Category: Meditation

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Day Twenty-Eight

I know I keep saying, “I have learned so much during this challenge”. I keep saying it, because it’s true. Everyday I learn something or have the opportunity to go back and revisit something I didn’t have the chance to do a deep dive into.

In today’s video, Brice gave people the opportunity to “be her guest” on Solutions by Aquarious Rising Africa. This gave some of the participants of the Challenge to share their experience with others.

No, I’m not one of the participants who shared. I’m still working a j.o.b. so I couldn’t take the time off on short notice, to share. I feel like I’ve been doing that here, all month. I hope you all found value in the sharing. Maybe it brought you to join the challenge.

As we get closer to the end of the month we are continuing to challenge ourselves. Now, as we get closer to day thirty, we find our biggest challenge yet, comes to the surface. It’s time to create our challenge for December. December’s challenge will be created by each individual participant. We are on our own for the month.

I will continue to exercise. My plan is to do an hour of Ashtanga Yoga at “dark thirty” (really early in the am), then 30 minutes of core exercises. I’m thinking I will add the Barre on Sundays, in addition to yoga. I will continue with the meditation after my practice. Yes, the cold shower stays. I will read one book a week, to expand my knowledge. I’m hoping to share what I learn on this platform. Going to bed before ten pm has served me well, so I will keep that too. I’m also doing the Yoga intensive with Brice so I’m reading the Yoga Sutras. I think that pretty much fills up my time for the month of December.

I’m another day closer to day thirty which I will end with my 28th journal entry. Then lights out. I end this day, thankful for all I’ve learned, and thankful for all the people I’ve met.

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Day Twenty-Seven

Sunday, Funday!

This is our final Sunday fun-day for this Challenge.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been working this Challenge for almost 30 days. I’ve learned many things about myself. We’ve addressed both emotion and friction while incorporating them into our workout. Actually, they are a result of the workout.

I was raised during a time when we were taught that we needed to control our emotions. We needed to keep them hidden. We were weak if we showed our emotion. And no one wanted to see you cry. “Suck it up buttercup”, “brush it off and keep going”, were words we heard when we heard when we got hurt.

I don’t blame my parents for this though. They were only parenting the way they were parented. Part of our shadow work is to heal these wounds and change the perception of how we grow and learn.

For many years of my life, until recently, in fact, I hid my emotions. I never cried in front of my children. Certain people said I had a cold heart, because I didn’t show emotion. While that hurt, I never let it show. But it did affect me. For a while, I believed it. Yet, somehow in my “cold heartedness”, I still took excellent care of my children, volunteered and gave to charities. I was always there to help anyone who asked. Now that I look at the big picture, I can tell you I do have a heart.

The emotions didn’t break lose until I started doing the work. I’ve been focusing on my shadow work for years now. But to be honest, those tears didn’t flow freely, until I started this challenge.

I believe the friction created by the workout options is what forced the emotion to the surface. The friction creates pain in the body. We are learning the the pain we experience isn’t just a physical reaction to the body working muscles that haven’t been worked in years. The pain is also an emotional response to the energy that has been stored in those muscles. The “work” forces and releases that energy which is what prompts the emotion, causing the tears to release that energy.

I don’t claim to be an expert when it comes to shadow work. I’m a “newbie”. I will tell you I’ve learned a lot. I’ve become more acquainted with my true self. I’ve learned to trust myself. And I’ve learned that with time and patience, I can heal.

I’ve also learned that those working the Shadow Work Challenge have been a great support to each other. It is a new experience for me. I’m thankful for all the gifts that this Challenge has afforded me.

If you’re looking to grow and heal from past trauma of any sort, you should consider joining the Challenge in January 2023.

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Letting Go – Day Twenty-One

I can’t believe we’re already at the day 21 mark. Yes, the work has been hard, but it has also been rewarding.

I’ve learned many things about myself. I have always been a hard worker. But I have also neglected myself. I put others needs before my own. Because of this I never exercised, and I’ve not been concerned with what I eat. I eat well. Meaning I don’t eat junk food. When I was diagnosed with Hashimotos I addressed that. Now I eat mostly raw foods because I can’t be bothered to take the time to cook. On occasion I take a couple hours on a Sunday to prepare a root vegetable soup (my take on minestrone without beef broth), but outside of that I don’t plan meals.

Learning about the Doshas has helped me focus a little more on meal planning. I have a clearer understanding of how food effects the body and the emotions. It’s amazing how, when we stop to look at the big picture, everything falls into place. Food is energy, we are energy. It makes sense that we want the food we put in our bodies to match the vibration of our body. After all is is the expression of the soul.

I want that expression to match my soul purpose. So in addition to what I put in my body, I’m becoming more conscientious of moving my body. Each of the exercises Brice introduced through this challenge have been a wonderful way to observe how my body reacts and responds to pain. They have given me the opportunity to use these modalities to get to know my true self. Not the self that wants to run and hide when the pain comes up. I’ve learned that self is the ego, trying to trick me, to get me to quit. My true self is the me that pushes through the pain and keeps going. It’s the self that is learning to be honest about the pain. To sit with tit and learn the lessons that are present so I can heal those old wounds.

I can’t believe we’ve been working this challenge for 21 days. The time is passing quickly. I’ve learned a lot, but I know I still have many things to learn. I guess I’ll see what the next eight days bring.

I know we’re almost there, but it’s still not to late to join the challenge. You’ll finish later, but you will learn so much. I hope you will consider joining us. It’s never too late to begin to heal.

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Day Twenty – Excuses Be Gone

Another Sunday, fun-day.

Brice chose Richard Simmons “Sweatin to the Oldies” as the Sunday exercise so we could have a little fun with the exercise portion of the challenge. She also selected this modality to bring to our attention the struggles we all have, and the excuses we make to avoid addressing our pain.

Richard Simmons was born with a foot deformities. At one point in his life he was also overweight. He could have very easily used these obstacles as excuses to live in his pain. But instead, he chose to overcome his deformities, and to address the weight by creating what became a successful exercise platform.

We are two thirds of the way through the challenge. We are working through many obstacles, whether it be emotional, physical, or in come cases environmental or social. I find the social aspect to be a great challenge.

We all have a lot going on in our lives. Some have families with young children, others may be taking care of their senior parents. We have careers and many of us volunteer our time to charities. All in addition to our daily chores and “honey-do-lists”. These are all perfect reasons to set aside the self and focus on others, right?

No, wrong. At least not if we want to heal old wounds. All of these obstacles are part of “our work”. We could use the obstacles as an excuse to quit or we can overcome them and use them as a conduit to our healing.

No more excuses. I continue moving forward. As do those who are taking on the Shadow Work Challenge. We rise early in the morning, tackle the ego and set it straight. We work through whatever modality of exercise we choose each day. We meditate, take cold showers and work through our regular daily schedules.

We end our day with our journal and lights out at 10pm.

We have so much to learn in this life. Lessons we need to learn so we can move onward and upward. We have all been given a great opportunity to educate ourselves through this challenge. I hope more people will see the value in this lesson and join us in the 30 Day Shadow Work Challenge.

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Day Eleven – The Window Of Truth – Illusion

Continuing on. I’ve made it to day eleven.

Pain is coming up for many of us. Shoulders, knees, hips, elbows, any place in the body. Many of those who have taken on this challenge are saying the pain is very real. We are all working to figure out what that pain means. We’re digging deep to find the source of that pain.

One of the things Brice asked us to do yesterday was to connect with someone we lost touch with. Apparently, some participants contacted people they had previously eliminated from their life. Those people who were toxic to them. I didn’t think to do that. I’m glad I didn’t.

However, once the conversation began, it made me realize that even though I didn’t contact someone toxic, there was someone that fit the description, who in recent years I had cut ties with, so I could heal from such toxicity. It also made me realize that I hadn’t completely cut that tie.

It’s amazing how the universe works. For the last two and a half years I’ve been working to free myself from such a relationship. While I’m not going to share any information about that relationship, I will say that it was a long lasting one that left me broken and brought me to a place that I never thought I would see. Today as Brice spoke about toxic relationships, I realized I still had some unfinished business of which to address.

When I say it’s amazing how the universe works, I’m speaking of how time and space prepares a path that allows us to find the strength to work through anything. I will admit it wasn’t me who set the ball in motion, that would finally close the door to this relationship.

But I’m glad the ball is rolling. It is a scary thing, to confront years of toxicity after having such a peaceful reprieve. But I know the peace will be short lived if I don’t follow through with closing the door. I have found some solace in knowing that I am strong, and have truth on my side. I know that I can finally close the the door that will free me from that which has plagued me for 20 years.

So, we move on, learning from our decisions. We address the pain and heal. The healing will bring with it a peace and joy that will lift us all to our ascension. Where we will finally release the pain we chose to live through.

On day eleven we continue our journey. Journal, meditation, exercise, and continued lessons that bring knowledge and understanding while showing us how strong and compassionate we can be to ourselves. This challenge is teaching us all lessons we didn’t know we needed to learn.

I hope you will look at this opportunity and begin. It’s never to late to grow.

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Staying Power – Day Ten

We’re at day ten. a third of the way through the challenge…

Not that I’m counting.

Today we did the kickboxing. Yes, I did kickboxing instead of the Barre. Maybe just to prove a point. I still don’t feel a connection. Maybe it’s because I’m a lover not a fighter. It didn’t bring up any emotions for me. Again, I will revisit the kickboxing on occasion to see what happens.

I haven’t talked much about meditation. But that too has been part of our daily routine. Get up at five am, exercise, take a cold shower, then meditate. Or listen to the sound bowl healing. I know some people have been triggered by the OM meditation. I find it soothing. The sound bowl healing is peaceful too. Maybe there is something wrong with me. You can listen to the video which I placed below.

In today’s video, Brice went into a little more detail about how our emotions can trigger our food choices. We’ve been eating our last meal before 7pm. And we don;t snack after 7pm. This allows our digestive system to rest for at least 12 hours before breakfast. It’s amazing how much energy I wake up with when I have that twelve hour break. It makes it easier to exercise too.

I’m also surprised at how easy it has been to adjust to the meal/snack rule.

We continue with the journal, the meditating, and exercise. Today we were to reach out to someone we know and like that we lost touch with. Just a short text. It felt good to connect to a childhood friend who I haven’t seen in years.

We are drinking our 64 ounces of and finish our day with a hot bath before bed. No electronics one hour before bed. That means 9pm. Lights out at 10pm.

That in itself is a challenge.

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Day Four – Shadow Work Challenge

Much pain coming….

Brice will tell you about this in the video below.

Today we learn about the reality of pain and ego death. We have so much to learn about who we are. This challenge is one way for us to address the existence of our eternal soul.

For those that don’t share the views mentioned here, please be respectful of the rest of us as we learn more about the possibilities that exist. We incarnate into this 3D world many times to learn. We create a contract to give us the opportunity to learn from the journey.

Listen to the video below to learn more.

We have so much to learn about our bodies, our souls and the Karma we must work through during this lifetime. The video above is a long one, but the information Brice and Steph share will help you better understand the Mysore room and the experience you might have while working with the instructor.

This challenge is offering the opportunity for each of us to grow and learn. It is offering us the information that can help us expand our knowledge and work through and heal the energy in our bodies.

I hope you will consider doing this challenge. It’s never to late to start.

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Opening the Mind

Now that I’ve been through the eye opening experience of how we are intentionally being poisoned, I’m moving on. I recently started working on my soul self, my inner being. That which is sacred. I started doing Qi Gong in January. I’m finding it to be a challenging way to grow spiritually. It has brought me to question many of the things I have been told throughout my life. Most of which I cast aside in 1999, when I began researching a book I intended to write. What an eye opening experience. That’s a topic for another day. I began meditating when I started my Qi Gong practice. I didn’t just begin to meditate. I spent some time researching what it meant to meditate. Why should I meditate? What effect would it have? And in particular, what form of meditation would be best for me. I can’t tell you what would be best for you, I can only share what I have learned. There are many forms of meditation. You might enjoy a guided meditation. Or maybe you prefer to meditate to the sounds of nature, sound bowls, or music. You will have to research what’s out there to decide what works best for you.                                                                                                         Always do your research. You can check out an earlier post I wrote while I was exploring meditations. I found mediation to be a way to get closer to the real me. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, to focus and get to that place of quiet reflection. Some days I’d sit in silence and never get there. My mind would start reeling, and I’d get lost. The important thing is, I didn’t give up. I keep practicing. I think I will always be a novice when it comes to meditating. Some days I am able to sit peacefully, and listen. Other days, it’s a challenge. I am still new at it so we’ll see how it goes.
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Meditation Options

So, I started my Qi Gong practice. With it, comes meditation. While I do the simple meditation that is part of the practice, I include focused mediation in my daily routine. It took me a while to ecide which worked best for me butafter some trial and error I decided on the focused mediation. Below I listed some forms of meditation you can research. The list is growing.

But I’ll start with what appears to be the most popular options

•             mindfulness meditation

•             Visualization meditation

•             focused meditation

•             movement meditation

•             mantra meditation

•             spiritual meditation

I looked at mindful meditation and understand it originates with the Buddhists. It appears to be the most popular form of meditation practiced in the West. In this form of meditation, you focus your attention on your thoughts as they pass. Observe them without judgement. Observe any patterns while combining concentration with awareness. This practice is a good one to do alone, without a teacher.

Visualization is the practice of that focuses on physical feelings associated with the body and emotions where you focus on feeling relaxed, peaceful, and being calm. I

Focused Meditation utilizes the five senses. You can focus on the breath. Or you can focus on something external like counting mala beads, staring at the flame of a candle, moon gazing or listing to a gong. As a beginner you may find it difficult to focus for more than a couple minutes at a time.

Movement Meditation includes things like walking, gardening, Qi Gong, and Tia Chi. I use this in Qi Gong. While you move focus on the parts of your body as you move. It’s amazing what you feel.

Mantra Meditation is a forma of mediation you see in Hindu and Buddist traditions. With Mantra meditation you focus on a specific word or phrase as you breathe.

Spiritual Mediation could be a means to connecting with a higher power. A form of worship or prayer. It focuses on developing a deeper understanding of spiritual/religious meaning.

There are other forms of meditation. These however, are the most widely known or understood as meditation practice. You should research each form and determine which works best for you.