Now more than ever people are spending more energy than they are able to receive. They are running an energy deficit that is affecting them physically, emotionally and spiritually. When the body starts to run low on energy it is unable to sustain its vital functions, the mind becomes very vulnerable to negative emotions, and the spirit cannot receive the light it needs to maintain its original brightness and starts to become dark. This is disease.

When we are born our energy channels are fully open, but as we grow older they become progressively blocked up, impairing the body’s energy circulation. This not only results in energy shortage and blockages but also disrupts the balance of the yin and yang energies.  Energy blockages are predominantly caused by negative thinking, feelings and emotions. When we are stressed, angry, worried, fearful or depressed, the energy flow in our bodies is disrupted, causing a shortage of energy, which is transmitted to every cell and organ. If our body is deprived of energy for too long, we eventually become ill. The energy circulation in our bodies is totally dependent on the state of our minds. When there is discord in the mind or environment the energy circulation is disrupted causing ill-health and unhappiness.

So what is Ki?

Western Science defines the power, which moves and changes matter as energy.

The East defines that power as Ki. It not only includes visible matter but also the invisible power to move and change that matter endlessly.

Einstein called this energy, “vibration field”. Field is another name for space. The space of the universe is the field of energy vibration. So, scientists say, matter is created when space is extremely compressed. Matter is nothing but energy vibration and all matter has its own particular frequency; this is proved by science.

Ki is the most fundamental element of all things in the universe. It is not only the most fundamental element of the visible and invisible world but also the fundamental power to form and change matter according to that matters character.

Ki and energy are similar in concept, but not quite the same. In the West, “energy” is understood to have a characteristic of quantity, but not necessarily quality. In the East, however, Ki takes on a variety of traits and qualities.

Because Ki holds within itself all information of the basic laws of life, from birth until death, it can be said that Ki holds the information of life. Ki is not only the fundamental material but also the energy that forms nature’s order and law.

For example take a brick. To make a brick we need clay (the substance), a rectangular mold (the shape) and fire (the power which heats the brick). A brick is made when these three components combine.

The properties of Ki involve the character of all these three components within itself – substance, rules of form and energy. In having this particular character, Ki is considered a super material which has a mind or super energy that holds the information of life.

So, all living entities exist as Ki and all life comes from the activity of Ki. To explain or guess at the fundamental workings of the universe without mentioning Ki would be impossible as all movement and existence within the universe comes from Ki. Furthermore, because Ki is the fundamental element of life, the law of creation and the creative power, Ki is the cause and result of all life and the beginning and end of the universe.

Conditions for Feeling Ki

• Quiet Location: Practice in a quiet and peaceful place
• Relaxation of the Mind and Body: Before practicing, relax our body and mind through simple exercises such as full body stretching and tapping, neck exercises, waist and upper body bends.
• Mental concentration: Focus your mind on the part of the body where you want to feel Ki.
• Feeling Honestly: Accept whatever sensation you feel. Do not classify or doubt any sensation you experience.
• Devotion to Feeling: Accept and cultivate even very small sensations of energy. When you do this, those feelings will grow more intense and come into focus.

The 5 Easy Steps to Activating Your Ki:

Warm-up Hand Exercises: Training for feeling Ki usually begins with the hands. The hands are the part of the body we use the most and they are also where we feel sensations with the greatest detail. Lightly shake both hands and wrists. Clap your hands and rub your palms together. Making fists open and close your hands repeatedly. Lifting your hands, rotate your wrists rapidly 30 to 50 times. After you do this, stop for a moment and then concentrate on the sensations you feel in your hands. Repeat these exercises several times and then hold your hands with your palms together and go to the next step.

Strengthening Sensation in the Hands: Sitting in a comfortable position, place your palms together. Feel the sensation of body heat in your hands as they touch each other. Feel your pulse beating in your palms and fingers. A quiet, focused state of mind develops readily through this process. Maintain this state as you go to the next step.

Moving the Hands Horizontally: Lift your hands so that your palms face each other and then move them apart so that there is a space of about five inches between them. Repeatedly move your palms closer together and then farther apart. You will feel what seems to be a magnetic force, as if something where pushing your hands apart or pulling them together. Sometimes you’ll feel pressure, heat heaviness, or a tingling sensation. All of these sensations are the result of energy. Once you feel this energy, spread your hands farther apart, increasing the distance between your palms. When you establish this sense for feeling Ki, you will be able to maintain the feeling of energy, even though the distance between your palms grows considerably.

Moving the Hands Vertically: Position your hands so that your palms face each other, one over the other, with about two inches between them. Move one hand up as you move the other down and then switch directions. Feel the energy between your hands as you continue to do this. The sensation will vary greatly as your hands are drawn closer together and pulled farther apart.

Making an Energy Ball: With your palms facing each other, hold your hands so that your ten fingers are spread naturally and are slightly bent, as if you are holding a ball. As you continue to focus on your hands, imagine that you are holding an unseen ball of energy between them. Move your hands slightly and feel that ball of energy. The energy between your hands will feel like a big ball of cotton or a balloon. This sensation will become even clearer as you continue to roll the energy around your hands.

It is Ki that helps us open the door of our hearts. In the course of feeling Ki, without even realizing it, we are freed from our thoughts and emotions, and enter into the world of the internal. This is where we encounter our True Self, which was hidden by our thoughts, emotions, ego, and attachments. 

Continue your journey by attending my free monthly healing energy events. Incorporate this exercise for your most ultimate experience and most profound result. By taking this action you open the doors to your personal road map resulting in the growth, clarity, abundance and the peace you desire.

I will be hosting a Ki Activation and Energy Cleansing class located here in Las Vegas for anyone interested in a powerful hands-on experience. I will be posting updates, classes and events on my group page “Conscious Clarity Healing Energy” so be sure to join.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138007309550335

Everyone knows the proverb that money makes the world go around. Given how most of us feel about money, this may be only a slight exaggeration. The task of earning and managing money dominates many of our waking hours and our personal relationships are often affected by the intense emotion associated with it. Exploring money and how we relate to it, therefore, feels somewhat like bringing up an uncomfortable topic at a dinner party.

Why bother discussing it then?  Simply put, understanding the principles of money can help you manage your physical, mental and spiritual health.

Money is energy. Each dollar, nickel or penny in your pocket represents a unit of energy, specifically the energy you invested to earn it. You can use that unit of energy to get the things you want and need, things in which other people invested their energy to produce. This energetic nature of money is clearly evident in its development.

The money we earn can serve as an excellent barometer of our current energy conditions. The emotions we experience as we work are stored not just in our bodies, but also in the money we earn. The value of the money we possess infuses with the emotional energy experienced as we earn it. If we hate what we do for a living, our earnings stand for kind of sacrifice. Every paycheck seems diminished because the work never seems equal to the effort. In contrast, when we love what we do, the money takes on very little extra meaning.. it is just money.

Of course, whether earned in suffering or joy, that money does represent a certain value in society. The money we bring in and accumulate allows us to purchase goods and services. We may have positive or negative feelings about the amount of money we have stored, depending on the lifestyle we desire.  The more expensive our target lifestyle, the stronger our feelings about our monetary worth will be and the more intense our feelings if dissatisfaction will be if our earnings do not allow us to afford the lifestyle we desire.

However, we can learn to generate and accumulate money in a way that empowers us. The key is to have a clear and realistic purpose with regard to earning and saving money. Money, like Ki-energy, must circulate to remain healthy. It can be accumulated and stored to increase power. But it must be used or else it will stagnate. To use money does not mean to simply spend it, but rather to invest it. Investing some of your money towards the fulfillment of your life goals keeps it circulating and gathering value.

Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of earning money? Why do I need money?” Draw a clear relationship between money and how you plan to attain your specific goals. As you may have experienced, there are many times when the purpose of earning money is not clear to you as you thought. Money is not an extension of our identity. If we begin to equate our self-worth with our monetary worth, we create a false sense of self. The key is to realize that our true selves are far more powerful than any amount of status gained through money, and that money is simply an energetic tool to be used for the creation of a purposeful life.

Just as we can break the connection between our identity and our earnings by investing in the fulfillment of our life goals, we can dissipate the undercurrent of fear in our transactions by making sure our regular expenses do not exceed our regular income. This is commonly called budgeting. For a budget to reduce anxiety, it must not be designed out the same fear already connected to how you spend money. The start of this process is very simple, just pay at least as much attention to the energy half of your transactions as you do the monetary half.

You have already taken the first step; the awakening that money is energy. With this insight, practice paying attention to how you feel when you deal with money. Continue watching until you can see your behaviors, actions, and feelings around money. For the sake of your budget, write them down. Record how you actually spend your money and what you feel during each transaction. Then comes the hard part, accept. Without judgment, accept that this record of your expenses reflects your current spending habits and the emotional attachments related to them. Once you have completely exposed your relationship to how you spend your money, you can choose with confidence how you want to spend it going forward.

Ultimately the goal here of exploring money as energy is not just about improving our relationship with money; it is about empowering ourselves to create more fulfilling lives. The missing link between a renewed awareness of money’s energetic nature and living a more fulfilling life understands the source of the fears surrounding money. All of our fears around money are based on a simple, yet powerful belief, that the resources of the world are scarce, that there is not enough for everyone.

The catch is that it is hard to truly live in abundance with habits formed in scarcity. The tendency to hoard money rather than gather and circulate it is the biggest of these habits. Look again at your attitudes toward earning, saving and spending money and see if a belief in scarcity helps explain any anxiety you feel. The biggest paradox with the philosophy of a scarcity is that it is a self-fulfilling one. The fear of not having enough leads people to take more than they need and to hoard energy in all forms, which leads to the uneven distribution of wealth that plagues our world.

Once you remove this anxiety, and the related impulse to hoard, you can feel confident in using and consuming just enough. The moment you feel you or your family might go without, the urge to hoard arises immediately. Resist the urge and practice instead the techniques of money management based on the principles of energy. If you pay attention to your body and your soul, you will know when you have enough, in any given energy transaction. Living so that you use and consume only as much as you need to fulfill your commitments and life goals begins to create abundance.

As more and more of us subscribe to the belief in abundance, and manage our consumption accordingly, we will ensure that there is enough for everyone. As you master living in abundance, you will find that your capacity for peace, joy and fulfillment will expand.

By: Lauren Larsen

Spring is a time for renewal, but for people who suffer from seasonal allergies, it can mean renewed suffering due to constant sneezing, a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes. Fortunately there are healthy, drug –free alternatives for treating and alleviating these symptoms if you are willing to make changes in your diet, lifestyle and state of mind.

Daily Diligence

• Avoid tobacco smoke and alcohol, which irritate the lungs and eyes. Alcohol increases the production of mucous.
• Spend as little time as possible outdoors and keep windows and doors shut during the day. If you must be outdoors, limit it to the morning and evening rather than midday, when grasses pollinate.
• Upon coming in from outside, shower and wash your clothes to remove pollen.
• Avoid doing yard work; if you do, wear a mask and goggles.
• Avoid hanging laundry outside; pollen gathers on clothing and linens.
• Keep pets inside or outside; they bring pollen indoors with them.
• Buy a good-quality air purifier and filter

Herbal Help

• Place slices of cool cucumber over the eyes to help relieve itchy, red eyes; alternate them with steeped, cooled black tea bags.
• Place eucalyptus oil in a humidifier and inhale its vapor or add it to your bath water to help relieve congestion; the oil is available at health food stores.
• Use a Neti Pot, an Ayurvedic device that helps cleanse allergens from the mucous membranes in the nose, providing relief from sinus congestion. Also available at health food stores.
• Eyebright, yarrow and stinging nettle liquid extracts help relieve hay fever symptoms; 20-30 drops twice daily is recommended.
• Take 1,000 mg of the flavonoids Hesperidin and Quercitin, which provide an antihistamine effect.

Dietary Do’s

• Consume magnesium-rich foods such as bananas, kidney beans, soybeans, almonds and brown rice.
• Horseradish is excellent for a runny nose and congestion. Use it as much as you can stand, as a condiment.
• Eat foods rich in sulphur, such as onions, and garlic, which help thin mucous.
• Consume yogurt. Homemade yogurt is ideal but any soured products consumed three times per week can greatly reduce the incidence of hay fever attacks, particularly those exacerbated my grass pollens.
• Avoid cakes, pies, chocolate, coffee, dairy products, canned or packaged foods, soda pop, sugar, white flour products or any junk food; they suppress the immune system.

The following exercise is not to see how well you can track your thinking or feelings, but to give you the experience of being the conscious observer of yourself. Believe it or not, you are the thinker, not your thoughts or feelings.

Go to your sacred space. Plan to sit comfortably, undisturbed for 15 minutes and complete the following excerise:

• Take a few slow, deep breaths.
• Turn your attention to your thoughts. If you are dealing with an emotional issue, focus on that emotion.

Instead of getting caught up in your thoughts or feelings as you would usually do, watch them closely. For example, if you where a tennis player watching the ball or an artist painting a canvas. If you find your attention wandering, come back to the task at hand.

At first, your mind may seem like wall to wall thoughts or emotions, and you may have difficulty determining where one thought leaves off and the next one begins. You may also find that certain thoughts or emotions keep recurring like a popular song. For example, repetitive worries or your favorite images or fantasies. If you’re especially attentive, you may begin to notice that each thought or emotion has its own parts, including a beginning, middle and an end.

• At the end of the 15 minutes, stop and reflect on your experience.

Did you experience some “distance” from your thoughts or emotions? Or did you keep losing yourself in the thinking process?

As you begin to gain some perspective on your thoughts through the practice of meditation, you will find that they start losing the power they once had over you. You can have your thoughts and feelings, but they won’t have you.

What is the difference between thoughts and feeling?

Feelings occur as a set of recognizable sensations in your body. When you’re angry, for example, you may feel tension in your shoulders and jaw and experience a rush of energy in the back of your head. When you’re sad, by contrast, you may feel heaviness in your chest and heart. Through meditation, you can discover how to experience your feelings directly as sensations, separate from thoughts and stories that perpetuate them.

Thoughts are the images, memories, beliefs, judgments and reflections that float through your mind and often give rise to your feelings. If you follow the word “feel” with “like”, you’re probably voicing a thought or a belief, rather than a feeling. You can practice breaking strong feelings down into their component parts by asking, what are the thoughts and images in my mind that keep me feeling the way I do? What am I actually experiencing in my body right now, aside from my thoughts?

Thoughts not only generate feelings, they often masquerade as feelings, (so you won’t actually feel the ones you have) attempt to talk you out of your feelings, judge your feelings, or suppress them entirely. The more you can recognize your thoughts and feelings, the more clearly and consciously you can relate with and express your inner experience and hear your true self.

By: Lauren Larsen

As part of my healing journey, I practice clearing my mind and body of clutter and debris – physical, mental and emotional. Keeping my living space clean and clear of clutter is an extension of my success in my daily practice for peace and harmony. For most of us, spring allows us the opportunity to open up the windows cleaning and clearing out the stagnant energy of a long, cold winter to begin anew. I find that I must constantly let go, releasing my attachments to things especially when I realize that they no longer serve me.

So as you begin your Spring Cleaning this year, make it your goal to purposefully and joyfully clean and clear out your home, clutter, dust and all. Take some time during this important ritual to observe yourself and ask questions. What objects are you attached to? What are you keeping that is cluttering not only your living quarters, but your inner life as well, your true self? Why is it so painful to donate that raggedy old doll that you received for your seventh birthday? What part of your past are you holding on to? Why is it so difficult to get rid of the outfit that your mother loves on you, even though you never liked it? Are you still very concerned with other people’s opinions of you? If you can begin to clean and clear the space around you, it may help you clear the space within you, the space in which you truly live.

5 Spring Cleaning Tips

        ·            Set a reasonable time period for Spring Cleaning. Often, it will take you more than a day or a weekend.

        ·            Commit to one room at a time. In the bedroom: dust, vacuum, change the curtains and the bed linens, and exchange your winter and spring wardrobes – then move to another room.

        ·            Observe when you resist letting go of something. Explore your attachment to the object in writing.

        ·            When in doubt, throw it out! If you haven’t used it in a year, it’s probably time to let it go.

        ·            Celebrate at the end of your Spring Cleaning. Congratulate yourself for the dedication it takes to care for your home and yourself in this important way. Play with your children, take a bath, go on a picnic, see a movie – whatever gives you joy!

By: Lauren Larsen

Enter into a state of meditation

In your mind, see yourself where you are sitting or reclining

In your mind, think of any negative traits you possess as a dark shadow in your body

Now, see this shadow representing negative traits leaving your body and being replaced with the spiritual light of your true-self

Sit quietly for another five minutes in meditation, after you feel that your visualization has had an effect.

• Create a sacred space:  Find a place in your home that is exclusively your space. Make it a peaceful, meditative space where you can have privacy. Furnish it with whatever will help you feel focused and relaxed such as candles, music, incense and pillow.

• Bathing: a hot bath will quickly relax you and promote good blood circulation. Make sure you will not be disturbed. Using Epson salts and or essential oils such as lavender, chamomile, or sage is a great way to enhance relaxation.  Imagine all your discomfort and stress being washed away and going down the drain.

• Use progressive relaxation: In your sacred space, begin to tense and relax your whole body, starting with your feet and then move up the body through all your muscle groups. Start with a deep breath in, let it out. Hold each tense for the count of three, and then relax. Do this in sets of three moving next to the calf, thighs, stomach, hands, arms, neck and shoulders. Lastly, face, neck and eyes.

• The Breath Technique: Close your eyes and concentrate on breathing in through your nose and out your mouth.  Feel the air coming in your nostrils and feel the air against your lips going out. Listen to the sound and the rhythm. Inhale slowly and deeply, pause a moment, then exhale slowly and completely, allowing your stomach to rise and fall as you breathe.  In a few minutes you will feel more calm, comfortable and relaxed.

• One Spot Technique: Pick a spot in front of you and keep looking at it as you blink your eyes twelve times. Afterward, close your eyelids, they will feel relaxed and tired. This relaxed sensation will spread through to the rest of your body in pleasant waves.

• Mental Pictures of Relaxation: This technique is easy. Remember back to a time in your life when you felt safe, secure, calm, and relaxed. Holding the scene or object in your mind, using all your senses, that is, what it looked like, what it sounded like, what it felt like, or smelled like, will automatically relax the body. It’s called a conditioned response. You can use anything you have experienced, read, or seen in a movie.

• Simple Breath Relaxation: Breathe easily and naturally and repeat over and over a word of your choice at the exhalation. The word “Om” has found great success because it has no distracting connotations. Other words commonly used are one, relax, peace, love and or light. This practice focuses the mind and protects it from unwanted distractions. If you have any distracting thoughts, visualize them as bubbles on a stream of fast-moving clouds drifting by from your left to your right and out of sight, returning to your chosen word.

Once you get yourself to this “alpha” relaxed state, continue with your favorite visualization or meditation. One of my favorite visualization exercises I use often for manifesting prosperity is to create and view a movie of myself already having and enjoying what I wish for in my life. Be, do, think, act, feel, dress, walk, talk and move as if it has already happened.  Begin with a 15 minute relaxation routine. After a few times, your body will have the memory of what it’s like to be relaxed. This will allow you to move into a 5 minute relaxation routine followed by your meditation practice. I also recommend one of the above techniques as a great antidote for insomnia. Try it in bed and then drift off to sleep.

By Lauren Larsen