Deborah King Author Speaker Blog

Promoting Women’s Wellness

It’s that time of year again for Women’s Health Week and it’s about time! This year’s theme, “It’s Your Time,” could not be more appropriately titled. Now, more than ever before, it is vital to acknowledge Women’s Health Week and work to empower women today to take charge of their health and take great care of themselves. In the past several months alone, women and their health choices have been under attack and used by politicians as part of a political game more than ever before. There is a war on women going on, and women’s wellness and health issues are at stake. It is high time women take back their power, and both men and women unite together to promote women’s wellness. Let’s make women’s health a top priority in our everyday life! Not just this week, but every week and every year!

Defining Women’s Wellness

Women’s wellness embodies everything in women’s health – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Women tend to put themselves last as many of them try to balance work and family and do it all. Oftentimes, their physical, spiritual and emotional health needs are put last in the long list of daily to-do’s. Women are so focused on taking care of everyone and everything else that they forget to even think about who is taking care of them. It is perplexing to me that so many women aren’t on their own list of priorities, as I believe it is imperative that in order to take care of anyone else’s needs, they really need to be able to handle their own selves first.

So to jumpstart your plan of action, here are some starter tips on ways you can celebrate Women’s Health Week and take better care of yourself and the women in your life today:

Physical Wellness: Taking Care of our Bodies!

• Visit your healthcare professional/encourage the women in your life to visit their healthcare professional for regular checkups and preventative screenings.
• Adopt an active lifestyle – make it a point to take walks, exercise, try yoga or Pilates or other mind-body workouts that will not only make you feel better physically, but will also ground you and improve your emotional health.
• Eat healthy! Proper nutrition and drinking lots of water will go a long way in taking good care of your body.
• Avoid unhealthy and risky behaviors and habits such as smoking, drinking excessively, and not wearing seatbelts or bike helmets.

Emotional Health: Taking Care of our Minds!

• Make daily meditations a part of your everyday routine! Twice a day for twenty minutes will go a long way in helping you calm your mind and find your inner peace and sense of self. If you don’t know how to meditate or would like to learn an amazing meditation technique that will take your meditation to a higher level of consciousness, please check out my meditation download available online at: http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/learn-to-meditate/
• Get plenty of Zzz’s! Sleep is important to keeping your stress down and taking care of women’s wellness. You may notice if you fall asleep often during your daily meditations that you may be lacking in the sleep department. Make sure you give your body and mind time to rest and recuperate before you start conquering the next day’s list of to-do’s!
• Manage your stress better by learning to say ‘no’, making boundaries for yourself and keep them! No one can look out for you better than yourself, so be sure to set some limits so you aren’t overworked and overstressed!
• Find something that brings you joy in your life – whether it’s an activity or hobby you love to do, or people you love to see who make you feel happy – and make a point to find the time to do it/see them.

Spiritual Calm: Taking Care of our Higher Self and Connecting to Source!

• Reconnect with your higher self by reconnecting with Mother Nature – take walks through parks, on hiking trails, by the ocean. Appreciate all that our beautiful nature has to offer and feel closer to Source. Or try what I do, sleep outside to get a big dose of nature every night!
• Journal your thoughts and emotions daily. Writing in a journal daily is one of the most powerful and uplifting tools both women and men can use to find our inner truths. If we can be 100% honest with ourselves, we can be honest with the world and we can connect closer to Source and each other.
• Empower your Chakras! Daily meditations, taking a bath with sea salt and baking soda, hugging a tree, loving our pets, and tapping into our creativity are just some of the ways we can improve our chakra balance and thus, connect closer to Source. For tips on buffing up your chakras, you can read more in my blog on the Secret Seven at: http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/blog/2012/03/25/the-secret-seven-7-tips-to-buff-up-your-chakra-system/

These tips are a springboard towards better health for both men and women, but I urge all of you this week especially to please make a point to help the women in your lives as well as yourself to better nurture their spiritual, physical and emotional health. Too often, we move at such a fast pace in our society that women’s most basic needs get forgotten or left behind. Instead of pushing women’s wellness to the backburner this year, let us make a point of promoting and living it!

The Mother Relationship

Your connection to your mother serves as a major factor in your life today, whether you were adopted or abandoned, whether your mother is still with you or not, no matter how close or distant your relationship was with her growing up. Mother relationships are pivotal in forming a part of who we are now. This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to take a close look at your relationship with your mother through fresh eyes. Ask yourself some deep questions and examine how she helped to form the individual you have become.

Take some time to review your relationship with your mother and thank her for, at a minimum, bringing you into this world.  And please come on over to read my blog which explores the tie that binds us to mom at the Huffington Post here. And if you’ll share the story of your relationship with your mom there, we can all learn from one another.

Connect to Source: Make Prayer Work for You

This week, we celebrate a National Day of Prayer. While you may have an image of getting down on your knees with your hands clasped like the woman in this photo, prayer can take on many various forms that are as equally valid and spiritual as going to church. What makes something a prayer is its ability to carry what we are trying to say at a deep level, but cannot voice directly.

Here are some ideas for ways you can better voice your deepest thoughts and prayers this week and connect to Source:

Read or write a poem.
Reading and writing poetry is a great way to access Spirit and can be a very prayerful experience. I have been a big fan of poetry since I was a teenager and used to listen to old vinyl records of poems like Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods”. Often, poetry can express what you are feeling without having the words to say your feelings out loud. Poems can ground you closer to our Mother Earth and help you connect to Source, all at the same time. Their beauty can lift you to a higher spiritual place.

Get in touch with your artistic inner self.
Doing art as an act of prayer is an embodied, active prayer. If you undertake art with spiritual awareness, it will have a spiritual effect. In this light, creating art is the channel through which an artist’s prayers are manifested. Art as prayer is a conscious connection to the Creator, a true way to connect to Source. So pick up some paper and paints, or even markers, and draw what comes to your mind when you are thinking of your deepest thoughts and wishes.

Listen or create music.
Everyone can get in touch with their inner musical self and create prayer through music, whether it is listening to your favorite songs or singing and chanting your own music. Music can also be used as an introduction to prayer time or to complete the end of prayer. Kirtan chanting is one form of music that can bring you closer to your spiritual self. But even just putting in your favorite CD and listening to beautiful music you love can help you awaken your larger self and your sense of awe, beauty, longing, pain and joy. You can let music act as a vehicle to connect you to Source.

Move yourself into a place of prayer.
Movement itself, whether it is running or doing yoga, dance, pilates, or martial arts, can take you to a higher zone where you feel more connected to Spirit. Movement itself can serve as a form of prayer for you as it can help you transport your feelings and raise your consciousness. Not only will you feel more grounded and healthier in your body itself, but you will be able to put your mind into a place where you can express clearly your innermost thoughts and feelings to your higher Source. Dance especially can lift you and help you express what you are not putting directly into words.

Visit a calming place.
There are places, besides churches, where you are able to feel closer to Spirit and connect to Source through the power of prayer. Often, these are places close to Mother Nature, such as the beach or a park or the mountains. Take a walk and visit one of these places that help put the serenity back into your mind and thoughts and help you feel that closeness with Source. The thoughts and closeness you feel in these places can function as prayer and serve well to lift your soul higher.

Try not to think of prayer as a rigid, rules-based religious obligation. Instead, look at prayer in its most organic and creative light – through poetry, music, dance, and nature. Prayer is a powerful and beautiful tool that can help you achieve your highest consciousness and enlighten your soul, and everyone should feel invited to participate in prayer.

If you would like to become more adept at prayer and learn to coach others to do the same, please click here for information on my enlightening online certification course in the Power of Prayer.

LOL, Laughter Therapy is no Joke!

 

You know the old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”? Well, you may say it in jest, but take note: there is some validity to the phrase, and laughter as medicine is no joke! Perhaps we can all use a dose of laughter therapy to incorporate, as an addition to energy healing, into our daily lives. On top of making us feel happy and positive, laughter triggers physical changes in our bodies. Research and studies show that humor not only helps patients relieve stress and heal, but laughing and smiling may also play a large role in preventing sickness and disease. There is nothing more healing for your energy than laughter. Laughter will increase your benefits from energy healing. This is because there is a clear connection between our minds and our bodies. Laughter therapy is a valuable tool and a part of your process of energy healing that can be very effective in treating our emotional health, which in turn has a trickle down positive effect on our physical health. Laughter as medicine truly is a wonderful remedy for us all to embrace.

Here are some benefits of laughter and why we should consider investing in some good old-fashioned laughter therapy:

• Laughter therapy is so easy. Anyone can laugh. Anyone can smile. Anyone can feel good and make others feel good.
• Laughter is contagious. Everyone feels better when they are laughing and a positive mood will envelop you. Your energy healing and the energy healing of everyone around you will feel uplifted. You and everyone in your positive energy field will truly be closer to Lightness.
• Laughter as medicine functions as an actual natural medicine – seriously! Laughter releases endorphins that can relieve physical pain.
• Laughter suppresses the levels of epinephrine, the stress hormone, and lowers your blood pressure. Win-win! Less stress and a calmer, happier you!
• Laughter therapy can also be added to your physical workout! Ever laugh so hard that your stomach hurts? That is because your stomach muscles and diaphragm are working! Try laughing your way into bikini season!
• Laughter increases your dopamine, the hormone that regulates your mood, enthusiasm and learning, and also triggers pleasure. Who doesn’t want to feel good? Ummm, more please!
• Laughter relaxes people and makes them more social. What better way to break the ice during an uncomfortable and awkward situation than to get everyone smiling and laughing? You can practice laughter therapy in public without anyone even knowing it…
• Laughter can be used in the workplace appropriately to improve productivity and morale. Have you ever been on Southwest Airlines and had one of their spectacular flight attendants make you crack up during their takeoff speech? Southwest is just one company that takes their laughter and humor seriously and makes a point of incorporating it into their business corporate model.
• Laughter as medicine is a good way to diminish depression. If you are laughing a lot, chances are you are also decreasing your stress ten-fold. Less stress will have a huge impact on treating depression. Add to that, the endorphins and happy chemicals you are releasing when you laugh, and you are well on your way to beating and overcoming depression! You will notice faster progression with your energy healing when your mood is already improved.
  
• Laughter therapy reminds us that our journey in this world is one to be enjoyed and savored. Life is supposed to be an enriching and elevating experience for us all. Don’t take everything so seriously all the time!
• Laughter therapy protects your heart. Laughter improves your blood flow and blood vessels, which can help prevent a heart attack.
• Laughter therapy can improve your relationships. Shared laughter and humor is a powerful tool which keeps relationships fresh and exciting. Sharing humor with a loved one, friend, or even coworker adds playfulness, joy and energy to a relationship. It also can help you stay united through the more trying times.
• Laughter therapy is free. It doesn’t cost you a cent, but will produce beneficial and positive effects on you and everyone around you. Why not laugh out loud?

So the next time you are faced with one of those moments where you aren’t sure if you want to laugh or cry, choose to laugh! Your body and mind will thank you for it. Find a way to use laughter as medicine everyday. At the very least, you can surely find something to smile about daily – Try this simple exercise and let me know how it goes! And don’t forget to LOL!

 

 

Beating the April Shower Blues!

Are April showers making you blue? You are not alone. Many people experience a mood change when the weather changes. Grayer skies means less sunlight, and countless studies have demonstrated that a decreased amount of sunlight can incite melancholy and sadness. Your tendency on these darker days may be to stay in bed, watch endless hours of TV, eat comfort foods full of heavy carbs, and feel downright sluggish and sad.

Guess what? You don’t have to feel that way on account of those pesky April showers! You are a positive, sunny, happy person inside and you have all the power to change your attitude and MAKE your day sunny no matter what color the sky is outside!

The change first starts with your attitude and perception. Do you want to wallow in sadness and feel lazy and unmotivated all day? Or do you want to reap the benefits of LOVING your life and enjoying each and every moment? There is absolutely nothing stopping you from being happy on a dark, rainy day.

Let’s start with how you are looking at those April showers themselves. Rain is actually quite beneficial and important, because it provides the fresh water making our rivers flow, filling our lakes and keeping our plants alive and thriving. We cannot imagine our life without water. So perhaps instead of waking up to the sound of rain and thinking, “oh ick, it’s a horrible day outside,” you can change your perception and instead think, “oh how wonderful, my plants are getting nourished, the trees will be happy, and I am so truly thankful for this natural blessing.” You may not be able to change the weather outside, but you can certainly change your feelings about it.

You can also busy yourself with healthy, positive activities that will feed your soul. Why not explore hobbies that will motivate, stimulate and sharpen your inner creativity? Have you always wanted to try painting, drawing, knitting, or scrapbooking? What about dancing, singing, playing an instrument, or even just listening to your favorite music? Or finding a comfy place to settle down and dive into that book you have been wanting to read, but never seem to find the time or space to do so? Anything that feeds your creativity, mind and expression will feed your positive attitude on a gloomy day. Positive activities can go a long way!

A rainy day is a fabulous day to write in your journal and add in some extra meditation time! Sip a nice cup of afternoon tea or take a long, luxurious bath. You can raise your level of self-awareness, reflection, and energy! Let the soothing sound of the rain calm your stress and help bring you to a peaceful frame of mind.

Feeling lonely and don’t want all the solace and peace? Why not use this time to build your relationships? Try reaching out to a close friend or spending more quality time indoors with family members. A phone call with a loved one can do wonders to boost your energy and outlook. Or how about playing board games with your family and friends? You can find hours of fun entertainment that will lift your energy and attitude, and bring you closer to the ones you love — it’s a win-win for everyone!

You can take advantage of the time indoors and be productive. You can tackle that closet reorganization you’ve been putting off or conquer that work research you were procrastinating. If you cross off one item from your usual to-do list (despite the April showers outside), you may feel better about how you spend the rest of your day.

Feeling adventurous? When we were kids, we were far more likely to put on our galoshes and run outside to splash in the puddles. When was the last time you jumped in a puddle and played in the rain?

It may surprise you how awesome and fun it is to let go and enjoy the blessings from the sky! And how free and happy you can be if you let yourself feel that way…You have the power to beat the blues brought on by April showers and make every day an enjoyable day filled with positive activities. And the best part is, you can tap into this power on snowy days, sunny days, work days, school days, any day…Try starting your everyday with this sunny attitude. Smile first thing in the morning. See what a difference that alone can make…

Interested in adding more serenity and calmness to your day? Go to http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/what-is-meditation/ for more information.

Spring Clean Up

Dust off those cobwebs, it is high time for some spring cleaning! No, I am not talking about your closets (though they probably could use a good cleaning too) – I am referring to all that clutter you have in your mind! Are you living someone else’s dream? Are your own priorities collecting dust, having been pushed to the back of your mind? Is your daily life not reflecting the world in which you wish to live? Are you stressed out? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are overdue for a good spring clean up!

Take advantage of your spring energy to clean your mind and set some new goals and boundaries for yourself following these 5 simple tips:

1. Start your spring clean up by tossing out the old!
   Get rid of those old, tired ways of thinking that are dragging you down. No more negativity, self-doubt, and self criticism. Stop yourself when you feel that familiar Negative Nelly creep up on you. You want to see and feel the new, fresh you and that person is the happy, nurturing, loving you! Let her come out and shine this spring!
2. Clean your mind from all those emotions that are dragging you down!
   How often do you find yourself obsessing over “what could have been” or “what should have been”? These thoughts are holding you back from moving forward and healing. Let yourself experience them, then move on. There is no reason to dwell on the past that cannot be changed. Focus on the present and future! There is so much sunshine to be enjoyed!
3. Reconnect with the positive people in your life!
   Healthy relationships are important and are one of the best ways to boost your mental health! It is a wonderful gift to yourself to stay in touch with friends and family who brighten your days and are a positive influence on you. You may not be able to help it if your boss is a Negative Nelly and causes you constant stress, but you can control who you spend your free non-working time with, so make a choice to clean your mind and surround yourself with positive energy!
4. Reduce your Daily Stress!
   One of the best ways to jump-start your mental spring clean up is by making a conscious effort to decrease your stress and anxiety. What better way to do so than through daily meditation? Just 10-20 minutes twice daily will do wonders to create more harmony and balance in your daily life. You will find you will approach problems from a completely different angle and will be a much calmer, happier you.
5. Try Something New and Fresh!
   It is good for you to step outside your comfort zone every so often and try something new and fresh. Whether it’s making plans to take a trip to someplace you have never been (but always dreamed about going), taking a cooking class, learning a new language, planning a picnic with your family, or trying out a new local restaurant, making plans and activities that are new and exciting to you will make your life feel fresher and more stimulating!

Embrace these five simple suggestions to heart, and you will not only reinvigorate, but also clean your mind! You know how great you feel once you have cleaned out your closets and your drawers and reorganized your house?… Well, that wonderful, clean feeling can be echoed when you do a good spring clean up of your mind!

Feeding your Emotions, NOT your Waistline

It is a vicious cycle. How many times have you found yourself indulging in a treat or mindlessly snacking on something sweet or fatty only to find yourself moments later regretting your actions and wishing you could go back in time and get a redo? And then to make matters worse, you beat yourself up over falling off your New Year’s resolution and comfort your guilt only by snacking some more…Well, you can take comfort in the fact that you are not alone!

Emotional eating, which is the term used to describe this addictive cycle, has very little to do with food. It is about your emotions and how your mind and body are processing them. Experts estimate that as many as 75% of all overeating and weight gain can be attributed to emotional eating. Learning how to take better care of your emotions can go a long way in helping you take better care of your physical health and overall well being.

Here are some steps you can take to put a stop to your emotional eating:

STEP ONE: Identify Your Triggers
Awareness and recognition as to when you are eating your emotions is key. One way to be able to spot the situations or events that cause you to overeat is to keep a food diary or journal. Write down everything you are eating, when you are eating it, what you are feeling right before you eat, and what you are feeling immediately afterwards. Are you stressed out at work? Did you just have an argument with your spouse? Are you bored? Be HONEST and don’t lie to yourself! By writing down your own truth, you will be able to look back on this journal and hopefully see some patterns. Maybe you are even someone who eats more when you are happy and feed yourself as a reward, but then you find yourself upset and guilty post-reward. Isn’t that silly then that your reward ends up becoming a punishment? You may also have more than one trigger – start a list so you can find your weaknesses and work on alternatives to avoid them!

STEP TWO: Hold Yourself Accountable
Ask yourself before you reach for the fridge, are you actually hungry or this just a craving? Make yourself take some time to think and honestly answer that question before you inhale your food. If you are hungry and truly in need of fuel for your body, the idea of eating a healthy snack should appeal to you as much as junk food. If you are having a craving, then you might automatically dismiss the healthy food in favor of the tasty snack. Can you wait a half hour to an hour to eat, or must you eat now, now, NOW? If your answer is the latter, chances are you are experiencing a craving and the need to comfort your emotions immediately, which is not true hunger. If you are really hungry, you can usually delay or ignore it for a little bit of time. Try waiting a half hour and ask yourself the same question again. Make yourself be accountable to your eating choices. You may find that the simple step of accountability is enough to make you think through your action from a more rational and grounded mindset.

STEP THREE: Find Alternative Activities that are GOOD for You
Perhaps you are eating when you are bored or stuffing your face when you are angry…why not find a different way to release and soothe those emotions? How about a hobby or physical activity to take your mind off your troubles? Going for a run, hike, or walk is a great way to let out some steam, get in touch with Mother Nature, and nourish your emotions. Singing and dancing can free your mind from the stressful events and work in your life. Even knitting or drawing can take you to a rewarding place where you don’t need to feed your body with junk and extra calories. You don’t necessarily have to be exercising for hours on end to find a replacement for food. There are many spiritually and physically healthy ways to move your body, release some of those good endorphins, eliminate those cravings, and bring you inner peace all at the same time. And you will find that at the end of your activity, instead of the guilt and self-loathing you get from emotional eating, you will be full of self-respect and accomplishment. Yay, you!

STEP FOUR: Relax your Mind
If overeating is a way you numb yourself from all the stresses in your life, you may be in desperate need of some quiet “me” time! Take time out of your day, everyday, to check-in with yourself and do daily meditations. Sometimes just being able to have that solitude and introspection is enough to be able to see the rest of your day with more clarity. You will be more connected to your higher self and a greater consciousness and be able to make better decisions and handle your stressful situations in a much calmer manner.

STEP FIVE: Treat Yourself!
Sometimes that Sprinkles Cupcake or Häagen Dazs ice cream really is worth the fat and calories! It’s okay to let yourself have junky food every now and then, but the importance of it is to NOT beat yourself up for doing so! Make it part of your “plan” to allow yourself some sweets and junk, and get rid of that horrible guilt you like to pile up on yourself afterwards! And if you do slip up and find yourself mindlessly eating to numb your feelings, acknowledge where you are, what caused it, and move forward by forgiving yourself. There is absolutely no reason to continue or enforce a brutal cycle!

Take these steps to heart, and you will find yourself taking better care of your emotional health. Feed your emotional appetite with happiness, care, and love. It will taste so much better! Bon Appetit!

Want to read more about emotional eating and weight? Check out more information at: http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/resources/weight/

The Positive Effects of Saying No

How many times do we find it difficult to say “no” to something, even if it’s what we really, truly want to say? How often are we over-committed, over-exhausted, and just plain OVER it, because we agreed to too many tasks?

Are you a people-pleaser and say “yes” all the time? Well, there is hope for you yet! The first step is realizing you are not alone and that most people have difficulty uttering that simple, two-lettered word!

Know that the power rests with you and no one else. You can say “no” and I can help you do it! It is not about the fact that you are saying “no”, but how you are saying it! At the end of the day, you are the person who has to live with the commitments and choices you have made, so why not make each day count more for yourself?

Learn more about how you can empower yourself by saying “no” with my latest article in Om Times at: http://omtimes.com/2012/04/the-power-of-no/

Ending Sexual Violence

Most of you know or have read in my book, Truth Heals, about my personal stories of sexual abuse and assault as a young girl by both my father and my priest, so it should come as no surprise that the issue of sexual assault and violence is very close to my heart, and one of which I continuously share knowledge and awareness.

So as we begin a fresh month with April, I would like to bring this very important issue to the forefront of everyone’s minds – both men and women – and highlight this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month theme of creating healthy sexuality. I love that this year’s theme is one that promotes positive sexuality and a healthy mind, soul, and body, as this positive message is paramount to creating a better attitude and mindset for current and future generations. In sharing this theme with you, I hope you will pay it forward and share with everyone you know, and that together, we can create a society which will have the skills, clarity, and wisdom to put an end to all sexual violence once and for all.

Read my article about Healthy Sexuality in Psychology Today and please comment there; remember every comment will help us spread the word and strengthen our fight against sexual violence! http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mining-the-headlines/201204/creating-healthy-sexuality

The Secret Seven: 7 Tips to Buff up your Chakra System

Energy medicine promotes healing by working within an individual’s personal energetic field and seeing how it interacts with the larger energy field. We can tell what’s happening with someone by checking in on their 7 main chakras, the centers of energy that run from the base of the spine up through the top of the head.

These 7 centers, along with up to 20 smaller chakras, govern our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. In other words, chakras hold the secrets to how you feel about yourself and your world, how you get along with others, the condition of your body, your relationship to money, whether or not weight is a problem, how you make decisions, and your spiritual advancement.

That’s a lot to ask of something most people can’t see. But then again, we can’t see the radioactive particles released from a damaged nuclear reactor either, and yet we take seriously their capability to affect our lives. The energy centered in the chakras has a very profound effect on our lives.

So what can you do to create and maintain healthy and balanced chakras? Here are seven sure-fire simple steps you can take to balance your chakras:

 1.    Connect to Mother Earth: Take a walk in nature.

The first chakra is your Root Chakra and is the very foundation of physical and emotional health. It is your basic connection to Mother Earth- the roots you plant in the soil of your being. This is where your physical strength lies, and the psychological strength to withstand whatever you have to deal with.

A simple walk barefoot on grass or a sandy beach will do wonders to ground you. Hug a tree, go hiking in the wilderness, or visit a local park. You don’t have to live in the countryside or mountains to strengthen this connection with Mother Nature. Grounding yourself will give you the experience of “I am here, and I am safe” and this presence is so essential to your health. Take time out of your day to make sure you make this connection and you will automatically strengthen your Root Chakra.

 2.    Calm your Body and Environment with Water.

The second chakra is the seat of sensuality, sexuality, emotion, and the inner child. It governs how we relate in groups, how we establish inner and outer boundaries, and how we find pleasure. A common problem related to the second chakra is addition. You may be using drugs, alcohol, pills, food, smoking, exercise, or sex as ways to avoid dealing with your emotions, to numb yourself. The physical problems of a poorly functioning second chakra are often the kinds of things that breed shame if the health issues concern their sexuality. One way to heal the shame is to soak for at least 20 minutes in a bath of warm water with one pound each of sea salt and baking soda.  Imagine all your guilt and shame dissolving in the bath water and being washed away as you say:“I speak the truth and reclaim my true nature. I am pure. I am clean.” Water is healing, and immersing yourself in water on a regular basis is a self-nuturing habit.

 3.    Get Moving!

The third chakra is the seat of our self-worth – our self esteem, will power, and personal power. It is the seat of our mental body, where we identify with our ego and our individuality. A strong will means we know what our goals are and have an idea of what we want to do. The power in the third chakra is our right to act, to use our will, to follow through with what we start, to meet challenges head-on, and to not be stopped by fear. You can balance your third chakra through physical movement, especially outside in the sun in the early morning or before sunset. Don’t get too warm if you tend to be angry or short-tempered! Physical movement awakens and recharges your body. You can also try T’ai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates!

 4.    Love a Pet!

The fourth chakra is your heart chakra and it is the center point, where you merge the strength and support of Mother Earth from below with the wisdom and guidance from above that combine to make you a compassionate human being. A poorly functioning fourth chakra can keep you in bondage to emotional attachment. It is through your heart chakra that you can come to feel the presence of unconditional, unlimited love – for your self, for all beings, for the world and beyond. One of the best ways to boost your heart chakra is through giving and receiving love with a pet. Our pets love us unconditionally and make it safe for us to learn to love again. Do you have room in your life to adopt a dog or cat? You can feed your heart chakra and at the same time change this animal’s life forever in a positive way. No room or time to adopt your own? What about visiting your local shelter or even just visiting a friend’s friendly pet and sharing some love with them?

 5.    Express Yourself: Use your Voice.

The fifth chakra is our center of creativity. This chakra is where we express our choices and communicate who we are. Because our use of sound and communication purifies our lower selves and allows us to experience the higher vibrations of spirit, we can tune up our fifth chakra by expressing ourselves more clearly and exploring our creativity. All creativity is a way to communicate what we feel. Use your voice and read out loud your favorite book or poem. Write something yourself and recite it! Sing a song – in the shower, in your car wherever! When your fifth chakra is in balance, you can live your dreams and visions, your greater purpose. Let yourself be who you are and give yourself a voice!

 6.    Visualize and Find your Inner Sight.

The sixth chakra, or “third eye”, is the center of higher intellect. The gifts of the spirit emerge in this chakra, like clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, and psychokinesis. You can boost this chakra by working to rid yourself of the clutter in your mind so you can “see” more clearly. Daily meditation is a wonderful way to get rid of old beliefs and thought patterns that are holding you back. When you have awakened the sixth chakra, you are in touch with inspiration, insight, wisdom, and vision.

 7.    Invite the Divine!

The seventh chakra, or crown chakra, connects us to spirit, our higher power, and the universe. It lights up our consciousness. When our crown chakra is open, our perception is clearer, broader, and we are allowed to not only see our daily patterns, but also the deep metaphysical patterns of our lives. Like the sixth chakra, meditation is a powerful tool to boosting this chakra. Perhaps prayer or communion with nature will assist you as well. Ask your own higher wisdom for guidance and signs that you are on the right path, and make time for yourself to listen for internal messages regarding purpose and direction. Visualize positive and peaceful outcomes. The truth that emerges will open the door for you to greater levels of connection.

Your chakras are all interconnected. They embrace you as a whole person. As you do the inner work of clearing and releasing past traumas, negativity and outmoded belief systems, you will lighten the load of your chakras. Your energy will move into greater balance, and as a result, you will feel better. So why not take the initiative and seek out ways to better balance your chakras?