Tag: Shadow Work

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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 Eighteen – Betrayal

Many things were discussed in the daily video. We learned about the breath and how it’s connected to our neurological system. Brice discussed pranayama breathing and the OM meditation. She reminded us that our past experiences shape our future reality by connecting the emotion related to the past experience with present experience. We automatically react to the present situation based on the emotion felt in the past. This is our subconscious reacting to protect us from something that isn’t real. Our thoughts are not real.

We react to situations based on a past events that don’t exist. If we can learn to catch these reactions before they happen, we can “live in the moment”, so to speak.

Over the last few days, we addressed a few intense topics. Today we looked at one of those situations. Betrayal.

We’ve all probably been betrayed at one time or another. This is another tough topic. It’s my opinion that betrayal is an emotional form of abuse. Some may think this an extreme view, but if the betrayal cause a deep enough wound, it can be traumatizing. And it can take years to get over. And that could only happen if healing took place. Some people never get past the trauma of betrayal. I went through such traumatic betrayal a couple years ago. Betrayal Trauma is very real.

I’ve had five years to work through such trauma. Forgiveness isn’t easy but it’s necessary. Not for the betrayer, but for those who were betrayed. When we forgive others, we open up our heart to a form of love that isn’t limited by betrayal, anger or any other negative emotion. Forgiveness offers us peace and new beginnings. It allows us to cut the ties that anchored us in our grief. And allows us to experience joy again.

Forgiveness doesn’t often come easy. We must go through a period of mourning, sit with our pain, and process the betrayal before we can let go. But let go we must. So we can live again. It is my experience that forgiveness allows our hearts to expand, so we can love more deeply. So we can see the world through a new set of eyes and enjoy the world for what it could be.

Again, today we were given the gift of learning and healing through this Shadow Work Challenge. I am thankful for those who share this journey with me. And am loving the healing I see.

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Finding Courage – Day Fifteen

So, we’re at the half way point of the Shadow Work Challenge. We began today as we did the first day with Marnie Alton’s Barre exercise. By now I’ve become accustom to waking early and beginning my day with my new friends.

Today is Tuesday. And true to the Challenge we learned something new today. If you’re familiar with the Hindu faith, you will already know Tuesday is Hanuman’s Day. Brice brings up Hanuman today, who is the Hindu warrior monkey god. He represents courage. The story goes like this.

Rama (who represents God) marries Sita, (represents the soul) his true love. Ravana the demon king (our ego) who can’t be slayed kidnaps Sita. Rama searches tirelessly for Sita. Until he meets and hires Hanuman (represents courage) to find an rescue Sita. It’s a beautiful story. Brice gives a brief over view of the tale below. One much better than my brief synopsis.

We are all fighting an inner war. Our ego against our soul. The only way we will win this war is if we find the courage to fight our demons. The story of Ramayana is one story that represent this struggle. Another is the Bhagavad Gita. Where Arjuna is the warrior who must find his courage.

We are writing our story by working through this challenge. We must find and conquer our demons so we can ascend and move into the light. It is the struggle we face along the way that serves as our work, our karma. In the video below, Brice recaps the day, helping us put into perspective the work that lay ahead.

So, we end the day as we have done for each day of the challenge. My journal has become my constant companion and confidant. I write that nightly entry, read for a while, then turn out the lights for the night.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet, the effects of the nightly ritual of lights out by 10pm. My sleep is a better quality and I wake more rested. That alone is worth joining the challenge.

I know we’re half way through, but you could still join the challenge, you’d only finish fifteen days later that most of us. There are those who have joined later and are finishing a bit later. It doesn’t matter. We all get there when we are meant to arrive.

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Day Fourteen – The Ego Death

The ego is a funny thing. It can be a trickster. While we need our ego to survive, I’m learning that it needs to put in its place more often than not.

There are many times in our life when our ego serves us. Protects us for danger. But in this spiritual awakening the ego can be a hindrance to our growth. It does serve a purpose, but I’m learning that the purpose is only to provide friction so we can free ourselves from the “mind talk”.

When we realize that our ego is our false sense of self, it becomes easier to recognize when it is sneaking in to sabotage your efforts. We need to learn to put our ego in its place. We need to remember it should not be in control. The ego is mortal, the soul is eternal. The ego provides a false sense of knowing.

We started this shadow work challenge so we could become acquainted with our true self. Our soul self. Our body is the expression of the soul. If the ego can manipulate the mind to thinking it is real, then our bodies will never realize their true potential.

We can only realize that potential by working through our Karma, doing our work. That’s all karma is, the work we agreed to do, the experiences we agreed to live so we could know ourselves, our soul self. We learn that the fear instilled in us, is only a means to keep us stuck.

The elite learned that hundreds, no, thousands of years ago. I believe they created religion to control us and keep us from knowing the truth. The ego has helped them to accomplish their goal. We through discipline and hard work will undo their programming and take back the world.

If we discipline our selves to do the work we can undo all the programming we’ve been subjected to. Brice reminds us, in her video, where the word discipline derives from. Yeshua taught his followers how to live so they could ascend. His followers were called disciples. His followers disciplined themselves to do the work.

When we do the work we will experience a lot of “stuff”. Emotions like sadness, depression, anxiety and loneliness will come up. We will feel pain in our bodies. Headaches could be part of that pain. These manifestations will confirm that we’re moving in the right direction. I’ve been experiencing some of the physical pain. I’m sure there will be more to come.

This is our dark night of the soul. These are the manifestations that release us from that darkness and bring us into the light.

This challenge is working wonders for so many people right now. I hope you will consider joining us as we awaken the world to the possibilities of enlightening.

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Magic, Mysore, Moving Energy – Day Thirteen

Today is day thirteen.

In the overview video, Brice talks to us today about the energy in our body. She asks us to go within and feel where in our body that energy might be stuck. She discusses the idea that when we realize our energy is stagnant, we can make a connection to our emotions and where we are physically in our life.

Have you ever noticed that when you get mad, noting goes right. You fall in to a cascade of emotions that lead you down a road that escalates that emotion of anger and frustration.

In the video below, Brice talks about how we can move that energy through exercise. When we “get physical” we not only create more energy in our body, but that energy acts as a conduit for those emotions to clear out. Look at it this way. When you have a clogged drain nothing will pass through it. Or whatever does pass, does so at a trickle. Slowing down the flow. When you clean out those drains, the water immediately flows through without any resistance.

The energy in our bodies is not so different from the clogged drain. If we sit idle, don’t move our bodies, then the energy doesn’t flow. When we begin the practice of exercise, that energy starts to move through the body. But because that energy has been stagnant in the body for so long, we have created blocks that need to be flushed out. Similar to flushing out the clogged drain.

As the energy begins to move it may bring up emotions that have been part of that stagnant energy. When that energy presents as anger we can help it move through the body by doing rigorous exercise. Brice gives us the option of kickboxing as a means to create this flow.

This flow will bring pain, stiffness and frustration. All of which are part of the process necessary to awaken the the body to manifest a spiritual awakening. This I am learning through this challenge.

Again the day closes with my journal, some intensive reading and lights out at 10pm.

Things are getting intense. In a good way. I hope you will look at this challenge as an opportunity to grow, spiritually (not religiously).

You can join the challenge at any time. It’s never to late toe heal and grow.

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Day Twelve – Shadow Work and Global Energy

I’ve talked about energy in many past posts. Today as we review day twelve we will learn more about the global energy that affects all of us. So much has been going on in the world in the last few year. Many people are watching the storm unfold, while others are not aware of what is going on. That aside we will focus on how that energy affects us without realizing it.

There are many ways to look at our energy. Brice reviews the Doshas today, showing us how they not only affect our moods, but how our bodies process food. I’m a Vata, Pita. I sometimes forget to eat. I have energy stores that keep me going from the start of a project until I finish. My frame is small and my limbs are slender.

When we look at the food according to the Doshas we see how we should eat the foods opposite the Dosha we identify with. Brice explains this better in the video below.

Today is our day of rest. A day to reflect on the week. At least as far as exercise goes. Today we researched the chakra system. We have 7 chakras within our body. They run from the root chakra to the crown chakra. The video below is a short explanation of each chakra, where in the body they are located and their function.

Brice provides a link to a 60 minute chakra meditation within the Shadow Work Challenge should you decide to join the challenge. Today we meditate and read. Learning about our chakra system and how it functions.

Finally, we finish our day with our journal, a quiet evening then to be by ten pm. Another day down. Eighteen days remaining in the challenge. And a lifetime to continue the shadow work.

You can still join. It’s never to late to grow and learn.

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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 Eight – Soul Searching

We made it through the first week. Yay!

We’ve been journaling, exercising, meditating and learning about our bodies.

In the video below, Brice shares with us her perception of the body as an information highway. We feel pain, we learn from that pain, we heal, then we begin again.

The physical pain is actually emotional pain. This is something new for many of us. This is the shadow work. It is in working through the pain that we realize the shadow side of our self. It is where we truly begin to know who we are and what we a re capable of. The manifestation of pain is how our body tells us that something needs attention. Whether it be from emotional trauma, or physical ailment, our body is telling us “look here”, “address this pain”, “learn from this”.

Our physical body is a manifestation of our energy body, our soul. It is the 3 dimensional experience we agreed to have so we could better know who we are. We agreed to have these experiences so we could learn, grow, and ultimately return to source. It is by doing this work that we can ascend to that heavenly realm. That dimension where we will continue our journey to source.

Some who are new to my platform may be shaking their head. You may think I’m crazy. I assure you, I’m not. There is much scientific evidence to back up much of what I share. This challenge is a way for me to share with you the information that backs up much of what I say.

So, today we focus on addressing the pain and friction that will release all the old blocked energy. We look at the suffering we create so we can learn what pain is. So re can learn that the matrix we live in is a manifestation of our three dimensional reality.

There’s only one way out of this dimension. Shadow work. It is by experiencing the work that we will know and be who we are. It is where we experience our soul self.

There is beauty in pain when the pain is experienced as a means of growth and healing.

It’s still not to late to jump on the Shadow Work Challenge train.

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Sweatin To The Oldies – Day Six

Day six is Sunday fun-day. Brice chose Richard Simmons as an exercise today to lighten up the energy. I don’t mean to say that the exercise earlier in the week were heavy. But they were more focused. There’s nothing like dancing to lift the spirit. Richard Simmons is a perfect way to get you smiling while enjoying the “burn”. It’s also a way to learn to love the work for the sake of the work.

Brice reminds us of the Bhagavad Gita and the lesson we receive in that writing. That being, learning to love the work for the sake of the work not for the fruits of the labor. Richard Simmons “Sweatin To The Oldies” is a good example of how you can enjoy the work for the sake of the work.

We are on day six of the challenge, and learning how to address the pain that comes up. We are learning the the pain we experience through exercise, such as shoulder pain, knee pain or hip pain, is our body trying to tell us something. It is when we focus on the pain that we learn who we are. The pain we experience might be our bodies detoxing from old energy. I’ve talked in past posts about energy. We talked about how are bodies are nothing but energy. That energy can get blocked, trapped in our bodies causing dis-ease and discomfort. Exercise is one way to force that energy to come to come to the surface. It’s one way to work out the kinks so the energy can flow through the body the way in which it was meant.

We continue to work through this energy. Making note of it. Where do you feel the pain, how intense it is, and how long has it been affecting your mobility. It’s a never ending task.

The journal is a good way to keep track of this energy pattern. We still work to record our eating habits and write about how the challenge is affecting our daily life.

You can watch the video above to learn more about the Shadow Work Challenge. It’s not to late to join us.