Category Archives: Tools for soul connection

Feb 14 2012

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip: 2/14/2012

Here is your Tuesday Tips for living a life of fitness on all levels!

Fitness:  Rest.  It’s a word that I typically do not personally invoke enough when it comes to my workouts.   Rest days allow us to reconnect into our bodies, and it also allows us to give the body a break from a structured workout routine.  During your rest days take time to meditate, or if you MUST do something active let it be something that is less impact than your usual workout.  It also allows the body to heal.  The act of working out is breaking down the physical to rebuild it brand new.  Days off, and rotating the body parts you are working is an important way to avoid injury.  Meditation is a workout for the mind, it allows us to be present, but it gives the physical body a bit of a break.  Take time to allow yourself moments to rest, and pencil them into your workout schedule.

Nutrition:  Keep a food journal!  No, not one of those little online applications.  The electronic versions are great and personally use one, but there are other things that you should also log when you are connecting to your food for greater health.  We of course look at calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins.  You’ll also want to log how you feel when you eat.  If you are reaching out for unhealthy foods due to an emotional upset, this will give you a few moments to detach from the action of reaching for food in a negative way.  It allows you to also see where your emotions are during the day.  You can also write positive affirmations for yourself that are more personalized than something you’d get online.  The action of taking time to physically write something out in itself is an act of spiritual connection.  We are holding something tangible, and its a more “real” connection.  It slows us down.  Which is very important when looking at how we are connecting to not only our food but to the world around us.

 

Much love and light, and happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

 

Jan 29 2012

The Power of Emptiness

Emptiness can be a very scary thing.  For many of us, the thought of being “without” certain things in our life can cause anxiety and fear.  There are other times where we fill our lives with things that serve as place holders for other things, or we settle for less than what we know we deserve so that we can “feel” sustained or complete.  The act of hitting bottom, or coming to a place where things are taken from us, where we take some sort of control and purge elements from our life is an action of entering “the void”.

There are a couple of different ways at viewing emptiness.  We can sit in the darkness and be in dread of moving forward, or we can look at it as the gift of now being able to fill ourselves with “new everything”.  Loss takes us into a process of learning to have to move through attachment, emotions of fear, and we begin to take account of all that we have in our lives. Loss is powerful.  Losing anything that we’ve held onto, or has held onto us for a period of time creates a rift when it is no longer there.  An example that I will use to illustrate this is relationships.   Often times I see clients that are transitioning out of relationships that have gone on for many years.  When the relationship ends, we realize habits, patters, emotions that come to the surface that we might not have been aware of.  A tool for moving through this stage of transition quickly is to write down and become aware of those patterns, emotions, and feelings as they come up.  When we are able to sit with those in a tangible way, it allows us the freedom to examine them fully, and when we want to.  If we leave them in our mind we quickly can distract ourselves away from coming face to face with elements of the self and the parts we play in manifesting transition or loss.

The more important thing that I want us to take a look at is how to transition to a place where we look at loss as a gift rather than a burden.  When we go to a place where we lose, or chose to give up the things that bind us we regain a sense of power over our direction.   Rather than the cup being half full or half empty–pick the cup up, pour it out, and fill it up with anything your heart desires.  Sometimes a half full cup will sit too long, and we become attached to waiting for “something, or someone” to come along and fill it the rest of the way.  Finding power in emptiness is about regaining control of everything in your life.  Pick up your experience and fill it with something.

The first question I ask my of my clients that are in a place of emptiness is:  If you could do one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?  Often times the answer is “I don’t know”.  One of the reasons we don’t know is because we have never been given the chance to “be” or “do” anything we’ve ever wanted.  Another reason is that we’ve often surrendered our ability to “be” or “do” to others either through sacrifice or control.  The idea is to start small.  If you are coming out of a relationship where a former partner controlled every action even simple things as choosing which movie to watch or which restaurant to eat at can be difficult.  Having choice  can create fear when we’ve never been able to go to that place freely.

One simple tool that anyone can do is to create a dream list.   What things can you add to your life that will bring you overflowing joy and abundance?  To not limit the list.  Pick one or two small things that you can do right away.  Some small and simple things can be:  play with play dough, sing a song at the top of your lungs, go for a walk, bake a cake.  More complex things can be:  learn to oil paint, write a book, change careers,  start a new hobby, open a business.  Be creative and free of judgement.  There is nothing you cannot do and everything you do adds ripples to the endless stream of your life.  Somethings you might take on brand new and they will be permanent fixtures in your life, others will simply be momentary bursts of joy and connection.  We have to allow give ourselves permission to go into the darkness, but we cannot give ourselves permission to stay there.  Being in the dark only means that its time to turn on the light, even if it’s just a nightlight, we must shine.

Start today and shine.  Not everyone is going through loss, but these are steps we can take now to make transition easy if we are faced with it.  We can have speed bumps or mountains in our path.  How quickly we move through them will determine on the work we do before we get there.

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

Jan 27 2012

PBP2012: B- “Bindi” aka What does that little dot on your forehead mean

Through my yogic journey, I have had the opportunity to take initiations into different aspects of yoga.  Through yoga we also learn different ways to bring a fuller connection to aspects of our practice. The “bindi” is one of the tools I was least familiar with, but now use fully in my practice.   Most of us have seen Hindu women with the traditional red marking on the center of the forehead, and a big misconception is that this marking only signifies marriage.

The “bindi” is also applied to bring awareness and attention to the third eye.  One of my favorite kirtan singers BhagavanDas says it best, “The bindi brings

Bhagavan Das

full awareness to the third eye.  People will look, you will see it when you look in the mirror, and this adds energy to your third eye.”  Just to be completely honest, people will stare… especially if you are male and wearing this symbol.  I personally feel most connected when I take a moment to apply it.  It’s a very personal act of connection with the divine, a deep connection to the third eye center.

There are a couple of important reasons to wear it, and I’ll also talk about application in case any of you reading might want to take the bindi for a test drive:

One of the reasons I like wearing it is not just the significance of the third eye energy, but that it helps me to connect deeper to my spiritual path.  When others stop and look, or even talk to me about the bindi it gives me a chance to share my journey with someone else.  We live in a world where life is moving quickly, and little things like this catch people off guard and it slows them

down, causes them to stop, and connect for a moment.  A bindi can be worn by both men and women.  It is a connection to the divine, and in some ways is an outward representation of that connection.  It focuses the energy into our intuitive center and helps us to focus.

The bindi is traditionally applied with sandalwood paste and kumkum powder. Sandalwood is important for many reasons.  It’s fragrance has calming properties, and when applied to the forehead allows us to smell it, feel it and embrace it.  We know that it is there, and the forehead is where we hold most of our worry, so it brings cooling to our “worry center”.   The kumkum is the red powder that is applied on top of the sandalwood paste.  You can easily find powders in different colors, and different methods of application.  I’ll detail my personal process, and feel free to apply it as you see fit.

Some people just apply the adoration as a fashion statement, and where there might be nothing wrong with this, there are deeper energies present in simple actions.  There are individuals that take yoga solely as a physical practice, but the spiritual aspect is inherent whether you want it or not.  So just keep that in mind when connecting to practices that may have a latent spiritual symbolism.

You can use as a tool to focus your meditation, you can use it to build your connection to your intuition, and it can outwardly help you connect to your spiritual path.

1)  I first take a moment to center myself and I call in my personal deity, guides and angels.

2) I apply a small amount of water to my left palm, and add a small amount of sandalwood powder then mix them with my left ring finger until a paste forms.

3) once the mixture has formed into a paste I take my right ring finger and apply it to the spot right above my nose, centered between the forehead.  I apply it by making small circles, and its usually no bigger than the size of a nickel.  While I apply it I usually say a mantra.  This mantra penetrates into the third eye during the application process.

4) Now to apply the kumkum powder.  What I have found best for getting the perfect little circle is to take the eraser end of a pencil, lightly tap the powder covering the eraser fully.  Then take the eraser and press firmly into the center of your sandalwood past circle.  I hold long enough for me to say the mantra one more time, then release.

Some people apply the bindi without the sandalwood, some use their finger when applying the kumkum, some use applicator kits, and there are many other ways of adorning oneself.  The most important part is finding what works for you, and finding your reason for applying it.

Have fun with it.  Even if you don’t find yourself drawn to using this spiritual tool, hopefully now you will have a deeper understanding of its meaning.  Namaste!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Oct 14 2011

Expressing Peace in Turbulent Times

We only need to look around us to see that we are in a state of upheaval.  Times are changing rapidly and everyone is moving to the streets to have their voices heard.  Many are also taking this time to go into an internal space to create change within their own lives.  The road ahead might look bumpy, but it is only as turbulent as we choose it to be.  This is an important time to trust your intuition.  The one thing that we have to do is give ourselves permission to be angry.  Be angry!  Get Angry! —  but then allow yourself to move into a state of release and growth.  Why plant weeds in your own garden?  Holding onto anger will only attract more of it in your life.  We are all looking for change, growth, and we cannot expect others to provide that for us.  It is important to have a message of equality on all levels heard in the public forum, but we must first ask “What am I doing to create peace and change within myself?”  Too often we get caught up in the energetic tsunami of others.  This is why we are currently not seeing a unified message within the ranks of the “Occupy” movement.  As time passes I feel that a true, underlying message will begin to bubble to the surface.

Here are a few ways to express peace in your life right now:

1) Say I love you to someone next to you

2) Give forgiveness

3) Ask for forgiveness

4) Smile at a stranger

5) Volunteer and help those that are in need

6) Love yourself fiercely

7) Pray

8) Sing

9) Dance

10) Look in the mirror and love yourself

11) Write a list of all the things you are thankful and appreciative of.  Be in a constant rampage of gratitude.

12) If you feel negativity coming on, pull out your list from line number 11 and begin your gratitude flow.

13) Love your enemies.  Hate, never erases hate.

What are some ways that you bring peace into your life?  What do you do to bring yourself back to center?

Share your posts below!!!

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

757-839-3531

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

May 9 2010

Transformation, Taking Charge: Being the Butterfly

Not sure what is in the air, but it seems like everyone is going through some sort of transition, change, or shifting.   Even those of us that are in a place of spiritual connection are feeling the effects of global energy.  I personally am taking some steps to adjust my life into a state of preparation for the changes that are coming.  It is time that we take back our power, detach from negativity and learn to communicate with our divine nature.   I am going to share my process for the next week with you for a couple of reasons.  First, it holds me to a greater level of responsibility:  The better I am, the better I can be for those that I am of service to.  Secondly, it give you a process that you can take from if you are looking to develop a greater connection to your path.

I am taking 7 days to ground, reconnect, transition, and move back to center.

1)  I am fasting.  In the non-traditional way:  I am eating lentils, rice, raw veggies, water and tea (decaf)– no food after 8pm.

2)  I am going to bed each night at 11:00 pm.

3)  I am waking up each morning at 4:30 am for meditation, prayer and for my cardiovascular workout.  For the yoga I am doing a 27-54 sun salutation repetition.  Each day for the 7 days I am doing a focused meditation on a specific topic, and for that day will use a directed mantra for my prayer.

4)  I am doing a structured evening 60-90 min yoga flow.

5) I am eliminating all sugars, processed foods, caffeine (ugh) and filling my body with as much goodness as I can.

6)  I am going to write at least 1 poem a day, and journal my experience throughout the day.

7) I will do deep spiritual connection and readings for myself, my locale, and global (a few of which I will post here)

Next Sunday I am doing a 24 hour day of silent meditation, reflection and prayer.  I will not speak for the 24 hr time period (4:30 am Sunday-4:30 am Monday).  I will do yoga, silent prayer, and am planning a walk through a local nature trail.

These are just a few of the things I am doing, and I am doing a minimum of 7 days.   I could stretch it out do longer, but it will not be any less that this.

When is the last time you’ve connected spiritually to your path?  What sacrifices are you willing to make to dive deeper into your life, path, and soul work?

Apr 14 2010

Making Stone Allies By: David Salisbury

Making Stone Allies

Michael and I have been delving deeper together into the wonderful world of stone energy work. I’ve been a big fan of herbcraft for years as my personal expertise, but something has been calling me to expand, and make new friends from within the natural world. Energetically, stones work much in the same way plants do. Carrying the stone creates changes in your energy field (aura) that are associated with the properties of the stone carried. Further, you can “program” a stone with a specific goal or intent to add an extra kick to your work. When working with the stones, you’ll find that the longer you work with specific ones, the more potent the power is that they lend you. Here are some of the stones that I’ve been getting to know in my own personal practice lately:

Lapis Lazuli- In my work with The Goddess, this stone really helps me connect. In the myth of the descent of Inanna to the Underworld, Inanna had to give up her lapis jewelry (among other things) to gain passage to learn the mysteries of death. Lapis helps deepen the connection with the hidden world of the deep earth mysteries and the feminine divine.

Labradorite- A ‘higher consciousness” stone that expands our understanding of “the bigger picture”. I use this stone for ascension magick and work with contacting higher beings on both the etheric planes and the angelic realms.

Aquamarine- A lovely seafoam color stone that embodies all the aspects of the water element: love, compassion, understanding, healing, and intuition. Sacred to Venus, who was born from the seafoam washed ashore. The physical embodiment of beauty and grace. I charged this stone with blessed holy water, rolled in natural sea salt.

Onyx- Deep black, like the eyes of the fierce Crone Goddess. Onyx is extremely protective and is related to the primal survival instinct in the human body. I recently made a necklace of onyx beads, which I feel has strengthened the protective layer of my field. Onyx is a “return to sender” material and ensures that any ill will sent to you will be deflected back from whence it came. Charge your Onyx on the dark moon (tomorrow, April 13th) for maximum potency.

Clear Quartz- Probably the most popular stone for many years now. This is an all purpose stone that can be used the amplify the energies of any stone around it. I have a large clear quartz on the center of my altar to help me focus and direct energy with laser-like precision. Though I think you can charge this crystal anywhere, I find it most potent to leave it sitting in direct sunlight outside, which cleanses and charges it at the same time.

Rose Quartz- Michael and I exchanged heart-shaped rose quartz’ on Valentines Day. The Lovers Stone, brings understanding to couples and strengthens bonds. It also helps open the heart chakra to self-love and the love of divine beings.

Those are just a few, and I look forward to developing deeper relationships with my new stone allies. Soon I’ll start adding them in with my herbal charms, and we’ll really get the party going!