Living Energy Blog

Acceptance is one of those feelings that is grossly misunderstood. Many think that adopting an attitude of acceptance means passivity or the condoning of violent or malicious acts. This need not be the case. Acceptance merely means to acknowledge a given situation ‘as is’. Typically we tend to cause ourselves stress by resisting what it. This may be a response that is habitual and not very well realized until we open our minds and become more observant and insightful about our own process.

If we can truly open to a sense of acceptance we can remain engaged in life without uselessly forcing our own agenda. Instead of using precious energy to resist or fight in vain, we remain open to many more possible and potent outcomes. It is truly amazing to watch what happens when you truly embrace acceptance… perhaps the most amazing thing is that so many problems simply fall away!

Since acceptance permits you to remain neutral, you can see more clearly where the best efforts are to be made in a given situation. The calmness that accompanies acceptance can open you to wider perception and it helps you to move from a position of blaming to one of resolving problems. And the best part of all…you dump a significant source of self created stress! As with anything, acceptance is not something you simply decide to have. It is more like a journey you embark on stopping at many roadside attractions before reaching your destination.

The process of learning to accept can begin by learning to be more comfortable with silence; it may grow faster within you if you learn to release tension and stress in general; developing you silent witness or observer self are great additions to your travel kit.

Our recording, Applying Alchemy: Turning Concepts into Reality (session #8 in our 12 Keys for Life and Self Mastery series) has more information, suggestions and guided techniques for you to use to help with the development of this very valuable skill. You can find out more here http://www.livingenergyworks.com

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Illustration of coherence: blue wave is coherent while red is not. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Science and the Heart

Neurocardiology, Psychoimmunology (Mind-Body) and Energy Psychology have all made significant contributions to what we now know about the heart and how we can “work” with it. TheInstituteofHeartMath, a research institute inBoulder Creek,CA, has been a major contributor to this research and has helped to provide a much clearer picture of the heart’s role in emotions, heart-brain communication, and stress physiology than ever before.

The Institute of HeartMath (IHM) is a non profit research and educational foundation that was founded in 1991 by stress researcher Doc Lew Childre and a multidisciplinary team of professionals.

IHM furthered research into heart physiology by looking at the HOW of heart logic and more specifically how it influenced behavior. They determined that through cultivating ‘heart intelligence’ …that is by using a method that creates coherent heart rhythms… the primitive emotional centers of the brain no longer dominated and a clearer perspective emerged that enabled greater intelligence to be brought to the management of emotion.

 I have seen this approach work very effectively in my personal life as well as with my clients. As we learn how to focus on our energetic heart in an open spacious way we can bring calmness to emotional turmoil, and often spontaneously have realizations that lead to greater understanding, meaning, resolution or healing of the particular dilemma underlying our distress. These realizations come easily, effortlessly and often lead the in a whole new direction that is much more beneficial than if we solely relied on the lower mind to problem solve and try to plan or mentally bully  our way out of problems.

 The Intuitive Heart

Another area that has been studied extensively at IHM is intuition. It has been found that not only is emotional intelligence enhanced by engaging the heart but it is also possible to develop greater wisdom and intuition as the heart is “used” in positive and health enhancing ways.

IHM has developed a simple straightforward approach to developing the strength, intelligence and influence of the heart on overall level of well being. It involves focusing on the heart, breath and feelings of gratitude or appreciation for a period of time as in meditation or using it on the spot in stressful situations. This helps to lead people out of knee jerk reactivity based on negatives emotions and helps to restore inner harmony. In addition to the psychological benefits, this method also has been found to have a highly beneficial effect on physical health.

 Some of the benefits are:
Balanced heart rhythms and hormone levels
Enhanced immunity
Increased DHEA (Helps slow changes associated with aging)

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands that helps to regulate the overall balance of hormones in your body.  DHEA fuels your body.  Your body produces the highest levels during your twenties and then naturally declines with age.  Insufficient DHEA contributes to problems with your immune system, fatigue, depression, bone and muscle mass and much more.  Getting adequate rest, regular exercise and some exposure to sunlight contribute to healthy DHEA levels.

Studies have also shown beneficial effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, ADD and a myriad of psychological conditions. The magic of heart based approaches seems to be a result of the creation of coherent heart rhythms which result in more healthy and effective signals to the brain that encourage it to send healthier signals back down through the whole body.

Over the past few decades it has been learned that the heart actually has a brain of its own and that IT sends more messages to the brain than the other way around. This means that the heart with proper management can be a source of emotional intelligence that can help to calm the more primitive impulsive reactivity of the brain in addition to helping to develop intuition and insight.

 Key Information You Can Capitalize on for Health, Wealth and Happiness!

1. Even though the brain does send signals to the heart, the heart has a system to selectively decide whether to obey them or not.  In other words it has an intelligence of its own.

2. On the other hand when the heart sends signals to the brain, they are obeyed!

3. Messages from, or conditions in, the heart influence behavior. We are all aware of people who seem to have an angry heart and their behavior matches their internal state!  With training in how to produce coherent heart rhythms, emotions will shift and then behavioral change follows.

4. The pulsations of our hearts are an intelligent language that influences how we perceive and react to the world. When we focus in the heart and produce coherent rhythms we see more clearly, are less influenced by the primitive brain and are more open to receiving input from our higher centers. This input has wisdom and creativity that our lower brain centers are not capable of.

5. The electromagnetic power of the heart is five thousand times stronger than that of the brain. This amazing fact points to the centrality of the heart in all areas of our lives.

6. The electronic signature of a person’s heartbeat can be found in the ECG of a person they are physically in proximity to.  Once again we have new science showing why we feel some of the things that we do—such as feeling in or out of phase with another. This also holds clues as to why we feel certain ways with certain people.

7. The energy field of the heart can project out 10-12 feet from the body. With this kind of projection it follows that we are sensing and feeling a great deal of our environment but perhaps not registering or understanding the ramifications of that sensing.

8. Coherent heart rhythms have been shown to positively combine with intention and attention to create biological change.

9. Coherence internally has been demonstrated to affect external  structures such as DNA in test tubes. Coherence is quite likely an important factor in the creation of our life experience.

If you are interested in more specifics regarding the research at IHM:

www.heartmath.org

Neural nets diagram (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Our emotions and behavior stimulate and shape the formation of neural pathways (neural networks) in our brains that reinforce existing patterns or begin new ones.  When we think the same thoughts, the neural pathways become busier, stronger and more pronounced.  Eventually our repeated thoughts become beliefs that also become imprinted in our cells and bodily systems. The result is that our thoughts impact our health and overall well-being.

What and how we believe and our general attitude toward ourselves, others and life creates an inner environment that is very real. This inner environment can then become a source of thought and feeling that creates a feedback loop that helps generate self fulfilling prophecies. We need to make certain that we are in charge of this dynamic process and that we are setting up the best possible inner landscape for our health, happiness and well being.

Neural Networks: Thoughts Grow Into Things!

Neural networks are groups of nerve cells that work either independently or as a unit in a healthy brain. They are part of how we learn and remember. They show us how memories are formed, how change occurs in the brain with new experience, how new skills evolve, as well as how conscious and unconscious behaviors work, and how we process sensory information.

Whew! That is a lot not only for those tiny little neurons to be doing but also for us to digest! Essentially what we really need to understand is that there is a very real mechanism that registers our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviors in our biology.  Think of these neural nets as the buttons that are pushed that cause you to behave, think and feel certain ways, even when your conscious mind would prefer that you had a different response.

Triggers in the external world activate neural nets and we automatically have thoughts and memories from an earlier time. The part of our brain where old memories have been encoded has been switched on. This automatic firing then creates our thoughts. We all have had the experience of feeling like there are parts of us that are speaking with the voice of a parent, teacher of negative aspect of ourselves. This is neural nets in action! Each time we have these kind of episodes the nets become thicker. The more we use them the more prominent they get. It’s no wonder we can often feel out of control or at the mercy of forces outside our control. The Pogo cartoon phrase “We have met the enemy and he is us” comes to mind. But rather than see this as a conflict within self we can simply understand that there are real reasons why things are the way they are and use the information to change. This dynamic functions well in many cases to ensure our safety and survival, it’s just that it also runs amok in other areas of our lives where we would be better served by a higher level of mind and freer associations.

 Fortunately the very mechanism that can cause trouble for us is the same one we can use to create less stress, more ease and flow in our lives.
Techniques that  enable us take charge of our innate capacity to form these patterns/neural nets can help lay down new tracks that help us be more in charge of our life experience. Deep relaxation, meditation, breath work, imagery, Emotional Freedom Technique, and other forms of mind-body and energy work all target the deeper inner structures that need change for us to function in more productive and happier ways.

It all begins with awareness: what are you feeding your mind, body and energy field today? How would you like that to change? What would life be like for you if you could release all the old baggage and pack a new suitcase?

Compassion personified: a statue at the Epcot center in Florida (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all pretty much believe that empathy and compassion are good things. In fact these days it seems that they are being heavily promoted as stepping stones on the road to happiness and health. In fact there are many wonderful things about both these qualities. The problem comes with our perception and interpretation of these virtues and their practice in everyday life. The issue is really one of balance between the needs of self and the needs of others.

A continuous outflow of energy through giving without refueling or replenishing yourself cannot possibly end up anywhere but in fatigue and burnout. It is then that resentment can set in not to mention damage to your own health. You must stop and refuel in order to keep going.

Each of us can only give away what we have. Humans are adaptable and it may seem that we can give from nothing, or run along on empty for quite a time, but the truth is that the bill for such behavior will eventually come due. It may seem ironic that in caring for others you need to put yourself first. However, it is truly the only way to assure a reserve of energy so you can care for others without creating problems for you! Regular self care and self nurture is essential to create the inner resources that allow for a constant and even flow of energy for both you and the ones you care about.

It is very easy to feel we do not have time to care for ourselves. The reality is we don’t have time not to since a lack of self care will always lead to a depletion of inner resources. As both a personal and professional caregiver, this is a lesson I have had to learn over and over again! I believe that there are a strong cultural myths about self sacrifice and caring for others that keep us trapped in negative spirals that do neither the giver or the receiver any good. Mother Teresa was amazing, BUT she had all her basic needs cared for and her work was a deep spiritual calling that was obviously part of her purpose of being on earth. It never works to take on or mimic another’s role if it does not suit us or our place in the universe. The saying, Be You everyone else is taken comes to mind!

Our typical pattern may be to become depleted, crash and then have to recharge in order to begin again.  We may even be aware of this pattern but feel that it’s okay.  One issue may be that when we’re down and out, care comes flowing in from a variety of sources.  Finally, people may realize that we need attention too. They may also leave us alone thus creating the time needed to rebuild reserves and to re-balance.  The problem with this approach is (1) it is a state that is already playing havoc with health; (2) there is a tendency with this pattern to recharge only to once again begin the roller-coaster ride– so it is honestly not a solution

If you have a long standing pattern of “giving it all away”, believing in self sacrifice as good and holy, or have a lack of awareness regarding healthy boundaries and healthy entitlement then it can be difficult to turn this bus around! You can start with some simple steps.

Create a Map For Self Care

1) Awareness–what are your feelings telling you? If you are feeling exhausted, resentful or even just moderately snarky about some of the interactions in your life, take time to get honest about your feelings and needs.

2) Notice how you feel about taking time and space for yourself. Instead of glossing over the feelings that arise, do some introspection and see if maybe guilt, misplaced loyalty, old family beliefs, or secondary gains/pay offs may need to be dealt with.

3) Make a list of things that you would like to do for yourself. What would recharge your battery? What could you do everyday, once a week, once a month that would help you maintain energy and balance?

4) Pencil in your self care into your daily “to do list’ or calendar.

5) Be willing to address the resistance to changing this pattern that will inevitably arise! Be gentle but firm with yourself.

Energy: awareness, blocks, depletion and distortion

Human beings are Transformers! We are always influencing, moving, managing and transforming our energy. This is generally an unconscious process.  Because our energy management is typically out of awareness, it we may not be reaping the benefits we’d like or that are possible.

Quantum Physics tells us that there is a constant and even supply of universal energy. It tells us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. So what is an energy crisis?

A personal energy crisis is simply a bottleneck in the flow of energy throughout the bodymind. Somewhere within energy is slowed, stopped or blocked and a logjam is created. Problems then emerge at the site of the logjam and sometimes downstream from this site as well. At the least the restriction results in a depletion of energy; more chronically, blockages, distortions and depletions within the energy system lead to physical and psychological problems.

It is not necessary to become fluent in all the complex circuitry and possibilities for energetic imbalance in order to positively impact your energy supply and flow. What you do need is a greater awareness of how your state of mind, your thoughts and feelings, can help or hinder the condition of your energy.  Through learning a little bit about how to take charge of your mind, you can gain mastery of your energy. Your mind, your thoughts and feelings will then be a resource to build and strengthen the supply and movement of your energy for your benefit rather than leaving the process to chance.

Through understanding your moods, discomforts, aches and pains as reflections of the condition of your energy you can more easily remedy the situation and restore yourself to balance and a higher level of energy rather than sinking even deeper into a downward spiral.

 Our recording Relaxation 101 is an excellent way to begin to dump the accumulated effects of stress, learn to be more aware of and in charge of your energetic state. That awareness and ability to mange your energy means less of it will be scattered, leach away from you or be up for grabs by others in your environment.

For those who desire a more targeted approach for your energy system, Balancing Your Chakras offers a guided meditation that is relaxing, energizing and helps to build your capacity to manage energy. Guided Chakra Meditations is also a wonderful relaxing way to get in touch with and build your energy.

In the last post we spoke about the importance of balancing electro-magnetic energies. Below is a recorded guided “meditation” that will help you do just that. This is a method that I incorporate into many of the recorded programs we do–it is an excellent tool to use at the start and end of other methods and it can be used alone to help you to: (1)increase your sensitivity to personal energy; (2)center and ground yourself; (3)experience more inner ease, peace and freedom from tension.

Whether you are new to this “energy  running” technique or use it on a regular basis,  I would love to hear about your experience with it.

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Learning how to manage energy provides you with new tools to care for yourself

We all sense subtle energy, although we may not always realize it. People called clairvoyants are especially gifted with the ability to see subtle energy. And while it appears to be innate in them, the truth is we all possess this ability. It can be developed by anyone who takes the time to learn the skills necessary and to practice them.

Most of us may not see subtle energy, but we do sense its existence and respond to it on a daily basis. Much of our language even speaks to our unconscious experience of energetic states and events. Think about: “I feel blue,” “My heart is heavy,” “I feel so empty,” “It’s like I’ve been knifed in the back,” “I feel so full of joy,” “My heart is glad.” These are statements that are actually descriptive of your energy at that moment.

Biofeedback instruments show that the person who reports feeling blue is, in fact, emitting the frequency of energy our eye sees as blue. The person who reports feeling heavy or sad in the heart is actually experiencing a lower frequency of energy – one which is slower than that of joy or happiness. That person may also be experiencing a constriction of the flow of energy through the heart chakra area.

Feelings inform about energy states

Emptiness is depletion or lack of energy; joy is a fullness of lighter, faster moving energy, and the knife in the back can be an experience of negative thought or emotional energy directed toward that person by another. When you understand the dynamics of energy, you have a deeper perspective and more options available to work with your whole being – thoughts, feelings, sensations and beliefs – in order to shift out of negative states more quickly. In addition, being able to sense and manage your subtle energy allows you to maximize your efforts to create change and attract new possibilities into your life.

Most people wait for time or external circumstances to change for relief or resolution of their issues. Unfortunately this leaves you in a disempowered position AND it does nothing to erase the effect the negative emotion has on your system. Although a person may feel that the problem or emotional state has disappeared, what more typically happens is that it has been driven deeper into the system so that it is out of awareness but not necessarily out of range of affecting your future experience. To work on an energetic level with the totality of you – your mind, body and spirit – is a major step on the road to empowerment and one that goes beyond learning new ways to simply THINK about things. It helps remove obstacles to true emotional freedom and affords greater access to higher level functions such as creativity, intuition and spirituality.

Our programs all target managing energy in one way or another. If you are just getting started you may want to try Relaxation 101  http://bit.ly/RIR3bv– a guided journey to learn to truly relax mind and body so you can become more aware of your own internal energies. If you are looking for a more advanced approach, Energy Aerobics (Balancing Your Chakras) http://bit.ly/Qu2h1j– focuses on deep relaxation with a guided journey through the chakras using color, sound and frequency to align and rebalance your system.

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Energy flows where attention goes

Energy and Memory

Generally we all know that our memories travel with us on our journey through life. We have not known exactly how or where those memories are stored, but we do know that they are ‘present’ with us. Our memories may be momentarily forgotten, or they may haunt us. They may at times come crashing into our awareness like an uninvited guest! Or they may at other times come drifting sweetly in to remind us of times spent in peace, beauty, joy and love. And of course they can emerge from our depths to instruct and inform us of unfinished business or teach us a valuable truth we need to grasp.

Many healthcare practitioners from a variety of disciplines have observed memory being triggered as a result of stimulation of the body. They have also reported the opposite occurrence where the memory creates a change in the body. But again, the knowledge of how this was taking place has not been ours to know until recently.

In research from a variety of sources there has been a progression in the understanding of how memory becomes imprinted from mind to body from a simple biochemical one to one that involves a variety of mechanisms but essentially begins with our energy system.

The field of Pyschoneuroimmunology has provided an understanding of the process from a neurological and biochemical perspective. Candace Pert (referenced earlier regarding her work with neuropeptides) has stated that your body is you subconscious mind. She has also pointed out that once you look at human function at the level of the messenger molecules, there is nowhere else to go but to an understanding of energy. In an audiotape presentation of her work it is stated that, “Dr. Pert’s work is beginning to reveal the scientific underpinnings of the chakra system.”

Dr. Hunt and her associates also found evidence to corroborate the theory that memory is stored in the body’s tissues. Through her observations she came to believe that the energy centers play a key role in the encoding of memory.

Dr. Susan Lark in “The Lark Letter: A Woman’s Guide To Optimal Health & Balance” states, “In fact, every chakra is individually linked to neurological synapses (ganglia), small bundles that operate like little brain centers. Each of the seven chakras then processes and remembers different emotional events and traumas that affect you throughout your lifetime. In fact, you can even store specific types of emotional memories in these centers.”

For centuries there has been information primarily from Eastern Philosophies and Medicine that the energy system is the vehicle through which our memories are stored and carried through our lives.

So, as we view the process of transferring our life experience to the cell tissue of our body from this perspective, it makes sense to use energetic methods to intervene and influence the process in a positive way. Through these interventions we can shift and change belief patterns, erase negative conditioning and install new, more useful and powerful beliefs into our systems.

The success and strength of these kinds of interventions have been observed by both practitioners and clients in our culture for some time. However, the underlying scientific mechanism through which change occurred was not well understood. For this reason they seemed magical, mysterious and perhaps not to be trusted. Now that we have a better awareness of the underpinnings of such methods we can use them with more skill and benefit from their power and effectiveness.

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The best way to protect ourselves in every aspect of our lives is to have strong vibrant field so we are not as vulnerable to negative or discordant energies.

There are many things in our daily lives that deplete our energy. Heat, artificial light, dissonant, loud or harsh sound, electricity, computers, and junk food are some examples.

In addition, stress, blocked negative emotions, unhealed emotional trauma, negative thinking, worry, fear, and toxic interactions with others also unbalance our fields.  Examples of the latter are: people and situations that do not honor who you are, respect you, or contribute to your well being. I am sure you have noticed how you feel after being around someone who is negative in some way or does not treat you well. As a result of your interaction you feel exhausted, stressed or out of sorts in some way.Your feelings are caused by the disruption of energy– that occurs first, the feelings follow.

Another fairly typical situation is when you find yourself doing something you really did not want to do, that was not in accord with who you are or where you wanted to be.  Have you ever gone along with someone or something and felt a sense of inner tension? Of course, we all have. But when we begin to understand that these types of situations weaken the field, perhaps it becomes easier to choose more wisely, on our own behalf or at least self correct after the event. A weakened auric field leaks energy and that is not healthy for us and ultimately not good for the others involved either. There are times when we freely and even lovingly go along with someone else’s desires…that kind of interchange does not have a negative effect as you were open, and cooperative–as a result your energy would remain free and flowing.

The best “defense” we have is to develop ourselves so we have a strong and vibrant energy field. In addition, it is important to have tools to re-balance or repair when needed. Of course avoiding places, people or situations where you know your energy may be compromised is also a strategy….but we can’t hide from life, so it is essential to have a full toolbox!

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• Taking Responsibility For Energy

 Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to change, or why you seem compelled to repeat behaviors that are not in your best interests or confused about why you feel what you do? The answers lie within our mind-body-spirit (energetic) imprinting.

Our entire life experience along with patterns of thought and feeling are recorded within us by way of our energetic, nervous and hormonal systems.

 Much of this inner conditioning has been laid down without our conscious awareness. A common belief is that once an event has passed it no longer affects us… but it DOES in fact if we have not fully processed or completed the emotions associated with the experience.

 We may have been too young, overwhelmed or just plain unaware of the importance of processing our experience at the time an event was occurring. Our body-minds do not forget or let go until we have dealt with the results of our experience …so our unfinished business lives on as bundles of thought, feeling, belief and reaction that unconsciously drive our lives.

 In spite of our best attempts to change, grow, accomplish and achieve, these hidden packets of history act as blocks that prevent us from accessing our true selves with all the inspiration, creativity, ease and authenticity  to live as the strong, vibrant, healthy and successful beings that we can be.

 We do not have to spend years on the couch processing our history, but we do need to address how our psyches and nervous systems have been affected.

We have all heard about letting go, surrendering, forgiving and moving on and we all want to! However we typically don’t have the necessary hardwiring to turn those concepts into reality. Mentally understanding something is very different from being able to erase the inner effects of our life stories on our inner landscape. Letting Go: the Heart of Healing helps you to do just that!

In this recording you are led through three different techniques to help you learn to let go. Each one offers a different perspective. You may find you prefer one style over another, or you may continue to use all three. As you become more skillful you can use the tracks with music alone and move at your own pace. You may want to return to using the guided section periodically, especially if you encounter a rough patch or time in your life.

Learn more here: http://bit.ly/RGlRpM