Trinity of Truth Tip: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Can Never Hurt Me

When you step into the perspective of observing a situation from your soul view you begin to see all people and all people’s actions as very separate from you. And you begin to see that they really can’t touch the most important part of you, your spirit, your soul. We need to remember the words we used as children, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Except this time, understand the truth in that statement.

In the words of Viktor Frankl (World War II holocaust survivor and author of the book, Man’s Search for Meaning), “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Viktor Frankl never allowed his broken body to break his mind. He never allowed the evil into his heart. He said there was one thing they could never take from him—they could never take his spirit (his soul).

Trinity of Truth Tip: The Self "PEP" Talk—What Is It and Why Does It Work?

Many times we find ourselves consoling friends and family in their times of need.  And sometimes they provide comfort to us too.  But sometimes we need a kick in the pants that can only come from the person who knows us best—ourselves!  More times than not, you have to be on the giving and receiving end of your pep talks.  That's where the Self PEP Talk comes in.

What does PEP mean and how does "Self PEP Talk" help?  It's sort of like a cheer and it goes like this:

Gimme a "P"

P is for Positive:  positive self talk shifts your attitude from "poor ole me"—the victim role—to an attitude of gratitude.  One tool for positive talk is the use of affirmations.  Try this: Make a list of what's troubling you—why you need a pep talk, a boost—and then write a counter statement to cancel it out. 

For example, if you are experiencing low self-worth you might write, "I am not capable of giving or receiving love and feel completely worthless" and then next to it, write, "I am an innocent and powerful Being surrounded by, and worthy of, the radiant glow of love and light that surrounds me."  Then allow yourself to feel the truth in those words.  And do your best to really, really, believe them!

Gimme an "E"

E is for Empowerment:  Reminding yourself that you are indeed worthy of love and capable of giving and receiving all the nurturing you desire gives you a sense of empowerment.  That is to say, you regain your power.  Somewhere along the way, you gave it away.  Self PEP Talk helps you get it back.

Gimme a "P"

P is for Perspective:  Once you shift to a Positive attitude and feel Empowered you have a new point of view—a new Perspective.  You are in a position to see the situation—whatever had you feeling down on yourself—more objectively.  When you can see any situation more objectively, it is easier to relinquish the victim role and see that whatever had a hold on you is just another opportunity for growth, if you choose it to be.  Perspective is where we are given the choice to not only take back our power but claim it, own it, but taking the ultimate step of personal responsibility.  We get to choose—every single time—how to respond. 

Seriously, what other people do, don't do, say, or don't say is never about you.  Ever.  Sure, it still stings and scars but you can get your power back when you stop reacting, defending, explaining, denying.  You stop these things when you shift your attitude.  Taking on the role of observer is the most helpful tool for shifting your attitude, getting clarity, understanding and working through your emotions.  It really works.  And remember life is a process.  Cheer it on in the good times and bad times.  There's something to learn, to gain, in every situation if you can just stop for minute and remember to not take it—other people's stuff—personally.  It's Not About You!

One More Tip:  When you're feeling down and need a boost, focus on your accomplishments, not your failures.  But also think about the lessons you've learned from the failures and how you got through them.  Make a list of your successes.  How did you achieve the highest points in life.  What strengths did you draw on to achieve these things? Bottom line: you've got to be your own best cheerleader!  

Trinity of Truth Tip: Bless Your Water

An easy way to consume good energy and clear toxins out of your body is through the water you drink. Even better is if you bless your water before consuming it.

Fill up a jug first thing in the morning (or the night before if you're pressed for time in the mornings).

Stand over the water. Close your eyes. Rub your hands briskly in front of your heart center. Feel the heat and tingling sensation in your palms. Open your hands and hold them over the jug of water.

Keeping your eyes closed, imagine white light coming from your hands and into the water.

In your minds eye, behind closed eyes, see the water free of any toxins; know it is pure, clear, and full of vitality.

Next, chant three aums as you imagine the light integrating with the water. Feel the vibration of your voice as you sing aum. The vibration is the voice of and link to a higher power—connect with it.

Throughout the day drink only this water which you have blessed.

Allow the energy, the light, to seep into every part of your body as you drink the water. Imagine the water reaching and hydrating every cell (which it is).

You can also send the water to any area needing special attention. Or imagine the water as a calming and soothing agent during stressful meetings or situations. Just sip the water slowly as you feel it flowing into small crevices of your body, relaxing and softening your insides.

Note: If you consume other beverages from another source (coffee or tea over a business lunch, for example) silently bless it in the same way.

Trinity of Truth Tip: Aum Your Way to Health

When I am feeling out of sorts, off center, or not grounded for some reason, I start auming.  The reason it works is because the sound of AUM (OM) is the cosmic vibration of the Universe.  We are part of that Universe.  The AUM vibration is in our cosmic DNA, the deepest part of our being.  When we connect to the depths of our creation, we get grounded, centered, and feel secure once again.

I also aum my family's food as a way of blessing it before we consume it.  If I forget, my husband now reminds me!  It's as simple as holding your hands over the food and chanting aum a few times.  Imagine light radiating from your hands (because it is!) and penetrating the food and drink.  Know that you are consuming cosmic, healing, energetic, light. Do this with everything you consume (vitamins, supplements, medications, anything you put in your body). 

I took the photo in this post the fall of 2010 on a beach in British Columbia (Salt Spring Island to be exact).  My husband and I were there celebrating our wedding anniversary.  It was on a cool morning walk that I came upon this hollowed out log.  It struck me that I was to meditate here.  And so I did.  In the freedom of seclusion, I aumed out loud with complete abandon.  In the stillness of this piece of earth, the vibration of the earth, through that log, sang back to me.  I returned later to build the "om" inside. 

This picture reminds me of the peace found in the simple act of sharing an aum (om) or two with nature.   As often as you can, sing or hum aum as you walk, run, or hike while outside.  The birds will hear you ...and they just love it when you sing back to them.

Aum, peace, to you........

Trinity of Truth Tip: The Breath of Fire

One of my favorite pranayama techniques is called The Breath of Fire. It is considered an advanced technique, but I often teach it to beginners because the results are immediate and powerful. This technique gets its name because it is associated with the lumbar, or third, chakra, which is associated with the "fire" element.

The practice begins with an exhalation instead of the more natural inhalation and breathing is done entirely through the nose.* Begin by sitting upright, feet flat on the ground, and place your hands on your lap (palms turned upward is best). It might be helpful, at first, to hold your hands at the navel area so you can get a feel for how your belly is moving which should visibly be thrusting in and out.

To begin, throw out ALL your breath through your nose (keeping your mouth closed will help) with great force while at the same time thrusting your navel back into your spine. Let your inhalation come on its own with no effort or thought of it. Pick up the pace—it is meant to be a bit aggressive, heating up (like a fire). A good goal is one full breath (inhale and exhale) per second. To help, mentally count "1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000" and so on, until you get a feel for it. If you feel light headed at any point, stop. There's no hurry.

You can start with just a few rounds and build up to 25 rounds or more (do as much feels right for you). This technique will wake you up and bring you into the present moment, here, now, and fast! It is super energizing and works great to clear the cobwebs out of your head! I do this pranayama more often than any other. It works wonders!

*If breathing is constricted in your nose, it is okay to use your mouth.

The Power of Breathing

Each element of the Trinity—mind, body, spirit—is independent yet must work interdependently to have true balance. We cannot function at peak performance if any one of these three aspects of ourselves is being neglected. To ensure you are not always throwing a wrench into the mix and getting out of balance without even realizing it, it’s good practice to start recognizing yourself as "mind, body, spirit" instead of just a mere physical body carrying around a load of muscles, bones, and organs in a protective layer of skin. Yes, we are physical, but the power of the mind and the energy of the spirit is what keeps us going. Think of your body as a car: Your thoughts as the fuel and your spirit as the battery power.

In the practice of yoga and meditation, the Sanskrit word prana is often used to describe the vital life force that feeds energy to our bodies and calms our minds. In my practice of yoga, blocked energy is released from joints and other areas in the body when we move into various postures; the mind is calmed when we say the affirmation that goes with each pose. In English, prana is translated as breath. Without the ability to breathe we would die.

Mind, body, and spirit are interdependent, and just as the body would die without the ability to breathe, so too would the body and mind die without spirit. I am not saying that you will literally die by not having a spiritual practice, but it's more like that sense of feeling dead inside—apathetic, indifferent, and lacking joy. My own body and mind both took very serious hits when I lost touch with my spirit—more specifically, my soul. In my old job I got so immersed in what some call the "rat race" and just trying to survive that I literally stopped doing all the things that fed my spirit. I'd never been a regular churchgoer, but I'd always attended some services and done lots of outdoor activities, like backpacking, swimming, biking, and other things that kept me close to the spiritual, to the elements. I'd always considered myself to be very fit and even did some mountaineering and several triathlons. So, when I could barely make it down a ski run one winter without stopping to rest, or unable to carry a basket of laundry up my stairs without feeling like my legs were giving out, I knew things were getting bad. My body was failing me as many tests indicated. And I often left business meetings with debilitating migraines that lasted for days. I really was falling apart mentally and physically.

I learned through the practice of yoga and meditation how to reconnect with the essence of spirit and reunite with my soul—in particular the power of using my breath. Understanding breath as spirit keeps me in touch with my Truth. Each breath anchors me. No matter what might be going on around me, I remain calm by using breathing techniques and mentally chanting "Trinity of Truth." My breath brings me back to center; it allows me to meet with the essence of my soul, where I find peace, in any given moment. Developing a habit of correct breathing has taught me to keep my Trinity working in harmony without even trying; I simply have a good breathing habit now. There are many tools to get back in balance, but I believe using the breath is one of the most powerful and easy to learn.

In Paramhansa Yogananda's book, Scientific Healing Affirmations, he writes: “In his mortal aspect man is a Triune Being. He longs for freedom from all varieties of suffering. His needs are: 1) Healing of bodily diseases. 2) Healing of mental or psychological diseases such as fear, anger, bad habits, failure consciousness, lack of initiative and confidence, and so on. 3) Healing of spiritual diseases such as indifference, lack of purpose, intellectual pride and dogmatism, skepticism, contentment with material side of existence, and ignorance of laws of life and man's own divinity.” He further states, “It is of paramount importance that equal emphasis be given to the prevention and cure of all three kinds of diseases.”

I no longer compete in the "rat race," but I have re-entered the business world. Instead of participating in the race as a competitor, I now act as cheerleader and coach. I teach meditation in the business community to help others learn how to win—not through blood, sweat, and tears, but through the simple act of breathing. Let's face it, not everybody can just up and quit their jobs. We need engineers, data entry administrators, doctors, teachers, taxi drivers, pilots, managers, worker-bees, and all those hard-working souls in the food-service industry. Giving people tools to not just survive, but actually to thrive, no matter their job, is what breath work can do for anyone willing to learn. Learning proper breathing along with some simple meditation techniques can quite literally transform your life. It did mine.

TOT Tip: Reclaim Your Power by Making a Running Action List Notebook

In my old job I often found myself with so many action items I would run in circles trying to figure out which thing to do next—and more often than not unable to find my notes on that thing I was supposed to do next!  It was crazy!  I had a different notebook for each project, which also meant I had all my various actions in multiple locations.  To make matters worse, I would often get called into an impromptu meeting without any notebook—say while taking the risk of being seen by all the other action-givers by leaving my office to get a drink or go to the bathroom!

The actions from those unplanned meetings often resulted in making "to-do" notes on scraps of paper, post-it notes, and sometimes even a napkin if it was over lunch or dinner.  My action lists were out of control—they were more like my inaction lists!  Barely surviving, my nostrils the only thing above the water line, I treaded in the deep end as my legs were giving out. It was time to sink or swim.  It was time to get organized because I was definitely sinking. 

One day it occurred to me that I should put all my action items in one place.  I know that might seem obvious—and it was to me too once I thought of it! ...a big "duh" moment for sure—but I was so overwhelmed I couldn't think clearly ...and sometimes not at all!  So I grabbed a small notebook from the office supply cabinet and wrote across the front in bold letters "Ruthie's To-Do List"  with a note (reminder to me) "Actions Only!"   I started transferring all my various actions and scribbled to-do notes into the "one" notebook.  And I carried it with me everywhere I went.  Even the bathroom!

***

TOT Tip: Make a Running Action List

Get a small notebook that is easy for you to carry around—at least most of the time.  Write on the front of it: ACTION LIST for _________ (your name) or something along those lines. When you get an idea for a birthday or holiday gift write it down.  When you have to renew your tabs, pay a bill, pick up friend at the airport next week, or send a thank you note, write it down. Make your entry a really short and simple statement (action) though—this is really important.  If it ends up looking like a bunch of journal entries or a grocery list it becomes more work to plow through and pluck out the "to-do" items.  This notebook is ONLY for things you want to do and nothing more!

And if you do need to make a quick note on a napkin or post-it just tuck it inside your Action List Notebook when you get home.  Transfer these loose notes over next time you sit to update your Action List.

***

How does this TOT Tip help you on an energetic level?

This TOT Tip supports your Root Chakra because being organized is super grounding!  Being grounded gives a sense of peace; a key aspect of the root chakra.  When we feel that our surroundings and "to-do" lists are scattered all over the place, we lose our footing and—literally—run around in circles! And what a sense of Peace it is to see all the items lined through upon completion! 

The Third Chakra also benefits because the more productive you are—that is to say the more you follow through on your intentions (your to-do's)—the more emPOWERed and confident you become!  The third chakra is about "self stuff"—like self-confidence and personal power.  

I had a teacher a few years back tell me to stop making lists because it limited my intuition.  And that may feel true for you but, honestly, it's the complete opposite for me.  We agreed to disagree on that one.   Once I did this same exercise for my personal life my whole world became more peaceful.  I felt a sense of control which allowed me to relax, and become "more" open to my intuition, not less. 

Bottom line: lists are not all bad.  Don't think you are boring or too structured or rigid because you need a list.  Let's face it, we live in a hectic and demanding culture.  If you're feeling scattered or overwhelmed with too many action items, see if this might help.

And, oh, having an organized Action List Notebook is a great way to start the New Year!

Happy Holidays to You!

PS:  This could be a great gift idea for someone you know who could use a little help staying afloat.