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Using EFT Tapping To Clear Energy Blocks & Lower Stress

According to traditional Chinese medicine, meridians are a set of channels or vessels that run along the body which allow life energy – also known as Universal Energy, qi, or ch’i – to flow throughout the body.  When a meridian is blocked through stressors such as fears, addictions, past trauma, unhealthy relationships, or physical pain – the flow of life energy/Source/ch’i becomes blocked. When stress causes energy to stop flowing freely, physical and mental symptoms eventually show up.

A familiar therapy that works with unblocking the meridians is acupuncture.  Another treatment that’s a bit less mainstream, is Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT “tapping”.

According to Gary Craig, the founder of EFT, the practice is “an emotional version of acupuncture, except we don’t use needles.  Instead, we stimulate certain meridian points on the body by tapping on them with our fingertips.  This has shown repeatedly to reduce the conventional therapy process from months or years down to minutes, hours or a few sessions.”

While this is not necessarily my “go to” way to heal something, it’s still a helpful tool to have in your bag – and it’s easy to learn.

Let me tell a quick story of why I got interested in EFT.  Mine was not a very serious matter in the grande scheme of things, but enough to cause me discomfort.  When we moved into our new house we discovered it was infested with centipedes. Not just the basement kind – I’m talking in the closets, on the bathroom towel, in the bedroom. It was super fun.  Our bug guy said it was “the worst case of centipedes in a house he’d ever seen”. Just what every girl wants to hear!  I was panicked.  I contemplated moving.  I threatened to sleep in a tent outside.  My husband thought I should see a hypnotist to overcome my fear.  After looking into the cost of that, I realized I’d rather put my money toward the bug treatment versus an expensive hypnosis session.

This was when I discovered a quick online video tutorial about EFT, and after some simple research, I was tapping away.  Although I still don’t love centipedes, EFT calmed me down enough to live in my house while we got rid of them (yes, those buggers are gone). I found that the tapping eased my phobia, slowed my heart rate, and reduced my stress.  I thought – if this worked for me after only a day or two – imagine what it can do for people who utilize it over a period of time? And with something more serious like an illness, addiction, or trauma?

One of the reasons EFT works so well is that by tapping on the meridians, it has been proven that the body responds by decreasing it’s levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.  Elevated cortisol levels in the body are associated with high stress.  If your body is producing too much of this hormone it can cause accelerated aging, disease, anxiety, and depression.  Numerous studies have demonstrated that EFT tapping decreases cortisol in the body by at least 25% compared to simply doing traditional talk therapy.  (you can find more info on the studies that have been done in a quick Google search)

The core concept of EFT is that you allow yourself to experience and feel the painful memory/thinking pattern/pain/stress – whatever is bothering you – while tapping on specific meridian points on the body.  This way you are not simply talking about the stressor – you are also telling your body (through the meridians) that you can be in a calm state even when faced with a certain memory, feeling, or stimulus. This is why EFT has been proven in studies to be effective in treating PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder.  Tapping the meridian points allows the release of strong emotional pain associated with traumatic memories.

So how can EFT help you?

  • Take a moment and think of something that causes you stress.  Could it be money issues?  Relationship problems?  Job stress?  Chronic pain?  A painful memory?  Weight/food issues?  Whatever it is, write it down.
  • Now as you write, notice the feeling that arises in your body.  Does your heart rate increase?  Do you feel a heaviness in your gut?  Do you feel fear?  Do you clench your jaw in frustration?  Take note of that feeling and/or physical sensation.  This is the feeling you will “tap” on.
  • As you look at your list and feel your reaction, don’t get discouraged!  The best thing you can do for your Divine Self is to address the things that are holding you back.  As always, if you’re extremely overwhelmed, seek out professional help.  But if you feel it is something you can work with – maybe EFT can help.

So as I’ve said, it’s easy to get started.  You simply tap the meridian points one by one for about 5-7 taps on each spot as you state what’s bothering you. The image to the left gives you a general sense of where the points are, but please go online to be sure you are tapping the correct spots.

When you do a Google search about EFT it’s a bit overwhelming – there’s a lot of info out there.  But remember this is a simple thing to learn that can be taught to children as well – so don’t be intimidated!

If you’d like, here’s a quick intro video on how to get started:

Remember, allow yourself to feel the feeling.  Don’t push it away and say “I’m done!”

When you ignore or push away an energy block you are simply putting it away in the closet. That stress will eventually show up in your life and/or in your body.  Instead, allow yourself to experience the uncomfortable memory or emotion and just keep tapping.

As you tap, a new feeling may come up that you want to unblock – just keep tapping.  Soon your body will respond and you’ll notice a new calmness when faced with whatever trigger you’re addressing.

Or you can learn from an EFT practitioner in person.

I recently attended an EFT class taught by Julie Jacky at The Metamorphosis Center to address money blocks (an interesting subject to dive into).  Julie was an informative instructor, she spoke about how EFT helped her, and I learned a lot about the process.  One thing Julie taught that I’d like to pass on is: be sure that while you tap you are focusing, talking about, and feeling the negative or uncomfortable thing you are clearing.  She described it as “tap the crap”.

While some newer forms of EFT may try using positive affirmations, the original concept of the practice is to allow the uncomfortable feeling to arise, then tap on that specifically.  You are freeing yourself from the control the thought or emotion has on you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief overview of Emotional Freedom Technique.  If there’s something that’s holding you back from being your best self, why not try this free technique that’s at your fingertips!  (literally!)  Happy Tapping!

In gratitude,
Nicki

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In Celebration of International Women’s Day: Explore Sacred Feminine Awakening

“When women reassert their relationship with the wildest nature, they are gifted with a permanent and internal watcher, a knower, a visionary, an oracle, an inspiratrice, an intuitive, a maker, a creator, an inventor, and a listener who guide, suggest, and urge vibrant life in the inner and outer world.”
-Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author

Every day should be International Women’s Day!  How perfect that the world is celebrating all that women are, and all they do for our world.  We need more of this energy now than ever.  In honor of this day, I’m simply sharing a link to a wonderful healer, author, and speaker named Misa Hopkins.  She has a personal website as well as one devoted to healing through the Sacred Feminine Awakening, which I have provided the link to below.  You will find many free resources, articles and meditations on her website.  She explains the powerful “holding” meditation and offers a free mp3 download of it as well.

https://sacredfeminineawakening.com

I’ve heard Misa speak and she has a great story to share that led her to becoming a healer.  She’s relatable and provides great insight and knowledge on using your innate healing abilities.  I hope you gift yourself with some time for YOU today.  We are only as strong on the outside as we feel on the inside!

In gratitude,
Nicki

 

 

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Living In Harmony With The Moment

These are the days of the endless summer
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there’s only future
There’s only here, there’s only now
-Van Morrison

Think for a moment that your life is a record.  And each experience – past, present, future – are grooves on the record.  Notice how the needle settles in and plays it’s song as the record, your life, spins on and on.  But the only place that really matters is where the needle is now – that’s where the music is coming from.  The needle doesn’t fight it.  It stays in the groove; it plays the song.

Wouldn’t we all play more grateful and joyful tunes if we followed the path of the needle on the record; the music flowing as it should in the moment?  If we drag the needle away to another spot, another groove, a disruptive and unpleasant screech is heard as it’s dragged to the past or future.

So the needle settles back into a groove, back to the present moment, where life and music flows easily.  Wouldn’t we all live more in harmony if we took note from the image of the record and it’s songs?  Not letting anxieties of the future or pains of the past screech our thoughts away from the beautiful sound of the present moment?  We find our groove in life only when living in harmony with the now.  Don’t resist.  Don’t fight it.  Notice how you enjoy the music of life more when living in acceptance and gratitude of where you are on the record.

I hope you can take time right now to practice this. Below is a song to enjoy; kick your feet up, listen, and just BE.   Van Morrison’s voice is what I imagine singing on the soundtrack of my life. It has the ability to bring me out of my planning or worrying and just enjoy the music.

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Reflections On Science & Spirituality & Allowing Yourself To Wonder

The enemy of science is not religion. Religion comes in endless shapes and forms…The true enemy is the substitution of thought, reflection, and curiosity with dogma.
-Frans de Waal

Growing up I always pictured God as a male figure, looming and looking down on me from the sky. Watching to see that I did everything right, was nice to others, said my prayers. A very simplistic, childlike view of God that was good and fine and taught with all good intentions at my church. I still have a strong faith in God/Spirit/Source (please don’t get hung up on the wording of God – use whatever you feel comfortable with) yet have always been torn by my highly analytical, experiential, and scientific outlook of the world as well. I am fascinated by the magic-like study of quantum physics, the interplay of the energies in and around us, as well as the power of our mind and body to heal itself.

I have finally come to a place in life where I’m comfortable with the Spiritual side of life as well as the Scientific. I believe they can co-exist – and realizing this has brought much more joy and purpose to my life.

The single biggest thing I teach my kids and those who are open to listening, is that God/Source is all around you, running through you, in the open space in front you as you sit here reading your screen, as well as in every cell of your body, down into your DNA. You cannot help but have this Universal, highly intelligent Spirit/Source/God energy running through you. In fact, it’s not even a choice. You are born of it. We are not separate from God; God is us.

This is why I cringe when someone says God is judging a certain person or group of people, or doesn’t accept a certain group. Because how can God judge someone who is him/herself? It doesn’t make sense. We are all one. Even those doing terrible things are in essence made of the same energy as you and me. So while I don’t want to go have a glass of wine with a murderer, and society rightly doesn’t embrace that behavior, we are all given free will – and even that person is a Divine being at their core. They’ve just lost their way here on Earth for a time.

I’m a visual person, so here is how I picture it. Imagine the giant, unimaginable greatness of the whole Universe. The vast expanse that continues out to who knows where. It boggles my mind. That is a huge energy field – and imagine God/Source as the whole of it. The outer edge (if there is one?) to the inner core and all the space in between. The best visual I can picture for this is Floam, the play stuff my kids like. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do for this post.

Imagine the pink in the image as God, or whatever you feel comfortable calling him/her – the creator of all that is. The planets, the stars, angels, spirits, humans, animals, trees, objects, thoughts – essentially everything – are all the tiny little white balls inside (imagine the inside of the balls as pink as well).

See how we are all encompassed by this Divine energy/God? Although we’re not all necessarily in the same dimension at once – we are in the same field. That’s what I feel and what I mean when I say we are all connected. This is also proven in quantum physics and written about in all forms of religious texts as well. We are like cells in the body of God. So that every thing our neighbor does, it effects not only themselves, but it moves and ripples the energy and the whole, to effect us too.

Just like all the cells, organs, meridians, etc. work together in our human body and affect our whole self- it’s also the same on a larger scale: we as people, as well as animals and nature, spirits that have crossed over, angels and spirit guides, interact together and affect the whole. Still with me? And all the while God is embracing everyone. Everyone. Because we are all surrounded and made up of God; of this Divine Energy. Not simply looked down on from above.

In this way, we are never alone. We are always surrounded by spirit, Divine energy, our Divine self. We are so much more powerful than we know. Every moment we are co-creating our life, our reality on Earth, with God/the energies within and around us.

This is why I encourage others to open up to their Divine Self through mediation and reflection. Through quiet moments, we can still our mind and experience the vast space between our thoughts where we can access all “that is”. The Universe. God. Science and Spirituality. We can come to realize that we are always surrounded by support and can access it through our Divine Self. We can create a life we love through our thoughts, intentions, and gratitude. I wish I could teach this to everyone, but it’s a journey we all take in different ways and it’s an inside job.

I hope this makes a bit of sense. This is what I’ve come to experience so far in this go-round on Earth, but I’m learning every day and I’m sure this view will evolve as I do. Maybe part of this will resonate with you. And maybe it won’t. But either way, I hope it gets you thinking and stretches you out of your comfort zone maybe.

We can each have different views, and if someone is telling you that their view is the only right way, that’s usually a good sign to walk away.  Because that’s the beauty of it all. It’s all unknown – we can only go by what we feel, what we experience, and faith.

In gratitude,
Nicki

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The Importance Of Using Discernment Instead of Judgement

“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”
-Maori Proverb

We live in a world of choices.  Small choices: do I wake up and feel happy today or do I wake up and complain?  Do I eat a bag of chips for lunch or a salad?  And bigger ones: what do I do when faced with a person or situation that I feel strongly against?  Someone that behaves so out of the realm of how I would?  We’ve all been there – a boss, a politician, a neighbor, someone driving in front of you on the highway.  It’s so easy to drop into the “I’m right – he’s wrong” mode of thinking.  Judgement.

I do this too, so I’m not preaching from the stage in this post.  I write this just as much for myself as I do for the person reading it.  What if instead of choosing to jump to judgement we stopped ourselves for a second.  Rather than say “he’s wrong, he’s a bad person” – we took a moment and used discernment instead.

Discernment
noun :  dis~ern~ment
“the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure:
skill in discerning”

Using discernment – instead of being entrenched and tied to a person energetically in the muck of judgement – we can imagine ourselves a detached observer of the person or situation.  This can be challenging at first, but simply bringing awareness to your judgements is lessening their hold on you.  It is allowing yourself to see the other person for the soul they are.  Not just the mask they are wearing.

Why do this?  Well let’s say there’s a politician (ahem – this is not a political blog but this is an issue that’s relevant to our current climate in the US) that you disagree with.  You loathe him or her when they voice their opinions.  You shout at the TV, “I am right!  You are wrong!”  Now what is happening to you inside?  In your heart and in your energy field?  You are dropping yourself down right into that energy that you are shouting against.  Notice yourself complaining and panicking and feeling fear over this person.  This brings you right into the very energy that you are saying you disagree with.  I’m guilty of this too – and I have learned from experience over and over again that it feels terrible.

In fact, we as a society are feeling the stress of dealing with all that’s going on in the world, and taking it on not only mentally, but physically.  A recent Harris Poll found that “66 percent of Americans reported stress about the future of the country, 57 percent about the current political climate, and 49 percent about the election outcome” (Itkowitz, The Washington Post).  How much of this stress can be eased by taking a step back and gaining some perspective?

How can we use discernment instead of judgement to keep our minds and bodies healthier, and also create positive change in the world?  You can still disagree with something a person says or does.  You just withhold judgement.  It goes without saying that we all aren’t going to agree on everything.  Some of us are more evolved than others, some of us don’t want to grow as people – we each are on our own journey.

We can discern that we do not resonate with this person and we can rise above it rather than judge them.  If you go in the trenches of judgement – which is essentially fear energy – you cannot help but welcome that fear into your existence.  After all, this person you are “so different” from and “so much better than” is connected to you through the energy field we all share.  The Universal Energy, The Field, The Holy Spirit, The Source, that we all have running through our bodies and connecting us all.  We are not just co-existing with others on Earth – we are all in the same pot of stew my friends!  So if you hate someone for what they are doing – that hate you hold for them spreads.  It spreads not only in your body but out into your aura – out to your children, your spouse, your neighbors, and on and on.

Discern.  Note what you don’t agree with, what frustrates you – but don’t get down into it.  Be in the moment and connect through your heart with your Divine Self.  Someone cheat on you?  Treat you unfairly?  Imagine yourself looking down on the situation from a higher place. How silly it all looks from the mountain top.

Take peaceful, thoughtful action when prompted.  Only through action motivated by love and peace can we raise the vibration of those who have their eyes closed.  People are taking on acts of Divine action every day.  Look at peaceful protests, the innocent and unconditional love of a child, humanitarians, spiritual leaders.

Using discernment does not equate to inaction. If someone is coming at you with a chainsaw, please use your judgement and run in the other direction.  But in a non-life-threatening situation, using discernment means stepping back for a moment, taking the higher view, and making an informed and purposeful decision for the better of all.

Even those we cannot understand – someone who has hurt or abandoned us, or someone who infuriates us that we haven’t even met in person yet we read about in the news – whether you like it or not, this person is OF YOU.  They are connected to you.  Not just by location (Earth) but through the web of energy that binds us all together.  Be the leader.  Be the light.  It may seem small, but this is a huge choice you can make.  It may sound cheesy, but in these times of such polarities in our world, the only way to heal us all is through love.

If a person offends you, look at them through the eyes of a detached observer.  Take away any power their words or actions want to have on you and you elevate them and the situation.  This is how true change and transformation can happen on a personal and global scale.

Remember: our thoughts create our reality.  Change your thoughts and reactions – change our reality.

I’ll try – you try – encourage others to try – it’s the small thing we can each decide to do each day.  Read the news, observe, take the high road, act when prompted.  It may not be the easy choice but it will lift the energy of the collective as time goes on.  The higher vibration can not help but lift the lower vibration over time.

In closing, I’m reminded of the well known Native American Legend that ties up the power of choice nicely:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

 

In gratitude,
Nicki

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A Simple Practice To Open Your Heart Chakra

A chakra is a swirling wheel or disk of energy.  There are several that run from the base of your spine to the top of your head. I won’t go into detail about chakras in this post, other than they are an important part of our energy system that work with our nerves, organs, emotions, and our physical health.  The seven most common (from base of the spine to top of the head) are: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. You also have chakras in the soles of your feet, your hands, your eyebrows, and several other places in your energy field.  For today, I’m going to focus on the heart chakra – which is considered the bridge between our spirit, body, mind, and emotions.

Scientists have measured the electromagnetic fields (EMF) of the body and found that the heart’s EMF field is five times more powerful than the EMF emitted from the brain. I find that fascinating. The heart “acts like it’s own neurological center to help regulate the health of nearly every cell and organ in the body” (Dale, The Complete Book of Chakra Healing)

We truly are beings ruled by our hearts. The saying “follow your heart” takes on new meaning, right?  Your heart chakra can be your compass in this lifetime.  The problem is our minds often get in the way.  Or society tells us that the brain is in charge.

This is something that took me a while to grasp. Teachers and books would tell me to focus on my heart chakra and heart center and immediately I’d overanalyze.  Sometimes I’d just nod my head, “yes, yes, the heart chakra – sure – ommm”. But I didn’t truly understand it; it was too abstract for me and I’d end up being in my head too much.  It wasn’t until I had a dream that a being or my higher self told me to drop my awareness down into my heart and feel the vibration of it (which I then experienced in my dream). Then I understood it – and now I can replicate that feeling I received in my dream.

My intention in this post is to open your awareness of your heart chakra, so you too can experience the frequency of it.  Here is a simple practice you can do to help open up your heart chakra, clear it of any blockages, allow it to emit it’s healing energy around you, and also how to keep it protected.  This visualization is a great way to start your day, and can be done any time of day you need to refresh, recharge, and get centered in the moment.  Being home with a three and a five year old –  I have to use this often!

  • Sit or stand with one hand on your heart.  By placing your hand(s) here you’re drawing your attention to the chakra and getting that energy spinning and flowing. Your body and energy responds to attention and intention.
  • Now imagine something that brings you your greatest feeling of love and peace.  What brings the feeling of warmth to your heart?  For me it’s imagining holding/hugging my kids.  It could be a person, a song, an object, a place of peace – anything that centers you in your heart. It could be simply thinking of your Divine Self.
    • Here’s the important part: focus your attention away from your mind and allow yourself to feel that feeling of love in your heart. Find out what the vibration and frequency of this chakra feels like to you as you drop your awareness from your head into your heart center. The more you try this and recognize the feeling, the easier it becomes.
  • If you’re a visual person, know that the heart chakra is green in color – though some people also picture it rose colored.  You can visualize a bright green swirling ball of energy emitting from your heart in the front and back of your body.
  • If you’re more of an audio person, I’ve posted a video below of some chanting to open the heart chakra.  You can listen to this (with headphones on for best results) while meditating.
  • As you’re focusing on your heart chakra, imagine and feel this spinning wheel of energy growing larger and larger with each breath.  You can then sit and enjoy the feeling of being in the present moment, completely at peace.  If you’d like, you can set an intention such as to experience life from this space more throughout the day, or to feel more compassion and forgiveness towards yourself and others. If a feeling or situation arises during this visualization, acknowledge it without judgment and allow yourself to release the energy block that’s being stored in your heart.
  • When you’re finished, always call in (imagine) white or golden light surrounding your heart chakra and your whole body.  You can ask angels, or specifically Archangel Michael, to do this for you too.  This simply surrounds and protects you and your chakras so you’re not being drained of energy or picking up unwanted energy as you go about your day.

This is a great practice to start and it doesn’t have to take much time.  I often do this while waiting at a stop light or in line at the store. (or locked in my room for a couple minutes if the kids are driving me nuts).  Simply do some deep breaths into your heart chakra as you think of your peaceful thought (person, place, song that centers you) and then feel that frequency begin to open up and expand into your whole body.  You’re raising your vibration while doing this, centering into your body, and also bringing in healing energy.

Once your body and mind become comfortable with the feeling of opening and expanding your heart chakra you can really begin to view and experience the world from a new space.  You open up to the present moment more.  You might find you’re more compassionate, you can forgive others easily, and you’ll also find others react differently towards you.

Working with your heart chakra is a huge beginning or stepping stone on your spiritual journey.  Once you gain awareness of what it feels to be heart centered (vs mind centered) you can then begin to explore your intuition, as well as healing and manifestation abilities.

I hope this helps you to explore what it physically feels like to focus on your heart chakra.  We are so lucky to have this energy with us at all times here on Earth – so don’t forget to use it!

In gratitude,

Nicki

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How To Use Laughter To Clear Your Energy

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
-Mark Twain

As I was getting the kids ready for bed last night, I felt a little sluggish and thought, “I don’t think I’ve had a good laugh all day.” I felt the heaviness of that.  Then the quote “laughter is the best medicine” popped into my head.  Unfortunately this statement has become somewhat of a cliche. The words themselves have lost their meaning.  How can laughter be medicine after a serious health diagnosis? Or financial trouble? Or something just annoying like a flat tire? I’ll tell you how: it loosens up the energy.

Here’s a visualization for you:
See the image of yourself, your body, sitting and reading these words.  Around your body is your aura, and all the energy fields that you cannot see but are there.  Now imagine the dense and heavy energy of stress, anger, resentment, sickness, or fear.  Visualize seeing these in your energy field, surrounding you, as actual physical masses.  They stick with you wherever you go.
Now think of laughter. Big belly laughter. It’s light, white, healing, and joyful.  Visualize this energy as healing white beams of light or sparks around you that can dissolve the negative masses.  Because remember – all energy around us in our field and our aura is real and measurable and eventually will show up in our physical realm.  Either as an illness, a life event, a person, etc.  This is proven by quantum physics.

So how can laughter help? It brings in the higher frequencies to break up the lower frequencies of fear, stress, or dis-ease. 

The lower frequency, by Law of Attraction, must then transmute into a lighter, higher frequency.

And the funny thing is, all you have to do is think of laughing to benefit.  You can start with a fake laugh, and that will begin to trick your mind (it doesn’t know the difference). Your endorphins and dopamine will kick in.

But don’t just listen to me – try it.
Here’s a video of people doing laughter yoga in India. Watch this and try not to laugh with them:
https://youtu.be/QEZkb97rRtI

I love this video!  It got me laughing.  But then I thought, what about people really dealing with something life threatening? Those dealing with a disease or living in a war zone? Then I found this video of refugees using laughter yoga:

Even in the face of war and being displaced from their homes, these enlightened souls were able to bring in laughter. And it helped.

I brought this subject up to my husband, and he didn’t seem as convinced. What if people suffering from a disease are offended by the suggestion to laugh at it, he asked?  Well, the point is not to laugh at you as a soul, as a Divine Being suffering – nobody deserves to be sick, or bankrupt, or depressed – but to take away the power and emotional hold that whatever you are dealing with might have on you. Loosen it’s grip.  Because which sounds like the better option: existing immersed in the frequency of heartache, frustration, or fear (imagine all the dark matter in and around you) – or transforming it?

The Universe responds to your thoughts – and responds to your laughter.  The “Law of Perpetual Transmution of Energy” states that all energy around us is in motion – which means our thoughts can actually mold and shape the energy if we focus our attention on it. I will say it again and again: thoughts are energy.

So let’s say you’re sick and all day you think: “I’m sick, I have a sore throat. I feel tired. I’m achy.” Guess what? That energy sticks around in your aura and energy field and it is now becoming your best friend. And it manifests again and again into physical form right before your eyes. It’s very simple actually. Sometimes we are so stuck in our thought patterns and tied up in the emotional attachment to our thoughts that we cannot break the cycle. We forget who we are as a Divine Being without these thoughts we’ve become attached to.

Which is why laughter is a simple, fun, and very effective way to lighten the load. It brings in the higher frequencies that heal. This is not just New Age woo woo stuff; this is physics. But don’t just take it from me; try it.  There’s lots of laughter yoga videos online and ones you can attend in person.  I actually wasn’t in the mood for this earlier today but once I started watching and laughing, I felt my mood immediately lift. My husband thought I was a nut job, but that’s nothing new for me, right?!

So how does this apply to the everyday reality of dealing with something unpleasant?  I read an article in People magazine not long ago about Saturday Night Live comedian Vanessa Bayer, and how she overcame cancer as a teenager.  What struck me about the article was this quote:

“I wasn’t really that scared,” Bayer says in PEOPLE. “My dad is a really funny guy, and we would make jokes about my leukemia. When my friends would come over we would joke about it too. It’s sort of messed up out of context, but it put everybody at ease. Being sick is the reason I went into comedy.”

I’m sure her parents were terrified, but to read this quote and hear about the power of laughter they gifted her with to deal with the pain and uncertainty of a disease – it brings tears to my eyes.  What a hard thing to do, and not necessarily the easy way, yet look how it altered her life.

Below is an example of a laughter yoga class for people facing challenges.  I’ll admit it kind of shocked me at first.  To laugh at disease seemed a little uncomfortable – but the teacher explains it well in this first clip:

Here is Gita’s intro:

Now here’s the yoga clip with her included note:
“The exercise in this video may appear insensitive or even disrespectful to some, but it most definitely isn’t. This is about the affirmation of power over, not submission to what ails you. It is a most powerful exercise because you cannot both laugh about something and hang on to feelings of depression and powerlessness about it at the same time. The ability to laugh about your aches and pains is a sign of maturity and brings great emotional freedom. Being challenged is a time for action, not submission.”

Notice they aren’t saying “yes, I deserve to be sick!”  Nobody deserves to be sick. They are acknowledging the situation and taking their power back. It’s feeding the issue with light instead of fear.

Maybe once you start you’ll laugh until you cry. That’s also a wonderful, healing, release of energy. Laugh. Cry. Let the emotions and the energy go free into the universe to be transmuted back into light.  By letting go of your attachment to whatever it is (an illness, a painful memory, a person who hurt you), and visualizing it as a mass of energy you want to dis-assemble, you are then free to release it and fill that freed up space with higher frequency.

If instead you continue to hold a strong attachment to something in your life that makes you feel anger or fear – the universe will continue to give that back to you – as it does not know that it’s bad for you.  It just thinks “oh, she sure is thinking about how stressed she is – let’s keep giving her the same stressful energy since that’s what she’s sending out”. What you send out – the universe gives you back.
By laughing and letting go you are literally lightening up and opening up your energy field to allow a new outcome to manifest.  So don’t keep your worries, fears, and ailments close and tethered to you like a mantra you repeat all day.
Let them go with love and compassion.
Shower them with laugher!

In gratitude,
Nicki

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Opening Up To The Present Moment

“ ‘I’ll be whatever you want me to be,” says Life or the Now. ‘I’ll treat you the way you treat me. If you see me as a problem, I will be a problem to you. If you treat me as an obstacle, I will be an obstacle.’ “
-Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

In honor of Valentine’s Day, this post is a love letter to one of my favorite books, a bit of an oldie but a goodie: A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. I hope I can inspire you to read it for the first time or maybe read it again to refresh your memory. A New Earth is a follow up to Tolle’s popular The Power of Now, which is also great, yet I find A New Earth to be more in-depth and transformative.

Before I get into the main message – I’d like you to ask yourself: have you ever watched your thoughts for a whole day? Really stopped and been a conscious observer of your constant, endless stream of thoughts? Some people live their whole life never watching their thoughts – completely asleep to the fact that their thoughts have taken them over. They have not yet heard the call to “wake up!” So as an experiment with yourself today, watch your inner thoughts as you go about your day. My guess is like me, many of you will notice how easy and comfortable it is to slip into just two different thought forms: thoughts about the past or thoughts about the future.
And likely very few moments of acceptance about what you are doing right now. Which is essentially just being. It sounds so easy – to just BE. But not quite, right?

So just WHO is that voice doing the incessant thinking? Eckhart Tolle does a wonderful job explaining this by helping us to recognize and label the Ego self, separate from the Higher self. He explains the Ego in A New Earth:

“Most people are still completely identified with the incessant stream of mind, of compulsive thinking, most of it repetitive and pointless. There is no “I” apart from their thought process and the emotions that go with them. This is the meaning of being spiritually unconscious. When told there is a voice in their head that never stops speaking, they say ‘What voice?’ or angrily deny it, which of course is the voice, is the thinker, is the unobserved mind.”

Who are you without the constant stream of thinking?

As you go about your day, be aware, and most importantly – dis-identify – with the voice in your head. For instance, notice your thoughts and feelings after reading a news article. Does your mind take you out of the present moment and somersault into fearful and repetitive thinking of the future and “what if”? Notice how much of the day is spent comparing things to something you saw or did in the past, something that bothered you or made you happy, or something you forgot to do or wish you had done differently. Or is your mind talking about what you’re looking forward to next week, or in 20 years, or telling you to lose weight, or nagging you for skipping a workout, or what if you get sick, or what if global warming melts us all, etc, etc. All a jumble of thoughts, worries, hopes, and fears clouding over the one moment that really matters: right now. And drowning out the one true voice that really matters: your Divine, higher self.

But don’t get discouraged. Gaining awareness of your thoughts is a huge step. You’re waking up. And by gaining awareness, we welcome change. And we open a door to a new way of living on Earth.

I too fall into this thinking pattern at times if I loosen the leash on my Ego. However, what has changed for me is the freedom gained from being aware of my thoughts. As you begin to consciously wake up and watch the voice in your head, you will soon come to recognize it for what it is: the Ego. Or as I like to refer to it: the “little you”.

As you watch and listen to the “little you” and begin to acknowledge it for what it is, you will begin to notice the stillness you possess in the background and the spaces between all of your thoughts. That stillness is your Divine Self calmly listening and waiting for her awareness to be known in the power of a quiet moment. She thrives in the spaces between your thoughts. The Divine Self is never fearful, always loving, intuitive, creative, and self healing – and is so often drowned out by the Ego.

Alright then! Still with me? So we all are human and we all have an Ego and a “little me” to contend with. But that doesn’t mean it needs to control us and keep us on a hamster wheel of thoughts! There is a positive to all this. How can we work and co-exist with the Ego and become a more present, creative, and purposeful person?

What I love about A New Earth is the guidance Toole gives on how to manage the Ego and take the power away from the “little you” so you can live the life you were meant to live.

  • Observe.
  • Wake up.
  • Be aware.
  • Accept the present moment.

When I notice myself thinking over and over about something that’s happening in the future, or if I hear my “little me” saying something negative about myself, I can now listen, detach, and sometimes even laugh at it. I “watch” the Ego. And by watching it, it loses it’s power and control. It’s that simple. The Ego starts to dissolve as you acknowledge it. As soon as you recognize the Ego for what it is, just a part of being human and not something that controls you, it loses it’s grip on you. You will notice that over time the constant chatter and thinking slows down, because you give less power to it and more power to the NOW.

This present moment awakening then allows you to gain true insight into what you should do or not do in the moment – from a space of awareness and intuition, rather than a space of fear or confusion.

Explains Toole,
“The decision to make the present moment into your friend is the end of the ego. The ego can never be in alignment with the present moment, which is to say, aligned with life, since its very nature compels it to ignore, resist, or devalue the NOW.”
-A New Earth

So I’ll wrap it up for now. I hope this has reminded or inspired you to watch your thoughts today – and begin to take away the hold the Ego may have on you. While it’s impossible to do justice to the full power of A New Earth in one short post, maybe this small taste will encourage you to read it. Toole’s words are written in such a way that the book takes on a frequency of it’s own that you can align to while slowly easing the grip of the Ego.

What if we all watched our thoughts more, released the “little me” voice and fear mentality, and existed right here in the present moment – where peace can reside? Wouldn’t our world change overnight?

Happy Valentine’s Day and happy reading!

In gratitude,
Nicki

“There is only one perpetrator of evil on the planet: human unconsciousness. That realization is true forgiveness. With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves, and your true power emerges – the power of Presence. Instead of blaming the darkness, you bring in the light.”
-Eckhart Tolle

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A Place In The Sun

If you’ve ever thought about meditating but aren’t sure where to begin, this is a perfect post for you. Or maybe thinking of meditating makes you want to shove a fork in your eye. Never fear! Everyone can learn to mediate. But why should you? Mediation is a time to connect to your inner self, slow down the constant chatter of your mind, and tune into the high frequency of JOY that is your Divine Self.

It’s been said that prayer is a form of asking & talking to God/The Universe, while mediation is a form of listening. For me, meditation is a way to rise above whatever is going on in my Earth life, and go within to reconnect and listen to my higher self; the small, still place within each of us. To me it feels like being surrounded in all encompassing Love and Light. A Place In The Sun.

Many times people start to incorporate meditation into their life after something uncomfortable arises in their physical being, urging them to slow down and listen to their Divine Self. Do you suffer from anxiety? Restlessness? Depression? Chronic pain? Dis-ease? These are just some energy blockers that can be alleviated through mediation.  For instance, I used to be an extreme insomniac. It wouldn’t be abnormal for me to get only 2-3 hours of sleep a night simply because I could not turn my thoughts off. My tiredness caused some anxiety and I didn’t want to go on medication, so I decided to try meditation. Once I got the hang of it, I was sleeping better within weeks. Years later, I cherish my daily mediations and rarely suffer from insomnia. My kids sure do love to wake me up the middle of the night though.

Alright, now for the How To part. If you’re a beginner, or fine tuning your practice, I’m going to introduce 3 simple ways to meditate. But before we get to those, there are just a couple things to note that will help you get into the right mindset before your meditation:

  • First, find a quiet place where you’ll be uninterrupted. If you have kids and you don’t have a quiet cave in your backyard you can hide in, this might mean setting your alarm before they get up. I know, I know…that’s the worst sometimes, but once you’re up it’ll be worth it. Or sneak a mediation in at your desk on your lunch break. I do mine either in the morning and/or when my daughter is napping in the afternoon.
  • Second, sit on a comfortable chair or couch, with your feet flat the floor. Or sit on the floor cross legged. I recommend sitting up with a straight spine so you don’t drift off to sleep, and you want your feet or tush on the floor so you are grounding your energy.
  • Now it’s time to relax. Take one slow, deep breath through your nose to the count of 4. Really fill your whole body with fresh air and energy. HOLD the breath for 4 counts, then slowly exhale through your mouth for 8 counts. If your mind is restless and full of thoughts, imagine as you breathe in that you are breathing in white light full of calming, healing energy, and breathing out any negative energy and worries. Notice any parts of your body that are tense and breathe into them so you are fully relaxed.
 Do this breathing exercise 3 times. You’re probably already feeling better!

Now here are 3 ways to try meditating – experiment to find what you like best. Or come up with your own! I will discuss more ways to meditate in future posts.

  1. Focus On Your Breath
    This is exactly as it sounds. Notice how your chest rises and falls as you breathe at a normal, relaxed pace. Or feel the air going in and out of your nostrils. Another great way to think of this is that it’s not you breathing, but rather let yourself “be breathed”. Notice how you don’t have to exert any work, there is an unknown force breathing for you. Notice the air coming in and out without having to do anything. Be a detached observer of your breath.
  2. Repeat A Mantra
    Some people like to have a mantra (word or phrase) that they can repeat in their head. This is a nice way to focus on something and have as an anchor to return to when your mind starts to wander. As it wanders, just acknowledge the thought but do not get invested in it, and gently move back to the mantra. A nice mantra to start with is “I am” or “I am Here.”
  3. Imagine You’re At The Beach
    The great thing about your mind is if you can imagine something, the brain doesn’t know that it’s not actually happening. Your body will respond AS IF it is. So imagine you are sitting on a beach and your mind and body will react as if you really are. I often imagine myself sitting on the sand looking out at the ocean. Now imagine your breath is matching up with the rhythm of the waves gently crashing into shore. You don’t have to do anything, the waves just keep coming in and out – just like your breath.

It’s normal for your mind to wander when you meditate. Many people think they aren’t able to meditate because they can’t slow down their “monkey mind” that’s chattering nonstop. The truth is, you will always have thoughts arise when you meditate; you are a living, breathing human being after all! The point is not to be completely void of thoughts – the point is to OBSERVE the thoughts in a detached way. As you find yourself thinking or feeling a strong emotion, just acknowledge the feeling or thought, then go back to focusing on your breath, your mantra, or the waves. Then when another thought arises, observe it, say “hello” and “goodbye” to it. Don’t get caught up in it. Soon you will incorporate a great asset into your life: that any thought, any emotion, any worry can arise from your endless mind chatter – but the thoughts do not control you. You have the ability to observe them, while still keeping your inner Light and calmness, and remaining in the moment.

Congratulations on taking the step to bring this powerful practice into your life. Honor yourself and do this every day for a month. Even if it’s for just 10-15 minutes a day, keep at it until it becomes a habit. You will feel and notice the affects – I promise you. Soon you might find that your daily mediation is the highlight of your day!

Until next time, below is a video of Stevie Wonder, doing a perfect job singing what I tried to convey in words today – that no matter what is happing around you, there is always A Place In The Sun inside of you.  Enjoy!

In gratitude,
Nicki

https://youtu.be/jECRNZqaBdA

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Frequency

Writing the first post on your new blog is not as easy as one would think. So many things to cover but where to start?  I decided to do a quick mediation and what came to me clearly is this: talk about frequency.

What do I mean by frequency? Well as most know, everything we see, hear, and touch has it’s own vibration, and in turn, it’s own frequency. Even our thoughts and emotions have their own energy, vibration, and frequency.
Some things have a slower, denser frequency, such as the laptop I’m typing on. Some emotions have a lower frequency, such as hate. As frequencies get higher, they reach the level of sound, then light. Go higher still and there’s the spirit world that surrounds us. Someday when our dense human body wears out, our soul frequency emerges and returns to it’s natural state, as a loving frequency of light. Just because we don’t see these higher frequencies, doesn’t mean they aren’t there and cannot be accessed.

Your own frequency and vibration can greatly affect not only how you see your world, but also how the world interacts with you. Notice how each person you encounter is also their own vibration and frequency. If you are in tune enough, you can even sense their frequency intuitively. Some feel heavy. Some are “energy drainers”. These personalities tend to be more aligned with the frequency of fear. Some are more vibrant and lighter. Ever run into someone who just feels like a “breath of fresh air?” Their secret? They are quite literally vibrating at a higher frequency. They are more in alignment with the frequency of joy and light.  While everyone, and I do mean everyone, is made of the highest most pure frequency, not everyone decides to align to this while here on Earth.  But we all have the capability.

I won’t get into too much more today as this is a vast subject – yet profoundly simple at it’s core. If this sounds like a foreign language to you, please stick with me. What I DO want this first post to do is open your awareness of energy and the corresponding frequency. Are you aware of the frequency you vibrate at?  Can you notice how it changes throughout the day as your mood changes or as you interact with different people? What is the frequency you settle most easily into when you wake up in the morning? What feels like home to you?

In closing, I’m going to paraphrase a parable I was once told that has stuck with me. My apologizes to whomever the original author is, as I’m not sure.

There was a small town – much like any other place in the world. A man was just moving into town and saw an old man standing on the corner.  He walked up to him and said, “Hi, I’m new to town. Tell me, what are the people like here?”
“Well, what were the people like in the town you lasted lived?”  the old man asked.
The man responded, “Oh they were awful. They were mean, ungrateful, bad people.”
The old man frowned, “Sorry to say, that’s exactly what the people are like in this town.”

The very next day, there was another new man moving into the same town. He ran into the same old man on the corner, and asked him, “Hi, I’m new to town. Tell me, what are the people like here?”
“What were the people like in the town you last lived?” the old man asked.
He responded, “They were lovely people. Kind, generous, loving people.”
The old man smiled, “Well that’s great, that’s exactly what the people are like in this town.”

I love this story for the simple fact that it reminds us that we are each in control of what we see and how the world interacts with us and presents itself to us. The key to this is: what vibration and frequency are you aligning with and how is this creating your world? Is it causing you to see the world through the lens of JOY or through FEAR? And more importantly, is your frequency helping or hurting not only yourself, but those you come into contact with? The choice is one we get to make every day.

I’ll explore this topic much more in posts to come, including how to align yourself to the frequency of Light, and watch your life unfold in wonderful ways. So until next time, thank you so much for taking the time to be here!

In gratitude,
Nicki

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