Suzanne Bovenizer

Headache Self Help

Sue Bovenizer — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 11:40:32 +0000

Headaches can be debilitating, if not incapacitating. And there are many angles one can approach in trying to ease the pain. Some of the massage techniques that seem to alleviate pain are as follows.

MASSAGING THE TEMPLES

Everyone knows that making gentle small circles at the corners of the eyes can ease some of the tension that collects around the eyes and brow. Topically using a little neat lavender essential oil while massaging can have an analgesic effect, as well as cooling the area. (Be careful not to get the oil too close to the eyes). Other essential oils that may release tension are chamomile, peppermint, rose or rosemary. These latter oils should be mixed with a little carrier oil (like almond, or even olive) before being applied to the temples. These essential oils also can be inhaled as well, either by placing a few drops on a tissue or in an aroma lamp.

By massaging the temples you are gently moving the greater wings of the sphenoid bone in the middle of your head. The sphenoid houses the pituitary gland, so any gentle loosening of this bone positively affects the entire endocrine system. Headaches seem to lock down the sphenoid, creating a whole body discomfort, so this simple movement becomes very important for relief.

PRESSING AT THE CORNERS OF THE EYES

There is a really good pressure point at the inside corners of the eyes that seems to help most headaches, but in particular, digestive headaches (cause by digestive indiscretions). By putting firm, but gentle pressure in the corners, aiming the pressure up and towards midline (medial & superior), you can feel an easing up of the frontal plate, so that it doesn’t feel like you are wearing a tight band around your forehead.

RELEASING AT THE ETHMOID/FRONTAL JUNCTION

This hold also accomplishes the similar effect as pressing at the corners (above). Here you are distracting the frontal plate off the ethmoid bone, giving a sense of more space around the eyes. To do the technique, place one finger just above midline where your brows would meet, and one finger on the top of your nose. With gentle, light pressure, pull your fingers away from each other, and hold the pull until you feel a releasing of tension.

SISSORING ACROSS THE FOREHEAD

To relax and release the tension that builds up in your forehead, use a scissoring movement across your brow. Start at one side and have the index finger of one hand slide between the two fingers of the other hand, then pull out, gently stretching the tissue (fascia) of the forehead. This helps release that tight banded pressure that builds up the middle of the head.

PINCHING THE EYE BROWS

This hold can bring relief a few different ways. You can first hold either side of each eyebrow simultaneously for a little while, then gently bring them in towards each other, then move the upwards, then out, then down – as if you were making little circles with the eyebrows. This loosens the tissue (fascia) around the eyes and forehead and brings more blood circulation and flow to the area.

EAR PULL

By holding the ‘meat’ of the ear (the strongest part of the cartilage) and gently pulling the ear out and back (anterior & lateral), you can affectively distract the temporal bone out from its relationship to the other bones. This releases the membranes under the temporal bones and allows fresh cerebral-spinal fluid to cleanse and nourish the area. The more cerebral spinal fluid one can get flowing in the head, the less intense a normal headache will be.

CV4 STILL POINT DEVICE

Either by tying 2 tennis balls tightly in a sock, or by purchasing a sill-point inducer, one can go a long ways in reducing headaches and creating a tonic effect for the body. Lying on your back, place the balls at the back of the head, more or less directly in alignment with the center of the ears. Place them so that the entire weight of your head rests on the two balls. They should be under your skull in a symmetrical position from the midline of your head, in that it should not be at the base of the skull, but rather above the muscle line, which technically is near the top of the occipital bone below the lambdoidal suture.

This technique was inspired by Dr. John Upledger, of the Upledger Institute and this is what his website says about this device.

By applying gentle pressure to the base of your head, you can create a pause in the rhythm of the cranio-sacral system. These still points increase the movement of fluid through your system, which can remove tissue tension and improves your body’s ability to relieve pain and stress naturally.

Simply lying in a relaxed position on the Still Point Inducer for 10 to 20 minutes a day can bring about comforting results:

Helps relieve headaches
Eases chronic musculoskeletal pain
Enhances immune system efficiency
Facilitates your body’s self-correcting abilities
Provides deep relaxation and helps reduce stress
Promotes an overall sense of well-being

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Seventh Chakra

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 02:32:52 +0000

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Seventh Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

The seventh chakra, also called the crown chakra, is located at the top of the head and is represented by a thousand petalled lotus. The primary part of the body it is associated with is the cerebrum, and the gland that it is commonly linked to is the pineal gland. Here, at the top of the head, we can learn to open the lotus, feel connection to Source and sense the surging of Universal energy as it courses down into each of the lower chakras. In a newborn, the top of the head, the fontanel, is open for the first year or so of its life. The infant remains in connection to Source in its early months, unindividuated from its Divine Self and from the Divine. Wow! What an incredible start we have when we come in! And on a cellular level, we remember how that connection felt – and strive all through our lives to return to that feeling. That could be one reason we do our spiritual work- to re-experience that openness to our Creator and feel the uninhibited flow of cosmic energy revitalize and rejuvenate our bodies and souls.

The seventh chakra encompasses all the colors of the rainbow, but vibrates primarily in the violet range. In the other lower chakras, we work to balance the energies there, to clear them, and unblock them. But the crown chakra has no blockages or imbalances. Once it is open, there are only levels of higher development, of raising to a more vibrant frequency and attuning more clearly. When the crown is open to the Source, the energy flows in and fills the Being, feeds the chakras and increases the vibration until the crown begins to radiate its own energy, in unity with the Divine. In the lower chakras, we activate the energies to utilize their power, but in the crown chakra, we have to surrender to the inflowing energy, without control or influence over it. The connection to the Universal energy is one with ours and in that, we allow manifestation to happen. We offer ourselves up to the Divine Will and the flow of the Universe and reach a state of “being”, no longer needing to be in a state of “doing”. The lower chakras run the energy, organize the intellect, intuit what is best, ground us and help us create. But once we bring that energy to the crown, we arrive in bliss and are present to everything without being attached to anything. We are truly in the present moment, living the “Be Here Now” concept.

In the seventh chakra is there no longer a sense of division. The macrocosm becomes the microcosm and all is in unity. The feeling of separation from spirit, from God, from fellow man becomes a realization that separation is an illusion and that there can be no loneliness or disconnection, because we are everything and everything is within us. We become a part of the whole Being and everything that is contained in the Universe. Our personal ego is supplanted by a Universal ego, our consciousness by a cosmic consciousness.

It is in the seventh chakra that we sit in prayer and meditation. The sound of the seventh chakra is silence and in this silence we can hear the voice of God. The consciousness is quiet, the Being is still and calm and we are open to receive. With the thousand petalled lotus fully open we are in unity with the Divine. Essential oils that aid in meditation and that quiet the mind are always the high frequency oils such as frankincense, sandalwood, jasmine, rose, elemi, rosewood, neroli, patchouli, myrrh, ylang ylang, galbanum and vetiver. These can be burned in an aroma lamp during meditation. In prayer, we often petition the god we pray to for help or support. We can never fully open the seventh chakra unless we release the fears, guilts and the sense of unworthiness that initiate the prayers. Oils that assist in the release of negative thoughts and emotions are clary sage, cypress, juniper, cedarwood, bergamot, chamomile, geranium, pine and melissa. Often before meditation it is customary to cleanse oneself and the area. Oils that help purify and cleanse are all the oranges (sweet and bitter orange, petitgrain, neroli), lavender, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, pine, rose, tea tree, cedarwood and lemon.

The crown chakra takes us beyond intellect, beyond intuition, beyond belief and third eye awareness. It brings us to complete comprehension and connection. And as it is the point of entry into the body, it is also the point of departure when we leave the body behind. In many religions it is the belief that we gather up our energies and exit from the top of the head, through the 1,000 petalled lotus of our crown, back to the infinite and the oneness of all.

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Sixth Chakra

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 02:28:23 +0000

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra Spring 08 Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra 09 Meditation

The sixth chakra, also considered the third eye, is located between the eyebrows on the forehead. It is primarily linked to the pituitary gland and is associated with the face, eyes, ears, nose, parts of the brain and the central nervous system. Represented by the 96 petalled lotus, it encompasses all senses and vibrates in the color of indigo. It is also said to interlace shades of yellow and violet, depending on which aspect of knowledge is being accessed. If a more rational, mental thought is radiating, a yellow hue will ensue within the indigo, whereas if the thought harkens from a more intuitive, spiritual cognizance (ESP), then violet will run through the indigo. The third eye energy not only pulsates at the brow, but also opens to the back of the head at the base of the occiput where the spine meets the skull. It is believed that the pituitary organizes the flow of energy through the front chakra and the pineal gland influences the posterior energy flow. These two glands are considered the control centers for the entire endocrine system, harmonizing and balancing hormones, monitoring fight/flight responses, controlling body temperature and regulating growth.

The energy of the third eye leads us to wisdom and the realization that we create our own reality. It is through the reasoning mind that we understand what motivates us to do things, but it is our deep awareness of our inner truth that drives us to create what the Divine self desires us to actualize. The brain runs our physical body but the mind controls the energy body, and because of that, our thoughts create energy, which then become manifestation. Any thought that we have can lead to fruition of that thought, be it negative or positive, so it is up to the sixth chakra to encourage the mind to only produce conscious thought. Though conscious thought we can create a positive, harmonious life, led by our intuitive self, guided by spirit. Many unconscious thoughts and actions are motivated by fears and beliefs imprinted on us by external sources (like parents, friends etc.) These people may have our best interests in mind, but often it is their lessons and experiences that they thrust on us, expecting us to follow. Their fears and mores become our paths and we no longer are guided by our inner spirits and voices, but instead find ourselves dancing to their tunes. This unconscious behavior causes imbalance and self-deception. The sixth chakra conscious mind is usurped by brain function and all connection to our inner self is subjugated. We begin to operate on other people’s old belief patterns rather than establish instinctual perceptions and observational qualities of our own. The ability to detach from miasmic patternings and see what is being done from a fear space rather than from an open connection is the third eye’s forte. It allows us to understand the truth and not the illusion, the faith and not the fear, the wisdom and not the delusion.

When the third eye chakra is imbalanced, various disease processes are capable to manifesting. Remember that thought creates energy, creates manifestation. If you don’t like what you see, or you don’t want to see something, the possible manifestation of that thought process could be sties, poor eyesight or blindness. Likewise, if you desire not to hear, you may manifest deafness or ringing in the ears. Not wanting to know something may create learning difficulties, not wanting to stand up for yourself may cause spinal dysfunctioning, etc. Brain tumors, stroke, neurological challenges, headaches and migraines can all be from imbalances in the third eye chakra.

Essential oils that support the third eye are ones that carry the highest energetic frequency. Oils used in meditation and spiritual rituals all help to open the third eye and bring us closer to conscious thought. Some of these oils are frankincense, rose, neroli, elemi, rose, jasmine, melissa, lavender and sandalwood. Each oil, on its own, will radiate a specific vibration, but when two or more are mixed, a new higher frequency will ensue, as if each oil raises the resonance of the other oil, lifting the blend to a whole new realm. It’s fun to play with blending oils for meditation, because each different blend will stimulate the limbic system and the pituitary gland in a different way, creating a very unique meditation each time.

Essential oils can play a big role for physical manifestations of third eye dysfunctionings. Oils that help eye problems like sties or conjunctivitis are tea tree, lavender, clary sage, geranium, lemon, chamomile and rose. Adding essential oils to a bowl of steaming water and deeply inhaling the steam can help sinus infections and sinusitis. Oils recommended for steam inhalations are eucalyptus, tea tree, cajuput, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, pine, and sandalwood. These oils can also be added to water in a neti pot and poured through the nasal cavity, but a very dilute solution must be used, as the oils are very concentrated and could burn the tender mucosal tissue. Headaches and migraines can be related to a stressed and tense third eye chakra. Common essential oils for headaches are *lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, jasmine, peppermint, hyssop, melissa, chamomile, marjoram and rosemary*. A cool compress with essential oils added can be laid on the forehead and over the eyes to reduce the heat and tension of tight inter-cranial membranes. Lavender can also be rubbed directly on the temples to soothe and de-stress the restrictive membranes.

In this time of opening to the Ascension process, we are all developing greater third eye awareness. Our intuitive skills are heightening, our perceptual understanding is deepening and our state of consciousness is expanding. We are releasing the old belief systems and developing new, original mind expansions that will help us hold the new energy frequencies that are currently encircling the planet. By trusting and following our third eye guidance we will create a reality of peace and harmony with our inner selves and those around us. Our conscious state of expanded awareness will hold a high frequency of wisdom and love and we will truly know our truth.

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Fifth Chakra

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 02:25:19 +0000

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Fifth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

The fifth chakra is located at the level of the throat and is associated with the neck and its various components such as the trachea, esophagus, cervical vertebrae, and throat; as well as the jaw, ears, mouth, teeth, gums, bronchial tubes and upper lungs. The gland, which the fifth chakra is paired with, is that of the thyroid. The thyroid dictates our ability to physically grow and this chakra parallels that by being about spiritual growth. Known as the Throat Chakra, this energy center vibrates in the color of pale blue and is represented by the 16 petalled lotus. The element it is associated with is Ether. The throat chakra is our Will center – both personal will and divine will. It is here that we make choices, each choice directing us on our spiritual journey.

The fifth chakra is a bridge from the sixth chakra of thought to the fourth chakra of feelings and desire. It links our ability to react mentally with our ability to respond emotionally, so that we are able to make our choices both with reason and sense. This chakra also enables us to represent ourselves vocally. It is the outward expression of our full potential of Self, in that, if all our lower chakras are open and energy is flowing freely, then anything that we express from the throat chakra would be pulled from a place of being grounded (1st chakra), supported with personal power (2nd chakra), full of innate wisdom (3rd chakra), and tempered by unconditional love of the heart (4th chakra). And as I said, the 5th chakra also links to the higher chakras so we would also pull down energy from a more mystical (6th chakra) and divine (7th chakra) aspect of self to round out the experience. We would manifest a true sense of Being by communicating with our complete energetic self.

When the fifth chakra is balanced and centered, we are able to speak with confidence and truth because we are grounded in a belief of Self. If our will chakra is open, then we no longer need to enforce our opinions on others. We can speak gently and lovingly, with compassion and truth of conviction, so that others will hear us from their hearts and not feel threatened by our beliefs. With a balanced 5th chakra, we can communicate without fear of being judged by others and we also can speak without a voice of judgment. Judgments come from fear, so when we are bridging the heart and the mind in an unprejudiced, objective way, then, we no longer need to make ourselves feel superior by proving the others inferior. We can all be equal and living our own truths. There is a Universal law that states that there is no one Truth - We all need to learn what are our own individual truths and then live by them, uninfluenced by others’ belief systems. When we are able to do that, we then can live from an open personal/divine will center of flowing energy.

The fifth chakra, as stated above, also is associated with the ears as well as the throat. In this chakra we are able to hear our own inner voice; the voice of wisdom, of compassion, of knowledge. We also can hear the Divine voice, the higher source of wisdom and truth that the upper chakras connect us to. When we combine the Divine voice with our own inner voice, and follow the path it leads us down, then we are truly living our Truth. We can attain an independence and freedom – freedom from fear, from judgment, from dysfunction. We can hear, follow and speak our inner and Divine Truth.

When imbalanced or dysfunctional, we can manifest a wide variety of disease states. So many colds, sore throats and vocal problems stem from our fear of speaking up for ourselves, for claiming and living our true authentic selves. Stuttering, speech impediments and laryngitis can be associated to a blocked throat chakra. TMJ dysfunction, teeth grinding, bleeding gums and tooth problems can also be affected when we have to bite back our words and swallow our beliefs. We find it difficult to express emotion, so we shut down inside, clamping our mouths shut, clamping our feelings shut, keeping out love and tenderness. Self-confidence, self-belief, self-love are all squashed down, held back and unable to be expressed when the fifth chakra is blocked. We lose sight of our Truth and begin to live by someone else’s version of it, causing us imbalance and pain. We are no longer able to say “no” to other’s voices because we are no longer able to hear our own inner voice.

So how can aromatherapy help unblock the throat chakra? Supporting our inner strength and fortitude with oils such as frankincense, rose, jasmine, rosewood, elemi, sandalwood, neroli and ylang ylang can help. These oils help us to feel more secure about ourselves, as well as more self-love, self-confidence and self-actualization. There are also oils that work physiologically on the affected throat area to open the vocal cords and reduce inflammation in the throat tissue. When the physical body is healthy and strong, it is easier to work on the energetic body. Some oils that reduce inflammation and soothe sore throats are tea tree, eucalyptus, cajuput, sandalwood, frankincense, clary sage, and lavender. These oils can be gargled with, inhaled, or rubbed (in a carrier oil) on the affected area.

Bleeding gums and aching teeth can be a symptom of an inability to speak up for oneself. Oils that assist in the care and healing of teeth and gums are clove, myrrh, lemon, sage, tea tree, peppermint and sage. These oils can be applied directly to a Q-Tip and swabbed around the mouth and gums for effective healing. Myrrh especially is non-toxic and incredibly soothing for any gum complaints.

Pain and disease is usually a wake up call to encourage us to pay attention to a situation or a problem that we are ignoring. When the Universe is trying to get our attention and we aren’t listening to our inner selves, then we can manifest earaches, tinnitis (ringing in the ears), or even partial deafness. Some oils that could help change the frequency of an ear condition are tea tree, rosemary, sandalwood, frankincense, lavender, neroli, petitgrain and hyssop. These oils can be added to a base oil and rubbed around the exterior of the ear and applied to a Q-tip and swabbed in the ear. Compresses are also a wonderful way of soothing earaches. Any of the above oils can be used with a compress and placed over the ear to pull out infection and pain.

The fifth chakra is our mediator between the spoken word and the divine word, the inner voice and the expressed voice, the lower personality and the god-self, the thought and its manifestation in action. We all need to be living our truths and speaking from the heart, especially in this day and age of instant manifestation from thought into experience. We need to consciously use our fifth chakra to be the spokesperson of positivity so we can avoid cosmic wake up calls.

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Fourth Chakra

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 01:41:32 +0000

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Meditation

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Spring 08 Meditation

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

The Fourth Chakra is located in the region of the heart and upper back and influences not only the circulatory system but the pulmonary system and immune system (through the thymus) as well. Known as the Heart Chakra, this energy center vibrates in the color of green and on the higher octaves, in pink and gold. It is represented by the 12 petalled lotus and is connected to the element of air and the sense of touch. When balanced the heart chakra radiates love, emotional warmth and generosity. It is the energy of Venus, of self-love, self-compassion as well as love and compassion for others. There are two associated compassion points located ¾ of the way to each arm pit from the heart that are sub-chakras that when connected with the heart form a triangle, representing all forms of the trinity in union under the love/compassion frequency. This area is where the 12 petalled lotus opens to generate and send healing love out to the world. It is also where we pull in love from the higher sources to self-nurture and self heal our inner being.

The heart chakra is the center of the chakra system in that it connects the 3 higher chakras to the 3 lower ones. It is the balance point of the higher self to how we manifest here in the mundane world. It is also the pivot point of the expression “As Above, So Below”. In the heart chakra we learn to get in touch deeply with our core being and our core truth. The heart’s voice is one of the voices of our Soul and when we are still, and listen intently, we can hear our true heart’s desire. The fourth chakra gives us skills to intimately love, to reach out and touch others, and to invite Spirit’s love to flow through us. As it is associated with the circulatory system, Spirit’s love feels like a deep river coursing through the veins and pulsating energy out to the world in an expression of compassion and heart felt kindness. We are able to pull the energy in from a higher source and channel it through the heart in a healing capacity to others and ourselves.

When imbalanced or dysfunctional, the heart chakra energy becomes muddied and stagnant. When this happens we can often feel jealous, petulant, indifferent and lonely. Instead of flowing energy out, we become needy, grabbing at others energies, demanding attention and asking others for love instead of looking within for self-love. Fear, despair, hate, longing, dispassion, condemnation, “heartlessness” and envy are all negative expressions of a dysfunctional heart chakra. We become incapable of accepting other’s love, unable to receive, and therefore more unwilling to give. Life becomes guarded and love becomes greedy. We pretend we don’t need other people and that we can cope alone, when actually inside we are desperate to feel wanted and accepted.

The heart chakra teaches us that first we must love ourselves. How can we ever expect anyone else to love us if we have no self-love? The laws of karma suggest that we can only reflect back to us what we feel about ourselves. If we are capable of self-love and appreciation, then we will attract someone who will support us in the kind of love we offer ourselves. If there is no self-love, and we begin to demand others to love us and fill the vacant hole we have created within, then we begin to build karma with that person, and at some point, there will be a pay-off time. When we can love ourselves, love flows out to others. Others who are able to love themselves gravitate to us and in a balanced union, partnership is created karma-free. We each sustain self-love, and as a reflection, are therefore loved by others.

Essential oils that help to balance love of self and others are rose, geranium, palmarosa, neroli, elemi, melissa, hyssop, rosewood, chamomile, ylang ylang, galbanum, angelica and jasmine.

Essential oils that ease heartache and calm the circulatory system when there is tightness or palpitations are angelica, marjoram, hyssop, lavender, neroli, melissa, rose, chamomile, ylang ylang and jasmine.

Often when there are emotional heart issues, we sometimes find difficulty in catching our breath. Stress, heartache, feelings of rejection, jealousy or fear can cause a tightening of the chest, a shortness of breath, and a shallow airy breathing pattern. Essential oils that might help the respiratory system when shortness of breath or a feeling of tightness occurs are eucalyptus, cajuput, peppermint, rosemary, rose, chamomile, marjoram, sandalwood, frankincense and hyssop.

Vulnerability is often seen as a weakness in this modern day society, so we have learned to close down the heart chakra and become wary of our fellow man. We are so imprinted with the negative that it is often hard to remain open to the positive. And yet, if we are to have an open heart and a free flowing heart energy center, it is imperative to trust, to open, and to love, irregardless of the possibility of being hurt. Remember, if you can truly learn to love yourself, others will reflect back that love. Then vulnerability is no longer an issue and love pours through, out and returns back to you. It really is a lovely thing.

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Third Chakra

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 01:34:24 +0000

The third chakra is located in the region of the abdomen and includes the organs of the stomach, liver, pancreas, upper intestines, and adrenals as well as the mid thoracic spine. Known as the solar plexus chakra, this energy center is associated with the color yellow to golden yellow, and connects to the element of fire. Fire gives us warmth, light, energy and clearing, in that it allows us to burn away physical debris. On a spiritual level this solar plexus fire is used for purification, burning out the old and negative belief patterns and the obsolete energies preventing us from moving forward on our spiritual path. The third chakra is our connection to the sun, to the source light, and is represented by the 10 petal lotus. As the sun is our solar power, so the solar plexus chakra is our personal power. Here we are able to stand in our truth, to realize and be the statement of the “I AM”, and to resonate with our higher knowledge while co-creating with the more mundane. The third chakra is the bridge that allows the higher chakra energies to manifest on the physical levels. It is our lower center of personal will.

On an emotional level, the third chakra is all about the self, our ego and the development of personal power. At puberty, we open the third chakra and begin to actualize a better sense of individuation and self-esteem. With a healthy solar plexus energy, the teenager will begin to move away from the family as the center of his tribe and relate more to others; understanding how he/she, as an individual, connects to the greater whole and to a communal tribe. With a strong solar plexus, a person will become more self-aware, and self-confident. This new found personal power can enable the individual to create and manifest his own personal beliefs and desires. This can often look like rebellion to the tribe/family, but is necessary if he is ever to realize his own self-respect and self-esteem. Words like self-responsibility, self-assertion, self-control, self-understanding, self-actualization and self-criticism are all solar plexus words. If this energy center is imbalanced or compromised, then a sense of rejection sets in. We become fearful and loose the ability to assert our true selves, sliding deeper into gloom, discouragement, and despair. We become unsure of our intuitive knowing and begin depending on others to create our reality. We give up our personal power, forfeit our self-respect and abandon our self-esteem. Luckily there are some essential oils that support our positive self-image and help us identify with a sense of self-empowerment. Oils that assist the solar plexus on an emotional level are frankincense, rose, myrrh, melissa, neroli, elemi, rosewood, sandalwood, chamomile, and rosemary.

As mentioned above, on a physical plane, the solar plexus center affects the digestive system, and partially the endocrine system. Essential oils that support the digestive tract, thus strengthening the physical aspects of the third chakra are peppermint, black pepper, lavender, chamomile, lemon, ginger, cardamom, fennel, bergamot, and rosemary. Essential oils that cleanse the liver and gall bladder are cypress, chamomile, lemon, juniper, rosemary, and helichrysum. Oils that lessen nervous tension which stresses the adrenal glands are basil, chamomile, lavender, cypress, hemp, bergamot, geranium, jasmine, marjoram, melissa, patchouli, neroli, rose, sandalwood, and ylang ylang, just to name a few. All these oils will, in some way, support and nurture the third chakra center on a physical level.

The color yellow, associated with the third chakra, stimulates the intelligence centers of the brain. (When studying, if a solid piece of bright yellow paper is placed just above eye level on the desk, then any information learned at that time is more likely to be retained and remembered when needed.) We learn on a gut level, which is why the solar plexus is considered one of our seats of wisdom. Here we have our internal living library, (everything our soul has learned through all of its lifetimes) and access to not only our perceived/learned knowledge but also our intuitive wisdom. We connect to our astral bodies in this energy center, and through the astral body we can know our true wishes and desires, tapping into our soul’s path that we have spiritually committed to travel. The ladder to the Akashic Records, in which is recorded our soulic destiny and the journey that we have contracted to take, can be found by going through the solar plexus’ library and up to the higher planes. Essential oils that connect us to our spiritual path and to our higher wisdom are frankincense, sandalwood, elemi, vetiver, angelica, cedarwood, jasmine, lavender, rose, neroli, rosewood, helichrysum, and myrrh.

In the third chakra we find the resonance of the statement “I AM”. This mantra also resonates with the energies of Saint Germaine, an ascended master who has chosen to help guide us into the Age of Aquarius. St. Germaine is represented by the Purple Flame that holds us in our truth and allows us to stand in the strength of our personal will. In the essential oils, St. Germaine harmonizes with both the masculine and feminine. His energy can be found in frankincense representing his masculine principle, and galbanum representing his feminine. When combined these essential oils hold the power of the “I AM” wisdom that St. Germaine bestows on us all.

On another level, as the sacral chakra is considered the seat of the Goddess, so the solar plexus chakra becomes the seat of the Godhead. When the flow of energy in the channels between the sacral and solar plexus chakras is open, then a balance of the masculine/feminine energies can be harmonized. By pulling up energy from the second chakra to the third, a union of intellect and intuitive understanding can manifest, creating a junction of self-empowerment and self-understanding, a true self-wisdom. The solar plexus shines the light of self-knowing on the self-creation of the sacral chakra. Then when the channels of energy flow one chakra higher, to the heart chakra, we will see how this all ties into attaining self-love.

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New Year’s Eve Labyrinth Mediation

Sue Bovenizer — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 16:29:58 +0000

[sc_embed_player fileurl=”URL OF THE MP3 FILE”]

New Year’s Eve Labyrinth Meditation

Some people bring in the new year by setting an intention, making a resolutions or just being quiet in meditation. Here are a couple of thoughts to help you.

If you don’t live in Charlottesville and can’t make it to the Unitarian Church on Rugby Road, then use the meditation Spikenard – Audio Meditation on Labyrinth Walking on Labyrinth Walking.

Listen: Labyrinth Walking – Spikenard Audio Meditation

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Psychic Self-Defense

Sue Bovenizer — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:08:34 +0000

The last Harry Potter movie sparked me into thinking about what we “muggles” aren’t taught in regular school. At Hogwarts the children are taught different forms of magic as if it were the most common and natural thing to learn. Now, I recognize the argument that Harry Potter is fiction and a “Defense Against the Dark Arts” class wouldn’t pass our Board of Education committee… But, what if there were more to learn than our ABC’s in order to navigate through this world…?

In fact, Psychic Self-Defense has been taught in the Mystery Schools of Healing throughout time as a basic training in keeping negative energies from affecting one’s own energetic integrity. Yet why, if we truly are coming from our Higher Self’s knowing and are following our Soul’s path, would we need protection? It’s an interesting debate and I would agree that when we are centered and balanced in all our subtle bodies, then psychic self-defense becomes a moot point. But how many of us actually are able to maintain clarity and energetic integrity in all situations that life throws at us? Sometimes setting up a little protection might be warranted when that little extra psychic safety is needed.

There are many subtle bodies that surround our physical; some being the mental body, emotional body, spiritual body, and auric body, also known as the etheric body. It’s the etheric body that is the first line of defense against external negative energy. It is akin to an energetic armor or covering that all exterior energies need to penetrate before they reach our intrinsic body. And when we are feeling imbalanced, tired, overwhelmed or traumatized, this outer auric body can become compromised and external energies may pervade. There are many different ways of setting up protection when one feels threatened or maybe just energetically weak and essential oils can provide a supportive encasement for the auric body when used in conjunction with intention.

One technique to use in crowds or busy places, is an energetic shield. Imagine you are encasing yourself in an egg-like shell of impenetrable light. Before heading out in a crowd, visualize a clear membrane of light around you and into this shell you can spritz the essences of either lavender, geranium, melissa, orange, pamarosa rose, or tea tree. The oils will act like a barrier of energy to repel any negativity that those in the crowd might brush off on you.

But more to the point, it is important to keep your etheric body free of energy leeches. There are lower dimensional beings, some of which because of their addictions while in body on earth, have become lost and unable to pass over in death. Often these lower dimensional beings will astrally hang out at bars or mass gatherings where drugs and alcohol are being used and will try to attach on to a weakened aura in order to suck energy. The more drunk/stoned we might become, the less fortified our auras are, the easier for these disincarnate beings to attach onto us and begin pulling energy away from us. This is where psychic self-defense comes in – you need to be conscious that there are beings that can attach in and suck our energies. Then set an intent to disallow them access. Before going out to a bar or a gathering where there will be drinking and/or drug use, spritz an essential oil combination around yourself and clearly state that you wish to be defended against any evil or unwanted influences that seek to enter your energy field without permission. See the mist of essential oil spray become a shield around you that is impenetrable to disincarnate souls and feel deep inside that your etheric body is strong and full of integrity. Then you are ready to step out! Some of the essential oils that are helpful for this kind of protection are frankincense, cedarwood, myrrh, galbanum, elemi, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver, mugwort, helichrysum and sage.

You may already sense you have unwittingly allowed psychic hitchhikers or psychic leeches (or vampires) to attach into your etheric body, in which case you might already be feeling the effects of the energy drain. You might feel tired, lethargic or in a perpetual state of being hung over and “not yourself”. Often we aren’t even aware that we have holes in the aura or that we are open to leaching energy. One quick technique is to scan your etheric body and sense if it feels whole and full of integrity. We all see or sense our auric bodies differently – maybe it can look like a veil of a cloth that surrounds you, or it can be a suit of armor, or a mist or transparent bubble. There is no right or wrong way of visualizing your own energy field’s defenses. It’s whatever works for you! So, tune in, maybe during your meditation time, and see if you can visualize what your etheric body looks like when it’s in its whole integrity, then check to see if there are any holes or cords/straws attaching in. When we state the intent to see any attachments that have penetrated the integrity of our energetic body, all psychic hitchhikers are bound and sworn to have to present themselves to us. From what I understand there is a Universal Law that says any lower dimensional attached Being has to make its presence known if the person (still alive on earth) commands it. Then, once you see what’s sucking on your energy, you demand that the lower frequencied Being release its hold on you, return to its place of being and no longer bothers you. Essential oils that are really great at getting rid of unwanted psychic bugs and low-lifes are cedarwood, sage, geranium, rosemary, rose, tea tree, eucalyptus, camphor and frankincense. These oils can be burned in an aroma lamp or sprayed in a circle around you as you sit in meditation. This particular clearing off of psychic riff-raff can also be done effectively in the bath, where the essential oils are mixed in sea salts to cleanse away the negative entities.

When using psychic self-defense, it’s good to remember not to use it because of fear. We choose to defend because we love integrity and wholeness, not because we fear we are anything less than perfect. If we hold the idea that we are conscious Beings of Light, we really don’t need to defend ourselves. The truth of our Light usually is enough to keep away dark energies. But as I said, sometimes because of trauma, be it emotional or physical, to our bodies, the strength of the etheric body becomes compromised and a little conscious psychic self-defense is handy. Keep your auric field strong and healthy and you’ll be fine.

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Releasing Old Patterns – The Gyroscope

Sue Bovenizer — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:04:32 +0000

https://suebovenizer.com/public_html/wp-content/uploads/audio/1st%20chakra_spring08.mp3

Especially around the holidays, we tend to fall into old (childhood) patterns when confronted by family stress and tensions. What seems like the littlest thing to an outsider can bring inner rage and pain to a family member whose buttons have been pushed. This is when visualizations can be very helpful to transmute stressful energy and send it flying. The following is a session I had with a client who came to me in distress because she felt as if she were losing her sense of self and giving her power away. I wanted to share it with you to let you see how visualizations can assist in regaining balance and strength.

In the session I was doing Somato-Emotional Release work with my client. She was having some personal challenges with holding onto other people’s emotions, which were making her feel imbalanced and upset. She recognized that they weren’t her emotions, but somehow because she was caught in an old pattern that was very familiar to her, she knew she was taking other people’s stuff into her auric field and running their energy in an attempt to help the others feel better.

Very often we run other people’s stuff as part of that healing desire to make others feel less stressed, or to like us more (or whatever the “M-O” is in the moment), much to the detriment of our own health. When we take other people’s stuff on board, we diminish our true sense of self and get lost in the quagmire of another’s challenge. This is what happened to my client.

So, in the session we looked at what she was specifically doing, which was trying to make her husband feel stronger and less sad. Being a nurse, she has always had a propensity to over-help in an attempt to try to take other’s pain and sadness away. She became so enmeshed in her husband’s stress and wanted so much for him to feel better that she began to take on and feel his symptoms.

It’s hard to explain the energetic dynamic, but when you take on another’s tense energy or emotion, you can become lethargic, tired, headachy and frustrated in your own self. When you assume the mantle of some one else’s anger, pain, grief, stress, etc, you deplete your own innate chi or life force and join them in a downward spiral.

Once my client’s issue was defined and she could separate herself from her spouse’s emotions, she could then find a deeper sense of self. But she didn’t know how to release his emotions from her body. We needed to specify where exactly in her body she was running his emotions. She found that there was a dull ache in her solar plexus. It was as if she had continual nausea or an upset stomach. She said it was like she had been punched in her gut some time ago and the dull memory remained knotted in there. Her will center (3rd chakra) had been compromised and she realized she was giving her power away to her husband in an attempt to fill his energy up and make him feel more actualized.

This is where guided visualizations come in handy. Once you have isolated the issue and located it in the body, then you can access deep levels of innate inner knowledge to figure out how to come back to homeostasis. We decided she needed to do some psychic cleansing in order to find balance and realign herself again.

Visualizations usually are very potent when doing psychic cleansing. Some of the ones I have used in the past are things like taking a psychic fire hose and washing the effected area down. Or getting a psychically sudsy scrub brush and scrubbing the area down. Or picking up all the psychic/emotional debris in a bag and throwing it off a cliff. Or imagining that all the stuff you are carrying for someone else is in a big backpack, and you can take each symbolic rock out of the pack, look at what it represents and then decide if you want to leave it behind. There are so many different techniques – but this following one was new to me.

So, my client is lying down horizontally on my therapy table, and we call in a Merkaba. A Merkaba, from all I’ve learned, is two triangles joined one upside down on the other so that it looks like an 8 pointed star. The Merkaba spins very fast creating a vacuum, which can be used for various journeys. But the way we used it was to have it spinning like a tornado effect, spinning around her belly, catching emotional garbage that didn’t belong to her and having it thrown off her at great velocity.

As I watched the energetic of this star whipping around, clearing out the debris of old stagnant emotions, it began to morph into what looked like a gyroscope. And I began to understand that this gyroscope was going to assist her in staying balanced and centered when others try to dump their emotional garbage on her. She visualized the gyroscope spinning around her solar plexus, shifting, cleansing and reorganizing her 3rd chakra into balance. Then we guided the gyroscope so that it was positioned upright, as if it were spinning on a vertical plane when she was standing, and we imagined that whenever someone tried to release their anger or frustration on her, that the energy would get caught in the gyroscope and whip around, exterior to her body and fly off her and away. This way she no longer needed to carry it and yet the other person also felt relieved because they were able to vent and dump their stuff off themselves.

When she finally stood up, she said she felt lighter, centered and grounded, and also felt this internal spinning which seemed to give her energy and Light. She reported that she no longer had the tight tummy and felt re-empowered and strong. She knew because of this new imaged gyroscope, that she would always find her center and be able to withstand other’s attempts at energetic infiltration. Because of her love for her husband, she said that she still wants to assist him in finding his own strength and balance, but will no longer disempower herself for his sake.

I wanted to report this session (with her permission) to suggest that during this time of family gatherings and emotional challenges, why not take some time and set up your own internal gyroscope or Merkaba, letting it spin so fast that no one else’s stuff can penetrate your auric field and bring yo down. When you can find your own strength to maintain balance and groundedness, no one can topple you off center. The gyroscope can spin on practically any surface and stay balanced. We all can have our own internal sense of gyroscopic balance.

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Releasing Old Patterns of Behavior – The Tree

Sue Bovenizer — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:02:59 +0000

INNER CHILD WORK

In a somato-emotional release session recently, I was dialoguing with my client’s internal wisdom (also known as the Higher Self, the All-Knowing Self or the Inner Wise One). This client was working on releasing an old pattern from childhood – one that held his inner child hostage to the emotions of needing to please his mother. It’s an age-old scenario, popularized by Oedipus, only in this storyline, my client felt that in order to receive maternal love, he would have to subjugate his own power to defer to hers. Naturally as children, kids want to please the parents, as they are their main providers of food and shelter, and since all children are survivors at heart, they’ll do anything to stay alive – Even if it is to the detriment of their own psyche, will or emotional body. This pattern then gets locked into the tissues of the body (the muscles, fascia, bones, etc) and as the person grows, s/he repeats the same old ‘familiar’ pattern, even if it seems to be harmful to them.

So, my client recognized this old childhood pattern and saw how throughout his life he repeated this same scenario with other women in his life- girlfriend or lovers,- but always with a similar disastrous ending. Tired of being the pawn in his own game of life, he wanted to transmute the negative, subjugated energies into those of strength and self-will. He desired to transform his inner child’s weakness into one of power and self-possession. But he didn’t know how to, without feeling like he was betraying his mother’s love and alienating himself from his own inner child aspect.

That’s when we began playing with a symbolic image that is so prevalent in springtime. Many times, just at the change from winter into spring, certain trees still have dead leaves clinging to their limbs. I guess there are trees that don’t shed their leaves in autumn, but hold on to them all throughout the winter, so that when you look at them in April, they look the same as they did in October. Unchanged. Very similar to that of inner child energy patterns in the body that go throughout life unchanged once cemented in by trauma, choice or survival. Unchanged, that is, until a natural Spring challenges them into metamorphosis.

Such was the case with my client. We used the image of this autumnal tree as representative of his inner child aspect, still holding on to its old ways of being, even though there is regeneration and rejuvenation happening all around. We had his body feel the energetic sap rising from the base as if he were the tree, filling his entire being with this new revitalizing energy. The old patterns as represented by the dead leaves, began to be pushed out by the new growth of shoots emerging from the branches. The old blueprints that his inner aspect held on to (even though they were out-moded and no longer for his highest good,) began to drop, as the new energies (as represented by the new shoots and buds) began to push the patterns away. His body’s energies shifted and a new current of life-force replaced the stagnant, dormant holding patterns. He was able to visualize releasing his old negative emotional body, as if he were shedding a layer of self (or dead leaves), having a new found self emerge like buds on a tree. He made a conscious choice to let go of his need to please, his subjugation of self-will, and saw himself in his own mind’s eye as strong, powerful and self-actualized.
So, what does all this mean?

For me, I’ve seen that we all have survival techniques that were developed as children to safe-keep ourselves. It is only natural that as children, we strived to please those who held the key to our very existence – as in those who put food on our table and a roof over our heads. We often had to bow to their dictates and take on their truths as our own in an effort to satisfy their parental principles, lest we get demolished by their anger if we didn’t.

But at some point in our lives, as we grew, we began to sense that the parent’s beliefs, their codes of conduct or ways of being, didn’t resonate with our inner soul’s truths. We instinctually knew that the path we needed to journey couldn’t be done by following in the parental footsteps. We had to individuate and march to our own proverbial drum beat.

And yet, because we had developed these survival techniques, and they served us well as children, they became core energetics in our bodies. They became viscerally charged, and anytime we tried to deviate from the parental dictates, the gut would seize up and become symptomatic.
The belly is where we hold our seat of power – and when a parent has so strongly indoctrinated us into their belief systems, anytime we stray from that belief to our truth, we can get an immediate gut reaction. This is just the inner child’s aspect holding us to an old antiquated pattern that no longer serves our highest good, which is why it doesn’t feel comfortable. We often are held hostage by an inner child aspect – one who has bought into the dictates of a parent or teacher – and can’t grow past that level of understanding. We then, in any given situation, will always react like a child, unable to access the grown-up self because the child’s energy is so intrinsically locked into the cellular memory. We default to cellular memory because it is so engrained in our neuro-pathways.

But we can release these patterns by changing the energy behind the pattern. We need to teach the inner child aspect how to trust our grown-up self and invite the inner child to listen and understand our new ways of being. We need to replace the old parental/teacher tapes with new information that supports our true soul’s journey and show the child how we joyously see the world through mature eyes. By befriending the inner child aspect, we can hold his/her hand and invite the child to accompany us on our true path. And by doing that, the pre-patterned parental energy begins to release and transmute. By consciously choosing to follow our heart’s song and our inner knowing’s dictates, we can allow the child to trust and let go of old ways of being that no longer serve and grow to equal our self-actualized energy. By loving the inner child aspect and encouraging new expansion, we can let go of visceral miasms and cellular memories that don’t align to our soul’s essence and our mind/body connection.

We can be like those trees in spring. We can allow old non-functioning parts of self to be shed and encourage new growth and rejuvenation.

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Suzanne Bovenizer

Headache Self Help

MASSAGING THE TEMPLES

PRESSING AT THE CORNERS OF THE EYES

RELEASING AT THE ETHMOID/FRONTAL JUNCTION

SISSORING ACROSS THE FOREHEAD

PINCHING THE EYE BROWS

EAR PULL

CV4 STILL POINT DEVICE

Seventh Chakra

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Seventh Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Sixth Chakra

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra Spring 08 Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Listen to Sixth Chakra 09 Meditation

Fifth Chakra

Listen to Melt Down Yoga Meditation

Listen to Fifth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Fourth Chakra

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Meditation

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Spring 08 Meditation

Listen to a Fourth Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Third Chakra

Listen to Third Chakra Meditation

Listen to Third Chakra Spring 08 Meditation

Listen to Third Chakra Fall 08 Meditation

Listen to Third Chakra Spring 09 Lecture

Listen to Third Chakra Spring 09 Meditation

New Year’s Eve Labyrinth Mediation

Psychic Self-Defense

Releasing Old Patterns – The Gyroscope

Releasing Old Patterns of Behavior – The Tree