By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
For The Bali Times

If you think nobody loves you, know for sure that you are loved. The earth loves you; that’s why it is holding you upright. The love of the earth is its gravitational force. The air loves you; that’s why it moves through your lungs even when you are sleeping. The Divine loves you very dearly, deeply. Once you realize this, you will never feel lonely.

Someone’s company cannot fill your loneliness. Even if it does, it is very short-lived. You can still feel lonely in spite of being in company. In a real sense, loneliness can only be filled by being alone. If you could be comfortable being alone for some time, then you will not feel lonely. When you don’t feel lonely, you can spread joy to people around you.

People run after parties and celebrations, but for the one who does not run after them, parties and celebrations follow him wherever he or she goes. If you run after parties, loneliness comes to you and if you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you.

If you enjoy being with your Self, you will not be a boring personality. If you are lonely, then you can be boring to others. And that will make you more lonely! And if your own company bores you, how much more boring must you be to someone else?

Those who are in company all the time look for the comforts of solitude and those who are in solitude feel lonely and want to be in company. Everyone is looking for a perfect balance. That perfect balance is like a razor’s edge and can only be found in the Self. If you take out some time, say one week in a year, to be with yourself and observe our own thoughts and emotions, then you will get a sense of what quietness means.

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By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
For The Bali Times

You are caught up in life. Why is it that you cannot see reality as it is? What holds you back? You are moving every moment towards the grave! Every moment is turning you into ash! Yet, you cannot see the reality which is so obvious? Because, you crave for pleasure (sukha) and are afraid of sorrow (dukha). Everything should have logic, but faith transcends logic. You are obsessed with feverishness of desire and are greedy for some achievement.

Sukha, Dukha, Logic and Feverishness - these four reins pull you backwards. You dream of pleasure; this is so amazing! Even after experiencing different pleasures a human being thinks there is pleasure somewhere else. Every pleasure has been so momentary, it has left your hands empty, depleted, drained. Yet one hopes for more pleasure, some unknown, unseen pleasure.

Sukha is pleasure and duhkha is fear of sorrow. What sorrow are you afraid of? What is going to happen to you? You have gone through many problems. You have passed through many stumbling blocks in life, which you thought were impossible. Yet you remained untouched by any of them. Nothing could shake you. It appeared to have shaken you at that moment, but later, you found that you are as complete as you were before.

And then there is desire for more and more. We burn with desire; and this burning desire does not allow you to relax in the peace of your being. Unless you let go of the desires, you can never find peace or rest in divine love. Love is the process of dissolving, of giving, of offering, of serving.

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By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
For The Bali Times

It is inevitable that sometimes one feels negative and down. Nobody wants it, but it happens. Life is 80 percent joy and 20 percent misery. But we hold on to the 20 percent and make it 200 percent! It is not a conscious act; it just happens.

There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking that, “I will be happy after achieving a certain objective.” The second is saying that “I am happy come what may!”

What is there for you to get depressed? You are here for a few years on this planet. And as long as you are here, you can as well be happy. What are you waiting for to be contented? Which five-year plan is it of yours to be happy? It’s like preparing your bed for all night and when you are ready to sleep, it’s already dawn. Instead of preparing to be happy all the time, make your conscience happy now and remain naturally happy like children.

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Releasing the Creativity & Fun of The Inner Child – The Gift

By Jelila
For The Bali Times

SEMINYAK ~ Discover “The Gift” - a new framework for creating inner harmony. This week, healing the hurt inner child, and empowering the magical child within so you can express that wonderful, free, simple wisdom and creativity that is the divine child.

The Gift is my concept of four important inner identities that we all need to have working together to fulfill ourselves. They are:  Masculine, Feminine, Inner Child, Higher Self.

The Inner Child is the part of us that wants to have fun. Highly creative, with a simple wisdom and truth, the Inner Child often has simple yet brilliant solutions to problems. Advertising execs and designers easily access their Inner Child – enabling them to create wonderfully artistic, whacky concepts to solve problems and fulfill needs.

Your Inner Child needs to be heard, listened to, respected and given the resources they need to express themselves creatively. Otherwise they tend to act up, just like a real child, and have tantrums. (When this happens, your frustrated and repressed Inner Child identity may take over, causing you to splurge on whatever you perceive as having fun. This may mean playing hookey from work, a shopping spree or drinking too much). Positive expressions of the Inner Child include:  sports, games, playing with children, creative pursuits, picnics, being in nature.

Sometimes our Inner Child is vulnerable and hurt, afraid and tired of not having its emotional and physical needs met by its parents – which are, within you, the Inner Masculine, the part of you that organizes, make things happen and provides physically; and the Inner Feminine, the part of you that feels and loves.

Case Study – Inner Child

John came to me feeling dissatisfied with life. “I work all the time!” he exclaimed. “Busy at the factory, I don’t connect with my wife. I’m successful but I don’t know what to do with myself.”

John recently reconnected with his children, estranged through divorce, and was excited about meeting his son (a sign that he was getting ready to reconnect with his Inner Child, having been mostly caught up in his Inner Masculine, working self, for so long, and also being rather disconnected from his wife, representing his Inner Feminine). We spoke about ways that John liked to enjoy himself, and his eyes lit up at playing guitar. “I used to love that!” he said. “I just got too busy with work to do it.”

Most of us make our Inner Masculine our dominant identity and stay there most of the time. This is why the world is so focused on physical things, commerce and work, and has little time to play. And is so stressed – because we need to meet the needs of all the parts of the self, not just one. I guided John to change a deep belief about needing to harm himself to get what he wants, allowing him to stop believing that he needs to harm some parts of himself in order to gratify others, making it easier to balance (you can change this for yourself, below).

Here is an easy exercise to show you the state of your Inner Child. Don’t just read it – really try it! Relax, breathe deeply and imagine the scene in sounds, pictures or feelings. Let it be how it is, whatever comes to mind is perfect.

Meditation – Inner Child Treasures

Relax, breathe and imagine yourself rummaging in a dressing-up box, pulling out all sorts of costumes. You find a trapdoor in the bottom and open it, revealing golden light and steps. A child carrying a candle beckons, fingers on lips - shhh! Allow the child to lead you by the hand to their special place and show you their treasures. Spend as long as you want looking at the treasures with the child, and ask them what they need. Now work with the child to make their place really perfect, no holds barred. Allow yourself to imagine giving everything that pleases the child. Lastly, make a large deposit of cash in the child’s money box, and give the child a gift. Enjoy the reaction. When ready, gently return.

Was your Inner Child’s place well-tended? Was it easy to put money in the child’s moneybox? How generous are you to your Inner Child? Do you trust your Child with money, or are you miserly, afraid they are a bottomless pit?

Experiment with being generous to the Inner Child – for the creativity and magic of the child is stymied without the support of the parent. (A kid with no hula-hoop cannot hula!) Make a promise to yourself to fulfill one thing on your Inner Child’s wish-list this week. (Maybe you need to go to the beach, to a movie, buy yourself a toy, or play?)

This next meditation takes your relationship with your Inner Child to a new level, enabling you to be more creative.

Meditation – Activating The Magical Child: Doll’s House

Relax, breathe and visit a fabulous toymaker’s workshop. Elves sit on benches humming. Jars overflow with colored glass, shells, glitter, diamonds. Boxes, wood, fabric, furs and leather are piled high. Glue spills from jars. Sewing machines thrum. The elves sing a high-pitched magical song as they methodically work, sew, build. In the centre of the room is the framework of your perfect doll’s house. A fairy is there to help you magic it just the way you want it. Play with the fairy to shape your dolls house. How many floors? How big are the rooms? What shape? How are the windows? Is there a staircase? Play until you get the structure just how you want it. Next, the decorating team arrives. Will it be a shell-house? Contemporary? Flowery? Sparkly? Furry? Play about with your doll’s house for as long as you like. Then relax and gently return.

Beliefs:

Try this process, which creates positive transformation for the Inner Child. Invite every part of yourself to be fully present. Now say aloud:

I choose to believe I am not heard.

I love myself when I believe I am not heard.

And I embrace it, and I surrender.

Take it slowly, rest afterwards, drink water.

Repeat the process for each of the following beliefs:

Nobody loves me.

I feel lonely and frightened.

I must have to harm myself to get what I want.

I’m afraid I can’t fulfill my child’s needs, or no.

I’m never satisfied with myself.

Postscript: John resolved to buy a guitar and get playing! How will you allow your Inner Child to play, this week?

Next issue: Accessing the Wisdom of the Higher Self

Jelila practices in Bali at Wellbeing Spa, Jl. Laksmana 66B, Seminyak. Tel: +62 (0)361 735573. If you have a question you would like help with in this column, please write to Jelila at jelila@jelila.com.

Number 8 in a cut-out-and-keep series

Yoga Times

With Jelila

Number 4 in a cut-out-and-keep series

Yoga Times (logo dikeciklan)

Activating the Navel Chakra for Action, Power

Yoga, which means unity, calms mind and spirit, and tones the body gently and easily, benefiting health and wellbeing even if you only do it for 10 minutes.

This week, we discover the Third or Navel Chakra (Manipura). Its name means jewel of the lotus or lustrous gem. It is located at the navel and its color is yellow. This chakra relates to personal power, action and charisma and links with the ego or masculine “doing” aspect of ourselves.

These simple yoga techniques help you activate your power, charisma, and ability to get the job done and achieve success.

Begin with the warm-up from Yoga Times number 1 (online at www.thebalitimes.com).

Bridge Pose from last week’s number 3 is also excellent for the navel.

Sit in Easy Pose (cross-legged with straight spine, chin tucked slightly, body relaxed, first finger and thumb pinched together resting on the knees). Close the eyes, focus at the third eye (above the bridge of the nose) as you imagine the color yellow expanding at the navel chakra and reflect for a few minutes on these aspects: The Human Challenge and Gift - to connect with our internal source of power and energy. Soul Desire - to ignite, connect with and focus physical energy. Primal Relationship - with internal source of power, identity, status.

Sat Kriya

Sat means self or truth and Kriya means completed action. So this powerful exercise is a self-ritual and it does bring a powerful, positive and centered sense of self. Sat Kriya uses sound as well as a body pose to powerfully activate the navel. Try it with friends, and notice how the group energy shifts to a higher plane as the exercise and mantra-chanting progresses.

Sit cross-legged with a straight spine. Tuck the chin slightly. With spine straight, relax the shoulders, relax the entire body. Interlock the hands in Jupiter mudra (first fingers extended upwards, other fingers interlocked) and raise the arms straight above the head, elbows hugging the ears. Close the eyes, focus at the third eye. Inhale deep (always through the nose), stretch up. Exhale. Inhale deep, stretch up, and begin chanting “Sat Nam” repeatedly (sat nam, sat nam…) On every Sat pull in your navel. On every Nam release your navel (you may find this happens naturally). If you feel short of breath, take a sniff in through the nose in between chanting, wherever feels comfortable. Continue for two to three minutes (or as long as is comfortable – never push it). When complete, inhale deep, stretch up. Exhale, relax the arms down and rest in Easy Pose for one minute.

Notice how the energy feels. If you feel an excess of energy, visualize it being stored at your navel chakra for later use.

This exercise eliminates negativity, helps you feel positive and confident about yourself and activates personal power and charm. It aids confidence and is great to do before meetings with clients.

Eagle Pose

Sit cross-legged, spine straight, chin tucked slightly and clench your fists with thumbs extended in a thumbs up. Raise the arms above your head, thumbs pointing up, arms at a 60-degree angle (the angle at which the sun’s rays hit the earth), to connect with the sun’s energy – the yellow brilliance. Inhale deep through the nose, stretch up. Exhale through the nose. Now inhale deep through the nose and begin “breath of fire” – panting like a dog, yet with the mouth closed (menstruating women should substitute long, deep breathing). Continue for two-three minutes (keep up as best you can), visualizing the rays of the sun pouring in through your thumbs, collecting at your navel chakra. When finished, inhale deep, stretch up, bring thumbs together above the head, clench your bottom in “root lock” or “mul bundh,” squeeze, feel the energy rush up your spine. Keep the arms up, exhale, release root lock, inhale deep, stretch up, squeeze root lock. Now gently release, and exhale through the nose as you float the arms down, imagining golden-white light expanding around you like an egg, lighting your aura up to three meters in all directions.

This one is great for charisma, attraction, luck and winning. Excellent before a business meeting or negotiation, it powers your aura up with golden light.

Bow Pose

Lay flat on your belly, bend your knees, reach behind and grab your feet with your hands. Stretch up, pull on the feet and rock backwards and forwards on your belly. Continue for one minute (or as long as you are able, relaxing down onto your belly in between as you need to). When complete, inhale deep through the nose, stretch up, perfect the pose, then exhale through the nose and relax down onto your belly for one minute.

Meditate in Easy Pose for two to three minutes to complete, focusing on your power and what you wish to create, visualizing it already happening, as you imagine the color yellow expanding at the navel chakra.

SEMINYAK ~ Are you living in the present moment, or are you stuck in the past, or fast-forwarding to the future?  Find out how to relax and enjoy your present moment, here.

James came to me wanting help with his relationship. “I don’t seem to be able to get my relationship to go forwards.” he mused. “It seems stuck.”

We explored James’ feelings further, and as he talked, it transpired that his inner child was stuck in the past, still trying to resolve his difficult relationship with his father. The inner child, or playful one, is an important identity that allows us to have fun, be creative, let go. If it is stuck in the past, those aspects of ourselves are stuck, too. Then we unwittingly project that onto our present relationships. I guided James in a creative visualization meditation, which you can try below, and we connected with his inner child and asked where it was.

James said: “I’m a child in a very basic boxy room, with my father, who is just sort of sitting here, semitransparent, not doing anything.” (A very similar boxed-in feeling to how James described his present relationship with his partner). Dialoguing with the child, we found him quite grumpy and intransigent, not wanting to move, and insisting on staying with his father.

Our subconscious mind continuously records our experiences in a way that is not limited by time. In the subconscious, all experiences exist together. So when in a meditative, relaxed state (the kind you achieve by walking on the beach), it is possible to access all aspects of who you have been (or will be) because there is no time in that aspect of mind. Recordings of yourself as child, teenager, young adult, mature adult all coexist. Imagine all your experiences laid out together like a massive patchwork quilt, the squares of which you may examine. By traveling backwards or forwards in consciousness through a creative visualization journey, we may access all of our experience, and effect some powerful changes simply by realigning the imagery. This is because the imagery we create in our minds is real to the subconscious mind, which makes no distinction between images in real life, TV, movies, magazines or our own thoughts. As we change our mind’s imagery, so the real world will adjust to reflect our new understanding, in extraordinary, rapid and powerful ways.

Experience this powerful creative visualization for yourself simply by imagining the imagery, sounds or feelings. Allow the first thing that comes to you. It’s okay to diverge from the story, be creative and invent whatever you need in the situation that arises. Ask for help or explanation from fairies, guides or angels anytime you need it.

Freeing the Child Meditation Journey

Relax breathe and become aware of yourself in the present moment. What are you wearing? How do you feel? How do your hands look? Notice your power, capability, wisdom, beauty. Now close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a beautiful airy forest. You hear the light uplifting sound of a pure water brook gushing behind you. At your feet, you notice some red-spotted mushrooms springing up before you, and you begin to follow them, playing a game. You are carrying a red-spotted picnic basket full of lovely treats you have prepared. Continue to follow the mushrooms back until you reach a clearing. Rest in the clearing a moment and wait for your child to arrive. Notice how they are. The powerful present-day you now has all the time you need to inform the child of what they need to know, and to listen to what they need. Take any actions needed to help and free the child by giving your present gifts. When ready, hug the child and ask if it is ready to travel with you. When ready, begin to gently drift forwards towards the present, hugging the child, accompanying the child, imprinting your present powerful self all the way through the journey in time, supporting and being with the child all the way. When ready, gently return to the room.

Belief Change

As you embrace these limiting beliefs, they are released from your subconscious mind, freeing you. Feel that your feet are connected to the ground. Invite every part of yourself to be present. Now say aloud:

I choose to believe “it’s not safe to be fully present here now.”

I love myself when I believe “it’s not safe to be fully present here now.”

And I embrace it, and I surrender

As the new information settles in your aura, you may feel momentarily woozy. Take it slowly, rest afterwards, drink water.

Other Beliefs:

My child feels boxed-in.

My child is stuck indoors.

I cannot access my child.

(Child) I must stay here and look after my father in order to survive.

(Child) My relationship with my father is difficult.

(Child) I feel useless here on my own.

(Adult) I’m afraid I can’t access my child the way I want to.

I’m afraid of leaving my child behind, of losing my child.

I’ve left part of myself behind and I can’t go forward without it.

I’m not happy with now.

I feel incomplete.

I’m not sure that it, my father, my child, is okay, is really okay.

Postscript: After the visualization journey and healing with crystals, James felt much lighter. “My child feels happy!” he smiled. He said he felt grateful for reconnecting with an important part of himself, and felt very present. James mentioned that he also sometimes focused a lot on the future and what he wanted to create. I said that that was okay, as long as he was enjoying the journey of getting there.

There is only the journey, and it is happening now…

Next issue: Getting Your Sums Right

Jelila is practicing at Wellbeing Spa, Jl Laksmana 66B in Seminyak. Tel: +62 (0)361 735573. If you have a question you would like to be helped with in this column, please write to Jelila at jelila@jelila.com.