Beyond Zen

Beyond Zen...

2007-07-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

This blog is ending soon and has been moved to: http://www.beyondzen.org/

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be Present with be Conscious now

2007-06-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell everyone about this great site I found called "be Counscious now", you've seen me mention it in the post "The Zen of Relationships". I love the site, they do a fantastic job of covering many topics and each with practical advice or instructions on what to do.

Kara-Leah who is a yoga teacher in New Zealand is the creator of this site and she is spot on, bringing together concepts of living consciously.

Checkout the site...

Kundalini and Snakes Oh My!

2007-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kundalini, that potentially coiled energy in all of us, unlocking so much; it's a journey to unlock but even just a small unlocking bring so much to a person. It's effects are huge, so much in fact that much of what is written on unlocking this energy is related to the physical manifestations that may arise such as psychological disorders. More on this aspect in the future but the key is taking care of the physical at the same time because the body and mind must be taken care of in conjunction with any spiritual work. It's so important, I will write a post that talks about how to take care of the body while doing this kind of work.

In my last post on Kundalini I mentioned a guided meditation by Kelly Howell of BrainSync Brainwave Therapy and how much it has stirred energy in me. I love this CD, for several reasons; the brainwave music puts me in an instant meditative mode, the breathing bring about huge changes in the energy of my body, and as a side affect it helps me sleep at night.

Here is a bit on Kundalini from Kelly:

In Eastern traditions, Kundalini is the name for the extraordinary powerhouse of cosmic energy that resides within you. According to many respected researchers, it is the source from which all creativity, genius, and psychic gifts spring. Other known benefits of Kundalini meditation are increased sexual energy, heightened creativity and greater vitality. When Kundalini awakens, your entire life will awaken with insights, energy and creativity. As Kundalini travels upward through the chakra system it removes inner and outer obstacles to living your highest potential.

Right off the bat what I noticed was the increased sexual energy, not exactly a good thing if you don't have a sexual energy outlet. But it worked and it was the first affect from the meditations. The next experience what an odd feeling of tingling or warms rising up from my lumbar vertebras to about the mid back. I have to admit, this increase in feeling the Kundalini energy has created some mind problems, more like some ego problems but like any good Buddhist I want to use this to grow and learn. I could not be more pleased with how this energy is moving in my body. It's an exciting practice and not unlike the feeling I got from the first time I tried yoga many years ago.

Take a look at BrainSync's website, they have some amazing brainwave meditations that will stir something in you. If you are of the podcast type, Kelly also has a regular podcast that is equally as stirring and amazing, you can find it by clicking here.

More on Kundalini as it unfolds...

Spiritual Travel

2007-06-22T13:55:00.001-07:00

Although I've been in a bit of travel slump, coming off 10 years of heavy business travel, I'm now taking time to travel for me and go back to places across the globe I've been. All of my travels have been spiritual, even if sitting 10 hours at the Madrid Barajas Airport.

I just got back from a retreat to Sedona, a journey through the vortexes and although not what I expected I did have some growth and eventually enjoyed the trip.

My next trip is with my good friend and Acupuncturist (and her daughter Allie) Christina Bjergo of Wild Iris Asian Wellness, to Egypt.

Sacred Journey Egypt Tour

I'm so stoked I can hardly wait! I've been interested in Egypt since I was a little kid, as most Americans are due to the Tut exhibit that toured but I think there is more there, maybe some past life stuff and for sure I'm very interested in the Egyptian healing ways and mystery schools; which included reiki and energy work.

As well, I love podcasts so here is a great Sacred Journey podcast of some really great places:

Spirit of Place (Podcast)

My top journey destinations:

Camino de Santiago
Qi Gong Study in China
Manchu Pichu
Egypt (now going to happen!)

Kundalini Energy Awakening

2007-06-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer, this topic may be a bit "Woo-Woo" for some but it's interesting and worth looking at. My spiritual path has been active for over 20 years and I remember one of my first yoga classes ever taken, in college, in a stinky old gym at a community college. I remember the practice was amazing and the philosophy of Yoga grabbed me and has never let go. It was in one of those first classes that I remember entering a different state of consciousness, resulting in not only some painful emotional times after but a hook in that fact that there may be much more to life. I had no idea what I was going through until now, I think it was a partial Kundalini awakening. Why? Well, I've experienced it since during deep meditation and other practices. But was it Kundalini or simply small spiritual awakenings? I've experienced it while in Buddhist meditation, yoga, drumming, and some other experiences. One thing for sure, working with any spiritual awakening, things happen mentally and physically to a person that needs to be addressed or dealt with. Most of this work brings up old clogged energy that is now in front of you and must be released or worked with to remove it or learn from it.

What is Kundalini?
From [Kundalini Awakening | reiki-for-holistic-health.com]

Kundalini is a dormant energy within most peple.
In Hindu mythology, Kundalini is a serpent goddess who lies asleep at the base of the spine, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra. Her name is Kundalini Shakti, and she represents the unfolding of the divine Shakti energy, the energizing potential of life itself, a living goddess who enlivens all things.
Under certain circumstances, the Kundalini energy awakens and begins to rise through the body, piercing and opening the chakras as she moves in her undulating, snake-like fashion. As Kundalini releases stored and blocked energies, her movement can be quite intense, sometimes painful, and often leads to mental states that seem out of this world.
Circumstances that stimulate Kundalini awakening are many and varied, but are usually triggered by such things as extended periods of meditation, yoga, fasting, stress, trauma, psychedelic drugs, or near death experiences.
Kundalini is a condensed, primal force, similar to the potential energy found in water. When released, it creates a vertical connection between the chakras by opening the subtle channels known as nadi, most specifically, the central channel that moves up the spine called sushumna. If we put water through a small hose at very high pressure, the end of the hose will undulate like a snake. Similarly, the intense energy of Kundalini undulates in the body as it rises through the chakras.
Kundalini can also be seen as a result of the chakras connecting to each other. Theoretically, as the chakras enlarge, the spinning of one can enchance the spinning of the one above or below it.
Kundalini is basically a healing force, but its effects can sometimes be quite unpleasant. Such effects may last for minutes, days, months, or even years.

How do I work with opening Kundalini? Like I said above, Yoga was my first feeling of what I thought was Kundalini and it may well have been or it could have simply been a spiritual moment of clarity. Since Kundalini is the potential creative energy most of us have, coiled up like a snake at the base of the spinal chord, there are many ways to tap into this. Remember, any work such as this can bring up emotional and physical gunk, it is good to have a support net of people to help you (acupuncturist, yoga master, Reiki practicioner, Qi Gong practice, etc). I use daily meditation to tap into and try to bring the serpent out, right now I'm using the following meditation CD:

Awakening Kundalini [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)
by Kelly Howell (Author), Robert Schwimmer (Other Contributor)

(4 customer reviews) I like it, the alpha waves and sounds along with the instruction and guided meditation stir some great energetic feelings that have led to yet again some emotional gunk. But at this stage it's ok, I have a great support and I have tools for releasing and learning from the gunk. Another practice I use now is Qi Gong, general Soaring Crane Qi Gong to keep me healthy and alive, moving Qi through the body and helping to remove gunk. But there is one specific Qi Gong practice taught by a friend of mine; Christina Bjergo (Wild Iris Acupuncture in Vancouver WA): Sacred Serpent Spiral Qigong
Explore the shamanic roots of Chinese Medicine
Six-week class, Mondays, July 9 - August 13, 6:50-7:50pm, $40. Connect with Universal Laws of Attraction and say YES to yourself! This spontaneous form of qigong is a powerful way to connect with the flow of Nature by utilizing your body’s innate wisdom through movement for mind/body/spirit balance. Exercises and meditations focus on aligning and strengthening the three treasures (jing, qi, shen) for health and wellness. We will work to harmonize the Self with the elements and archetypal energies for self discovery and expression. Beneficial for transcending limitations and manifesting intentions. Unlocks sexual and creative energies for greater vitality, joyful expression, intuitiveness, confidence and fulfillment in one’s life. Sessions may include dreamwork, drumming, acupressure massage, stone therapy, aromatherapy and empowering soul work with the unconscious.

It's an amazing type of Qi Gong that works with the creative energy in us, coincidence that it's Sacred Spiral Serpent Qi Gong? Where traditional Qi Gong keeps the energy flowing and helps to remove the gunk and blocks, Spiral Qi Gong taps into that inner energy, hmmm sounds like Kundalini.

Now, back to some of the issues such as mood changes, icky feeling, euphoric feeling, repressed emotions coming back, yup, but remember this is all good as long as you can release this gunk.

Some advice on what to do to ensure your physical is being taken care of during your spiritual awakening:

If you find yourself dealing with uncomfortable Kundalini awakening symptoms, you should:
1) Purify the body. Abstain from recreational drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and caffein, prescription drugs. Avoid food additives, high sugars, or greasy foods. Eat well, especially protein which is generally grounding. Get massage and vigorous exercise.
2) Reduce stress. If you are in for a major spiritual transformation, make time for the necessary changes in your life. You may need to devote more time to your spirituality or health.
3) Find Support. Find other who have knowledge of this experience.
4) Educate yourself. Read about Kundalini, Kundalini awakening,Yoga and learn about Chakras.
5) Treat underlying psychological issues. As Kundalini brings up unresolved issues, this is the best time to deal with them. It will make the ride smoother.
6) Examine your spiritual practices. If you have not been practicing meditation, yoga or some spiritual practice, it may be time to begin. You might need to stop meditating for a while if it increases unpleasant Kundalini awakening symptoms. See what increases or decreases the unpleasant effects.
7) Practice grounding. Kundalini is most difficult when the energy is moving upward without enough energy moving downward to balance. Investigate the possibility of the first chakra issues that need to be resolved in order to give a firmer base. Practice grounding exercise daily.

Resources: Eastern Body Western Mind, Anodea Judith, Ph.D.
Kundalini Research Network, P.O. Box 45102, 2482 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario Canada M4P 3E3

The awakening is worth it!

The Zen of Relationships

2007-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Or, "Crap, have I grown or not"? So I'm looking around on my feed reader and came across a post by be Conscious now called "Ten Ways to Make Any Relationship Work"; be it personal relationships or intimate the thoughts and pondering this brought up were good. Then again, it brought thoughts of "Why didn't I do that? or Did I do that?". None-the-less, it's good.

1. Accept responsibility for co-creating this relationship

Simply, you can't change the other person but you got into this relationship with 50%
responsibility so you can change yourself.

What am I bringing to the table?
How am I adding to this?
What do my actions and words result in?

Then again, I already think too much so chilling out may be better for me. But this is a good point, a relationship is a 50/50 decision by two people, both of which should be conscious of what's going on. I'm not always on the path with this one.

2. Release Expectations

Expectations cloud the experience. Duh, but why do I do it so hardcore then? My freakin' ego is very thick that's why. Example from the author; "If you expect your partner to show love in a specific way, such as surprising you with flowers, you will miss the ways he/she DOES show you love."

I'm guilty, I have realized that I put too many expectations on a relationship. What ends up happening is I'm unhappy and then I feel the other person doesn't like me, then I start to ask if they do and then I cause them to don't.

3. Release Judgments

"Know that what you hold to be right and true is only limited to your perspective"

Nice....I like this one, I think I'm kind on the path here but still much work to do.

4. Accept what IS

"This follows directly on from Judgment - because when you stop judging people, you must accept what is." True but you must mean it. In a past relationship my partner hated it when I said "it is what it is", which started out to mean to me I accept the situation the way it is, it's all good. But, what it morphed into wasn't good, it became a saying for when I was frustrated with a situation in which I should have not judged and just accepted or changed me to fix it. Sure, things are the way they are but the one saying it must believe it and just accept. The one saying it would be me. :)

5. See the Mirror

Put yourself in the shoes of your partner.

6. Don't take anything personally

Yea! Right, go ahead and try. It's good advice but oh so hard for me.

7. Learn to Listen

It's a lost art. :)

8. Learn to let go of the need to be right

9. Learn to laugh

10. Learn to Enjoy

All good advice and I still have much work to do but I need to give myself a pat on the back, I've come a long way since my early 20's and although I'm now ready for a long term relationship I am also away of my lack of perception and willingness to grow. God, please, I'm ready, it's that enough? Grow me already. ;)

Namaste

OK, I got Lazy, Here's The Rest Of Them :)

2007-06-20T15:51:00.001-07:00

Business Zen 2.0: What Is Intention?
Business Zen 2.0: Will I Ever Go Back To Talking About Business?
Business Zen 2.0: Like a Monkey Brain My Blog Swings From Tree to Tree
Business Zen 2.0: Desire, Sticky as Krazy Glue
Business Zen 2.0: "I" and Meditation
Business Zen 2.0: Watching Over Your Self
Business Zen 2.0: Ego, Human, Moment of Connection
Business Zen 2.0: It's A Reflective Day...
Business Zen 2.0: Awakening the Heart
Business Zen 2.0: Another Death in the Family

Re-Post: Intention vs. Resolution

2007-06-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

Intention Vs. Resolution

Re-Post: Death, Dying, Buddhism and My Grandfather

2007-06-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

From November 22, 2006

Death, Dying, Buddhism and My Grandfather

Welcome...Namaste

2007-06-20T15:26:00.001-07:00

Sometimes a blog can get too cluttered with stuff and a new spawn occurs, this is just that. Business Zen 2.0 is devoted to bringing Buddhist principles to business but different than that is my exploration personally in Buddhism and spirituality in general. So, sit back, grab a green tea, take up the lotus position and breathe in as I show you where I've been and where I might be going.

Kris