Power vs Force

I am inspired by Nelson Mandela. When I am having a challenging moment, I think of the choice he made to not hold anger and resentment when he was released from a 27 year imprisonment for his beliefs in ending apartheid. Through his work he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. This from my perspective,  I feel safe to say many peoples perspective, is a representation of deep power within.

He embodied this power so much so that even Trevor Noah, the South African comedian, takes on his character and speech to convey this persona in his skits. 

In looking at this subject power vs force, I was first turned onto this polarity from David R. Hawkins book by the same title. It is book of consciousness in Human Behavior, more specifically around how the body responds via kinesiology through these two very different energies. Check out this link here to give you a brief and fun synopses of his book. 

What I like about this from a Somatics ( Body) perspective is that it reminds me of the pull between the Mind and the Body. In my years of working with clients and even my own personal journey, I see this place of moving back and forth between these poles of forcing something or being able to trust the stillness and presence in how to proceed. This back and forth action is crazy making at times to put it lightly.

So how do we move past this...not all of us have the mastery and deep well of spirit as Nelson Mandela...or do we?

I believe that we are now in a "waking up" period in our human consciousness, as the video suggests, we are beginning to know how to use both of these skills to move towards a result. 

If we look at changing a habit from this perspective of force, it is usually from a place of Mental demand to 'stop' the habit at once. To offer a solution of absolute. However, if we take this conviction and merge it with the steps it takes to get to a place of this clear choice to put it down... it usually requires a slowing down to find that inner stillness or knowing to make the changes. This slowing down takes place from the Body knowing all the pieces that feel "too much" to process in why we use the habit in the first place. This inclusion of using the Body and the Mind to integrate the discipline and the emotionality of sensations that all make up this process of change is the essence of power to me. The force is the place where we make the demand..but forget the layers that created the position..habit..etc. in the first place. This power within comes when we see all these pieces yet make a choice to let go of the habbit and make a different choice..just like Mandela did.

In my up coming seminar on October 14th from 10am to 12 noon at Centered, we will be working with these energies inside. The clearer our own energy is known, how we force, the clearer we are to know how to move from power. Thus creating self agency and trust in ones knowing.

This empowered experience then begins to build the life that one truly wants to be living from. In Kundalini Yoga we call this moving from our naval center. This place our life force is felt and mastered to move this vitality through the Body to Still the Mind. 

This....

This...

Creates deep connection to living our Dharma..or put it in another way...it allows us to live a more purposeful life rather than cleaning up messes all the time. 

And I don't know about you, but this sounds like a good strategy for a more joyful existence.

More of this please...

Hope to see some of you at the workshop, if not then, some time soon.

May we all continue to find more peace within our Hearts and Minds, Padma

Removing the layers

I feel so inspired when I look to OUR Earth Mother to see how she is working with change. For most of us we have been expereinecing some sort of awareness of the transformation of energies due to the eclipse. Let alone this time of evolution we are all in together. For some there is integration yet for others there is still resistance to releasing the old. Here are some thoughts for those of you having a more challenging time. From a Body/Earth Centered view.....

In this picture, I see how the layers have accumulated. This visual display of the Earth's grit has created this hard substance, this stone. The pressure of time has fused together these layers with alchemy. Yet it HAS been penetrated, transformed. Not by a harsh force or single intensity, but by WATER. This flowing, soft element, so gentle at times yet fierce in others as we see in Texas right now. Sending Prayers...

The water sits by the layers making up the stone and consistently moves over them, with an ebb and flow of intensity. Can you see where the nooks are? Where are your nooks? Waiting for the flow of WATER?

I relate this to my time with my clients when they come in believing that they can not change. The mental script that holds them in that pressure that they are the stone. Yet, this is what I see. I see the offering of the WATER. Is it safe to say that WATER can be our emotions? This WATER/EMOTIONS comes in and moves the pieces that are holding back the integrating. The GRIT, the layers of life are still there, but there IS change. 

The other aspect of water is that it is soft and flows. It fills up the space of a container. So in keeping with our teacher of this sacred Earth.... Do we need more boundaries to allow the water and the flow to come in to continue to change? 

In my experience of being a part of all these elements, I say Yes. Yes to the slowing down to establish the container, the boundaries to THEN allow the flow of the WATER to loosen and transform. In Somatic Psychology we name this the grounding to ALLOW for the BODY to LEAD. With out this the Mental is still in charge. Is this clear?

For the BODY to lead the Nervous System must feel safe enough to allow for space between the layers to loosen. If you would like to work more on this, this is my work and offering to my clients. Please check out my website Gesomatics.com and see if a Somatic Session is what you need at this time. 

Meanwhile, my encouragement is this. Please continue to build your container. Where do you need to find the edges, the boundaries with your SELF first and then with other? Then....then allow the WATER to come in and FLOW. It may be easier. Remember the CONSISTENCY. A daily rountine to BUILD this FLOWING. Think of the WATER always there....

May you continue to find peace in your Heart and Home...Deep LOVE and RESPECT...Padma

Are you ready to let go of the old defenses to get to the smooth/ease of your life?

Holding the Duality:Rooted and Flow

I struggle and resist stopping to feel. I witness my Mind offering all the excuses to not come into my Body. I find the inner parent that knows it is time to empty. I see a picture  in my MInd's eye of a young child resisting to go to sleep, so intoxicated by the Mental world of the doing outside of Self. 

And then it happens...I let go and come into my flesh and bones. I let gravity take away my effort of holding myself up. I feel the pull of my Earth Mother holding me. 

It is time to stop...

All of it...

It is time to Breath into the Body, to feel the sensations that are undefined and undigested. 

It is time to define them, take the experiences that are worthy to take note of and let go of the rest. To become unattached to not just the Mental scripts but the Body ones as well. 

The Body holds, the Nervous System protects ...hand in hand with the Mental. Do you now this? 

If we are to make clearer choices, if we are, each of us, to believe that we are all in this together, then it is time we come into ourselves. We must come HOME to where our Soul lives. 

Staying rooted in the Body is not an easy task. There are many moments of pain and suffering that then swings to joy and exhilaration. Yet, if we know that both exist are we able to just watch? To observe without a judgment to what side of the pendulum we are on?

I write this today my friends as a reminder to keep choosing to come home. To remember that taking the time to release and let life flow is helping in building the capacity to be rooted deeply in the Body. This ability to hold both, the rooted and the allowing, it is not one or the other...but both.

The Body holds the Soul into this Earthly reality. If we stay only locked in the Mental we will move faster than the Nervous System can release. When we come into the Body we are able to feel where the gripping and fear lives.It is in this feeling that we release. We can orient to what is hapening NOW. We become aware of the difference between the future, the past and then what is happening in the MOMENT. 

We can then let it go. We get to CHOOSE. YET if we stay only in the Mind we will not get this opportunity. We will stay in the process of 'Fixing' and 'Figuring it OUT'. 

Today my friends, will you look to the Earth Mother and watch as she lets the water run by, yet her roots are connected. 

May you hold this beautiful symbol so easily offered by this picture and many other examples expressed by Gaia, Pancha Mama, Mother Earth. 

May you inhabit and become deeply rooted in your Earth Suite so that you have CLARITY to navigate through the storms. To let in the light. Do you see the roots in the picture? What do YOUR roots look like? 

It is time. Time to take this pause in the NOW and find YOUR roots. My pray for each of you, myself and my loved ones is that we all continue to have the courage to SLOW DOWN enough to take ownership of the life we have been given. To listen to the BODY first and then bring in the Mental. 

Thank you for reading my offering.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti 
Love Padma

I cherish my time in Ashram life. It is a time where I get to let go of the outside worldly demands and routine and focus all my attention on something greater than myself. My time in Amma's Ashram, Amritapuri, has proven again to be an important step along my path.

My first visit 4 years ago was purely to take care of my son. We were graciously supported by our community in Sacramento to see what was possible in working with some of the the emotional and developmental issues that were a result of his Cerebral Palsey diagnosis. I knew that I wanted to see what else could unlock the deep patterns of disconnect I was having with him. Our days at this time were spent calming down from long episodes of tatrums and sometimes violent fits. There were times he was hurting himself and even me. The neurologists said that an option could be medication, but in my heart I wanted to see what being in front of a Mahatma might do.

What I learned from this journey was that a lot of his issues were related to his nervous system feeling like it needed to defend itself all the time. Through the grace of Amma and the simplicity of Ashram life his body slowly began to unwind. I was able to spend my time massaging his body and being attentive to the patterns. The scripts and triggers began to fade away. The episodes came less frequent and their time shortened. I will never forget the day he allowed me to really hold him in my lap and look into his eyes. We were sitting in front of Amma giving darshan and his body finally softened into me for longer than a few seconds. From this moment, I deeply believed that there is so much the body is capable of. It requires patience and focused attention. It is not about perfection, because the reality is my son will always have Cerbral Palsey. Yet, he is much more able to work with his 'issues' then the 'issues' controling him.

I have named these blogs 'The Body's Tapestry' because as I continue to work with others, I hear and witness the story the body in holding. It is more than the words the person says about their expereince of living. It is the the unspoken ways the body shares its story. I believe my son has taught me that healing comes when the body is able to slow down and deeply release what it is has been protecting itself from. My deepening in understanding from Neuropsychological perspective has supported this witnessing as well.

As I begin to write these stories down, my hope is that you will be inspired to take a longer look at what your body is offering you. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother talk about the 3 aspects of Man. These are the Mental Body-thoughts, the Vital body-sensations and the Physical body-the cells. When using these Enlighten Teachers perspective, I believe most of us in the West get caught in the Vital body. We get caught in the sensations as pain and discomfort for example. Here is where one gets attached to a duality of good/bad. If we are to move past this realm of duality, where there is deeper and complete healing, I believe coming into the cellular Physical body is necessary. In more general yogic philosophy, one must move past a desire or preference to what is moving through the body. The opportunity is to witness what is moving through. This witnessing with a Neutral mind is the practice to relax into what is, to allow the sensation to move through the body. When we attach to what is moving through, this is when we come into suffering and to where illness begins to take hold in the cells.

So this is a bit of my perspective that I have integrated by being with a beloved teacher like Amma and witnessing the many courageous and powerful bodies that my hands have touched. I again hope that you will be inspired to take a deeper look into what is unfolding for you along your healing journey. Please know that I without any doubt trust the body and what it has to teach each of us. I hold utmost reverance for the vessel that holds you here on the planet at this time. May you continue to find your path along this journey. I look forward to sharing more through this cyber venue. Oh, technology!

Deep Respect and love Padma