02.11.08
Posted in Articles, Diet & Nutrition, Healing, Spiritual, Yoga at 1:00 am by Administrator
– By Richard A Masla ND
Ayurvedic therapy is a truly holistic approach to achieving and maintaining wellness based on thousands of years of scientific study.
Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old healing tradition from India that teaches us how to enrich our lives by staying in harmony with nature.
Here is a very brief introduction into Ayurvedic theory.
All matter (including the body) is composed of 5 elements which are the building blocks of existence. Living matter has three forces comprised of these 5 elements which govern all psychophysiological processes. These three forces are called doshas.
The term dosha means ‘that which causes things to decay’, reflecting the fact that when out of balance (with our constitutional nature or our environment), the doshas are the causative forces in the disease process. The names of the doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The doshas are the 3 primary energetic principles which regulate every physiological and psychological process in the bodymind. A harmonious state of the 3 doshas creates balance in the body, mind, and emotions, ~homeostasis~ and is the foundation of good health. Any longstanding imbalance in the doshas manifests as disease.
Vata means ‘that which moves things’; it is sometimes translated as wind. Vata is comprised of primarily air with ether being a secondary element. It is the moving force behind the other 2 doshas, which are considered incapable of movement without it. It is responsible for all of the body’s activities and sensations. It is responsible for the movement of air in and out of the lungs, blood through the circulatory system, and thoughts through the mind. It promotes mental balance and comprehension.
Pitta means ‘that which digests things’. It is primarily fire with water as a secondary element. It is responsible for all chemical and metabolic transformations in the body, as well as for heat production. It also governs our ability to digest ideas and impressions and to perceive the nature of reality. It stimulates the intellect and kindles the capacity for enthusiasm.
Kapha provides support and substance to the body. It comes from a word which means that which holds things together. It’s primary element is water with earth as a secondary element. It gives strength and stability, both physical and psychological, and governs human emotions such as love, compassion, forgiveness, loyalty and patience. Kapha can bestow resistance against disease and can support the healing process. Where Vata and Pitta effects are active on the body, Kapha acts to restrict these 2 forces and prevent their excessive manifestation.
Together the 3 doshas govern all the activities of life: catabolism, (vata), metabolism (pitta), and anabolism (kapha). When vata is excessive, there will be therefore excess catabolism, resulting in a breakdown or deterioration of the body’s natural defenses. Excess pitta dosha results in disturbances of metabolism and heat production including infection. Increases in kapha dosha results in increased tissue growth and weight gain.
Another fundamental idea in Ayurveda is that of ama. Ama is the result of all undigested foods (and experiences; even thoughts!). It begins (usually in the mind, then) to accumulate in the GI tract, then overflows into other channels in the body such as blood vessels, capillaries, and lymphatics where it can cause obstruction. In addition to grossly physical effects on the body, ama also has subtler consequences on the vital energies, mental clarity, and emotions. If allowed to remain, it eventually becomes toxic and accumulates in tissues of the body where an individual has a predilection for disease. As a consequence a disease condition manifests and we give it a name: Arthritis, high blood pressure, gallstone, bronchitis, cancer, depression etc.
Disease manifests as the result of excess accumulation of any of the 3 doshas or ama. Pancha karma is the therapeutic means by which excess doshas and ama are eliminated from the physiology.
About the Author
The Ayurveda Health Retreat contains a group of dedicated health professionals seeking to combine the best of conventional and ayurvedic medicine. We have an Ayurvedic Practitioner, a Doctor of Naturopathy, an Acupuncture Physician and several Massage, yoga and meditation teachers and Reiki therapists. They have studied Traditional Ayurveda under such great teachers as Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Pankaj Naram, and Dr. Syama. They have been taught the ancient art of Kerala ayurvedic massage and pancha karma.Their main center is in north central Florida in the small historic town of Alachua (20 minutes north of Gainesville and 2 hours north of Orlando). Its Main Street has gift shops, restaurants and many other shops to browse through. There is an abundance of natural beauty in the area. The beautiful wooded parks, crystal clear waters of natural springs, rivers and lakes are only 20 minutes away and are a wonderful place to walk, swim, and connect with nature. The center offers 5-8 and 12 day retreats. Stay from 3-21 days is permitted. For more information visit their site at www.ayurvedahealthretreat.com .
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Posted in Articles, Inspiration at 12:58 am by Administrator
– By Leiah Bowden
It isn’t so meaningful that we can write or speak. It is meaningful that we want to, that we want to bridge the gap between inside and outside, and on the bridge find release and relief from isolation. Tonight I created an Energy Portrait of the unified being created when Lisa and Dennis, longing for each other for over 25 years, finally joined in a bond that spans dimensions and eons.
An Energy Portrait is an audio-visual soul reading in luminous, vibrant pastels on paper and my voice on audio tape with the guidance, singing and chanting that spontaneously pours through my throat as part of the process.
When I created my first Energy Portraits, I thought they were a fascinating kind of art. There was no sound that poured forth. Soon after, I began helping people release blocked energy through an intuitive flow of movements, often with singing and chanting. As anyone who offers and is blessed by this kind of work has undoubtedly heard, people told me, “You were born to do this work.” The occasional chanting and singing that made brief entrances during the physical energy work became a strong component of the Energy Portrait sessions, and it became clear to me that the Energy Portraits are more than art – although I intend no denigration of art for art’s sake! These speak to the soul and of the soul.
As I have created them, I have seen tears streaming down people’s faces and awe on their faces as they recognize that the love they have hidden away, tucked inside their bodies, has found a door and is rushing out to embrace them. Even when I do them long distance, people call or email to tell me how deeply moved by them, as Stacey Wall, a Reiki Master in Massachusetts wrote: “I am so thrilled with the portrait!! Thank you!! The first thing that came to me was “FINALLY someone sees me”. I was so moved by the portrait and even more amazed with how the tape was right on the money. It was wild to think that you don’t know me and yet I had a tape of you telling me all kinds of things about myself that were absolutely accurate.”
More recently I’ve learned that they are being used for inspiration, for personal transformation, and even as corroborating diagnostic tools for acupuncturists. Have you heard the story of how the indigenous Americans initially could not see Columbus’s ships? Their paradigm would not allow a vision of something so utterly out of their understanding of possibility. So it is with seeing energy flowing. I have been teaching The Intuitive Art of Energy Portraiture for some years now, and I can assure you that even if you think you can’t see energy, you can create an Energy Portrait that might even delight and amaze you. In my classes, people who were not artists, who thought they were not creative, whom others had underestimated all their lives, trusted themselves as we went through the series of preparatory meditations and visualizations, to pick up a pastel crayon and begin drawing without judging themselves or planning their creation.
We are radiant beings of brilliance and light, no doubt. Let’s be brave to lift off our shrouds through our fears of our own magnificence.
About the Author
A lifelong meditator and artist, Leiah Bowden creates uniquely radiant Energy Portraits as tools for personal transformation and activation. The supra-images of people and animals flow from her hand and through her voice based on her inner sight and feel of the flow of energies emanating from, to and among people’s physical and multi-dimensional energy centers. Part of the Energy Portrait process includes her singing, chanting, and speaking guidance which pours through me for the person who is the subject of the Energy Portrait, so the finished product comprises is a pastels-on-paper work of art and an audio tape. The Energy Portraits have served people as inspiration for personal growth and emotional support; for moving forward in new ways into their soul’s passion and authentic nature; and as corroboration of an acupuncturist’s diagnosis and plan for treatment. You can find out more about Leiah and her work at www.energyportraits.com.
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Posted in Articles, Healing, Self Help, Spiritual, Uncategorized at 12:54 am by Administrator
– Suhn Ki Energy Center
What is it that makes our hearts beat and lungs breathe in and out? What is the power that creates and moves the billions of cells that form and sustain our bodies?
We call this invisible force Ki or Vital Energy and it manifests itself as electrical fields and currents circulating all around our bodies. This energy moves through a network of channels that carry it to every cell and organ. It is the fundamental force that controls to perfection every function of our body. When our Ki is strong, balanced and flowing well we are healthy, and furthermore have strong resilience and self-healing power to overcome adverse external influence such as injury, infection or a polluted environment.
Understanding Disease
The root cause of disease is an imbalanced or weakened state of Ki. We call this situation an energy blockage. Accumulations of negative energies or environmental toxins will modify, slow down or stop the invisible circulation of Ki. Just imagine a dam that stops the flow of a river and changes the life support system of all animals living in its vicinity. With blocked energy our body’s systems become unbalanced and our vital organs and immune system weaken. As a result we are more likely to become sick and are vulnerable to viral, bacterial or fungal infection.
The Causes of Energy Blockages
1) Emotions
Emotions have a very powerful effect on the body, more than most people are willing to acknowledge. Our mind controls our energy system, which in turn controls the physical body. Intense negative emotions are linked to various organs. Chronic anger will affect the liver, worry creates stomach problems, grief and melancholy influence the lungs and large intestine and fear the kidneys. Mind and body are inseparable. For every emotional state there is a physical response in the body.
2) Family inheritance – Ancestral Energy Blockages
Chronic and genetic illnesses are often rooted in weaknesses inherited from ancestral family energy patterns. Such patterns of blocked energy can be transmitted from generation to generation and influence descendants both physically and mentally. These blockages often manifest themselves in conditions that prevail in the family. Ancestral blockages take longer to open but when they do tremendous healing can be achieved.
3) Environmental Toxins
Excess accumulation of toxins absorbed into the body from pollution in the air, water and food can create energy imbalance and blockage and cause the body to spend its energy dealing with the contamination. This keeps the body’s vital energy from flowing properly and as a result all bodily functions weaken and the body is also less able to eliminate toxins.
The Solution
Every person is born with self-healing power. When mind & body are in balance this healing power can be maintained. But if we lose the equilibrium, this natural power can be disrupted. Being able to take control of our minds as well as our bodies is the most reasonable and effective way to restore our immune system to keep good health. Most people have depended upon passive treatment through external intervention to restore their health. However our body’s system like nature can regulate itself to perfect health if given the proper environment. Suhn Ki Energy provides a unique healing system that directly addresses the root cause of disease and allows for a fundamental restoration of ones self-healing power and basic mental and physical health.
About the Author
The Chun Do Sun Bup method has offered its students around the world profound techniques for healing body, mind and spirit. To learn more about the Ki Center’s Training and Treatment programs or to receive an assessment of your energy condition and a demonstration of the healing power of vital Ki, please contact Suhn Ki Energy Center, 4 West 22nd Street, 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10010, suhnki@kienergy.info 212-604-9595.
Website: www.kienergy.info
You can also contact the International Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Wellness Center. Telephone 617-669-6996. E-mail: boston@cdsb.org
Website: www.cdsb.org
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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Articles, Healing, Stress Relief at 12:50 am by Administrator
– By Irene Tamaras
What Are ESSENTIAL OILS?
Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils are special medicinal healing substances that are extracted from various healing plants. Essential oils were used by ancient cultures including Ancient Egyptians for the treatment of illnesses and for religious rituals.
At first look, essential oils appear so simple, but they are not. They contain hundreds to thousands of different chemical constituents, many occurring in minute quantities, but all working together to produce therapeutic effects. Essential Oils are distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. Essential Oils are oxygenated and assist in delivering nutrients to the cells in our body. The oils are highly concentrated containing profound healing properties so only a few drops are necessary per application (1 to 3 drops). The oils diffuse very quickly (within minutes) throughout the blood and tissues by penetrating the pores of the skin and the cell membranes.
Benefits of ESSENTIAL OILS
Containing enormously valuable medicinal healing properties, Essential Oils provide dramatic results when used therapeutically. Essential Oils deliver subtle energetic rebalancing effects that work on the physical body, chakras, meridians, and higher spiritual bodies, as well as the emotions. Essential Oils penetrate the pores of the skin and cell membranes and diffuse throughout the blood and tissues. Essential Oils can enhance circulation and immune function. There are so many wonderful benefits that occur when using the oils such as:
• Pain Relief
• Anti-inflammation
• Antiseptic
• Stimulate Immune Function
• Regenerate Damaged Tissue
• Relieve Stress and Promote Relaxation
• For Minor Burns
• To Kill Viruses and Bacteria
• Calming and Sedative Effects
• Improve Concentration and Mental Clarity
• Menstrual Cramps and Premenstrual Syndrome Relief (PMS)
• Back Injuries
• Improve Human Nervous Conditions
• Headaches, Anxiety, Depression, Panic Attacks
• Clearing Emotional Patterns and Improving Emotional Condition (refer to next section for further information)
CLEARING EMOTIONAL PATTERNS
Essential Oils have the ability to clear and release emotional patterns and to improve your emotional condition at any given moment. These are truly remarkable benefits for two reasons: (1) there is a significant relationship between mental and bodily processes and (2) emotions are stored in cells of the body and an emotional pattern is established.
A great instructional guide to use is the book Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils by Carolyn L. Mein, DC. This brilliant book explains how to use Essential Oils to access the parts of the brain where emotions are stored and learn how to move through blocked emotional patterns. Mein identifies specific essential oils that correspond to specific emotions and explains how to apply the oils to acupuncture alarm points to release the emotion from cellular memory.
As humans, it is important to be able to express both positive and negative emotions. If negative emotions are not expressed safely, an unhealthy build-up form in our body that can lead to illness and an emotional pattern is established.
Learning the opposite side of an emotion (i.e. laughter is the opposite of anger, encouragement the opposite of disappointment, joy the opposite of sadness) and having the ability to ‘release’ this negative emotion in a healthy way creates positive feelings and the energy involved can be used constructively. Emotional energy, if not released, enters the body and gets stored in organs or glands and the memory of the physical or emotional pain or trauma gets stored in the part of the brain known as the limbic system. Even without us knowing it, the body then holds on to an emotional pattern.
It is very important to note that even if we recognize an emotional pattern and try hard to modify our behavior/thought process, change cannot fully occur since emotions are stored in our cells. Using the Essential Oils as directed in Mein’s book can and will remove this stored negative energy from cellular memory. If emotions are deep-seated, then it will be necessary to repeat the process again and again until the emotion is fully released.
To those reading about this for the very first time, until you read Mein’s book and try it for yourself, it may be a little difficult to fully comprehend how this clearing process works, but know that the emotional clearing process can really produce profound life-altering benefits.
How To Use Essential Oils & Choosing Essential Oils
Some of the best instruction on how to use Essential Oils can be found in the following books: Essential Oils Pocket Reference and the Essential Oils Desk Reference, Essential Science Publishing, July 2001).
Essential Oils can be used in the following ways (some pure oils may need to be applied with a mixing oil for some because of possible sensitivities; it’s best to test a small area of your skin):
• Applied directly on location, site of pain or problem area
• Used in a compress to penetrate skin
• Used as a massage oil by mixing with a massage oil base
• Applied to the hands and feet at Reflexology points which are areas that correspond to the part of the body you wish to support
• Through direct inhalation or dispersed in the air with a humidifier/vaporizer/diffuser/sprayer
• Taken orally (only some essential oils can be taken orally, consult with the Recommended Reading books to learn about specific oils and their uses)
• Applied to acupuncture alarm points to clear emotional patterns
• Worn as a perfume or cologne
When choosing Essential Oils, it is very important to note that not all Essential Oils sold in the marketplace are pure, therefore, unable to produce therapeutic results. Many Essential Oils are adulterated, synthetically produced, or diluted oftentimes to be sold cheaper. Be mindful of the company you purchase your Essential Oils because these oils can be harmful to consumers and can also cause rashes, burns, or other irritations and not produce any therapeutic benefits. Although there is no current organization that regulates the purity of Essential Oils sold in the US, there is an indicator called the ISO (International Standards Organization) certification or the AFNOR (Association French Normalization Organization Regulation) standard established in France and these European standards have been introduced in the US.
About the Author
Irene Tamaras is CEO of Dynamic Pain Relief, www.dynamicpainrelief.com, a provider of alternative self-help treatments, products, and information for people seeking solution for physical, emotional, and mental challenges. She lives in the Washington Metropolitan Area and graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Business Administration and a double major in Transportation and Economics. From her own personal battle with chronic pain and mobility challenges from a severe fall, she has spent a decade seeking out natural and effective ways to manage chronic pain and stress. Irene is a leading expert on Reiki (she holds a 2nd degree Reiki), Reflexology and Reflexotherapy, Qi Gong, Meditation, and Essential Oils. For more information you can contact Irene Tamaras at info@dynamicpainrelief.com or 240-476-4307.
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Posted in Articles, Self Help, Spiritual at 12:48 am by Administrator
– by Cheryl Woodruff
For many baby-boomers, Taoist wisdom brings to mind Bruce Lee’s “Fists of Fury” and the world of forbidden warriors. Yet, it was David Carradine’s portrayal of the exiled Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine, the mystic who wandered the American West in the 1972 hit TV show Kung Fu that introduced this tradition’s hidden spiritual dimensions. Who can forget the Taoist Master who challenged Caine’s errant “grasshopper” ways while dispensing the secrets of the universe in profound poetry borrowed from the Tao Te Ching? Yet Caine’s martial arts mastery was always juxtaposed against his ability to decipher life’s hidden secrets, “the mystery that can be indirectly known but not explained.”
America’s boundless appetite for oriental wisdom over the past decade is reflected in the widespread consumption of all things eastern — from acupuncture and herbs to Tai Chi Chuan and Tae Kwan Do. More recently, the unparalleled success of the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sparked a renewed cultural exploration. Once again the West is turning east to de-code the mysteries of body, mind and spirit.
And yet what is it that we seek? For many of us, our fascination with the East reflects a search for wholeness in a mechanistic world — a desire to recover that which has been lost to us in our increasingly homogenized, sanitized, faster and faster paced reality. We long for a way to reconnect with that which is greater than one being, and yet deep within ourselves.
Fortunately, Boston seekers need look no further than the Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Wellness Center for an introduction to Taoist healing arts. “Ki or Vital Energy” training transforms human energy into its superhuman or divine form. Through this art of inner alchemy, one can glimpse into the traditions that generations of sages have turned to for self-healing, self-mastery, and self-realization. What is this miraculous thing called Ki, the invisible force that has the power to revitalize body, mind and spirit? The Chinese call it Chi and the Koreans call it Ki, hence the terms Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Aikido, which all mean “vital energy”. No matter what label each culture assigns, Ki remains the primordial force that results when sperm and egg unite. It is the energy of life in its purest form. In the Taoist view, to understand Ki we must develop an awareness and appreciation for the laws of Nature, especially as they are manifest in human life. In Ki Training, Nature must become our sacred text and indisputable guide for our personal growth and spiritual evolution.
When Ki energy channels are open and flowing, the human being knows no limits. Ki is not only the basic component of matter; it is also the mind of matter. Everything one thinks and feels is transmitted to the body via the energy system. When there is harmony between body and mind, our energy flows smoothly like running water, but when there is discord, it becomes blocked or damned up with congestion, which eventually leads to disease. Learning how to recognize and master the healthy circulation of Ki throughout the body is at the heart of all Taoist training.
Chun Do Sun Bup (CDSP)
Chun Do Sun Bup, which literally means “the heavenly way to recover body, mind, and spirit” is a 6000-year-old Taoist form of South Korean martial arts training. For thousands of years, this discipline was secretly passed down from generation to generation until Dr. Haeng-Yong Mo and his wife Gui-Dai Park began to explore “The Way of the Taoist Immortals” and were called upon to revitalize this tradition for the modern era.
The Grandmasters were to endure 30 years of arduous and often life-threatening ascetic training in the mountains of Korea, until ultimately they were capable of transmitting the perfect balance of yin/yang energy or Ki.
As they wrote in The Book of Heaven, when Grandmasters Mo and Park perfected the “heavenly way” of the Taoist Immortals, they received extraordinary healing abilities. They traveled in Japan, and South America performing miracles and treating thousands of people relieving their illness and suffering. Yet, as they traversed the world, they realized that they would never be able to reach everyone who needed their help. Finally their prayer to “serve humanity” was answered in the Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Training.
KI ENERGY TRAINING
Today there are more than 200 nonprofit International Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Centers operated by Korean and Western Masters who teach this ancient art in South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England. Ki Masters dedicate their lives to cultivation of their healing abilities to serve humanity. Introduced to North American in 1994, Ki Energy Centers are now located in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Commenting on their mission, Master Vera Zachariassen, head of the New York Ki Center said, “First and foremost, we recognize that every person is born with healing power. When the mind and body are in balance this healing power can be utilized, but when we lose our equilibrium this natural power can be disrupted or destroyed. So one of our primary purposes is to teach people how to develop their own innate healing abilities.”
Chun Do Sun Bup is a complete self-healing system that combines the amazing power of Ki Energy Training and Chunsoo or Ki Energy Healing. It offers ways to realign our body and mind with the principles of harmony and beauty that rule Nature. When mind and body can tune back to the energetic frequency of Nature, our vital life force can regain its proper flow and restore healing of the most profound and lasting kind. Nature is unselfish, unbiased and harmonious. Nature gives unconditionally and only asks for cooperation and wise measure. Harmonizing the constantly chattering human mind with the mind of Nature, so that we can receive its healing power, is a long process because Nature heals slowly. But Nature heals best. It follows its own pattern, not ours. Ki Energy Training offers one of the shortest and most direct ways to walk this profound healing path. Ki Energy Training consists of 100 classes divided into 12 steps, performed in a small class setting in sessions lasting one hour. Each class consists of chanting and breathing exercises to purify the mind and refine the energy system; systematized ki movements to revitalize and strengthen the body’s energy circulation; and silent meditation to develop mental clarity and to enhance spiritual development. The training room is filled with the power of invisible Ki, and students learn how to receive, circulate, and retain vital energy.
Ki Energy Training is believed by many to be a natural and lasting solution to such health problems as stress, migraines, back and neck pain, chronic fatigue, food allergies, digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, and other serious illnesses.
Although many health programs deal with the mind and body separately, Ki Training restores emotional and physical balance by disciplining the body and mind simultaneously. As trainees participate in classes and receive healing treatments, they sometimes report that old energy blockages are dissolved, toxins are released, signs of stress and aging are removed and emotional balance is restored.
Ki Energy Healing Treatment
The hands-on application of vital energy known as Chunsoo, or “heavenly hands,” is an integral part of the Chun Do Sun Bup (CDSB) healing program. During this treatment, the Ki Master transmits cosmic energy into the body’s blocked energy meridians through finger pressure and sound frequencies. The sshhh breath sound deeply penetrates energy blockages by combining sound with vibration. A Ki Energy Healing Treatment can take between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the state of one’s energy system. Through this technique, energy blockages can be quickly located and opened, leading to the removal of pain, tension and toxins that are often the precursors of disease. After treatment, the physical body is detoxified, the mind is stabilized resulting in clearer thinking and emotional balance, and the natural flow of Ki is restored to the immune system.
Ki Ancestor and Family Healing
A commonly acknowledged cause of energy blockages is the accumulation of toxins and negative emotions such as chronic anger, worry or grief. Another source of energy blockage is an inherited energy blockage. As the name implies, our parents pass on this type of weakness to us. All energy blockages affect us physically, mentally and spiritually and inherited energy blockages can defy the best efforts of traditional and alternative medicine. Interestingly, both Western and Eastern medicine conclude that certain illnesses are familial such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke. Western medicine would attribute these illnesses to mutations of a gene, while Eastern thinking postulates the influence of our Ancestors unresolved negative mind states and emotions. Through Ancestor Training Ceremonies led by the Chun Do Sun Bup Masters we’re allowed to heal such ancestral energy blockages and to restore new levels of health and well-being to our families and ourselves.
A whole plant is contained in the seed. An entire person is contained in an egg. Every living thing in the world comes from seed. And every living thing in the world dies and falls to the earth. Bodies rot, only to feed the earth and release the seed. That is true rebirth.
Tao is infinite. It is a seed of unlimited circumference, with its center any point in boundless eternity.
Tao is a tiny seed, containing unlimited universes its dimensionless center.
The seed is the whole of what we want to know. The seed is the center. The seed is the source. And the source is the whole of Tao.
— “Everyday Tao” - Deng Ming-Dao
About the Author
The Chun Do Sun Bup method has offered its students around the world profound techniques for healing body, mind and spirit. To learn more about the Ki Center’s Training and Treatment programs or to receive an assessment of your energy condition and a demonstration of the healing power of vital Ki, please contact Suhn Ki Energy Center, 4 West 22nd Street, 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10010, suhnki@kienergy.info 212-604-9595.
Website: www.kienergy.infoYou can also contact the International Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Wellness Center. Telephone 617-669-6996. E-mail: boston@cdsb.org
Website: www.cdsb.org
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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Articles, Self Help, Yoga at 12:43 am by Administrator
– By Richard A Masla ND
Ayur means life and Veda means knowledge. Ayurveda is the science of life. If there was a life handbook given at birth guiding us to a healthy and happy life, included would be several chapters on the science of Ayurveda. This ancient healing system has its historical base in the pre-Aryan civilization of India dating back over 5000 years.
Ayurveda is the science of living in harmony with the forces of nature. Its holistic approach to healthcare is unique in that it enables us to treat the individual as a part of the whole. Understanding one’s personal nature (prakrti) and the impact the environment has on one’s life offers us clarity of the most appropriate lifestyle applications that would serve us best. These may include nutrition and dietary changes, simple exercises such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing (called pranayama) and addition of simple herbal medicines. These simple changes will create a greater harmonic balance for the mind, body and spirit.
In Ayurveda, food may be used to support healing. These principles coincide with the basic Hippocratic principle that food serves as the most valuable medicine for supporting and maintaining health. Likewise, poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles create a foundation for disease to begin.
One of the major causes of illness according to the Ayurveda is called jnana-aparadha or offense against knowledge. If you get heartburn every time you eat foods prepared with tomatoes and continue to eat them, you will suffer the consequences. This is called jnana-aparadha. If your body is telling you that a particular food is not good for you; listen. The Surgeon General of the United States said that 60% of diseases are diet related. Ayurveda says that almost all disease can be related to improper digestion of foods and the wrong combinations of them.
Here is some simple advice from the Ayurveda in relation to diet.
1. Eat only when you are hungry.
2. Do not have cold drinks or drink a lot of fluids with your meals. This puts out the fire of digestion.
3. Have your largest meal of the day at midday and your last meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
4. Make each meal a preparation of love and be grateful for all of your food. Know that it is a gift from nature and God for you. (We may take this for granted, not realizing that every year on this planet 20 million die of malnutrition).
By following some very simple principles from the Ayurveda, your health can improve and you can live a long and prosperous life. Living a full and healthy life does not need to be a puzzle, we may just need a little guidance from an ancient medical science that has been tested through time.
About the Author
The Ayurveda Health Retreat contains a group of dedicated health professionals seeking to combine the best of conventional and ayurvedic medicine. We have an Ayurvedic Practitioner, a Doctor of Naturopathy, an Acupuncture Physician and several Massage, yoga and meditation teachers and Reiki therapists. They have studied Traditional Ayurveda under such great teachers as Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Pankaj Naram, and Dr. Syama. They have been taught the ancient art of Kerala ayurvedic massage and pancha karma.
The main center is in north central Florida in the small historic town of Alachua (20 minutes north of Gainesville and 2 hours north of Orlando). Its Main Street has gift shops, restaurants and many other shops to browse through. There is an abundance of natural beauty in the area. The beautiful wooded parks, crystal clear waters of natural springs, rivers and lakes are only 20 minutes away and are a wonderful place to walk, swim, and connect with nature. The center offers 5-8 and 12 day retreats. Stay from 3-21 days is permitted. For more information visit their site at www.ayurvedahealthretreat.com .
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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Articles, Self Help at 12:42 am by Administrator
– By Irene Tamaras
Anyone suffering from chronic pain knows how difficult it is to live with and how easily it is to turn to pharmaceuticals, but this is not a good solution for the long-term. At 39, I have suffered with chronic pain from a back injury for 12 years now. The first part of these years were spent trying to find the magic “cure” so that my pain would just disappear and my mobility be normal again. This did not happen. I realized that the magic bullet just didn’t exist and that I needed to start “living” my life despite the chronic pain I lived with and the mobility challenges I faced. Over the years, I turned to various types of alternative medicine and treatments and little by little with time and practice (and an open mind) I created for myself a very workable and successful pain management program. I don’t use any drugs except for Ibuprofen and occasionally with a flare-up some anti-inflammatory injections. I manage my pain using various alternative methods and today I consider myself lucky to be managing not only my pain, but my life successfully. The drug-free pain relief alternative treatments that I recommend are listed below.
1. Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils: Essential Oils are therapeutic medicinal healing substances which are extracted from healing plants and work by penetrating our skin to deliver energetic rebalancing that work on the physical body, chakras, meridians (energy junctions in our bodies), higher spiritual bodies, and our emotions. They are highly effective for pain, inflammation, spasm, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, menstrual pain, and relaxation just to name a few. Essential oils “boost the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and oxygen infusion into the cell” according to Essential Oils Pocket Reference, Essential Science Publishing. Excellent pain-relieving Essential Oils such as Peppermint are effective for blocking pain as shown in a 1994 study by Gobel et al., because Peppermint blocks calcium channels and substance P which are important factors in the transmission of pain signals. Other pain-relieving oils for pain and chronic pain like back pain include Helichrysum, White Fir, Douglas Fir, Spruce, Wintergreen, Basil, Cypress, and Oregano among many others. Please note that the not all Essential Oils sold in the marketplace are therapeutic grade thus their use would not result in therapeutic results.
2. Reflexology: Reflexology the science and Reflexotherapy the method are used interchangeably and it is used to promote healing and relieve aches, pains, stress and tension with benefits ranging from relaxation, releasing waste products, eliminating trigger points, and bringing the body into balance by eliminating energy blockages. Another benefit, according to Carter and Weber’s book Body Reflexology is the production of endorphins or the “feel good hormones” which are chemicals found in the brain whose function appear to be the mediation of pain perception. Although the mainstream definition of Reflexology is that there are specific points in both the feet and hands that correspond to other organs in the body, actually the entire body also has reflex zones and point-reflex zones and that there are many informative connections or information links between the internal systems and the external which is the skin. By stimulating these zones (through the skin) or general areas of the body where you feel pain and not just the hands and feet, the healing process is sped up as the nervous system is activated and Qi (Chinese for energy is released). Through my research, I discovered a product called a Reflexotherapy Applicator which is a self-treatment of Reflexology that can be done privately in the home without seeing a health practitioner. It combines pressure (the reflexology part) and acupuncture (without needles to puncture skin) by lying on the prickly plastic points or applying to the surface of your skin. As the skin is stimulated (it is being irritated from the prickly points) the internal system of the body is activated which then produces physiological changes like improved blood circulation, release of endorphins, release of muscle spasm just to name a few.
3. Reiki: Reiki is a Japanese system of hands on healing and translated means Universal Life Energy which has a positive cumulative impact on overall health. Reiki is extraordinary because “it works for the greatest good” which means the positive energy you receive helps you in all areas of your life, be it health, emotional, business, relationships, etc. I recommend a book by David Vennells, Reiki for Beginners for those who are just starting out because it is clear, concise, and informative.
4. Self - Hypnosis: Hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis is an integral part of any pain management program. It is a wonderful tool that can be learned by anyone. Its benefits are numerous including relaxation, pain-relief, for an energy boost, better concentration, better control of emotional reactions, and a way to unlock the mind/body healing potential. There are great books available such as Healing Yourself with Self-Hypnosis by Frank Caprio, MD, and Joseph Berger which describes simple techniques for self-hypnosis and gives examples of self-suggestion to mediate on to help reduce tension, alleviate pain and more. Also, Hypnosis, A Comprehensive Guide by Tad James, MS, Ph.D., which teaches about the mind/body connection and the unconscious mind as a powerful source for healing potential.
About the Author
Irene Tamaras is CEO of Dynamic Pain Relief, www.dynamicpainrelief.com, a provider of alternative self-help treatments, products, and information for people seeking solution for physical, emotional, and mental challenges. She lives in the Washington Metropolitan Area and graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Business Administration and a double major in Transportation and Economics. From her own personal battle with chronic pain and mobility challenges from a severe fall, she has spent a decade seeking out natural and effective ways to manage chronic pain and stress. Irene is a leading expert on Reiki (she holds a 2nd degree Reiki), Reflexology and Reflexotherapy, Qi Gong, Meditation, and Essential Oils. For more information you can contact Irene Tamaras at info@dynamicpainrelief.com or 240-476-4307.
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Posted in Articles, Self Help at 12:41 am by Administrator
– by Dr. Margaret Paul
Kendra had been depressed on and off for the last three years before consulting with me. “I’ve tried various medications and they help somewhat, but I still feel depressed. I’ve tried psychotherapy and it also helps a little but not enough for me to feel happiness or peace inside. I hate feeling this way and I just don’t know what to do.”
The first thing that I did with Kendra was to help her create a personal source of spiritual guidance. I asked her to make up a being who was very loving, wise and powerful - a man, woman or animal to whom she could turn to, in her imagination, for help and guidance. Kendra made up an older Indian medicine woman whom she called Elder One.
Next I asked Kendra where in her body she felt the feeling of depression. “In my heart and stomach. My heart and stomach often feel so heavy and sad.”
“Kendra, imagine that your feeling self, the part that is presently depressed, is a child within. How old is this child?” She told me she thought the child was around six.
“Now, imagine that you are sitting in a beautiful place in nature with Elder One. Imagine that Elder One is surrounding you with love so that you feel safe. Now imagine that little six-year old depressed Kendra is also with you. Ask her how she feels about you as her inner parent, her inner mom and dad. Ask her how you are treating her that is causing her to feel depressed. Ask her out loud.”
“Okay. Little Kendra, how do you feel about me as a parent? How am I treating you that is causing you to feel so depressed?”
“Now go inside and imagine that you are little Kendra and that you are talking to you as the adult, the inner parent. What do you as little Kendra want to say to adult Kendra? How does adult Kendra treat you? What is adult Kendra doing that causes you to feel so bad?”
Little Kendra: “I barely exist for you. You really don’t care about how I feel. You never stand up for me with other people. You decide on things without ever asking me how I feel about it - like having dinner with Kathy tonight. I don’t want to have dinner with Kathy. All she does is talk about herself and I just end up feeling drained. But you don’t care about how I feel. You don’t want to say no or tell Kathy the truth because she might feel hurt or angry, but what about me? You never speak up for me with Harold (her husband) either. I just feel like I don’t exist in this marriage, just like with Mom. You treat me just like Mom treated me - like what I want and feel doesn’t matter. Other people are always more important than me. Of course I’m depressed! How else would you expect me to feel?”
Kendra started to cry at this point, and little Kendra continued. “I’m so mad at you! When are you going to care about me!”
“So,” I said, “You are a caretaker with your husband and friends. You take care of them but neglect yourself. You allow them to control you without standing up for yourself. Can you see how this would lead to depression?”
Kendra was quite stunned by this information. She had believed that her depression was caused by outside events rather than by how she was treating herself. She thought it was due to a chemical imbalance and to her husband’s controlling behavior. She may have indeed had a chemical imbalance that resulted from the stress of not taking care of herself, but the imbalance was likely the result rather than the cause of her stress and resulting depression. Her husband was indeed controlling but it was her response to him and others that was the cause of her depression, rather than her husband’s or friends’ behavior.
Kendra began to see that until she had the courage to take loving care of herself, she would continue to be depressed. Through practice, she learned to open to Elder One for guidance about loving behavior toward herself. As she began to take loving action for herself - for her Inner Child - her depression gradually diminished until she was able to get off the medication. Now, when she feels the depression coming up, she knows that there is some way she is not taking care of herself. She speaks with little Kendra to find out what it is and with Elder One to discover the loving action. When she has the courage to take the loving action, her depression goes away. Kendra has learned a powerful, spiritually-based method for healing her depression.
About the Author
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including “Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?” and “Healing Your Aloneness.” She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. INNER BONDING is a transformational six-step spiritual pathway that creates a powerful connection with your core Self and your Higher Guidance. Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: www.innerbonding.com or email her at margaret@innerbonding.com.
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Posted in Articles, Inspiration, Self Help, Uncategorized at 12:39 am by Administrator
– By Leiah Bowden
We know that “to heal” means “to make whole.” We heal ourselves when we allow our authentic being to manifest its perfect self in our lives, and we sometimes do this by making drastic changes in our lifestyle, but we do it on a less self-conscious level when we play the way we did when we were children, shifting our balance easily and without thinking from one game to the next, enjoying the moments of free fall in between.
Here’s an experiment: the next time you find yourself feeling anxious or nervous, step away from the physical space in which you usually station yourself (your desk, the couch, bed, for example), and hang out in a less ritualized place for at least 15 minutes. Bring your attention to something you did as a child that you associate with feeling at peace, calm, happy, or full of well-being. For me it’s pick-up sticks, or a pile of smooth stones to roll around on the floor, or a coloring book. Then get something that is the same or as similar as possible to the materials you may need for your activity, and sit in a non-ritualized place and do it. Let yourself sink into the activity itself and also into the memory of how good it felt to do this when life was simpler.
You will find that some kinks have worked themselves out in the process. And the fewer the kinks, the easier it is for the energy to flow freely through our beings.
With the Harmonic Convergence in 1987, an immense dose of power settled into our energy fields, and we are feeling the constriction physically, emotionally, and spiritually where the kinks have dug in. It’s true that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for, so let’s give ourselves the space we need to heal. In the healing, the heavy lifting will be weightless, and we will come through with flying colors.
About the Author
A lifelong meditator and artist, Leiah Bowden creates uniquely radiant Energy Portraits as tools for personal transformation and activation. The supra-images of people and animals flow from her hand and through her voice based on her inner sight and feel of the flow of energies emanating from, to and among people’s physical and multi-dimensional energy centers. Part of the Energy Portrait process includes her singing, chanting, and speaking guidance which pours through me for the person who is the subject of the Energy Portrait, so the finished product comprises is a pastels-on-paper work of art and an audio tape. The Energy Portraits have served people as inspiration for personal growth and emotional support; for moving forward in new ways into their soul’s passion and authentic nature; and as corroboration of an acupuncturist’s diagnosis and plan for treatment. You can find out more about Leiah and her work at www.energyportraits.com.
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Posted in Articles, Self Help at 12:37 am by Administrator
– by Suzanne Falter-Barns
If you’ve got a dream you’re intent on pursuing, chances are you’re going to bog down at some point. That’s just the way dreams are. In fact, there’s a little known rule about this called the Second Rule of Thermodynamics, which states that sooner or later everything returns to chaos.
In other words, expect your dream to come crashing down around your ears periodically.
Yet, no need to despair; such meltdowns are actually good for your dream, because they force you to stop and rethink your approach if you want to continue. That’s the only way you can find the footing to continue, and in that process, you’re forced to learn and grow. This is when I always pull out my trusty guided visualizations.
Nothing, but nothing, can turn your mind around quite as effectively as a good guided visualization. It can create hope where there was none, clarity in a space of confusion, and immeasurable inspiration. If you subscribe to the same notion that I do – that all of our ideas and instincts around our dream are guided – then this is where you’ll find the mother lode of such information. A good guided visualization will connect you with deep inner truths that most of us simply can’t tap into consciously.
So basically, you, too, can be a Ghandi or a Nelson Mandela or a Thich Nacht Hahn … if you dig deep enough and surrender fully enough. (Those enlightened souls have taught us that such round-the-clock access to the spiritual goods requires one heck of a lot of meditation, not to mention a saintly obfuscation of the ego.) In the meanwhile, the next best thing is to turn on the guided visualizations.
By guided visualization, I mean a recording of someone leading you through a meditation. First they relax you; then they help you imagine yourself in a particular place, or having a certain experience. A great guided visualization will lead you into situations where anything can happen and anyone can show up. You simply sit back and observe as helpers show up, insights are gained, and instructions are received.
Sometimes the path you see is a familiar one you’ve imagined often with your conscious mind, and the meditation serves as a wonderful confirmation of your plan. Yet, other times it can be strange and dark, making no sense whatsoever. My own students have come to me with alarm when they saw a picture of chaos, or violence and degradation. And yet, in talking it over later, they usually recognize a deeper meaning to the picture. Over time, if they repeat the process, they are often left with a greater insight than they anticipated.
For instance, Rosemary was a frustrated writer who hated her daytime job, and was given to fits of gallows humor about it. When she first did my Discover Your Soul Purpose meditation, she uncovered a chaotic back alley, full of lurking, menacing figures. She did the meditation several more times and the situation only marginally improved. Yet, what Rosemary took away from the experience was that her life was out of balance, and filled with dark, negative energy. She quit her job, attended to her failing health, and re-approached the meditation some months later. Now the scene was remarkably different, a sunny courtyard in which she could see herself as a writer for the first time.
In fact, Rosemary had not ‘done the meditation wrong’, as she’d been quick to assume. (”I must be the only person who didn’t do this thing right!”) Instead, her soul was giving her a direct signal that she was tangled up in life circumstances that were obscuring her dream. The meditation, for all of its supposed lack of clarity, had really been clear as a bell.
The only real way to interpret the images we get in these visualizations is to check in with our gut. There may be age-old gypsy wisdom that water means good luck, or that a duck is an omen of impending death … but I say that’s all poppycock. The only person who knows what your visualization means is you; your gut is the only thing that should ever guide your interpretation. What is it telling you about what you saw — that you need balance, like the confused Rosemary? Or that you need courage? Could it be that you simply don’t want to admit that what you saw is actually true?
Often we get images of ourselves leading such a life of power and abundance that we can barely stand it. It brings tears to our eyes as we acknowledge that we really can do that thing we sorely wish to begin. In that instant, we see how small and constrained we’ve allowed ourselves to become; yet, we also see how much impact we could have, if only we could choose the right path.
Above all, guided visualizations give us permission to dream. They allow us to see ourselves graphically living a different life, feeling the feelings, smelling the smells, and owning the power. We see a higher, truer aspect of ourselves, and in that instant, understand how unstoppable we really can be.
This is the biggest reason I rely on guided visualizations in my work – because they take you beyond the sugary platitudes about ‘going for it’ and ‘reaching for the stars’. Instead, they deliver you smack into your dream for a moment, so you can see the impact and importance of what you’re here to do.
Once you really know the true rightness of what that feels like, down deep in your gut, nothing can keep from making that vision a reality. Even if the images you see are more fleeting or obscure, they will leave you brushed with truth. This is the wisdom that lurks in our bones; wisdom we can access simply by taking the time to turn on a visualization.
About the Author
Suzanne Falter-Barns is an expert at helping anyone get on with their creative dreams. Her web site, www.howmuchjoy.com, and the book that inspired it, How Much Joy Can You Stand? (Ballantine Wellspring; 2000) were born of Suzanne’s own creative meltdowns. You can reach Suzanne at info@howmuchjoy.com.
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