Align with The Force

I am fascinated with the physciality of alignment, and exploring energetic practices that may assist with alignment. Awareness of how life is expressed in the body, or how we are in the body, and in the world, is a vital aspect of well-being. Wellness, or health, of the whole being, means “making whole of all its parts”. A vast topic; one that yoga neatly captures in three words: body, mind and spirit.

It is not complicated – but does require active participation 

Creating our well-being requires harmonious integration of all aspects of our, being, body, mind and spirit, and is really quite simple.

This is how you do it:

● firstly, you must do it, want to do it, and learn to do it
● learn and apply conscious breathing
● practice to be in the moment
● figure out how to release body stress

These skills are crucial to health. Everything else; nutrition, religion, philosophy, sport, etc, are of secondary importance.

Unlock, release and open up

To literally open up the body, mind and heart to life requires release of body stress, and the limiting emotions or thoughts and trauma that hold us back (and caused the body/life stress in the first place).

● My book Essentials of Effective Yoga shows you
how to improve Five Keys to Well-being: posture, breathing, and mobility, to release body stress (tightness) and encourage lifestyle integration of mindfulness  (the fifth key, including meditation) to start the ball of holistic personal evolution rolling. Start with body stress release relaxation (positions in the diagram).

Personal evolution on any level begins with self-knowledge, and skills development to make it happen. The process must include body or physical self, persona, true self (who we really are).

Changing life patterns can be uncomfortable physically, emotionally and mentally challenging. Transformation is a process: unlock, release (old patterns) and open up to a new cantered and expanded self.

Do it: transform with a 5 minutes a day practice

This only takes 5 minutes, to help you begin the day, every day, with a transformation process.

● A 2 minute meditation
Just sit, become aware of the breath, posture, the body, and the environment. Acknowledge yourself as a body, mind and spirit being, and breather, feel into your physical centre, and into that inner space of self.
● 1 minute soft dog stretch (3rd posture in Easy Flow Sequence)
● 1 minute knee hug or reclining leg hug or stretch. See all 3 pictures at my do-able/restorative yoga blog and read the blog while at it 🙂
● 1 minute power pose with deep, calming, motivating and energising breathing. Ground yourself in the body, in the world reality, work up fire, focus and stamina.
● occasional longer conscious nidra relaxation to Improve Alignment

Engage and put Life in your Lifestyle

This a conscious evolution. And a revolution in consciousness on the planet for those making healing a conscious choice and requires continuous, active engagement in the process of body, mind and spirit alignment.

There is tremendous healing potential when we alignment our body parts with another, and fuel it with effective breath for increased oxygen, and a conscious connection with the life force, Prana. Commitment to live with integrity, applying holistic principles to everyday living, including take care of ourselves, and our environment, as best as we can, is living spiritually.

Alignment

One may think of this as an alignment (alliance) of local planetary and cosmic/universal forces.

The following word diagram suggests a useful line of awareness:

Body symmetry > alignment of all scaffolding/skeletal systems e.g.. hips and shoulders to the spine, feet to ankles and legs
Organ systems > e.g. effective breathing reduces heart stress while improving circulation when combined with movement that also improves cardio digestive health, nourishing systemic cardio vascular health
Metaphysical or energetic-phuysical cause-and-effect health > healthy emotions and thoughts stimulates physical health
Know who you are > a sense of self and striving to live in a way that is conducive to holistic self growth is possibly one of biggest contributions one can make to life on earth
Connect, consciously, body, mind, spirit > all life and on planet happens in the same eco system. The body utilise “earth” energy and Prana in various layers of refinement sustain and nurture life with combinations of food and life force.

Chakras!

Next level Prana intake is via the chakras (food is the basic level). The yoga system is based on practices that enhance healing of the chakra system.

Get in the flow

Life force energy flow directly into the chakras and inspiration and passion are important. The greater aim is to get energy into the body, and encourage its flow within.

● do Integral Yoga to develop agility (relative strength and suppleness) and charge yourself with a substantial life force energy
● attend yoga and meditation classes, and establish a regular (5 minute) home practice
● include therapeutic yoga in your practice and add complimentary therapies such as cranio-sacral to help you
● pursue health and happiness with like minded people; join a discussion (satsang) group or get a coach, or friend to coach you

Summon energy and seal within with advanced yoga

Getting into the flow, and stimulating a stronger intake of energy with pranayama and meditation further advances yoga when mudras and bandhas are applied. These techniques seals in the life force, to provide as stronger “sense of self” and improve physical capacity.

Seek understanding

In addition to body knowledge is the passion to seek understanding of self and all reality, the “visible and invisible”. Life is both tangible and metaphysical – for example what is the energy that powers the body, and why are different states of mind experienced as different frequencies or consciousness. Find out who you are – I often write long posts on Self-realisation.

Surrender

The life force, everything that provides life to us on the planet, is far more powerful than we are. Gravity, the sun, a black hole, these are all forces so mighty we can hardly comprehend. Yet human beings are capable of tremendous feats of power. But all of life and life’s actions it takes place in, and from, the living body. Local life and the cosmic world or universe display signs of interconnectedness, or consciousness, should one be open to objective observation. Whatever whoever “thinks or do’s” it makes sense to align holistically with All That Is.

Divine Essence & Soul Purpose

Happiness is to let go of what we think we need in order to be happy, and find it in the now. This is not a rejection of anything, or an excuse to give up a goal or sink in mediocrity. It is rather a practice of going within to connect with one’s inner peace, and with gratitude accept circumstances, at the moment of practice, as is. In there you will find who you are and your divine essence. Such centredness is a demonstrable truth – to oneself – when meditating in the present, in the now. Living from here is the soul purpose of a conscious being.

It sure takes take time and effort, and it sure is, in the long run, the richest blessing available on the planet.
Take it easy, but take it.

ॐ OM Vibrations
Johann, Muizenberg, Cape Town
19 December 2016

PS Some Yoda Yogi Fun

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”

PSS The creator of Yogi Yoga and The Force in Star Wars on success. The movies itself of course are all very yogi like 🙂

ॐ
In OM & Yoga
Johann Kotze Music & Yoga