Relationship with 'Inert' objects

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

Forging a Relationship with the “Inert”

I wonder if there is anything at all that could be termed ‘inert’. As a child I grew up believing that all objects that I get in touch with have ‘feelings’. So if my pen would not write well and if I cursed it, I would immediately retract my harsh statements. I believed that the pen could actually hear me and would ‘feel bad’. I had amazing parents who listened with open mindedness and never derided my belief systems. If anything they strengthened it. So what I wrote below is something very natural to me. I am not unaware of the raised eyebrows and mildly skeptical looks when I talk about this to others. Nevertheless, try to read through with an open mind and try out the steps and please do get back to me with your experience.

At Sunshine Studio we have a regular group session called ‘Recharge Yourself with Sunshine’ wherein it is our endeavor to find ways and means to simply be Happy & positive always. This article is from a session conducted recently. The session was on making our relationship with the so called inert objects work. We all are aware of and try to make our relationships work in life. We look at relationships with other people around. Maybe our pets. How often do we ‘connect’ and try to understand our relationship with the objects we use or work with?

Firstly, let me share how this came about. The innocence of my childhood gave way for logical thoughts and conclusions, which meant that I was no longer as sensitive as I used to be with the objects in my life. Until a few years back, I was driving my car and the car broke down in the middle of nowhere. I called for the Hyundai 24hr emergency help and two mechanics showed up very soon. But they were unable to figure out the issue and the car engine just would not start. They advised me to get a tow-truck and on calling I realized it would be close to ‘never’ when the truck could reach where I was.

Suddenly a thought struck me. I recalled my childhood attitude with respect to objects and how I believed that they could listen to me. So mentally I spoke to my car. I said, “Even if I had to take you to the garage it would be quicker if you worked! So please start”. With trust in my heart and a mild anticipation of things to come I turned the key and the engine just came to life!! I was pleasantly surprised. The mechanics told me NOT to drive as there was a serious issue with the car. I thanked them but KNEW that my car had actually responded.

So I drove away to the garage. As I drove it was such a smooth drive that just for a fraction of a second I wondered if I needed to go to a garage at all. Immediately I corrected myself and told my car that I will keep my word. I made a beeline to the service station where my car underwent some major repairs for the next 2-3 days.

In my conscious memory, I see this as the point where I started to relate to objects in my life like how I did when I was a child. There has been no looking back. My iPhone stopped working and after spending some amount on repairs when it seemed like all hope was lost I had quite a miraculous moment when my iPhone came back to life and I still use it very gratefully.

Have you had your own irrational or irritable moments with your devices and applicances? Your mobile phone? Your car? Have you had moments where you needed something to work … and it DID?! Those moments when you felt grateful for these so called inert objects that actually add loads of value to our lives?

Well, if you do resonate, watch this space as I write out some steps in establishing (and hopefully creating) a meaningful and pleasurable relationship with the “inert” world.

Please feel free to write to me for any further clarifications or to share your experiences and views at Sri@SunshineStudio.in

Self-PLR Technique

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

Working with the Metaphors within

In the previous post we had walked through the theories of Past Life Regressions and metaphoric imagery in the mind. In this post we will learn a very simple effective tool to be able to dive into the deep recesses of our own subconscious mind and work with these metaphoric representations. You could also consider (and for practical purposes these are) past life memories.

Practice Technique for (Self) Regressions

Step-1: You could do this each day as you prepare to sleep. You could also do this any other time, whenever you want to and can be, in a relaxed state of mind. Do this exercise in a reclined or lying down position with your eyes closed. Firstly get to a calm state of mind. You could refer to the breathing technique described in an earlier post for achieving relaxation quickly.

Step-2: Now imagine yourself standing in front of a huge double door. This door opens into a very large hall like an antiques art gallery. The door sign says (or you intend) that this gallery contains articles that you have used before in your own past lives across centuries. Now gently open the door and walk inside. Close the door behind you. You find that there is an aisle and on either side there are various articles placed (much like a museum or art gallery).

Step-3: Walk slowly down the aisle simply looking at the many articles. Spontaneously note down in your mind the types of articles etc. Walk all the way to the end of the walkway. Here you find a huge mirror on a swivelling platform. Look at yourself in the mirror and you will find yourself at your current age.

Step-4: Now turn the swivel mechanism so as to look at what is behind the mirror. Now use your imagination as you turn the mirror. On the backside you will find a portrait of yourself in any of your previous lifetimes. Just note down the first thoughts and impressions that you get when you see this personality in the portrait. Is it a man or a woman (or child).? What could be the age? What kind of clothing is the person wearing?

Step-5: At this point do NOT try to understand anything beyond the few first impressions that you are getting (unless you can trust in your own vivid imagination implicitly). After you have made a note of the prominent features of this personality, swivel so that the mirror side is facing you again. You will see yourself in the mirror.

Step-6: Turn around slowly and walk back out of the hall. Once again you could simply keep looking at the various articles on the sides. Take a few minutes gather your thoughts, bring your conscious awareness back to your physical body and slowly gently open your eyes. You could silently repeat “I align and integrate my physical and energy bodies” three times in your mind before you open your eyes.

Step-7: On the second day, repeat the above steps and this time try to note any more points about the personality in the portrait. Slowly try to “imagine” what kind of life the person may have led. A basic storyline may start developing in your own mind. Just make notes without judgment. Just be aware and return.

Step-8: Repeat this process every day and over a week or so you will find a lot of comfort in the imaginative process. Slowly start asking yourself specific questions or try to imagine that the canvas showing the portrait magically turns into a screen on which you can literally watch the lifetime of the person on it (like a movie).

Step-9: The more intuitive and non-judgemental you can get the more vivid the imagery will be. As you practice this further you will develop your own little tweaks in the process that will help your mind evolve a means to enter and retrieve memories from the past that are relevant to you.

It is always good (and recommended) to start with any meditation process with a prayer to the Divine to guide you through every moment of the session. Trust in yourself is paramount. The more you can flow with the imagination the easier it will be to regress. Over time you will be able to regress to memories and also bring out the wisdom from these regressions into your current life.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT try to do this exercise as a means of resolving your issues in current life. Trying to use this as a (regression) therapy for yourself is not a recommended idea as we would have to be in the calm and equanimous state of Buddha to be able to work with ‘issues’ in the mind like this. This is mainly aimed at
a) getting in touch with the imagery and insights therein in your own mind
b) enjoying the relaxation and rejuvenation that invariably follows a good meditation session
c) to raise your own awareness of yourself, your traits etc

Please feel free to write to me for any further clarifications or to share your experiences and views at Sri@SunshineStudio.in

Past Life Regression

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

“Who are we really? Combinations of common chemicals that perform mechanical actions for a few years before crumbling back into the original components? Fresh new souls, drawn at random for some celestial cupboard where God keeps an unending supply? Or the same soul, immortal and eternal, refurbished and reused through endless lives, by that thrifty Housekeeper? In Her wisdom and benevolence She wipes off the memory slates, as part of the cleaning process, because if we could remember all the things we have experienced in earlier lives, we might object to risking it again.” 
― Barbara Michaels, The Sea King's Daughter

As a regression therapist I am asked a few pointed and recurring questions on Past Lives. I am capturing some key elements of the theory of Past Lives, needless to say, in my own perspective.

The world is divided on the topic of reincarnation. There have been many cases where the past life experience registered in a regression session could not be verified. There certainly have been many cases where the details could be documented. I have seen a pretty neutral video documentary once, on the topic of past lives where both types of cases were testified. Frankly, I had not thought much about this until I learnt and started practicing PLRs. Based on my learning and personal experience my thoughts and beliefs on the subject crystallized (at least for now). Sharing these with you...

At the outset, the context for PLRs, is set (for me) by the underlying healing out of a problem (physical or mental plane) of the client. It is imperative to keep this in mind as you read on. That said, there are two ways of considering a PLR: 1) As a truthful account of a lifetime that has been lived earlier or 2) A metaphoric imagery in the deep recess of the person’s subconscious mind. Either way, it is my experience that these ‘memories’ or ‘figments of imagination’ have a lasting impact in the day-to-day life of the client. When the person ‘views’ his / her past life and figures out the root cause of the issue in current life, magically it seems to result in the healing of the issue on hand.

That brings us to the question: How could a memory or an imaginary memory create such an impact in our lives? The answer is this:There is a popular (metaphysical) concept of ‘cellular memories’ that postulates that every cell in the human body carries memories of the individual. In fact much as the DNA represents or contains all genetic instructions of the organism, the cells seem to be a holographic representation of memories and metaphysical aspects of the ‘being’ (or person). These memories are repressed or lay dormant unless there is a ‘trigger’ that incites them into action. The trigger itself could be from any source: person (met a stranger who seems familiar?), place (ever visited a place first time and felt you’ve been here before?), time and so on. Once activated the person could feel or go through emotions or physical changes that seem unnatural or unwarranted in the present day circumstances.

In a PLR, under hypnosis, when we try to get to the source of the problem, the subconscious mind of the person brings up the memory (irrespective of lifetime, current or otherwise) and the person finds a deep seated meaning and lesson in the current experience. The therapist helps the client in using this knowledge to heal that memory and implement the learning in current life. There are many documented cases of how these regressions have helped people in their day-to-day lives.

Books by Dr. Brian Weiss (Many Lives Many Masters) & Dr. Micheal Newton (Journey of the Soul) where they have captured case studies of such PLRs throw more light on this topic.

Please feel free to write back to me at info@SunshineStudio.in with your feedback, questions and suggestions. In my next post I shall outline a simple method by which you could practice doing regressions on your own and benefit from a dive into the metaphors and memories of your subconscious mind.

Forgiveness Meditation and Karmic Release

[This article was written for the series 'A Journey Within' for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

In my previous post I had said:
Every time we believe or are told that we are suffering due to our past karma, now we realize that all we have to do is probably find out what it is that the soul(ourselves) have to learn. When that lesson is learnt, the problem or suffering has to and will immediately abate as the learning is all that was required in the first place.

In this post I shall suggest a technique by which we could heal ourselves of the effects of our past Karma and open ourselves to the wisdom or learning therein. This forgiveness meditation that I am going to describe below has its roots in the Hawaiian technique called Ho’oponopono. That said, in the current version as described here, I would lay the emphasis on going beyond the Hawaiian technique into karmic release.

Forgiveness & Karmic Release Meditation technique:

• Firstly, sit in a relaxed posture and using any of the breathing techniques mentioned in earlier posts get to a very comfortable and calm state of meditation.
• In your mind, imagine yourself in a very comfortable room (known room or imaginary one). The door is closed and you are alone in the room and feeling very calm and peaceful.
• Outside the door is that personality with whom you need to heal your relationship or do a karmic release.
• Imagine that the door opens and the person enters the room and is standing in front of you.
• Do an energy exchange with the person. That is, take back all your energies that belong to you which may be there with the other person and return all energies of that person which may be there with you. You can visualize this energy exchange as light leaving you (representing other person’s energies) and similarly coming to you (representing your energies) or a pulse going back and forth or simply by your intent. Once you are certain / believe that the energy exchange with the person is complete proceed further.
• You say (with feeling), 
• “I forgive you for any hurt that you may have caused me knowingly or unknowingly across time and space”
• “You too please forgive me for any hurt that I may have caused you knowingly or otherwise across time and space.”
• “I Thank You & I Acknowledge you”
• “I Love you” (as one soul to another in a Divine and unconditional manner)
• “In this moment I choose to set myself and you free from any Karmic obligation that may have held us in a negative bind so far. In this moment I choose to set myself and you free.”
• “I also choose to live and learn all the lessons of my life through love and I wish you the same”
• Now, ask the person to leave from your space. Once the person leaves the door is closed and intend in your mind that outside the door, the person’s guardian angels will take his / her energies to wherever he / she is or where he / she belongs.
• Now you are again in the room by yourself and feel very light and happy within. Place both your palms on your heart and slowly integrate yourself (you can say the words: “I align and integrate my physical and energy body”) and open your eyes when you feel comfortable. 

Now this is the forgiveness and karmic release meditation with respect to another person. What if you need to heal something in your life that does not necessarily involve another person. In such a case
Simply see YOURSELF in place of another person. Do the healing with the part of you that feels a certain way.

At the end instead of asking that part of you to go out simply integrate that part of you to yourself saying, I love and integrate this part of ME. Now just like this above variation, try to use creatively the power of forgiveness and the Divine aspect within yourself to heal out of any karmic obligation. All the while send out a very clear intent to the Universe / Divine that you are willing to learn the lesson and would like to and choose to learn through love.

Try this! If you have a specific issue and are unsure how to use this method, please feel free to mail me at info@SunshineStudio.in and I shall guide you for your specific requirement.

Happy Healing! :)
Love & Light!

Karma: A New Perspective

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

Over the last two years at various instances I came across people, theories, explanations and discussions on the subject of karma. I also realized that for some, the concept of karma that they held in their own minds was the root cause of holding on to their problems in life. For somewhere deep down, people felt ‘guilt’ for some ‘wrong’ and felt almost justified in the consequence. So here, I would like to share (purely) my perspective on the law of karma and how it plays an important role in healing ourselves at body, mind and spiritual levels.

As I grew up I had a pretty common attitude towards religion and God. I ‘prayed’ to God (especially when I was in trouble!) and in general it was a feeling of awe and a little fear of God. It was when I came to college and face to face with Swami that my perceptions and concept of God and spirituality changed or rather formed completely. I realized and fell in love with God (Daiva preethi as Swami would say). I understood that more than being a taskmaster, God was an ocean of compassion who stood by me at all times and helped me evolve. I also discovered that spirituality was the way we lived life and not something we do at specific times in front of an altar.

Post college the lessons learnt at California Hypnosis Institute of India (CHII) and my own experience as a therapist / healer allowed me to further crystallize my concepts of karma. I have heard a popular belief system that states that if a person A slapped a person B, then by the law of karma, person A had to receive a slap (mostly from person B). I find that to be a pretty bigoted point of view (no offence meant to believers of this). Is it possible that we say that God is compassionate and yet He would create a law to ensure ‘an eye for an eye’? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth would leave the world blind and not spiritually evolved!

According to me, the law of karma requires person A to REALIZE what it is to receive a slap so that he would desist from such an action in the future. That’s it! It is true that the simplest way for the mind to understand this is when the person A receives a slap in the first place. But it is not to taken as a prerequisite for learning the lesson. The law of karma is in place to ensure healing and not wounding.

What is the significance of this theory? Every time we believe or are told that we are suffering due to our past karma, now we realize that all we have to do is probably find out what it is that the soul (ourselves) has to learn. When that lesson is learnt, the problem or suffering has to and will immediately abate as the learning is all that was required in the first place.

I welcome your comments and inputs to these thoughts at info@sunshinestudio.in and in my next article will outline a simple meditation by which one could resolve issues, especially relating to karmic release in relationships. Please watch this space for that.

Love & Light! :)

White Light Meditation, EET

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

Swami says that the test of devotion is the equanimity we exhibit when faced with difficult situations. We live in a world full of challenges which often present numerous opportunities to lose our calm and composure.
Yet, we are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light. Swami says that we all have the ability to harness our inner abilities and know the answers that we truly seek. These answers lie in the voice of the conscience and when we follow it, life becomes simple. This section is devoted to harnessing that inner power and realizing our true potential as Divine beings. In this edition , we discuss White Light Mediation which is a means to achieve the peace and calm within to find these answers.

The other method is called Emotional Empowerment Technique (EET) which helps to provide immediate relief from pain and discomfort. EET is a unique procedure to help attain the bodily and mental calm and release negativity. The steps for both of these are discussed below.

White Light Meditation

• Imagine yourself standing in an open space (wide open space, no objects or trees or anything next to you)
• Look up toward the sky and you find a beautiful Source of White Light.
• From this Source of White Light a ball of white light starts coming towards you.
• Intend that this ball of white light contains in it the most powerful healing energies of the Universe, Divine unconditional love and the Wisdom of your Higher Self (Soul).
• The white light enters through your heart chakra (into your heart); You feel a very soothing sensation in your heart when this happens.
• In an instant the white light spreads through your entire body (the soothing sensation spreads throughout your body).
• The white light now expands further outside of your body becoming bigger and bigger until it has become a huge sphere that encompasses you and all your energy bodies as well. (Think of a ball of white light in the center of which you are standing)
• The edges of this white light sphere crystallizes into a very strong protective shield that protects you against any negativity from ever entering into your space (intend this).
• Place both your palms on your chest and imagine this white light moving back and forth from your heart to your palms. Rub your palms against each other and place them on your third eye (forehead), over your eyes and rub gently over your face.
• As you do this, 'integrate' and slowly open your eyes when you feel comfortable.

Emotional Empowerment Technique:

• Before you start EET process, on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being NO discomfort and 10 being MAXIMUM discomfort) ascertain where the discomfort stands.
• EET: Close your eyes, say, "Even though I am feeling <describe pain or feeling> Still I choose to Love and Accept, Heal and Integrate that part of Me" three times. Take deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth releasing all negativity or pain; repeat 7 times.
• Check level of discomfort on scale of 0 to 10 again. Repeat process if not yet at 0 (or until you wish you stop)
• As you do this process repeatedly, it is very likely that your mind will also bring up the root cause of the issue as a flash in your mind.

We shall continue our discussions in this series. Look out for the next sequel in this series on “A Journey Within” in Venugaanam.

A Journey Within: Power of the Mind

[This article was written for the Venugaanam Newsletter of the Sai Krushna Mandir Trust]

Mana eva manushyanaam karanam bandha mokshayoho! We have heard these words from Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba many times where He tells us that the mind is the key to man’s bondage as well as liberation. When I heard these during His discourses, it was yet another pearl of wisdom spoken by the Lord. Well, that was it! At that time I was unaware that Swami had a very beautiful journey planned for me as I traversed through practical methods of utilizing this knowledge for my own and others’ growth. I completed my MBA and went on to work in the conventional corporate world in a Program Management role. As years flew by I was certain that I was meant to be doing something closer to my heart. Life and experiences got me to learn a course in Hypnotherapy from CHII. I found the course to be an eye-opener that taught me to go deeper within and understand myself better. It was just a matter of time and Divine Will before I moved out of my regular job and took up hypnotherapy as my profession. Through this section, by Swami’s grace, I shall share my experiences, theories, knowledge garnered and also simple techniques in making this journey within, a more joyous and enlightening one. In each article, we would take up one topic and where relevant or possible we would have a simple exercise or technique to go with.

This edition’s topic is: WHERE DO I FIND THE ANSWERS I SEEK?

What some may call ‘problems’, others may view as ‘opportunities’. Either way, we are all Divine Souls on a journey. We are here by choice and not chance. We choose our experiences, ups and downs, successes and failures, each leading and prodding our Soul forward in evolution. And yet, how often do we stand and look at life with a seeming disorientation and a million questions? Many of them seem to lead us to dead ends or dark spaces of uncertainty. And if we have chosen the path ourselves, why are we unaware of it? And more importantly, where could we find the answers?!

The answer is WITHIN! I am sure practically everyone has heard this multiple times. How many of us, however have FOUND the answers? This is what this series is all about. Watch this space for more as I share some clues and techniques I have learnt.

Exercise: Breath

I leave you with a simple breath exercise today. If the mind is the key to the answers, our breath is the key to our mind! Have you noticed how your breathing is rapid or shallow or fast when you are agitated? Have you noticed how calm and easy it is when you are at peace? This first technique teaches us how to relax and get to a calm state immediately (no matter how intense the situation or agitation may be).

• Take in a deep breath for 9 seconds (you could start with lesser if you are not used to it; you could also use a count for defining the length or duration of inhalation). 
• Hold your breath for an equal duration (9 seconds as suggested) 
• Release or exhale in an equal duration of time (You could exhale through your mouth whenever you need to release a negative emotion or pain; exhale through your nose when you are looking to calm down and find answers). 
• Repeat this breathing pattern and over time you will find that without concentrating on the count you are able to keep your breathing regulated and uniform. Simple isn’t it? Life’s lessons are always simple just as Swami used to teach us through the most easy ways. You could use this in a moment of stress or make this a habitual exercise each morning when you meditate. 

Look out for the next sequel in this series on “A Journey Within” in Venugaanam.