Unplugged From Nature

These days we seem to be plugged into everything. Handheld mobile wifi platforms are making it possible to stay connected everywhere we go. Wall-sized, flat screen, high definition televisions dominate our living spaces, feeding us a, never ending, diet of information and advertising. Facebook, Twitter and texting have become the preferred method for keeping in touch with people. There is no doubt that it can be very stimulating to feel so connected and yet it can hardly be denied that there is an feeling of underlying emptiness. We have lost something. The more plugged into things we get, the more disconnected from nature we become.

Take a moment to reflect on your daily life and determine how much time you spend in front of the computer, on the phone, watching television, texting, blogging, facebooking or whatever. Now subtract the amount of time you spend sitting outside, walking in the woods, gardening or otherwise interacting with nature. The result is your Nature Deficit.

The bigger the Nature Deficit the more out of balance with the life force of the natural world you are.

All living things are connected by the life force that flows through them. If you can imagine this connection as billions and billions of tiny web-like fibers linking all things in creation, you can begin to understand how we are intertwined. This web of life is made up of the life force energy that is part of everything. And every living thing is part of it. The plants and animals of the world, including humans, all have a relationship to each other. At the most basic level this is obvious. It is no accident that the oxygen we breathe is a by-product of the plants as they go through the life process of photosynthesis. Just as the carbon dioxide we exhale is exactly what plants require to live. But the connection goes even deeper than that. In their book The Secret Life of Plants Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird proved, in experiment after experiment, that plants have a much more complex interaction with the world around them, than we think they do. They react to thoughts, feelings and emotions in a manner that could be described as quite humanlike if we were to be so arrogant as to assume we are the ones that originally developed such reactions. This is the same for animals as well.

But something has gone wrong. We humans have become blind to our connection as we rush to cut down the forests, mine the mountains, and frack everything else in between. We are destroying the habitats of wild creatures and making much of the world uninhabitable. We don’t realize or even seem to care that we are damaging the web of life and, ultimately, ourselves. The reason for this is our Nature Deficit. When we are disconnected from the natural world we lose our ability of feeling empathy for what is going on. Our obsession with technological innovation and our infatuation with electronic connectivity cuts us off from the web of life force energy and substitutes it with an artificial construct, in many ways similar to the concept portrayed in the movie The Matrix.

Most people do not realize that when they turn on their television, they are seeing a repetitive pattern of flickering images, which creates a state similar to hypnosis. Studies have shown that within the first minute of television viewing, brain waves switch from predominantly beta waves, indicating alert and conscious attention, to predominantly alpha waves, indicating an unfocused, receptive lack of attention. Our brain's left hemisphere, the part that processes information logically and analytically, tunes out while the right hemisphere of the brain, which processes information emotionally and non-critically, is allowed to function without hindrance. The result is that when viewing television, we do not consciously rationalize the information resonating within our unconscious depths at the time of transmission. We become more open and suggestible to the messages that are being conveyed.

Is it any wonder that, in a world where children spend an average of 44 hours a week connected in some way to electronic media, levels of anxiety, depression and attention-deficit have gone through the roof?  And it is no better for adults.

It is at times like this when we need to be guided back to the wisdom the other living beings of this planet have for us. We need to reconnect with nature to bring our lives back into balance. And I’m not talking about watching a show on the Discovery Channel.

The Heart of Nature

Recent discoveries in neuroscience have proven that more than 50% of the heart is comprised of neural cells. It is from our hearts that we process our energetic connection to everything we come in contact with. The problem is that we have cut ourselves off from this connection by allowing ourselves to be distracted by technology and all of its associated noise. We cannot hear it if we are not listening.

The consciousness of plants may be vastly different from our understanding of consciousness. Interacting with plants is not simply about talking to them. It is much more about opening the lines of communication with them on an energetic level and sharing our lifeforce. By opening our hearts and experiencing nature in its fullness we can begin to realize this connection. It is a purely experiential experience. We have to spend time in nature to truly feel it.

If you are reading this, then it is very likely that you already understand what I am saying. You have felt this connection to nature. You have probably also felt the frequency of distraction that comes from our fascination with electronic technology. It is also very likely that you know someone who is caught up in that frequency and unplugged from nature. It is time to pass this message on and change the dynamic that has ensorcelled us. 

Today, right now, go for a walk outside with someone you know who could really use some nature energy. Breathe deeply and open yourself to the life force energy around you. It is time to plug back into nature.

Wishing you much peace.

 

Generation of Energy

A body full of energy should be our natural state of being. We should feel wonderful and alive every waking moment. The process of deep breathing provides us with a continuous exchange of energy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work as well as it should. On a purely physical level, the human body was designed to be active, yet most of the things we do in an average day require very little physical effort. In fact, we often spend most of our days doing work that does not exercise the physical body at all. The result is that any unused energy that we have built up within the body gets transformed into muscle tension. This type of physical tension is often the source of the myriad aches, pains, twinges and worse, which we begin to experience as we grow older. These can easily turn into chronic illnesses that often become overwhelming.

During our daily life tension is gathered and deposited in various places throughout the body. For some people it may be the neck, shoulders, or lower back. In others it may be in the knee joints or feet. Still others may find it affects them internally, in their gastrointestinal tract, for instance. This tension can be quite debilitating. Left unaddressed, it can easily make you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders pushing you down. It is impossible to relax because the body just plain hurts. Physical tension is a difficult barrier, however, until you can release it and reduced the physical pain and discomfort, it is very difficult to generate new energy.

Releasing this build up of tension is done through teaching the body to surrender its weight to the pull of gravity. It is a process of learning to unclench and unwind the musculature and open the energetic pathways in the body so there is a smooth flow. It is learning to let go.

Tension Release Practice

There are a number of techniques for releasing tension. The simplest and quickest involves the use of the Yin/Yang concept by contrasting tension with relaxation. In this process you push the body to experience an excess of tension so that when balanced by an equally full experience of relaxing allows the body to return to a state of balance and serenity. The contrast produces a relaxation that is more pronounced, identifiable and deeper. The key to this practice, as with most vital practices, is deep breathing.

This exercise is best practiced in bed at night before you go to sleep. You should be lying flat on your back with your legs straight and your feet flopped apart. Close your eyes and take a few natural breaths as you allow your body to settle down. Imagine that each breath allows you to sink deeper into the bed. When you are ready, inhale deeply into your abdomen. Fill up your belly, then your ribcage, and finally, your chest. You want to feel as if you are expanded completely as you fill up. Stop and hold your breath in. Next curl your toes and squeeze your feet as tightly as possible. Hold the squeeze for a moment and then exhale as you release, allowing the air and tension to flow out of you.

Take a couple of natural breaths if necessary and then begin again. Inhale into the belly, ribcage and chest. Feel the fullness as you hold your breath. This time, after you curl your toes and squeeze your feet, squeeze your calf muscles, thigh muscles and buttocks. Tense all of your muscles from your hips down to your toes, so that the whole lower half of your body is tight and rigid. Hold the squeeze for a moment and then release it as you exhale. Let go of all the muscles. Allow yourself to uncoil and unwind as you release, relax and let go.

Again, take a couple of natural breaths. As you breathe in, feel as if you are filling up from the lowest points of your body as the oxygen-rich blood courses through the clear passages of your legs. When you are ready, begin again. Inhale; expand your belly, ribcage and chest. Hold your breath as you squeeze your toes, feet, calves, thighs and buttocks. Next begin to tighten the muscles of your stomach and back. Squeeze your ribcage and the muscles around shoulders and under your armpits. Hold the squeeze for a moment and then release it as you exhale. Let go of all the muscles. Allow everything to uncoil and unwind as you release, relax and let go.

One more time, begin again. Take a couple of natural breaths to allow the energy to flow through you. Then inhale, expand your belly, ribcage and chest. Hold your breath as you squeeze your toes, feet, calves, thighs, buttocks, tummy, ribcage, chest and under your arms. Next, make fists with your hands and squeeze them. Tighten the muscles of your arms, shoulders and neck. Grit your teeth and make your whole body rigid. Hold the squeeze for a moment and then release it as you exhale long and slow. Let go of everything and feel as if you are sinking into the bed. Sink down as you breath deeply and let go.

As you lie there, continue to breathe and see if you can begin to feel the energy flowing throughout your body. The contrast between the extreme tension and the resulting relaxation should be very pronounced and give your body a warm, energized feeling.

This exercise will help to break through the hard shell of tension that has encased you. It is something that can be practiced at any time, even sitting in a chair at work. It only takes a few moments, but the benefits can last for hours.

Once the tension has been released our breathing naturally becomes deeper and less strained. This is the time to take a deeper breath and help to circulate more energy through your body. Each deep breath you take helps to assist that energy flow through your body to all the places that need it.

Generation of energy always starts with the breathing. If we can learn to incorporate deep breathing practice into our daily life, we find we have reserves of energy we were never aware of. If provides us with a valuable tool to help us face the challenges that appear before us.

I know that I said I would be addressing spending quality time in nature in this post, but because of the weather, I've been outside most of the time. I will be getting to the subject shortly.

Wishing you much peace.

 

Cultivating Silence

How many people do you know who need to have the television or radio on continuously when they are alone? How many people do you know who talk just to fill what they feel is an uncomfortable silence? Silence should not be uncomfortable. Yet many people avoid it like the plague. The reason is that silence offers an opportunity to examine the inner self, something many people simply don’t feel comfortable doing. To open our inner self to the light of day is to acknowledge that some of the behaviors in our lives are not healthy and may not be contributing to the health of the planet. It becomes all the more important to begin this process as the difficulties in the world escalate. Only if we can care for ourselves will we realize the necessity of caring for the Earth. Silence is a wonderful place to start the process.
In silence, life slows down of its own accord. You begin to experience the beauty and joy of life more intensely. Cultivating this serenity brings a deeper appreciation of your own life and the world around you as you begin to truly observe what is happening and as your body learns to relax and function naturally without the blockage that stress and tension bring.
Put aside five minutes in the morning to be silent. No talking, no TV, no radio - just silence. See if you can find one moment where there is absolutely no sound. In today’s bustling world this is much harder than imagined. Try to experience that moment. Keep it with you throughout the day. Spend another silent five minutes in the evening. Notice the feelings that emerge during your silent time. See if you can get used to silence and make it a comfortable feeling. Next try to expand the time frame, ten minutes of silence, an hour, two hours. Refrain from talking for as long as possible for a day. Only speak when spoken to and then reply only after you have taken a moment to think seriously about what the other person said. The silence should be reflected in your actions as well. Try to do everything quietly. It might be helpful to inform those around you before you begin this exercise. They might even decide to join you in silence!

wishing you much peace...

Maintaining Energy

In the middle of the winter it is often the case that our energy reserves can get quite depleted. The ending of the holiday season can sometimes leave a vague feeling of emptiness, while 2010 brings with it some uncertainty in regard to what sort of changes we might be facing as we move forward.

Keeping our energy levels up is always a good idea, and now it is even more important. The simplest way to do this is to become more aware of our breathing habits. Just taking a deeper breath whenever we can remember brings more oxygen into the body. This oxygen becomes energy as is enters the blood stream. Deeper breathing gathers energy reserves in the body and helps us deal with difficulties when they arise.

Returning to the breath whenever we are dealing with the challenges of life allows us to center ourselves and focus our attention within.

FRANKINCENSE

Frankincense is a wonderful meditation tool that can help if you are having difficulty keeping the rampant mind at bay. Using Frankincense deepens your meditative practice and helps you to keep focused.

Frankincense is an ancient tree resin that has been used for centuries in sacred ceremonies, religious rituals, spiritual meditation and holistic medicine. It was in widespread use by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans.

Frankincense resin comes from the Boswellia tree which grows in mainly Africa. To collect the sap, the tree bark is cut and the sap is allowed to ooze out of the bark. The sap dries on the tree and is then collected.

As incense, the raw chunks of resin are directly set on a heat source, such as hot coals. Burning Frankincense is believed to affect the crown charka. It helps with meditation by deepening the breath and brining the body and mind into a harmonious state. There is a quality to the scent of burning Frankincense that seems to reach a forgotten corner of the mind. It is an exotic, yet familiar smell that can assist in promoting spiritual focus and creativity.

As a medicinal substance Frankincense was thought to cure vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and tumors. It is also used to treat skin inflammation, headaches and allergies. In China it is used to treat leprosy and gonorrhea. Frankincense is edible and can also help with digestion. Ayurvedic medicine uses Frankincense for treating arthritis.

Edible Frankincense must be pure for internal consumption. It should be translucent without any impurities. It is often chewed like gum, but it is stickier because it is a resin.

Frankincense has also been used in Aromatherapy to relieve anxiety and promote a sense of well-being. It is used to alleviate depression.

Personally, it feels as if burning Frankincense during your day helps to encourage sacredness in your life. Give it a try

In peace,
Aaron

10 Ways to Increase Your Stress

10 Ways to Increase Your Stress

1. Become inflexible. Demand that everyone do things your way. Don't listen to other opinions or ideas. Dismiss them as irrelevant.

2. Try to do twice as much as you can actually accomplish. Multi-task your multi-tasking. Fill your schedule and then try to fit in more things.

3. Worry about anything and everything...especially those things over which you have no control. Fret, fume and feel as if the whole world is out to get you.

4. Take things personally. Don't wait for things to bother you. Go out and look for things that will annoy you and let them get under your skin. Any mistake or problem should be taken as a personal insult.

5. Demand perfection from everyone and everything around you. Be sure to expect much more than is possible. Be as miserable as possible when things go wrong.

6. Abandon your sense of humor. Try to treat every matter as the most important thing in the world. Every minor thing should heighten your anger level.

7. Be cynical about the world. Look for events and situations that back up your view. Ignore any good news. Be pessimistic about other people's motives. Be suspicious of everyone.

8. Watch television, especially reality shows. Turn the volume up during commercials. Eat lots of junk food and drink soda.

9. Abandon your ability to change and adapt to the world around you. Be rigid in your body and mind. Don't allow anything to disturb your misery.

10. Hold your breath, don't exercise. Tighten your shoulder muscles and slouch. Frown, scowl and be sure to crease the lines your forehead.

NOTE: Please consult your personal physician before undertaking any stress-increasing activities.

WARNING: Failure to follow these guidelines can result in occasional bouts of peace, harmony and a desire to check out the relaxed breathing and movement of Zen Yoga. www.artofzenyoga.com