Stress – The Silent Enemy

At least 75% of the immune system originates from the gastrointestinal system (the gut). Did you know that brain neurotransmitters also originate in the gut? This is more evidence that the “mind” really is a spiritual connection to our creative center ~ the dan tian ~ and that the brain is an elaborate switching station that controls the body. Read more in the Mind Monkeys Series. Stress suppresses the body’s immune system resulting in a wide array of systemic symptoms.

Let’s take a look at the definition of stress from the American Heritage Dictionary

 

3e; 5c; 6a:  A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.

 

5 Physics a:  An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.

 

The word “stress” is derived from the Middle English stresse meaning hardship, partly from destresse and partly from the Old French estrece meaning narrowness or oppression.

 

The nature of the word is indicative of restriction, narrowing, tightening and constriction – all things that happen within the body during times of emotional and physical stress.  When you experience emotional stress, you will often feel a tightening or constricting in the throat and/or chest. Physical stress causes a constriction of blood vessels contributing to elevated blood pressure.

 

How often do we use words without really contemplating the fullness of their meaning?

 

Here is a list of some of the manifestations of STRESS:

    Insomnia                            Restlessness                               Anxiety

Moodiness                          Depression                                Hypertension

Tension headaches             Migraines                                   Skin problems

Hair loss                            Stomach /digestive problems      Colon irritability

Obesity                             Neck pain                                  Shoulder pain

Back pain                          Muscle and Joint aches                Diabetes

Thyroid imbalance             Acid-alkaline imbalance               Cancer

 

If you are experiencing or have experienced any of these symptoms, you most likely are coping with situational stress and probably even chronic stress at some level. Working with a Wellness Coach to learn Relaxation Techniques and how to add them your lifestyle will deliver lasting effects with results that can be seen in as little as two weeks. 

If you have ever taken an antibiotic in your lifetime, chances are you have an overgrowth of systemic yeast (Candida). Antibiotics destroy the probiotics in your body along with the harmful bacteria. If you have never restored your body’s good bacteria, now is a good time to start. You will see improvement in as little as 1 – 2 weeks. An overgrowth of systemic yeast will manifest in your body in many of the symptoms listed above. Stress exacerbates yeast overgrowth.

 

You have probably heard since the 1980s that Heart Disease is a “silent killer,” and more recently that Heart Disease is the #1 cause of death among women. The primary instigator behind hypertension and heart disease is stress – whether it is situational stress or chronic stress – the long-term effects if left unabated in the body result in deterioration of health and lead to a cornucopia of symptoms. Even if you have inherited tendencies towards developing hypertension and heart disease, there are steps you can take to prevent the development of hypertension or heart disease as well as natural alternatives to the care of hypertension and heart disease if you are already coping with these health issues.

 

Stress creates constriction, tension in the body, and can even constrict thinking. A tense mind focuses in on minute details and often overlooks the bigger picture. It is easy to get caught in a downward spiral of close introspective thinking. Calmess leads to clarity of thinking. With clarity of thinking, you will find solutions more quickly and easily. Relaxation techniques will show you how to let go of the stress and BE in a calm productive state in spite of the situations you find yourself in.

 

Stress not only affects the physical and emotional body, it affects the energy body as well. The constriction caused in the body by stress leads to secondary constriction of energy flow or Qi (chi). Energy blocks often accompany many of the stress symptoms listed above. It is not only important to address the cause of the stress to eliminate future stress but it is also important to release the energy constriction or Qi block so that energy can freely flow through the body once again leading to and promoting natural healing.

 

An Inside Glimpse to the Beginning of Life

Researchers in Japan revealed this week that they have formed cohesive functioning brain tissue from stem cells.

“The researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe said their new tissues are able to self-organize into four distinct zones very similar to the structure seen in human fetuses, and conduct neuro activity such as transmitting electrical signals among themselves.”

What I found fascinating about this development is that the tissues self-organized into a structure seen in human fetuses. On May 27, in my blog post, Is Your Mind Making a Monkey of You?, I wrote about thought originating from the dan tian and not the brain. The lower dan tian corresponds to very beginning of human life. It is intriguing that the stem cells self-organized into four distinct zones. In the early development stage of life, in the first two weeks, the heart, brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract begin to form. These are the four neural crests that also correspond to the main qi centers and meridians in the body. In the second to sixth week of life, neurogenesis begins with brain activity and a heart beat apparent by the sixth week.

For the first time, scientists have an inside look at the genesis of life and the very beginnings of qi functioning (neuro activity and electrical signals).

You can learn more about stem cells at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

Science and creationism are growing ever closer to being one.

Prayer and The Law of Attraction?

I was going to write about a different topic today, but this one took form while the other didn’t. You might think this a strange topic for someone who coaches stress management but if you keep reading my blog posts, you will begin to see how the mind, body, spirit are all interconnected and all impact each other.

If you have stress – physical stress or emotional stress – you will manifest spiritual stress. You can have spiritual stress too, but most people do not recognize it as stress. I will be getting more into stress topics in the next few weeks, but first I think it important to lay a foundation. Actually, I am going right to the core of the matter. If you can circumvent or short circuit stress in the first place, it is a lot easier to clear the residual that a normal day creates. Having said all that, let’s get to today’s topic… PRAYER!

What is prayer?

Prayer is nothing more than concentrated thought supported by powerful emotion.

I came across the following quote recently, “You will find that everything which we hold in our consciousness for any length of time becomes impressed upon our subconsciousness and so becomes a pattern which the creative energy will wave into our life and environment. This is the secret of the wonderful power of prayer.” – Carlson Haanel Wattles Mentz, JD, MBA, PhD, How to Master Abundance and Prosperity…The Ancient Spiritual Keys to Success

James Ray says in his new book, Harmonic Wealth, “…you form the world with your intention and you hold it together with your attention.”

Prayer is a petition or communication sent out into the Universe. Usually, we pray for something we fervently desire. The Law of Attraction teaches that concentrated thought along with powerful visualization will manifest your desires. Visualization evokes emotion. When you focus on something with intense concentration and powerful emotion, you set in motion an inevitable law of creation.

When you do anything, be it prayer or a task, do it with all of your might – put your heart into it. Focus on it with intensity of mind. Then remember to Let Go and Accept BEing in the Moment and let all that you have created flow to you.

Let’s look at a biblical perspective for a moment. The Bible teaches that we should pray with heartfelt prayer. Why heartfelt? Heartfelt is strong emotion. Where do your strongest emotions come from? When you know something intuitively, you have a gut feeling. The center of your emotional being lies at the Solar Plexus Chakra. Have you ever noticed that when you feel intense negative emotion, you get an upset stomach? Emotional baggage gets stored in your body from this point (see www.metatranspiration.com to learn more about clearing your emotional baggage). The Solar Plexus Chakra is your emotional seat of power.

The lower dan tian corresponds to the physical center of gravity. It should be noted that the lower dan tian behind the navel is the seat of creation. Everything you can think, feel or desire comes from the very core of your being. The very center of our physical being houses our spiritual being. It is from here that we connect with universal energy. Energy flowing in through your Chakra centers coalesces in the lower dan tian. The lower dan tian supports our entire physical being.

There is a verse in the Bible that talks about renewing the inward man daily. We can renew our inward man through the exchange of life force energy with Universal energy. The body is a memory bank, a receptical of every experience you have ever had. Through our collective experiences, univeral energy has experiential knowledge. One of the easiest ways to renew your vital life force is through the daily practice of QiGong. There are other things you can do in just a few minutes a day that will help you renew your “inward man.”

This daily renewal process is essential, even vital, to relieving stress and even eliminating it. The physical body will always experience stress on a daily basis, but when you know how to short circuit it from the start and clear the daily residual, you can live a stress free life. You will experience health, vitality, joy and peace.

If something you desire isn’t made manifest immediately or your prayer isn’t answered, then understand that maybe it isn’t the right time or it doesn’t fit into your ultimate purpose. Timing is everything in the creation process; it is part of universal synchronicity. Universal synchronicity is when all things work together for the good of all. Focus on being open and aware of your ultimate purpose; as you do so, you will see all the things you need being brought to you effortlessly.

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.”
 
–Audrey Hepburn