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The Muscle of the Soul

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The Muscle of the Soul Empty The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Wed Sep 30, 2015 3:14 am

I just found this article whilst browsing, this is totally something new to me, i've never even heard about it before.... but how amazing, if this is correct that out Psoas muscle can be connected to our Stress and Anxiety and our mental well being, then what? should we all be doing Yoga to release it all and feel better?

Has anyone read or heard about this already and can share some insight? as most people know I can struggle with Anxiety a lot, so i'm wondering how beneficial focusing on something like this could be Smiley


http://themindunleashed.org/2015/07/the-muscle-of-the-soul-may-be-triggering-your-fear-and-anxiety.html
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by President Roosevelt Wed Sep 30, 2015 3:54 pm

Very interesting Night, thanks for the read Smile

I've had moderate anxiety throughout the years, I guess I've always been the brooding type. Actually, sometimes I think that my anxiety is just remnants of when I had depression as a kid. In other words, If anxiety gets out of hand, it can burst like a bubble and become depression. So rising anxiety, ultimately fear, is a symptom of something we need to heal, usually with the right thoughts and frame of mind. For me, anxiety (fear) is the path to depression. Depression becomes worse if we let the fear pile up and keep it unresolved. It can grow like a mountain, and one day it'll feel too big to change, and then the thought comes in that we can't create the life we want, that it's hopeless. That's depression knocking on our door step. To move that mountain, all we need is a little mustard seed: faith.

According to Louise Hay, author of Heal Your Body and Heal Your Life, anxiety is distrusting the natural flow of your life. An affirmation/thought-pattern to heal it is "I love and approve of myself and I trust in the process of life. I am safe." Likewise, depression is anger and hopelessness aimed towards yourself. An affirmation/thought-pattern to heal that can be "I now go beyond other peoples fears and limitations. I create my own life." Hopefully Rodan can chime in, I think he was a fan of Louise Hay so maybe he can tell us how her works might have influenced his life. And healers like Lotus, Love&Light, bunny, and others will take an interest.

Admittedly, I've used these affirmations to help me but I've also seen the best progress with actions to make that affirmation seem more real. For example, if I get anxious, I might say an affirmation like "It's OK. I trust myself. I got this." But what do I have trust in? To be anxious to begin with, my trust was in fear, not myself. Rather the affirmation is a reminder that right now I need to put the trust back into myself and the flow of my life. With that thought in my head, I immediately start thinking of the kind of person I would be if I had that confidence. How would that person act? What would that person do? And then I just do what I can to feel better, which often involves just taking action on the thing that scares me, be it talking to that beautiful girl, applying for that job, speaking up to others, etc. Affirmation and visualization help me get there, but the action itself "solidifies" how illusory my anxiety is, so then I know I can overcome it. So when anxiety comes back, I remember the action I took, and then it gets weaker and weaker until faith and confidence replace it.

The only things that really helped me to relax the most were video games, writing stories, music, or exercising. After reading Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, I loved visualizing because it helped me to believe in the life I wanted. It helped me to be less anxious. The good thing about visualization is that it rewired my mind so that it felt natural to take action, and with that action my fears were losing ground.

Now, if the Psoas muscle is the root of mental well-being, I don't think yoga is necessary to heal your body. Yes, the assanas and stretching exercises can work. At first when reading the article, the first thing that struck my mind when reading that the Psoas is around the hip area is Sacral Chakra which concerns life's pleasures and joys, feeling good in our body, feeling good in life. But if the Psoas is all about physical health, then that's also connected to the Root Chakra which concerns our survival, health, and which fear (anxiety) is the demon of. Maybe the Psoas is connected to both, in which case ways that nourish these chakras like eating right, getting good exercise, finding joy, drinking enough water, etc. is always good.

I don't think the Psoas is the cause of our chronic physical pain. The pain is a symptom of our repetitive thought pattern. For example, lower back pain is thought to be related to the Sacral Chakra and concerns over money issues in some spiritual circles. But what causes the pain is ultimately fear, fear is an emotion, but can be traced to a thought. The mind-body connection ensures that we feel our pain because it's all part of Mind. I think healing the Psoas with yoga, exercise, or relaxing (maybe even Reiki?) can help us calm down the stress and anxiety that is targeted there. I remember reading a book on Tantric sex and it said to dance. Why dance? Because fears are attached to the hips and can inhibit sexuality and the flow of joy and life. Dancing brings us back in touch with that spontaneous fun and over time it can awaken sensuality. So shake it off like Taylor Swift, the lips don't lie after all, as Shakira said. The body can be the mind's cave of pain or the mind's beautiful garden, I think it really depends on how we think about ourselves, our life, and how we approach the things that make us anxious. The other meaning of Yoga is "union with God", so yoga can be anything that connects us to that higher power. For me, that's a cheeseburger Smiley. No, it can be anything really like writing or serving others. An over-constricted Psoas is a symptom of the anxiety in our mind, actions that heal the Psoas, yoga, can then help us heal by calming down our mind and opening us up to greater thoughts and feelings about life.

Another thing I've learned from Love Yourself by Larry Crane is to just say yes to whatever you feel. Feeling anxious? Just say yes to it. Keep saying yes and keep accepting it till you feel better. And then you'll realize that you have enough inner-strength, through acceptance, to deal with it. In other words, anxiety is manageable. This is kind in line with Adi and Mr. Brightside saying just go general and focus on what feels good. I think this helps to put anxiety in perspective since we can come back to the problem with refreshed thoughts and better feelings that give us more confidence. I also like just visualizing myself winning, despite my anxieties, and then finding an action to help me feel more confident about life and just do it.

And as part of my Invisible Counselors, if I feel anxious or overwhelmed, I just think about King George VI and how he overcame his fears.

The Muscle of the Soul _50986674_george

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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Thu Oct 01, 2015 2:49 am

Thank you Pressie, that post was absolutely Beautiful and an Inspiration

For me personally i have suffered with Anxiety from my early 20's and it took me a good long time to even make a dent in it let alone make it something i could live with, half the time i didnt even realise it was Anxiety, it can be so elusive and it was all tied up in Health and Phobias

It's all linked, anxiety, depression, phobia, ocd, they walk hand in hand

for me Anxiety is not trusting in yourself, being afraid of your decisions and it can cause, or be cause by a big lack of self esteem, its a vicious circle, but once broken you can truly be liberated.

I was put in a position, whereby an abusive relationship just lead me to doubt every move and every decision i made, regarding myself and my children, i was so busy living up to someones expectations and rules and regulations, i didnt even know what my own were anymore, infact i was so young i dont even think i got the chance to form or establish my own inner beliefs and values, i just became this frightened little woman who judged herself harshly, beat herself up constantly and wouldnt say Boo to a Goose, the mere thought of showing any assertiveness was terryfying

But something clicked one day, and well everything changed from there, it was like i woke up, and realised this wasnt how it was meant to be, dont get me wrong it was a long road, but for me the key to breaking away from this anxiety was to believe in myself, to realise i had just as much right as anyone to an opinion, that i wasnt this awful 'kid' that knew nothing, i was good, i was deserving, i could make decisions and i could make good ones.

Part of my therapy was to realise everything i wanted was on the other side of that fear, that small step of making a decision, of trusting it and following it through, kind of like saying.. well whats the worst that could happen? realising that even if i made a bad choice things would still be ok, standing up and saying this is me, these are my beliefs, and values and i have a right to them. Living for the moment, Anxiety keeps us focused on the future, constantly living in the land of 'what if', not being in the 'Here and Now' so you never enjoy whats going on because you're far too busy worrying over what might be, this is where Mindfullness was my saviour, learning to accept thoughts as just thoughts, they cant hurt you or harm you, we have just as many nice thoughts as we do bad, we just dont pay attention to them as the negative overrides them.

dont get me wrong i still have times where i struggle, my confidence can still be a fragile thing, but i have always seen myself as a little flower finally given some light to Blossom and flourish, and its ok to have down times, you just employ a bit of self care, you dont live there, you just love yourself and look out for yourself, like you said, say ok to it, embrace it and love it until it turns into something else.


You last part reminds me of an exercise i had with a Counsellor before, aswell as writing a list of the my good qualities, she noticed i wasnt finding an outlet for my anger and frustration, i am a very calm and placid person, even in the throws of anxiety i have this stillness, this quietness, i go into a mode where i show nothing on the outside, so she wanted me to find ways to express it in a healthy way instead of letting it attack me internally, well i wasnt up for anything physical, i didnt want to rant or rave, so we decided that i would get a piece of paper and just right every swear word i could until i felt better and had released it all..... it worked even though i was still a bit afraid

I do think though that if this muscle is linked in with everything, i am a believer in talking to the body, that if you can get into a calm state and show different areas of the body some love and attention they naturally know how to repair and heal and stay healthy, so i'm wondering if focusing some love and attention on this Muscle of the Soul could be beneficial Smiley
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Lotus ♥ Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:13 am

Thanks Night for this great article, also thanks Roosevelt for your post. You seem to be very well versed in the chakras topic (from this and other posts) so you'll be our authority here on the chakras from now on, sir. Smiley

No, I'm not a "healer," of course. That actually scared me, my friend—to be ever described with the same word I'd rather use for, say, Jesus Christ. Me, nobody. I'm just a little trainee whose highest aspiration is for God to just "use" me as one of His secondary healing instruments. I'd never be a "healer" myself really, in other words.

(Also thanks for the most amazing and immensely beautiful videos/songs you sent to me in the Party Time. That too scared me by the way—that someone on the web could "see" me that clearly. Very Happy The two pieces have instantly become among my "all time favorites." Very Happy That's how beautiful I found them, really; so thank you so much, also thanks to Her Highness the Ambassador of Love Princess Selina who sent me (and apparently Kazoo as well) the link to these hidden gems).

__________________________


Night: I definitely agree with this article although I need to read it again. As for the Yoga connection, I really can't add much. It's a whole science, of several branches. But suffice it to say in this context that Charles Haanel, the renowned author of the Master Key System, wrote a less known book on Yoga, titled Mind Yoga: The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi, in which he said toward the end: When you have practiced Yogi breathing for a few months, you will wonder where you have been all these years. You will say, "I never knew I could achieve such results."

The book is mainly on "breathing"—just breathing. Most people can't even imagine how only breathing and the way we breathe may affect our life. Even which "nostril" you use more, believe it or not, can influence your whole character, your emotional state, and even your manifestations in the LOA sense of the word.  

So when it comes to the body muscles and generally the more advanced techniques of the "Hatha Yoga," one can't help but agree with such articles.

Yeah, a long way to go, ma'am...... But for only those "who have ears to hear" though. Smiley
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:56 am

Its funny you mentioned breathing, i was actually considering posting this link the other day about the benefits of deep breathing, its not as in depth as what you're saying, but i really do believe in the power of something we do naturally and without thinking of it, and focusing on the breath is a classic anxiety tool, its the one thing you can always turn to, whatevers going on, the one constant, when you're feeling tense, nervous or stressed, stop for a moment and focus on the breath

http://www.vegfriend.com/profiles/blogs/health-benefits-of-deep-breathing-and-how-to-reap-them

ok so heres a little confession...... i have massive anxiety when visiting the dentist, i hate that water thing they use, i used to walk out crying.... for the last year when i've gone there and he's done work or whatever, i do mindfulness, i just close my eyes or focus on a spot on the wall and just focus my attention to my breathing, becoming aware of the rise and fall of my chest and stomach, and i'm fine, i dont even have local anaesthetics if he has to do anything painful, when i walk in now he's 'oh you're the one who wont have pain relief arent you... i dont know how you do it!'
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by President Roosevelt Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:27 pm

Lotus, I scared you?

The Muscle of the Soul Tumblr_kpowmc5CAf1qzma4ho1_400

Night, Napoleon Hill really emphasized the power of decision in Think and Grow Rich and Outwitting The Devil, along with Armine and Adi. That's one of the reasons I liked Superman's games, he had people write their declarations and come back to it as a reminder to play the game fully. That declaration is really an affirmation to stick to the decision they made. But at first, being decisive in the face of fear isn't easy even if decision is what can make the path to cross over fear.

That's why now I'm looking at fears from different angles. One way to deal with my fear of going after a desire is to remind myself of why I want it so that desire > fear. This helps me feel better about my desire and allows me to feel more motivated and trusting too, to get back to the feeling of having it. Another way is the mean between two fears. I'm scared of achieving my goal, but I remind myself that it's more scary not to achieve that goal, and that helps me be more decisive in getting what I want. And then there's rational thinking which can help put fear in its place. Sometimes, I'll remind myself of my purpose/mission in life and how I must follow it, no matter how great the fear is. The good thing about my purpose/mission is that it's very emotional to me, so I can use a more powerful, more positive emotion to outweigh fear (desire>fear, family>fear, service>fear, leadership>fear, confidence>fear). I also go general or detach for a short while when I'm anxious. In detachment, I don't think about the situation at all, I just do something fun. Eventually, I'll feel really good and I can come to the situation with a new state of mind that handles it better or I'll just visualize. These are just short-run solutions to get us to take action and get into the right thought-pattern. In the long-run, I think thoughts and actions will win over fear.

In college, I had a lot of anxiety and stress. Actually, a lot of people did. I knew some people who used weed and pills for that, but it always seemed off to me to use those things. I was scared of losing myself in them so I never gave them a try. I wanted something more....something within....I tried prayer which helped now and then. I didn't realize the full effects of visualization at the time. After reading up on Tantra, I learned about deep breathing, how breathing can mediate our sexual energy, and how we can use breath when we are sexually aroused to move sexual energy across the body. I don't know if it's placebo but it did help. The idea is that sexual energy is ultimately the life force of your body and spirit, it's spiritual energy. When we are turned on, that sexual energy is growing in the lower chakras (root and sacral). With breathe and imagination, we can channel that energy upwards into the other chakras. The Tantra book said couples can do this in Tantric sex and you can do it solo too with masturbating. Actually, you can do it without even touching yourself. That's the Firebreath Orgasm: http://barbaracarrellas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Breath-Energy-Orgasm-Handout.pdf. I don't know if it's placebo or maybe the breathing is circulating blood throughout the body, but I did this once and it felt great, I felt very energetic and positive.

I think cursing is great therapy Smile. I used to curse a lot as a teenager. I was always watching gangster shows like The Sopranos, Goodfellas, Scarface, The Godfather, Casino, The Departed. I introduced all of these movies to my friends and we all started cursing in the middle of class.
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Thu Oct 01, 2015 5:14 pm

The Biggest things for me with my Anxiety that have helped is Jon Kabbat Zinns guided Meditations and Tony Robins timeline

My anxiety hasn't run on a goal orientated path really, thats the only thing i've not stumbled on, i know what i want and where i want to go, what i want to be, career choices, family choices, where i want to live etc

Its stupid things that get me, just day to day rubbish, i am terrible at decision making, i will ponder and ruminate and seek reassurance on stupid things that someone else will be a bit like wtf? years and years of being told i'm stupid, i know this and recognise it, this is where i find the breathing helpful and the self love, recognising actually NO i'm just fine and capable, writing all my good qualities, digging down into my core values and beliefs and conditions imposed on by others, and then flipping them, sometimes it helps to just not give a shit, own your decision. It's a work in progress lol
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Post by Night Eyes Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:11 pm



Lotus i hope you dont mind these videos, i know he's more Science than Spiritual but the more videos of his i watch, i cant help but feel he's taking people to the same place if that makes sense x

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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Lotus ♥ Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:15 pm

Night Eyes wrote:Its stupid things that get me, just day to day rubbish, i am terrible at decision making, i will ponder and ruminate and seek reassurance on stupid things that someone else will be a bit like wtf? years and years of being told i'm stupid, i know this and recognise it, this is where i find the breathing helpful and the self love, recognising actually NO i'm just fine and capable, writing all my good qualities, digging down into my core values and beliefs and conditions imposed on by others, and then flipping them, sometimes it helps to just not give a shit, own your decision. It's a work in progress lol
Just recognize, acknowledge and affirm your RIGHT to make mistakes. You do have the right to make mistakes—because it's only through our mistakes that we may learn and grow and develop. So don't ever deny yourself this RIGHT. "Yes, THAT WAS A MISTAKE," you just say unhesitantly to whoever comes to judge or blame you in the eye, "and I'm sorry for that" and that's it. THAT'S IT. That's all there is to it. ♥

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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:28 pm

Lotus wrote:Just recognize, acknowledge and affirm your RIGHT to make mistakes. You do have the right to make mistakes—because it's only through our mistakes that we may learn and grow and develop. So don't ever deny yourself this RIGHT. "Yes, THAT WAS A MISTAKE," you just say unhesitantly to whoever comes to judge or blame you in the eye, "and I'm sorry for that" and that's it. THAT'S IT. That's all there is to it. ♥️


Lotus if I had a pound for every time i gave this advice to someone else, i would be a rich woman lol

I have struggled over the years to take my own advice (and yours) on this, i've had it ingrained in me to be this perfect person, but boy does that come at a cost...... but the majority of the time i will take heed of it these days, we have to learn, we have to make mistakes and grow of course we do, there's no need to be harsh on ourselves

When my kids were little and they were exploring and experimenting, getting messy, we had a saying 'Flowers Grow in Dirt'..... if you expand on that and transfer it to making mistakes, having a few dark times and struggles but growing and progressing..... it still has meaning Smiley
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Guest Fri Oct 02, 2015 12:01 pm

Perhaps it's better brief than later, so..... Wink

wow so much in this thread, thank you everyone, I want to read it all properly soon and digest it, at the moment I haven't the time, but it's something I look forward to. (Though PR, must you bring sex into everything? *pouts* and that King's Speech gif is from my least favourite part of the movie... I know it's meant to be a release but... well there are other ways...)

In the meantime,

Lotus <3 wrote:Night: I definitely agree with this article although I need to read it again. As for the Yoga connection, I really can't add much. It's a whole science, of several branches. But suffice it to say in this context that Charles Haanel, the renowned author of the Master Key System, wrote a less known book on Yoga, titled Mind Yoga: The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi, in which he said toward the end: When you have practiced Yogi breathing for a few months, you will wonder where you have been all these years. You will say, "I never knew I could achieve such results."

The book is mainly on "breathing"—just breathing. Most people can't even imagine how only breathing and the way we breathe may affect our life. Even which "nostril" you use more, believe it or not, can influence your whole character, your emotional state, and even your manifestations in the LOA sense of the word.  

So when it comes to the body muscles and generally the more advanced techniques of the "Hatha Yoga," one can't help but agree with such articles.

Yeah, a long way to go, ma'am...... But for only those "who have ears to hear" though. Smiley

I am absolutely enamoured of yoga... is there any possibility of us discussing it more in depth?

Anything from a yoga thread with basic exercises for newcomers to a full-blown discussion of the philosophy of yoga would be welcome. (though I think we already have a Pranayama thread somewhere... )

At any rate, I'd be very very interested to read anything else about yoga that Lotus has time to write, at any stage in the bright blue someday. Smiley Smiley

The Muscle of the Soul 20100620_Mysan-094-600x400

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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by President Roosevelt Fri Oct 02, 2015 1:32 pm

SelinaM wrote:
(Though PR, must you bring sex into everything? *pouts* and that King's Speech gif is from my least favourite part of the movie... I know it's meant to be a release but...   well there are other ways...)

The Muscle of the Soul Simpsons-homer-boring

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Smile


About breathing, I've personally noticed that when my worries become a long habit of worrying over something for months, my breathing will get shallower. When my worries are relieved and my overall energy is filled with satisfaction, confidence, joy, etc. then it's easier to breathe fully down into the diaphragm as a habit. It's very subconscious, the changes in breathing patterns were unnoticeable to me until I came back to this thread. Deeper, more fuller breathing has been associated with self-empowering thought patterns and vibrations looking back in my life. I don't know if it's a cause or reverse causality or what, but it just goes to show how I think we can use breathing practices to better understand our own Mind-Body connection. With mindfulness, if our breathing is getting more shallow or quick than it might be a symptom of worry or a mind that's not at peace. So maybe with mindfulness, once we become aware of  the worry pattern building up, we should just stop, shut down the mind, and just breathe and relax.

Back to anxiety, I was reading some of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill this morning and this passage caught my eye: "Kill the habit of worry, in all its forms, by reaching a general, blanket decision that nothing which life has to offer is worth the price of worry. With this decision will come poise, peace of mind, and calmness of thought which will bring happiness."
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The Muscle of the Soul Empty Re: The Muscle of the Soul

Post by Night Eyes Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:05 pm

Thats a very good point Napoleon Hill is making there Pressie

i was told back in my mid twenties, when life was considerably awful for me, and i was slowly waking up to what was going on 'Nothing stays the same' and that has stayed with me and empowered me ever since.... we can get so caught up in a situation or a fear, we suddenly go into this place where we behave like its the be all and end all of our life... but it never is.... so now when i'm in one of those situations i try to stop and think.... is this going to be the same in a week/month/year/decade? and it gives a bit more perspective.

Also Pressie have you heard that during anxiety one way to calm it is to fill your mouth with Saliva? when we panic or worry our mouth goes dry and it apparently sends a message to the brain that there's danger, so if you fill your mouth with saliva or even water, it sends the signal that things are ok.
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Post by lunareclipse Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:19 pm

Wow great thread guys Smiley
Nighty about dentist- my old dentist told me to try and make fun of everything that is happening in my head, like narrate the story in your head as a comedian (and I suppose it goes for other fearful situations in life too). He said that brain can only hold one emotion at a time, so once you are laughing in your head- fear has no space to enter.
Kinda reminds me when I was horse riding with my cousin in Costa Rica and it was just us plus 1 guide cowboy that for some reason didn't speak at all. He told us at the beginning not to worry, horses know where they are going. But when we ended up walking on a super narrow path by the cliff's edge and the horses were stumbling and slipping on muddy rocks, it was kinda hard not to worry.
For some reason I just started laughing hysterically because the whole situation seemed so crazy and the fear DID disappear. My cousin looked at me like a lunatic and yelled "What the fuck are you laughing about???!!!" which made me laugh even more because I never hear a cuss word from my sweet nerdy cousin.

Regarding the psoas muscle, it reminded me of when I was in high school, I read that to relieve anxiety you need to stomp like a sumo wrestler. Like big wide steps and with every step you hit the ground hard and lay all your body weight on that leg. Right after reading that I had one of my final exams, which was an oral exam where you had to go alone in the room in front of 4 teachers that grilled you with questions. I was waiting with some others in front of the room and got SUPER anxious because I hadn't really studied that well and everyone that came out after their exam were white in the face telling us about all the horrible unexpected questions they shoot at you. Then I remembered the stomping and decided to try it out - so I was stomping for a good half an hour in that hallway. To my surprise by the time I entered that room I was calm as a cucumber and I absolutely aced that exam, which I have no idea how because I have a major stage fright and completely freeze up when I am put in spotlight. I was the only person between all the classes that got maximum points and I wholeheartedly thank the sumo stomp for that.
So thank you for reminding me, next time I get anxiety, I will try it again (I have tried it couple other times in the past and it has always worked) and I suggest you try as well for fun.

Later in my 20s I took part of a spiritual summer camp and they had some chakra balancing meditation/dance and to balance the root chakra we also had to stomp hard, so I don't know what exactly works there for anxiety. Perhaps it works on that psoas muscle, perhaps it directs the uneasy energy to the ground or out of your body, or root chakra being the chakra of fears among other things- perhaps it does just work on that energetically speaking. By the way PR if you ever have time, I would love to hear your response to the chakra thread still Razz 2
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Post by Night Eyes Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:25 pm

Ah yes Lunar there has to be something in it definitely, whether it's stomping or moving or dancing or something...... before i had help with my anxiety i had this thing where if i felt a full blown panic attack coming on i would dance... just dance and jump around a bit and it seemed to help it pass, so i definitely think there's something to be said about it!

i cant even remember the last time i had a fully blown anxiety attack its been years, it seems to pass a lot quicker physically for me these days, but i will give the stomping a go x
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Post by Lotus ♥ Fri Oct 02, 2015 10:55 pm

SelinaM wrote:
Anything from a yoga thread with basic exercises for newcomers to a full-blown discussion of the philosophy of yoga would be welcome. (though I think we already have a Pranayama thread somewhere... )

At any rate, I'd be very very interested to read anything else about yoga that Lotus has time to write, at any stage in the bright blue someday. Smiley Smiley
Sorry I just saw this. Thanks Selina. It's definitely my pleasure and even honor to write to Selina, or for Selina, and especially about Yoga. But yes, it's just my time, although admittedly this has a lot to with that. My time and priorities have been set this way especially recently because by now I'm fully convinced that you all, people, have the same knowledge I have and even much more; and that you all even have access to it. Just look inside. Just search within, not without. It's not even knowledge; it's Truth that we should be after. I mean, think about it: I read literally more books than the Christ and the Buddha and Lao-tzu combined read. (Probably you too did, Selina). This needless to say made me look smarter among my fellow classmates, then my fellow workmates, and today my fellow forum-mates. This over the years gave me fame, success, money, even women, and definitely a lot of fun. But this didn't really "liberate" me or free my soul. This didn't help me "realize" who I am, nor did it heal my innermost sense of solitude, loss and sadness. This didn't take me any closer to the Truth, or the Light, or the Peace I know I'm out to find—let alone the pinnacles such greatest souls as the Christ or the Buddha or Lao-tzu attained.

So I'd gladly and even gratefully write, Your Highness. However, neither my writing nor your reading, especially when it comes to Yoga, would really take us far or even mean much so long as we keep only talking the talk, unwilling to walk the walk. The "philosophy" of Yoga, Samkhya, is very close to that of the Advaita. The "fruit" of Yoga, unless you mean Jnana Yoga in particular, however, can't be found in either. It's rather all about practice. ♥️

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Post by Guest Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:43 pm

At risk of momentarily derailing the thread - a modest (in the sense of not ambitious) letter for Lotus

The Muscle of the Soul Dsc_0253


Dear Lotus, Facebook Heart

First of all I would like to say, very belatedly, exactly how sorry I am for having been so cranky in the Short Replies thread and possibly even in PMs (well - perhaps I wasn't cranky there, but certainly very disorganised and cluttered). However much offence ego-me took at some things, it's certainly true that Selina isn't exactly her highest self just now.

The Muscle of the Soul 45cbac16fe2619d96066d8e21f625c92
Selina and PR recently (though I don't think he's speaking to me at the moment :\ )

I do think games, light-hearted silliness can be immensely important, but they shouldn't obscure the true shiny, pretty, happy things: Truth, Beauty, and Light. These things are there, always, even within most humour, but I think that Mozart, for example, for all his love of pranks and jokes, always also attended to serious duties, such as his Freemasonry. These days the serious duties I've attended to have been off the forum - I remember there's a letter from Mozart to his father, who was chastising him over something, where Mozart retorts "I'm already over my ears in work!!!" - this is how I've been feeling these days, but of course I should have still had the judgement not to flood the forums with fun for the sake of a few friends. (alliteration not intentional!)

The Muscle of the Soul Mind_over_matter_by_phoenixfyre6967-d510cg9

It's funny that you say there is nothing to be said, because I was thinking about this the other day - in a certain sense we're closer to Western philosophy than Eastern philosophy in that we talk and conceptualise so much on here, we're like Socrates and his school. But given that I suppose none of us are actually part of a Buddhist sangha, for example, or a monastery, we still lend each other that sense of community for spiritual practice. And dialogue is important, words can genuinely change us. Posts on divine love and beauty - posts of great spiritual essence - can and do change us, though of course the most fundamental change must always come from within.

The Muscle of the Soul 29446-Swami-Vivekananda-Quote-You-have-to-grow-from-the-inside-out-None

Sometimes we need reminders, though; together we can help each other manifest our inner light.

So as to yoga...  I'm not sure, really, of course I have my books and my own practice but it's rather like university in a sense: studies show that of course students don't really need to go to lectures or tutorials, these days these are often recorded anyway and of course always, always, you have libraries, you have libraries. And yet, and yet. Students - according to the studies - primarily go to lectures and tutes for the sake of personal contact, and community; contact with the teacher, who can inspire them on their own paths, who can remind them just how worth it all of it really is.

So I'm not sure I agree that talking about yoga would be useless. Very Happy However, I totally understand the beyond adequate words nature of yogic truths, especially as these are truths to be found in practice, not in theory.

At the end of the day, however, I'm grateful to you and the forum just in general, yoga or no yoga. Please be assured, though, that I'm pretty sure all of us want to "walk the walk" as well as talk the talk as far as spirituality is concerned.

Sending you Australian wild flowers,

Selina

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Post by Night Eyes Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:57 am

i'm going to make more effort with Yoga, regardless of its relevance to this muscle, i've been wanting to start trying it out for well over a year now, but i've always put it off for various reasons, so its time to stop stalling Smiley
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Post by Guest Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:07 am

I want to be able to do this someday, without the wall Very Happy

The Muscle of the Soul 600974_403336426384796_1827186761_n

at the moment this is my favourite favourite favourite:

The Muscle of the Soul 670px-Do-the-%22Shoulder-Stand%22-Yoga-Position-Step-6-Version-2

it's so destressing, you just concentrate on keeping the pose, really wonderful...

...and on breathing... and being... (sorry Lotus, this is like pop yoga talk I realise Very Happy I do have proper stuff about Kundalini I've read, in fact I manifested a whole big book on yoga as a Christmas or birthday present last year Very Happy ... so heavy my dad joked I could use it for weightlifting lol)

The Muscle of the Soul Swamiji_front_view

Of course I like the Lotus  The Muscle of the Soul 3355267824 pose too. Wink And what in English are called the warrior poses...corpse pose...
(Sorry to be so inexact, but I'm too tired to look up the proper names...)

Someday I'd like to be able to...

The Muscle of the Soul 646210-yoga-aid-challenge

There's a wonderful story of a woman who was slightly crippled who ended up being a really fantastic yogi, but I can't currently remember the name or find the story. Sad


I have a draft of a post for this thread where I chat (yes, "chat" only, no expert) about breathing...  but again, too tired to ....find it, I'm afraid.

Night, what yoga poses/asanas are your favourites? Do you ever think about psoas doing yoga now??
Does anyone else practise yoga?

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Post by Night Eyes Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:21 am

Selina i have no idea i've always put off giving it a try, so i'll have to get back to you on that one x
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Post by Guest Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:32 am

Ah I guess you did say you've been putting it off... somehow I read that as putting off doing it properly or something... I really shouldn't go on the forum when I'm this tired. Embarassed xx

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Post by Night Eyes Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:35 am

no i've been putting it off totally, i was originally looking for classes to go to but there arent any at all where i live

so actually if anyone has a any beginner dvd recommendations i would be grateful Smiley
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Post by Guest Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:42 am

I've never even seen a DVD on yoga...my mum has done yoga ever since she was in her twenties so growing up we used to do some asanas together... I never really did much or got far, but I have fond memories of doing the cat-licking-milk posture, whatever that's called, and a couple of other simple ones.

It's only recently that I started doing shoulder stands, I love them, for me it's exhilarating to start to use my body properly, though I love walking and occasionally running and swimming because my work requires me to spend so many hours sitting, it feels... utterly fantastic to do yoga.

Not that it's just some sort of different "workout"... it's a whole philosophy with complex breathing and heart and mind balance... but it does help that it gets your physical self aligned to the rest of you. Wink

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Post by Guest Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:47 am

I learn all the new asanas myself just from the books I have or even (I'm ashamed to say) from the net. My mum has a special yellow yoga book that is one of her great treasures, it's very rare, by an Indian teacher whose name I can't remember, and old, but I...haven't actually read any of it yet, it's too precious. Wink

My favourite book that talks about philosophy of yoga is a small, old, brown-and-yellow-dustjacket Swami Vivekananda book, it's so beautiful in its simplicity, has brought a smile to my face so many times.

We claim that concentrating the powers of the mind is the only way to knowledge. In external science, concentration of mind is—putting it on something external; and in internal science, it is—drawing towards one's Self. We call this concentration of mind Yoga. . . The Yogis claim a good deal. They claim that by concentration of the mind every truth in the universe becomes evident to the mind, both external and internal truth. - Vivekananda

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Post by Lotus ♥ Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:21 am

Just returned from a short trip; apologies for my lateness. Thank you Selina, your letter was gratefully received. Also thanks for the Australian wild flowers; I adore flowers. Smiley

I do think games, light-hearted silliness can be immensely important.
Why then call it silliness? I never said or thought that having fun or going light or humorous is silly. Au contraire, only "the smart" and "strong-minded" have a good sense of humor. Gandhi himself said in a famous quote he'd long ago have committed suicide if he had no sense of humor. (Not to mention that little secret Marilyn once revealed Very Happy although most men, as arrogant as ever, missed it—never thinking that a Marilyn could've had anything to teach them really). Very Happy

The Muscle of the Soul 0eeb48eac3ed192fceb32be30b982611

So don't ever think of games or all such irrelevant threads as silly. However, when we become less self-centered and more caring about others, we usually think and even act differently. Rodan here for example, one of our most cherished members, and I'm sure others as well not to mention our visitors, just don't like this excessive dose of fun and humor, especially in the absence of any serious stuff that may keep the balance let alone maintain the forum's overall sense of purpose. My messages in Short Replies were clear, I believe, so no need really for this repetition. All I may add is, this is a community here, even a family. So please go ahead, have fun and feel free to send whatever you want. But also keep a "family member"—just have an eye on your family as a whole and on everyone else.

* * *

It's funny that you say there is nothing to be said.
Again I never said that. On the contrary, there is a lot to be said. What I rather meant was, for what we may say to ever have a fruit, the "talk" and the "walk" should go hand in hand, especially when it comes to such topics as Yoga. Let me ask you this, Selina: why do we write these posts in the first place? Why does anyone write on this or any other forum?

Every post we write has two major components:

1) The Ego part: This is what *I* want to write. Here I can tell you about what *I* know, or do, or excel at, and you probably don't. About this or that book, this or that information, this or that technique. About Buddha and Socrates and Dante and Goethe and Maharshi and Krishnamurti and Nietzsche and Picasso and Mozart, and a bunch of other guys you probably never heard of (but I did Cool). Sometimes I do this quite needlessly; neither does it really add to the reply intended nor are you even interested. But I still do it anyway, because what I mean in this Ego part of the message—of course unconsciously—is to just tell you: See how much I know? See how knowledgeable I am? See how deep, or cool, or beautiful, or loving and caring, or witty and funny, .....?

2) The Other part: This is the part where I actually reply to you and your message and care, if I ever really cared, for you to know better or see further or agree with my point or really have a good laugh etc., depending on the topic in discussion.


So when you ask me today to write more on Yoga, for example, this is music to my ears. But only considering the Ego part, ma'am, as above clarified; and if only this is what drives me to write as is the case with most people. I really can write a lot on Yoga, and I'm skillful enough to even make you enjoy what I'm going to write—although it'd be all only about *me* and what *I* know and love and enjoy. Considering "the Other" component in this message I may write, however, I should rather ask: would you really benefit from this message? Would it really help you, increase you, add to you?

It wouldn't, at all. It'd just be one more fruitless albeit enjoyable post or thread of ours, or mine. For me, another show of the ego; for you, another entertaining evening.

* * *

However, I'll write more on this tomorrow or so, and on Yoga as well, to at least better explain my point here. So this is only for now and mainly to let you know that your letter was delivered and that the recipient is as always grateful, despite those cranky moments you referred to and he apparently has no memory of whatsoever. Very Happy See you soon. ♥️

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