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Affirmations are a common technique used to try to create change.  Before using them however, there are some things to consider in order for your efforts to be successful.

Words and language can be powerful. If we look more deeply though, we find that it is actually the feelings that are evoked by words that hold the power… that and the intent behind the words. For instance, have you ever had a conversation with someone who professes one thing verbally, but you feel another in your heart or gut?  This is a good example that demonstrates that it is not the words themselves that hold so much power as it is the motives and inner intention of the person speaking.

In addition to that matter there is also the issue that words can have unintended effects based on the association or interpretation we make. Words may also inadvertently trigger difficult memories and unresolved issues –we may or may not be aware of the full extent or effect of this in any given conversation. So there are several things to consider when looking to words, language and affirmations as vehicles for change.  Self awareness, honesty and a willingness to receive information from your inner being is the key to being able to use language effectively for your own health and healing, as well as for that of our relationships.

Points to remember when using affirmations:
Affirmations can be effective when words are used as a first step to create feeling
The resonance of emotion is necessary to register within your system to create change
A common block in the use of affirmations is unconscious belief
Unconscious beliefs trump conscious intent every time
Remain open to receive information that needs to be released so you may be successful

 If you are not aware of it, beware of it!
What is held in the unconscious hurts you far more than what is in your awareness.

Using Affirmations
Take a few minutes before you get out of bed in the morning to let your intention and desire settle deep within you. Use an index card and carry the affirmation(s) with you, keep it handy and repeat throughout the day. Even better schedule a couple 10 minute meditations throughout the day: relax, breathe, let go of stressful thoughts and feelings and “install” your new emotion (energy in motion).

Examples of Heartfelt Affirmations

1. I deserve love because I AM.
2. Resting in my heart with a quiet mind allows me to know all I need to know.
3. I choose today to receive the higher energies of Love to heal and strengthen me.
4. I forgive myself for mistakes. True forgiveness opens the way to health, healing and freedom.
5. My heart registers pain as well as love and happiness. I choose to release pain making more room for love and happiness.
6. Developing the energy of my heart helps to deepen my awareness and experience of life in a remarkable way. I relax and remain open to the possibilities.

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Most people have an awareness that stress affects the heart. There is however less awareness of how this actually occurs. Changes Happen in our energy field first in response to life events and interactions. The energetic changes travel from the energy system into  the nervous, circulatory and hormonal systems where physical imbalances begin to occur. In addition to issues of grief, loss and disappointment, changes to the heart’s energy are also profoundly affected by our feelings of self love, self acceptance and relationships with others. Conversely, the state of our heart energy contributes to our capacity to feel these qualities.  The condition of heart energy also influences the level of our spiritual capacity and connection. In short, our heart’s energy is a major player in every facet of our lives! Some care and positive attention to this part of ourselves can have enormous impact on the quality of our lives.

The heart chakra takes the denser energy from the lower chakras and converts it into a subtler form so the energy can move upward where it takes the form of thoughts, ideas and inspiration. In addition, the heart chakra transforms the energy from the upper chakras into a lower frequency so it can flow to the lower chakras and be used to manifest ideas, inspiration and desires on the physical plane. Our heart plays a major role in bringing our ideas from the realm of thought into the material world. And of course this can happen in a positive or a negative way.

While the elements associated with the previous chakras are tangible, the element of the heart chakra is air and thus invisible. The heart chakra is home to Prana or life force ….the unseen energy we take in with every breath.

Psychologically the heart is involved in the shift from average everyday consciousness, external focus and ego to a deeper, broader awareness that encompasses self and other as well as spiritual realms.

Our hearts are keenly involved in our daily lives and especially in the major events we encounter in our journey.  Who has not known the feeling of the heart chakra shutting down to protect itself, or the sense of a “jam or blockage” as we try heal and shift our experience ? We may not have associated the feeling with energy or a chakra but we all recognize the sensation!

Issues involving the heart such as death, divorce, loss, abandonment and betrayal may all be part of our human experience at one time or another. Closing of the heart chakra creates numbness in an attempt to protect ourselves from unbearable pain. Unfortunately this generally has the effect of making things worse as communication with other chakras is shut off and a feeling of emptiness results. This is why knowing how to process difficult emotions is so vitally important to our well being.

On a more positive note the heart carries within it the power to transmute our negative feelings. Guilt, fear, shame and anger can all be transformed through the loving power of the heart.

When the heart chakra is in balance and energy is freely flowing, a person is self accepting, trusting, forgiving, compassionate, charged with positive emotions and fueled by hope. As always the issue is to take charge of our inner states and create more of what we truly desire on the inside so that energy can flow out into the outer world and bring more of what we truly desire to manifest in our world.  Love heals and we can always choose to focus on it rather than fear or negativity…but learning to choose love is a process so self compassion and patience with a learning curve are necessary.

Next: Signs of balance and imbalance of Heart Chakra energies

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It is the year of the dragon…a symbol of courage and strength in Chinese mythology. Perhaps there is some universal archetypal energy afoot that can help us all develop more of those qualities in this new year!

Jungian Psychology, Mythology, classic fairy tales and myths from many cultures all suggest that w e are each on a hero/ine’s journey in our lives. These sources all speak of human drama, dilemmas and long journeys in search of truth, ‘treasure’, and freedom. They also speak quite clearly of the challenges along the way.  Our lives may seem less adventuresome in contrast with these stories and legends. On closer inspection though, aren’t our lives filled with drama, intense emotion, seemingly impossible tests and spine tingling cliff hangers as we hang out in the ‘not knowing zone’?  It does seem that just living life requires enormous courage!

Unusual or astounding situations aside, it seems that life can and often does require a great deal from us. One of the greatest myths about facing our challenges, in my opinion, is that we should have all we need to cope immediately, or that there is something wrong with us if we cannot rise to challenging circumstances with grit and grace NOW! A more accurate and compassionate view is that we have raw potential within and it is life’s difficulties that trigger the development of strength, courage, patience—or any other quality that we may have in short supply!

What images come to mind when you think of courage? Strength? Patience? Other virtues?

 Do you find images of real or fictional heroes and heroines tumbling into mind?

If you do, use them to imagine having those same qualities rather than to berate yourself for being lacking.

 Can you remember times in your own life when you’ve found an inner strength or drive that perhaps you never knew you had?

Use that memory to start a flow of positive energy and piggy back the new desired quality on it.

Your brain does not know the difference between real and imagined. Envisioning helps to build what you desire

Focusing on the development of positive qualities not only works to benefit mind-body-energetic health, it also combats stress! 

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Happy Sunday! Love this video as it is not just fun to watch but is also a great trigger to feel lighter, brighter feelings that generate happy flowing energy. It reminds me that the ordinary can become extraordinary if seen through creative eyes. What are some things you have done to turn “ordinary moments” into extraordinary?

Share the fun–leave your ideas in the comment box so we can all more ways to bring lighter, brighter energy to each day!

Video from KarmaTube

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As I build, strengthen and balance my energy, I increase my ability to freely dance with the energy of the cosmos

I can forgive myself for mistakes. As I grow and learn more, I move more gracefully with life.

Feeling appreciation brings balance to my heart and mind.

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We all have fears and anxieties, real and imagined. They seem to be part of our human journey and perhaps are present to help us grow as souls. There was a time when I believed that knowledge alone could quell the fires of fear and quiet the anxieties that agitate the mind, breed turbulent emotions and disturb sleep. I found that not to be the case! Information can be a great first step, but by itself knowledge and the everyday mind are not equipped for the task of quieting the fears and anxieties that shake our foundations on our walk through life.

The discovery that it is necessary to have methods to transform knowledge into inner knowing, a felt experience that amends our default patterns, was a doorway to freedom for me. The most effective approaches I found were those that included personal energy work and the map of consciousness that the chakra system provides. Once I began to work with my energy system, I found life and living to become much more manageable… and even better—enjoyable and happy! In my opinion, understanding and knowing how to address our personal energy system  offers both a means to remove what agitates and troubles us, as well as the means to build in new self sustaining, nourishing and life enhancing energies.

Any journey toward healing or rebalancing necessarily begins with the root chakra as it is the foundation of our physical and psychological being. It is also the primary mover and shaker concerning fear and anxiety! Strong root chakra energies allow you to face life without being overtaken by unnecessary anxiety and to respond from a grounded strength to difficult, stress filled situations.

ROOT CHAKRA: Your Secret Ally
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and is the first to develop after birth. This energy center is the foundation of your energy system, the seat of your physical vitality (Kundalini), and a cornerstone of psychological and spiritual well being.

Physically the root correlates with the adrenal glands and all bony structures….It provides support and a framework for both the physical and psychological body. We learn to crawl, walk and stand as the root chakra expands and comes online. In addition, first chakra energy also assists us with putting down roots in the world and standing on our own two feet.

Trauma, family stress and a lack of appropriate nurturing during the first few years of life can unbalance root chakra energies. Early disruption of this energy is recorded within the system and has the result of amplifying reactions to later losses or upsets such as loss of a job, living situation or person in your life. Who among us in the first five years of life did NOT have some circumstance that left its mark on our ability to feel totally safe and secure within the world? My experience is that it is part of the human condition and simply needs to be addressed and not denied or battled with ceaselessly

My Mother, My Self
The positive archetype for the root chakra is the Earth Mother. A person with strong, positive root energy honors and cares for the body as a sacred vessel that carries them in the material world. Physical needs are well cared for which results in healthy vitality as well as abundant energy to flow upward to nurture the higher chakras. The higher chakras help to expand your inner world, and open up greater creative manifestation and expanded spiritual experience.

Physically the root chakra governs the immune, skeletal and lower digestive systems. When root energies are out of balance the physical issues that present are: poor balance, sciatica, chronic fatigue, bowel disorders knee, and leg or foot problems.

Emotionally a lack of first chakra energy manifests as being too rigid and not being open to options for change…change can also be difficult if you are overly grounded —-this is evidenced through being overly controlling, or lacking in imagination or initiative.

If root energy is steady and balanced you can transcend fear—thoughts of loss do not disturb your inner peace, sap your strength or drain your vitality. Fear does not always show up as an outright anxiety disorder or phobia. It can also appear as shyness, dread or fear of criticism. Many people feel fear as an absence of security or as difficulty experiencing inner stability, safety and comfort.

Strong balanced Root Chakra energy enables you to:
 Be open to opportunities that can emerge from the unknown
Experience an inner source of comfort, soothing and ease
Tolerate ambiguity, paradox and not knowing
Move through change with more fluidity
Feel inner security, stability and safety
Care for self in healthy ways

For Root Chakra Balancing Meditations:

Chakra Guided Meditiatons http://bit.ly/wWnQ2J

Energy Aerobics http://bit.ly/w1D4sN

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We are always evolving throughout our lives. The question is whether we do it consciously or by default. The quality of our lives is  affected by the level of our consciousness which is deeply intertwined with the state of our personal energy.

1. Your energy centers are each a different focal point of consciousness that develop throughout your life.

2. Your willingness to develop and evolve consciously brings greater ease, power, and harmony to your life.

3. How you manage reality is determined by your predominate energetic development and focus.

Each of you energy centers or chakras governs a specific facet of your mind, body, mental, emotional and spiritual being. Working directly with this energy facilitates personal growth, development, adaptation to change and ability to manage stress positively.

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http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=130

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Developing your consciousness to be aware and tuned in to what thoughts and feeling states are running you sets the stage for being able to release them and the accompanying stress.

Engaging a method that allows for the release of resistance to difficult feelings and compulsive thgought loops and letting that energy flow…allows it to go! You then have a real choice to generate positive emotions and feeling in your body-mind.

1. Today I will remember that it is my choice which thoughts and feelings I allow to flow through my body-mind.

2. As I open to release the pain deep in my heart, there is more space for wisdom and love to flow through me.

3. Consciously choosing to feel love and compassion improves my health and well being.

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Through taking charge of our time and attending to our deeper selves we are rewarded by having our energy build and stay strong instead of plunging into a deficit when stress visits our corner of the world. When our energy is plentiful and strong we are more apt to experience ease, joy, and happiness no matter what. Also we are more pleasant to be around and our presence can help others to relax and let go.

All of our recordings address a specific aspect and method of building and flowing energy. You can visit the store for a look at the descriptions of each program: https://www.livingenergyworks.com/store/?ccUser=

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