Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Hey Astrodharma readers!

I recently was introduced to a form of yoga (similar to Yin Yoga) that focuses on tonifying the acupuncture meridians. It was pretty awesome – at least the five or six poses we did. Discovered that each pose is paired with a meridian and I could (additionally to what the book described) make an educated guess about which chakra it was working with.

I have been looking for a way to blend Western Astrology with Chinese Medicine and believe it or not, this form of Light Yoga or Yin Yoga for Meridians may actually do that. Because I want to have my students and clients be in their bodies – therefore I am not just going to lecture for two hours straight. That might not be kind to most people.

So what if we discuss an astrological topic, drop in and do a brief meditation and then do a couple of these poses, and afterward I can explain the benefits and who might need this (and astrological configurations it would be good for)? Sounds pretty awesome to me.

I am going to do more work with this modality, but I am excited as this seems to be just what I have been waiting for. I am working with a friend who is a hidden yogi on opening up my kundalini, working with my meridians and channels and doing more Dharma practice. And now this piece even ties together what he is teaching me!

Wow! Feeling so blessed!

Thank you for reading,

KM

Lean into your Sangha. Especially if you feel safe there, if you have one or two good friends there (if not, work to establish some?).

I have had a roller coaster of a past year – intense massage school experience (you can go back read about in January – April 2018 posts), intense amount of practicing bodywork since May 2018 and less Dharma practice as a result.

It is amazing how we can attend the greatest teachers, get all the empowerments, read up on Dzogchen and Mahamudra, and yet, if in our daily lives we do not practice sound mindfulness and continuously practice moral ethics and discipline, then our practice won’t result in anything. That is my story… I have been so blessed, but if I only really practice once or twice a week – and really binge on Netflix, avoid my basic practices the rest of that week… then my intention of realizing Buddhahood soon will be for naught!

So that is what I am working on now. Cutting out all leaks in my container as it were – eliminating computer games, creating board games, excess Netflix shows, etc. I get so much benefit from sitting on my cushion even just 20 minutes / day – why do I resist it like the plague? And if I sit several 20 minute sessions / day, then legitimate, unconditional joy starts to arise. My monkey mind must be harnessed!

I attended a humble Dharma teaching tonight at Blue Mountain Dharma Group with Lama Gephel. He is a great teacher – modest, humble, yet humorous and spicy when appropriate. We each read a passage from HH the Dalai Lama’s commentary on Kamashila’s text in HHDL’s book, “Stages of Meditation.” And of course my passage mentioned the need for and the benefits of mastering calm abiding meditation! Of course it did!

It’s like the Tibetan yogi-saint Milarepa said to physician-meditation master Gampopa, his top student, “My highest teaching for you is to sit so much that you get callouses on your ass…” [I’m paraphrasing btw.]

I now know that that is beyond me (not to mention it sounds terribly uncomfortable!). But sitting for a total of 30 – 60 minutes a day? Doable. That is my intention! Go slow. Rest recover retreat.

Thanks for reading!

KM

The work I do with clients is, of course, confidential. However, today, a day back from visiting a hidden yogi and receiving a number of blessings – spiritual, energetic and informational – I knew some things about co-workers when I took their acupuncture-type pulses. A couple of things I had never heard myself say before 🙂

And yes, it turns out that my clients are benefiting from the inner changes as well. Not to mention enhanced intuition. Yay!!

May all beings find the mentors, teachers and coaches they need to move forward through confusion and stuck places! ❤

KM

As a adjunct to what I wrote yesterday…

My visit with a spiritual friend is kind of turning some of previous thoughts on their heads – specifically that we must do our spiritual growth work. Yes I have done a lot of work on myself. Yes they even said that I had cleared up and opened my chakras up to my throat, but somehow they were able to complete one more step for me – allowing the Kundalini to start heading up my central channel through my throat.

So yes, I’m sure my karma plays a large role in this connection with them. They obviously think I have some potential or that I will be devoted enough to put their advice into practice. So maybe this is them paying back some positive karma? I don’t know. I am very grateful nonetheless.

Plus doing practice last night, it was incredible how fast the work they did proceeded to produce results. When I was just doing 100 dorje sempa mantras (the buddha of purification), I felt quite different than usual. More diffuse, expanded, it is really difficult to explain.

And on waking this morning, I actually slept in. Normally I can’t sleep past sunrise (I used? to be very sensitive to light). They did some work on my nervous system as well… apparently that is very efficacious too.

My mind is blown… I probably won’t say too much more on the topic. But I suspect my bodywork clients will also start to receive these additional blessings 🙂

At least I hope so!

Thank you for reading,

KM

I am going to write with some hesitation here, and hopefully appropriate restraint (you will see why).

Today I drove a ways to meet with a spiritual friend. They said they could see in my chakra system that my Kundalini energy was out of balance (from a long distance away). When I arrived, what they predicted about “symptoms” of my imbalance proved true.

Also I gained some happy warm-hearted news yesterday (which I will also keep to myself), but it meant that I made the drive easier and with a lighter heart!

And speaking of driving, somehow, today’s ride on Interstate 81 was incredibly peaceful. I did not see a single police officer or state trooper car on the way (another bonus). Most unusual indeed.

Arriving, we talked for a bit about where I have been in my practice, both Dharma and Chi Kung. Funny how it is so obvious that Chi Kung practice also works with the Kundalini, but I guess I had overlooked that (for 24 months now…) 🙂

Then we spoke for close to three hours about the benefits of doing more practice, maintaining the bare minimum of practice to keep our Samaya (doing 21 long Dorje Sempa mantras / day, doing the two Tsoks each month and preferably doing a little of our main practice each day) and what to look for in upcoming practice results. We chatted about minor Siddhis, about mantra Siddhis, asana Siddhis, etc. Amazing topics and conversations! Did I mention how grateful I am to receive this?

This spiritual friend gave me three separate blessings, two of which rocked my world. The first, without touching me, they cleansed my chakra field up from my root to my throat chakra. I literally felt my neck re-orient, like I was having a minor chiropractic adjustment – but just to reiterate, they weren’t touching me.

The second blessing was a full on Shaktipat – a spiritual blessing where they downloaded a lot of well-wishing energy and blessing into my field. Wow I thank my karma to be receiving this great blessing btw! I felt woozy, light headed and mildly dizzy for about five minutes after this. Again they did not need to touch me. Pretty wild!

They want me to keep their identity secret, which is good. Hopefully I have not given any major hints away. And I plan to go back within a couple of months – after getting started putting their advice into practice.

They recommended getting a divination system that I trust. (I already have a solid relationship with the I Ching going, which is great!) And they mentioned ways to make sure the divination is not influenced by spirits. Therefore I can check to make certain the practices I am doing are the priority and that they are efficacious!

They recommended against using Tarot cards for this, as some decks are aligned with certain entities in advance of buying them. (If aligned with angels for instance, then the answers you receive will be swayed by god realm bias.)

And after receiving such a powerful blessing, sure enough, I got discombobulated and missed my exit on the way back. By the time I was able to turn around (interstates in mountainous regions…), I was forced to tack on another 50 miles onto my trip! Sometimes turning on google maps, even when I know the area might be a good idea!

That is all I am going to say for now. But suffice it to say, this was the start to my 40th birthday celebrations! And a wonderful start to this New Year!

Losar Tashi Delek everyone – may you have an auspicious year full of the best possible goodness and joy!

Thank you for reading,

KM

For those of you who have been following me for some time, you may know a bit about my evolution as a healing facilitator. If not, I’ll review 🙂

First there was Reiki and Spiritual Astrology. I still work with the Astrology, sometimes Reiki comes through my hands, but I don’t do much with the symbols any longer. Although my willingness to work with healthy, compassionate guides, angels and wisdom beings has always been here.

Then I met extra special teachers and began learning what it means to truly come down out of the head and into the body. Embodiment took me a solid five to seven years – in terms of making it stable. I practiced Craniosacral Therapy, Zapchen Somatics, and learned how to work with the visceral organs for several years. All while practicing Tibetan Buddhism – meditating and drinking from that deep well of wisdom and blessings.

Next, starting in 2012 I began learning to work with the Polyvagal System – the Vagus Nerve and the Autonomic Nervous System. This path I am still on today, as regulation and building resilience are a lifetime’s work – especially in learning how to skillfully teach it!

In 2013, I participated in my first Womb Surround / Birth Process Workshop – this is an intense four or five days of diving deep with a precious group of fellow seekers and working on early early material each day for about six hours. Whoa! The first one I joined was potent and amazing and I pushed too hard – that along with working 60 hours a week right afterward meant I got sick for a bit.

Fortunately I stuck with learning the birth process work however, attending two of Myrna Martin’s Summer Intensive trainings in Canada – two weeks each. That and I participated in about three more womb surround workshops over the next few years. That allows me to gradually do a bit of PPN (pre- and perinatal) work with clients who are ready.

Why am I mentioning all these modalities? There is a reason, trust me. What I haven’t mentioned is most recently I completed an intense and amazing massage school / ninja / Taoist training in Colorado (we did Chi cultivation sometimes for 3.5 hours a day). There I learned massage, shiatsu, acupressure and an incredible Shamanic Hot Stones modality.

And now my arsenal of skills is more complete 🙂 When we do emotional-process-oriented-bodywork with a client, this can be a lot for their system to take in, to integrate. I have learned my lesson here too (another story) – I have learned that most people can do two potent sessions involving processing early developmental stuff in a row – maybe within about 5 – 7 days of each other. However, if they request another similar session within a week, I almost always muscle test to see if Shiatsu or Acupressure would be better for them, or pure Craniosacral Therapy. This is so they can integrate the work we have done without putting another added strain on the emotional-process-integration-body.

On a sidenote, I see talk therapy and some forms of meditation as being good for purifying the mental body. Some forms of bodywork are necessary to all the body to catch up with mental purification work – people who meditate day and night can still get stiff bodies! But there is also the emotional body piece – and that is what I am referring to above.

Yes, I am going to continue to do more training. Yes I want to complete my PPN training (not too much more to go there). And yes I am beginning to teach Working with the Polyvagal System – Building Resilience in the Nervous System (in fact, I am teaching the introductory class in Portsmouth Va in April – let me know if you are interested). And now I have the skills to competently assist clients in integrating deep work – often times less is more. And going slower will get us there faster. It’s true!

Thank you for reading!

KM

I heard a story recently on NPR about how young people are struggling with massive college debt and struggling with choosing a major that is not very lucrative. You know, the Art History majors, the English Literatures, the Humanities, etc. Not that there is anything whatsoever wrong with these edifying and enriching areas of study! They are in fact, how we become more cultured. How else are we going to chat about Sisyphus, Atlas or Oedipus? Unfortunately, these classic college majors are beginning to disappear. But I digress…

The reason I am posting this however is because I wonder if all of those young college-bound adults require college-directly-out-of-high-school? If they are passionate about something, they may not require college after all (unless their desired profession requires that track).

For myself, I definitely would be considered a late bloomer. I literally grew six inches after high school… but I am also a late bloomer regarding my career track (and psychologically, emotionally, spiritually). I had no clue what I wanted to do until I was 30. And then it took me a few years to get on track even knowing what I wanted!

While I did well in school (community college and then at the University of Virginia), I’m not sure I required it per se. Yes it helped me to grow socially. Yes it gave me great contacts, assisted me to become a better writer and definitely contributed to where I am today as a human being… (okay okay, even if I didn’t require it, I am super grateful for everything those experiences gifted to me).

I even grew a lot during the three semesters of nursing school that I attended – not to mention benefiting a ton from the Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology portions… And the nursing school experience helped me immensely through Massage school and the national board exam…

As an outside-the-box healing facilitator now, my college degree and my education in those areas barely contribute to what I do in an average day. Let’s say I give one Craniosacral Therapy session, one Polyvagal treatment, and one Shamanic Hot Stones massage… does any class I took over the course of twelve part-time college years contribute to these modalities or these sessions? Not much.

Could I be doing this work today without having any college under my belt? I’m not sure. Like I said, I benefited tremendously from the social growth, the integration of Humanities with Economics with Philosophy and somehow even with Statistics. And I lucked out to encounter some incredible mentors and heart teachers who showed me that education is also coming down out of your head and into the body. In addition to intelligence quotient (IQ), there is also emotional quotient (EQ). And I would even go so far as to add embodiment quotient – another EQ.

One thing I will admit is that my college experience made me a better practitioner today – especially regarding training my mind to be more critical, more logical and more rational. I tend toward an intuitive, circular mind-set. When I took the Research Methods and Data Analysis Psych classes, I struggled mightily because I was literally changing my mind each arduous day. And today I can speak about authentic, research and evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific studies with ease – which provides more credence to the work that I do (because most of it is scientifically validated).

With that said, my younger brother is doing life without college so far. He went to Governor School (and advanced, expansive, outside-the-normal-high-school-education-box program) where he learned how to do software design among other proficiencies. He started to learn how to create apps for IOS and Android – the iPhone and Android systems! In fact, he was so good at it that the Superintendent agreed to pay him $1500 to create an app for the Nelson County school system (once he graduated high school).

He tried college for one year and grew increasingly frustrated. He continued working as a software engineer and then he decided to do it full-time. And now he is training interns at his job! And he is not 22 years old yet!

I guess the jury is out whether or not he would have benefited more from staying in school (society would say “Yes!”). But I think it is very possible to become educated outside of college – if we work at it, if we take classes or workshops in what we are interested in, if we want to stretch ourselves.

In my family however, of the four kids, 2 seem to be doing what their college degrees said they would. And 2 of us are not. Yes I got my BA in psychology, and some bodywork sessions involve some dialogue, but in reality I barely use that degree in what I do now.

So I guess I would say trust your heart, study what you are interested in, and go for it. (Don’t waste time.) My time in college was precious and in a way I miss it. There is nothing quite as brain-stretching as having all these deadlines to make and books to read etc etc.

And yet, don’t fret if your path seems to take a detour away from school. You might just end up fine! No matter what your parents or relatives might imply. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

KM