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The
Heart....An Holistic View
Our western way of looking at the world has taught us that our heart
is the organ that keeps the blood flowing through our body. However,
our language suggests that we know much more than this as truth.
We use all kinds of euphemisms to express a greater knowing that
we possess.
The "heart" of the matter, suggesting that heart is the
center, the core, and the essence of our being. "My heart tells
me so," suggesting that there is an intuitive knowing that
only the heart understands. "My heart says one thing…my
head says another." expresses an intelligence to our emotions.
"My heart is calling me to…" which seems to suggest
that it also has a wisdom that knows our greater needs. We recognize
it to be the center of our emotions and the seat of our deepest
knowing.
We know that our hearts are capable of tremendous depths of love
and grand valleys of suffering. It would seem, even with our western
minds that we are aware of so much more than its function of distribution
and it's job of beating to keep us alive.
We give our attention to "heart-centered" work and relationships
to fulfill us. We seek "heart-stopping" adventures when
we want excitement. We talk about its rhythm when we play music
or we dance. We give it away, we guard it, and we share it or express
it. Does that sound like a muscle that regulates fluid? Much more
than metaphor our hearts are functioning at many different levels.
Keeping us upright and on our feet it beats to keep us alive. Yet,
it also guides us in our relationships, teaches us to trust, helps
us to explore life at great depths and challenges us towards excitement
and intrigue.
It would suggest that the our very spirit is housed within it's
domain, a fact that has been understood by Chinese Medicine for
thousands of years. By recognizing that we already possess this
awareness we can shift our understanding to a broader perspective.
Our hearts hold an awareness, an intelligence and a wisdom. Our
hearts express, share and even withhold love. They regulate the
flow of life through our veins as well as the way we flow with life.
The holistic model sees the triad of physical, emotional and mental
levels working together to create the whole. We can recognize that
our hearts are functioning within all of these realms. Wouldn't
it seem logical that it is not alone? That our bodies in general
operate as a divine system of interwoven awareness supporting us
in our physical, emotional and mental health? Again, these are not
secrets. They are the wisdom of the ages. We are just now beginning
to incorporate these ancient truths into our understandings of health
and well being.
Charlotte
Scott 2005
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Finding
Balance….A Secret Formula?
It has been
my experience when people walk into my practice they are seeking something
different in their lives; they often use words like peace and balance.
"I just want peace in my life," and, "I feel so out of
balance." Or any number of ways they might phrase the inner turmoil
that seems to block them from enjoying life fully. I often wish at that
moment that I had a magic wand or special formula that could instantly
bring these things about. I know they secretly wish this too. Instead
I go on to tell them that what they seek is a journey. If they could take
a pill for it or even a class they would have already done it. What seems
truer is that I am a stepping stone along their path, a path that leads
them towards finding an inner resource from which they can create any
condition they choose. Be that joy, peace, balance… However, it is
as I said a journey. Not a destination.
The wise teacher, Lazaris says "The journey to getting there has
all the qualities of being there." I recognize this is difficult
to accept when life is tumultuous and chaotic. And yet, just a single
foot upon the path to peace and balance can bring about the very things
one seeks. Simply a single commitment to making the journey can bring
a feeling of joy. The long standing presence of these things in our lives
however requires the commitment to staying on the path. To looking ahead
to clear out the stones instead of tossing them to the side once we've
tripped over them.
While I recognize
that I do not have a secret formula for change I feel I have stumbled
upon something through my experiences that creates a map. A map of change
that begins wherever you are and takes you wherever you desire to go.
It begins with what I call the "Healing Triad." There are three
arenas of life that call for balance. They are Body / Mind & Emotions.
Each person that walks through my door comes in seeking balance or change
in one of these areas. I have learned that to seek it in one area is usually
not enough. Again, what I hear people say is that they want to have peace,
balance and joy in their lives. They want to fully live and feel passionate
about what they are doing. The alternative of just moving through one
day to the next and making the best of it is no longer an option. I believe
that when we balance the conditions of our body, our mind and our emotions
that we activate our healing triad and aliveness occurs. We tap into our
authentic self and our spirit. We find the resource of energy that we
need to create and manifest an unlimited amount of joy and wellbeing in
our lives.
The body
requires certain things to function. It requires nutrients, air, water
and movement. These are the essentials and they create a state of balance
within the body. There are many tools to reach this state of balance.
They begin, in my opinion, with an awareness of what is needed. There
are all kinds of diets and fitness programs, a plethora I would say. I
am not promoting any one way of doing that. I suggest more appropriately
a new relationship to the body. With an attention to what your specific
needs are, developing an open communication from the body into your awareness.
Balance here is achieved when we are listening to the unique needs of
our body and answering those needs.
The mind.
First, let's look at the duality here. We have the "lower mind"
which is operated by the ego and has the job of keeping us upright, logs
the info we need to drive a car, walk across the street, carry on conversations
and even to tend to the basic needs of the body. All this is good. However,
we empower that lower mind with other jobs. We ask it to assess our value,
to create our relationships and to determine what is ultimately in our
best interest. That is the job, I believe of the higher mind. A more aware,
self reflective and intuitively connected mind. The balance of mind is
to weed out the old beliefs that are driving the unhealthy directions
of the lower mind and to train ourselves to inhabit as much as possible
the higher mind. You might think of it as transcending the ego. I prefer
to think of it as creating balance. I need my ego to make sure I get up
in the morning and put my shoes on right. I need my higher mind to direct
me towards my purpose and to align me with a meaningful vision of who
I desire to be.
Emotions.
There are so many emotions we probably would just prefer to not ever feel.
Anger, sadness, fear, shame, none of these seem to bring about a positive
experience in our lives. And yet, I would ask you, of those emotions you
wish you would never feel how many are you constantly focusing on? How
many do you struggle with to keep them from devouring your life? You can't
help but feel what you feel. Learning to have empowered emotional responses
as opposed to being overpowered by emotional responses is creates balance
in this realm.
There is
balance within each realm. There is balance between the realms. I believe
the map to peace, joy and abundant living is the balance between these
realms. So…here it is…the secret: the map to wellness.
Physically
we can care for ourselves with nutrition and proper movement. Mentally
we can learn to meditate and redistribute the power between our lower
and higher minds. Emotionally we can learn to release the past and its
stories as well as learn to respond instead of react. The tools in all
of these fields are many. I use lots of them. Each of us individually
is going to find one's that work best for us.
The next
step I believe is to be aware of how all of these levels are interrelated.
In my opinion the body is our greatest tool to access them all. We can
bridge these realms through breath, bodywork, self awareness and numerous
self care techniques. The mind and the body are interrelated. The same
is true for our emotions. Our bodies are actually a product of our thoughts
and feelings. The image we hold of ourselves and the feelings we have
about our life experiences are being reflected in every moment in our
state of health and wellness. They are being reflected in our physical
appearance, our energy levels and in our projection of who we are into
our world.
Reflect on
those times in your life when you felt connected, loved and loving, happy
and excited to be alive. You will probably remember that you felt balance.
Your body, mind and emotions seem to be in harmony with each other. I
know that we hear of the triad of body / mind and spirit. I am suggesting
that we expand our thoughts to realize that spirit is not a separate entity
from the body or the mind, nor the emotions. It is actually the realization
of this triad, the realm in which all three overlap. The balance between
these three worlds infuses our spirit and allows us to access all of who
we are. Excited. Inspired. Whole. Authenitic.
Charlotte
Scott 2006
| Relationships
- Co-creating Our Lives With Others.
As
I look out into my world the one thing that stands out to me is
the great need we have to create better alliances. Better alliances
with other countries, cultures, races and even amongst our own families.
I am not going to get on a soap box here and tell you how I think
we are all messed up and falling apart as a society. There are plenty
of people out there doing just that. Instead I want to look at the
very basic ways in which we can make a difference on a personal
level.
It
is my belief that my world changes as I begin to shift my perspective
of it. If I choose to see only pain and suffering than my experience
will constantly relate that back to me. In the same way, how I choose
to be in my own life is a microcosm of how I see the world and my
beliefs about how the world sees me.
From
my perspective we could stand to be better neighbors and friends.
I know that I can't walk out into the streets and start demanding
my neighbors to talk to each other any more than I can call up the
white house and request a better relationship with the middle east.
The only true power I have to make a difference in the world is
when I change me and how I act and respond in my life. It's been
my experience that when I change so do those around me. I know it
seems unbelievable at first, but it has happened so much now that
I have come now to take it as a 'truth" in my life. This article
is based upon that premise and I invite you, if it is difficult
to see, give it a chance. The results could be amazing.
There
is a dance that we do with the rest of the world. It is a dance
between Self and Other, between I and We. We are part of a whole.
A whole world, a whole universe, a whole society, a whole "village,"
a whole relationship…
Our
relationship to the whole is important to understand. The impact
of our lives on others is important to realize and take responsibility
for. In everything we do we are just that….part of the WE,
influencing and being influenced by OTHER. Whether we want it to
be true or not, we are connected to everyone else. From a quantum
physics point of view we are all sharing the same cells, the same
breath, the same molecules that make up our physical Self. We are
interchanging these raw materials of life constantly. We can acknowledge
what has been called the "butterfly effect," where the
simplest action on the part of one can ripple out and have an effect
a half a world away. No matter how you look at it, we are all interconnected.
In fact the plants, trees and flowers all share the same molecules
that we do, they are just arranged differently. Knowing this interconnection
can serve us well in relationship.
This
is however only one aspect of relationship. Also consider, the I,
the singular individual. We are, in fact, quite uniquely different
in many ways. We are a self directed entity moving about in this
big space of US. In our relationships "I" is important
and it takes awareness and intention not to let it become overly
important. It is most important in the sense that we can only ultimately
be responsible for our selves, our actions, our feelings, and our
interpretations. Our thoughts and ideas are uniquely the force that
guides us in our individual endeavors.
I used
the word dance as it is so appropriate here. We are able to move
back and forth between the I and the We via our own choices. I am
an individual carving a place for myself in the world, expressing
my unique ideas and speaking through my individuality. If I get
too lost in my separateness from others I lose the wonderful commodity
that relationship can be. If I venture too far out into my self
I take myself out of the whole, but only in my mind. For still,
my actions will affect the whole. That is the irony.
If
I immerse myself into the whole I become dependent on the world
and the way it functions. See how the balance can be tipped either
way. I love to dance. Dancing is one of my greatest pleasures. Honestly
I prefer to dance alone; letting my wild self find her rhythm and
explore her inner boundaries. I can be that way in life too. I can
be very independent and take it upon myself to do what I need to
do for myself, to explore my inner terrain all by myself. I take
on tasks and forget to ask for help. I am fine there. Fine, and
quite comfortable. No worries. and yet....
Often
when I am dancing I have a wonderful partner. My husband and I move
well together and it is a passion we share. When I find myself in
this dancing place with him I totally enjoy myself. I surrender
to the partnership and let it overtake me. It becomes an entity
of its own. As a unit we move and glide in ways that neither of
us would do on our own. So is true in life. I find when I venture
outside my comfort zone and ask others to participate in my life
I receive a bounty I could never experience alone. It is a joy.
There
isn't a "right way" I or We. They are interconnecting
and separating, always moving as we explore this dance of life.
How do you move about in this place?
Charlotte Scott 2006
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Change:
Motivation and Choice
Change...what brings it about? Does it leap out from behind an unsuspecting
corner or fall beneath our feet as we step from our nightly slumbers?
It might sneak up on us when we aren't looking or trip us up as
we make our way through life, or even worse, force itself upon us
in the midst of our traumas. The necessity of change is as diverse
as our individual reactions to it. Is your relationship to change
one of embrace or do you hold it off as long as possible, clinging
to the comfort of familiarity?
Whatever your individual relationship to change there always seems
to be room for motivation. Motivation often is something very critical,
like poor health or a loss of some sort. From there, motivation
comes directly from the urgency to change the quality of life. However,
when crisis is your motivation choices become narrow and limited.
I see many individuals in my practice that have reached this point.
Change was needed but the motivation required some drama or trauma
to ignite it.
Life offers a great deal of pressure to keep things the way they
are. The past holds the known, the comfortable, and the patterned
behaviors that define the image we have of ourselves. Not only do
we hold this image, but those around us often support it as well.
Even unhealthy patterns stay locked into place through the attachments
we, and others, have to that image of ourselves. Finding the key
to unlock the door to a new way of life is a process. The process
begins with uncovering and discovering what it is that needs to
change. Name what you desire, a happier life, a healthier body,
less stress, less conflict, more meaningful relationships...
Being willing to start the process requires motivation. We know
change can happen through the introduction of crisis. We know that
when pushed with our backs up against the wall we can come out fighting
with the strength and commitment to do something different. Let's
consider change before crisis demands it. What does it take to create
change with a degree of ease and elegance? I suggest placing attention
on motivation and choice.
This implies that we need to find new motivation. To look for something
beyond the survival mechanics that we know and reach for something
more...What can we use for motivation that will not only sustain,
but will fuel our desires for a "better" life?
It
seems to me the future is our answer. The future holds all possibilities
and is ripe with potential fulfillment. It holds our hopes and dreams.
It holds our imagined visions of the lives we desire. How often
do you see tomorrow as the relief from the stress of today? Many
of us live in a state of potentia, looking towards tomorrow to resolve
the sufferance of today. Consider how much energy goes into holding
those thoughts. What if we cultivated that vast amount of energy
put towards wanting things to be otherwise and used it as fuel for
motivation? What if the secret wishes and dreams we hold as "someday..."
became the motivation to change? What would that look life? To choose
a future filled with desire, imagination, and expectation as motivation
for change instead of crisis? Hmmm. The possibilities...
Oh, that! You say. That sounds all airy-fairy and maybe even a little
fluffy. By now you were perhaps hoping I was going to reveal the
one - two - threes in life motivation! Perhaps it is not as fluffy
as it might at first seem. Some of the hardest thoughts to hold
are the positive, optimistic ones. It is not so hard to hold the
negative and contracting thoughts. We easily can list the things
that are wrong or bad or will never happen. How much time do you
devote to imaging life holding the joys that you desire?
Consider this: the "stuff" that creates your reality are
the beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and feelings that are uniquely
yours. From those raw materials you mold and shape the life you
are living. Every day you wake up and make a choice about how your
day is going to be. Even when you refuse to make a choice you have
made a choice. Do you choose to have happiness or do you choose
to grumble your way through the day? Do you feel joy inside or are
you closed to your feelings? It is all about choice. Your choices
reflect and even shape your raw materials. Choice is the tool that
allows motivation to work, allows you to decide how it's all going
to go. The choices you make, all of them, from the attitude you
approach your day with, to what you eat, what you say, what you
do...even the choice to change are what puts you in the drivers
seat of your life. No one else has the keys to your private vehicle.
When faced with the task of charting a different path for you remember
the choice is yours. Do you use crisis and suffering to motivate
you to do things differently? Or, can you choose to imagine a future
full of joy and happiness, of having your needs met, of fulfilling
your life purpose and allow that to change you? See yourself as
whole and perfect and having exactly what you want. There is enough
energy in that kind of vision to fuel much change. Use it!
Charlotte Scott 2003
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The
Dance of Trust and Surrender
In the beginning of your yoga practice it is easy to be caught up
in the effort it takes to get your body and your mind working together.
The postures can be challenging and flexibility takes time. The constant
reminder to breathe is welcomed, as it can sometimes be difficult
to remember that simple task. However, once the body begins to settle
into the postures and the breath comes a little easier you can begin
to explore one of yoga's greatest gifts. Surrender.
For me daily life is a call to surrender. Crafting the life I want
and seeing it fulfilled asks of me everyday to let go and let be.
Raising a teenager, developing a business, exploring my purpose, being
in relationship all provide my life with a streaming flow of opportunity
to practice my yoga in everyday life. Surrender is that space that
allows me to let go of any need I have to control my life, others
or even my "conditions."
Surrender is not give-up or give-in. It is far more fulfilling than
that. It is a flow that allows you to move deeply into a state of
trust. Yoga teaches this through every posture. Each level of releasing
that one does allows that trust to develop. Surrender requires trust.
Trust requires surrender. It is a dance and each breath, each movement
helps to explore this intimate relationship.
As you become more integrated into these spaces you may find that
you begin to release old attachments. Your body stores what some yogis
would term "karmic knots" and simply put means the stories,
memories, thoughts and feelings that have gone unprocessed in your
life. Your body can surrender to these old places during your yoga
practice. As you simply unwind and unlock the past and present feelings
stored within your body you find yourself giving to deeper and deeper
states of relaxation. The mind begins to let go of its chatter and
your body lets go its blocks.
Developing trust is a process. From the simple task of touching your
toes to the power of a holding warrior pose, each person finds their
own challenges. There is no one way or one path to get there. It doesn't
take complicated yoga moves or difficult to achieve altered states
to find your process. It simply takes your willingness to explore.
Surrender can be found within the willingness to move, the willingness
to let go of your body and trust it to stretch. Surrender is found
in the exploration of your limitations and moving beyond those limitations.
Just last night one of my students called out my name to watch as
she placed her head on the floor in a posture for the first time.
We both grinned with joy. Her willingness to explore and her practice
of surrender were evident in her smile. These are some of my most
fulfilling moments as a teacher. To see someone reach beyond supposed
limitations. I know it comes with trust and surrender. I recognize
the journey and I am overjoyed that we are on this path together.
Namaste'
"The goodness in me recognizes the goodness in you."
Charlotte Scott 2004
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This
Journey of Life
We all live such busy, busy lives. It seems to me that we keep rushing
forward to some unknown destination that is out there in the future.
We place the future out in front of us and work diligently towards
it. Plans are made, nest eggs are built and we work hard every day
so that someday we can be "there."
What is "there?" What will the future hold that today does
not? Will we be able to embrace life more fully - tomorrow? What if...what
if today had all the components of the future we hold so mystically
special? My dear friend and teacher Lazaris says that "the journey
to getting there has all the qualities of being there." Sounds
beautiful doesn't it? But, what does it mean? I suspect the understanding
comes from the experience.
Every piece of our lives is a spiritual journey. We may not embrace
it, or even acknowledge it, yet it is still true. For what is spirituality
anyway? Isn't is simply the relationship we have to our divine selves,
to something greater than us however that is individually defined,
to our Soul? We have come to accept the notion that we are each a
piece of God. That we are a divine spark of love that has come to
explore a physical journey. Doesn't that in and of itself make this
physical journey a spiritual journey?
So our daily grind of work, kids, school, trips to the grocery store
and run ins with the people behind the counter at the post office
are all part of the journey. It might not seem spiritual when you
are digging peanut butter out of the VCR - again. Or when your teenager
is challenging you to hold your sanity in the midst of her melodramas.
Or when your boss has asked you to push past your limits of physical
endurance and take one for the team. But aren't these the most spiritual
moments of all? These, and moments like these, are the journey of
this physical existence. They are what defines us as human. The struggle
with finances and relationships seem like the mundane-ness of our
existence, but I would suggest they are the paths to enlightenment.
What? Enlightenment through my teenager? Oh help, please! I would
rather have a truly spiritual experience of sitting on a mountain
top with the wind blowing through my hair. Now that's spiritual! Ah,
but remember, it's about the journey. I learn more about myself through
my interactions with her than I ever delved in to sitting on the mountain.
I grow and I learn about what it takes to be alive and on the planet
every time I wake up and face my day. It gives me a chance to relate
to myself and the soul that guides me through this journey. The choices
and decisions I make about how I respond, how much I feel, what I
do with my time and who I share my love with all define my spiritual
life.
The journey for me of late includes a series of visits to the hospital
to visit my father. He is hooked up to lots of tubes while a machine
takes most of his breaths. Another quote I see daily through this
experience is one from comedian George Carlin after his wife passed
away: "Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the
moments that take our breath away." I wonder how many moments
my father had? How many transcendent moments he allowed to be a part
of his journey?
Would I have defined my life with my father as spiritual? No. Honestly
not. One or the other of us was usually in a great deal of pain. Often
both. Would I define my visits to his bedside spiritual? Not at first
glance. There are people in his life that would say he was a gift.
They knew a different man than I did. However, it is the journey I
remind myself. Whether I was the child growing up or the adult sitting
here now. I can say that I did find meaning, I did learn to know myself
deeply and intimately through my relationship to him. If my spirituality
is the journey of my physical existence than I will have to say that
I too embrace him as a gift. I treasure the lessons my soul has learned
and recognize this life to be a jewel in the journey of my soul.
Charlotte Scott
February 18, 2004
(My
father, Robert Scott passed away on August 12th 2005. He may not
have taught me unconditional love in the way that I thought he "should"
but the unconditional love I have grown to know as a result of my
journey will always recognize him as one of my greatest teachers.)
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Creating
the life you want.....
I've never really been one to follow the rules. Even as a
child in school I often felt I was stepping to a different
beat than most of the other kids. Still, to this day I have
a hard time doing something, just because this is the way
it is suppose to be or the way it has always been done. As
a child my radical ideas did not serve me too well. It caused
discomfort in lots of adults and didn't win me any popularity
contests with teachers. I tended to be the child that was
"bright...but..." usually followed with. "If
only she....." I always did well academically but my
behavior was usually in question. Those teachers kept trying
to tell me there was a way to make it all work for me...if
I would only learn to follow the rules. I can't say I ever
did. For this I am glad. I have forged a different approach
to life that has expanded my horizons far beyond what I could
have imagined.
So, when I heard the words "spiritual law" I was
a little taken aback. Oh no. There are rules. I did my best
to avoid these "rules" for a number of years. Surely
I could write my own. Make my own way. I was a map maker not
a rule follower! Not only had I grown glad to be different,
I saw myself as a rebel out to change the world. Why now would
I take a look at the "rules" that were suppose to
make life work? Well, one reason was that life didn't exactly
work. Even though I was loving my work I had a hard time balancing
my family life with my career. I did "okay" financially.
But, it was really just okay. I seemed to be expending a great
deal of energy for the meager funds I was able to put into
my personal life at the end of each month. I was happy. But
I was struggling. In fact, with a long hard look at my life
I saw there was unlimited potential that I was not tapping
into. So, maybe there was going to be some value in the "laws".
I decided to set the rebel aside and take a look.
Deepak Chopra has had a book out for several years called
the "Seven Spiritual Laws of Success." I had noticed
it, picked it up a time or two, but never really read it.
I took a class that used his book and another...Raymond Holliwell's
"Working with the Law." It was by far one of the
most valuable classes I have taken to date. Deepak's book
has been out for awhile. (1994, actually.) Holliwell wrote
his in 1964. The more I explored this subject I realized people
knew about the creative power of the mind and were writing
volumes about it as early as 1900. Wow. I was ready to take
a look.
The natural laws that govern the universe are not put in place
as "this is the way you have to be." they are the
natural way in which the world operates. For example, we have
a law called gravity. Gravity doesn't exist because someone
said it had to be so. It exists, well, because it IS. Well
so, how many more IS-es are out there that could be beneficial.
Well, the law of attraction. The law of giving and receiving,
the law of supply, the law of forgiveness, the law of thinking....who
knew there was a law? Well, when I realized these weren't
going to be rules the little rebel in me was going to have
to learn to follow, I found the freedom to really explore
what it meant to align with these universal principles to
help my life expand and grow. Now, I am all for that.
These laws are actually things we are using all the time.
They are available to us whether we use them consciously or
unconsciously. For example, the law of attraction. This law
is comprised of two parts. Desire and expectation. We attract
to us what we desire and what we expect. At first glance you
might say "Why don't I get all the things I desire?"
I would suggest that you do. My question would be....do you
know what you desire? Are you clear on what messages you are
sending to the universe? And what are your expectations?
We attract our experiences to us based upon our beliefs about
how the world works. This is not just a new age philosophy.
In fact it is quite ancient I am beginning to understand.
You can find these simple truths taught in almost all of the
world's religions. Different words perhaps. But very similar
meanings.
If you desire abundance and prosperity but your beliefs and
attitudes are that of poverty and lack. Well....the beliefs
and attitudes will create the experience that you have with
wealth. If you desire optimum health but you feed your mind
negative thoughts about your body and your personality, you
cannot attract good health. If you long for a loving relationship
but daily tell yourself you are not worth loving, the relationship
will not come.
These two energies of desire and expectation are at the heart
of what we bring into our lives. The desire part seems easy,
doesn't it? Think about what you want. Well, my teenager's
reaction to this was...I never get what I desire! She also
likes to use the one "if I create my own reality than
why would I create this mess?" I'm working with her on
that one. I think it is valuable to see things through the
eyes of children. Often as grown ups we still operate from
our child's belief systems. Desire to her....the perfect boy,
a new computer, unlimited freedom, friends that adore her,
family that accepts her as she is...her list was long. We
don't have to cover it all. So, what was she attracting instead?
Well, we won't analyze Mz. Roxy's life, but let's take at
look ourselves at what are we creating in our lives?
Do you have as much money as you want? Are your relationships
all supportive and loving? Do you receive what you desire?
What are your expectations? Take a closer look at what you
do expect life to bring you. Do you expect: a miracle, love,
peace, success, joy...? Or do you find yourself falling short
of these things? Is it hard to expect something good because
you have your stack of experiences that prove just the opposite
occurs? That darned old thing called "experience".
But my experience says "but last time I ________;every
time I _______." you fill in the blanks.
Well, how you think and how you feel, what you desire and
what you expect comprise what your experiences look like.
Underneath the heavy blanket of experience lies a thought
system that is uniquely yours. It may operate very similar
to other people, as we do all seem to have similar thoughts.
However, it is uniquely yours. Partly based upon how your
parents taught you to experience the world and partly the
way your society told you to expect and partly innate belief
that doesn't even require proof. We let our experiences based
upon these beliefs color the creations of the future. When
you begin to look at how your beliefs attract your desires
and your expectations help you fulfill them. Well....that
makes for a pretty basic recipe, doesn't it?
Deepak actually talks about this law as "the law of intention
and desire." Adding yet another angle to the way n which
we attract to us our experiences. Intention. You may have
seen Wayne Dyer's special on Intention on PBS. It echoes many
of the sentiments in Deepak's book where he states: "Inherent
in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment...intention
and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite
organizing power. And when we introduce an intention in the
fertile ground of pure potentiality we put this infinite organizing
power to work for us." And he further adds the importance
of attention. "Attention energizes, Intention transforms."
When you combine these thoughts with those of desire and expectation
you have a formula for expressing your true desires, expecting
good, placing your attention on what you want (as opposed
to what you don't want) and setting your intention becomes
an expression of "desire without attachment to the outcome."
He suggests putting the cosmic computer to work for you by
application of these simple laws.
I often ask the question of my clients "what do you want
your life to look like?" You would be surprised at how
difficult that question is for them to answer. Each time I
begin a session we set the intention for our work together.
By releasing this intention into the universal mind we are
able to pave the way for success. We also begin to activate
the other laws. The Law of Pure Potentiality, The Law of Giving
and Receiving, The Law of Least Effort, The Law of Healing....These
are but a few of the possible ways in which we are organizing
our thoughts, intentions, desires and expectations and placing
them into law. Law must act as law does. That is why it is
law. Not because someone said it had to be or else..but the
science of the way that it IS....
Choose to apply this law consciously in your life today. Explore
the others as well. They are full of gifts.
Namaste' Charlotte Scott
2004
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When
Stress Becomes OVERSTRESS!
You close your eyes, sure that sleep is just
a moment away. As you lie your head upon the pillow you become aware
that it is the first time today you have been still. Your weary body
melts into the sheets seeking comfort and rest. Several hours later
there you are realizing that anticipated moment of slumber has yet
to occur. The days' rush of activity that swept you from one moment
to the next flashes through your memory in shattered pieces of reflection.
You stop to ponder the occasional thought to readjust it's contents
to better suit how you wish it had occurred. Hours pass and sleep
does not come. The day plays itself over and over in your mind.
Not you? Perhaps nocturnal time comes easily for you. You slide between
the sheets and off you sail into blissful slumber without a thought
or concern. However, once the morning light nudges you to wake you
are instantly caught up in the ramblings of your mind. The worries
of the day in front of you summoning you into a captivating struggle.
Before your eyes adjust to the brightness of the morning you have
tossed around every possible outcome to the days events. Anxiety forces
you to your feet and the day begins...
We have all experienced these scenarios, at least occasionally. However,
if this is the norm for you chances are you are suffering from over-stress.
You have no doubt heard about meditation and other relaxing types
of activity. Promises of stilling the mind and magically peace will
follow. Yet your attempts to do so have ended more often than not
in frustration as you get distracted in the perpetual flow of endless
mind chatter. You tell yourself "maybe I'll try yoga..."
or you purchase yet another audio tape that promises to take you to
that "happy place." Your well intentioned efforts do not
deliver the longed for results. We all want solutions. There are many
available. What is right for you?
There is no one universal solution. Each one of us has our unique
story. First it is important to look at your personal story. What
is the major cause of stress in your life? Along with other unique
factors like medical history and tolerance levels stress is effected
by diet and your personal habits of self care.
How do you know when you are in over-stress? A well functioning system
is quite capable of handling normal stress. It is the overload that
burns the circuits and begins to break down the body. When symptoms
show up such as: chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression,
persistent unexplainable aches and pains, lack of enjoyment of life,
panic attacks...these are signs that you have moved beyond the normal
level of stress into overload. The brain releases chemicals throughout
the day to regulate the body's functioning. Serotonin lets you sleep,
sets your body clock and adjusts your body temperature. In order to
have restful sleep for example your body thermostat should lower slightly.
Noradrenalin is essential for you to feel energized. Endorphins are
collectively responsible for regulating your moment to moment awareness
of pain. Dopamine runs your pleasure center, the area of the brain
that allows you to enjoy life. To simplify the process, when the body
is exposed to repeated amounts of stress it responds with increasingly
frequent releases of these brain chemicals. The result is a desensitizing
of the pain and pleasure centers. The body's system starts to break
down as the messages to the brain malfunction. A sense of overwhelm
sets in and you begin to feel depressed.
Stress can be divided into two categories: external and internal.
The external stresses vary as much as people do. What stresses one
person does not necessarily stress another. However, it is safe to
list a few we can all relate to: unhappy job situations, difficult
and toxic relationships, illness or death of people close to you,
new baby, physical environments, noise, heat, confined spaces, rules,
red-tape, commuting, and a host of other potential daily hassles.
In today's environment of world conflicts the list grows dramatically.
The internal stresses are self generated. We create the majority of
our own stresses, which implies that we can also possibly do something
about them as well. These internal stresses are things such as: lifestyle
choices, poor diet, overloaded schedules, negative self talk, pessimistic
thinking, unprocessed emotions, self-criticism, over-analyzing, unrealistic
expectations, taking things personally, rigid thinking, need to control,
procrastination...type A personalities: perfectionist, workaholic,
people pleaser...Recognizing the stresses that are self induced is
a powerful step to tackling the problem. It is the accumulation of
internal stresses that can make it increasingly difficult to deal
with the external stresses of which it appears we have less control.
The easiest place to start is to recognize the things that you CAN
change. It is easy to believe that we are not in control of our lives.
It is very empowering to change that belief. By addressing the internal
stresses we can bring ourselves into perspective with the external
stresses. You can make lifestyle choices that better support how you
want to live your life. You can change the negative self talk and
the limited beliefs that hold you back. At any given moment you can
make a different choice. When the internal stress triggers drag you
down learn to take a break and give yourself a little breathing room.
Take a walk, a trip, or just take a breath. Any situation only need
have as much power over you as you give it.
Compassion for yourself can go a long way toward eliminating these
self-generated stress factors. Self acceptance and self care can be
supported by learning greater coping skills and beginning a relaxation
program. Things like meditation, yoga, proper diet, abdominal and
diaphragmatic breathing techniques, imagery and visualization can
be quite useful. It may be helpful to talk with a professional to
work through the issues behind your internal stress.
Here are a few simple techniques to assist you in the moment:
* Take two to three deep abdominal breaths.
* Stretch and yawn.
* Internally speak to each part of your body giving it permission
to relax.
* Have a cup of chamomile tea.
* Listen to some soothing music and focus on your breath for a few
moments.
* Allow yourself to step back and get a different perspective. By
seeing a larger picture you may
find the situation is not as stressful as it seems.
When you have more time on your hands here are a few things to
do on a regular basis to reduce the overall impact of stress.
* Receive a massage.
* Take a soothing bath - add a few drops of these
essential oils to add to your relaxation- 3 DROPS LAVENDER, 2 DROPS
CORIANDER, 2 DROPS GERANIUM, 2 DROPS ORANGE OIL.
* Do conscious exercise.
* Dance or free movement.
* Yoga and meditation.
Once you have a handle on the internal factors you can increase
your ability to handle the external stresses much more efficiently.
Beyond the practices mentioned above there is an entire array of
relaxation and rejuvenation experiences available to you . Modern
technology supplies relaxation environments. There are numerous
workshops and classes to enhance your skills as you learn to relax
and let go...happy journeys.
Charlotte
Scott 2003
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