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10 Ways to open to the current of your soul

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The soul is a powerful part of who we are.  It is the breath of God that breathes through us.  It is the voice that we hear in times of need.  It is the love that radiates from the limitless, into this sometimes limited space of existence.  Opening up to the current of your soul is a powerful way to help radiate light into all creation.  The more open we are to our soul, its guidance, and it’s presence the more able we will be to stay aligned with our life purpose.

There are many ways to connect to the Soul Current, so this list is by no means the end all be all, but having a place to jump-start the connection is always helpful.  The soul is always and in all ways with you.  It just takes a moment to connect.  Connecting to your soul allows you to engage your life, your health, your work situations, and life with greater clarity.  Take a few moments each day to consciously connect to your soul.  What messages does it have for you?

Here are a few of the ways to connect to your Soul Current:

  1. Slow down.  We are all moving so quickly these days.  We run through the day with barely any recollection of the important moments.  We extend ourselves so far out into the future, that we lose sight of what is right in front of us.  Take a moment to slow down, breathe, sit, and disconnect from the busy energy in your life for 15 min.
  2. Breathe.  The breath is our connection to the divine.  When we breath we are accepting an invitation to join the present.  To be present in our presence allows us to connect to the soul.  Conscious breathing nourishes us.  When we are present with the breath, we are present with the soul.
  3. Be kind.  Extend kindness in all directions.  When you are at the grocery store, say thank you to the person ringing up your groceries–use their names (they are wearing name tags for a reason).  Call a friend and tell them how much they mean to you.  Don’t forget to be kind to yourself.  We beat ourselves up all the time for silly things.  Take a breath, place your hand on your heart, and say “I Love You” to the beating heart.
  4. Journal.  The journal is the most powerful spiritual tool that we have.  It is a sacred space for us to have dialogue with our soul.  Making time each day to reflect on the various aspects of our life allow us to gain clarity.  In your journal you can write questions that you want to ask your soul.  You can write letters to God.  You can explore emotions and experiences that may be troubling you.  The journal is a great place for contemplation.
  5. Meditate. Meditation allows us to come into presence.  It allows for mindfulness and stillness, and in the stillness we can find our soul waiting for us.  There are many different ways to meditate, so I encourage you to explore and find what works best for you.  Inviting stillness into our mind, body and spirit allows us to slow down and rest in our presence.  An easy way to connect to your soul in meditation is to: sit, bring attention to the breath, and listen.
  6. Trust.  Learning to trust can be difficult. Many of us have been hurt at some point in our lives.  This causes us to lock down.  The pain is often a doorway that allows us to be softer, it allows us to learn more about who we are at the core of our being.  We often blame God or our intuition for taking us into the storm, but often we had the guidance to avoid the storm before we made the journey–hindsight is always 20/20.  Journaling and writing down the words of our soul help us to see the words, which in some cases helps us to trust it.  The more we engage our soul, the more we step into the current of our being.
  7. Move your body.  The body is the temple of the soul.  Moving the body allows us to bring all parts of self into communion with the soul.  We often store emotions in our body.  This can result in muscle pain and tightness.  Treat the body to exercise, massage, yoga or some other form of physical activity.  When we honor the temple, the soul is able to be more present.  Eating foods that nourish you is another way to keep the body’s energy clear and receptive.
  8. Read uplifting books. Read books that take you to a new level of consciousness. Take the information from what you read and apply it to your life.  I often see people get these really great spiritual books, but no one does any of the exercises.  Taking time to apply what you are learning to your life will help you become part of your evolution.  Reading about masters can offer insight into your own journey.
  9. Connect to community. You are not alone on the journey. Connect with like-minded individuals, join meetup groups, and if there isn’t anything in your area start something!  Connecting to community allows our soul to flower.  By opening up to the light of others, and by sharing our light, we raise the vibration of humanity.
  10. Love yourself unconditionally.  Learning to love yourself, without conditions, is the fullest expression of your soul’s light.  This is a hard step for many of us, but an important part of the journey.  Opening to a deeper sense of love, allows you to also become more receptive to a greater love from those around you.  Too often we shut ourselves down through judgement, through fear, or unresolved grief.  By doing many of the actions in this list, you are telling the soul that you are ready for a deeper connection to love.  Our soul is an expression of God’s love for us.  Place on hand on your heart, and the other on your solar plexus.  See the word LOVE in your mind’s eye. Inhale and align with LOVE. Exhale and expand LOVE.  Continue this cycle of intentional breath until you feel love moving through your being.

 

These are just a few ways that you can connect to your soul.  Opening up a little each day, and setting aside time to begin the process is all it takes.  The hardest part about spirituality and life is showing up.  Are you ready to show up to your journey?

 

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

 

Michael Brazell

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

www.facebook.com/soulintuitive

The Cleanse: Hitting the Spiritual Reset Button

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istock_000013005656xsmallI want to start off this post by saying that the cleanse I am posting here is my journey.  Some of you may like it, others may not.  I only share it because we can all learn from each others trip along the soul highway.   I often find myself called to do a cleanse when I feel it is time to do a reset.  My spirituality is my life, my profession, and my passion.  Having come through a big transition, I feel that I am still carrying some old resistance, habits, and patterns.  Doing deep, and honest self inquiry allows us to go into a cleanse with clear intention.  I am also feeling that things are shifting for me spiritually.  I am starting to work deeper in the intuitive space, communing with my guides, my angels, and higher vibration beings.  When engaging these higher energies, I find it of value to detox and purify the body as much as possible.  It is also important to have a plan of action in place for going into your cleanse.  This helps keep you focused and aligned with your intention.  I am hoping to do a daily video post for this as well, and you can check out my YouTube page here.  If I do the videos I’ll also try to post them here as well.

So, for this cleanse and detox I am starting with 10 days.  I am starting with a 3 day master cleanse and then going into 7 days of water only.  Each water day is going to be dedicated to a particular chakra.  I bought 7 jugs of distilled water.  On each of the jugs I am going to draw the sacred symbols associated with each chakra, and will charge the water by chanting/toning the chakra sounds into the water.  I also have some wonderful chakra incense that I’ll be using for my morning meditations.  This cleanse is a bit more intensive than other things I have done in theChakras-in-Lotus past, but I feel that this is what I need to do right now to clear out some stagnation.  I am also structuring my reading time, online time, and yoga practice to support this adventure.  I’ll end the 10 days by doing 3 days of green/raw protein shakes, and I’ll allow my intuition to tell me what comes after that.  I am cutting gluten, sugar, soy, and processed foods out of my diet moving forward.  I have been receiving a lot of clear messages from my guides to start doing this, so I am.

When stepping off the ledge and into something like a cleanse, or detox be sure that you allow yourself time to prepare to go into it, but also be kind and gentle with yourself as you exit the cycle.  The most important part of a cleanse is your journal.  What emotions are coming up?  What body reactions are you having to the cleanse?  Write down your weight at the start, and track it throughout to be sure you are not losing too quickly.  What are your dreams telling you during this time?  I find that a cleanse usually brings up much more than our dependence on certain foods and additives.  Remember also, that cleanses and detoxes do not need to be food centered.  Taking a break from the computer, TV, the bar scene, clubs, or even pulling away from certain people might be a good thing.

For me, this is also a chance to reset parts of my life.  To come back to center, to bring my power home.  I do lots of energy work, self-healing, self-reflection, readings on myself, and this allows me to also be of service to my clients, friends, and soul family.  It also allows me to work more closely with this new and wonderful energy that is coming in.  I’ve had a lot of resistance stepping more deeply onto my path, and this process helps to clear away some of that muck.  I am also going to be working on cleansing and balancing the energies in my physical space.  Lots of work ahead, and lots of great things that I’ll be sharing here in the next few days.

What in you is calling you forward?  What in you needs to be cleansed right now?  Are you able to pause now for a moment, and bring awareness to that area of your being?

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

 

Mike Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.yogawitch.com

www.facebook.com/soulintutive

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

 

Finding inspiration, moving deeper into practice

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There has been a LOT going on over the past few months.  It seems that life is shifting us in a multitude of directions.  We are learning to swim the hard way.  When we go through the struggles, we get a chance to see where we need to place extra plaster, we get to test the seams of our experience.

I’m personally feeling the call to dive deeper into my own spirituality.  Recently a good friend of mine Pheonyx Roldan Smith passed away.  I believe when a soul like his leaves the body a sonic boom of energy occurs.  He lived his life in the deep spiritual planes, but also reached out to many of us to dive deeper into our own experience.  I have found myself sifting through things on his blog www.thocgproject.com.  I felt inspired by what I was reading, his journey, the trusting, and the opening of experience, and moving through the fear.  I see a lot of my own path in his work.  I am also aware of where I am holding back, where I need to trust more, and there is a lot of new energy that I will be bringing through in the next couple of weeks.

“If not now, when?”

That becomes the mantra that plays in the back of our minds when we place that “thing” spirit is giving us, that “thing” that is begging to come in and shift the world.  We have to start trusting our intuition.  We have to start asking the deeper questions.  We have to start honoring our bodies by giving them proper nutrition and exercise.  We have to get away from our technology and BE part of the world around us.

I am starting a fast.  When I start I tend to go deep into the experience of fasting.  I go for an all water fast for a few days as a reset.  Starting next week, I am going to do a chakra specific cleanse.  Engaging and dedicating a charka per day.  This will be a week-long ritual of clearing the energy so that soul conversation and guidance can be more clear.  Journaling is becoming more direct.  I usually keep two journals.  One that I capture my personal moments throughout the day, my personal insights, growth points, moments of reflection/contemplation and planning.  In the second journal I focus my intuition into the space around me.  I am making it a point to pay closer attention to the news (alternative and mainstream), predictions that intuition is giving me/ and those I am seeing others present, engaging discernment and tuning into the TRUE narrative.

I am also going to be doing a better job of capturing and dialogue my experience here.  Videos are coming (yoga, QiGong, meditations and teaching).  I need to do deeper, more specific meditations as well.  I’m feeling the call to connect to others doing this work.  I am also going to be doing a few community projects as well.

The journey is more than just what we as individuals are going through.  When we as individuals show up to the work, dig deep, work through the process of ascension we elevate all those around us.  We elevate humanity.

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

 

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

 

 

Show Up, Breathe, and Reflect

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This has been the mantra that has permeated many parts of my life over the past few weeks.  There have been a lot of changes, and more changes are on the way.  I often say that showing up is the hardest part of the spiritual path.  Breathing is the second toughest thing at times.  Life is not getting easier for many, and that is the reality, but how we relate to the transition energy is our responsibility.  The divine is also pinging many of us to do the deeper work, to go beyond our safety zone, and to let go of what is no longer serving us.

Reflecting and contemplation are important parts of the spiritual process.  Deep listening allows us to go into the soul space.  We get to sit with and reflect on our personal truths.  Tuning into our intuition is not about tuning out the drama of life, its learning how to step into it fully…with compassion for all our parts.

I am breathing life into this blog again.  New things are on the horizon, and I hope to bring you along with me on this journey.

I’ll be posting new channeled information, as I am getting a lot of downloads recently.  I am working on some pretty big projects that I’ll also be announcing over the next few weeks.   Travel is picking up, and next year is going to be a year of deeper exploration through travel as well.

When we show up and breathe, we take in the entirety of our life.  The breathe is God, and we are an extension of that divine power.  How beautiful this dance is.

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

Fasting and Detoxing: Day 1

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Life is a fantastic journey.

The past few weeks have been interesting to say the least.  I feel more connected to my own journey and experience but feel that it is time to pull out one of my favorite techniques for going a bit deeper.   We imprint, and we are imprinted constantly by living the human condition.  What we eat, what we think, what we choose to let in, and what we let out imprints on us on many levels.  When we fast we are taking time to let go of distractions, and detoxing is polishing up the pieces that need a bit of attention.

I’ve done a few posts in the past on this topic, and this one is going to be a bit different.  I typically share the details of my fast and detoxing plan, but I am going to hold that part sacred and just for me.   Fasting on many levels is a very sacred action.  We are communing with the soul, and allowing space for growth…. as a teacher, it is also my purpose to help show others that they too have access to these tools and they are there when you need them.

When many people hear the words “fast” or “detox” they immediately jump to food.  This is one aspect of fasting, but in a time and age where distractions are a plenty you can really choose to start anywhere.  You can fast and detox from facebook, from your cell phone, from speaking, from food, from sugar, from candy, from smoking, and the list can really go on and on.

Things change when you begin the process of letting go of distractions, emotions come up, resistance starts barking at you…. have a plan.

Going into a fast or detox without a plan is a good way to set yourself up to not complete your goals.. on,  and have some goals or milestones you want to move toward.

Write your plans in a journal and keep that journal with you.  The fast should challenge you, it should not be something that is too easy, but something that is not going to harm you.  Fasting allows us to see what power we have given away to the distractions in our life… are we mindlessly eating?  are we addicted to being online?  how much power does texting have over you?  can you go without tv for a few days?

When we create space by removing distractions we often begin to see we have more time… we might have more energy… we might find we have more awareness of our surroundings, etc… awareness begins to shift a bit… and this is powerful.

What holds you, and what are you holding onto?

If you are doing a dietary cleanse/detox or fast… Do your research.  Do not jump into it without knowing what you are doing to the body, what you are feeding yourself and the effects of what you are removing can have on your body.  Ex… removing caffeine can often cause headaches, etc.  Allowing your body to detox slowing, doing 1/2 caf, reducing, shifting to teas, etc. can assist with helping you make the transition away.

When you detox you are resetting the body.  Not just the physical body, but we also notice our patterns and habits that might be bound to the food/action.  “I must have that morning cigarette/cup of coffee”…   we hold affirmations that can at times bind us to the actions, not always are those affirmations positive as you can see above…  Keeping a journal of the emotions that come up in the absence of the cup of morning java, can show you a lot about yourself and your patterns.

Fasts can be as short or as long as you want.  Some people can go up to 40 days, others do a  3-7 day experience… One thing that I always like to point out is that there is no such thing as a failed fast.  You start, then you stop.  If you stop before your goal is reached, what caused you to terminate the fast… journaling this will help you to do the internal dialogue necessary to help you the next time you decided to fast/detox.

This is a bit of a ramble post…. and in the future fasting check in, I’ll be posting more of a journal style entry to give you a bit of insight into my process (internal and external) when taking on this sacred practice.

 

You are Loved.

You are Beautiful.

You are Divine!

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.yogawitch.com

 

Mastering the Master Cleanse

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Ahhh.. delicious… Lemons, cayenne pepper, molasses and water.

 

This is the basis for the Master Cleanse.  I’m not going to go into a bunch of history on why this cleanse is in existence, but I will share my own personal dealing with it so that you can have a new perspective on an old technique.

The energy this year has been heavy and in many ways chaotic.  Many of us are feeling this shifting force hitting us in magnitude.  We are experience a variety of new emotions, changes (both external and internal), and energies as we align with our higher purpose.  Taking charge of what we are putting into our bodies is vital as we come into this new alignment.

The Master Cleanse is an easy reset button.  Sometimes we come to a point where we know we are not in alignment.  We’ve reached out for the wrong foods, or we might be more aware of the foods that are limiting us.  I do not however follow the traditional mixture.  I have found a concoction that works for me, and it does the trick.

I usually get one of the large bottles (1.5L) of smart water or Whole Foods Brand H2O.  I use 3 Lemons, and I prefer agave nectar over molasses.  Molasses costs a lot more, and agave nectar has a bit few calories and sugar.  I do a couple of pinches of cayenne  pepper, and Ta-Da a delicious drink for the day.  I get up early so that I have time to make my drink, and it typically lasts me through the day.

Leading up to “Lemonade Only”
So, being the realist that I am, I know that if I jump straight into the mixture on its own right away that I’ll throw my body into “Craving every piece of cake in a 50 mile radius” mode.  I typically do not change my diet for a few days, but add the lemonade mixture.  This gives your stomach a chance to get use to the pepper and lemons, and it also provides a mild detox.  The idea is also introduced into your consciousness that a cleanse is on the way.  It’s like buying the cleaning supplies and keeping them in your messy room.  I usually do this for a couple of days, and then slowly begin cutting out different food items, until it’s just me and the lemonade. 

I typically do the cleanse for 3-7 days, and the go into a raw food eating mode for about a week (or longer).   Set a timeline that you know will work for you.

Set an intention for your cleanse.

“As I take in this cleansing liquid so does clarity flow through me”.

Personalize the cleanse and make it yours.  Allow yourself to be fluid with it.  If you feel like doing the lemonade along with raw foods– Great.  If you feel like just adding the lemonade and changing nothing–Great.  The idea here is that you are also including the intention that you are cleansing.  Cleaning happens and a multitude of levels.

Just a quick breakdown of the ingredients.  You want to use purified water if possible.  The agave nectar gives you calories to burn.  The cayenne pepper ups your metabolism and immune system, and the lemons are great cleansers.  Lemon is a natural diuretic, which will help you flush your system

I recommend light activity during the cleansing cycle.  Yoga is a perfect match for the master cleanse.  Yoga allows you to dive deep into the muscles and joints to facilitate release of toxins and limitations.

Trust yourself, and give the body what it needs.  If you need calories, eat.  If you need to modify, modify.

Have fun with the cleanse, open up to intention, and share the journey with those around you.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

 

Going Back to the Beginning: Fundamentals

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To say that this month has been chaotic would be an understatement.  I’ve been witness to a lot of upheaval, lots of drama and lots of change.   We are also about to enter the “dark months” of the year, and introspective times are creeping up on many of us.  Many of us are hearing our souls call to move into greater states of awakening.  It’s important to find space, to breathe and to trust our process.

I am finding myself going back to basics, going back to the places where I first met the divine.

I can remember my grandmother telling us bible stories when we were young.  We would sing “Yes, Jesus love me” and I can remember her having us place our hands on the TV screen with the televagelists of the time.  My foundation is in Christianity.  I can still remember the first time that I saw someone speaking in tongues, and have always had a deep fascination for how spirit grabs us.

I find myself going back to the beginning.  Many turn an odd eye when I mention my love for my Christian path, and my deep love for it.  For me, its more than a religion, it’s family, it’s memories of when things were easier, it’s where I first met the divine on this road.  I just started reading Mark Townsend’s “Jesus Through Pagan Eyes”, and I’ll be posting a review on it soon.

 

I’m also going to devote another blog to my spirituality beginnings.   I’m hearing the call of my past, and I’m taking time to sit with it.  To open to my safe space, and to be more engaged in my process.

Where did you first meet the divine?

M. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

Spiritual ADD, You Betcha…

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My spiritual journey is much like my life–joyfully chaotic with the occasional rainbow, and sometimes a pot of gold.  My life can really be summed up as an action of never letting my attention fall in one place for too long.  I often joke about having spiritual ADD, but the more I step back, the more I notice that it’s more of a reality.

My tattoos are a good sign: I have reiki symbols, Hindu chants, Buddhist chants, Ganesha, Jesus, Shiva symbols, a butterfly, a day of the dead skull, a heartagram, a pentagram, and well… the list goes on.  I wear my short attention span as a badge of honor.

I feel that if I stay in one place too long the dogmas might come up and bite me, grab hold and not let go.  I tend to float in on clouds that my head rarely comes out of, but I’m present enough to see the beauty that sometimes is lost.

I love a Christian jubilee just as much as I love attending a Pagan worship circle. I love sitting in a Quaker meeting just as much as I love listening to Atheist radio programs.  I think we don’t dip our toes in enough waters… but I rarely wait for the sharks to come nibbling.. before I’m off to the next adventure.

I pause long enough to let things sink in, but tend to do that on my terms.  I’m quick to play Devil’s advocate, even if I agree, just so that we can take it a little deeper.  We don’t question life enough, and life is about living the experience rather than hearing about it.

I have 10 books that I’m reading at any given moment, only to abandon all of those to listen to a great new harmonic frequency that will take me into the beyond that is just beyond the beyond…

My life is far from structured, but is free to fly in the moment of whatever God herself whispers in my ear.  She is like a kid painting my life a lot outside the lines and I’m okay with that.

Let go, and don’t worry so much.. let the shiny things distract you.  Read a thousand books that you’ll never finish.  Start a yoga class and finish it doing Pilates.

 

 

Ha, as I’m writing this.. I forgot where I was going, but its okay.. because we all made it here… to this moment.. together… right now…

and that..

is all…

that matters..

🙂

Mahayogi Das

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

 

Coming into alignment: Purpose, Self, Breath

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This seems to be the year of integration.  Many of us are hearing the call to come into being, to begin showing up, to be the divine light we were meant to always be.  For some the process will be an easy one, for others this means making radical shifts.  Being in the present is an action of surrender.  So many of us spend so much time in the past, even exploring past lives to find some tidbit of knowledge that can unbind us from some future karma that has not yet been actualized.

Breathe!

Breathing is one of the most important things we do.  It is spirituality stripped down.  It is our common bond to all things in life.  Breathing is the religion of life.  It is the divine mother birthing a new moment, it is father god bringing us connection, light.

I see too many people living on the inhale, life catching them off guard.  Then they forget to exhale.  It is in the out breath that we inspire new life, new connection, and expansion.  We have to break living in a state of waking apnea.  When we breathe we move, and this brings us into alignment.

The physical body is where we meet the breath.  We must take care of the temple.  The physical body is the temple of the soul, where we congregate with life herself.  We often speak of alignment in our spiritual practice, but how can we align with purpose if our bodies are held out of alignment due to neglect?  Take a moment to breath deeply.  Then exhale.  Where do you feel the breath stopping?  Where do you feel resistance?  Sit for a moment with that energy, be in that space of deep listening and ask what is needed in this moment.

Purpose is an unfolding lotus.

It changes as we breathe.  The road bends, it turns, as do we.

I love yoga as it is a constant action of surrender.  It is a unification of mind, body, spirit, breath, and purpose.  It is action coupled with intention.  Desire and will holding my space as I move around the mat.  This is how I am choosing to live my life in this moment.

What is calling you in this moment?   Where do you need movement?  Are you restricted in physical mobility, can you improve on this?  If not, find the smallest level possible and breathe into that space… The body is constantly moving, even if we are not.. Let’s join her in this eternal dance.

The Pagan obesity discussion… and debate

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The interwebs is alive with discussion regarding obesity and the nature of it being a taboo topic within pagan circles.  Peter Dybing recently posted an article on his blog Pagan in Paradise regarding this oh-so-taboo of topics.  I applaud Peter for taking a step in creating space to have a discussion regarding health within out spiritual communities.

To start off, Obesity is not a “body image issue”, it is a health issue.  Many have lashed out with the thought that this is going to create polarization within the community, that judgment will occur due to body size, etc.  Rather than taking this as an opportunity to discuss creating positive change for health within our pagan circles, we have taken it as an opportunity to attack and tear down each other… see anything hypocritical about this?

Obesity is a global issue, to think that we as magical culture are exempt from the issues that plague society is a narrowing viewpoint.  What I do feel however is that we as a magical community have the power to effect change globally by taking a deeper acceptance of where we are in our pursuit of health.

Before the attacks begin, let me give you a bit of my back story:

I have been on a yo-yo existence with my weight ever since childhood.  I was healthy, but I did not feel satisfied with the extra weight.  Weight even now, is a struggle.  I’ve also had the opportunity to see this issue from multiple perspectives.  I am a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and yoga instructor.  I am vegan.  I’ve worked for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and have worked in gyms and studios across the east coast.  It was also my responsibility while in the Navy to be a fitness instructor for the Special Warfare candidates.  I have competed in bodybuilding competitions and I have also suffered through struggles with being overweight.

There is a reason why the fitness industry makes over 8 billion dollars a year, and an its the same reason that the pharmaceutical industry makes even more… we surrender our power away to others rather than taking responsibility for where we are.

If we look at the body as a temple.  The soul as the energy that moves through us, it is important for us to improve that temple by whatever means necessary.

Now, lets step this away from a body image issue.  This is not about body image… again, let me stay… this is NOT about body image. 

The problem that I have seem as a fitness professional that is also a member of greater spiritual community is surrender to non-health.  I think that we should absolutely love ourselves no matter what size we are… big, small, and everything in between… However I do not agree with surrendering to poor states of health, poor habits, and poor lifestyle choices.

As members of spiritual community we have a responsibility to our divine work to be part of this experience for as long as possible.  We cannot use our spirituality as a shield to the reality we face as a community.  Obesity as a health issue is an epidemic.  We can pull facts, stats, etc and we can argue both directions.   We begin feeding into a greater illusion that being overweight does not have a damaging effect on the body.  Carrying excess weight not only puts excess stress on the joints, spine, and hormonal system, but it may limit how we engage the world around us.  I agree, greater society does at time make this more about body image than health… why are we feeding into this same illusion?  Are we, as spiritual individuals not able to see through this to the core of what we are supposed to be engaging?

Each of us holds weight differently.  Each of us has a unique beauty.

This is an opportunity for us to have dialogue to create opportunities to engage health in a new and fun way.  Locally we have monthly Pagan Centered Fitness gatherings.

Having these discussions are moments for us to engage in expansion instead of limitation.  We are a spiritual family, and it our responsibility to reach out with compassion and acceptance.  Size is not always an indicator of health, but by the same token, size does add some restriction especially when it is coupled with poor eating, lifestyle, and fitness habits.

Where are you within your body now?

What changes would you like to make to improve overall health and well-being?

How do you feel in this moment?

Where are you giving power away in regards to food?

***This last question is one way we can bring the spiritual aspects into how we relate to food.  Food is a powerful way for us to connect as community.  It brings us together.  Does our spread reflect healthy connections to food?  Do we surrender to certain foods because of emotional attachments?

 

I am going to do a series of posts on this topic, as I feel this needs to be an ongoing discussion.  Perhaps we can even facilitate an open discussion on conference call to bring actual voices to this issue.

If we don’t talk about issues of health, how are we supposed to engage our communities towards positive evolution?

Michael Brazell, CFT CSN MAT PAT