Happy energetic group

Your energy matters

by ChakrasEnergy HealingEnergy MedicineFeaturedGratitudeHealthMeditationSelf Love

Have you ever noticed the power of your smile? How different does it feel when you walk onto a crowded elevator with a smile instead of a look of irritation? Your smile is evidence of positive energy shining forth—sending waves of peace, tolerance, hope, and comfort into the world. Does it really matter whether you cultivate positive energy and project it forth? Nothing could be more important. Our world’s wellness depends on the kind of energy you contribute.

Energy Matters

In an energy-driven universe, we are givers and receivers. We are conduits of energy and we can decide what kind of energy we take in and give out. The news tells us the world is hurting. Too much hatred, anger, fear, greed, mistrust, incivility, rudeness, and selfishness have been going unchecked. And the greatest of these is fear—fear of not being enough, not having enough, fear that there isn’t enough.The good news is that individually and together we can use our positive energy to counter this absence of love.

I think of Rumi’s call to action: “Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder.” Ask yourself what energy you are you sending forth into the world. Do you bring light? Do you focus on love and unity? How do you present yourself to the world—your face, your body language, your words? What are your rules of engagement—-kindness, courtesy, laughter, openness, curiosity, respect, love?

You have the power to heal the world with your energy. You can change your energy, grow it, cleanse it, clear it! Here are five essential healing energies you can work with:

Compassionate Energy

The power to love and care for one another may seem to come naturally, but actually it is a learned behavior that is modeled for us. We love because we are loved and we know how love feels. Each day you can model compassion by consciously sending loving energy to the people you meet.

Creative Energy

Did you know you are a creative genius? The power to dream, imagine, invent, and build is part of who you are. With our creative gifts, we humans can envision a hopeful, sustainable future and travel there together. You bring joy to the world each day that you work, play, dance, sing, play music, write, paint, design, have fun, or teach someone else to do the same.

Courageous Energy

Every day that you spend living in faith rather than wringing your hands in fear is a great day for the world. Believing in a benevolent universe and a positive future takes courage. Being a role model for faith in the ever-present goodness can help heal the world. Be one of those who appreciates the good, who smells the rose, pets the dog, and shares a laugh at every opportunity.

Cooperative Energy

Can you imagine a world where cooperation—not competition—is the rule of the day? There is too much emphasis on who wins and who loses. Cooperation allows everyone to bring their gifts to the table. We can begin by choosing cooperation over competition at every opportunity.

Connective Energy

Quantum physics has confirmed what traditional wisdom has always told us. We are one unified energy field. When a tree falls in the forest, not only is there a sound but the air quality on the other side of the globe is diminished. We are connected and what affects one, affects us all. Unity is our foundation. Whatever you can do to strengthen your connection—to Source, to the natural world, to your fellow humans—do it today. Smiling at those people in the elevator blesses us all!

Seven Chakras

Improve Your Mood Instantly with Chakra Cleansing

by ChakrasEnergy HealingFeaturedHealthSelf Love

Taking time to recharge and reset your body, mind, and Spirit is essential to overall health and wellness. Everyone has different methods for releasing the negative energy that naturally accumulates throughout the day: some enjoy taking a hot bath with lavender salts before bedtime while others detail their hopes and aspirations in a journal so they can stay on-track to reach their healing goals.

If you find that your healing rituals are becoming less effective, you may need to spend some time cleansing your chakras so you can get your entire being back on track.

We have seven primary energy centers in our bodies called chakras. Since each chakra correlates to a body part, there are specific ailments and dysfunctions that result if it is blocked. Any time that we have a physical issue, it weakens us emotionally. By cleansing your chakras and releasing stale energy from the body, you breathe new energy into the area of your body that is struggling for air.

And just as each chakra corresponds to a physical body part, they also have a powerful influence over our mental and emotional well-being. The clearing of energies past their prime will help you work through fears and emotions that can safely be freed.

Cleanse your chakras and improve your mood

You can learn to cleanse your own chakras in a quick and effective chakra cleansing meditation.

A grounding meditation practice

Focus on your root chakra and planting it firmly in the ground. Feel the energy of the Earth as your physical body and Spirit connect to Mother Earth. Suddenly, you’ll feel energy radiate up through your body and your mind.

Focus on opening your chakras

After completing your grounding meditation, you can begin opening each of your chakras, one by one. You’ll want to start with the root chakra.

To do this, visualize each one opening. Since each of the seven chakras has a specific color associated with it, a calming way to focus on each opening think about each as your favorite flower in one of the seven colors.

As you focus your energy on a particular chakra, imagine that flower — in its corresponding color — blooming.

Beginning with the root chakra, think about a red infant flower bud that is tightly bound, protecting its delicate petals from the harsh world on the outside. As you look at the young flower, you can tell that there are hundreds of petals on the inside that are ready to break free from the confines of the shell. Suddenly, you notice movement and the flower opens up into full bloom, radiating beauty and life into everything surrounding it.

Once your root chakra has opened, you can move onto the next. As you work through each chakra up to the crown, imagine each one blooming in their corresponding color.

Root chakra (red)

Sacral chakra (orange)

Solar plexus chakra (yellow)

Heart chakra (green)

Throat chakra (blue)

Third eye chakra (violet)

Crown chakra (gold)

If you aren’t a flower or plant enthusiast, you can visualize doors opening or clouds parting. This entire opening meditation should take you approximately 28-42 minutes, spending 4-6 minutes to open each chakra.

Breathe energy into each chakra

Going back to the start of your grounding meditation, refocus on the energy that you pulled from Mother Earth. It is now time to use this energy to flood each of your chakras with life, like water racing downstream in a river. As you visualize the water running through your root chakra, observe how it flushes away impurities and stale energies.

Move onto your sacral chakra after you feel your root chakra has been cleansed. At the end, you will have seven streams of energy flowing through each of your seven chakras.

Return the energy source to Mother Earth

When you feel that your chakras as cleansed and feel it is time to turn off the energy flow, start to pull back on the energy streams. Just like you would turn off a running faucet or unplug a lamp, the energy will fall back into the Earth quickly.

Return each of your chakras to their resting state

After the flow of energy has been returned to Earth, it’s time to close each of your chakras. While we aren’t closing chakras entirely — completely closed chakras are not healthy or sustainable for anyone and completely open chakras will drain your own energy — it is important to dial down the energy on each.

Just like you would turn down the volume on a radio or adjust the thermostat in your home, adjust the energy level on each chakra. You will start with at the crown chakra and move your way down to the root. Adjust the level until you feel comfortable: too low and you may feel a sensation of heaviness; too high and you may feel nervous or anxious suddenly.

This process of adjusting your chakras is unique to each individual. There is no wrong or right way to cleanse your chakras. What feels right to you may feel wrong to someone else. Each person is different.

To find out what feels “right,” pay close attention to your emotions, feelings, and physical state as you move through the cleansing process. Over time, you will observe things that repeat and sense subtle energies. There’s a reason why it’s called “meditation practice” — practice makes perfect.

3 Simple Steps to Connect to Your Higher Self

by HealthMeditationSelf Love

Daily invitation for the Divine to enter your life.

Have you noticed all the bright and beautiful magazine covers inviting you to “Be Your Best Self” and “Live Your Best Life”? Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? When you turn the page, you discover they want you to cook a fabulous meal, decorate with artistic flair, and show up for the party in a stunning new dress. You feel pretty disappointed if that is the best your “best self” can do. You know in your heart there is so much more to you than meets the eye, and you’d really like to open that avenue to love, happiness, and peace.

As an energy healer and spiritual teacher, I’ve learned that the “best you” is really a higher you–your Higher Self, the part of you that is connected, always, to Spirit. In India, there is a saying that “God, Guru, and Self are One.” The same Power that created the universe–God or Source or Spirit—is also within you. You and Spirit are one. You don’t have to go anywhere or seek anything outside to find God. You only have to look within. And there you will find your real best self—your Higher Self—waiting to infuse your life with all the goodness you desire. Your Higher Self, in itself a part of the Divine, is much wiser and far more loving than your small self, or personality. It goes far beyond your everyday awareness and can transport you into transcendent realms. Your Higher Self contains all the very best parts of you that you incarnated into this lifetime to develop. It is a little bit like having a close friend living in your house, but you can’t see or hear them. You can’t reach this friend through any of your usual five senses, but intuitively you know your friend is there. You may doubt your connection to the Divine, but as you continue to look within, you will come to believe in the reality of your Higher Self and you will learn how to communicate with it.

Your Higher Self is a perfect being made of light and love—it’s you, the ideal version of you—and thus can offer guidance no one else can. When you align with your Higher Self, you are in touch with your soul and can experience Divine love and feel the effects of understanding that you are part of the interconnected world. Knowing you are loved unconditionally will make you more compassionate and loving toward others. Divine love will radiate through you and spread like ripples out into the world, becoming that gift of peace and good will you want to share today and always.

Although you are always connected to your Higher Self, there are ways to strengthen your alignment and make your connection clearer and more focused. Your Higher Self is within you, and you have the power to keep your point of contact with the Divine open and flowing. Here are some steps to take:

  1. Remember who you are. You are a child of the Divine and have the power to create your world with love, happiness, and inspiration. No need to waste precious attention on fear and doubt.
  2. Use your intuition. You have a channel of communication always available. Be open to the messages of Spirit. Use meditation to quiet your mind. Ask for what you need to know and be ready to receive.  Invite the Divine to enter your life each day.
  3. Make sure you feel good. Use healing practices to clear anything that might be blocking your connection to your Higher Self. When joy and gratitude and creative energy fill your heart, that is, when you feel good, your alignment with Spirit is healthy and strong.

When you are called upon to be your best self, during the holidays and every day, your Higher Self is always with you, waiting to guide and empower you with the spark of the Divine. Drawing from within, you will have all the energy you need to meet the world with love and grace.

To learn more about connecting to your Higher Self through meditation, pick up your own copy of my Learn to Meditate course.