soul evolution

Embracing the New Year: Gratitude and Possibility

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

gratitudeSo, it seems we made it through the Mayan prophesy, and we are moving towards year that is filled with possibility.   This past year has not been easy for many.  2012 was an energy that really shook many of us up, and for better or worse we are here.  We are entering a time where possibility is unlimited, but we have to begin focusing on what is important–what is it that you truly want from the experience and what are you willing to create?

As we move into this new year it is important to not set resolutions but to set intentions.

I did feel the rocking that this year gave.   Things came into fruition that I never thought would be possible, and things also have started to fall away.  The ending of this year for me was filled with accomplishment and alignment.  New beginnings are a daily thing, and each day brings new breath.

I have a lot that I want to do this coming year, and finishing up my writing projects is going to be a big priority.  I am also evolving not only my client practice, but my personal practice.   Stagnation is not something that needs to be embraced this year, and holding oneself back from a fully embodied spiritual practice is not something we are going to be allowed to do.

This is the year of the embodied warrior.  The spirit of movement, flow, transition and owning our many parts.   The shadow elements will still be there, but it is important to recognize that they are there to help nudge us along on our journey to self discovery.   Breaking free of expectations and letting your life unfold as you want it to.

What are you holding yourself back from completing, accomplishing, or doing?   Where is your resistance, invite to the table… work through it.

My commitment to this year is going to be to get his blog up and active in a new way.   I want to take my personal writing to new heights.  I was able to finish a manuscript for the Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge and now have to edit and organize it.  I am also working on a new book on Yogic Witchcraft, and have a new blog  www.yogawitch.com and a wonderful radio show on blogtalk that is really picking up steam (www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell).

I am also taking my personal practice to a new level and am claiming my many parts.  I am a student of BlackHeart Feri and recently had the opportunity to ground new energy at the Between the Worlds conference.  I am excited to begin this new path of study, and it has already had a profound effect on my life.

Yoga is going to be taking a forefront in my journey this year.  I am deepening my personal practice but am also going to be offering new classes, workshops, and events geared towards helping others tap into their unlimited potential through yoga, ecstatic practice, and magick.  Stay tuned!

My partner David and I have done a lot of joint projects this past year, and I am thankful that I have had such a wonderful partner standing beside me through the ups and downs of the spiritual journey.  Living a spiritual life is not often an easy one, but having someone who you can share this life with is an absolute gift.  He has inspired me to finish my book this coming year and submit it to publishing.  He has also inspired me through his tireless work with community to deepen my roots here in the area.  I am working on creating and re-launching several of my meetups so that we can create the sacred space needed for touching the sphere of possibility in 2013.

There are lots of things that I neglected in 2012, and some things that I did not complete, that I will take into 2013 with renewed energy.

I thank all of my teachers, my friends, my clients, my students, my colleagues, spirit, and I thank the breath for keeping me moving–even when it seemed like giving up would have been an easier option.

Be ready to see new stuff!

What is in your sphere of possibility this coming year?  What are you leaving behind in 2012, what are you carrying forward?   What are you most grateful for?

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”- Golda Meir

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful. You are Divine!

Namaste!

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com 

www.yogawitch.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Soul Satsang: Spirituality as an Escape

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

I was recently listening to a wonderful podcast by Swami Ramakrishnananda on the subject of spiritual escapism.

Working in the spiritual domain I often hear people say “I am so thankful for my meditation, it helps me to escape reality for a few moments.”

I am so thankful for my “spiritual group” they help me to escape the mundane nature of my life

… and this is just a few of the avenues that many of us use to escape what is presented.  We often forget that what is presented (even if it is not what we want to face) is also part of the divine experience.  Escaping into spirituality takes away from the sacredness.  When we use our spirituality as a game of hide and seek, eventually the other stuff catches up to us…. Which is why I also hear “every time I try and meditate my brain is flooded with thoughts”… Just because you hide from reality it does not mean that she wont keep looking for you.

When we engage our spiritual outlets as spaces to just be present.  To just be whole for a few moments it allows alignment instead of disconnection.

Instead of running from– Run into.   When you run from something it only will chase you faster.  Run into each moment as a divine experience.  Let your spiritual outlets be moments of transcendence instead of avenues of escape.

What do you feel the need to escape from?

What are you running from?

What do you find yourself running towards in times of stress, chaos, or disconnect?

Does escaping into the spiritual lessen the sacredness of the experience, or does it facilitate a release… define release.

Here are some questions for you to sit with

Love and Light.

M.

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

http://www.yogawitch.com

Overcoming Seasonal Depression

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

We are at the end of the year.  The collective energy of all that has changed, grown, and faded away tends to catch up to us when we slow down.  The temperatures are also falling.  Our joints become stiff, the cold naturally slows the blood flow through the body.  The dark energy of the closing of the year surrounds us.

Connection and disconnection exist in this time of year.  One of the best ways to move through the darker aspects of the year is to connect with community.  When seasonal depression sets in, we draw inward.  Connecting to friends, family and making new connections is important.  Tangible human connection is important, it is one of the great losses we’ve faced because of the rise of technology.  Start a club, a group, connect to others through Meetup.com or visit sites around town.

Engaging your spirituality is also important during this time of year.  Introspection is important but we cannot allow ourselves to get stuck there.  Deepening of the connection to our practice is important in keeping us grounded.  Expanding our spiritual circles also allows us to explore and open up to new avenues of growth.  In pulling away from things during a depressive state, many also pull away from spiritual practice.  We have to remember that even if there is struggle we have to show up to our spiritual practice.

Movement also helps us to keep things moving.  The body becomes rigid in the cold.  Things like yoga, working out, jogging, going for walks, dancing, and engaging the body allows a tactile connection to the flow of live.

The idea is to keep simple, but get started.  When depression binds us, we become stagnant and disconnected.  We also have to remember that there is joy just beyond the darkness, but the darkness is also important.  Depression takes us to the dark edges of our reality.  We have to be careful how long we stay there.  Journaling is also an important thing to add to your journey.

Daily gratitude lists are also important during this time.  We often forget the smallest things in our experience… start with small gratitude and they will lead you to bigger ones.

What are you grateful for?

What brings you out of depressive states?

Also, remember… if you are finding life to be difficult, reach out.  Sitting in our spaces alone only keeps us disconnected.

 

 

 

 

Engaging the Path

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

It’s time to move into the flow of your experience.   Run screaming into the wonders that are waiting for you.  We are entering into a time of uncertainty, and this is a beautiful thing.  Not knowing allows us room to be creative.  There is so much waiting for us beneath the veil of our experience.

The hardest part of the spiritual journey is showing up.  When we show up to our experience we are able to be part of the greater journey.  The road is not always an easy one, but the life we are opening up to is a beautiful one.

Engage your journey fully.  Breathe into each moment and allow the expansion of your light to shine in all places.  When we breathe we move, and when we move we create ripples of light that tear through all that binds us.  Live your life loudly, don’t hold back, and shine like a beacon of love.

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

 

Michael Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

 

The Expansion of the Spiritual Self

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

What are your limitations to living a spiritual life?

Where do you find divinity?   Do you see the divine when you look in the mirror?

What is God/dess?

What inspires you to breathe?

Can you feel the spark in your heart center keeping perfect time with the flow of your life?

Where do you let go?

What does freedom feel like?

How often do you say “I love you” to your own heart center?

How often do you laugh?

How free do you feel right now?

When is the last time you looked at the tops of the trees?

When’s the last time you gave from your soul?

 

Expansion of the spiritual self happens through the space of contemplation.  Sitting with our various “life questions” and letting them sit with us.  We spend so much time looking for answers, but often we don’t remember the question… and well, sometimes the question is the answer.  We have to take time to take account of our many pieces.

Alignment is something we work at.  Where do you feel off-balance?  Take that deeper… do you feel spiritually, emotionally, or energetically off-balance?   What do you need right now to come back to center?  We have to take life in slices of “now”.  What do you need in this moment to expand and let go?

Sit with these questions, ponder your existence, and live not just the answers, but the questions… Don’t be complacent–

Seek and ye shall find….

 

Namaste

Michael A Brazell

 

Mastering the Master Cleanse

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Ahhh.. delicious… Lemons, cayenne pepper, molasses and water.

 

This is the basis for the Master Cleanse.  I’m not going to go into a bunch of history on why this cleanse is in existence, but I will share my own personal dealing with it so that you can have a new perspective on an old technique.

The energy this year has been heavy and in many ways chaotic.  Many of us are feeling this shifting force hitting us in magnitude.  We are experience a variety of new emotions, changes (both external and internal), and energies as we align with our higher purpose.  Taking charge of what we are putting into our bodies is vital as we come into this new alignment.

The Master Cleanse is an easy reset button.  Sometimes we come to a point where we know we are not in alignment.  We’ve reached out for the wrong foods, or we might be more aware of the foods that are limiting us.  I do not however follow the traditional mixture.  I have found a concoction that works for me, and it does the trick.

I usually get one of the large bottles (1.5L) of smart water or Whole Foods Brand H2O.  I use 3 Lemons, and I prefer agave nectar over molasses.  Molasses costs a lot more, and agave nectar has a bit few calories and sugar.  I do a couple of pinches of cayenne  pepper, and Ta-Da a delicious drink for the day.  I get up early so that I have time to make my drink, and it typically lasts me through the day.

Leading up to “Lemonade Only”
So, being the realist that I am, I know that if I jump straight into the mixture on its own right away that I’ll throw my body into “Craving every piece of cake in a 50 mile radius” mode.  I typically do not change my diet for a few days, but add the lemonade mixture.  This gives your stomach a chance to get use to the pepper and lemons, and it also provides a mild detox.  The idea is also introduced into your consciousness that a cleanse is on the way.  It’s like buying the cleaning supplies and keeping them in your messy room.  I usually do this for a couple of days, and then slowly begin cutting out different food items, until it’s just me and the lemonade. 

I typically do the cleanse for 3-7 days, and the go into a raw food eating mode for about a week (or longer).   Set a timeline that you know will work for you.

Set an intention for your cleanse.

“As I take in this cleansing liquid so does clarity flow through me”.

Personalize the cleanse and make it yours.  Allow yourself to be fluid with it.  If you feel like doing the lemonade along with raw foods– Great.  If you feel like just adding the lemonade and changing nothing–Great.  The idea here is that you are also including the intention that you are cleansing.  Cleaning happens and a multitude of levels.

Just a quick breakdown of the ingredients.  You want to use purified water if possible.  The agave nectar gives you calories to burn.  The cayenne pepper ups your metabolism and immune system, and the lemons are great cleansers.  Lemon is a natural diuretic, which will help you flush your system

I recommend light activity during the cleansing cycle.  Yoga is a perfect match for the master cleanse.  Yoga allows you to dive deep into the muscles and joints to facilitate release of toxins and limitations.

Trust yourself, and give the body what it needs.  If you need calories, eat.  If you need to modify, modify.

Have fun with the cleanse, open up to intention, and share the journey with those around you.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

 

 

Being Still, Being Present, and Just Being

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

I can’t believe that we are already entering into a new month.  It seems like the year is blasting by at a rapid pace, and many of you are probably feeling the effects.  Time seems to be pushing us into greater alignment with sensations of having to hurry, having to be on time, having to keep to a tight program/schedule and in some ways this takes us out of ability to just be present.

We have to find our stillness in all the hustle and bustle.  Where is your center throughout your day?  Many of us make plans to wait until we get home to begin our meditation practice, but after plopping down in front of the computer we end up either forgetting or just deciding there isn’t time for spirit.

It is important to prioritize your connection to the divine.  Bring it into your day. Where in your day will stillness assist you in connection not only to your day, but to your divine nature.  Taking controlled intentional breaths through the day are invitations to spirit to enter into that moment with you.  When we allow space, we allow the divine to move into that moment.  We just get to be present, even if it is just for one single breath.  The key is to “allow” space for these connections to happen.  I find myself reaching out in the business of the metro station, when people are testing my patience and grace.  I find stillness at the cross walk.

Slowing down throughout the day and just saying “Thank You” to the divine for the moment that is right in front of us.  Thank you for allowing me this space to breathe.  Thank you for this job that I have.  I also take this a bit further, and I love thanking God for the difficulties.  Each time we are presented with a chance to step into our divine nature, and we truly step into that space, we are learning to be present.

Where do you find stillness throughout your day?  Where do you give your moments of gratitude?

Live, love and be blessed.  You are beautiful, you are loved, and you are Divine!

M. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

www.youtube.com/soulinteraction

Intentional Breathing: Creating Sacred Space

/ soulinteraction / 1 Comment

According to a world population data 108 people die every minute.  We never know when we will say our final prayer, that deep exhale.  These numbers also remind me of how often so many of us take for granted the fact that we are breathing.  When life gets chaotic we hold or breath.  We forget that it is the breath that helps things to move.  We have to remember to breathe.

Intentional breathing helps us to make each breath count.  To go into a place of purpose with each inhalation and each exhalation.  When we connect into this space of intention we invite spirit into that moment with us.  We “bring in” something that we might be missing, and create space for clarity, connection, and movement.

So, here is an easy process that will help you to start a process of intentional breathing:

1)  Pick a word, a concept, or something positive that you want to bring into your experience. (love, hope, peace, joy, connection, compassion)

2)  Bring that word into your mind’s eye.  Focus on it, begin to feel it move through you.

3) Take a deep in-breath.  Breathe that word into every fabric of your being.

4) Exhale and create space for the next breath, create space for the intention to become reality.

5) Keep this process going.  The pause throughout the day and re-connect into this space of intention.

 

Where do you hold your breath?   When do you feel that you need movement?  What do you feel you need in your experience that you are lacking?

 

Mahayogi Das

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

 

 

Coming into alignment: Purpose, Self, Breath

/ soulinteraction / 1 Comment

This seems to be the year of integration.  Many of us are hearing the call to come into being, to begin showing up, to be the divine light we were meant to always be.  For some the process will be an easy one, for others this means making radical shifts.  Being in the present is an action of surrender.  So many of us spend so much time in the past, even exploring past lives to find some tidbit of knowledge that can unbind us from some future karma that has not yet been actualized.

Breathe!

Breathing is one of the most important things we do.  It is spirituality stripped down.  It is our common bond to all things in life.  Breathing is the religion of life.  It is the divine mother birthing a new moment, it is father god bringing us connection, light.

I see too many people living on the inhale, life catching them off guard.  Then they forget to exhale.  It is in the out breath that we inspire new life, new connection, and expansion.  We have to break living in a state of waking apnea.  When we breathe we move, and this brings us into alignment.

The physical body is where we meet the breath.  We must take care of the temple.  The physical body is the temple of the soul, where we congregate with life herself.  We often speak of alignment in our spiritual practice, but how can we align with purpose if our bodies are held out of alignment due to neglect?  Take a moment to breath deeply.  Then exhale.  Where do you feel the breath stopping?  Where do you feel resistance?  Sit for a moment with that energy, be in that space of deep listening and ask what is needed in this moment.

Purpose is an unfolding lotus.

It changes as we breathe.  The road bends, it turns, as do we.

I love yoga as it is a constant action of surrender.  It is a unification of mind, body, spirit, breath, and purpose.  It is action coupled with intention.  Desire and will holding my space as I move around the mat.  This is how I am choosing to live my life in this moment.

What is calling you in this moment?   Where do you need movement?  Are you restricted in physical mobility, can you improve on this?  If not, find the smallest level possible and breathe into that space… The body is constantly moving, even if we are not.. Let’s join her in this eternal dance.

Engaging the Shift

/ soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Where are the waters of this life taking you?  What do you feel your purpose is within this divine experience?   Where are you within your body in this moment?

This is a year of engagement and integration.  Who we “were” is now changing into who we have always supposed to be.  Our greater purpose is coming to alignment, and more importantly we are being called to show up to our divine experience.

Most of us will go joyfully, others will go kicking and screaming.  Those that find themselves in struggle need to see where their anchors are located and being the work of deep release.  It is time to continue to see the shadow, to release our limitations, and to move into the breath.

There is work to be done.  We have to engage life and spirit daily.  This shift, this movement in consciousness requires us to show up.

Where do you feel the need to show up in your life?  What is calling you in this moment?