Image via Wikipedia

Types of Chakra Blockages
Jams within a chakra can occur when external circumstances make it unsafe to remain open. This situation can also result when there is too much intensity and the energy of a particular chakra does not continue to flow freely. Over time a pattern of ‘holding’ takes root. Tension in the body can help reveal where blocks and jams are to be found. Knowing what specific beliefs are associated with each chakra can also lend information about the location of blocks. Our new program Sacred Truths  helps to identify areas of blockage in your energy system, as well as provides you with tools to help you release them.

The way to work with this type of block is to gently work to open it. Generally, the best way to approach any change or personal growth is with gradual, positive forward movement. This approach is more apt to create stable results than trying to shock ourselves into healing!

Work slowly with an attitude of gentle persistent kindness toward yourself. When we work to open and free up energy within our minds and bodies, old feelings and emotions may arise. This is a natural and vital part of the healing and transition process.

During an active healing process, it is important to routinely use techniques that help to self soothe, release intensity and provide an experience of inner safety. This is also important to do anytime since it is a vital aspect for balance in life. During healing these tools play an essential role in building strength and energy. The release of old beliefs and the ‘leftovers’ of unprocessed emotional issues can then happen more easily. 

Methods that involve the use of imagery and metaphor can be of particular help in this process as they not only facilitate developing new strength, but they also assist in establishing new, more desirable qualities. In addition, they contribute to an experience of inner knowing.   Through accessing a different level of skill we arrive at a new sense of inner power and a profound trust in our expanded self.

Spasm
Spasms occur in chakras that are usually open. A traumatic or stressful event or situation can trigger a sharp sudden closure. This can reverse itself on its own over the time.  Often when a spasm is the problem, you will experience physical discomfort in the area of the chakra involved. Blocked energy can then become stagnant in that area. If such a situation remains too long, physical symptoms may develop in the adjacent physical organs or organ systems.

 Diminished Flow
This is the most common type of block. Energy flow is diminished rather than completely blocked. The negative energy is distributed over a broad area, so is harder to detect. Fear is a very common cause of this condition.

Removing Blockages
Blocks to the free flow of energy can be removed through a variety of approaches. Practitioners skilled in massage, energy work or acupuncture can assist you in relieving them. Generally insight alone is not usually enough to release a block. Some traditional therapists use techniques such as EFT, EMDR, hypnosis, imagery or inner child techniques and these can be helpful.

There is also a great deal that you can do on your own to identify and release these obstructions and restore balance to the free flow of energy through your being. The more serious or longstanding a problem, the more likely you will need professional assistance. However, you can greatly enhance your treatment through understanding, awareness and personal integration of energetic self help tools.

As previously mentioned imagery skills are particularly powerful on a variety of levels. In addition to the advantages already covered, imagery skills provide the ability to explore energy system, locate disruptions, remove obstacles, release and balance energy. Meditation, breathwork, active visualization, sound and music are also potent ways to influence energy.

In addition to our newest program, Sacred Truths, there are several other options in our store, https://www.livingenergyworks.com/store/?ccUser= that can help teach you to manage your energy effectively for  decreased stress, enhanced intuition, improved health, well being and prosperity. Each of these programs takes a slightly different approach and offers you a variety of options for transforming the energy of your life. 

Related articles

• Spiritual Expansion – How You Do Energy Is How You Do Everything (angelladytm.wordpress.com)

Exploring and learning to manage your energy is a way to move beyond concepts to the full realization of you personal power.

The process of understanding our energy systems, overcoming the weaknesses and promoting the strengths has been referred to as the  spiritual warrior’s path. Undoubtedly this is because honest self appraisal requires courage. We cannot embark on this journey without encountering ourselves; however, it need not be difficult or painful.

An attitude of curiosity and adventure, as if you are entering into a garden filled with wonderful dicoveries awaiting you, can  turn your journey into a treasure hunt that can be fun! Remember the treasure is the real you unencumbered by fear, outmoded scripts and heavy burdens … the real you who can live with purpose, passion, creativity, harmony, balance, abundance, health and prosperity. Seems like it’s worth the trip!

If we understand energetic principles and use energetic approaches, we can bring about change with less conflict and greater comfort as well as access our inborn natural capacities more easily. Often our attempts to change are approached from a stance of willpower, hard work and a forced focus on what to be or not to be. The world of energy provides ways to facilitate change more
easily, to integrate new patterns and abilities more effortlessly so we can become that person we see in our mind and feel in our heart.

All aspects of our Selves are important. Life is more enjoyable, balanced and fulfilling if we understand, appreciate and care for
all our parts. This may seem like an obvious statement, but often we humans tend to over value one aspect and develop it to the exclusion of others. Each aspect of our Selves provides a different level of awareness, a facet of our wholeness, and a distinctive way to experience the world. When we embrace the whole of our being we develop greater mastery, have more skill and ability to
live more fully, vibrantly and with more satisfaction and fulfillment.

Consciously developing and navigating our human energy system helps turn these concepts into reality. An energetic perspective
regarding our selves and our lives opens the door to a deeper awareness concerning our true nature; it offers a broader lens to look through; provides more options for discovery, promoting health and healing, and developing higher level human capacities including creativity, intuition and spirituality.

For a moment imagine a free flow of energy sweeping through you like a river that is free to flow through the landscape. Feel what it would be like to BE this river, at first meandering, then rushing along more strongly, perhaps stopping to pool in a happy little eddy just for the joy of it, once again picking up speed as the current moves forward toward the future, exhilarated by the prospect of a new adventure around the next corner.  Feel how this river moves smoothly and evenly through a variety of landscapes shifting, moving, and shaping itself to navigate the terrain but never fighting, stopping or stagnating. Of course rivers do hit
obstacles just as we do in life. But unlike the river we have choices, free will and the ability to not be at the mercy of the elements….if we know the appropriate skills to navigate the territory.

When our river of energy is negatively impacted by life, people, events, traumas or stresses, automatic reactions occur as mechanisms of protection and survival. Unfortunately these can then become a source of obstruction to the free flow of energy that would fully enliven us. If all of our energies are not fully charged, properly flowing and coherent, we can not meet the world with the full force of our being. Our view of the world and our place in it then tends toward negativity, limitation and feelings of
deficiency. We may experience suffering and pain in our lives as a result of these ‘wounded’ energies reverberating through our being. Working through our intellect is not enough nor is it the most elegant or powerful way to release our suffering, pain, reactive responses or troublesome patterns. The good news is that there is a lot we can do to remedy these situations. Working with our energy body/field and the chakras can release old stagnant, stuck energy, help to heal over wounds of the past, stabilize and ground us so we can live in the present fully and with ease. It is the most profound and fundamental way to reclaim our power.

As we work with our energy, we expand our selves and become better able to connect and live from an authentic center. In addition, we become large enough to hold all of life and strong enough to meet life directly which adds a depth and richness that is lacking when we live from our minds in what becomes a watered down version of life.

The future of healthcare in the USA is encouraging. Many thanks to Tom Main and Adrian Slywotzky for  their article “The Quiet Health Care Revolution” in the November 2011 issue of the Atlantic Magazinethat publicizes a new model for elder care.

CareMore, a company in Cerritos, CA is showing that you can improve quality of care while simultaneously lowering health costs. CareMore’s model provides early intervention — including free rides to appointments when needed – which is resulting in significantly lower overall expenses. This is welcome and exciting news! CareMore is spending money where it makes sense and adds value. As a result, their members are receiving better care and have better outcomes at a lower total cost. Early intervention costs less.

According to Main and Slywotzky, CareMore operates 26 care centers across the Southwest, serving more than 50,000 Medicare Advantage patients. CareMore has achieved  a hospitalization rate 24 percent below average; hospital stays are 38 percent shorter; and the amputation rate among diabetics 60 percent lower than average.

There is a good chance that we will see this model spread. Main and Slywotzky report that in August CareMore was acquired by the insurer and health-services provider WellPoint, which serves 70 million people nationwide directly or through subsidiaries, and has plans to expand the CareMore model.

While so many in positions of influence continue to complain about the cost of healthcare, it is encouraging to learn of a company that has done something very remarkable about it.

Read the article.

Related articles

• Upstream Medicine (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• Disease management + short takes on Kahneman, Podcasts, Merck, Design Thinking, Consumer Health (forbes.com)

Everything we experience has an energetic reality. How can we begin to notice it in order to have more awareness and ability to shift  things in our lives? Consider the following examples…

Have you ever felt or said any of the following?

1. I feel like I am always running to catch up. (With yourself, life, others)

2. I feel drained, empty, depleted, like I am out of gas.

3. I am burned out.

4. I am beside myself. (In general, or with a feeling E.G. fear, anger, jealousy)

5. I feel so scattered, fragmented, all over the place.

6. My heart is breaking; is broken.

7. I feel knifed in the back; sucker punched.

An energetic perspective offers us more options for resolutions to problems that are not available otherwise. Our solutions can be more to the point, more effective and permanent.

Here are a few examples to illustrate an energy connection to our expressions using the above statements as examples.

1. Your energy field may be projected way out ahead of you making you feel like you have to catch up with it. Our energy belongs inside us
where it can perfuse our physical bodies, inform our feelings and help us think clearly. Illness results when our energy is chronically projected out, or we are not properly aligned with it.

2. When our energy supplies are low we feel drained, depleted, like we have no fuel to go on. Of course the solution here is to learn how to build, replenish and maintain energy, but also we must look to where and how our energy is leached out of us and make a correction at the
source.

3. Feeling burned out is an extreme state of depletion that can come into being as a result of not paying attention to restoring ourselves when we hear the whispers that tell us we are running out of fuel/energy.

4. Intense emotion can result in our energy leaving the body as a way to protect ourselves. However we can forget to correct that situation
after the stress has passed and a part of ourselves remains split off. This can become a habitual way of responding to intensity as well and then we have feelings of not being fully present in our lives…and we’re not!

5. Being scattered is exactly that. You are sending your energy in so many directions that it is not with you and you are not available
to perform at your best.

6. Who has not felt the pain of loss, disappointment or hurt in the heart chakra?

7. As stated previously, everything has an energetic component including thoughts, words, deeds and intentions. If someone speaks harshly or
abusively, you feel it. Think about a time when you felt that someone had slung an arrow of insult toward you, or ‘put you down’ or gave you a mixed message. With mixed messages (E.G. someone gives you a barb but denies that they are often shifting the blame to you for being too sensitive or imagining things),  the problem is that we are sensing the person’s intentions along with the awareness that the words and
intent do not match.

Other ways to recognize energetic patterns

Another way to notice the dance of energy in your life is to look at what happens on a daily basis. Are the people you meet friendly? How do
you get treated in stores by clerks?

Do you always run into the worst traffic? Is it easy for you to find what you want or need? Does chaos follow you?  Now we are not going to suggest that you see every detail as somehow speaking to your inner state. BUT a lot of what happens, what walks by on a daily basis, reverberates with our deeper thoughts, feelings, limiting beliefs and unresolved issues and it is there that we can take charge of ourselves and shift some of our experience.

These ways of looking more deeply at your life also can help you get clear on what is not an issue, not a part of your makeup. As you
ask different questions, observe the ebb and flow of events, you are calling on the ability to define and know who you are. The process itself has a way of helping you to know yourself more intimately.

Listening to others interpretations about you and your patterns can also be enlightening but a balance needs to be struck. On one hand,
others have a vantage point that you do not have. On the other hand, they can have their own agendas, projections and unresolved material that may be coloring their feedback to you. After all, since we are human, everything is filtered through our perspective and the perspectives of everyone around us daily.  Wisdom grows as we learn to sift and sort through these various stacks of information to come to the best truth
possible at any given moment.

Above all, cultivate a light heart, an open mind, a playful spirit to help understand these rich sources of self knowledge. Over time this approach ultimately makes your life more interesting, flowing,  happy, rewarding and fun!

Related articles

• Are You Feeling Scattered, Stressed or Frazzled? (fengshuiconnections.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Recently I spent a week with  my “sister from another mother” and her husband in Florida. My friends live in a very privileged community and have been there for 25 years. I have long known my friend’s generosity and service orientation —she is after all a retired therapist/social worker! But I was unaware of the same focus that her friends and neighbors embody until this trip.

One morning as we were just back from a walk with a good friend (who had chatted casually about  her various activities with fund raising and charity work in the community) there was a knock on the door from another neighbor with a gift for my friend happily wrapped in Halloween paper.  It seems that she and her husband had been looking for an elderly couple that they could anonymously give to at Christmas and they had contacted my friend as she visits the home bound and they thought she may be able to connect them with a family in need. She of course did. In addition to supplying the name, she was to be the go between to deliver $350.00 in gifts and gift cards for food and other necessities so the couple could remain anonymous. NOW they were gifting my friend as a thank you for helping them with this act of generosity. This same couple has been very active in supporting those in their own immediate environment who are ill, dying or otherwise in need. My friend spoke of many instances where children or other relatives of these elderly couples were absent or not willing to help and her neighbors often stepped up and were there to help with arranging for medical care, guardianship , companionship, rides etc.

The community that I am talking about is quite affluent, but of course people are not immune to health issues and crises as they age. It is remarkable to see the support, caring and giving that goes on both within and outside this community. Beyond remarkable, it is heartening to see both givers and receivers benefit from acts of kindness and compassion. All is not perfect as in any planned community/group there are differences around a wide range of topics concerning how things are done. However, when it comes to human needs, the intrinsic goodness in people seems to be rising to the surface. In fact it was one of the things that my friend and I spoke at length about–that what is happening in the world does seem to be providing ample opportunity for creativity, unique new approaches and an opening of the compassionate heart in many who may not have under other circumstances thought to express themselves in that way. In good times perhaps it is too easy to forget that we are all part of the human family and need each other on many levels and in many ways.

The ‘feel good’ that comes from compassion and kindness it turns out has effects beyond a momentary ‘hit’.  Research has been showing that it  has a positive effect even if we are not actively participating but only observing. It turns out that it is good for our immunity, our hearts and our relationships AND it is contagious!

“Elevation seems to have a ripple effect, triggering cognitive, emotional, and  behavioral changes,” Haidt says. “It makes people more open, more loving,  grateful, compassionate, and forgiving.” Jonathan Haidt, PhD as quoted by Joan Duncan Oliver in”Kindness, the Ripple Effect.

Read more: http://http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Doing-Good-Deeds-Natural-Highs-How-to-Spread-Kindness

http://www.compassionspace.com/Papers_on_Basic_Compassion/Theory%20of%20Compassion%20Development.pdf

As the media feeds us with all that is wrong, contentious and in crisis on an hourly basis, it would serve us all to be more aware of all the good that is happening around the world as “ordinary” people quietly rise to challenges, and tap into creative new ways to see and be in the world. The evolution that is underway is a marathon and not a sprint. It will take each one of us to be more conscious, intentional and active to adapt and create a world that is more sustainable individually and globally.

Related articles

• Can Compassion Help Lower Crime? (livingenergyworks.com)
• How Language Can Cultivate An Open Heart (livingenergyworks.com)

This article and accompanying pictures provide great motivation to get into and stay with a routine meditation practice!

Even Beginners Can Curb Pain With Meditation

by Adam Cole 02:05 pm April 6, 2011

Robert Coghill/Wake Forest University School of MedicineSigns of pain disappeared from MRI images of the brain when freshly trained novices meditated.

Meditation has long been touted as a holistic approach to pain relief. And studies show that long-time meditators can tolerate quite a bit of pain.

Now researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found you don’t have to be a lifelong Buddhist monk to pull it off. Novices were able to tame pain after just a few training sessions.

Sounds a bit mystical, we know, but researchers using a special type of brain imaging were also able to see changes in the brain activity of newbies. Their conclusion? “A little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation,” Fadel Zeidan, a neuroscientist and the study’s lead author, tells Shots. That finding’s a first, Zeidan says.

In the study, a small group of healthy medical students attended four 20-minute training sessions on “mindfulness meditation” — a technique adapted from a Tibetan Buddhist form of meditation called samatha. It’s all about acknowledging and letting go of distraction.”You are trying to sustain attention in the present moment — everything is momentary so you don’t need to react,” Zeidan explains. “What that does healthwise is it reduces the stress response. The feeling of pain is a very blatant distraction.”

So how did the researchers gauge the effect? They administered a very distracting bit of pain: A small, thermal stimulator heated to 120 degrees was applied to the back of each volunteer’s right calf.  The subjects reported both the intensity and unpleasantness of the pain. If pain were music, intensity would be volume.  Unpleasantness would have more of an emotional component, kind of like how much you love or hate a song.

After meditation training, the subjects reported a 40 percent decrease in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness.  And it wasn’t just their perception of pain that changed. Brain activity changed too.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Notes

This depiction of the body, the cortical homunculus, was first developed by Wilder Penfield.  Each body part maps to a specific spot on a cross section of the brain’s sensory processing region, the primary somatosensory cortex. The larger the feature, the more brain space devoted to it.

Source: NPR; Credit: Adam Cole, Nelson Hsu

Every part of the body is mapped to a specific part of the brain called the primary somatosensory cortex. “If I touch you on your left hand right above your left knuckle, there is an area in the brain that corresponds to that specific area in your hand that will be activated,” Zeidan explains. “When you are in pain it is much more activated — more intense and more widespread.”

This activation shows up on MRI brain scans.  When subjects experienced the heat stimulus under normal conditions, the “right calf” part of the primary somatosensory cortex lit up.  But after the subjects were trained in meditation, the activity in this region was not even detectable.

Brain images also show that meditation increased activation in areas of the brain related to cognitive control and emotion — areas where the experience of pain is built. What’s more, better meditators (those who scored higher on a standard scale of mindfulness) tended to have more activation in these areas and a lower experience of pain.

But can you achieve similar results by just approximating meditation, or believing you are in control of your pain tolerance? Zeidan says probably not. In this study, subjects who paid attention to their breathing to mimic meditation saw no significant change in pain.  And, in a previous study, subjects given fake training failed to see meditation’s effects, even though they believed they were actually performing mindfulness meditation.

Zeidan says he will run some more studies to get at how meditation relieves pain.  He hopes meditation can soon be applied clinically, perhaps to help patients cope with pain after surgery or chemotherapy.

“You might not need extensive training to realize pain-relief benefits,” Zeidan says. “Most people don’t have time to spend months in a monastery.”

Related articles

• More about Pain and Meditation (contemplativemind.wordpress.com)
• Regular Meditation Can Help Tune Out Distractions, Study Says (fitsugar.com)

Each person’s energy field is unique and constantly changing depending on a variety of factors: thoughts, feelings, beliefs, events, environments and interactions with others. The energy patterns we create as a result of those factors bring about physiological changes, determine our perceptions, and influence what comes into our lives. We are very capable of being in charge of how our energy is used, shaped and patterned. However we must first develop conscious awareness, as well as have the tools to implement our desired changes….exactly what we are here to help with!

Some Energetic Realities

• Each strong thought or emotion creates a response in your energy field
• Fear & stress reactions tend to vibrate more intensely and easily
• Disturbances in your field cut you off from higher level functions
• Habitual thought and feeling patterns affect body’s energy, health & well being for good or ill
• Inconsistencies in energy field show where disturbances may manifest in future
• Changing thought patterns takes persistence
• Changing emotional patterns takes will and strength
• Working directly with energy & consciousness provides you with an easier and more  powerful method for change, health, development of higher level functions and achievement of goals

Working directly with our energy gets us out of heads, out of our stories and brings us to a level where  we can affect change in how we feel and react much more quickly. That being said, we all have our strong suit and preferred “mode of operation”, so combining energetic techniques with thought/emotion/belief work can be even more effective depending on our personal style and  patterns.

When we understand and manage our energy we can offset field disturbances and introduce a healthy pattern e.g. shift frequencies, change coherency, process emotions, and shift belief patterns to assist with healing or avoid illness. We can physically bring in new energy at the pre cellular level and create new patterns. In essence your energy field is your primary immune system!

As we work with our field, enhancing its strength and coherency, we’re not locked in to energy patterns unconsciously.
This means we can adapt to circumstances and flow with life more easily. This ability provides us with a deep sense of empowerment and inner peace in addition to the health benefits!  Actively working with your energy to balance and align it also helps to open you to higher levels of creativity and intuition.

The ability to manage your energy is also a major bonus in attracting healthy relationships, as well as in maintaining them
and being able to create deep and lasting bonds. Later this week I’ll be writing more about energetic interactions between people and what we need to know to stay in harmony and balance.

Here is an interview with one of the early pioneers in the science of energy, the aura and health, Dr. Valerie Hunt from UCLA. She speaks about her measurments of the field as well as a way to begin to work with your energy to improve its flow through constricted or painful areas.

This video has a great explanation of how EFT works to erase old programs from our inner circuitry. Works with trauma but also with other memories and beliefs that get in the way of optimal health, and creating a life you love to live!

Neural Bundles from David MacKay on Vimeo.

Information and instructions for EFT as well as Emotional Freedom and Healing technique are included in our 12 Keys program. Karen (EFT) and Peg (EF & H) also both offer sessions in person and over the phone using these techniques.

These are stressful times. You may feel that everywhere we look there seems to be one more reason to feel tense, upset, frenzied or anxious. These are truly momentous times with many transitions and changes as the future careens toward us. That being the case it is more important than ever to have the means to deal with stress inherent in change so it does not produce toxic effects in our lives.

Stress has been defined as wear and tear on the body and mind as we attempt to adapt to change. We are all aware that change causes stress. We are also aware at some level of the signs that we are stressed. What we are often not aware of are the changes that go on inside us that create the wear and tear and eventually take their toll on our health and well being.

There are many ways to lessen the effects of stress on mind and body: meditation, quiet time for ourselves, learning to breathe properly, energy work and techniques such as imagery, and visualization. All are all helpful methods that can be used alone, or woven into a complete personal stress management program. These tools are also helpful when used to clarify, set and achieve goals. Each in its own way can be a really valuable aid to assist with engaging your inner resources to help motivate you to not only get started, but also to ride the waves of change more smoothly.

Another useful concept for navigating the process of change, whether it is initiated by us or from the outside, is that of support? All growth and development requires adequate support in order to be successful. What are your particular needs? Support does not mean the same thing to all people. Take some time to identify what support means to you. What works for one person may not work for another. In addition, you may need different types of support at different times in as you navigate the stages of change. It is always wise to have a variety of tools available to help you navigate change as well as your path in life. 

So begin by asking what support means to you. What types are important to you? Where can you look for that help? This includes people, places and things! How often will you need these resources? Obviously there will be things you can do for yourself, but you may also need others. Who are they? Can you ask them ahead of time to be available to ensure that what you need will be forthcoming? Do you need professional support, a group or some skill building?

Have a list of all the ways that you may be able to offer yourself support can be useful. When we are stressed our thinking mind tends to shut down and we may not be able to sort out what we need. If it is available to you in written form it can really strengthen your chances of success.

Perhaps also writing out the positives that will result from the change you are going through can help give you some confidence when the going gets rough. You may also want to write out some encouraging statements on index cards and carry them with you. A friend who has committed to be an aid can be of invaluable help….especially if they have gone through similar circumstances.

These approaches may seem self evident in a lot of ways, but they tend to be things we overlook…. maybe because of their simplicity. Nonetheless they can help make a difference in whether you just survive or thrive through transition.

Both our recorded home study programs are filled with techniques and guidance on using these types of methods as well as more specific teaching on how to use energy skills to improve your health, manage your emotions and  bring your dreams alive.

You can access these programs and a complete descripion here: http://www.livingenergyworks.com/store/