spirituality

PBP2012: “H”- Happiness In Your Practice

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Ever since attending the T. Thorn Coyle self-possession workshop, I’ve been in a state of deep awareness with my deep practice.  One of the things I’ve been paying even closer attention to is my daily practice.  I began to pick apart where I am in my practice, what is working, what isn’t working, where I can best make use of time, etc.  I felt like I was missing something, and then a small voice from deep within chimed in “Are you HAPPY, in your practice”.  My rational mind said, “Of course I am happy with my practice.  It is well structured, I know what time to get up, how long my fasting cycle lasts, what yoga sequences I’ll be focusing on this week, my writing projects planned..,”  The soul voice responded, “But are you happy IN your practice.”  I had to sit with this for a moment.  I find that at times I am going through the motions of my practice.  I do the things I do because I know that they deepen my spiritual connection.  I know that I need to tune in to my soul, to open up, to listen, to evolve, but I also need to be happy while doing all this wonderful expansion.

I look around and see the same thing in a lot of my pagan and spiritual friends.  Out spiritual lives become just as heavy as our work lives, and for some of us our spirituality is our work lives.  “When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” is a quote I’ve tried to live by, but at times we forget and let the joy slip out of our work, and even worse our practice.  Happiness is spirituality at its best.  When we laugh or smile from the soul out we step fully into the moment.  Laughter is said to be the best medicine, and it is a medicine that we need a lot more of.  Sometimes I make a mistake when I’m leading a yoga class, and we all laugh.  In that moment all tension is broken, and we all come fully into connection in our practice.  Happiness is letting go and being present in our moment.  We have to have fun and let go IN our practice.  We have to be present in joyful connection to our meditation.  Smudge with joy, let go and sing your chants, dance if you do not dance, sing, and just let go a bit.

I am closing with this picture of a Laughing Jesus.  I am not Christian, but the Christian path at times is a very heavy path.  I grew up catholic and loved the ritual, but there was a somberness to it that I never really understood. I’m sure that even Jesus laughed, even if we don’t hear much about those parts of his life.

Where are you in your practice?  Is it something that you are just running through the motions?  Are you joyful in your spirituality, or are you somber?

Michael Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.deviantyogi.com

www.michaelbrazell.com

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

Alone in Our Connections: Technology and Seperation

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The world is moving faster than we are. I am actually sitting on the metro writing this blog post. Joyfully connecting into each word as a world moves by around me. It is a beautiful thing that in an instant we can connect around the globe. We have access to countless bits of information, and this access can even come in the confines of a tunnel running under the nation’s capital. As I look up to scan the crowd I see that almost everyone else is doing something similar. Rarely do people make eye contact, and even more rare is the reaching out of a voice or even a smile to a stranger. Our technology allows us to be separated but not alone. I find that it is hard for me to sit at home and write, but if I plug into a coffee shop the words flow with ease. There is something about being in the energy of others that allows me to connect into myself. It allows me to see where I am in this world, and even though many of us are not connecting, we are still in some way sharing this moment. Not having to be alone, connected through our disconnection.

There is a theory that the 2012 incident that might actually happen is an elimination of technology due to a giant solar pulse. What would that look like? What would it be like if all the walls of our disconnect came tumbling down if even for a moment. Texting, tweeting and “liking” things has enabled us to share our thoughts in an instant. We can project out into the world pieces of who we are instantly. We can reach out to loved ones and say “Have a great day!” or “Hope work isn’t too stressful!”. Tho, I notice that the same people we send those text to, when put in the same room with us, we pull away from. May of us remain plugged in even when in the presence of family, friends, and partners. The art of conversation is dying. When instead of sitting down and planning out a future, you are restricted to having to check each other’s online calendars to determine when it will be okay to be present in each other’s experience. Technology allows us to scar someone else with ease. We can send passive aggressive texts, tweets and posts. When is the last time you said “I love you” in full presence and connection with someone you are sharing this life with? We don’t even really need to type it out fully on our cell phones, we only need pre-program the message to fly out at the touch of a button.

How does this impact our compassion for one another? For some, caring is sending the text, and I’m not saying that we shouldn’t use technology as a tool to reach out to those we love. I feel that it is more important to balance that out with a step into this reality. We have to connect to one another on the tangible plane of existence. When we “text argue” or “text talk” we get to plan out every word. Every thought gets a level of control, and we can avoid vulnerability like a plague. When we are face to face with someone else, standing in each other’s presence we can truly be in a place of deep feeling. When our partner, family, or friends have had a bad day we can be present. We can show empathy and reach out in compassion. If we stay plugged in we only may notice this on the perepherial. We seen the slumped shoulders, the tired look, but we don’t connect. Sometimes we only find out about the lives of those we share lives with through their Facebook updates or tweets. Rather than having intimate moments with those closest to us, we share with the masses. I’ve even seen people end relationships via the internet. When we can close down at the touch of a button we get this sense of control that is lost when we have to come face to face not only with others, but with ourselves. When lives are planned out in 2 month intervals via online appointments spontaneity dies. Spontaneity is one of the fuels for passion, and without it the flames eventual turn to embers that barely sustain heat. But what does it say about where we are in this society when we live our lives 2 or more months into the future. We do are not in the now, and that robs us of being fully aligned and present in our divine experience. It keeps us in full disconnection from those that are in this moment with us. THe further forward we live, the less room we create in the moment. I am not saying that we should not plan ahead, but when we become so rigid in our lives that deviations cause panic then we are damaging ourselves. Compassion to the self is something we forget about.

Our interpersonal disconnection is harmful. There are many cases where people won’t call for help when they hear someone in need, “Someone else will call.” We not only forget about the people we share this life with, but we absolutely forget about the earth. I can tell you how many Pagans I know that spend more time behind a computer, on their phone, or inside rather than actually celebrating the earth by going outside. Nature based faith requires us to at some point to connect into nature. Setting our computer screen savers to a woodland image is just not good enough.

Technology and advancement are wonderful. I mean, you wouldn’t be reading this blog without it. Take time to be in this world, and more importantly in your life. Connect with those around you, and create sacred time and space where technology is not allowed in. What would it be like to feel the love of all those around you fully? To unplug from the masses just long enough to embrace the idea that we can live in the moment? What would the passion of spontaneity look and/or feel like? Take a moment to give gratitude and thanks to what technology has brought you, then take a moment to make a commitment to re-connect back into your life. Plug into this moment, right now… what are you waiting for?

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.deviantyogi.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

PBP2012: “D”- Daily Devotional Work

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The sun breaks through the window first thing in the morning.  We open ourselves up to the day, and we begin with a deep inhale, followed by an even deeper exhale.  Well, in truth… we often dash out of the bed to the sound of a screeching alarm, trip over everything we can on the way out the door to a full work day.  How we start our day can determine how we move through the day.  Starting the day doing a devotional practice can keep us connected to our divine self as we move through the day.  We live in a world that constantly makes demands of us.  We move into those moments, and often times we move unconsciously through these experiences.  We seldom take time to be with spirit unless something forces us to stop and slow down.  Recently I got laryngitis.  I very rarely get sick, but often I find myself rushing through life, giving my energy away constantly.  Having no voice forced me to slow down and take into account where I was giving my energy away.  It also made me take a deeper look at my personal spiritual practice.  They say never run faster than your guardian angel can fly, and in a world full of distractions and temptations this can be valuable advice.

A great way to start the morning can simply be sitting in silence and taking a few deep breaths.  If we have a particular tradition, we can sit in front of our altars, connect to the divine, and open ourselves up to guidance.  There are many ways to connect and ground into the day. Even talking a walk before work connecting to nature, or simply looking up as you make that morning walk to the office.  Consistency is also important in ground ourselves in our divine nature.  When we have a steady practice we have a way to connect into our day and to detox from a stressful day through positive release.  We only need to do a little each day to have a profound effect throughout the day and into our lives.  This allows us to be fully engaged in our spiritual work.  Here are a few ways to do daily devotional work:

  • Yoga
  • Affirmation work
  • Morning tarot or general reading for the day
  • Prayer work
  • Chanting or working with a mantra
  • Singing
  • Dancing around the room while the sun rises
  • Going for a brief walk in the AM/PM and being conscious while you are in that space.
  • Contemplative reading from a sacred text
  • Holding a stone and connecting into its energy
  • Doing a healing practice like Reiki, energy healing, or stretching
  • Breathing.  Focusing on the inhale and the exhale fully.

All of these can be done with just a little bit of time.  Getting up just a little earlier, or coming home and immediately going into your practice can give you a little bit of structure in that spiritual place.  Your daily devotional work can be complex or simple.  It can last 30 seconds or several hours.  Get into a practice of daily divine connection.  You’ll feel more grounded, more connected and more centered.

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip 2/7/2012

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Finding time to integrate fitness in our day can be a challenge.  Here are a few tips to get the process going!

 

Fitness:  Consistency is important when it comes to integrating a fitness plan into action.  Try and workout at the same time every day.  Once you get yourself on a solid routine it will be easier for you to maintain it, and it will be also be something you can look forward to doing.  Early morning workouts can be a great way to start the day, and evening workouts can be a great way to release stress from a hectic day.  Choose a time that works best for you, and commit to sticking with it for a week.  It might mean that you have to get up a little earlier, or cut out a happy hour here or there, but you’ll be glad you did!

 

Nutrition:  Eating with consistency can also help us bring our metabolism into greater alignment.   First be sure that you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day.  This will keep toxins flushed out of the body, and it helps to keep you balanced.  If you work out in the mornings you first meal should be no later than 30 min after the workout.  The day should then be divided into 6-8 smaller meals and snack throughout the day.  This keeps your metabolism constantly fueled.  Too often we eat snacks or drink juices that are high in sugar.  This causes your insulin to spike making you feel more hungry.  Having a consistent diet also gives you something to look forward to every couple of hours.  You’ll be less likely to binge at the sushi bar, or eat an extra dessert.  If you are someone that has trouble breaking free from your computer you might need to buy a countdown timer to remind you that it’s time to fuel up the body.   Write out your diet plan, journal it, and keep with it.  There are also a lot of great apps that you can download to your phone for easy tracking of calories, foods, and exercise.

If you have any questions, want to see tips on specific topics, or just have comments—feel free to leave them below!

 

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

PBP2012: B- “Bindi” aka What does that little dot on your forehead mean

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Through my yogic journey, I have had the opportunity to take initiations into different aspects of yoga.  Through yoga we also learn different ways to bring a fuller connection to aspects of our practice. The “bindi” is one of the tools I was least familiar with, but now use fully in my practice.   Most of us have seen Hindu women with the traditional red marking on the center of the forehead, and a big misconception is that this marking only signifies marriage.

The “bindi” is also applied to bring awareness and attention to the third eye.  One of my favorite kirtan singers BhagavanDas says it best, “The bindi brings

Bhagavan Das

full awareness to the third eye.  People will look, you will see it when you look in the mirror, and this adds energy to your third eye.”  Just to be completely honest, people will stare… especially if you are male and wearing this symbol.  I personally feel most connected when I take a moment to apply it.  It’s a very personal act of connection with the divine, a deep connection to the third eye center.

There are a couple of important reasons to wear it, and I’ll also talk about application in case any of you reading might want to take the bindi for a test drive:

One of the reasons I like wearing it is not just the significance of the third eye energy, but that it helps me to connect deeper to my spiritual path.  When others stop and look, or even talk to me about the bindi it gives me a chance to share my journey with someone else.  We live in a world where life is moving quickly, and little things like this catch people off guard and it slows them

down, causes them to stop, and connect for a moment.  A bindi can be worn by both men and women.  It is a connection to the divine, and in some ways is an outward representation of that connection.  It focuses the energy into our intuitive center and helps us to focus.

The bindi is traditionally applied with sandalwood paste and kumkum powder. Sandalwood is important for many reasons.  It’s fragrance has calming properties, and when applied to the forehead allows us to smell it, feel it and embrace it.  We know that it is there, and the forehead is where we hold most of our worry, so it brings cooling to our “worry center”.   The kumkum is the red powder that is applied on top of the sandalwood paste.  You can easily find powders in different colors, and different methods of application.  I’ll detail my personal process, and feel free to apply it as you see fit.

Some people just apply the adoration as a fashion statement, and where there might be nothing wrong with this, there are deeper energies present in simple actions.  There are individuals that take yoga solely as a physical practice, but the spiritual aspect is inherent whether you want it or not.  So just keep that in mind when connecting to practices that may have a latent spiritual symbolism.

You can use as a tool to focus your meditation, you can use it to build your connection to your intuition, and it can outwardly help you connect to your spiritual path.

1)  I first take a moment to center myself and I call in my personal deity, guides and angels.

2) I apply a small amount of water to my left palm, and add a small amount of sandalwood powder then mix them with my left ring finger until a paste forms.

3) once the mixture has formed into a paste I take my right ring finger and apply it to the spot right above my nose, centered between the forehead.  I apply it by making small circles, and its usually no bigger than the size of a nickel.  While I apply it I usually say a mantra.  This mantra penetrates into the third eye during the application process.

4) Now to apply the kumkum powder.  What I have found best for getting the perfect little circle is to take the eraser end of a pencil, lightly tap the powder covering the eraser fully.  Then take the eraser and press firmly into the center of your sandalwood past circle.  I hold long enough for me to say the mantra one more time, then release.

Some people apply the bindi without the sandalwood, some use their finger when applying the kumkum, some use applicator kits, and there are many other ways of adorning oneself.  The most important part is finding what works for you, and finding your reason for applying it.

Have fun with it.  Even if you don’t find yourself drawn to using this spiritual tool, hopefully now you will have a deeper understanding of its meaning.  Namaste!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

The Importance of Physical Fitness in our Spiritual Lives

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We live in a world that is dominated by technology.  We spend our lives moving from one place to another at rapid intervals, speed seems to dominate our direction, and in all this many of us lose the connection to our physical bodies.  I see a lot of very spiritual people who have become very out of touch with their physical bodies.  Everything from how we move, to how we sit, to how we interact with everything in this experience is made possible by the temple we were given by the divine.  If you do not care for the temple it will deteriorate into rubble.  We as divine individuals owe it to ourselves to take charge of our bodies just as much as we devote to ritual, meditation, or crafting community.  Making a move into a healthier is easier than most think.  Most tend to put too much between the desire and the action ex:  We feel that we want to work out, so we first have to research which gym to join, what program we should do, what type of shoes would make the experience better…  Stop adding hurdles to your path and just engage it.  Engaging fitness can be as easy as walking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and being mindful of how the body feels.  We often reach out for convenience foods rather than healthier options.  Ordering take out just so that I do not have to get up from my computer is not going to make what I am writing better, and the guilt that often comes with damaging our bodies keeps us in negative loops and patterns.  Would you go to a healer that is constantly sick?   Many lightworkers do more for others than they do for themselves, we readily offer healing yet refuse to just sit in our own space to give ourselves the same healing connection.  What we put into our bodies and how we engage the physical process says a lot about how we are truly dedicated to our paths.

We are given these temples for a short time, we must do all that we can to ensure that we are able to be part of this experience.  A damaged temple ensures that it will not stand long, but it is never too late to do repairs, to tidy up, and to upgrade the carpet.  I am going to be posting a special series on fitness, engaging the mind/body connection, and how to trust your intuition even in the fitness arena.

Take time to be healthy.  Take time to connect to improving your body as much as your spiritual practice.   Take action now.

 

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com