My Intention in Writing This Post
Before I start, my kindest intent is to be helpful and write through my HIGHER POWER in this post.
First, we will start with the experience of stress and the suffering that can happen. Second, we will talk about one of many ways to help you let go of stress and deal more effectively with it. There is an opportunity hidden in this you know.
What is this Stress?
Stress is caused by how you perceive a certain situation. If you look at any person, situation or event in a fearful manner, based on the past conditioning or habitual way, it causes a reaction in the body and mind. See what this reaction is and what it causes in the body in detail by watching Bruce Lipton’s presentation on YouTube entitled “The Biology of Beliefs.” These perceptual thoughts and feelings are intertwined and habitual. When they arise, they create the fight or flight response spilling hormones in your body. These hormones (adrenaline for example) after being there often over a period of time can harm us, especially our immune system.
These feelings are also hurtful. Feelings of anger and anxiety for example, if left unaware and rampant, it can lead to mental anguish and forms of addictions. I speak from experience. I was plagued in the past by what I am saying here. My friends would say to me “Chris you need to take care of yourself”
Of course with chronic stress in your work environment, it is very important for us to “take care of ourselves”
How can Kundalini Yoga Help?
Kundalini Yoga is the “yoga of awareness.” Awareness is the key factor in dealing with the harmful effects of fearful perceptions with accompanying emotions.
How do you Maintain and Practice Awareness
By practicing Kundalini Yoga you are training your mind to be aware of the fearful perceptions and accompanying emotions that arise in the body and mind. You want to prevent getting taken by their reactive qualities and shift to a more calm and kind way to respond. These feelings that present themselves are habitual. The exercises teaches to be aware of each energy center within the body, thus the mind, and build spaciousness and accept it as it is (it is what it is). This reaction isn’t who you are. You are the gentle, non-reactive awareness that observes this, allows it to pass and chooses a more empowering way to look at it. As your thoughts are more empowering, so are your words and actions.
The Buddha once said: “We are what we think. All that we are arises from our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.” So this practice helps us to be aware of our thoughts. As the Course in Miracles and the 12 steps of AA states: “We need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in us and in our thoughts and attitudes” This is where our power lies: “Minding fully your mind” or mindfulness. The training of this is of utmost importance.
Finally, I like to say that Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk and Zen master, was once asked, “aren’t you worried about the state of the world” He allowed himself to mindfully breath and he said, “What is most important is not to let your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.”
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If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to help you out.All the best,
Chris