AskMaia
Spirituality vs Religion
Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature. The opening of the heart is an essential aspect of true spirituality.
Spiritual beliefs include the relationship to a superior being and are related to an existential perspective
on life, death, and the nature of reality.
Religious beliefs include practices such as prayer and engagement with religious community members.
The seven chakras in our bodies in which energy flows through.
Any blocked energy in our seven chakras can often lead to illness, so it's important to understand what each chakra represents to keep these energies flowing freely.
1st - Base/Root Chakra is located at the base of spine in tailbone area and it represents Grounding and Connecting
2nd - Sacral Chakra is located at lower abdomen, about two inches below the navel and two inches in and it represents Sexuality and Creativity
3rd - Solar Plexus Chakra is located at upper abdomen in the stomach area and it represents Wisdom & Power
4th - Heart Chakra is located at center of chest just above the heart and it represents Love
5th - Throat Chakra is located at throat and it represents Communication
6th - Third Eye Chakra is located at forehead between the eyes (also called the Brow Chakra) and it represents Awareness
7th - Crown Chakra is located at the top of the head and it represents the ability to be fully connected spiritually
Aligning Your Chakras Reasons to align your chakras
Whether you like it or not, your body and mind are heavily influenced by your own energy and the energy of others. These energy fields, conveniently sort themselves into distinct chakras, and dictate whether you feel vibrant and full of life or lethargic and down in the dumps. Aligning your chakras so they’re perfectly balanced and in tune with each other helps to get you feeling energized and whole once more.
Misaligned or blocked chakras can cause physical and mental issues; chakras represent your spiritual life force, they can arguably play an even more influential role in dictating your emotions and mental health.
If you’re suffering from any of the following issues, it could be due to a blockage with one of many of your chakras:
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Addictions
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Anger issues
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Abusiveness towards yourself or others
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Boredom (with life, others, your job)
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Depression
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Eating disorders
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Indecision
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Insecure
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Jealousy
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Lack of creativity
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Lack of motivation
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Lack of willpower
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Moodiness
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Resentment
How to align your Chakras
There are plenty of ways in which you can go about achieving chakra greatness — just about everyone in the business has their own special method. But, as usual, simplicity is key and this method is an age-old way to align your chakras quickly and effectively: Meditation How many people said, "I can't meditate, I think too much," or something like, "I gave up because I can't stop thinking"??It's a practice: accept that your mind never stops and gently guide your attention back to the present moment, over and over again.
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Now, everyone can meditate if they are told correctly.​
It starts with your breathing. Think of it like this; when breathing in - smell the scent of the flowers; when breathing out - blow out the candles. Getting into the rhythm of this breathing technique is an efficient way to breathe by bringing the air down toward the belly. As the diaphragm contracts, the belly expands to fill the lungs with air. It pulls the lungs downward, creating negative pressure inside the chest, bringing air into the lungs. If practised regularly, breathing exercises can help rid the lungs of accumulated stale air, increase oxygen levels and get the diaphragm to return to its job of helping you breathe.
Once you have grasped your breathing rhythm, you will then be able to learn how to accept that your mind never stops and gently guide your attention back to the present moment, over and over again. Meditation is about concentrating on your breath and body sensations. When thoughts do arise, acknowledge them but release them on your exhale breath and bring your attention back to your breath. Repeat this process until you are comfortable letting your thoughts go. Try not to worry about the thoughts that come to you; remain calm and centred as you observe them from afar and go back to your breathing.
Get into position to meditate; either sit with your legs crossed and your arms extended out resting on the top of your thighs or lie down in a comfortable spot away from the hustle and bustle of life. This might be your bedroom or a quiet spot on the grass under the trees — whatever it takes to minimise disturbance from discomfort and the stresses of life. Use soft ambient music to assist with relaxing and to help focus on your breathing or listening to basic guided meditations are helpful, especially when getting started. Instructions from an experienced teacher can help remind us to come back to the present moment, let go of distracting thoughts and not be so hard on ourselves.
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Take a deep breathe, in through your nose and blow out through your mouth. Another breathe in, hold for 4 secs and blow out through your mouth, and another breathe in, hold for 4 secs and blow out through your mouth. Just let go of your everyday life and issues and blow it all out with your breathe, then take a few minutes breathing calmly, clearing your mind of all that everyday fuzz and becoming centred with your body.
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Now set an intention (think in your mind), thoughts of you balancing and aligning your chakras. Picture a vertical line connected to your spine, starting from the base of your tailbone and continuing upwards. Apparently, the energy listens to your intentions, so this actually makes a lot of sense!
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By placing your hand on each area or acknowledging each area; keep your focus until you feel the energy. This may be a pulsating feeling, or simply a feeling that it’s time to move onto the next chakras. If you don’t feel anything conclusive, don’t worry — simply move on after a minute or two.
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Grounding - Tuning in to your feet; picture yourself grounded; like a tree with its roots deep within the earth. Acknowledge your feet being firmly grounded.
Root - Tuning in to the base of your spine in the tailbone area; imagine red vibes and acknowledge that you are seated and completely grounded.
Sacral - Tuning in to your lower abdomen; imagine orange vibes and acknowledge the feeling in your Sacral area.
Solar Plexus - Tuning in to your upper abdomen; imagine yellow vibes, acknowledge the feeling you receive in your Solar Plexus area - “that gut feeling”.
Heart - Tuning in to your heart; hear and feel your heart beat with vibrant green vibes. Acknowledge that your heart is open to give and receive love.
Throat - Tuning in to your throat; and imagine blue vibes. Acknowledge that your throat is open to speak the truth.
Third Eye - Tuning in to your third eye; in between your eyebrows just above the bridge of your nose- imagine vibrant indigo vibes and acknowledge that your third eye is opened and ready to receive and perceive spiritual information.
Crown - Tuning in to your crown; on top of your head; imagine vibrant purple vibes to allow flow. Acknowledge your crown area.
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Now you’ve balanced all the chakras, you should now feel completely grounded and centred. Take a few minutes to simply lie there and soak in the feeling of wholeness. Thank the Universe.
Recommendations
Need help aligning your Chakras??
This guided meditation will help.
Your Chakras and Spirit
The tingling sensations that you feel from the Heart, Throat, Crown, Third Eye and Hands are some common Spiritual symptoms. These tingling sensations are signals from Spirit. Letting you know to open yourself up to receive the Divine frequency and information which is present and waiting to flow through you. The Crown chakra is the main energy centre used to connect with the Divine frequency and guidance. The energetic centres are opening further to make the connection with Spirit.
Ignoring these sensations and they may persist in which it may cause headaches (crown & third eye). When any of your energies are tingling, it means Spirit is calling - go meditate to open and let the flow through to you.
Understand what Spirit is telling you when you feel the sensations.
Just a little about how the mind works....
The brain works like a big computer. It processes information that it receives from our senses and sends messages back to the body. We think and experience emotions with our brain, and it is the root of human intelligence. The practice of mindfulness is aimed at improving an individual`s capacity to maintain awareness of the present moment, with an open and non-judgemental mind, and to diminish automatic habits of mind-wandering and other auto-pilot behaviors.
The three levels of the mind are the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. They work together to create our reality.
​The Ego or "I"
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the thinking, waking mind
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consists of everything inside our awareness
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struggles to keep the unconscious mind hidden
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can access the subconscious mind ONLY by focused techniques which is Meditation, Hypnosis and Dream Work
The
Conscious
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is always awake and aware
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knows and runs everything
The Subconscious
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is where the material of dreams originate
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contains significant and disturbing material which needs to be kept out of awareness
The Unconscious
A basic meditation technique that you can try out. The aim of this exercise is to unify the body and mind and to build the chi energy and awareness in your body. This exercise comes from the tradition of chi kung or qi qong practice. There are many different chi meditation techniques and practices, but they are in some ways very similar in practice and theory. Chi kung was developed in China and is a very popular technique.
First Thing....
To do before meditating is to shut off your mobile phone or any other electronic devices you have around you. Make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position. Sitting in meditation pose (on the floor with legs crossed so each foot rests on the opposite thigh or knee) is ideal, but sitting in a comfortable chair works too. The main thing is to ensure that are comfortable and silent. There are ten steps in this exercise. It will take 20-30 minutes to complete, so make sure you won't be interrupted for that amount of time. This may feel like a long time if you're a beginner, so you can build up to this amount of time if that's more comfortable.
Meditation in 10 steps
Use a natural breathing rhythm, concentrating on breathing deep into the lower abdomen. Keep your eyes open and focus on a point directly in front of you at eye level. Choose something to look at that's about six feet away. Don't look up or down between you and the object. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Keep breathing naturally, but now shift your eyes to a point 45 degrees down about three feet in front of you. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Continue natural breathing. Shift your gaze to a point directly between your feet and tilt your head down slightly. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Continue natural breathing. Bring your eyes together and focus on the tip of your nose. The aim is to get the eyes to look at the same unified point. Looking at your nose can make your eyes hurt, so if your eyes begin to ache, go ahead and focus on something else that's close by. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Allow your eyes to close, but hold the position of looking at the tip of your nose (or something close by). Continue breathing naturally and feel the air entering the nose and descending into your lower abdomen. The air should feel cool as you inhale and warm as you exhale. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Continue your natural breathing rhythm and listen to the sound of the air as it flows in and out. This step should last 3 to 5 minutes.
Continue breathing and shift your concentration to your lower abdomen as you breath in and out. Now, with your eyes still closed, imagine that you are looking into your abdomen.
Change your breathing to follow this pattern: Inhale for three counts (follow your heartbeat rhythm), hold for three counts, and exhale for six counts.
We are coming close to the end now. Keep still and don't move, to avoid scattering the chi energy that you have worked hard to build up. Now imagine the impurities from your body leaving you as you exhale through your mouth. Now, before opening your eyes, rub your palms together counter-clockwise and place them over your eyes.
Inhale naturally, absorbing the warmth into your eyes. Bring your hands down to your lower abdomen. Repeat this three times, then slowly open your eyes. Wait for your body to cool down before moving.
That’s it! Daily meditating can bring you health and unify your body and mind.
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To understand dreams, learn the stages of sleep we go through every night
When you sleep, your brain goes through natural cycles of activity. There are four total stages of sleep, divided into two phases:
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Non-REM sleep happens first and includes three stages. The last two stage of non-REM sleep is when you sleep deeply. It’s hard to wake up from this stage of sleep.
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REM sleep happens about an hour to an hour and a half after falling asleep. REM sleep is when you tend to have vivid dreams.
As you sleep, your body cycles through non-REM and REM sleep. You usually start the sleep cycle with stage 1 of non-REM sleep. You pass through the other stages of non-REM sleep, followed by a short period of REM sleep. Then the cycle begins again at stage 1.
A full sleep cycle takes about 90 to 110 minutes. Your first REM period is short. As the night goes on, you’ll have longer REM sleep and less deep sleep.
Non-REM Sleep
The three stages that make up non-REM sleep.
Stage 1:
This stage of light sleeping lasts for five to 10 minutes.
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Everything starts to slow down, including your eye movement and muscle activity.
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Your eyes stay closed. If you get woken from stage 1 sleep, you may feel as if you haven’t slept at all. You may remember pieces of images.
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Sometimes, you may feel like you’re starting to fall and then experience a sudden muscle contraction. Healthcare providers call this motion hypnic myoclonic or hypnic jerk. Hypnic jerks are common and not anything to be concerned about as this occurrence is unlikely to cause any complications or side effects.
Stage 2:
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This period of light sleep features periods of muscle tone (muscles partially contracting) mixed with periods of muscle relaxation.
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Your eye movement stops, heart rate slows and body temperature decreases.
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Brain waves become slower. Occasionally, you’ll have a burst of rapid waves called sleep spindles.
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Your body prepares to enter deep sleep.
Stages 3
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This stage is deep sleep.
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During this stage, your brain produces delta waves, very slow brain waves.
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It’s hard for someone to wake you up during this stage.
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You have no eye movement or muscle activity.
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If you’re woken up, you may feel groggy and disoriented for a few minutes.
REM Sleep
When you enter REM sleep, brain activity increases again, meaning sleep is not as deep. Besides increased brain activity and muscle relaxation, your body goes through a series of changes during REM sleep. These changes include:- faster breathing, increased heart rate and blood pressure, penile erections and rapid eye movement. The activity levels are like when you’re awake. That’s why REM sleep is the stage where you’ll have intense dreams.
At the same time, major muscles that you normally control (such as arms and legs) can’t move. In effect, they become temporarily paralyzed.
Usually, REM sleep arrives about an hour and a half after you go to sleep. The first REM period lasts about 10 minutes. Each REM stage that follows gets longer and longer.
REM or Non-REM dream
Here are some clues to help you understand when you have REM or Non-REM dream.
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Non-REM
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settings are more familiar
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the dreamers always flee from threat/disaster
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may host more characters of whom are strangers
REM
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settings are less familiar
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the dreamers are the victims when in threat/disaster
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higher levels of agression
Everyone dreams,
they are just not aware that they are dreaming.
People say they don't dream....
It's not true!
Dreams which I call my
"Night-time entertainment"
Dreaming, meditating and hypnosis are similar where you step into another magical realm.
When you go to bed at night and close your eyes, this starts the Sleep Cycle. Human sleep occurs in periods of 90-110 mins.
This is call Ultradian Sleep Cycle.
Dreams are very metaphoric and symbolic to the dreamer. They have universal meanings and can be interpreted in a way for you to understand what the message is that you are receiving.
To an ordinary person, dreams are what happens when one goes to sleep.
If the dream is pleasant then it remains a dream,
but if it is unpleasant then it’s renamed a nightmare
Dreams use symbols that represent a combination of Emotions, Perceptions and Thoughts.
They are moving symbols and our subconscious mind sees the relationship between things and then selects symbols based on, not the literal person, object, or setting, but what it means for us.
Dreamers are often concerned with issues and experiences of the day, issues that are on the dreamer's mind...BUT, literal events as they happened rarely make it into the dream.
Dreams have their own language
They are full of meanings
Some are important and some are not
If you can remember your dream....
that wasn't 'just' a dream
that was a message especially for you.
Be aware and take notice what your dreams are trying to tell you
The mind's 'language' is Visual Metaphor, which means dreams communicate with us through"Picture-Feeling" metaphor
They may appear bizarre, but each symbol, especially main symbols, contain meanings. Your mind chooses it for YOU. Often, you will get a hunch or understanding of the pun or metapho'r message. Dreams convey meaning by delivering visuals with meaning built-in (symbolic images), packaged like a pearl of information.
Dreams are about your life and the emotion drives the dreams
Emotion is the driving force of the dream plot and your unconsious mind gets busy surfacing associations related to those emotions. The content that becomes emotionally charged and personally significant dreams comes from selected unresolved emotional events of the current life of the dreamer.
Dream work is where you record all your dreams and
decipher the true meaning behind it all.
This especially works well for those re-occuring dreams.
You will need to record/write down your dreams and emotions.
Get ready to find out what it all means.
BUT FIRST.....
Give yourself a good sleep routine by going to sleep at the
same time every night and awaking at the same time every morning.
The point is to get on a schedule and repeat the routine daily.
Make a conscious decision to remember your dreams
Dreaming starts with GOOD SLEEP
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Free your mind and calm yourself before bedtime. Let go.
Let your mind drift into sleep
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Limit technology.
Artifical light represses melatonin production, which is triggered by darkness.
If do not get enough sleep at night, you will decrease your REM sleep and your opportunites to remember your dreams
The best chance of remembering your dreams
is first thing in the morning
Upon waking
Minimum to no movement at all
OR
if you had to turn off an alarm or HAD to move
get back to or stay in the same position as upon waking
And focus. Think and remember
what you were just thinking about.
Write it down.
Just what you remember in
point form and the emotions you felt.
Recording the Dream
Now that you are aware that you dream, here's what you should be aware of, notice it and record it/write down in point form
Your Emotions
Were you indoors
or outdoors?
Was it familiar or unfamiliar?
Notice any objects?
Can you describe it?
Can you time reference it?
Eating or Food?
Elements from the past?
If you are having trouble interpreting your dreams, please see
Repetative dreams symbolizes there is something in your awake life that you have not acknowledged.
The emotion or the issue in this dream will continue unless you acknowledege it in your awake life..
Record these dreams, if there are any changes, you will notice the pattern.
If I told you, that you can CREATE, MANIPULATE and even FINISH a dream in a way that YOU would like it to end...
would you believe me?
so...you are now aware that you dream and you have been recording and understanding what these dreams mean to you.
You are now ready for Lucid Dreaming.
Steps to begin Lucid Dreaming
Step 1. Develop Dream Recall
Keep a dream journal and develop the skill of remembering your dreams until you can recall them several per week.
(explained in Recording your Dreams)
Step 2. Reality Test and Dream signs
Reality Testing-Ask yourself if you are awake or dreaming and identify common odd elements that recur in your dreams This is called 'Reflection Technique' It involves asking yourself several times a day if you are awake or dreaming. Do it anytime you think of it, especially when someting odd occurs or when you are reminded of dreams. It also helps when you look at your watch, everytime you arrive home, when ever you see water....etc.
Dream Signs-These signs can be anything odd...like flying in your dream, groups of animals, changing text, devices that won't work....and anything that seems to recur in your dreams that could have clued you that you were dreaming.
Your Personal Signs-Look through your dream journal to identify common odd elements that recur in your dreams. These are your dream signs which will help you recognise when you are dreaming.
Step 3. Question Reality
These techniques are to get you into the mental habit of questioning if you are dreaming which will be carried over into the dream world.
Dreaming Life-Develop an active attitude of questioning the reality world. Look for things that are dream-like, odd occurences, or inconsistencies.
Notice Oddness-Visual puns-like a surprised bowling ball. Minor events that are remarkable-like a bird flying along side you as you drive. Thoughts that happen-like humming a song and then it comes on the radio
Step 4. Want It
Motivation and intention are such major factors in lucid dreaming. This one step might just be enough. Tell yourself that tonight you will have a lucid dream. Imagine what you would do if you were dreaming, and plan what you intend to do in your lucid dream.
Intention "Next time I am dreaming, I will recognise that I am dreaming"
Realise You are Dreaming
Your goal for now is just to realise in the moment that you are dreaming, but stay in the dream, you should also plan what you want to do. This is called 'setting your intention'.
Try to keep your cool. Most common encounters with lucidity is you are overcome with excitement- especially the first few times you achieve it. By desiring to remain in the dream and directing your attnetion to the dream images you will generally continue dreaming
Finish The Dream
Re-Enter the Dream
If the information was not clear, or if the dream did not end or end well, then you can 'finish the dream' to create the new metaphor
Relax and Imagine
To 'finish the dream' you need to relax your thinking mind, and let your subconscious do the work. Close your eyes and imagine yourself back in the dream.
1st Image that comes to mind
Spontaneously, without thinking about it, imagine a new ending that makes the dream work out in a positve way.
The site I love to use is DreamMoods for a better understanding for some of my dreams. These interpretations are the closest I have come across to what's happening around my awake life.
Select the image to view the site....
The link is attached to the image.
