Articles
& Education
Accepting What Is
NEW!
by Renee Schroyer
As I sit here in the evening thinking about going to work tomorrow, I am
worried about what the next day will bring. I feel discomfort, a knot in
my stomach. I'm wondering what surprises there will be to greet me and
what challenges I will face. Once I realize I am not in this moment but
rather in an inexistent place and time, I turn my attention to this
awareness in the moment. I bring in the practice of mindfulness to help me
be the observer of what is going on. I notice information coming from
conditioned mind telling me something bad will happen and I won't have
what I need or know how to deal with it. I notice these thoughts as well
as the resulting fear and worry.
Becoming aware of my own conditioning, I see two main themes. First,
conditioned mind has a lot to say about how I will perform at work. It
scans the past looking for problems and issues searching specifically for
difficult circumstances that have been or could be. I get the message that
something bad will happen and I won't know what to do. The internal
scanner finds behaviors of mine from the past which I suffered over or
didn’t handle as skillfully as I could have. Or, it conjures up illusory
ideas and projects them onto others presuming to know what others have
thought of me or think of me now. It imagines people saying bad things
about me because I didn’t get something done on time or I didn’t do it
right. Conditioned mind tells the story of how I made a big mistake and I
am going to get fired because of it. Next, my family will become homeless
because of my poor performance. Even as I write this, it is telling me not
reveal these thoughts because someone will think I am weak and I am not
good enough. It’s telling me people will think I’m insecure or not
confident. I remind myself this is conditioned mind not ME.
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Finding
Peace Amid the Chaos
by Janice Lynne Lundy
Don't
you just love it when life throws you a curve? Just when you think you can
rest on your laurels, or take a break from life's intensity, you are dealt
another “something” to deal with. Today, more and more people are
being asked to face what may seem like insurmountable challenges: a
diagnosis of a serious illness, job loss, or a divorce, not to mention
children who find themselves drowning in troublesome seas. Add any one of
those to the fast pace of our lives, multitasking a myriad of roles and
responsibilities, and we have a recipe for stress levels that can soar,
taking us into the stratosphere of chaos.
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Guilt-Free
Mindfulness
by Sue Patton Thoele
Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in
the moment. Well-known mindfulness teacher, Jon Kabat-Zinn, defines
it this way Mindfulness means paying
attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and
nonjudgmentally. I also like to think of mindfulness as the art
of inhabiting your own life
with kindness and acceptance.
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Thai Yoga Bodywork
by Sonia Osorio
Lotus Palm: The Mindfulness of Touch
One of the ancient healing arts of traditional Thai medicine (along with herbal medicine and spiritual meditation), Thai massage is a full-body massage, performed on a floor mat, with both parties in loose, comfortable clothes. It incorporates t'ai chi moves, rhythmic motion, palming and thumbing along sen lines (energy lines), gentle stretching and the conscious use of breath. The practitioner uses her hands, feet, arms and legs to guide the recipient through various yoga postures, while remaining focused on their own body-center. This combination of movements and focused awareness creates a slow, flowing "dance" around the recipient's body.
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The Benefits of Energy Healing
by Wendy De Rosa
Today, in our advanced, modern society, people take time to perform some
kind of daily physical cleansing ritual. A shower or bath, teeth brushing,
shaving and hair styling are all standard forms of grooming that we make
time to fit into our busy lifestyles. After all, it’s good hygiene,
right? Our outward appearance is something most of us take pride in,
but what about what’s going on beneath the layers of the skin?
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Are
You “Old” Before Your Time?
by Keith Shaw
First, ask yourself these question...
How do you feel when you wake up? Do you lack energy and fear facing the
new day ahead? Are you stiff, lacking flexibility, feeling pain in your
joints?
How do you feel throughout the day? Do you feel exhausted by 9:30 in the
morning? Even more drained in the afternoon? Are you unable to concentrate
or think clearly?
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The Power Of Learning To Breathe Properly
by Dr Edward Steiner
Did you know that breathing is the only essential bodily function performed unconsciously, that you can control consciously? Your body can go without food for months, water for weeks and yet your body can't go without oxygen for more than a few minutes. Think about it.
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Quick
Tips for Instant Calm
by Mark Thornton
Relax Your Jaw
Notice if you are clenching your jaw. For the next five minutes, allow the
muscles in your jaw to relax. Notice 10 times throughout the day if your
jaw has become clenched and tight. Less tension here makes you feel less
stressed.
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Om
Sweet Om
by Katharina Bishop
Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, is a hipper than thou, unique L.A.
experience. A younger and shabbier version of Rodeo Drive, it’s a garish
frenzy of graffiti and neon, pierced lips and red Ferraris; displaying
mile after mile of eccentric, cutting-edge shops and cafés. The weather
beaten storefronts are decorated in the most fluorescent of rainbow
colors.
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Basic
Chi Control
by Rachel Carlton Abrams, M.D.
Within each of us is the transformative, life-giving power to heal, to
invigorate and to bring exquisite pleasure. In the Universal Tao
tradition, taught by Mantak Chia, each person can learn to feel their own
vital energy, or chi, flowing through them and to direct that chi
throughout the body to heal and bring pleasure.
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Article
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Stretching Out of
Depression
by Pam Ann Parker
We all feel a little blue from time to time. But when those blues turn
into a seemingly never-ending tunnel of black, it may be a signal that you
are suffering from depression and a nudge from the universe to look for
help. The good news is that there are sources of help and relief for
depression beyond designer drugs like Zoloft® or Prozac®. Many sufferers
are now turning to the four thousand-year-old healing art of yoga to
create a permanent shift away from the pain and suffering of depression,
and towards a new life of hope, insight and good health.
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____________________ Breathe Freely By Removing Excess
Mucus From the Body
by Robert Elias Najemy
The quantity and quality of the air we take into our lungs is affected to
some degree by the amount of mucus, which obstructs the passages of the
respiratory system. Also, when there is excess mucus congesting these
passageways, there is also a greater possibility for the growth of
microbes. A certain amount of mucus lining is necessary for the protection
of the membranes of the respiratory and digestive systems. It serves as a
fluid transportation system, which also carries microbes and foreign
particles out of the body.
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____________________ Natural Healing with Breathwork
by Carol Lampman
“The word breath implies more than the physical act of drawing air in
and out of the lungs. Breath is the junction point between mind,
body and spirit. Every change of mental state is reflected first in
the breath and then in the body.” -Deepak Chopra
Breathwork or Breath Therapy is best described as a highly personal,
experiential process utilizing breathing techniques to clear out physical,
mental and emotional blocks or stresses. Breathing in and of itself is
grossly underestimated. It is a source of life-giving, healing and
purifying energy. When we breathe in a relaxed fashion we move from a
destructive metabolic state to a constructive one. The shift from
operating in chronic stress mode to one of relaxed alertness can affect
the synthesis of protein, fat and carbohydrates, increase the production
of cells for immune system activation, promote bone repair and growth as
well as enhance the cellular, hormonal and psychological process. 90% of
the nutrition needed by the body comes from the oxygen we breathe. Only
10% comes from food.
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____________________ Your Connection To The Elements
by Avalon De Witt
In ancient times, scientists, philosophers and magi divided matter into
four basic elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. It has been said that
these elements are the building blocks of life.
A scientist and philosopher named Empedocles set this foundation for
science in Sicily during the 5th century B.C. Empedocles belonged to the
tradition of "Root Cutters," which means that he was an herbal
magician and healer. He defined these elements, or "roots," as
not only physical substances, but also as "spiritual essences."
He even assigned gods and goddesses to these energies:
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How Well Do You Breathe?
by Aaron Hoopes
The body can go for days, even weeks
without food. It fails after two or three days without water. But it is
virtually impossible to go without breathing for more than a few minutes.
Without fresh oxygen to the brain the bodily systems quickly shut down and
we die. Breathing is natural, and automatic, something we rarely take the
time to notice, unless we are winded from a burst of exercise or emotional
stimulation. This is fine for most people for much of their lives, since
the body was created to work efficiently without having to pay attention
to breathing. This normal, everyday breathing can be defined as
subsistence breathing. The amount of oxygen taken in during subsistence
breathing is sufficient for everyday life. It brings just enough oxygen
into the body to keep it functioning. Imagine a subsistence farmer who
works the land and scrapes just enough food together to feed his family.
Quite possibly he can continue this way for many years. His existence,
though meager, seems sufficient.
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The
Olson Interviews
Recommended Book
Breathwalk
: Breathing Your Way to a Revitalized Body, Mind, and Spirit by
Yogi Bhajan, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa. Paperback (June 2000) Price:$12.60
 In
this simple program that anyone can follow, two of the world's leading
experts in meditation and kundalini yoga reveal the power and flexibility
of this technique for the first time. Centuries old traditions come
together with modern scientific research in an effective and enjoyable
holistic way to exercise. This practical, insightful guide is a breath of
fresh air that can change your life for the better every time you take a
step. Highly recommended by OfSpirit.com and many experts in the health
and holistic community.
More Recommended Books
Click on the book links below to read more
about—or buy—the recommended book from Amazon.com (the Internet's
largest bookstore):
The
Breathwork Experience : Exploration and Healing in Nonordinary States of
Consciousness by Kylea Taylor (Paperback - October 1994)
Price: $16.95
Conscious
Breathing : Breathwork for Health, Stress Release, and Personal Mastery
by Gay Hendricks. Paperback (April 1995)
Price: $13.45
____________________
More Articles
& Education
How To Receive Bodywork
by Carol Bedrosian
Although there are as many different kinds of
bodywork as there are cold remedies on the drug store shelf, some basic
information on receiving bodywork in general can be helpful. Since most of
us grew up with the "sickness" model of healthcare—-we only
visited the doctor when we were sick and therefore under stress and not
feeling up to our fullest capacity—our experience in caring for our health
has been a disempowering and mystifying one.
While most people wait until they develop a
specific physical problem before seeking relief through hands-on holistic
care, receiving regular bodywork is a marvelous preventative healthcare
measure. In addition to relieving stress and realigning muscles, tissues,
bones and energy channels throughout the body, bodywork automatically puts
you in a position of self-empowerment through greater self awareness. The
more you know about how your body feels and responds, the better position
you are in to help it heal.
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Happiness
Is Your Birthright
By Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.
Each of us, every person, regardless
of wealth, status, age, or religion is given everything we need to be happy
and fulfilled. The
greatest lie in our culture is the
one that says you are broken, incomplete and need something outside to give
you happiness.
Most people believe that a little money
will make them happier, but this is false, even if the sum is huge. If we
win the lottery or go through a traumatic accident, happiness is neither
assured for the lottery nor denied for the accident We tend to go back to
an inner standard of happiness that is set by our own minds.
Happiness can not be taken away from you.
However, if you begin to wish for it rather than to accept and express it
you automatically create polarity in your mind and wish indirectly for
unhappiness. Just as night and day follow each other, every happiness is
followed by unhappiness, and each unhappiness is followed by a happiness.
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Breathwalk:
Breathing Your Way to a Revitalized Body, Mind & Spirit
An Interview with Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.
by Carol Bedrosian
The great detective, Sherlock Holmes, found
this to be a great strategy: hide the most precious thing you have in
plain sight and no one will see it! Two leading yoga experts, Dr. Gurucharan Singh Khalsa and Dr.
Yogi Bhajan, realized the power of breath long ago and have combined it
with walking, two of our simplest yet most unconscious activities, for a
powerful program of exercise called Breathwalk. Breathwalk coordinates
easy-to-follow patterns of conscious breathing and walking steps with
meditative focus to help relieve a wide range of troubling conditions from
back pain to hypertension to weight gain and promises increased energy
level, a clear mind, elevated moods, and deeper spirituality.
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Fibromyalgia:
A Challenging Condition
by Peg Doyle, M.Ed., LMT
Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder
involving several etiologies and symptom patterns. Not always
definitively diagnosed by medical professionals, there is general
agreement that those who have the syndrome experience a variety of
symptoms, with widespread body pain the most universally reported
complaint.
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Breathing
In Life
by Anja Heij
"And God formed figures from clay, blowed on them to breathe in life,
and they became men."
This biblical story highly puzzled me when I was a child; I did not
understand how grown-ups seriously could believe such a thing. It surely
wouldn't work with the clay dolls I made… But then it wasn't to be taken
literally. It was symbolically explaining that we are spiritual beings in
a physical body, sharing God's life force and creative possibilities. The
Kabbalah too speaks of breathing in life, and the process is of course
literally exercised in re-animations. The central idea is to enliven the
body through blowing in the Holy Spirit, (re)awakening one's God-force by
sharing and mirroring yours. All reiki masters use this technique with
their attunements/initiations. It is not some vague spiritual idea but a
proven and valid method.
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___________________ Using
Colors And
Stones With Meditation
by
Keith Zang
Meditation
is a very powerful tool to use for reducing and releasing the stress of
the day as well as for healing and bringing enlightenment into your being.
There are many methods for meditation. Some tap into mindfulness to bring
the present moment into focus. Others utilize the breath to create a sense
of timelessness by focusing on a single sensation or point and letting all
other distractions go. This article will be focused on another type of
meditation, that of the energetic healing form where the energies of the
body and surrounding life force energies are focused for dynamic and
accelerated healing.
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My Journey Back
by Ronnie Allen,
Ph.D.
On November 14, 2000, the universe threw me a curve that I am sure is
going to change my life forever. At 7 P.M. I took my son David and, Lisa,
his girlfriend to a brand new buffet style restaurant. The food was
inedible, spoiled and cold and everything was sent back. We then came home
where I saw clients and prepared to go to work the next day. Nothing
unusual.
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How To C.O.P.E. With
Anger
by Debbie Eisenstadt Mandel
We fill our lives with dramas that rival the Greek Tragedies. We play the
lead actors reliving the stressful scenes, keeping the conflict alive and
ever present. Anger begins to dominate our thinking. However, who are we
really angry at? When someone like a boss, a lover, a friend, or a family
member pushes our button, are we most angry with that person because he or
she mirrors what we most dislike about ourselves?
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Trouble Sleeping? Insomnia Cures
Are Here!
by Dave Turo-Shields
I yawn, stretch my arms behind my head and
stare at the ceiling. I've been in bed for a few minutes. Ahhh, the
peaceful quiet all around. The room is dark. The kids are asleep. It's an
expansive moment for my mind. My mind seems to fill the entire room.
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Calming Tips For Hyperactive
Children
by Jeannine Virtue
Parents of hyperactive children know the "Would you please just
settle down?!" phrase well, and likely use it on a regular basis.
There are a number of tips to help parents settle their hyperactive child
down. These quick tips and relaxation techniques take the same amount of
time as yelling and scolding but produce incredibly different results in
hyperactive children.
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