I am grateful for the knowledge that I have the power to jump out and jump back in. That power is how we create our life, if we know we have it, learn how to use it, and practice, practice, practice.

I am also grateful for the awareness that I am either swimming in the water or floundering around out of it. Being fully present in that awareness is how we experience life to the fullest, learn about our inner and outer realities, and access the infinite guidance of the universe, so that we can spend less time floundering, or swimming upstream, and more time going with the flow. Going with the flow does not mean an absence of effort; swimming is still hard work and there will inevitably be dangerous currents, snags, diversions, steep drops, and predators to deal with. That’s why it’s so great to minimize unnecessary effort and build up strength, energy, and awareness so we’re prepared to meet those challenges with the fierce grace of a mighty fish.

“I embrace the present”…silently, while breathing in DEEPLY. and fully, through nose

“I create the future”…silently, while continuing to breathe in and letting the breath circulate through your body

“I release the past”…silently, while breathing out DEEPLY, and fully, through widely opened mouth

Use your body to move the energy:

Sit with legs outstretched and hands resting at sides; raise hands out sideways, then above head, then reach out in front of you and stretch forward, while breathing in (EMBRACE and CREATE); lower hands to touch feet, and head towards legs, while breathing out (RELEASE); cycle through as much as desired

OR

Stand with legs slightly bent and apart but firmly planted and hands resting at sides; raise hands out sideways, then above head, stretching upwards, while breathing in (EMBRACE and CREATE); lower hands in front, then towards floor with head, neck and shoulders hanging loosely and breathing out (RELEASE); cycle through as much as desired

My energy flows freely.

I recognize and release negative energy and cultivate and share positive energy.

I am fully present and connected to the wisdom, guidance, support, and blessings of the Universe

My life flows in harmony with the Universe and I am open to its infinite abundance.

I am actively creating the life I desire through my clear thoughts and visions and my focused intentions and actions.

I am committed to learning, growing, sharing, and serving.

I am supremely confident in myself and my power to be successful  and happy.

I believe in the Universe as my source and co-creator.

I am grateful for all of it.

I like the emphasis on the health and strength of the practitioner as a necessity for effective healing of others, and also a benefit of undertaking this practice:

The ability to help and heal is in direct ratio to the amount of personal work the student is prepared to put in.  A practitioner of Shiatsu cannot be really effective if his or her energetic state is still not balanced and harmonious.  Knowing theory and technique alone is not sufficient; the Ki must be strong, and this leads to a healthy body and well-balanced outlook on life.

Of particular importance is being in touch with, and balanced of, Ki.   Consistent  focus on the hara (abdomen) and its energy center (mid-abdomen), the tanden, allows that major source of energy to be harnessed, for self and others.  As Liechti explains it:

The hara and its central focus, the tanden, is in fact the second chakra, where our physical energy is stored.  The japanese say this is where mind and body come together, and by centering ourselves here we become more balanced and more powerful.

It’s refreshing for the patient/practitioner relationship to be regarded as a partnership which is beneficial for both.  That kind of world, where the giver receives, the teacher learns, is where I want to live.  Liechti describes the flow of give and receive as:

The practitioner lends skill, experience, and knowledge as a catalyst in the patients’s self-healing.  The patient lends himself as the medium through which the therapist can practice his or her art.  This exchange of energy illustrates one of the primary laws of the universe – that everything is changing and energy is always in a constant state of flow and change.

That goes right to the heart of e-volvedliving: life is constantly evolving.

May 16th is my Birthday…

The weather was a pleasant surprise – warmer and more sun than forecasted.  When I caught myself giving thought to what I didn’t receive – call/card/email from mother (forgetful and not actively engaged in my life), dad (gone, and never had a relationship), brother (totally wrapped up in his own drama and makes no effort to keep in touch), and friends – I grabbed my mind by the ear and forcefully redirected it.  Just remembering it now, I can feel my energy sink.  Because, it is an energy drain to focus on what you think you should have but don’t.  It creates a hole in your core which keeps gobbling up all the good elements of your life to feed it’s aching emptiness.  That’s never pleasant, or productive, and should always be caught and redirected.  And, especially on my birthday – a day to celebrate one’s essence and existence in this lifetime – I wasn’t about to go there.

I frequently wonder if I’m making any progress in my efforts to still my mind, open up to universal wisdom and guidance, recognize and clear blockages, and strengthen my inner source of power (through meditation, yoga, qi gung, chakra work, and acupuncture.)  I still catch my mind wandering all the time, still feel blocked energy, and still sense that inner light struggling to really shine.  Perhaps this an example of progress: catching my mind/heart wandering into negative thoughts/feelings of entitlement, disappointment, comparison, and lacking, and shifting the focus.  It is hard to do, for sure, but as is always the case, practice gradually makes an action more comfortable and automatic.  As that happens, energy is freed up for other good stuff, like being Now Here to soak up the sun, listen to the birds sing, and breathe – ahhh.

What I decided to think and feel on the 39th anniversary of my first breath is all the good stuff my life is full of:

• Love and support from family and friends, expressed and just known
• A very loving, supportive, cool, fun partner to share this road with
• Loving, supportive furry friends (the boys) with lucky tail powers
• The earth which supports and nourishes me
• The universe which guides and protects me
• The opportunities which each moment presents
• All I am learning about how to cultivate true health of body/mind/heart/spirit
• The healing touch of acupuncture treatments
• Coming home to a clean house, smelling of chocolate
• Enjoying a play, and homemade brownies during intermission,  in the courtyard, in the warm, fresh Spring nighttime air
• A genuine, down-to-earth Birthday Happiness Wish and smile from the woman we chatted about vintage bikes with – that made my night
• A freshly made bed to crawl into
• Freedom – to choose what I focus my intention on and how I act and react

I am truly blessed and grateful.

As inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi “Gnothi Seauton”, or “Know Yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1831 poem of the same name, says it’s all inside of you, baby:

This is the reason why thou dost recognize
Things now first revealed,
Because in thee resides
The Spirit that lives in all;
And thou canst learn the laws of nature
Because its author is latent in thy breast.

I’ve been aware of my connection to the cosmic energy/spirit for many years. Maybe I was born understanding it. But it is so easy to get distracted by the physical realities, and daily challenges, of life, and lose sight of that connection. And without taking time to be still and know yourself, balance and clarity are elusive, as is the connection to what is really Real.