Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Healing Words


Healing words not only assist us gain new insights into our lives, they also can be a source of comfort during rough times. Sometimes we find ourselves unable to express what we are going through and healing words lend us the voice we need to do so.

Healing words became the salve to my wounds when I was undergoing very deep depression because other people, wiser and stronger people, who also have gone through the same experiences I have, managed to put their struggles not only into words, but have produced art because of it. Some healing words are not only knowledgeable and accurate in context, they are also poetic.

In the one year I suffered severe depression and refused to speak to anyone about my condition, I read and collected all the beautiful and healing words that best described my thoughts and feelings; especially the ones I resonated with the most. I would read them religiously everyday like a prayer and reflect on them for long periods of time -- slowly chewing the words like a meal and digesting them deep inside me until I fully understood and grasped the deeper meaning underneath each and every quote.

Healing words are my lifelines -- my source of learning, courage and alliance. I wish I could write them all down in this blog and thank all the artistic, intuitive and clever people whose words helped me through my darkest nights and were my only source of joy and solace. But since that is not possible, I would like to share some of them in here:

“Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.”
~ Jalal al-Din Rumi ~

“Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling

with the mistaken belief that you cannot bear the pain.

But you have already borne the pain.

What you have not done is feel all you are beyond the pain.”

~ Saint Batholomew ~

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw ~

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door
that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
~ Helen Keller ~

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
~ Buddha ~
“To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to leave the world a better place;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

"The most important things in life aren't things."
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo ~

“Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep,

too grave to laugh,

and too selfish to seek other than itself.”

~ Kahlil Gibran ~

“When you have come to the edge of all light that you know

and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown,

faith is knowing one of two things will happen:

there will be something solid to stand on

or you will be taught to fly”

~ Patrick Overton ~

“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief -
but the pain of grief is only a shadow
when compared with the pain
of never risking love.”

~ Hilary Stanton Zunin ~

Sunday, March 29, 2009

After Pain

photograph courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/christiansisson/

After pain comes healing and after healing comes personal growth. From personal growth we gain a deeper insight into our true selves, or simply put, our souls; and from becoming more aware of our souls' purpose, we attain higher consciousness -- the union between our spirit and God or as others may refer to as the Universe -- and from this union comes Enlightenment. Many ask why we are only able to achieve higher awareness after pain?

I would like to share a beautiful excerpt from The Prophet, one of most the famous works of Lebanese American poet, writer and artist Kahlil Gibran, who elegantly speaks of why we experience pain in our lives and the rewards we reap after pain.


"And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us about Pain.

And he said:

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun,

so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life,

your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart,

even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.


Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burns your lips,

has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears."


In this wondrous passage of The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran exquisitely describes how pain is part of a spiritual process we all must undergo as human beings. The process teaches us to appreciate our lives more and value the bountiful blessings around us by helping us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and find our true purpose in life -- not the purpose society has pressured us to achieve materially.

After pain comes a cleansing of the soul that clears up our hearts and minds of the rubbish we ourselves pollute it with every single day. This rubbish of course pertains to all our fears, anger, hatred, disappointments, resentments, insecurities, prejudices, doubts, greed, selfishness and indifference towards the world and the people around us. We need to wrench these feelings out from within ourselves to purify our souls. We have to undergo the painful and unpleasant rites of passage that come naturally with life. True happiness, contentment, a purposeful and meaningful existence will all come to fruition and can be an attainable goal after a lot of personal work and after pain.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Natural Depression


Natural depression is a term I am often asked by people who come to see me for treatment. I personally do not believe that depression is a natural state to be in if you are a healthy human being living your life under the best conditions that meet all your essential needs. However, I am certain that depression will affect each one of us somehow, some way at some time in our lives, regardless of whether you are healthy or not. Therefore with regards to depression being a normal or unavoidable circumstance in a person's life, then yes, I would say that there is such a thing as natural depression.

Natural depression is a process that is commonly expected from someone who has just experienced some form of loss in his or her life:
  • the death of a loved one, be it a person or a beloved pet
  • losing a job
  • losing a partner due to a divorce or a break-up
  • losing a home
  • a failed business venture or investment
  • losing a friend through a misunderstanding or a fight
These are all valid reasons for someone to undergo natural depression.

Natural depression occurs during times of loss because our normal routine as well as the order we have set up in our lives are suddenly disrupted by a tragic event. That is why grieving is an expected behavior from a person who has just experienced loss because as human beings, we are aware of the emotional and mental pain this incurs in a person's life. As a matter of fact, society respects a person who is in mourning and allows them the time, space and privacy to overcome this trial in his or her life.

Natural depression associated with loss is considered a purging of one's soul and should be allowed to unfold on its own time so that the individual can surface from it with a valuable life lesson. Through sadness, one begins to reevaluate his or her life and develop new perspectives regarding what he or she considers valuable in life. Consequently, the person begins to have new priorities and proceeds to make changes in his or her life -- they could either be big or small changes -- but the process will certainly contribute to his or her personal growth.

As for depression that occurs for no apparent reason, then there are more factors that need to be considered, some may be biochemical while others could be physiological. In this case, depression is in no way considered "natural" however the symptom of being depressed is indeed a natural result of the underlying cause.

Possible causes of natural depression in these cases are:

  • Stress - lowers the immune system and can disrupt the brain's normal chemistry by lowering its ability to produce sufficient amounts of serotonin
  • Unbalanced and nutritionally deficient diet
  • Insomnia or sleep deprivation -- disrupts the production of melatonin as well as the body's circadian rhythms
  • No exercise or lack thereof -- people who exercise regularly are able to produce sufficient amounts of dopamine and endorphins, called "happy hormones" therefore making it highly unlikely for them to suffer from depression three times more than those who have no exercise routine at all
  • Alcohol and drug abuse -- alcohol is a natural brain depressant while illegal drugs can alter the brain's chemistry which is a major cause of depression
  • Prescription drugs -- sadly, medications that people use to contain a chronic disease is also responsible for causing depression. Examples of these are anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines, birth control pills, sedatives, etc.
  • Caffeine
  • Nicotine
  • Yeast infections
  • Parasitic infections
  • Hypothyroidism/ Hyperthyroidism
If you suffer from depression that is not caused by grief or loss, seek medical attention immediately to rule out any of the factors listed above. Of course, there are a lot more factors responsible for causing symptoms of natural depression but the ones I have included here are the most common.

In addition to seeking help from a medical practitioner, it would also be advisable to complement this with some form of natural therapy to help you deal with the painful and debilitating effects of depression, especially if the problem is a product of the unconscious mind. Sometimes it is only a matter of being conscious and aware when depression shows up in your life; why it is present in your life; how it affects you; and how you can arrest it from developing into something bigger that could cause further complications in your life.

I personally experienced a year-long depression myself when my marriage fell apart but I was still able to function normally through the help of natural therapies. Although I was only able to handle simple and routinized tasks, it was enough to slowly build my self-esteem, courage and determination until I was finally able to overcome the disease. However, I was also fortunate to have family and friends close by to give me all the love and support I needed to get through that difficult period in my life.

Natural depression is not a problem that should be a cause for alarm. Yes, it is not something to be taken lightly, however, find comfort in the knowledge that it is curable as well as containable. Do not think you are going crazy (even if it sometimes feels that way) and never think that it is the end of the world. There are solutions to everything and there are people who are fully qualified to help you through your depression. Also, never forget that you have family and friends who care and love you and will give you all their support if you ask for it. Often times, it is through the generosity, unconditional love and compassion of others that one becomes fully healed from natural depression.

Loving You


photograph courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/kacey/

Loving yourself may sound like the easiest thing to do, but I will be the first one to tell you that it is more difficult than it sounds. Loving you in the truest, purest and most honest form is no easy feat; not even for Narcissists or people we normally label as "selfish" or think of no one else but themselves. In fact, you'll be surprised to know that they are even further off from loving themselves than what their actions imply.
Loving you for who you are, not just for your good points but for your bad points as well, does not only ask for self-awareness and objectivity on your part, it also requires an open mind, a humble heart and a good sense of humor. Finding out about your weaknesses, bad habits and unpleasant qualities are painful enough realizations for one to accept, but if you take it to heart in an unhealthy way and allow it to consume you with guilt, regret, and a need to blame someone else for who you are, then you are no way near the powerful gift of loving you.

My personal challenge in life since I was a child has always been about loving me for who I truly am; and that includes the person I was in the past, the person I have become and the person I am destined to be. This inability to love myself stemmed from sexual molestation and abuse that I experienced in my childhood, teenage and adult years. These ordeals developed within me a sense of shame, self-loathing, disgust, anger and disloyalty to my own being which then made me go through life without any love or concern for my own needs and my own rights.

Almost three-fourths of all the decisions I made in my 39 years of existence were based on wanting to serve others, to please others and to win everyone's approval and love at my own expense. This attitude and outlook towards love and relationships attracted more abusers into my life and by the time I was married and had my first child, it was only then that I woke up one day and realized I was completely miserable and felt I was of no value to anyone or anything whatsoever.

I had a beautiful son, a lovely home and a husband who was seemingly very caring and loving towards me yet I could not understand why I was in complete despair and comsumed by feelings of utter helplessness, worthlessness and insignificance. To me, life always seemed so difficult, cruel and so unforgiving that despite the fact I would give out my heart and soul to everyone around me including my work, I always found myself sucked dry and drained of all energy and love until I had nothing left to give.

After attending an amazing healing workshop one weekend called Loving Relationship, I realized I was deeply entangled in a recurring pattern that perpetually left me powerless, abused and beaten down all the time and the abuser who was responsible for making me feel this way was none other than Michelle -- me.
The people in my life who loved me and still love me unconditionally in the truest sense of the word, like my family and my closest friends, could never understand why it always seemed like they loved me more than I loved myself. After that weekend, I finally knew why and I understood why my life was such an unhappy one. The Loving Relationship workshop was not about your relationship with others, it was about having a loving relationship with yourself -- a workshop aimed at loving you.

Now I never dismissed the fact that there were real people who abused me as a child, as a teenager and as an adult, and I never disregarded the crimes they committed against me. But the crime has been done and there is nothing more I can do about it. It does not matter that I cannot turn back time and change things. What matters to me is that I have moved on from my past and my pain and have risen above my feelings of shame, guilt, self-loathing, anger and disloyalty. I forgave my abusers and most importantly, I forgave myself.

You may not agree with my opinion and I respect your own views regarding this matter, but I believe that what you put out into the Universe is what will come back to you two-fold. I believe in Divine justice and I know that the people who have done me wrong will eventually pay for their wrongdoings in the proper time, if they haven't already. But I never felt the need to carry out the punishment myself. I have forgiven them for their crimes and I sincerely have no hatred in my heart for any one of them. For me, I still came out the victor in this major trial in my life and my reward is the ability to love myself for who I truly am.

Part of the process of loving you requires you to undergo some of the darkest periods in your life for it is only during these major trials that you learn more about yourself. With this learning comes the next difficult step:
  1. Do you choose to stay a victim for the rest of your life, endlessly pointing fingers at everybody else for their mistakes while feeling sorry for yourself?
  2. Do you choose to seek revenge and become the next abuser, wrecking havoc and causing pain to everybody around you for the pain others have caused you?
  3. Do you choose to cut yourself off from the painful realities occuring in your life and numb yourself to the point of becoming disconnected and indifferent towards people and the world around you?
  4. Or do you choose to overcome your pain and seek to be a better person from who you were before, at the same time free yourself from negative thoughts and emotions that suppress you from becoming the best you can be?

Loving you can only be attained by choosing the fourth option. I do not promise that the journey will be an easy one. In fact, it is no way near as simple as I have written it out to be. It can be a long drawn process of moving two steps forward and one step back (as mine seemed to have been in the span of four to five years). But by choosing to work on yourself; by being honest and true to yourself; and learning to laugh at your own mistakes without judgment or deminishing who you are; YOU will eventually be rewarded with the beautiful and liberating gift of loving you.

Body Mind Healing


Body Mind Healing is quickly gaining popularity not only around the globe, but here in the Philippines as well. There is a growing demand for coaches and healers who can effectively teach and assist people, not only for educational purposes, but as a practice they can incorporate in their daily lives to relieve stress, brain fog, depression and a whole range of debilitating diseases including dealing with the realities of death through body mind healing.

Body Mind Healing evolved from the common principle called "mind over matter", a phrase widely received in the 1960s and 1970s as a spiritual and philosophical belief that the mind is more powerful than the human body. By conscious intention and determination, body mind healing is the practice of restoring the body to its normal and healthy state in conjunction with another form of treatment, either through traditional medicine or through natural means.

As a manual therapist and spiritual coach, I often inform my patients before we even begin our first session that I can only do 50% of the work; the other 50% has to come from their own conscious effort and dedication to become better. I have patients who could barely walk when they first come to me due to paralysis on one side of the body brought on by a stroke. But because they refuse to let their bodies cripple them and limit the remaining years of their lives in this condition, they incorporate a body mind healing practice into their medical treatment and physical therapy. Before long, they are able to walk solely by themselves and find that they are not only healthier and more fit physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.

Body Mind Healing, simply put, is any form of therapy that clears your mind of negative thoughts and a defeated attitude towards a disease or illness that you are physically suffering from. If you hear a person say he no longer wants to "go on living" or claims he no longer "has the energy to fight the disease" would indeed benefit greatly from body mind healing.

However, be careful not to misinterpret a person who says he is "at one with his Maker", is "ready to go" or who says he is "at peace" as someone who is harboring negative thoughts or has given up on himself, especially if the person is suffering from a fatal disease and does not have much time left to live. None of us will live forever in a physical sense so allow a human being to pass on from this world when he is prepared to do so. If you find that it is you who is having difficulty letting go of a person whose time is up, then you may be the one who needs a body mind healing.

On the other end of the spectrum, a person languishing from a fatal disease and has been painfully suffering for a long time but cannot relinquish life either out of concern and worry over the family he will leave behind; feelings of guilt; unresolved conflicts with people in his life that matter to him or unsettled issues would also be greatly assisted by a body mind healing. A couple of sessions would easily help him let go of these "unfinished business" in his psyche, and in doing so, will give him the sense of closure and peace of mind he will need to move on to the afterlife.

Body mind healing is a natural and harmless technique that anyone can undertake through the guidance of a qualified and proficient coach. Practices like:
  • meditation,
  • Conscious Rebirthing,
  • Qi-Gong,
  • Reiki,
  • yoga
  • aura cleansing and balancing
are only some of the gentle holistic therapies that produce amazing and life-changing results. It is your rightful privilege to feel empowered, at peace, happy and content with your life. Do not allow external factors to get the better of you or make you feel like you have no control over your own life anymore. Whenever this happens to you, know that it is merely your own inner fears preventing you from living your life to the fullest and the best way to realize this and solve this problem is embarking on a practice that involves body mind healing.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Exercise Pain


photograph courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/

Exercise pain
is one of the most common complaints I hear from patients who come to me for Bowen therapy. I find it ironic that people are determined to incorporate an exercise routine in their lives to stay fit and healthy, but end up complaining about injuries as well as exercise pain.

Exercise pain is your body's way of telling you that you are pushing your body beyond its normal capacity and you need to adjust your exercise routine to a lesser degree than what you wish to achieve. I know that we all want to look fit, firm and slim for aesthetic reasons as well as for health reasons. It is common knowledge that exercise lowers bad cholesterol, improves blood circulation, gets rid of fat and flabby skin, removes toxins from the body, stabilizes blood pressure and improves resistance to disease by raising our immune system. But it is not suppose to injure the body or cause exercise pain.

Each one of us are built and made differently. Our bodies are unique in their own right and have their own advantages and disadvantages. I for example, come out of a yoga class or a Pilates session feeling light, flexible, taller (as if my spine has been stretched longer by 2 inches), straighter and re-energized. I feel tired at some degree; but it is only the right amount of tiredness and it compels me to sleep earlier than usual (since I am an insomniac) and gives me the deepest and most restful sleep at night. I never come out of a yoga or a Pilates class complaining of exercise pain.

Now others may not resonate with yoga or Pilates and may find it too "slow" for their taste or too difficult, especially if their bodies are not supple enough. Some people prefer high impact exercises like aerobics, tennis, badminton, golf, running, kickboxing, and others. Now I personally have nothing against sports or high impact exercises. If they work for you, then by all means, stick to what you enjoy and love doing. But be aware when your body starts feeling tired and tells you to stop. Often enough, when I ask people who complain of exercise pain if they pushed themselves to continue even when they were starting to feel weak or tired, the answer was always "Yes."

When the body has already reached its physical limit and starts sending you signals that it is tired, it is necessary that you begin warming down or wrapping up your game and calling it a day. If not, you run the risk of injuring yourself or finding yourself waking up the next day complaining about exercise pain. Once you begin to experience exercise pain regularly, it won't be long before it develops into chronic pain or worse, a more serious injury.

Also consider that some forms of exercise, especially sports, have a higher risk of causing injuries especially when you do not prepare your body properly beforehand with stretching exercises or correct warm-ups. Foregoing with these necessary preparations are another major cause of exercise pain. So always make it a habit and a discipline to warm up before you exercise as well as warm down at the end of each session. The muscles need to be gently stretched and allowed to loosen up after a rigorous activity to prevent it from causing you exercise pain brought on by muscle stiffness, tightening, adhesions or restrictions.

Exercise pain can certainly be avoided if you know how to listen to your body and respect its limitations. Harness your sense of competitiveness, especially if you engage in competitive sports as a means of exercise, by knowing when to stop. Don't brand yourself as a weakling or a failure because your body just does not feel in top form on certain days -- because that will happen. Your body is not always in the best condition every single day. So protect and care for your body in a practical and wise manner. After all, its the only one you've got and the quality of your life would be so much happier and more fulfilling if you are not limited by an injury or exercise pain.


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Rescue Relationships


Rescue Relationships in your life by healing yourself first. We all want to rescue relationships in our lives that we feel are not working out, are one-sided, are giving us stress, making us lose sleep and causing us emotional pain that we no longer can function normally in our everyday lives. But I have learned through experience, and through the truthful and practical teachings of wiser people, than it is only after we heal ourselves first that we will learn to rescue relationships.

Rescue relationships as you would like to heal your own problems. Look into your life first and analyze the kind of thoughts you normally deal with in your head or the kind of emotions you go through whenever you are faced with a dilemma. When you come across a problem at work, for example, what is your automatic reaction? Do you immediately tell yourself, "I can't handle this!" and feel defeated right away? Do you procrastinate or pretend the problem does not exist and refuse to work out the difficulties head-on so it can be solved?

Now look into your relationships. When a problem comes up between you and your partner, or you and a sibling, do you say the same thing -- "I can't handle this!" -- and also go into denial about the issue and pretend it does not exist? I bet you do exactly the same thing. And do you know why I say that? Because the most essential and most valuable relationship in your life is not with other people. The most important relationship in your life is with yourself. YOU with YOU. Not YOU with her or YOU with him. YOU with YOU. So to rescue relationships with others, you need to look into how you are with yourself first and foremost.

People will come and go in our lives. But you will be with You for an entire lifetime -- and maybe even longer than that. If you need to rescue relationships, then it is necessary that you rescue your personal relationship with yourself first. After all, what if you suddenly found yourself alone one day? Wouldn't it be so liberating and fulfilling to still feel happy and content even if you're alone because you have a healthy and loving relationship with yourself? If you can barely stand being with your own person, do you wonder why anybody else can't stand being with you?

Do you truly love yourself? Do you give yourself the credit that is due you? Or are you hard on yourself and are you your own worst critic? Are you honest with yourself or do you try to fool yourself most of the time? How you are with yourself is how you are with other people. Let me repeat that: How you are with yourself is how you are with other people.

I should know. The primary purpose of my life's work is to rescue relationships especially your relationship with YOU. However I still find myself struggling and learning to have a better relationship with my own self every now and then. I can actually handle criticism from anybody else with a gracious heart and with much gratitude, but the minute I get home and I'm all by myself, I will immediately start punishing myself for having disappointed another person. I will beat myself up, figuratively speaking of course, for whatever it was I did that brought about the criticism in the first place.

So to prove my point, you probably would like to ask me now if I am harsh and critical towards the people I am in relationship with. The answer is yes -- absolutely. People in my family know this about me. But because they love me unconditionally and are aware that I am even harder on myself, they tend to be more accepting of my personality and are even the ones who constantly remind me to be more forgiving towards myself. Plus they don't really have a choice in the matter because whether they like it or not, they are stuck with me forever.

But as for my primary relationships, I have failed in that department so many times because my partners could just not handle my overly critical and judgmental attitude towards their personalities. I was actually advised by one wise and beautiful person whom I was lucky to have in my life at one time, "Love yourself more Michelle. I think I love you more than you love yourself." I was furious the first time I heard it. I was so enraged that he had the nerve to tell me that! I thought it was just a sneaky excuse to try and get out of our relationship because I truly believed I loved myself. Of course I do! How can I not?

But did I really love myself? Years later and many failed relationships after, I realized he was right after all. When I learned to start looking deep inside my emotions and thoughts and studied how I treated myself, I was shocked to know that I was very judgmental, harsh and unforgiving towards myself and naturally towards everybody else. That's when I finally understood what my friend meant. And ever since that time, I began the long and difficult, but rewarding task of healing my personal relationship so I can effectively rescue relationships as well.

Rescue relationships with a open heart and an open mind. And most importantly, learn to laugh at your own mistakes and don't be too hard on yourself as I have been towards me. As you discover more about yourself; learn to embrace it, have a good laugh at your realizations and look at it as a learning process. Don't be too serious about it. No one is grading you and no one has the right to fail you in your process. The only person who can fail you is yourself. So take a deep breath and let it all go as you exhale. And make a commitment to yourself that YOU are your most important relationship in life and then, and only then, will you find it a whole lot easier to rescue relationships.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Heal Life


Heal life in the most gentle, natural and loving way you can. Life has more than enough harsh realities for us to deal with as it is. We are constantly bombarded with images of war, hatred, corruption, exploitation, cruelty and indifference, just to name a few. Therefore when you heal life with a generous heart, a tender touch, a warm smile and a sincere desire to help others, you already are doing your share of healing lives and healing our world. You don't have to be a certified healer, a doctor or a superhero to take part in fixing our planet; as long as you have pure intentions, you are more than able to heal life.

Heal life in your own way. We all come from different cultures, different backgrounds, raised with different beliefs and have unique life experiences. Only you know what your strengths and your weaknesses are. If you are an energetic person who loves the spotlight, is not afraid of standing in front of the stage and loves to motivate and inspire people, then be a leader or a teacher to heal life. If you are the quiet type who prefers to be around nature and has a natural affinity towards animals, then take part in environmental works or just run your own farm efficiently, earnestly and lovingly to heal life.

It does not matter how big or small your contribution or life's work has to be to heal life. You don't have to be a famous personality like Oprah Winfrey or a celebrity like Bono to change our world for the better. I have deep faith in the lowliest and most modest of souls in being just as effective in healing lives as those who do great and colossal works. I know my life has been genuinely touched by a humble street vendor who found my 5 year old brother alone, crying inside our car, when a carnapper left and ran off with the spare tire after the engine suddenly died on him. She saw my brother's grade school I.D. hanging on his neck and called my parents immediately. When they came to pick my brother up and offered the lady a reward, she graciously turned it down, accepted our gratitude and went home. We have never found her again yet I always wonder to this day how many more lives she has touched and changed just by being herself and doing her own share to heal lives.

Heal life every single day. You have no idea what a simple gesture like a smile, a tight warm hug, a simple message like "I thought of you today" or a quick phone call to ask someone how she or he is doing, can heal a life. Even plants and animals appreciate your attention and your tender loving care. Don't underestimate the simple act of patting your dog's head or talking to your plants while you're watering them. I know, some of you would probably laugh but I know more than a few gardeners who tend to lush and magnificent gardens simply from singing to their plants and talking to them everyday.

When you heal life, you heal our world. And when we heal our world, it will, in return heal life.

Healing Touch


All human beings have the healing touch. Anybody and everybody are innately born with the power to heal. You may find this difficult to believe, but we all have the ability to heal others as well as ourselves. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to learn; the right intention to help others including yourself; and a healthy belief in your capacity to heal.

Notice how babies who are constantly held by their mothers or fathers are calmer and more peaceful than babies who are left on their own all day long? Do you remember bumping your head or falling down and hurting your knee and Mom suddenly came to the rescue with a bag of ice to ease the swelling while she rubbed your back or gently touched your head while asking if you're okay? I always believed that more than the bag of ice, it was her motherly concern, love and her healing touch that made me feel better and took the pain away.

The healing touch is not a magic trick or a super power that one is specially gifted with or acquired through radiation or nuclear wastes like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You don't need to be able to leap over tall buildings, fly through the air, have a special leather outfit or a spiffy cape to have the healing touch.

Reiki is an ancient Japanese healing art that anybody can learn through a one day attunement with a Reiki Master. Through an attunement, your chakras or energy centers which constitute your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self are opened up to receive the divine universal energy, or God energy, making you a vessel to heal others as well as yourself.

Reiki's healing touch is gentle, non-invasive and 100% safe. In certain cases, the receiver may not even need to be touched and this does not diminish the effectiveness of the treatment. Benefits from the healing touch of reiki are:
  • relaxes and balances the receiver on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level
  • eliminates stress, anxiety and psychological issues
  • cleanses and releases energy blockages, negative thoughts and emotions
  • raises the body's immune system
  • regenerates damaged cells and tissues
  • energizes and gives the receiver a renewed sense of well-being
If done on a regular basis, reiki can assist the body in fighting off as well as eliminate even the most serious of diseases.

You don't need any background in healing or a medical degree to be a reiki practitioner. People from all walks of life, from professionals to students to housewives, are reiki healers. All you need is an open mind, a gracious heart and a desire to help others.

For inquiries and more information on reiki programs and attunements here in the Philippines and the United States, please click on:

http://www.hotshermitage.org/yoginchristreikitm.html

Remember, since the universal chi or Divine healing energy passes through you while you are treating a person, you yourself benefit from the healing as well. The more you practice reiki and make it a part of your life, you will find yourself becoming a clearer, more grounded and more balanced person in body, in thought and in spirit.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Pain Disease


Pain Disease is a serious problem afflicting millions of people all over the world every single day. Pain disease sufferers constitute more than one third of the world's population in some form or another. Any chronic disturbance or abnormality in the body, whether on a physical, emotional or psychological level is basically considered a pain disease.

Pain disease not only affects a person on a biological level but also disrupts his emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. People suffering from some form of pain disease have experienced major upheavals in their lives, not just within themselves but also affecting the people around them.

When you are suffering from a pain disease, your body is sending you a signal that something is not right. Unfortunately, most conventional treatments only help to alleviate the pain but do not address the root of the problem. Other forms of treatment require drastic measures which people are not willing to undergo. They would rather learn to live with a pain disease than take a huge risk, and rightly so.

Pain disease is one of the many medical conditions the Bowen Technique (Bowtech) can address from the root cause. The Bowen Technique is a gentle form of manual therapy that activates the body's natural ability to heal itself. A Bowen practitioner merely works on strategic points, using a gentle rolling move over the muscle, that sends out signals to the rest of body for it to begin the healing process. The initial response a client generally experiences is a deep sense of relaxation and oftentimes fall asleep during a session. According to it's founder, Tom Bowen, it is only when the body is in this deep state of relaxation that it is able to heal itself.

Pain diseases such as muscle pain, sciatica, TMJ, scoliosis, ports injuries, migraine, respiratory diseases, digestive disease, carpal tunnel syndrome, toothache, arthritis, rheumatism, back pain are just some of the many problems the Bowen Technique has been able to correct or manage.

For inquiries and more information on Bowtech classes and practitioners here in the Philippines and abroad please go to:

http://www.bowentechnique.ph
http://www.bowtech.com

People's lives have improved greatly from Bowen treatments and many are just as amazed at their own body's ability to health itself and rid itself of pain disease.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Breathing Yoga


Breathing yoga is an amazing healing practice that everyone can learn and make use of in their everyday lives. In breathing yoga, you will literally breathe out suppressed emotions, fears, negative thoughts, painful memories, traumas, as well as belief systems and programming that hinder you from becoming the person you truly want to be. Stress, depression, anger, traumas , anxiety and panic attacks can likewise be addressed by the practice of breathing yoga.

Breathing yoga techniques originated from the ancient Hindu discipline of pranayama, a breathing exercise that controls the prana or the life force which is also known as the breath of life. By taking control of the prana, the power that your mind and your emotions have over you is released and directed towards the spirit, transferring all the power now to your higher consciousness or what others call your connection to the divine power. This ability to connect to the divine energy is what makes breathing yoga a very powerful healing tool.

When you regularly experience being in a higher state of consciousness brought about by your breathing yoga practice, you will find that you now possess a healthy detachment from your feelings and your thoughts, giving you a greater sense of wisdom, objectivity and clarity about your life and the world around you. This also means that your emotions and your thoughts are now in union with your spirit, giving you a sense of oneness and wholeness -- of unity -- which is why the practice is called breathing yoga because yoga means "union with God".

There are many types of breathing yoga methods one of which is called Conscious Rebirthing. Conscious Rebirthing is a breathing exercise done initially with a coach who guides you through a series of breath variations that help cleanse your body of toxic emotions, calm your mind and bring you to a higher level of awareness. The exercise is done in a quiet and dimly lit room with only the coach and the person doing the breath-work present. A session can take from an hour and a half to two hours, sometimes more, and is done on a regular basis until you gain mastery of the technique to do it on your own.

I recommend breathing yoga to:
  • people who are tired of being slaves to their emotions
  • people who feel paralyzed by the thoughts they create in their minds
  • people who find themselves trapped in recurring life patterns and are prepared to break the cycle permanently
  • people who feel manipulated and oppressed by guilt, insecurities, self-doubt, phobias and belief systems instilled in them since childhood
  • people suffering from diseases and believe they could win the battle by acquiring a new attitude and more positive outlook in life but don't know how to go about it
And lastly, if you believe that only you, and you alone, should be the master of your own life, if you are committed to break through your own fears and go beyond the limits your mind and life experiences have built against you, then the first step to freedom begins with breathing yoga.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Mind Soul Body Healing


Mind Soul Body Healing comes in many ways. Various techniques and programs for mind soul body healing, from ancient healing arts to modern methods, are all designed and developed for cleansing and healing our thoughts, bodies and souls in order for us to live fuller, happier and more meaningful lives.

Mind Soul Body Healing is a practice that all human beings should imbibe and embrace into their lives. We are, after all, spiritual beings housed in human bodies, equipped to think for ourselves and have human experiences. We are not merely human bodies who just happen to have souls with everything expiring all at the same time once the life cycle has ended. As a matter of fact, the physical body has an expiration date and so does the mind -- sometimes it even expires ahead of the body -- however, our souls do not.

Everyone wants to lead healthier and longer lives. In fact, the fight against aging and stress is evidently a global issue and a huge business. People invest so much time, money and energy on exercise, vitamins, supplements and healthy food just to keep their bodies and mental states youthful, healthy and strong. This is all well and good and I myself believe in maintaining a healthy and strong body as well as a sound mind, free of stressful thoughts and negativity.

However, it is not enough to focus only on the physical aspects of our being. If the spirit is neglected and allowed to deteriorate, fester and even expire, how much fun or fulfilling a life do you think you would have? What use would a perfectly fit and ageless body be to you if you are continually depressed, angry or consumed by fear? How enjoyable would your life truly be if your perfect memory cannot let go of the hurt and offenses others have done to you?

Mind Soul Body Healing addresses your entire being as a physical, mental and spiritual entity. It is not enough that you merely work on one aspect of who you are. You must work on all areas of your humanity, devote time and energy on each area and nurture them all as one so you can reach and attain your highest potential as a human being.

Mind Soul Body Healing is for everyone. Anyone can embark on a mind soul body healing practice regardless of religion, race, age, gender, educational background, weight, height or financial status. The human spirit does not concern itself with the material world. It does not judge nor does it measure a person’s status in life. It cannot distinguish a rich man from a poor man. It does not care whether you have a PhD or dropped out of high school. The spirit knows of only two things: it is either healthy or ailing. Mind soul body healing can teach a toxic mind and an unhealthy spirit about forgiveness, detachment, self-awareness, compassion, integrity, accountability, truth and charity, and by doing so, free you from feelings of guilt, blame, resentment, anger, insecurity, loss and fear.

Imagine living a truly peaceful life in total harmony with your world and the people around you no matter where you are and who you are with. Imagine waking up free from pain, positive about things to come and always grateful for everything you have and everyone around you. Imagine going through your day feeling empowered and undaunted by obstacles that come your way. Imagine being in full control of your mental and emotional faculties when caught in an unforeseen event enabling you to make fast and clear decisions without giving in to doubt or panic. Imagine being fearless and detached about other people's opinions; taking nothing they say personally and always being objective and secure about who you are and what you want in your life. Imagine knowing how to love unconditionally, without expecting anything in return yet receiving the kind of love you also deserve without having to ask for it. Imagine being happy and proud for other people’s accomplishments without feeling any less successful about your own achievements and victories.

That is what mind soul body healing can do for you, and believe me, it can do so much more. If this is the kind of life you want to achieve for yourself; if you want to be free from the issues of your past; if you want to remove the recurring patterns in your life that hinder you from your goals and if you are sick and tired of being a slave to your emotions or of being your own worst enemy, then the time has come for your mind soul body healing.