I went to a really cool lecture last night by Jan Janssen, a tutor with the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. The lecture was organised by the Healing Forum and it was supposed to be about chakra chords and ended up covering lots of non-chordy topics. One of my favorites was alignment and how you can practice it by surfing on public transport. Really! I write a lot about how important it is to be aligned with your higher purpose and with your higher self. Yesterday it was more about being energetically and physically aligned, and how that can help you be more in tune with life and with your intuition.
The way Jan described it when you are aligned you're grounded to the earth, centered and connected to Spirit all in one go. Alignment and mindfulness combined lead to an increased state of awareness. =)
On a physical level alignment is also about standing or sitting up straight so that the energy flow through the chakras is clear. In some of my healing sessions I will see a beam of white line running down the client's core, from their crown all the way to the tip of their toes. We refer to this as the channel in my classes and when something is out of alignment it is visible in the channel. I'll often spot an imbalance because the channel looks muddy, it has a color, or the energy flow is slower and muddled in a specific section. If I'm doing a chair healing I'll ask the client to sit up straight and then I'll work on clearing it. This is probably why I'm also intuitively prompted to sit up straight when I'm meditating or giving psychic readings. The posture helps me take deeper breaths and it also makes me feel more alert, energised and connected!
The lecture last night also got me thinking about how people can be grounded, centered and aligned without engaging with spiritual, energetic or psychic currents. There are lots of grounding hobbies out there and plenty of people enjoy them without being into meditation or energy work. The ones that come to mind are surfing, fishing, gardening, and rock climbing. I'm going to cover two of these here and I'd love to have your thoughts on the others!
- Surfing: So I grew up in California. The Pacific Ocean is so much fun to swim, surf and boogie board in. The sand is really grounding and spending time in the ocean is amazing. It feels really calming and overwhelming at the same time and you have to develop this connection to the waves so that you can body surf, boogie board, or swim in the water without being thrown around by the waves. Its a lot of fun and after an afternoon at the beach I would always feel very relaxed, invigorated and grounded. This was how I spent my weekends and summers growing up. Until today I never thought about the link to meditation, groundedness, etc. I don't surf but surfers tend to be very laid back, easy going and chatty in a down to earth and humble way. Friendly. I heart California!
- Fishing: When I think fishing stillness comes to mind! Sitting quietly on a lake for a couple hours is not my idea of fun. I'd much rather run, walk, surf, ski or swim when I'm outdoors. If you think about it, fishing is a lot like meditating and lots of people enjoy it. A person would have to be calm, grounded and patient to enjoy fishing. Or maybe fishing makes them feel calm, relaxed and disconnected from the stress of daily life. The most relaxing and healing part could even be the water under the boat. Spending time near a lake can also have a soothing effect on the emotional baggage carried around.
The other cool topic covered last night was about the link between the personality, the soul, the spirit and the core. I think it would make a really good topic for a guest post or a Q&A! Stay tuned! We might have a guest appearance in the next few months. ;-)
What can people do to help themselves align when they have a chronic or painful condition? As such a person I feel that we are overlooked and it is assumed that it is a personal choice to be well or ill.
ReplyDeleteHI Cath, I wouldn't call it a personal choice but I do think the way we deal with our emotions plays a strong role. Louise Hay has done a lot of work identifying the emotional and mental patterns that lead to illness. I'd say it depends on where the chronic pain is held in the body and the signals that sends to our subconscious.
DeleteI used to have chronic back pain and I think it was linked to stress and denial. It wasn't till I started kicking the denial that the pain started to fade. On some level I think I had deep seated fears that were paralysing me "metaphorically" and putting a dent in my stride ... I'd try meditation and healing to get to the bottom of the chronic pain. That and medical care but I assume you're already seeing a doctor?
Love & Light,
Geena
I ride horses and find that to be a very grounding hobby. You sit straight, which helps create a channel for energy flow, and connect to the horse through that channel. Horses are energy beings and have an incredible depth of feeling and perception. Communicating with them through my body and my mind has been an unbelievable source of growth and learning for me. Physically, it allows the back to be straight and the pelvis to rotate and move. It's rythmical and soothing. If you relax and only really use your core muscles it's a good way to message your mind and body.
ReplyDeleteLisa, the most grounding thing I've ever done was walking a llama.. :-)
DeleteI've also heard that horse riding is amazing for grounding. Maybe one day I'll be able to try it..!
I'm glad you liked the lecture..! :-) He's a gem. His workshops are way more intense (in a good way!). Each time I work with him, I find a little bit more (or a lot more!) of my heart's healing.
ReplyDeleteHe'll do some teleclasses soon, I think..! :-D