beings! I am writing to you today to talk about the current energetic gateway into the heart. I have been feeling for myself an increased activation of the cosmic heart center. This heart space has been called the Spiritual Heart, the Universal Heart, the high heart. The month of January was very active for incoming energy codes and information to planet earth. The moons and then the partial solar eclipse at the end of the month completed a cycle that began last August with that solar eclipse. The light that is streaming in now activates us to this universal cosmic heart energy space. I myself have been experiencing both energetic and physical awareness of this. Some of which include tingling in the skull, in the ears, down the neck into the back wall of the ribcage, scapula and heart – some tingling in the fingers and a feeling of energetic fullness in the nadis down my arm and in the pocket of the elbow and in the wrist as well as the knuckles of my left index finger. How you feel and experience this will be unique and all your own. I share my experience of it not as a map but as a door opener for you to recall how this has flowed through you. As those of us who teach or work with clients or hold space for families or workplaces know – the folks that come on your path have a way of reflecting and mirroring back the pattern from other perspectives. Back in the days where I was running a yoga studio it always delighted us to compare notes at the end of the week, and see that many of us had taught a similar sequence or chose the same pinnacle poses for classes that week. We were tapping into that collective stream of consciousness to determine what movements would align and benefit us the most at that time of season and under that energy. Likewise I have been blessed to work with clients the last few weeks who are also delving into the sacred space of the heart. I pay close attention to threads that show us feedback from the collective consciousness. The high heart is calling us – and I have spent time opening and re-opening my own personal embodied gateway to this space. I have researched and synthesized some information from a variety of sources. I present it to you below for your use and illumination. In hridaya love, Julie Hridayam – The High Heart Activating the emerald jewel of the inner heart gate We are currently in a time of high heart chakra awakening The events of the outer world are driving each of us to a choice point What are we going to hold vibrationally deep within the magnetic torus field pump of the heart? If the events of the world send your energy outward, to what is wrong and how to take up a battlefield posture, you will dwell in the realms of fear and scarcity, of anxiety and dread The darkness will be encroaching and the pull will engulf you You have the choice to use the outer darkness to blanket you while you soften into the inner core of your own heart. Using your human heart as the doorway, you move in to deeper and deeper layers of self, through your inner space into the sacred heart, the secret heart. The tantric Himalayan masters spoke about the hridayam, the high heart. The lotus within the lotus. The Hridaya linguistically breaks down into hrid = center and ayam = this or “I am”. So, your Hridayam is your I AM CENTER. I will offer some of the scholarly and ancient writings for reference, but as slways the best way for you to gather information is from your own experience, your own body and energy field. I just recorded a intro to using Sanskrit bija mantras (seed sounds) to bring yourself to the spaces of the heart. Sanskrit is a vibrational language, and just hearing and more potently making yourself the sounds will bring you right to the vibrational state and frequency. The Human Heart Center (Anahata) is accessed via the sound YAM (pronounced yum) The I AM Center (Hridaya) is accessed via the sound HRIM (pronounced hreem) Listen here: The sage Ramana Maharishi called the Hridayam *
“the seat and source of consciousness, identical with the Self, the very Core of one’s being, the Center, without which there is nothing whatsoever”. The Hridayam is that which attracts everything to itself; it is the place where the “ultimate Divine” dwells in each human. Light originates here and then flows upward to the crown chakra and down to the other energy centers. It is not an organ nor does it correspond with one, It is pure consciousness, beyond space and time, transcending the Mind. The Heart is the Self, - the Heart, which is pure consciousness, includes everything; it is indivisible” *Sourced from Richard Leviton’s book The Emerald Modem: A User’s Guide to Earth’s Interactive Energy Body In the writings of by T. K. Sundaresa Iyer we read,** "Just as there is a cosmic center from which the whole universe arises and has its being and functions with the power or the directing energy emanating therefrom, so also is there a center within the frame of the physical body wherein we have our being. This center in the human body is in no way different from the cosmic center. It is this center in us that is called the Hridaya, the seat of Pure Consciousness, realized as Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. This is really what we call the seat of God in us. It is this Hridaya that is said to be different from the physical heart, regulating the blood circulation. The Hridaya has its being on the right side and is not commonly known or felt. The primary thought in us arising as 'I,' when traced to its source, ends somewhere in us and this place, where all thoughts die, where the ego has vanished, is the Hridaya. From this center is felt and enjoyed the Pure Consciousness. Hridaya described as 'the literal, actual, physical seat of the intuition of the Self' has the meaning explained above. Perhaps the words 'physical seat' may create some confusion. What it really means is that there is a center of Pure Consciousness in the physical body. It is related to the physical, but is not itself physical. The word Hridaya is a composite of hrid and ayam - "center, this". It is the center on the right, which we reach as a result of meditation (Samadhi). From the Hridaya, consciousness arises to the sahasrara through the sushumna and from there spreads out to all the parts of the body through the several 'nadis'. Then alone we become conscious of the objects around us. Man, due to the illusion that these have real existence, experiences suffering, as he strays far away from his Self. The seat from where all these arise and manifest is the Hridaya.” **Sourced from http://www.angelfire.com/indie/anna_jones1/hridaya.html 'Tis the Season for Emotional Body HealingHappy Spring Friends!
What a delightfully wet spring we are having! Delightful, yes, we are in such need of replenishment of water in our region. While we welcome the rains to fill our wells and reservoirs, we all notice the effect the wet weather has on our moods. Why is that? The Emotional Body (one of your subtle layer bodies) is ruled by the water element. So during rainy times we get the gift of close contact with our emotional body. The rain itself can be cleansing, and it can feel like it drudges up lots of feelings. We get a “double dose” of this in the spring, as the spring season is ruled by the elements of water and earth (think mud). Spring energy invites us to drudge up and cleanse out the old. It’s why we are all familiar with that “spring cleaning” energy we get for our homes, gardens, cupboards, basements this time of year. Follow that intrinsic instinct by clearing out your emotional body this spring! How? Vibrational Healing/Energy Healing is a great method! This subtle body healing is multi dimensional. It is beneficial always for your physical body. And even more powerfully it reaches into the subtle layers of your emotional and mental bodies to create a shift there. We are blessed this spring with a few new members of our healing team that are master healers for the emotional body! Our friends the swans are back this spring, and we have two pairs of swans flanking our banks here at Lake Ripple. One pair is nested on the open shores of the lake to our left, and one pair is over at Ekblaw landing to our right, so they have us covered! Swan Medicine “Swans signal a time of altered states of awareness and the development of intuitive abilities, for those with this medicine have the inherent ability to see the future, and to accept the healing and change that is starting in their lives. Accept this and it will help you go with the flow. Listen to your inner knowledge and intuitions and Swan will work through you. The Swan’s voice teaches the mysteries of song and poetry, for these touch our inner child and also our inner beauty. Swan gracefully glide through the water leaving hardly a ripple behind. Their natural, effortless beauty reminds us to move gently through the currents of life and not fight against them. Water is linked with the feminine intuition and emotion. By following swans example we learn how to view our emotions without getting trapped by them. Our intuition helps us comprehend our feelings and the swan helps us process them.” excerpt from http://www.shamanicjourney.com/swan-power-animal-symbol-of-inner-grace-balance-commitment Our newest member of our team is a sweet muskrat who has moved in to the waters of Axtell Brook that runs right behind our building. When I first noticed the muskrat this spring, he was elusive. As I opened the lines of communication, he revealed himself and his wisdom more and more. Now, most every time I think of him he shows his furry wet head and swims over to say hello. Unfamiliar with muskrat medicine I went researching. Muskrats play a pivotal role in Native American creation stories. The Algonquin called them the musquash. After the great floods when all the world was covered with water, many animals tried to find some “earth” to rebuild. All who tried failed until the musquash stepped up to volunteer. He dove underwater and after a lengthy search, he managed to find the bottom of the ocean, grab a fist full of sand from the ocean floor and return it to the surface. This is how turtle island was made, and continents formed. Muskrat Medicine is about diving in to the depths of your being, and returning home to land. If you are ready to dive deep, to clear out and emerge at home in your essential self, to your soul center, then please book a session and come visit us soon! |
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