Thursday 10 October 2013

Positive Affirmations

About Positive Affirmations  




What is a Positive Affirmation?
      A positive affirmation is a statement that you tell to yourself. It is a form of positive self-talk that can make you feel better through association of the words, thus creating a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA).  Positive affirmations are quite powerful (from a holistic point of view, ie Mind, Body & Spirit) and they have many benefits. Positive affirmations work on every level- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  When a positive affirmation is said over and over again, it will train the mind to believe what it is being told. The subconscious mind holds many belief systems that we have acquired throughout the lifespan. We don’t always re-examine and evaluate our belief systems but to do so is vital for growth and learning. Some of our beliefs serve us very well while others are self-limiting. Some beliefs change and flow as we move through life while others stay fixed. Sometimes we change our beliefs naturally without much effort, while others are harder to change because of the time or intensity it has taken to form the belief. The mind will generally believe what is told if it is being told often enough, and especially if it is not in the habit of questioning everything it is told.






What influences the mind?
    It is a good idea to get into the habit of discernment, ie question everything you are told. Become more aware of what your mind is being told in everyday life, what you are observing, the conversations you have with others etc. It is most important though to be aware of what it is that you are telling yourself.  A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself “would I employ someone to be with me 24hrs a day repeating to me what I am telling myself?” Have a think about the beliefs you hold, what statements do you think about yourself and life? Do they sound like “I really deserve good things.” “I love myself so much.” Or do they sound more like “Im not good enough” “Bad things always happen to me.” How self-aware are you? What statements should you be telling yourself? What kind of beliefs are you affirming to yourself on a continuous basis? You are the biggest influence on yourself and your thoughts are the one thing that you can take control of with some practice.
              Think of the mind as being a computer system that takes in information, processes it, stores it and believes what it is told. Think of the spirit or life-force being the driving force behind the mind. Think of every cell within the body as having its own memory that sends information to the mind. Think of your emotions as being the messengers to tell you what you are thinking about. Think of the mind sending signals to the body to do its job. Think of your memories as being old movies that rerun.    
            Mainstream medicine and society have recently realised the importance of minding our minds, looking after our mental health, and developing a PMA (positive mental attitude). It is important to note though that we should not be pressurising ourselves to become positive about everything in life. Negative thoughts and emotions are part of who we are and are an important guidance tool to help us work with ourselves and the world in general. Awareness is the key.

















Reprogramming the mind
           There are numerous therapies and tools to change something within the subconscious mind and thought patterns, like Hypnotherapy, Integrated Energy Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. However using positive affirmations can be a powerful way to reprogramme the mind if used correctly. Scientists have proven that our DNA can be reprogrammed using words and frequencies. Our minds are constantly busy, working and `talking`, either processing the boundless information and data being brought in continuously throughout the day or it is telling ourselves what has happened, what might happen in the future, what we think of ourselves and others, what others think of us, the list goes on.. Meditation is one of the most powerful ways to train the `monkey mind` and using positive affirmations within meditation while the brainwaves are at their most receptive is a sure way to change the thought processes.
             A simple example of a positive affirmation is, if a person is lacking in self-confidence, and they use the affirmation “I love and approve of myself” their mind will eventually start to believe it and self-confidence will increase. A term for this is `self-fulfilling prophecy`, or more generally known as brain-washing!
        When the mind is told something over and again (by a child or parent or others or self) then it will eventually believe it. A child who is consistently told by a parent  “You always do that wrong” will grow up to believe that they always do that particular thing wrong. And likewise if they are told “You are good at learning new things” and encouraged to try again or do it differently or practice, then they will be able to do it right, and the child will grow to have more confidence in their own abilities. This is the foundation for `positive parenting`, however it is just as important to give a child the skill of creating  their own positive affirmations in order that they can learn how to independently influence their own minds in a positive way. 

The mind and body working together.
       Our thoughts are energy waves that can be measured- (beta, alpha, theta and delta brainwaves). Physiologically, a positive affirmation will make changes to the neurological pathways and change the memory at cellular/DNA level. There is plenty of research for this. The cells that make up the whole body are continuously communicating with each other and receiving `instructions` at a neurological/hormonal level from the `computer` brain. Every cell also has a memory and stored info. The body runs itself holistically like a well-oiled engine as long as the person feeds it with the right fuel, exercise, loving emotions and thoughts & words.
       Researchers, Doctors and Health-care workers are now agreeing with complimentary therapists that physical dis-ease in the body is not only caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, free radicals etc, but also by mental and emotional factors, all under the term `stress`. There has also been an increase in chronic conditions  including undiagnosed chronic pain that are a result of chronic stress and unhealthy lifestyles. Pain Management Clinics run by the Southern Trust are now promoting the use of Meditation, Mindfulness and Positive Mental Attitude alongside healthy diet and exercise. One of the main recent discoveries around chronic pain is that it is caused by a neurological pathway malfunction or pain memory, as opposed to pain continuous inflammatory response from an injury.

         There is no doubting the power of the mind over the body, the placebo effect alone gives weight to this. Many therapists and spiritual gurus will advocate that if you heal the mind then the body will heal. Louise L. Hay is a respected practitioner who recommends positive affirmations for healing physical dis-ease. Louise has helped thousands of people to heal from every type of dis-ease including cancer and Aids through positive affirmations combined with a healthy diet and exercise. In her bestselling book “You Can Heal Your Life” Louise L Hay maintains that 90 to 95% of physical dis-ease can be traced to a particular emotional state or mental thought pattern. Louise also highlights the particular emotional/mental state that has caused a particular physical dis-ease in the body. For example, the ears represent the capacity to hear. Ear problems would indicate that there is something going on that the person does not want to hear, or they have unreleased anger about hearing something. Repeating the positive affirmation “I listen with love to the pleasant and the good” will counteract the ear problem mentally, emotionally and physiologically.
         
        
How to use positive affirmations
The most important aspect of saying an affirmation is repetition. Repeating them over and over as often as possible is vital in changing the neural imprint.  
There are different ways of repeating affirmations, including: saying them inside your head, saying them out loud (more powerful), saying them into a mirror (even more power), writing them down (where traditional school lines originated), reading them, writing one out and sticking it on the wall or beside a mirror for the mind to take in subliminally. Recording an affirmation and then playing it back (especially while sleeping during the Delta sleep stage) is an excellent way, however always replace “I” or “me” with “you” during a recording. Using an affirmation during meditation is extremely powerful, as this is when the brainwaves enter the Alpha and Theta stage of deep relaxation. It is advisable to stick to one or two affirmations at a time, and to repeat them at least one hundred times a day! The results are always worth it. The more difficult an affirmation is to say, the more it is needed!
           The spiritual aspect of positive affirmations is where the magic is. When a person closes their eyes and asks a box of random affirmations to tell them what they need to know, they will pull out the exact right affirmation that they need to say at that time. Within energy science and quantum physics, like attracts like, therefore this is the magical power of a persons energy working at its best!
There is no such thing as coincidence, and picking an affirmation at random is excellent for gaining self-awareness, and is especially useful for parents to gain insight into anything troubling a child.




Further Reading:
www.meditationsuk.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/meditation-and-brainwaves

Monday 7 October 2013

Meditation- Letting Go & Forgiveness



Letting Go & Forgiveness
You may need to let go of/forgive:
- a particular situation or event.
- something you have done that you feel bad about.
- something that someone else has done to hurt you.
- or perhaps all three..
 It can be something from the past, or the present or a future worry.

The Aura & Energy System
    The Aura is the energy field that emanated out from us and surrounds us. It stores information about the persons health, emotions, spiritual connection, and the past and future events. The Aura is how we perceive the world around us other than through our 5 senses, so it is our sixth sense as such. Within the aura there are many energy centres called Chakras that spin and pull in or send out information. they all have a specific purpose, name and colour. This is called our energy system. This energy system `stores` our personal information, and can have blockages and imbalances that manifests as illness or emotional difficulties, especially if we cant let go of something and hold it within our energy system.
   Einstein described the Universal Energy System as E=Mc2 which means Energy=Everything. From the air we breathe to the chair we sit on, to our bodies and our thoughts. The Universe is a big soup of energy all formed into different people and things. Everything is made up from scientific elements (the periodic table you might remember from school), which is broken down into molecules then quarks then pure energy. All energy has a specific frequency or vibration. People are light energy beings or spirits/souls/consciousness, within a heavy energy physical body, and energy cannot be destroyed, it can only change form. Spirituality and science can essentially be described as one and the same thing.

Energy Cords & Connection with Others
We are all generally connected to each other and to everything in the world, hence the spiritual saying `we are all one`.
 When two people are in close proximity they can pick up on each others aura, and `read` each other on an energetic level. Lots of other information about the world can be perceived through the energy system.. any time that you get a bad or good feeling about someone or something this is your aura telling you what is happening. Trust it, it is also known as your intuition or instincts. You may also be able to sense through the aura if you are on the same or different wavelength as someone. When you are on a different wavelength to someone, it doesn’t disconnect you or necessarily make you alien to each other. Most times it just means that you are on a different level. Your level is right for you and their level is right for them. However if the hairs on your neck and arms begin to stand you can be sure that you are sensing that the person is different in a way that might threaten your well-being. Trust it.
      When we have an energy connection to something or someone it can be either empowering or draining. You will know of someone who lifts your energy or spirits when you spend time with them, and you will also know of someone who drains your energy when you are near, we often nickname these people `energy vampires`. So when we are interacting with others on a normal level, we are also interacting on an energy level that can be very subtle.
      There are little energy cords (usually not seen) that run from your Solar Plexus Chakra and are attached to other people, things and situations. These cords have been described by anyone who can see them as fine, silvery, shimmery, grey, wire-like. Many people who have experienced NDE (near death experience) have seen these cords and have explained that they are formed when we have interactions with others. There is a saying that a relationship is formed with every single person we meet- even if it is only a momentary interaction such as a quick chat at the bus stop. Every interaction with another causes an effect to take place. People with NDE have described seeing the cords connecting between themselves and the doctors and nurses as they float out of the body and observe events as spirit/light energy.
     Therapists that work with the energy of the body (such as Reiki) can often sense the cord connections around the Solar Plexus Chakra. There are many descriptions & sayings for this cord that you may recognise but never really thought about before- a bond/strengthening the bond, the ties that connect you, feeling tied, feeling attached to someone etc. When a bond is formed, the strength of the cord and the connection is dependent on the person(s) involved. A brief interaction that isn’t so meaningful will dissolve upon leaving each others space. If someone has had some kind of an impact on you, positively or negatively, the bond may stay longer until you `let it go`.  The cord can be very strong if it is connected with someone you have regular connection with, eg your family and close friends will have strong bonds. Children are very good at draining us of our energies! Sometimes we have bonds with people that we don’t see that often and as soon as we meet up the cord is strengthened once again.
     We also have bonds with situations, issues, events, places, memories and objects. Buddhists practice a way of living known as `Detachment` . They do not attach their happiness and well-being to other people, objects, events etc. We often place conditions on our happiness, that we will only be happy when a particular event happens, or when we receive something we have need. The problem with attachment is that we are never done, when we are satisfied with one thing we place our happiness on the next condition that we attach to. Being attached to a particular outcome can often leave us feeling disappointed or unsatisfied.
 All attachments can also be empowering or draining. It is therefore very useful to let go of those attachments that are not good for you, whether it is a past event, or someone in your life that has hurt you.
Therefore, we forgive and let go for ourselves and our own inner peace, and to become detached from the problem. It is much like an energy detox!

Forgiveness
Forgiveness does not mean condoning the behaviour of ourselves or others, it just means letting go and allowing inner peace. “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to ide” ~Buddha. Everyone has a different perspective on life depending on personal life experience and beliefs. We are all on our own journey here on earth, with our own intended purposes making our own mistakes, and learning or not from them. We are sharing the path with each other along the way and affecting each others journey both directly and indirectly. Sometimes another person`s actions can affect us in a way that leaves us hurt or angry. It can be hard in situations like this to remain objective and detached, yet practicing detachment from the actions of someone else can help us to overcome what has happened and not take it so personally. After all, their actions are their own journey and problem. We can only take responsibility for our own actions and responses. It is essential though that we recognise our emotional response and allow ourselves to feel our emotions deeply and work through them. When we suppress an emotion or continue to ruminate over an issue for a long time, it can have a detrimental effect on our well-being. We should feel the emotion, look at all the underlying reasons and emotions that surround it, then learn from the experience in order to let it go and move on. A memory usually has a particular emotion attached to it. Just as a smell can trigger a memory, a memory can trigger an emotion. It can be very useful to try and change the emotion attached to the memory. Try replacing the negative emotion with a more positive, healing one. For example, if it makes you feel angry that someone disrespected you, replace it with feeling pity for the person to be that way and wishing them to be more respectful to others in future. Another example, If you are feeling guilty about something that you did, replace the emotion with feeling okay that you made a mistake, we are all human, and you have learned from it and wouldn’t repeat it.  

Cord-Cutting Exercise
Sometimes all that is needed to detach is to make the decision to do so. Other times, it is much more difficult to let go. A powerful way to detach is through cutting the cord.
Ensure you have no distractions. Find a quiet area and get comfortable, the same way as if you were to meditate. Relax yourself in any way that suits, through a meditation or some soothing music. Picture in your mind what it is that you wish to detach from- a person or situation, or even an emotion that you are trying to let go of. Visualise it right in front of you and `see` the energy cord that connects you. Imagine that you lift up a big pair of golden scissors and cut through the cord. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt if the bond is strong, and sometimes it can take a stronger visual than just scissors! Use whatever gives you the feeling of power and control- it is your (energetic) intention of dissolving the cord that will dissolve it in reality. The stronger your decision to detach for your own worth and well-being, the easier it will be to dissolve. Once the disconnection has been made, surround the person, situation etc in healing light (blue, green or white). Bless them/it with love and wave goodbye and watch them turn and walk away. Bless yourself with love now and surround yourself with healing and protective light (dark blue). If the issue was from the past especially in childhood, it is a great idea to visualise yourself as you were back then and imagining that you as you are now, giving yourself a big hug and telling yourself that you are going to be ok, you are loved.
  People have often commented after the exercise that they physically felt a sensation or pull around the Solar Plexus area. The situation or person should now automatically begin to fade from your life. You need do nothing more, it will work itself out now.  Allow yourself to feel the release and enjoy the inner peace.

Positive Affirmations for Forgiveness
“I easily forgive myself and others”
“I lovingly forgive myself. They are free and I am free. All is well in my heart now.”
“I release the past with love. I easily forgive. The past is over. They are free and I am free.”
Usual indicators of guilt:   Pain, Middle back pain, Injuries/cuts, Insomnia, Neuralgia, Anal Itching or pain, Bug Bites. (Louise L Hay- You Can Heal Your Life)
Usual indicators of unforgiveness:  Kidney/urinary problems, Abscesses, Bad Breath, Growths. (Louise L Hay – You Can Heal Your Life)                

                                                                          

 ©Copyright- Debbie Freebird (Guiding Light)