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The End of The Affair?

Nov 252012
 

It’s interesting to read in the news today that our love affair with Facebook may be waning. Nearly half of Australian users say that they’ve been thinking about closing their accounts. And while usage is certainly not dropping, more and more of us are complaining that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of the other social media websites are too addictive, causing us to waste too much of our time online in a virtual world, suspended from the world we can see, hear, taste, smell and touch.

I very much doubt that people are going to start abandoning Facebook in droves – but it highlights a common issue in today’s society. Our lives are so busy, so stressful and so fast that we often miss out on those simple, pure, ecstatic moments. We connect via email or txt instead of emotion or touch. We inhabit a virtual world instead of connecting in the physical one.

You only need look around you, on the streets, on trains, in cafes and at work to see how many people have their heads down, buried in their IPads or their smart phones, busily clicking away on our rosary beads for the 21st century, often ignoring what’s going on around them.

Yet, for many of us, it can feel like something is missing. Like bingeing on junk food, the more we consume, the more we crave. We try to fill that empty space. And life starts to lose its depth and meaning.

So it’s no coincidence that sex plays such an important role in our world – and that even when it’s just plain average or routine, sex is still so popular. It’s all around us, on our TVs and computer screens, in our books and magazines, on our streets and in our bars and clubs, whispering seductively from every corner of our lives.

As humans, we’re hardwired to seek out pleasure – to experience those blissful moments that take us beyond the everyday and allow us to expand, connect and reach new heights. When so many other aspects of our lives seem superficial or ‘virtualised’, sex promises pleasure, euphoria and the chance to transcend our everyday lives, even for just a few brief moments.

So while Facebook may promise to help us connect and share with the people in our lives, sex offers the opportunity to experience all the meaning, joy and connection that the virtual world often denies us. Forget money, power or even the internet. It’s sex that truly makes the world go round!

 

Mind If I Butt In

Nov 182012
 

The butt is one of the body’s most sensitive areas – and according to Tantra, it’s where the root chakra is located, between the genitals and the anus, on the perineum. The idea is that energy originates here before moving upwards through the body, along the spine.

This whole region can hold strong emotions for many of us, conditioned as we are to regard it as a taboo area. It’s believed that we hold a lot of our fear and tension here, and many of us often clench and hold our sphincters unconsciously, especially during times of stress or upset. If you know someone who’s a bit anal retentive, their behaviour is often linked with a tension being held here. So it’s no surprise that doing work here can help to heal us, both physically and emotionally.

Do daily pelvic floor exercises and you’ll help to release tension, gain greater control over orgasm and increase the libido. For the guys, these exercises will also give you a firmer erection, better prostate health and help you to shoot further during ejaculation. The anus also plays a key role in pumping energy through the body – so on an energetic level, butt play can help connect you with your heart and emotions, as energy is squeezed upwards to the heart centre.

To work this area, begin by taking some deep breaths into the belly, clenching and squeezing the area around the sphincter and perineum on each inhale, then relaxing on each exhale. It’s as if you’re pulling the whole area up inside the body as you clench the anus and perineum. Next, gradually speed up the breathing and clenching. Then take some double inhales (with matching double squeezes), followed by a single exhale. Finally, take a few quick short breaths with a clench on each inhale. Most importantly, ensure you completely relax on each exhale.

This exercise can be done anywhere, whether you’re sitting at your desk at work or home doing the washing up. Try to incorporate it into your daily routines and over time it’ll become second nature. Aim to do at least 100 of these bottom breaths each day and you’ll soon notice some powerful effects.

Smudge it to Budge it

Nov 052012
 

Often during the course of my work, all kinds of emotional and energetic issues can come up for a client on the table. I feel truly honoured to be a part of this process, helping people to move through and release the things that no longer serve them. And I’ve found that the shifts people go through can be so powerful, that there’s a tangible change in the ‘vibration’ of my workspace, especially after a particularly powerful release. This is where the ancient art of smudging can be so useful, to help neutralise negative energies and purify a space – and it’s something you can try on your home, your body or even on your car!

Smudging has been around for centuries. For indigenous cultures and groups like the Native Americans, the burning of sage and other herbs has long been know to assist with everything from purification and protection to longevity and even helping the spirits of the dead to depart. Smouldering sage is wafted around a person, object or space, with the idea being that the smoke attaches itself to any negative energy present, carrying it off into the ether and transforming it in the process.

Even science acknowledges that the smoke from burning sage can have a powerful effect, as it actually changing the ionisation polarity of the air. Ever noticed how clear and alive you feel after a trip to a waterfall, or a walk by the ocean on a windy day? Smudging does the same thing, lifting the heavier positive ions that make us feel tired and sluggish from our bodies.

Here’s how to do it. Simply purchase a sage stick (or you can also buy loose dried sage leaves) from any health food store, and place a few leaves in a ceramic dish or bowl. Once lit, blow gently to extinguish the flame and let it smoulder as you waft the smoke from the embers around your space, body or car. If you’re smudging a room, make sure to blow the smoke into each corner, where stagnant energy can often collect and build up, and pay particular attention to doorways and windows. If you’re smudging a person, start at their feet and work up the front of their body, along their outstretched arms and up to the head, before turning them around and repeating the process on the back of the body.

It can be even more powerful to combine smudging with an affirmation, prayer or intention. Saying something as simple as ‘I clean and purify this space, releasing all negative energies and blockages”, either out loud or in your head, can add extra energy to your clearing. I always feel a dramatic difference in my own energy levels and mood after smudging. Try it out and feel the difference this simple ritual can make in your body and your environment.