breathwork
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5 Energy Tools to use
Here are five energy tools to use to clear your space and prevent energy drains while releasing people’s energy:
Stay centered and grounded.
If you are centered within your spiritual self (instead of your ego) you will sense right away when something has moved into your space. If you are fully grounded, you can easily release other people’s energy and emotions down your grounding cord with your intention.
Be in a state of non-resistance.
What we resists sticks. If you feel uncomfortable around a certain person or in a group, don’t go into resistance as a way to protect yourself as this will only keep foreign energy stuck in your space. Move into a state of non-resistance by imagining that your body is clear and translucent like clear glass or water. This way, if someone throws some invalidation at you, it will pass right through you.
Own your personal aura space.
We each have an energetic aura surrounding our body. If we don’t own this personal space we are vulnerable to foreign energy entering it. Become aware of your aura boundaries (about an arms length away from your body all the way around, above and below) as a way to own your personal space.
Give yourself an energy cleanse.
The colour white has a high vibration which is useful for clearing away foreign energy. Imagine a white shower nozzle at the top of your aura (a few feet above your head) and turn it on, allowing clear white energy to flow through your aura and body space and release down your grounding. You will immediately feel cleansed and refreshed.
Call back your energy.
When we have our energy in our own space there is less room for other’s energy to enter. But as we focus on other people and projects we sometimes spread our energy around. Create an image of a clear gold sun several feet above your head and let it be a magnet, attracting all of your energy back into it (and purifying it in the gold energy). Then bring it down through the top of your aura and into your body space, releasing your energy back into your personal space.
Why meditation is for everyone
There are many things in life that are beyond our control. However, it is possible to take responsibility for our own states of mind – and to change them for the better. Meditation is an antidote to our own personal sorrows, and to the anxieties, fears, hatreds, and general confusions that beset the human condition.
Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. The many different meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice you learn the patterns and habits of your mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being. With regular work and patience these nourishing, focused states of mind can deepen into profoundly peaceful and energised states of mind. Such experiences can have a transformative effect and can lead to a new understanding of life.
Over the millennia countless meditation practices have been developed. All of them may be described as ‘mind-trainings’, but they take many different approaches. The foundation of all of them, however, is the cultivation of a calm and positive state of mind.
Motives for learning meditation vary. Some people want to improve their concentration for work, study, or even sports; others are looking for relief from stress and peace of mind. Then there are people trying to answer fundamental questions about life. With regular practice, meditation can help all of us to find what we are looking for.
When you sit down to meditate you need to set up your meditation posture in a way that is relaxed but upright, sitting on a cushion, cross-legged on the floor or in a chair. Then you close your eyes, relax, and tune in to how you are feeling. It is important to be sensitive to your experience because this is what you work with in meditation. It is a good idea to take some time to sit quietly before starting a meditation, to slow down and relax. Some gentle stretching can also help.
The techniques of meditation are very simple. However, reading about them is no substitute for learning from an experienced and reliable teacher. A teacher will be able to offer you guidance in how to apply the technique and how to deal with difficulties. Perhaps most importantly, a teacher can offer the encouragement and inspiration of their own example.
A Basic Meditation Technique
The basic tenets of meditation, relaxation and breathing, can be difficult to master in our hectic lives, but if you’re able to find just a few minutes a day, that’s all you need to get started. Benefits of meditation include stress reduction, sharpened concentration, and improved circulation to start. Once you begin to practice, you’ll soon experience a quieter mind, a more open heart, and a sense of inner freedom.
Remember all you need is 5 to 10 minutes a day to get started with meditation:
- Be comfortable in a quiet place.
Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. To get started, it doesn’t matter whether you sit or lay down as long as you are comfortable. You can sit cross-legged, on the floor, or on a chair. If you can sit erect, then great. If not, it’s just important to have your body in a somewhat stable position. Then have the palms of your hands face the sky. - Become “present.”
Become totally aware of your current surroundings. What do you hear? How does it feel to sit? Do you feel tension? Where are your thoughts? - Focus on your breath.
As you take long and deep breaths, feel your breath move from your lungs and out through your nostrils or your throat. (Breathing through your nostrils is better though either will work). Your mind will wonder (which is okay), just try your best to be as focused as possible. - Feel your body.
Once you’re focused, take notice of your body and how each body part feels. Start with the toes and work your way up to your head. If your mind continues to wonder then bring your thoughts back to your breath. Breathe 5 to 10 times with full concentration on each breath. Take it a step further and hum “Om” as you breathe out.
5. Practice, practice, practice!
Like anything, practice makes perfect. Make sure to carve out a time each and every day to practice and you’ll find that meditation can be life-changing!
Just Breathe
Breath ties your body to your mind. There are a large number of us that do not breathe deeply enough causing residual air to lay stagnant in the lungs. Your body functions better on fresh air and the mind is no exception. To balance the activity of modern life there must be stillness. This can assist us to release anger, grief, fear and any other negative emotions. Deep breathing helps to nourish and revitalise the entire body while allowing it to relax.
This breathing exercise is the beginning point of meditation. By focusing on your breathing, you leave behind the rushing thoughts within the mind. It can be done anytime of the day for as little as 5 to 10 mins. Meditation and breathing can assist problem solving, reveal more personal creativity, assist physical and emotional healing, open contact and connection with higher powers and open your consciousness on an energetic and spiritual level.
- Sit down comfortably, with your feet flat on the floor with your spine straight on the back of the chair.
- Place your hands on your diaphragm
- Inhale slowly through your nose to the count of eight. One – two – three – four – five – six – seven – eight. While inhaling imagine that you are breathing in not only air through your nose but also energy through your crown charka.
- Hold this inhale for six counts. Ensuring your hands are over your diaphragm on inhale making sure your hands rise as air fills your body
- Exhale the breath slowly, through the mouth to the count of ten. One – two – three – four – five – six – seven – eight keep pushing – nine almost there! – ten.
- Exhale slowly and you can repeat the process as many times as you feel necessary or you like. Don’t be frustrated if nothing happens you will not be “instantly enlightened”.
- With your mind move around your body, starting from your feet allowing them to relax. Repeat this from your legs through to your face. Allow all held tension to drain away. Telling each part of your body “I am relaxed”
- Once you feel your session is complete allow yourself to realign with your physical body and carry this feeling of relaxation and peace throughout your day.
Reduce Anxiety Easily
If you are feeling stressed or anxious, take a moment to try this.
Use the tip of your index finger to apply gentle but firm acupressure on YinTang, also known as “Acupunctures Chill Pill”, located between your eyebrows.
Close your eyes, and focus on making your breaths slow and deep whilst you maintain pressure on the point.
If you like visualisations, you can imagine white or golden light entering YinTang on the inbreath, and spreading through your body on the outbreath.
Aim for 10 breaths, although you might enjoy it so much you want to do it for longer!
You should feel calmer and more balanced afterwards.
Colour My World
The use of colour as a form of treatment is simple, cheap and effective and can also be used in conjunction with any other form of treatment, both conventional and complementary.
Scientifically, colours have been proven to affect our moods and perception, and there is evidence of this form of therapy dating back to ancient societies in Egypt, China and India.
It is an entirely non-invasive holistic treatment which aims to bring balance to the energy of our body.
So how does it work?
Colour is just light of varying wavelengths and frequencies. Electromagnetic waves constantly surround us, and colour is part of those waves. Every single cell in the body needs light energy. Our cells absorb colour, and this affects us on every level, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Each colour has a different frequency, thereby having a different effect on the body when exposed. The colours of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple resonate with the main energy centres of the body. We have seven main energy centres, known by their Sanskrit name, chakras which means wheel or disk. The chakras are each connected to a major gland in the endocrine system.
The balance of energy in the body’s chakras is vital for wellbeing, so when there is an imbalance, whether it has a physical or emotional cause, it can negatively affect us.
The simple use of colour can help you to stimulate or unblock your chakras and return your whole body to a point of homeostasis.
The information below presents the meanings generally associated with the most common colours. Use these meanings as a starting point in your own explorations. We are unique individuals and colours may hold different meanings for us than for others, just as a piece of music inspires different feelings in different people.
Use colours to promote those qualities you wish to enhance. You can use them in your home or office, as articles of clothing or pieces of jewellery.
Red
Red symbolizes energy, passion, strength, courage, physical activity, creativity, warmth, and security. It is also associated with aggression. In healing, use red to bring warmth and burn out disease. Red is a powerful colour and should be used in moderation. In the aura red signifies materialism, materialistic ambition, a focus on sensual pleasures and a quick temper.
Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a colour found in many national flags.
Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigour, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.
Orange
Orange symbolizes the individual’s relationship to the external world, the needs and wants of the physical body and the ways in which these are satisfied, the world of work. In healing orange may increase immunity and sexual energy. In the aura orange signifies thoughtfulness and creativity.
Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
To the human eye, orange is a very hot colour, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus colour, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the colour of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.
Dark orange can mean deceit and distrust.
Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.
Yellow
Yellow symbolizes intellect, creativity, happiness and the power of persuasion. It is also associated with cowardice. In healing use yellow to promote clarity of thought. In the aura yellow signifies intellectual development, for either material or spiritual ends.
Yellow is the colour of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this colour. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colours when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning. In heraldry, yellow indicates honour and loyalty. Later the meaning of yellow was related to cowardice.
Dull yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy.
Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.
Green
Green symbolizes money, luck, prosperity, vitality and fertility. It is also associated with envy. Green is the colour of healing; it is beneficial in all healing situations. In the aura green signifies balance, peace and often indicates ability as a healer.
Green is the colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money.
Green has great healing power. It is the most restful colour for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience; for example, a ‘greenhorn’ is a novice. In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the colour of free passage in road traffic.
Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green can indicate sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy.
Aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection.
Olive green is the traditional colour of peace.
Blue
Blue is the colour of spirituality, intuition, inspiration and inner peace. It is also associated with sadness and depression (the “blues”). In healing blue is used for cooling and calming, both physically and mentally. In the aura blue indicates serenity, contentment and spiritual development.
Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquillity and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.
Blue is associated with health, healing, tranquillity, understanding, and softness.
Indigo
Indigo is associated with psychic ability. In healing, use indigo for relaxation, reassurance and promoting psychism. In the aura indigo signifies a seeker, often of spiritual truth.
Indigo represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.
Purple
Purple is associated with power, both earthly and spiritual. In healing, purple is used for mental disorders and for becoming one with Spirit. In the aura purple signifies higher spiritual development.
Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic.
Light purple evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings.
Dark purple evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration.
White
White is associated with truth, purity, cleansing, healing and protection. It is a good general healing colour for the removal of pain and suffering. In the aura it signifies a high level of attainment, a higher-level soul incarnated to help others.
White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection.
White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.
Gold
Gold represents understanding and luck. Remember though that nothing comes from nothing, It is the most powerful healing colour, but so powerful that many are not able to stand it initially and must be conditioned to it via other colours. In the aura it represents service to others.
Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality
Black
Black is the absence of colour. It represents the unconscious and mystery. Its visualization can help promote deep meditation. Black also stands for evil (eg: black magic). In the aura it signifies some kind of blockage, or something being hidden.
Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.
Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humour, ‘black death’). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious colour (black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.
How does Astrology relate to me?
The term astrology means knowledge of the stars. A skilled astrologer views the stars and planets as life forces that are experienced within each of us. We are not just influenced by hereditary factors and the environment, but also by the state of our solar system at the moment of birth.
The planets are regarded as basic life-forces, the tools we live by as well as the basis of our very substance. These planetary forces take on different forms, depending on their zodiacal position and on the way they relate to one another.
The aspects formed between the planets describe these relationships, the positions of the planets in relation to the place of birth tell us of their expression in the spheres of life depicted by the astrological houses.
By interpreting the roles of the planets and their qualities, the elements, signs and houses, astrology is able to present a complete and comprehensive picture of the person and their potential, based on the natal horoscope.
Just knowing your sun sign can give you a glimpse into your personality traits and how to use your strengths to your advantage.
Walk Your Way to Health
Even though people have been helping control their body weight and boost their longevity by walking since the beginning of time, we first heard about intentionally walking to lose weight and fight off certain diseases around the 1990s.
Walking daily for health gained attention at this time when the Centers for Disease Control in partnership with the American College of Sports Medicine first recommended at least 30 minutes of “brisk walking” for all adults most days of the week. At the same time, the American Heart Association got on board with the “30 minutes of walking daily” message. The rest of the world followed suit.
Walking has since been considered the gold standard for meeting the guidelines of daily “moderate-intensity physical activity,” since it can be done by just about anyone, at any time, for no cost whatsoever.
6 Health Benefits of Walking
- Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight
- Low-Impact and Easy on Joints
- Good for Improving and Preserving Heart Health
- Fights Depression And Improves Your Mood
- Supports Bone Health Into Older Age
- Can Be Done Anywhere and Doesn’t Require Equipment
So what are you waiting for? Slip on a comfy pair of shoes and get walking!