RELEASING PAIN THROUGH BODY AWARENESS

Recently I was doing a body awareness meditation and my attention was drawn to a constant nagging pain in my upper back.  Focusing completely upon this area, I breathed into and through the pain and to my delight, it eased considerably.  In fact I would actually say that it disappeared…

 

During the meditation I was initially aware of heat and pain in my upper back for what seemed like a long time.  I could feel energy pulsing and throbbing around my spine. I then felt twinges moving outwards across my upper back muscles and twinges in the trapezius muscle across the shoulder blades above.  After about twenty minutes the pain seemed to be condensed into one particular part of the spine, which was the source of the problem.  In my mind’s eye I had an image of two pairs of hands over this part of my thoracic spine then, all of a sudden, the pain was gone.

 

During this exercise various impressions kept popping into my mind.  These, I realised, were the emotions and thoughts I had tried to ignore, suppressing them deep down into my physical upper back.  On a physical level I realised that the pain was due to over-worked muscles when I used my arms to give healing to others.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my healing work and regard it an honour to give the gift of healing to another.  However, a deeper understanding arose that I also needed to give to myself the correct nourishment of love, positive attention and kindness that I gave to others. 

 

The following day my lower back was aching after I had been sitting in a far from ideal position. This area is weak from muscle strain a few years ago.  I did the body awareness meditation again and, once more, I felt energy circling around that part of the spine, then my spine felt stronger, more solid somehow.  I felt muscle twinges on the left side of the spine, and back muscles that usually ache initially felt heavy, which then eased.  No negative emotions popped into my mind this time.  I did however have an image of myself rushing about, trying to go through a door which was closed but when I did I ended up, somewhat embarrassingly, in someone’s private living space. I understood this to reflect my tendency to try to force things to happen quickly rather than allowing things to happen naturally in their own time.

 

How does it work?

 

So why does paying attention to a problem area ease it so dramatically? How can something so simple actually relieve pain? When we are in pain, our natural reaction is to fight it. We don’t like it, we want to get rid of it as soon as possible, so we suppress it with painkillers and carry on as normal.  Energetically we distance ourselves (with our conscious mind) from the pain, ignoring it and suppressing it deep into the unconscious.  Of course the problem causing the pain is still there, deep in the subconscious and in the cells and tissues of the physical body, which means that the pain can resurface as soon as the painkillers wear off.

 

When you meditate on pain with focused attention, the pain is allowed to express itself fully. When you fully acknowledge the pain, you can gain insights into any underlying mental/emotional issues that are contributing to the pain.  Pain is often the physical manifestation of unresolved mental emotional issues, so acknowledging these issues is the first step to healing.  You may also receive insight into what you are doing that is contributing to the pain, such as poor posture or repetitive muscle movement.  Let your intuition guide you to the source of the poor posture and literally follow the pain around the body.

 

As the muscles and tissues relax and let go as you breathe into and out of that area, they release the emotional and mental pain they were holding in there which was causing the pain and tension in the first place. It is interesting to note that ‘getting the message’ is usually enough for the pain to disappear.  The body just wants you to hear its message.

 

In addition, by focussing your attention on an area of pain, you are mentally giving that part of the body the extra boost of energy it needs to heal itself.  Attention is energy, so when you give attention to something, you are also giving it energy.  This method is almost like sending Reiki to yourself using the power of the mind. However you don’t need to be attuned to Reiki to get the benefit from this exercise. You don’t need to set any intention or have any expectation to heal – just allow what is there to make itself known.

 

Messages from your Body

 

Your body is always trying to give you messages. We usually prefer to ignore these messages hoping that the pain will just go away.  Giving attention to the pain is allowing your body to tell you what you need to know.  Quite simply our bodies are like a biofeedback mechanism.  Pain tells you that something somewhere is wrong and needs addressing, usually on a mental emotional level, and shouldn’t be suppressed long term.  Focusing fully on that pain by breathing into it and through it, impressions will arise concerning the mental emotional pain that has also been suppressed.  When you understand this message, the pain dissipates as it has served its purpose.  Now it is up to you to heed that message so that it doesn’t occur again!

 

Physical pain is often linked to deep-rooted emotional pain and you may be surprised or afraid to discover what has been buried deep in your subconscious.  It is worth remembering though that pain usually doesn’t just go away on its own and that sometimes we do need to face what is painful and fearful in order to begin the healing process.  By suppressing and ignoring pain, we are actually fighting it.  I learned many months ago now that accepting what is brings the greatest peace.  Sometimes we just need to allow our bodies to express themselves.  Focussing attention on them gives you the loving kindness and consideration you need.  If you listen carefully, your body will tell you what areas of your life need addressing and healing.

 

Healing Potential

 

By being willing to explore pain with loving attention, you are affirming that you are willing and able to face what is difficult in your life, what isn’t working for you, and that you are prepared to release it.  It is incredible to think that, in order to relieve pain, often all you need to do is get the message! This exercise also helps you to change your perception of pain and the role it plays in our lives.

 

This technique can also be used any time you feel anxiety, fear or worry in your solar plexus or wherever you carry your tension.  Focus your attention there and breathe into and out of this area.

 

This body awareness exercise is an excellent form of self-healing – it is so simple and so powerful. It is an excellent way for healers to deal with their own aches and pains, especially in places that are hard to reach when giving yourself Reiki.  However its strength and real potential lies in its ability to uncover the underlying causes of physical problem areas and release these smoothly and easily just by focusing on the breath and breathing through the pain. This is the key to real healing.

 

Body Awareness Meditation

 

If you would like to try this healing meditation, here are some guidelines to follow:- 

1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight and feet flat on floor. Focus on your breath, letting it flow evenly in and out.
2. After a few minutes, when you feel more relaxed, let your attention move to a part of your body that is causing pain or discomfort.  Be with the pain, breathing into it and breathing out from it.
3. Be aware of other sensations around this area such as twinges, heat, pulsing etc. The pain may feel intensified and condensed in one spot – allow that to be, just keep focused on that spot, breathing into and out of that area. Notice changing sensations and changing intensity.
4. After a while other impressions may arise. These are feelings and thoughts held here, usually painful and negative in nature, that are linked to your physical pain.  Whatever comes up should be acknowledged without judgement. Imagine yourself ‘opening’ and accepting.  If you wish, you can say to yourself “It’s ok, this is allowed, I can be with this”. In this way, you aren’t saying that everything’s fine if it’s not – you are just being open to acknowledging what is there.
5. When the pain has eased, subsided or disappeared, it is time to bring your meditation to a close. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Start to become aware of the sounds in the room to come back to full waking awareness. Feel your feet flat and heavy on the floor, if necessary with long roots reaching down holding you securely to the earth.

It is worth noting that not every unwanted physical sensation will have a strong emotional charge or underlying mental emotional cause.  If that is the case, just stay with whatever sensations arise, breathing through them, letting them ease in time.

 

If the pain is still present when you have finished, return to it another time as there is more to be released.  On the second and third occasions you will probably find there are no more emotions to acknowledge but the loving attention is still needed to promote healing.

 

NB. If you are working on a pain that does not disappear, it is strongly advised that you see your doctor.

 

Feedback

 

I have been so impressed with the power of this technique, I would love to hear how you get on with it. If you would like to email me your feedback, I can be reached at helenshortland@live.co.uk. The names of all respondents will go into a draw on 31.8.15 and the person selected will win a free half hr Reiki treatment, either distant or in person at my base on Wheeler Gate.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

HEALING CORE BELIEFS

We all hold beliefs about ourselves and the world which determine how we perceive ourselves and life in general.

 

People whose beliefs are generally positive seem to flow smoothly through life, effectively dealing with whatever challenges arise, usually becoming successful, happy and content.  Those who struggle with negative beliefs about themselves, other people and the world in general, are more likely to suffer with low self-esteem and self-worth and achieve less success and happiness in life.  Many people are good at being positive on the outside but if they are struggling to cope or achieve success in a certain area of their life, it is very likely that deeply held negative beliefs are still present which need healing.

 

Negative beliefs are the ones that hold us back, convincing us that we are not as good as other people, making us believe that we are unworthy and unlovable. I have discovered that they are always untruths and often result from the negative projections of other people.  These are illusions that we have bought into, usually at a time in our lives (childhood/early adolescence) when our own sense of self and self-esteem were not developed strongly enough to provide the discernment we needed.

 

Discovering your Core Beliefs

 

The first step in discovering whether your core beliefs need healing is to ask yourself honestly how you feel about life. Do you feel life is hard or do you manage to face and overcome any challenges with relative ease, achieving your goals effortlessly? How do you feel about each area of your life? In which areas of your life are you not achieving all you would like to achieve? Now start to think about what beliefs you have that are preventing you from achieving the success you would like to achieve. Write it all down, let it flow, without censoring anything that comes out. It is also very insightful to think about who you envy and why – what do you perceive they can do that you can’t? This can reflect back to you your own issues that need healing.

 

I found my own core beliefs centred around lack of confidence. The phrase ‘I can’t do it on my own and as I’m always on my own, it doesn’t get done’ came to mind. I had to admit I was envious of people who have the confidence and self-assurance to do whatever they want to do and go wherever they want to go. Exploring the lack of confidence issue further, asking myself what lay behind this belief, I ultimately reached the underlying statement ‘I’m not good enough on my own’.

 

A lightbulb moment occurred when I recalled how many times I have said “It’s just not good enough”, whether about my business premises, my finances, my home, my own abilities, or even just getting 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10!  When you examine the words you actually speak, you realise that you are constantly projecting your personal core beliefs onto other people and situations but the message is there, loud and clear, if you can recognise it. What you think about other people and situations is merely a reflection of how you think about yourself.

 

Now think about the events that have happened in your life that have contributed to your core beliefs.  Maybe you grew up in a very argumentative environment, receiving criticism about your perceived shortcomings and all the things you did wrong.  Many of us were bullied in our teenage years for whatever reason which reinforces the belief that we just aren’t good enough.  

 

When you examine your negative core beliefs, the underlying theme is always a version of ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’m not lovable enough’.  These beliefs were formed in your early years; subsequent events just reinforce this one belief. You perceive offends and insults through the eyes of your wounded young self (the wounded child archetype). Emotions will inevitably surface when you do this exercise and identify these beliefs. However just acknowledging them is enough for now because by acknowledging them you are no longer suppressing them.  Once you have identified your core beliefs, you can now start to examine them more closely through the eyes of your adult self.

 

Reframing your Core Beliefs

 

In order to heal, it is essential to change your negative core beliefs.  What you believe and how you feel about yourself determines the energy you give out.  The universe responds to the energy you give out, bringing you the people, events and experiences that reflect your core beliefs. You really are the centre of your own universe!  As above, so below. The universe is not cruel – it is merely showing you which areas of your life need healing and bringing you the opportunity to do so. If you can change your beliefs into something more healthy, you will give out a different, more positive, higher, lighter vibration of energy, that will attract different, more positive people, events and experiences into your life. You really do have the choice of whether to keep buying into the usual, habitual experience of pain or choosing to adopt a more positive interpretation.

 

Now let’s take the main core belief ‘I’m not good enough’. Think about the events that took place that made you believe that statement. Now interpret them as a kind, caring, mature adult would. Arguments at home are always unpleasant for children but ultimately I know now that they resulted from issues between my parents, not me. Maybe I misinterpreted parental criticism – instead of belittling me, they actually cared passionately. I also know now that the horrible things that were said to me at school in my teenage years were not true and were most likely the result of jealousy and the fact that I was too quiet and shy to stand up for myself.

 

Reframing events in this way dissipates the painful emotions attached to them, releasing years of anger and resentment. Hard as it may seem, if you can hold the person/people who caused you harm and pain with compassion and understanding, you can start to turn your beliefs around.  Consider other explanations for their behaviour. There is always another, less painful explanation. It is all down to what you choose to believe. Remember that some people always see the good in others – try to emulate them; it is by far the kinder option - to yourself, not to them.

 

A Healing Choice

 

Disconnecting yourself from negative core beliefs enables you to set yourself free. Understand that only you are hurting; the other people involved have long since forgotten and moved on. When you make a different choice through reframing, you do not necessarily have to forgive the other person/people involved. You only need to find and accept a less hurtful explanation.  Most people who cause pain to others act on auto-pilot anyway, never really realising the consequences of their actions. It is up to you to choose not to let the mindlessness of others hurt you and stop you being all you can be.

 

At the end of the day the choice is yours. You can choose whether to buy into other people’s issues and let them create your reality or you can think to yourself ‘stop right there, that is about you not me’, and refuse to take it on board. Stay true to what you, as a mature adult, know to be true about yourself and detach from the rest.

 

Your life will change considerably for the better when you change your negative core beliefs. Taking responsibility for yourself is essential for healing. It makes you realise just how powerful we all are: our thoughts really do determine our reality.

 

Reframe → Reinterpret → Rebirth

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

The Fall: The Descent of Consciousness through the Chakras

Recently I was reading an article which mentioned The Fall and the Garden of Eden. There are several theories about the concept of The Fall, such as Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden or fallen angels being cast out of Heaven, but it got me thinking…. what if The Fall is a metaphor for the descent of our consciousness through the chakras with each incarnation? It is generally accepted that the development of the physical body proceeds from root to crown but our spiritual self or Higher Self descends downwards from crown to root. At the beginning of each incarnation our spiritual self leaves the consciousness of the bliss of unity to descend down to the consciousness of the earth plane. Could it be that The Fall is actually this Fall of Consciousness?

 

The Garden of Eden is likened to the bliss of unity with spirit, which is a good description for the 7^th chakra, the crown chakra.  Many who journey to the afterlife in meditation or near death experience describe being in a beautiful garden.  Many spirit communications have also reported existing in a beautiful garden.

 

As we descend from the unity of the 7^th chakra, we enter the duality of the 6^th chakra, or third eye chakra, which is represented by the dual forces of Chokmah and Binah on the Tree of Life.  At the third eye, our energy splits into conscious and unconscious.  I have always felt that the forces of light and dark play out very strongly in this chakra. This idea is depicted perfectly in the High Priestess tarot card with the two columns Boaz and Jachin, one black and one white, representing the subconscious and conscious minds.  Does the dark pillar contain all the issues/karmic patterns we come into this lifetime with, with the aim of bringing them into the light of consciousness for healing? Here lies the duality of good and bad – our potential for greatness and healing along with the destructive elements of the shadow self.  This chakra is where we have the opportunity to exercise our free will with our choice of action.  The question to ask when considering which action to take should always be ‘Is this action in line with my truth, with love and with my highest good?’  If yes, we stay on the right path. If not, we lose our way and suffer the consequences of not living as we should.

We are making choices throughout our whole lives. Even in childhood we are learning the consequences of the choices we make.  It can take years to undo the damage caused in terms of lack of self-worth and self-confidence and find our way back to Truth and Light.  When we understand that the dark Boaz column signifies negation and the light Jachin column signifies beginning, this makes perfect sense. This journey back to Truth and Love, otherwise known as the healing process, is the clearing out of the negative energy created when we chose the path of illusion over love.

 

At the 5^th chakra, the throat chakra, we are learning to express ourselves and define who we are.  At the 6^th chakra we had the choice to be true to ourselves or live in line with the demands or expectations of others. Here, the 5^th chakra, is where we express the energy of that choice. If we have chosen the path of illusion and false beliefs, the shadow self is exerting its influence and we are afraid to be ourselves and we end up living according to other people’s paths, not our own.  If we are able to express our Higher Self using the energy of light from the 6^th chakra we will make healthy life choices that support our growth and our truth.

 

As our energy moves down from the 5^th chakra to the 4^th, our heart centre expresses how we feel about the life choices we have made.  If we are living our truth, we will live in joy, contentment, inner peace, abundance and harmony.  If not, there will always be an underlying sense of dissatisfaction and frustration; happiness and inner peace remain elusive.

 

At the third chakra, the solar plexus, the energy of the 4^th chakra descends and expresses itself as self-acceptance, self-worth and self-validation – or the opposite, self-doubt and low self-esteem.  If you are happy in yourself and with the choices you have made, you naturally value yourself much more highly that if you are anxious and depressed. The solar plexus chakra carries the energy of how we really feel about ourselves.  If you are living according to your highest potential and expression, your self-esteem and capacity for contentment and love will be high.  If you are struggling to find your path and struggling to separate truth from the illusions you have bought into over the years, it will always feel like you are struggling to find yourself.  How we think about ourselves affects how we relate to others.  Solar plexus energy stresses that our primary relationship is with ourselves.  If that relationship isn’t happy and healthy, other relationships we subsequently forge will reflect that lack of inner harmony.  That is why external relationships can never bring us the contentment we seek; that contentment has to come from within, at the solar plexus, first.

 

The focus of the 2^nd chakra, or sacral chakra, is relationships with others and creativity.  Consider your relationships – are they healthy? What do the people in your life reflect about you? The people you meet and situations you encounter externally in life reflect how you feel about yourself and about what is happening within you.  When the sacral chakra is functioning well, your creative juices will flow. This creativity can take a variety of forms including creating plans and bringing new ideas to birth, creating art and craft work, singing, dancing and writing, as well as creativity in the form of fertility at the physical level.  When this chakra is blocked, the energy isn’t flowing down from the solar plexus at a high enough frequency. In other words, if our self-esteem and self-worth are low and we do not properly value ourselves, we are either not able to express ourselves creatively at all or it may be expressed in unhealthy ways such as violent or subversive tendencies.

 

Finally the energy reaches the base or root chakra, the 1^st chakra, and fully merges with the dense energy of the earth plane. In most cases, the energy is now de-spiritualised, focusing solely on work, money and security. Life revolves around making ends meet, the hardships of life and the endless treadmill of working to survive.  However if the energy has remained high and healthy and is in line with the Higher Self, it can create a trust in the universe to provide for our needs, faith in a higher power and a career that is more of a vocation or labour of love.  You are now living your true purpose while here on earth.

 

To summarise this journey through the chakras then, I believe that The Fall is not a fall from grace at all (as was traditionally believed) but rather a fall of consciousness into the heavier density of the earth plane. We can make our journey a lot easier by aligning with our truth and living from our own higher spiritual ideals rather than buying into the illusions, prejudices and falsehoods of the society we live in. Wherever we are now, we can return to the energy of the 6^th chakra and make a different choice and follow a different path.  Connecting to our own truth is essential for the great healing potential it holds.  When we make choices in line with our growth, we are choosing the path of love and light and making positive, life-affirming choices.  Our energy will start to flow more freely and naturally, attracting greater potential for happiness and wellbeing.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Coach, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and, following a recent spiritual crisis, now finds she has a clearer, more intuitive communication with her spirit guides and angels who have encouraged her to share her extensive knowledge of healing on a broader scale than before. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

Image courtesy of www.FreeDigitalImages.net

 

LIFE ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH: HIGHS AND LOWS AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

There is currently a greater awareness of spirituality than ever before and many different paths to follow. But why would you necessarily want to be spiritual? If you are drawn to this subject, it will feel like an inner yearning for deeper meaning in your life, a searching to understand the purpose of it all, an intuition that it can improve our lives in some way, a knowing that there is more to life.  More and more people are waking up to realising that the material world does not hold all the answers to our problems and that maybe, just maybe, we can do something to help ourselves and transform our relationships and the world around us. The knowledge that was once in the domain of only a privileged few is now becoming available to each and every one of us.

 

From April 2014 to April 2015 I went through my own personal spiritual crisis when many things I took for granted and believed in, most predominantly my health and my supposed abilities as a Reiki Master Healer, fell apart but towards the latter part of this time I ended up learning my greatest spiritual lessons.  When someone asked me at the beginning of this year how I was feeling, the only word that came to mind was ‘broken’.  Now, having built up my energy body with Reiki self-healing, mindfulness meditation, seed sound mantras, colour visualisation and plenty of walks in nature, I have discovered that I am channelling a greater amount of healing energy than before and have a clearer, more intuitive communication with my guides and angels who have inspired me to put together this list of what to expect along the spiritual path – and, yes, I do think this includes a spiritual crisis of some sort for us all at some point as part of this process, almost as a test to see how we cope and whether we have fully integrated what we have learnt, because when you think about it, most of our spiritual practices like meditation and reading spiritual books remain at the mental level without being brought down fully into the physical, material realm.  Now when I look back, I believe that my own crisis brought me to where I need to be in order to start the next stage of my healing work.

 

Below are guidelines of things to expect when you start to develop your spirituality. They can also be regarded as a paradigm for a new way of living as the planet emerges through its current chaos into the new promised golden age of peace. One important point to note is that spirituality and healing go hand in hand. As you develop spiritually, you will start to release a lot of the old hurt, anger and pain that was held in your energy body which is contributing to current health issues.  This hurt, anger and pain is what is often referred to as ‘negative energy’, ie. energy that is not vibrating at the correct frequency, which can cause blockages in the chakras which eventually leads to dis-ease and illness mentally, emotionally and physically.

 

So what does it mean to be spiritual and what can you expect as you progress along your spiritual path?

 

• First and foremost, to me being spiritual means looking at the world in a completely different way. It is seeing the things we have in common as human beings rather than focussing on the differences that cause and perpetuate the illusion of separateness.  It is seeing what connects us rather than divides us as human beings. This implies seeing things from a higher viewpoint, through the eyes of the soul.  When you develop this higher level of sight, you will become aware of karmic patterns in your own and other people’s lives; how people seem to attract the same kind of experience until they address it in a different, better manner and the lesson is learnt and the karmic issue resolved.
• An interest in and regular undertaking of spiritual practices such as meditation and/or prayer, as well as interest in crystals, Reiki and/or alternative medicine/holistic therapy. There is a subconscious knowing that we are all made up of energy vibrating at different frequencies and can use forms of energy medicine to bring about balance and healing.
• The ability to practice forgiveness of yourself and others, recognising that holding onto past grudges or indulging in self-blame is futile and takes up valuable energy that can be put to better use in the present moment. Recognising when it is time to ‘let go’ of a situation that is draining you and offering it up to a higher power (God or the angels), asking it to be resolved for the highest and greatest good of all.
• A belief in a higher force guiding our lives which we can actively work with through intermediaries such as angels and spirit guides.
• Recognising that people play certain roles in our lives to give us opportunities to learn lessons we need to learn or to instigate changes we need to make.  We are all actors playing roles in each others’ lives, with no real conscious understanding of what we are doing and why. People often feel compelled to do things without knowing why. Maybe we don’t have as much free will as we think we have!  I do think it is important not to demonise others too quickly for playing the bad guy: these roles are determined before we even incarnate. If you bear in mind that our greatest enemies can be our greatest teachers, it helps you to look at your situation in a more empowering way rather than from the place of victim.
• The development of greater tolerance, compassion and inner peace.
• A growing desire to be of service to the world and to humanity. Self-interest, greed and materialism lose their appeal. Along with this comes a growing interest in peace and humanitarian causes, human rights issues and peaceful spiritual activism.
• Many people are drawn to healing in its many varied forms, on a personal and/or global scale.
• Increased sense of personal responsibility for your actions in terms of how they affect you and others. A greater understanding of the law of cause and effect.
• Increased inner strength and self-worth as you honour your role and contribution to your community and the world, however large or small that may be.
• Honouring and living your truth is essential: you can no longer live with what is not right for you. As you align more and more with your truth and ultimately your higher self, you start to move into your life purpose. This leads to a stronger sense of the importance of truth and authenticity in all your relationships.
• A growing maturity and not taking things so personally. Staying strong when people appear to behave badly towards you, accepting that everyone has their own issues to work through.
• Letting people go with love, not anger, when they move out of our lives. Not everyone can stay with us for ever. Some may only be in your life for a short time but have a massive impact in terms of lessons in love, forgiveness and self-reliance or to help you move onto a new path.
• Attracting tests and crises to give you the opportunity to put what you have learnt intellectually into practice and, ultimately, to deepen your spiritual awareness and understanding.
• Understanding that surrender and release bring the greatest peace and always, eventually, the greatest result. Relinquishing control can be a very difficult thing to do but sometimes you have no choice if you are to stay sane; fighting is destructive and resistance uses up valuable energy that can be put into other things. Offer difficult situations up to God to sort out for the highest and greatest good of all concerned and new solutions may just miraculously appear.

 An ability to look at the world in this new way implies that you are developing greater spiritual sight and understanding. The third eye chakra is activated, enabling you to see the inter-connectedness of all things and see the situations in your life from a higher perspective.

 

 If everyone starts to adopt at least some of these principles, we can all contribute to both healing ourselves and creating more peaceful, spiritual communities and countries and, ultimately, a more peaceful world.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Coach, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

 

MEDITATION: IS IT REALLY BAD FOR YOU?

An article has been published in several national newspapers this week stating that meditation can be a dangerous practice, leading to anxiety, panic and depression.  In the article the author, Dr Miguel Farias, clearly states that the problem lies with excessive meditation practice, the kind done for hours on end such as you would find on a meditation retreat. However once a statement gets into the mainstream media, it is all too easy for claims to be exaggerated and the entire subject of meditation to be viewed in a very negative light.

 

First let me say that the claims made would pose no problem for people who meditate fifteen or twenty minutes a day, maybe a couple of times a day, or for those who take a five or ten minute breather out of the day to re-centre and refocus.  We need to maintain perspective here and bear in mind that potential problems only arise when practices are taken to extremes.

 

The true goal of meditation is to go into the space between the thoughts with a view to expanding the sense of self and your concept of reality. It can take you beyond the mind and the ego and therefore beyond your sense of self. The ego is a construct of your beliefs and life experiences through which you define yourself. When you go beyond Mind into nothingness, the ego disappears and we lose our sense of self and who we are. Psychological breakdown can occur when you do not know what is happening and are not prepared to deal with it. The resulting ‘breakdown’ can send you in to what is termed ‘spiritual crisis’, some symptoms of which include anxiety, panic, fear and depression. Other symptoms include muscle spasms and jerking, ego inflation, confusion, vibration in the body and rushing/roaring sensations in the head.

 

Spiritual crisis is the extreme end of spiritual awakening. Many people are awakening spiritually at this time, exploring various healing modalities, crystals, meditation among others. Spiritual awakening itself is a journey of healing past trauma and wounding.  It is a process of learning, growth, healing and purification; learning to love yourself and forgive others who have caused pain and wounding.  A spiritual awakening can turn into crisis however when it happens too quickly, the person is no longer in control, and it is all happening too much too soon. The crisis can be triggered by excessive spiritual practices such as meditation and qigong as well as taking too many Reiki/energy attunements in too short a space of time. The speed of the awakening is unmanageable and the person is left experiencing terrifying symptoms of mental breakdown.

 

During intense meditation, the meditator opens up to the transcendental state beyond Mind.  Unresolved trauma and wounding that has been suppressed, repressed and denied over the years comes up to the surface seeking to be resolved and healed.  The inner wold takes over and the person often finds it hard to cope with everyday tasks.

 

Meditation can produce great highs and feelings of Oneness, inter-connectedness with all things, blissful inner peace and love but it can also be followed by great lows. When you have let more light into your energy body, more of the shadow self is exposed and thrown into that light for healing. Life can start to feel like a constant inter-play between the themes of light and dark. Ultimately however the goal of the psyche is always to heal, transform and move towards wholeness. Spiritual crisis is part of that process, albeit a painful one.

 

For those people who want to practice meditation as safely as possible, I believe Mindfulness to be the ‘safest’ form of meditation. It is body-focused, particularly on the physical senses of taste and touch. It is very grounding and is excellent for bringing you back into your body if you have a tendency to zone out and be carried away by your own thoughts and worries. For this reason it is very beneficial for anxiety and mild depression. If you want to try it, start off with something very simple: next time you have a cup of tea, eat a sandwich or brush your teeth, focus entirely on the sensations in your hands and mouth. Follow the sensations in your body as you drink the tea or eat the sandwich. If you can become totally absorbed in what you are doing, you are being mindful. With Mindfulness there is no attempt to go beyond the realm of mind into the space between thoughts; you are simply absorbed in what you are doing in the physical realm.

 

I hope I have provided some reassurance that meditation is perfectly safe when practiced sensibly and in moderation. There are great benefits to having a regular meditation practice (including lowered blood pressure and stress levels, managing anxiety and mild depression, and improving clarity, focus and creativity). It would be a shame to tarnish the reputation of such a beneficial spiritual practice unnecessarily.

 

Notes:

Help and resources are available for anyone who believes they are suffering from the symptoms of spiritual crisis. Visit www.SpiritualCrisisNetwork.org.uk for further information.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

 

IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

The week 11^th - 17th May 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week.  The Mental Health Foundation will be staging events across the country to raise awareness of how anxiety and sleep deprivation can affect mental health.

 

Various complementary therapies are particularly beneficial for positive mental health and greater wellbeing.  Reiki healing, for example, calms the mind and emotions and restores balance, peace and harmony.  Healing is channelled through the practitioner into the body, chakras and energy field of the receiver using a light touch.  Many people report feeling lighter after a treatment as worry and grief are released from their energy field during treatment.  Indian Head Massage and Back Massage are very effective in terms of relieving tension and anxiety held in the neck, shoulders and upper back.  Reflexology can be beneficial in relieving the physical manifestations of stress, calming the adrenals and rebalancing the physical body.

 

Alternatively you may like to try some Mindfulness techniques to restore calm, control and perspective.  Mindfulness Meditation helps you to be in the present moment, not worrying about the future or the past or getting caught up in negative emotions.  Here are some suggestions which can easily be incorporated into your daily life.  Making them a regular habit is the key to success!

 

• Take a 2 or 3 minute breathing space when necessary at work or at home.  Stop what you are for 2 or 3 minutes and focus solely on your breathing.
   
• Become mindful of how you talk to yourself.  Become aware of statements such as “I can’t do that”, “I’ll never be good enough”, “I can’t cope”, “I’m not attractive enough” or “I’m not clever enough”.  Nothing destroys self-esteem quicker that negative self-talk.  The way you talk to yourself reflects deep held inner beliefs which, when negative, need examining and releasing.  Every time you catch yourself making a negative comment about yourself, stop the thought and choose a different one, such as “I can do this”, “I am as good as everyone else here” or “I always do my best”.

•  Practice being fully present in the present moment.  Note where your mind actually is when carrying out routine tasks such as preparing or eating a meal, drinking a cup of tea, brushing your teeth, walking the dog or out with a friend.  Make the effort to focus completely on what you are doing instead of letting your mind wander off worrying about something else.

•  Practice a simple Mindfulness breathing technique for a few minutes two or three times a day, such as just after waking up, on the bus journey to work, at lunch or before you go to bed.  Place one hand on your chest and feel your breath moving into and out of your body.  Notice the natural rhythm.  Be aware of the coolness of the air as you breathe in and the warmth of the air leaving you as you exhale.

 

Notes:

1. For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week please visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk.
2. Reiki healing, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology and other complementary therapies are available with Helen Shortland.
    

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

Introduction to the Tarot: What it is, How it works and How it can help you

The tarot is a pack of 78 cards comprised of 22 Major Arcana (or trump cards) and 56 Minor Arcana cards which can be likened to a pack of playing cards with their 4 different suits.  In the past tarot has had a reputation for ruthless prediction, as a consequence of which they are often regarded with fear and caution, but do they really deserve this reputation and can they be used in a more positive, empowering way?

A Historic Mystery

Most people have heard of the Tarot today but its origins are still shrouded in mystery.  Some say that the tarot was brought to Europe by gypsies; others that it came from Egypt.  Personally I don’t think either of these suggestions is entirely correct.  The Major Arcana is said to represent the spiritual journey and the challenges we meet along the way.  Some say that the Major Arcana tells the story of the lost feminine, the sacred feminine or Holy Grail and her repression by the Catholic Church and our patriarchal society over the centuries.  Certainly the origins of the Tarot are focussed in areas of Europe where the Grail/Mary Magdalene legends are most alive, namely southern France (Languedoc) and northern Italy.

The earliest tarot deck is the 14^th century Charles VI or Gringonneur deck, originating in France, and the 15^th century Visconti-Sforza deck originally created for the Dukes of Milan.  The imagery in both these decks is medieval not Egyptian.  Margaret Starbird in her book ‘The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail’ relates the knights in the Tarot to the Knights Templar (Order of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon), the historical protectors of the Grail family and its secrets.  It is said that the secret the Knights Templar brought back from the crusades in Jerusalem was so powerful that it could not be written down or spoken about.  Instead its wisdom was enshrined in the images of the Major Arcana to preserve the legend for all time.  The Roman Catholic Church subsequently declared the tarot to be heretical.

Relevance Today

Today the tarot is used to identify the major events and emotions that are universal to the human race.  The Major Arcana reflects the major themes in life that we all experience and the Minor Arcana fills in the more detailed, day to day aspects.  Since the tarot is the story of life, the story of the spiritual journey, it is relevant to each and every one of us.  Maybe it can help you …

How the Tarot Works

Tarot works on an energy basis, simplified as like attracts like.  The tarot acts as a mirror, reflecting back the thoughts, feelings, major truths, undercurrents from the subconscious and likely outcomes based on current conditions.  It taps into the wisdom of the soul and the unconscious to reflect what is truly going on.  The cards are the link between the subconscious and conscious mind of the Enquirer.  The reader’s role is merely to interpret and reveal what the cards are saying.  A reading brings to light what is unseen or unclear as the hidden wisdom of the subconscious mind is brought into the light of the conscious mind.  Often what is revealed during a reading simply just ‘rings true’: this is because we are recognising it as truth at a deeper, intuitive level.

How can it help you?

A reading usually provides the insight you need to help you make more informed decisions in life.  Seeing your situation and options from a higher perspective can bring greater clarity in an area of confusion or difficulty.  However a reading should provide guidance only: ultimately any decisions are up to you.  A reading should be empowering, helping you to see your options and any underlying patterns.  So, would you benefit from a reading?  If any of the following questions sound interesting, then the answer is probably yes!

• Would you like to gain greater perspective on your current situation?
• Are you wanting to see what lies ahead in the near future?
• Would you like to see how best to move forward in a particular area of your life such as work or relationships?
• Are you seeking an answer to a particular question?
• Are you wondering whether you should pursue a particular course of action, such as going self-employed or buying a house?

Notes:

Tarot readings are available with Helen Shortland for £25 for 35-40 mins. Your reading will begin with an opening spread giving an overview of your current situation and your immediate future.  You will then be able to ask a specific question or take a closer look into a particular area of your life. Your reading can be taped for an extra £1 or you can bring a notepad and pen to make your own notes or record on your mobile phone.

Private consultations at Thyme for Tea Cafe, 10 Trinity Walk, Nottingham city centre by appointment only.

Home visits and group bookings (max 6) in city area also available.

Helen also offers postal readings.  Please send handwritten letter with 2 questions to her at c/o Thyme for Tea, together with a cheque for £25 made payable to Helen Shortland.  Please add your email address for a reply by email or enclose a stamped addressed envelope for a postal reply.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Holistic Therapist, Tarot Consultant Reiki Master Teacher and Meditation Teacher based in Nottingham city centre. Please ring her on 07748 591690 to book a reading or visit her website http://helenshortland.com for further information.