Usui
21 Day Retreat-Meditation#1
The Body as a Vehicle for Awakening
“On the one hand, man is a body, in the same way that this
may be said of every other animal organism. On the other hand,
man has a body. That is, man experiences himself as an entity
that is not identical with his body, but that, on the contrary,
has that body at its disposal. In other words, man's experience
of himself always hovers in a balance between being and having
a body, a balance that must be redressed again and again.”
---Berger, Peter L. & Luckmann, Thomas (1967),
The Social Construction of Reality.
Greetings and blessings my friends.I am grateful that janeAnne
and Mari have again called upon me to share my thoughts and experiences
with you as part of the Usui 21 Day Retreat. Our shared journey
over the next 21 days will be “The Body as a Vehicle for
Awakening.” I was a little challenged when approached with
this topic, having struggled most of my life with “body
image” concerns and obesity and then I had an epiphany!What
a better way of awakening than facing the very things that challenge
us!
The quotation I referenced above is a good starting point for
this exploration.
Do we define ourselves as being our bodies or having our bodies?Is
there a separation and how does that relate to the “body-mind-spirit”
connection that most of us are grounded in?
How many people do you know that are talented, intelligent, spiritual,
and compassionate and yet define themselves based on their physicality
rather than these positive qualities? With our societal emphasis
on physical attractiveness, do we spend too much time worrying
about the external rather than the eternal?
There’s an old parable about a middle aged woman who suffers
a heart attack.While in the emergency room, she passes away and
goes to heaven where she meets her maker.God informs her that
it’s not yet her time and that, in fact, she will live for
another 35 years and returns her spirit to her body.When she’s
revived, her doctors tell her that she must stay in the hospital
for a few weeks to recover.She ponders the additional 35 years
of life ahead of her and decides to take advantage of her hospital
stay and “fix” a few of the things that she doesn’t
like about herself with a little cosmetic surgery.Upon discharge
from the hospital, she crosses the street, is struck by a car,
and dies.She returns to her maker and indignantly asks, “Why
now?I thought I had 35 more years!”
God, obviously embarrassed, replies, “I didn’t recognize
you!”
How do you define yourself? Perhaps the best way to approach
this is with a series of simple exercises in bodily awareness
and then our first meditation.
The first exercise is to stand in front of a full length, well
lit, mirror, close your eyes and take three deep cleansing breaths
at your own pace and level of comfort.After the third breath,
slowly open your eyes. As your eyes open and focus, become aware
of the first thing you see in the mirror.What drew your attention
to this part of your body?What thoughts come to mind?Is this a
new awareness or something that you’ve thought about before?
What feelings are associated with this?
After you’ve processed these thoughts for a few minutes,
repeat the exercise but this time, dim or put out the lights.
(Note: If any of this makes you feel uncomfortable, please do
not proceed.Your comfort and safety are paramount!)
Again, take your three deep breaths, and this time as you open
your eyes in the dimly lit space, what do you first notice? How
does this differ from your awareness in the well lit view?What
thought’s and feelings are you processing?
After these “mirror” exercises, go to your usual
space for meditation and quiet work. Sit in a comfortable way,
keeping your legs uncrossed and your back as straight as possible
without force or discomfort.Close your eyes and take three deep
cleansing breaths. After your third exhalation, begin to relax
and soften your muscles, releasing all tension.
Begin to mentally scan your body.Starting wherever your attention
is drawn, “listen” to what your body has to say.What
language does it speak and do you understand that language? If
not ask, your body for a translation. What message are you getting?Why
has this area of your body asked for an audience?Mentally note
any requests with the intention of following through on reasonable
ones after the meditation is over. (Example:If your left foot
asks for a massage, remember to give it a nice rub when you finish
the meditation.)Repeat the scan until each area of your body demanding
attention has been listened to.Now softly slip into a meditative
state and while there, review the scans and the messages you received,
what they mean to you and how you will respond to them after meditating.
Before ending your meditation, try a couple of these affirmations
if they feel right to you: (Repeat each to yourself three times)
“My body speaks to me and tells me what it needs.”
“I will honor all of my body’s healthful and safe
requests.”
“My body, mind and spirit work together in harmony.”
Return from your meditation in your usual way and begin to honor
those requests!A nice stretch, a gentle rub here and there, or
perhaps some Reiki in areas asking for healing energy will be
called for.Remember that as you honor your body, you will be honoring
yourself…and you deserve it!
Through out this first week, repeat these exercises and meditations
as you are called to and study your body’s language and
messages…you might just learn a lot!
Blessings as you continue your retreat.
Thanks and Namaste’.
Vic
reikivic@hotmail.com
“... regard this body as a machine which, having been made
by the hand of God, is incomparably better ordered than any machine
that can be devised by man, and contains in itself movements more
wonderful than those in any machine.”
---Descartes
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Usui 21 Day Retreat-Meditation#2
The Body as a Vehicle for Awakening
"I think of my body as a side effect of my mind."
-- Carrie Fisher
"Your body hears everything your mind says."
-- Naomi Judd
"It is the mind that makes the body."
-- Sojourner Truth
Blessings and greetings again my friends.I hope that your first
week of retreat was nourishing to body, mind and spirit.Our first
week’s work was on reawakening the communication between
body and mind. As we know, the most rewarding conversations are
two-way with a smooth flow of ideas back and forth.Our focus this
week will be the conversation from mind to body.
There was a clever expression in the late 60’s and early
70’s, “You are what you eat!” We laughed a lot
when we heard it, but at its core is an essential truth; what
you ingest becomes part of you for better or worse.Those of us
who have been on the spiritual path for a while know that this
truth also applies to “mind food”. Our beliefs and
thoughts have a profound effect on our bodies.What we think can
“program” our cells, organs and systems.
“My boss is a pain in the neck!” “That type
of talk really burns me up!”“This job is killing me!”
It would not be surprising to find out that the person who made
the first statement experienced neck pain in the presence of the
boss, the second person’s body temperature elevated after
listening to inflammatory speech and the third person….well,
I’ll leave that one to your imagination.The fact is that
our bodies absolutely listen to and obey the commands of our words
and thought forms. It’s just like programming a computer
and then “running” the program and most of us do it
in one form or another every day.But programs can he halted and
reversed if we are mindful of what we are doing.
There’s a trick that I learned when studying Silva Mind
Control years ago.If one of those “negative” programs
slips out, simply say out-loud three times, “Cancel, cancel,
cancel.”Your body will hear and obey.
Our exercise and meditation this week will focus on “deprogramming”—halting
and reversing old programs.We’ll start today with simple
issues and when you feel comfortable with the technique you can
progress to some of the more stubborn problems.
(As always, we are mindful of that fact that Reiki and other
forms of energy/spiritual healing are meant as compliments to
and not substitutes for traditional western medicine.If you have
an existing medical condition or sense that there may be something
wrong, I urge you to contact your medical doctor and follow his
or her advice.)
Let’s begin with some Reiki! (Note: For those of you who
are not Reiki practitioners, please use whatever form of energy/spiritual
healing you practice.)
Take a seat in a comfortable chair, center and ground yourself,
and perform your personal preparatory ritual.Start with basic
self-treatment hand positions and go about your routine, becoming
aware of those parts of your body that ask for more energy.Select
one of these areas for the focus of the meditation. Finish the
self-treatment with your closing ritual and prepare for meditation.
When your setting is right for you, begin with some gentle stretches,
inhaling as you extend your arms to a comfortable position above
your head and exhaling as you allow your arms to gently float
down.
Gently and slowly turn your head from side to side, inhaling
as you turn to the left and exhaling as you turn to the right.
Do this several times, observing the sensations in your neck and
face, allowing all of the tension to leave and feeling a sense
of warmth and contentment.
Return your head to center and allow your hands to rest gently
in your lap with your palms up if this is comfortable for you.Close
your eyes and begin to take a series of slow, deep breaths, holding
each inhalation to your comfort level and then slowly exhaling
completely. Repeat this breath several times until you feel very
relaxed, centered and cleansed, and then allow your breath to
return to its normal rhythmic pattern.
As you go deeper into meditation, sense, visualize or touch the
area of your body that asked for more attention when you were
doing the self-treatment.As you do, ask if this need is based
on a word or thought-form program and wait for an answer.If it
is not related to an old program, simply direct waves of loving
healing energy to the area for as long as you deem necessary.If
the answer is yes, ask this area of your body for guidance as
to when the program was “created” and the circumstances
of the time.Receive this information lovingly and non-judgmentally.With
your new awareness and compassion, order the program to he halted
and reversed.Then send waves of loving energy to the area and
visualize or sense any discomfort diminishing until it is gone.
Close this work with gratitude for the gift of the information,
the gift of healing and the gift of life itself.
Slowly begin your journey back to the present place and time.
Take a series of deep, slow and comfortable breaths.Gently begin
to move your fingers, your toes and any other part of your body
you need to as you ascend to consciousness. Keeping your eyes
closed, take three more deep breaths, one for the body, one for
the mind and one for the spirit.
As you continue this second week, repeat this exercise and meditation
as often as you chose.You may want to journal your experiences
for study at a later time.
Next week’s work will conclude this series with the connection
from body and mind to spirit.
Blessings and thanks.
Namaste’.
Vic
reikivic@hotmail.com
"A fresh mind keeps the body fresh.
Take in the ideas of the day, drain off those of yesterday.
As to the morrow, time enough to consider itwhen it becomes today."
-- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
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Usui 21 Day Retreat-Meditation#3
The Body as a Vehicle for Awakening
"In order to experience everyday spirituality,
we need to remember that we are spiritual beings
spending some time in a human body."
-- Barbara De Angelis
As we begin our final week of retreat, we turn our attention
to the awakening of body through spirit.It has always fascinated
me that in every major belief system (and language) there are
words that define spirit as breath or the flowing of energy through
the body.
LanguageSystemWordMeaning
SanskritYogaPranaBreath/Vitality
HebrewKabbalaRuachSpirit Breath
ChineseChi KungChi Life Force
JapaneseReikiKiLife Force/Energy
GreekChristianPneumaBreath of Life
This ancient wisdom tells us that our bodies are the amazing
vessels created to carry our life force in this plane of existence.With
this comes an implied obligation…we must learn to take care
of and honor these bodies as we experience our life lessons. Our
final meditation will focus on bringing these concepts together.
Prepare your personal sacred space, making a special effort to
fill it with items that honor all three aspects of the awakened
body, mind and spirit. For the body, bring to this place a special
fragrance or incense or perhaps some lovely flowers. Books or
artwork or soft music pleasing to the mind are also most welcomed
and anything that is sacred to you will satisfy your spirit.After
creating this special place, get ready for meditation in your
usual way.
When you are in a meditative state, begin reviewing the lessons
that we’ve learned during these weeks of retreat; the language
of body and mind, learning to listen and honor as part of our
health and healing, learning the power of the mind to program
the body and how to prevent and undo negative programs, and finally
the recognition of our bodies as the earthly home of our spirits.
Next, visualize the three aspects of self, body-mind-spirit,
in total harmony.See them as balanced parts of a greater whole.Sense
yourself in balance, centered and whole.
To conclude the meditation, open your heart with gratitude for
the gifts of body, mind and spirit and resolve in your self to
care for all three parts equally with tenderness, compassion and
love.
Before returning to the awakened state, repeat these affirmations
three times.
“My body, mind and spirit are like a seamless garment.”
“My body mind and spirit communicate their respective needs
and all parts honor this communication.”
“I am grateful for the gifts of body, mind and spirit.”
When you complete the meditation, you may choose to journal your
experiences.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you during this Usui
21 Day Retreat. I am grateful to janeAnne and Mari for the opportunity
and look forward to our future times together.Until then, I welcome
your feedback, sharing and comments.
Blessings and thanks.
Namaste’.
Vic
reikivic@hotmail.com
"We must no more ask whether the soul and body are one
than ask whether the wax and the figure impressed on it are one."
-- Aristotle
POST SCRIPT: As we all know there are no accidents or coincidences.Shortly
after preparing these meditations, I experienced a healing crisis
that required hospitalization.I’m healing and recovering
well, and am grateful for the valuable lesson that reinforced
for me the thoughts I shared with you.In this life, we must honor
all aspects of being…body, mind and spirit…and promote
balance between the three.
Jokingly, I mentioned to Mari that I hoped the next group of
meditations I’m asked to share is not about death and transition!
Cancel, cancel, CANCEL!
Smiling, laughing and feeling a lot better!
Love and light, Vic
reikivic@hotmail.com
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