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Take a deep full breath. Really, go ahead and do it now. Begin by slowly filling the bottom of your belly allowing the breath to gently rise to the top of your chest as you tilt your head back facing the sky, then slowly exhale all the way feeling your belly button slightly contract backwards towards your spine as you empty completely.
Prior to discovering the benefits of breathwork about twelve years ago, I could not do this. Early trauma had caused a very shallow and restricted breath, mainly in my upper chest. Today I'm passionate about the direct link between our breath and our emotions. Shallow and restricted breathing usually indicates repressed or suppressed emotions waiting to be healed and integrated for a fuller and richer experience of life. This was true in my case and with hundreds of others I've worked since making this connection.
We know now that the root cause of all self-limiting patterns, phobias, chronic anger and depression, as well as addictions are unhealed emotions. Un-felt feelings never die. They are only buried and manifest in both emotional and physical disease. Un-integrated feelings separate us of our spiritual wholeness and the joyful aliveness that we were born to live. So, to feel well - breath well!
You might want to setup a reminder on
your watch, computer or phone to take a deep conscious breath every hour.
In this issue you will find:
- An article about my first breathwork experience including some facts that you might find interesting about dolphins, breathing and processing emotions.
- An invitation to join me at next Monday Essence Circle to experience The Dolphin Meditation for yourself.
"... What is God?
He is the breath inside the breath."
- Kabir
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My First Breathwork Experience and
First Real Taste of the Divine
It was June of 1998, twelve years ago this month, when my life radically changed, for ever. It all begin while assisting in a personal growth course here in Atlanta called Understanding Yourself and Others or UYO for short.
The course instructors were Apolonia Fortino and Christopher Howell. I knew Apolonia and had much respect for her both as a teacher and therapist. I didn't know Christopher. He had flown in from Austin Texas.
During the course, I heard a few of my fellow assistants talking about this powerful meditation that Christopher led them through Friday afternoon, prior to the course. One friend whom I would describe as grounded, rational and possessing a healthy skepticism, described her experience as "profound and life changing." I felt like I'd missed out on something meaningful. I wanted to experience it! So happens, there was enough positive buzz that Christopher decided to offer the meditation again on Monday before flying back home to Texas.
I was one of about 15 people who arrived at The Center for Inner Work located in Sandy Springs. I felt a mixture of excitement and fear. "Was something big was about to happen?"
Christopher introduced himself as a newly trained "Breathworker" and the process that he would be guiding us through as The Dolphin Breath Meditation. He described this meditation as being an extremely powerful meditation. The key to it's power, Christopher explained, is deep-full circular breathing. We learned that:
- Dolphins utilize 100% of their lung capacity while humans use only about 20%.
- Dolphins experience many of the same emotions that we humans do, such as peace, love, joy, anger, sadness, grief and more. Yet they don't get stuck in or hold on to any of these emotions and this is the secret to their freedom and grace.
- Dolphins experience all emotions equally and fully, allowing the energy to flow through them without resistance. We humans tend to tense our bodies, restrict our breath and attempt avoid fully experiencing uncomfortable or "negative"emotions.
- These unprocessed emotions remain stuck in the body and are the root cause of most mental and emotional dysfunction and many physical diseases.
A few minutes later I was laying on the floor breathing as deeply and fully as I was able while visualizing meeting my dolphin guide who would take me to the bottom of the ocean and depth of my own soul. Here I would find an answer to an important life question.
As I continued breathing as deeply and fully as I could, I entered into a non-ordinary state of consciousness where I experienced the full range of memories and emotions that had been repressed for a lifetime. This tumultuous period was followed by the most blissful state of oneness, beauty and clarity that I had ever known, a profoundly spiritual experience that is beyond words. This is all I'll say about it here.
As I begin to return to a more ordinary and familiar state of consciousness, I realized that I had just experienced the single most profound and transformative event of my life to that point, my first real taste of the divine. The vail had been lifted. I saw everything as it was. I felt free of the limitations of the past, an intimate connection with the miracle and mystery of life and an excitement about creating a future where anything was possible. What I most remember feeling was an overwhelming sense of awe. This heightened state lasted for several days before beginning to fade. While the high faded, the taste and realization would be with me forever.
What exactly just just happened to me? How can I recreate this liberated state of peaceful aliveness? How can I help others find and live in this state of wholeness? My commitment to finding answers to these questions changed my life forever and became my greatest passion and life purpose.
The methods that I've discovered while living these questions became the foundation to the healing and transformational work of SOULutions.
Experience the Dolphin Meditation for yourself at next Monday's free Essence Circle!
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June Essence Circle
Featuring The BREATH OF LIFE
Dolphin Meditation
Monday the 7th at 7:PM
Starting this month,
Essence Circles will held on
the first Monday of the month at Dr. Fernand Poulin's White Winds School of
Energy Medicine, located in Dunwoody.
Meet others who share a common passion for transcending the limits of the ego to know the limitlessness of their essence. Each Essence Circle has two parts:
1. AN OPENING CIRCLE where people of like minds and hearts have the voluntary opportunity to check-in with one another about what's is most alive in them right now, sometimes to celebrate and at other times gain support and encouragement, all from a place of Essence.
2. SPIRITUAL PRACTICE specifically designed to touch the soul and renew the spirit in a way that lead participants into a profound state of BLISSFUL- ALIVENESS. This month features the Dolphin Breath Meditation.
Space is limited so advanced registration is required. You can reserve your spot by simply replying to this email newsletter.
Learn more about Essence Circles and to get directions to the new location by clicking HERE.
July's Spiritual Practice will be Yoga Dance, led by FIRE Of Wholeness graduate Janice Lightsey, AKA "Wild Grace."
To learn more about Yoga Dance click HERE.
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Dedicated to helping individuals and couples heal their wounds and expose the lies that block them from finding and living their most authentic expression of wholeness.
In Wholeness,
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Michael Casteel
SOULutions |
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