by Gay Landeta

Some people love change, some hate it but most of us experience mixed feelings about it at some time or another.This is because there are so many factors involved in the actual process that is change, psychological being the most challenging for most of us.

Wikipedia says psychological topics include perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, brain functioning, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Whew. When you think about it, it becomes fairly obvious that some or many of those areas will be challenged during the process of change.

Very often, once several of those areas are challenged we move into a ‘fight or flight’ reaction to life. Fight or flight means just that – it is a survival mechanism where once we would either fight the sabre tooth tiger or flee. It is useful in our system in short blasts – not so healthy long term.

Futurist Faith Popcorn suggests that during change, the fight or flight response activated by the philological challenges, result in “cocooning” (cutting our self off from all those around us to try to ignore what is happening) or through actively resisting change through negativity, destructive criticism, even sabotage.

Obviously these tactics are not congruent with a peaceful, harmonious and connected life!

In this article I am going to offer you a handful of tips that can take you out of the reactivity of fight or flight and into being pro-active.

Try them, see which work for you and add your own little helpers to the list. Then, when you notice yourself hiding away or becoming negative and obstructional you will have a few tactics up your sleeve! Read the rest of this entry »

Gravity Glider from Brain Gym – for more info see www.braingym.org

Start by noticing how well you can express yourself right now…..

Sit comfortably on the edge of a chair, extending your legs and crossing your ankles. Cross your arms gently on your chest. Relax your knees and exhale, bending forward, head first, allowing your arms to glide forward, lengthening towards the floor.

As you inhale glide your arms upwards towards your chest, coming gently upright.

Do this three times to the front, to the left and to the right.

Finally notice what feels different, does it feel easier to express yourself; or maybe the push to say something has lessened or changed, celebrate that more relaxed place.

Have a great week!

Yoga Breathing

I love this focus on my breath when I am feeling a little anxious or stressed about something. It helps me to get back to the present quickly and quietly….

Sit or lie down. Start to breath filling your lungs from the bottom to the middle and then finally filling the top, just reverse the process to breath out, top, middle and then bottom. Like filling up a glass and emptying it out.

When we get stressed most people start shallow breathing, just filling the top part of our lungs. Instinctively we may know that a big breath to the diaphragm relaxes us but most of us forget, except maybe those who enjoy their stress releasing cigarettes…. If you are a smoker wanting to give up try yoga breathing fresh air before having that cigarette. You may not want it anymore.

Have a great week.

Micro Movements

Micro movements are tiny movements that can wake up parts of the body you may not know exist!

To do these you need to find a quiet place and allow your mind to still.

Listen to your body and let it move. Follow that movement, very slowly and minutely. Allow it to develop a life of its own.

Your mind may start to take over – to try to go fast or make it into a movement you understand – if this happens slow down even more and let the movement lead the way.

This process is very meditative. Try spending 2 or 3 minutes following your quiet self when you are stressed and notice how you feel. More than likely you will experience feeling more relaxed, calm and back in touch with your True self. Nice quick fix!

Have fun!

Earth and Space Buttons from Brain Gym

In Brain Gym we like to start by noticing where we are, that means we can feel the changes that take place more easily and we are more likely to do what is good for us next time we feel out of whack.

So start by noticing how peaceful or chaotic you feel. Physically, emotionally, mentally and through your senses.

Place two fingers below your lower lip and the heel of the other hand just on your navel pointing downward. Breath the energy up the centre of your body. Look down and then let your eyes track a vertical line up (ie floor to ceiling in a corner).

Then place two fingers under your nose – where your mustache (sorry girls!) is – and the other hand over your tailbone. Breath the energy up your spine. Look up and let your eyes track a vertical line down (ie ceiling to floor).

Finally, borrowing from Touch for Health, place one hand on your navel and the other on your tailbone and take a few more breaths to centre yourself.

Now stop and notice any changes.

You may like to make a resolve to do this simple process whenever you are feeling chaotic and out of sorts!

Enjoy

April 23/2010

Here is a precis of this month’s newsletter by well known Brisbane astrologer Babula Clemens for those of you wondering what is happening planetary wise. For a full report see her website www.newdawnastrology.com.au

…Yes, it’s come around again: Mercury the Trickster is up to his Retrograde mischief for the next 3 weeks until May 11th. All the usual recommendations apply:

• Take extra care with making bookings for appointments – double check and confirm.
• Take extra care with making bookings for travel and watch out for volcanoes spewing ash.
• Don’t make important agreements or sign important documents unless you have to – and if you have to, double and triple check everything.
• Take it easy on the roads – go out prepared for traffic delays with your favourite cds and books, a thermos and tea bags or coffee and your favourite snacks to keep you happily occupied and sustained while you’re stuck (Mercury is in Taurus after all) in traffic, at airports and railway stations.
• Make the most of this period for study, research, preparation, cleaning out files and cupboards, sorting out your finances (highly recommended with this one), catching up with people from the past, writing, gardening, meditating and being in nature – trees especially. Mercury retro is a good time to slow down if you can: review, repair, rejuvenate, reassess.
• This is a good period for re-negotiations, repairs and re-evaluating priorities and values.
• Have lots of massages – essential for anything to do with Taurus.

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted for the first time on March 21st, the Aries Equinox, and again a few days ago. It’s a classic expression of a release of the inner tension build up of the Saturn/Uranus/Pluto T-Square. Does some pressure need to be released in your life?

Some planetary activities over the next few weeks:

On April 20th, Chiron, called by Howard Sasportas ‘the wound that makes us wise’ moves into Pisces for 2 months. Chiron wounds can manifest on many levels – physical, emotional, mental, soul – and when entered into offer deep insight and healing on all levels.

In Pisces we’re looking at our feelings, collective suffering and issues to do with our spirituality, trust and faith. Physically, Pisces is the feet, our immune system and exhaustion due to psychic and emotional sensitivity. We’ll all be vulnerable. Collectively and individually, much compassion will be needed.

On April 27th, Saturn makes the 4th in a series of 5 oppositions to Uranus – an opposition is exactly that, opposing energies colliding. Saturn = the status quo, the past, boundaries and the demands of human physical life. It’s also connected to base chakra survival issues while Uranus is the revolutionary force of liberating change and is an energy of high vibration, light and consciousness – the new.

This sequence started in late 2008. The last pass will occur at the end of July this year.

We’re all experiencing the tension and stress of these forces in our lives. The challenge is to keep ourselves well-grounded in our bodies, daily tasks and work responsibilities (Saturn in Virgo) while remaining open to change and an expanded new way of being (Uranus).

As we are now in a phase of dismantling the old systems and the old order, CHANGE is the order of the day and the next few years ahead. My suggestion is to use this Mercury retrograde phase in Taurus to prepare yourselves for change. Take care of business and be practical in ways that allow for movement and flexibility.

These planetary movements also manifest as health issues in the body and our immune systems are more vulnerable to infections and bugs. Rest, quiet, meditation, warm baths, saunas and lots of foot massage, reflexology can help.

PS I like the last recommendation – we can all do with more of that! = )

Have a great retrograde! Gay

SIT IN THE SUN AND DREAM

Do you need instructions for this? Probably not! Just find a spot in the sun, under a tree, beside the sea, wherever you feel comfortable and allow yourself to rest.

Let yourself be there until you have relaxed. Feel the sun, experience the outdoors and refocus. And if your mind refuses to stop then try last week’s meditation!

….

“I have a body but I am not my body.
I have feelings but I am not my feelings,
I have desires but I am not my desires,
I have a mind but I am not my mind.
I am a centre of pure self consciousness, capable of mastering, directing and using all my psychological processes and my physical body.”

Have a great wwek!

April 20th, 2010

I am back from holidays and, as usual, there is so much admin catch-up to do while feeling just a tad lagged and distracted. I put into place a timed process that is a great way to stay focused and get stuff done for when a limited attention span is an issue. It helps to engage the thinking processes so paying attention happens naturally. I thought I would share it….

Start by listing the jobs to be done, eg today mine look like:

catch up pile
finalise BAS
sort out spare room stuff
clear emails
finalise client records
blog

then add 10 / 20 / 30 after each one. It will now look like:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

Now just do each item in order for 10 minutes, then back to the top of the list to do each item for 20 minutes, then back again to the top of the list to do each item for 30 minutes. Cross off each time code as you get to them ie my list looks like this right now:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

And, if you get an item done before the time is up then you can just cross off the whole item and move on!

This is a great way to work through an overwhelming list… I think this months ezine will be on this and other ways to handle overwhelm. If you are not yet signed up go to http://gaylandeta.com.au/sign-up/ to do so.

Here’s to getting stuff done!

Gay

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MEDITATION ON THE TRUE SELF

This meditation forms part of the teachings of Roberto Assigioli and is used, in part, in Transformational Kinesiology to help clear unhealthy identifications with our roles. And lets face it – we all have so many roles in the world a little detachment can only be good!

While it is particularly effective within a balance where the blocks are cleared prior to the meditation the usefulness of regular quiet contemplation cannot be underestimated.

Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a period of time. Five minutes is a good start although you may choose to meditate longer.

Sit or lie comfortably, And become aware of your body, just notice it in a neutral way, without trying to change, all the physical sensations you have, any aches or pains or discomfort. Be aware of the clothes on your skin, the air on your face, your feet on the ground. Once you have done this for long enough move to the next step.

Now become aware of your feelings, notice what you are feeling right now. Which feelings are predominate in your life right now, both the positive and the negative. Don’t judge, just view them and notice them.

Next become aware of your desires, impartially, as before, notice the desires that take turns motivating your life. That you have desires but that these, too, are changeable and often contradictory.

Then observe the world of your thoughts, watch as one thought emerges and takes over from the previous one. If you think you are not having any thoughts this too is a thought. Watch your stream of consciousness; memories, opinions, nonsense, arguments, images flow by.

Finally dismiss this realm also from your observation and become the observer, the one who has been watching your thoughts, feelings, desires and sensations. Who is it that has been observing these realms? It is not the same object as the realm experiencing the sensations, the thoughts, the feelings or desires. It is not an image or a thought, it is your SELF, your essence, that has been observing but is distinct from all of them. “I am the SELF, a centre of pure self-consciousness”. Sit with this realisation for about 2 minutes.

Roberto Assigioli’s original version adds the words :
“I have a body but I am not my body.
I have feelings but I am not my feelings,
I have desires but I am not my desires,
I have a mind but I am not my mind.
I am a centre of pure self consciousness, capable of mastering, directing and using all my psychological processes and my physical body.”

I find these words a solid verbal reminder that I can choose to be the observer and not my thoughts, feelings or the emotions that are attached to any of my roles.

Enjoy the release!

Double Doodles

I thought with so many of us having a holiday this fun movement from Brain Gym would be great to share.

Try it before you draw or write …

Grab two nice fat texta’s and a big piece of paper. With one texta in each hand start doodling allowing your hands to follow each other – to mirror the movement. Allow your eyes to rest in the
space between your hands

You will end up with a mirror doodle. Once you can do that really easily then you can start drawing and playing with mirroring shapes and pictures. you can even write your name, you will have one going forward and one going backwards…

This works in with our early developmental movements and can help with sorting out ambivalent handedness, left and right reversals and is very fun. Try it with fingerpaints and a big table with kids!

Enjoy!