spiritual fitness

Blog Series: Power Cleansing

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Spiritual-CleansingAs I was cleaning out some of my old online folders I came across an old outline for a book I was working on regarding personal and spacial spiritual cleansing. I thought it would be great to turn this outline into a blog series. Spiritual cleansing is an important part of spiritual work, but one that can be a bit confusing for the beginner and advanced practitioner alike.

Through this blog series we’ll explore:

  • What is spiritual cleansing and why is it important?
  • Spiritual cleansing from various mystical traditions
  • Tools for the cleansing arsenal
  • Cleansing the body and empowering the soul
  • Space clearing and cleansing
  • Working with entities: The good, the bad and the ugly
  • Diet and nutrition as tools for spiritual cleansing
  • Working with karma
  • Psychic protection and defending against psychic vampires, hexes and curses
  • Exorcism fundamentals
  • and much more

It is my hope that you’ll be able to use some of what I’ll be offering in this series to move you into a deeper relationship with your spiritual journey. Along the way I’ll be offering exercises to help you begin or evolve your work with cleansing and clearing.

I also want to hear from you. What are your questions and experiences with spiritual cleansing? Have you ever witnessed or participated in an exorcism? What tools have you placed in your personal arsenal for cleaning out spaces both internally and externally?

Remember, if you need help along the way you can always reach out by contacting me via my website: www.michaelbrazell.com

The Power of Structure

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I love fluidity in my spiritual work, but I’ve noticed that I have been a little too loosey goosey with things as of late.  I’ve seen this in a lot of friends and clients as well.  In the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of time to self-reflect.  I’ve been able to dive a bit deeper into my personal experience to see what I need to do to get myself back on track, to go deeper.  When there is structure, there is foundation.  Today, I sat with my intuition.  It told me that I need to be a bit more structured in how I approach my personal spiritual work.  I have a military background, so structure and discipline are nothing new to me, but it can be a bit tough to step back into those waters, but I feel that it is necessary.

Today is a good day for building a new foundation.  The sky is a bit overcast, and the temperatures are starting to cool.  Sitting outside in nature allows me to see how everything is just moving at a beautiful rhythm and pace, it has a structure… not one that limits, but one that allows for the deepest expression.  Over the past few weeks I’ve seen myself slowing purging from my life the things that are no longer serving my highest intent and purpose. Friendships have changed, evolved or fallen away.  What I choose to give my attention to has also changed.  I do feel the deep call of distraction from time to time.  Too often we feed our distractions, because to feed our points of power means that we have to change completely.  Now that I am aware of those distractions I’ve started the process of removing them.  I’ve deleted unnecessary apps from my phone, am limiting my time on social media, and am doing a deeply structured fast this week.

Structure shouldn’t be looked at as punishment, but if we are just floating through our experience and not engaging a deeper sense of purpose, we need to take a look at that.  Everything has intention behind it.  Even when we choose to step out of our light, that carries intention, and that ripples through all of creation.  For me, structure allows me to be more powerful, it allows me to be fluid with purpose.  It also helps to eliminate fear.

Starting this week, I am making even more changes with how I work with spirit, but also in some of the direction I take with engaging the world and my soul community at large.  I’ve seen other amazing people stand deep in their truth, bringing new perspectives to light, and opening their inner awareness.. these individuals have inspired me to no longer hold back.  For a long time I’ve preferred not to rock the boat, but sometimes you have to rock it to clean off the barnacles.  Having structure also allows us to be okay with whatever happens when we take those steps onto a new phase of our journey.  The things I’m going to be bringing forward are going to be new for me to talk about, but are things that I and my Soul feel are important to start sharing.

What would having more structure look like to you?  Where do you need more structure in your spiritual life?  What can you do right now to move towards deeper connection and commitment?

 

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

 

Mike

Spiritually Fit: Simple workout routine (Playing Cards)

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12--183086-playing cardsThe challenge for many people when it comes to getting into a fitness lifestyle is that it can be pretty overwhelming when we start on the journey.  There are so many options on where to begin that it is easy to freeze in place rather than move forward.  So, I thought it would be great to periodically post some of my personal workout routines and tips that keep me moving towards health and fitness.  I go to the gym, and I love it.  I love the environment, I love having access to equipment that I normally would not if I was at home, and I also realize that the gym is not for everyone.  The difficulty with at home training is that it requires a bit more motivation to get up and do the workout.  The idea is to keep your  home training as simple as possible, but to also make it fun.  “Working out” should be all work.  It is a chance to dive into the sacred temple that is your body.

For this routine all you need is a deck of playing cards.

If  it is a new deck you want to be sure to shuffle it up pretty good.  If you want a longer workout you can take two decks and combine them into one massive stack.

The next thing that you will need to do is assign an exercise to each suit:

  • clubs= push-ups
  • hearts= sit-ups
  • spades=squats
  • diamonds=diamond push-ups
  • non suit cards= 30 second rest

You can really use any combination of exercises that works for your level of fitness and enjoyment.  I recommend staying with your choices for about a week or so, and then switching to another exercise for each suit.

Now the fun part.  Place the deck face down, draw a card, and you are going to do the exercise for that suit and your rep count will be whatever number is on the card.

Using the above example:  If you draw the 10 of clubs, you will do 10 push-ups.  If you draw a face card, or an ace you can call these “11” , and aces can be “1” rep… or you can assign your own numbers to those cards.

This is a fun way to dive into a home routine.  The exercises cycle through, and it becomes a randomized circuit training session. You can pause however long you want between each card draw.  If you are just starting out I’d recommend giving it 45-60 seconds between cards, more advanced can do 15-30 seconds between the draw.

I feel that engaging the body is as important as engaging spirit.  When we are able to connect to the body, achieve greater states of health and well-being, we are allowing for greater alignment in all areas of life.

Before starting any workout routine, be sure to check with your doctor.  Do what you can, and remember it is not a competition.  It is you getting in touch with you.  Keep a journal of your progress and how you are feeling before and after you workouts.  You can do this 3-5 days a week and you don’t have to cycle through the entire deck in one sitting.  I use to do 1/2 the deck in the morning, and the other 1/2 in the evening.  Have fun with fitness!

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

Mike Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

Soul Interaction Discussion Question

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How do you define the soul?  Is it definable?  If your intuition is divine guidance, where is it tapping into?  What is your wellspring of divinity?

 

Each week I’ll be posing questions to take us deeper.  Feel free to answer below, write them in your journal, use them as prompts for discussions in your spiritual groups, etc.  This is a great year for a bit of introspection.

Love and Light

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

 

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip: 21 Feb 2012

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Here is your spiritual fitness and nutrition tip!  Enjoy, get moving, and create the best you possible!

Fitness:  The fitness world can be an overwhelming place to step into.  Just like any new addition to your life you’ll want to take some time to educate yourself on what fitness is and how you can best apply it to your life.  Reading books about fitness, other people’s journey into fitness, blogs, and even watching you tube videos on fitness can be a great way to get the ball rolling.  This is a time you want to really activate your discernment.  Trust your intuition when it comes to the things you are reading.  The one true axiom in fitness is: “If it is too good to be true, it probably is.”  Do not trust quick fixes and promises.  Skip over advertisements and read about processes, workouts, and application of techniques.  Even reading a few books on anatomy to learn about how the body works can help you understand the process your body goes through when moving into a greater state of health.  Often we go running into new things without arming ourselves with the information necessary to be effective in our pursuits.  Take a few moments to read and grow.  I’ll post some resources in the next few days, so stay tuned!

Nutrition:  Sugar.  Most of us have a love hate relationship with it.  It creeps in to areas of our lives, and in some ways can be addictive.   We also need to take caution with the fruits we are eating.  Many of us give up cakes and cookies and make a transition to heavy fruits.  This is a good thing, but if you are eating too many fruits that are high in sugar you can also create the same overload effect.  This is especially important if you have sugar issues like diabetes or high blood sugar.   You’ll want to supplement your diet with fruits that are low in sugar.  You can check this on the glycemic index.  Even healthy foods have limitations as to quantity you want to consume.  Having a good mixture of low glycemic foods in the body keeps the insulin levels balanced out, which will also keep you feeling satiated.

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip: 2/14/2012

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Here is your Tuesday Tips for living a life of fitness on all levels!

Fitness:  Rest.  It’s a word that I typically do not personally invoke enough when it comes to my workouts.   Rest days allow us to reconnect into our bodies, and it also allows us to give the body a break from a structured workout routine.  During your rest days take time to meditate, or if you MUST do something active let it be something that is less impact than your usual workout.  It also allows the body to heal.  The act of working out is breaking down the physical to rebuild it brand new.  Days off, and rotating the body parts you are working is an important way to avoid injury.  Meditation is a workout for the mind, it allows us to be present, but it gives the physical body a bit of a break.  Take time to allow yourself moments to rest, and pencil them into your workout schedule.

Nutrition:  Keep a food journal!  No, not one of those little online applications.  The electronic versions are great and personally use one, but there are other things that you should also log when you are connecting to your food for greater health.  We of course look at calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins.  You’ll also want to log how you feel when you eat.  If you are reaching out for unhealthy foods due to an emotional upset, this will give you a few moments to detach from the action of reaching for food in a negative way.  It allows you to also see where your emotions are during the day.  You can also write positive affirmations for yourself that are more personalized than something you’d get online.  The action of taking time to physically write something out in itself is an act of spiritual connection.  We are holding something tangible, and its a more “real” connection.  It slows us down.  Which is very important when looking at how we are connecting to not only our food but to the world around us.

 

Much love and light, and happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

 

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip 1/22/12

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Here is  your Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip!

Fitness:  Affirmations are powerful in how we connect or disconnect from moving into fitness.  We have to take caution as to what we say less we create the experience or emotion.  If we were to say, “I have no time to workout, life is just too busy”- it becomes our reality.  If there is time to complain about there not being enough time, you just wasted time you could have been doing push ups, squats, or jumping jacks.  “I am too tired to workout”– in the time it took you to plop down on the bed, turn on the TV, and find the perfect show to watch you could have run a few times around the block.  We have to listen to what we are affirming.  Some of these affirmation are stored in the subconscious (I’ll be doing an entire blog on this in the next few days).  Some we speak daily.

Here are a few common negative fitness affirmations:

“I’ll never reach my goal weight”

“The gym frightens me”

“I’ll never have the perfect body”

“I’m too busy to workout”

“My life is too chaotic to spend time in the gym”

—What all of these are saying is simply this: “I do not have time to take care of the body that will allow me to be part of this wonderful physical experience.  My temple is in shambles, and will not take part in its restoration.  I willfully damage my connection to this divine vehicle.”

This is basically what you are saying by not committing to moving into greater states of health.  What will it take for you to show up to your life?

Here are some positive fitness affirmation to add into your day:

“I make time for my body, my health and my well being”

“I am committed to my health in all areas of my life”

“My body is the temple of my life, I am committed to its upkeep fully.”

“Each day is a new opportunity for me to connect to my body through fitness”

“Fitness comes easily to me”

“I am perfect, and all my imperfections add beauty to my experience”

—You get the hint, now right a few of your own.

Nutrition:  Simple, fresh and easy.  Nutrition needs to be simple.  This can be one of the most overwhelming areas when looking at making lifestyle changes.  Start with micro shifts into more sound nutrition choices.  Instead of eating fries or chips with your meal, have an apple.  Keep fruit, nuts, and veggies handy through your day if you are a chronic snacker.  Keep a food journal for a few days to see how many calories you are actually consuming.  Not eating enough calories can be just as bad as eating too many.  Many smart phones even have some useful apps that can help keep track of your daily intake.

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

michael@michaelbrazell.com

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

http://www.deviantyogi.com

Tuesday Spiritual Nutrition and Fitness Tip 1/17/2012

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Every Tuesday I’ll be bringing you a fitness and nutrition tip to help move you your week.  Subscribe, share and don’t miss out!

Nutrition:  Don’t tell yourself that you “can’t have something”.  We are programmed from a very young age that when someone puts a limitation on us we will rebel and do it anyway.  Someone saying “Don’t push that red button”, just makes us want to push it.  The same works with nutrition and diet.  When we tell ourselves that we will never have sweets, carbs, etc.  we only create a stronger desire for them.   This is affirmation work at its best.  Affirmations can work both ways, so we have to use a positive affirmation to eliminate the buried negative one.

Negative Affirmation:

“I will never have sugar again, its what is causing me to gain weight”

–This makes all sugar negative, and when we inevitably have something containing sugar, we hold onto more guilt.

“I allow myself to enjoy all aspects of eating.  I am in complete control of what fuels my body to be at its very best”

An affirmation like this one still gives me permission to have that cupcake, and without the guilt, and with more enjoyment.  Life is about enjoying what we have in front of us.  Allow yourself to engage in treats, but give yourself permission to be in control.  If you get a cupcake, eat 1/2 and give the other to a friend, or save it for another day.

Our relationship to food is 90% psychological, learning to balance this relationship will help you moving forward, and will be the focus of future blog posts.

Fitness:  “I don’t have time to workout”.  Well, I don’t have time to listen to limitations.  There is always time.  We find time to watch TV, we find time to go to Starbucks, we find time to complain about not working out.  All you need to do is consciously connect to your day and find spots to add in a little fitness.  Take the stairs instead of the escalator, if you are going to Starbucks pick one that is further away (and if it means you’ll be late getting back to work, more reason to move faster–adding in cardio).  See how easy it is to simply add in a few moments here and there.

Here is a personal example:  So we are stuck at my shop doing in inventory this week.  I’ve been off my personal routine, but I am not going to let that stop me.  Every hour my phone buzzes, I take a break, go into the back and do 25-30 push ups.  In 8 hours I’ve done over 200 hundred push ups, an each time it only takes me 30 seconds.

There is NO EXCUSE not to add some fitness into your day.  Connecting to the body is one step in connecting to the soul.  So, stop complaining and start doing!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com