Category Choki’s art

30 May, 2017 by Choki team

The Frequency of Gratitude

It’s the time of year in the U.S. when we take a one-day pause to acknowledge our blessings. We do this because it is a tradition, but also because it is good to remind ourselves to appreciate our lives. And although giving thanks is always a good thing to do, unfortunately many of us only remember to do it once a year. It’s as if we use the day as a way to catch up on our appreciation for the people and things we take for granted the rest of the year. But gratitude is more than an occasional expression of a “thank you”; it is also a powerful tool you can use to raise your personal frequencies.

Gratitude as Frequency
If you could view the world from the perspective of energy, you would be able to see thoughts. Because, like everything else in this world, thoughts are made of energy. Every thought you have creates a frequency that becomes part of your personal energy field. Thoughts that carry similar frequencies group together in your field to form a pattern. If you continue to think the same type of thoughts, over time the patterns they create will become strong enough for you to feel. We call this feeling an emotion.

When you have thoughts that feel low, it creates emotions that lower your overall frequency. Likewise, when you have thoughts that feel high, it creates emotions that elevate your frequency. High frequency emotions feel better to you because they are closer in vibration to your true nature as a being of pure energy.

You already have the experience of this because you know that it feels better to be happy than to be sad. Gratitude feels good because it’s a high frequency emotion that is backed by high thoughts. It’s a simple equation: when you feel grateful, you feel a temporary elation for the object of your gratitude, thus you elevate your emotions and your energies.

What this means is that when you practice gratitude you are raising your frequencies. And the more you do this, the more the high frequencies become your normal pattern of being. This is good because when it comes to energy, like attracts like. So, if you are living at high frequencies, you will attract people, circumstances and things that are also high frequency. In essence, you will attract more things to be grateful for, creating a cycle of happiness. Knowing that gratitude has the potential to do all of this, why wouldn’t you practice it more often?

Gratitude as a Daily PracticePatterns are things that repeat, so if you want to create a pattern of frequency for yourself, you must repeat the corresponding thoughts. The practice of gratitude is as simple as repeating thoughts of thankfulness on a daily basis. Think good things and you increase good things.

To make gratitude a daily practice, take a quiet moment for yourself each evening and bring to mind everything that happened during the day that you can appreciate. Pay special attention to the things that made you feel positive in some way, so you can reconnect to its energy and raise your frequencies to match it. That’s all there is to it. It seems easy, but its effects are powerful.

When you practice gratitude daily, a training of your psyche takes place. This keeps you vibrating in a high frequency pattern regardless of life’s current circumstances. You will soon learn how to muster the feeling of gratitude any time, allowing you to raise your emotional frequencies whenever you feel the need.

If you are having a bad day, or you can’t think of anything to feel grateful for, you can always be grateful for the lessons the hard things in life teach you. You can remind yourself that you need some bad days to appreciate the good ones. And if all else fails, you can at least be glad that the day is over. There is always a way to find a grateful thought. One easy way to recall things you feel grateful for is to bring to mind anything that made you smile. After all, a smile is an act of gratitude.

When you practice gratitude you learn to live in the moment and to see life as a continuous series of blessings. It helps you improve your mental outlook, increase your happiness and foster your self-esteem. It teaches you that the biggest blessings in life often come in the smallest packages. So practice gratitude every day, and cultivate a happier life for yourself all year long.

Author: Susan L. Magine – Awakening People

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17 May, 2017 by Choki team

Breaking Through Limitation: “I Can, I Will, I Must”

Do you ever get the sense that it’s not “SC” (spiritually correct) to express passionate will? In the ‘New Age Movement’, where ‘acceptance’ and ‘surrender’ are the big buzz words, is there still a place for passionate courage, commitment and determination? Certainly to me there is.

So how do these qualities relate to acceptance and surrender? Are they meant to be blended together in some way? How do you commit to something with your whole heart, but without becoming attached to the struggle?

The Commitment and Passion to Get Things Done

Understandably the warrior characteristic has received pretty bad press in the spiritual mainstream over the years. That’s because this inherent quality of the soul, has been horribly distorted to control and suppress others. But is that a reason to ‘throw the baby out with the bath water’: to meditate out the will, passion and commitment to get things done? Certainly not to me – these characteristics are invaluable essences of the soul – the masculine warrior energy of commitment.

I work with spiritual people all around the world, and generally I notice a common theme running throughout the evolving movement: a general suppression of the authentic arising of committed passion.
I sense it happens for these reasons:

Society has conditioned and suppressed people to limited lifestyles, with controlled expressive beingness.
Even when people break free, there’s a lot of advice about ‘letting go’ and ‘acceptance’ which gets misconstrued as giving up the individuality of committed self expression.
Spiritual practices frequently seem to dissolve out individuality as they work to unravel the ego.

But true surrender is not ‘acceptance of anything goes’. What do I mean by that?

Commit to the Directive of the Universe

There is a natural flow to the universe. As we know, everything is interconnected – that flow courses through us, when we open up and make space for it to flood in. Where does the flow then take a truly surrendered person? My observation is that the soul is yearning to be liberated, and so this is what it does…

Manifests all the situations that would limit and constrain,
in order that we can confront those barriers and break through.

How do you break through? You do it by accepting the path that unfolds before you, then intuiting what you’re being invited to do – either by the heart-felt pull, or the landing of higher knowing. When you make internal space to pick up on these internal impulses, the soul will guide you into your own repressed tightness – fear for example, that identifies you with the illusion, rendering you less than who you truly are.

For instance: we might live in fear of leaving a relationship because we’re afraid of living alone; or leaving a job we don’t feel satisfied with because we’re afraid of not being supported; or not committing to that heart-felt dream, because of fear we’ll fail.

All of these experiences will generate internal tightness – literally your energy field contracts down; your consciousness then becomes flooded with the energy of failure – the previous limiting pattern. The mind goes into negative overdrive; the body and breathing stiffen; and we close off to higher guidance – the creative soul can no longer flow in.

It is exactly these moments that we need to embrace and confront – because here is where the maximum soul growth is possible.

Feel the Fear, Do It Anyway, Then Soften Into the Tightness

The fear is there for a reason – it tells you something important for your spiritual development is about to happen: that there’s a priceless opportunity to expand beyond a previous limitation.

So here’s what I invite you to do:

Feel the fear of the choice presenting itself (breaking up a limiting relationship for example)
Commit to what you know in your heart to be correct, irrespective of the fear
Then crucially, explore and feel the contractions within your body – the negative thinking, the heavy emotions, the tightness of the physical, the worrying mind
Know that all of these reactions are simply transient energetic experiences, they are not meant to define you
Let go of the need for any kind of physical outcome – winning is the growth of soul
Soften into the contractions by feeling through them and find the Void of Silence inside, of calm stillness – it is that sense of infinite potential
Allow for the spontaneous arising of a new sense of beingness
Give yourself completely to outward expression of that beingness
Finally, watch for the Synchronistic Feedback Loop that shows the universe is supporting your growth.

I Can, I Will, I Must

This is what surrender is all about. It’s not the acceptance of ‘anything goes’. You’re surrendering to the universe, and its directive that you’re become increasingly unbounded by the external drama by infusing your soul through it.

It’s the constant confrontation of the internal limitation of the moment – this is true surrender to the universal flow.

For this level of confrontation, it takes enormous levels of commitment and will. There aren’t many out there at the moment who’re embracing this, but if you’re drawn to what I’ve written, and you’re still reading, you’re almost certainly one of those warriors: the kind of person who feels – “I can, I will, I must”.

This is not a classically spiritual video, you might not consider it ‘spiritually correct’, but it certainly sends shivers up the warrior’s spine. I can feel the soul in it. The guy calls himself “ET” – go for it dude…

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Author: Openhand – Wake Up World

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10 May, 2017 by Choki team

20 Sources of Body Pain and Their Links to Specific Emotional States

Pain is first energy, second perception, and third physical manifestation. There is no other source of pain but energetic. Physical presentation is always secondary. Every single origin of pain in our bodies can be traced back to a specific emotional state which functions to warn us that there is still work to be done in areas of our lives for which we have yet to integrate lessons.

Once we integrate those lessons, the pain disappears.

The body is extremely literal when it comes to pain. The experiences in your life directly manifest in your body and when you encounter an emotional stress, your body shows you exactly what the problem is. The only thing you need to do is decode it.

Pain In Your Muscles
Represents a challenging ability to move in our lives. How flexible are we being with our experiences at work, home or within ourselves. Go with the flow.
Pain In Your Head
Headaches are contributed to not making a decision. Migraines are the daddy of headaches of knowing what decision to make and not making it.) Be sure to take time out of every day to relax. Do something that eases the tension.

Pain In Your Neck
Pain in your neck is an indication that you may be having trouble with forgiveness of others, or even yourself. If you’re feeling neck pain, consider the things you love about yourself and others. Consciously work toward forgiveness.

Pain In Your Gums. Like the neck, pain in the gums is attributed to not making a decision for yourself and not sticking to it if you did. Be clear, and go for it!
Pain In Your Shoulders. Pain in your shoulders may indicate that you’re carrying a real emotional burden. That’s where the saying “shouldering a problem” comes from. Focus in on some proactive problem solving and distributing some of that burden to other people in your life.
Pain In Your Stomach. Carries recognition of digesting life, or not. GI distress is about not feeling fulfilled. Leaving a hole and causing grief.
Pain In Your Upper Back.
If you’re feeling pain in your upper back, you’re probably coping with a lack of emotional support. You might be feeling unloved or you could even be holding your love back. If you’re single, it might be time to go for a date.
Pain In Your Lower Back.
Lower back pain might mean you’re worrying too much about money or you’re lacking in emotional support. It may be a good time to ask for an overdue raise or consider a financial planner to help you utilize money a little bit better.
Pain In Your Sacrum and Tail Bone.
You may be sitting on an issue that needs to be addressed. Get to the bottom of it and you will see resolution.
Pain In Your Elbows.
Pain in your elbows has a lot to do with resisting changes in your life. If your arms are feeling stiff, it may mean that you’re too stiff in your life. It may be time to think about making compromises and shaking things up a little bit. At the very least, go with the flow.
Pain In Your Arms In General.
You’re carrying something or someone as an emotional burden. It may be time to ask yourself why do you keep carrying it?
Pain In Your Hands.
With your hands, you reach out to others and connect. If you’re feeling hand pain, it may mean that you’re not reaching out enough. Try making new friends. Have lunch with an associate. Make a connection. It may also represent holding or letting go.
Pain In Your Hips
If you’ve been afraid of moving, that may manifest as a pain in the hips. Sore hips could be a sign that you’re too resistant to changes and moves. It may also show a caution toward making decisions. If you’re thinking on some big ideas, it’s time to make a decision. General pain in the hips relates to support. When they slip out, it generally relates to an imbalance in how you are relating to life. Feeling the lack of love and support.
Pain In Your Joints In General
Like muscles, pain in joints represents flexibility or lack of situations and your attachments to them. Be open-minded to new thoughts, lessons and experiences.
Pain In The Knees
Seeing life as unsupported. Inside knee; Community, job, friends. Outside knee; personal issues. Humble yourself. Spend some time volunteering. Make sure you remember that you’re mortal. You’re just human and although you have an ego, don’t let it rule over your life.
Pain In Your Teeth
Not liking your situation and repeating that dislike in your thoughts and emotions daily. Repeat to yourself that experiences are flowing through easily as you integrate perceived positive or negative experiences with ease.
Pain In Your Ankles
Pain in your ankles may be a sign that you’re depriving yourself of pleasure. It may mean it’s time to indulge a little bit more. Spice up your romantic life a bit.
Pain Causing Fatigue
Boredom, resistance, and denying what it takes to move forward, “What’s next?” Open yourself to that little voice which speaks very softly and nudges you towards a new experience.
Pain In Your Feet
When you’re depressed, you might feel some foot pain. Too much negativity can manifest in your feet not feeling so good. Look for the little joys in life. Find a new pet or a new hobby. Look for joy.
Pain That Is Unexplained In Different Body Parts
The cellular structure is currently being recoded in the human body and in the process it is purging and letting go of predominant resident frequencies that are being eliminated. For this energy to clear, the immune system and actually all systems within the body must be effectively weakened. So while the body may appear to be in a state of illness, it is more or less in a state of clearing. Know that it will pass.

Author: Josh Richardson – Awakening People

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3 May, 2017 by Choki team

Breath Awareness: 4 insights on how to breath can provide mind-body healing benefits

How many times have you been worked up, and had someone tell you to “breathe”? That one word holds so much power. As soon as someone brings to our attention that we’ve escaped our breath, we immediately take an indulgent inhale. Breathing is innate. We do it without thinking simply because our bodies require it to survive. But there is much more to breath than meets the eye.

Our breath reveals a lot about our current state. When we’re uncomfortable, stressed, anxious, or fearful, we may find ourselves breathing very shallowly. When we’re relaxed, we breathe slowly. We can spin ourselves into a tantrum, and we can soothe ourselves into a safe and secure space, all by how we breathe. There are countless breathing practices to relieve physical and mental ailments, bring about a sense of calm, and even raise our vibrations. These practices makes breath so much more than essential, but incredibly transcendental. To shift our state of being through our breath so much so that we can change our wellbeing is a beautiful thing.

In practices like yoga, martial arts, and biofeedback, breath is used as a meditation. The breath is consciously sped up or slowed down to achieve awareness of our mind, body and soul on a spiritual level as a source of wisdom. If you’ve never practiced mindful breathing, these four insights on breath will help you to get you more acquainted with the power it holds.

4 Insights On How Breath Can Provide Mind-Body Healing Benefits

1. In ancient yoga, it is believed that each one of us is given a certain amount of breaths that determines our lifespan. If you take this into consideration, then it holds up that the shorter our breaths, the more time we lose off our lives. Breathing slowly and deeply makes way for more days to enjoy. This sanskrit proverb says it best: “For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.”

2. We can change our mood through our breath. Anxiety, stress, and moodiness are indicators that we’ve lost touch with our breath, and we need to stop and reconnect. Long, deep breaths can manage stress and panic attacks, lower blood pressure, and help your mind to reset and adjust your attitude towards a situation.

3. You can change your habits through breath, including your desire to overeat. Eating is not only essential, but it’s truly a joyous experience. The colors, the smells, the preparation, and of course, the tastes, are all wonderful experiences for our wellbeing, but many of us find it hard to stop, which takes away from the nourishment it brings to the mind, body, and soul. In fact, we often find food a comfort mechanism in times of despair. Breathing exercises can be used to help you from succumbing to this unhealthy coping mechanism.

4. Breath is the gateway to healthy living. Think of how many ways we use breath to prosper; to make life flourish. It is at the base of childbirth. It is used to transition between poses in yoga. It is used to help us connect within during prayer and meditation, warding off thoughts and outside distractions. It gives runners that “high” that brings about a sense of euphoria.

There are so many things that separate people. Culturally, environmentally, educationally, we find things that make sense in our world. But breath transcends all of that. It connects each and every one of us. Just think of the vibrations a room full of monks exhaling to the sound of “om” can bring about. It’s a unison unlike any other. And both individually and connectively, it has the power to change us for the better in so many ways.

Author: Alexa Erickson – Collective Evolution

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26 April, 2017 by Choki team

7 Gut Instincts You Should Always Pay Attention To. Don’t Ever Ignore Your Gut

Do you ever just have a strong feeling about something or someone, that tells you that something is right or wrong, and you don’t know why? This is your “GUT INSTINCT” guiding you and you need to pay attention to it. It has nothing to do with logic…it’s just a powerful feeling that we all get that is known as our INTUITION.

Honing the intuitions we have, varies from individual to individual, and is a good predictor of how successful a person is in all aspects of their lives! Our gut instincts are literally our “BELLY BAROMETERS”; it is more than a feeling that exists in our bodies that tells us whether to proceed or not!

Our gut instinct is like a second brain we are all born with; if we pay close attention to what it is telling us we will proceed through life armed with SUPER ABILITIES! The VIDEO you are about to watch below is a TED TALK that discusses the importance of developing your intuitions and how they can “MAKE YOU A SUPERHERO OF YOUR GUT INSTINCTS!”

There are 7 GUT INSTINCTS we should NEVER IGNORE:

1. You are somewhere and everything looks fine but your gut is telling you that “SOMETHING FEELS OFF”, despite the fact that there is no logic to support that feeling. Logic has nothing to do with it. Don’t worry about other people evaluating your decision; they might think you’re “just being crazy” because they aren’t picking up what you are.

2. Something or someone just FEELS RIGHT TO YOU, even though you logically don’t know why.

3. You are in an intimate relationship with someone, and a LITTLE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD is telling you that YOU DON’T REALLY LOVE THEM.

4. You get the sense that something is “OFF WITH YOUR BODY”. Pay attention to it whether it ends up being some illness or not, don’t ignore your gut feeling and get checked out.

5. You are in a situation and something tells you that THIS ISN’T GOING TO WORK! Rather than discounting that inkling, know that something in your past experience is guiding you, and you might not know why in the moment.

6. You have a strong desire TO HELP SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW. We are not only prewired to know that, but our unconscious observations as we go through life alert us to “just help that person”.

7. Something COMES NATURALLY TO YOU, go with the flow even though you’re not sure why. We tend to overthink things that can preclude experiencing success in our lives.

While our gut feelings about situations may not always be rational or even right, we should not categorically dismiss or ignore them. Our intuitions are there to guide us through life. Let us know your thoughts after watching the footage below. Whether we tap into our unconscious observations that we make as we journey through our lives, can make a huge difference in our success or failure, in furthering our goals and aspirations in our relationships and careers.

Author: Sun Gazing – Awakening People

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20 April, 2017 by Choki team

How to Become a Free Thinker: A Practical Guide

We humans like to think that we are freethinkers, but how many of us truly are? How many people actually think for themselves, without falling victims to beliefs or ideologies? How many are not heavily influenced by the biased information that the media is presenting them with? How many are choosing to have certain opinions just because an authority figure told them to or because tradition holds them to be true?

The reality is that most people don’t know how to think critically, and blindly accept the beliefs that were handed to them by society. But unless one learns to think for oneself, how can one grow into a more conscious, wise person? It’s impossible.

So how can a person learn to think for himself or herself? Well, here’s a concise practical guide on how to become a freethinker that will help you to identify and break free from the prison of belief andarrive at your own conclusions in your quest for truth.

How to Become a Freethinker

Doubt your beliefs.

The first and most important step to become a freethinking individual is to doubt the beliefs that have been forced upon you by others. Whatever your beliefs are — whether religious, political, philosophical and so on — be sure to question them, scrutinize them, and discard any of them when you find no solid evidence supporting them.

Question authority.

Most people choose to obey and follow what authority tells them is true and right. They don’t think for themselves — they let others do the thinking for them instead. A freethinker never accepts anything on authority. He/she asks questions and is open to accept any answers that point to the truth, even if they go against the opinions and beliefs of authority.

Observe your behavior.

Although we tend to think that we have free will, most of our actions are actually carried out on an unconscious level. In a sense, we are victims to our habits. To become a freethinker, you need to become more aware of your thoughts, actions, and overall behavior. Once you do so, you’ll be able to better understand yourself and make more conscious choices in life, without behaving in certain ways just because you feel compelled to.

Stop conforming.

Another important step to become a freethinker is to detach yourself from group thinking. People choose to conform in all sorts of ways just in order to feel accepted and liked by others. To achieve that, many people unquestionably accept what others tell them out of the fear of being left out. By escaping the herd mentality you’ll be able to think more clearly, without feeling the pressure to comply with others.

Use critical thinking.

Learning how to use critical thinking is of utmost importance to freethinking. If you can’t analyze and critically assess the information that you come across, you’ll be an easy target for manipulation and thought control. Critical thinking will assist you in your search to discover the truth, by helping you to avoid being influenced by biased opinions and false information.

Voice your mind.

A freethinker is a rebel. It’s a person who is not afraid to speak his/her mind, no matter how opposing his/her ideas are to the establishment. Whatever you consider as true, right and of importance to be communicated to others, do openly talk about it, even if you are the only person who has the guts to do so.

Research.

A freethinker cares about truth like nothing else. In the journey to finding truth, there are guides that can help one approach it easier and quicker. If you’re searching for truth, it would be beneficial if you gathered knowledge from as many sources as you can, whether that is books, documentaries, podcasts, and so on. Do whatever helps to expand your consciousness.

Keep an open mind.

Last but not least, a freethinker is a person with an open mind. That means, a person who is open to learning new things and ready to change his mind when presented with evidence that contradicts his opinions and beliefs. A freethinker doesn’t accept anything blindly but at the same time doesn’t shrink from considering emerging perspectives and ideas that may challenge his/her worldview.

Author : Sofo Archon – Wake Up World

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14 April, 2017 by Choki team

The Power of Affirmations

Athletes who are dedicated to keeping the condition of their body at an optimum state through exercise know that in order to do so, there needs to be a specific formula. This formula usually consists of some if not all of the following things:

1. A willingness to maintain an optimum physical state.

2. Consistency and repetition with following through on their desired physical state.

3. Finding the joy in keeping themselves fit, so that when the immediate passion fizzles they are still fueled into creating the palpable end-result they seek.

Just like how the body thrives on physical exercise with the implementation of the 3 steps shared in the above formula, positive affirmations with the combination of the 3 steps listed above have the power to the same for the mind.

Affirmations have greatly helped me create more ease and fulfillment in every area of my life.

However, the kind of affirmations I work with are not so focused on the specifics of a desired outcome, they are more focused more on the qualities that are at the root of the specific desired outcome.

For example: One could say “I want to manifest myself winning a 10 million dollar lottery.” So although this method of being super specific may work for some people, it’s usually a very limited amount of people that see a lasting result.

So what I usually do is asking myself a question like “What qualities will winning 10 million dollars enhance and bring into my life.” I usually receive an answer like it provides me with a sense of freedom, flow, ease, peace, trust, faith, grace, and so on…

So when I refine my affirmation to something like “I choose to create greater freedom and flow in my life, especially with my finances,” I actually open myself up to experiences and opportunities that I may not have been even available to before had I remained fixed on just winning that 10 million dollar lottery ticket. I also save myself from a great deal of disappointed when I expand out of specifics and into more of the qualities I’m seeking to experience more of in my life.

To take it a step further with my affirmations, I do daily check-ins with myself to see where I am already seeing some of the qualities in my life that I am intending to expand on. The Universe knows no ‘size.’ So what may seem small to one person, may be huge for someone else. So when I started to pay attention to where I already have some of the desired qualities I’d like to experience more of in my life, I actually start to notice that I was no longer attached to how things showed up, and was more into the quality of life I was leading.

It’s kind of like a miracle to the rational mind when we are able to let go of the attachments we create around manifesting certain desired outcomes, and living in the flow of life. In fact, living in the flow is where we are at our most open and available to create some of the greatest blessings in our lives.

The final thing I’d like to share is that I always open up every affirmation from a space of knowing that what I am desiring is already done. So rather than using phrases like “I want” or “I hope” which are not really coming from a powerful knowing that it’s already done…I use phrases like “I now choose…,” “I am creating…,” or “I now step into…”

With just these few little refinements, I have witnessed extraordinary results in my life and in my client’s lives when it comes to using affirmations. I am knowing that if implemented, they will also support you too.

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Author: Emmanuel Dagher – Awakening People

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29 March, 2017 by Choki team

The Cycle of Desire – Why We’re Never Satisfied and Always Want More

You feel it don’t you? The feeling is stronger in some than it is in others, but it’s always there in everyone, in some form. The feeling is a longing for MORE… isn’t it? If you are aware enough to see it, and experience it, and see what it makes you do… you will realize this is true.

Where does this feeling come from?

There is an inherent feeling in human beings where we need to be more than what we are right now. Expansion is what we are looking for. These feelings cause conflict internally and externally because the longing for expansion and to be boundless is looking for expression. But we’re so identified with our physical nature that the only way we think of expressing this longing is physically. And we try to do this but the physical is limited… therefore it is impossible to totally achieve what we want on the physical plain.

Yet people are looking for the expression of this longing for expansion through money, possessions, status, power, some through the attention of others, some through the vanity of their own body, etc. We’re looking for fulfillment through achievement, but has that ever really worked for you? I asked myself the same question and had to honestly answer NO, and I was guilty of this for the first 28 years of my life. Once you achieve a goal you might feel good for a couple hours or maybe a day or two, but then another desire pops up and takes its place and you repeat the same cycle. Think about the last time you got a raise at work? Within 48 hours did you still feel happy? Or did you start thinking about what your next raise would be the next year?

When we turn our attention to the acquisition of material things we turn away from our true nature and away from the present moment. The present moment is the only place that you can find true happiness because it is the only place that truly exists. Is this not true? Can you show me the future? Can you show me the past? No, because they only exist in theory. The current moment is our ever present reality.

And when you really look at this feeling of longing even closer, it’s not even a wanting for more… it’s a wanting for ALL. If I gave you the world… how long would it be until you started looking to the stars and other planets? No matter what you have or get, no matter how great it is… you will just want everything. That is a reality of the human condition.

Your real desire for the object is actually not for the object itself, but for the end of the longing for that object. But once you get this object another object and desire will arise. This creates a cycle of never-ending longing and suffering.

It is okay to go after your goals and to experience life, but don’t let it happen compulsively, and don’t let it compromise your integrity or happiness. Detach yourself from it. When you realize this as the true nature of what you are experiencing, you break and transcend this cycle of longing. But remember, the wanting for Wisdom and Experience and Truth is a good thing. We are here to live life and pursue our true nature, and you will only find that through wisdom and experiences. You can never understand something truly until you have experienced it and it is in your perception.

Meditation and turning inward will take away these feelings of longing. With a little practice (give it some time), you will feel the boundless sensation in yourself and it will quench the thirst of your longing. You will no longer have to subconsciously impose this boundless longing on yourself or the outside world. This might not sound possible to someone who has never meditated, but please trust me.

I’ll be the first to admit it, I use to be a big skeptic of meditation. My whole life I was very left brain thinking, with a Type A personality. I use to think meditation was for hippies… until I did it for myself and experienced the amazing benefits. Present moment living and mindfulness, along with meditation, will take you to a higher level of consciousness and existence. If you want to be more peaceful, healthier and happier… START MEDITATING!!

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Author: Steven Wesley – Wake Up World

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15 March, 2017 by Choki team

Listening Through the Noise: Steps Toward Inner Peace

Every now and then it gets harder to hear all those subtle voices within – those whispers of higher knowing or feeling that seem to guide us, inspiring us into creativity or just getting a sense of the deeper meaning. When we are connected with these inner voices, life is magical. They give us a depth to our being that makes us feel really alive. We experience a unique kind of ‘inner peace’.

The last time this happened to me I decided to take myself off for a walk in nature and, after a while, I put my mp3 player on and listened to my music on ‘random shuffle’, just seeing what came up. I had been feeling a bit numb, not really engaging life fully and retreating inside more than usual. Of course, this is fine — it is a natural process that you go through, so it’s important not to judge this state of being. However, being guided to simple actions such as going for a walk or listening to some music can help to move through things like this, processing whatever is inside and helping you to get back ‘in the flow’. For me, going into nature quietened some of the ‘noise’ which was preventing me from accessing these inner whispers, and listening to music helped to put me back in touch with my feelings.

What is this ‘noise’ and where does it come from?

The problem with ‘normal’ life in our society is that there’s too much noise. By ‘noise’ I don’t just mean loud things, although that is definitely one contributing factor. I mean that we are bombarded such that the senses are overloaded – traffic, TV, conversation, food, soft drugs (and hard ones). Of course, we are always entertained and there is always something to do. Appointments, cooking, eating, meeting friends, house work, bureaucracy, entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment…

You only have to observe a busy coffee shop to see it. Friends meet for coffee and conversation but seemingly cannot cope with the gaps, when conversation lulls or people go for a toilet break. I bet if you stay for a whole day just observing people you will not see one person, if left alone, who will not reach for a book or their phone or something else to occupy themselves.

Personal Noise:

Then there’s the more subtle personal noise. Our brains are wired to take in information, and gaps in thought are few and far between, particularly if we are surrounded by sources of stimulation. We process what’s going on around us, and our inner whispers are interpreted through the mind as well. However, there are other types of inner noise which can be quite disruptive – needs, desires and judgements. These can be a little harder to let go of than outside stimulation, even if we recognise their disruption to our inner peace. It requires a level of awareness that takes some practice, to recognise when these desires don’t serve you, get to the source of the need, realise yourself through it, and then break the programming in the brain.

All this noise means that we can no longer hear the inner whispers that make life magical. Consequently the quiet space within is felt to be like a void of emptiness, often so unbearable that it needs to be filled with outer noise (entertainment etc.) Then, the subtlety of life is missed, the senses become dulled and creativity is never fully realised as a spontaneous arising from within, but as a forced process of logical thinking or problem solving, at best.

So, if we want to experience a depth to life far more magical than that filled by entertainment and sensory satisfaction, we must do something that may seem a little paradoxical …

Invite the inner whispers to speak up.

By reducing the noise in our outer life, simplifying our daily lives, reducing ‘clutter’ and allowing time to just do nothing and ‘be’, we invite the inner whispers to speak up. Of course there will be busy days, and times where you will have much noise around and inside of you, but a few simple things can help reset the balance.

Meditation helps, time in nature, exercise and time alone. Or maybe something else works for you. Experiment with whatever makes your soul sing.

Be bored sometimes – it’s a good sign. Entertainment doesn’t do it for you right now? Great! Use that opportunity to go within and listen. You don’t need to quieten the mind, that’s not its nature. It’s simply about being with whatever arises, without judgement. — letting it be until it moves on.

The Benefits:

Once you’ve struck a balance you may find a curious thing arises. Instead of a polarity between busy, stressful times and times of inner peace and magic, they will begin to merge inside. Sure, on the outside there will still be busy ‘noisy’ times, and quieter times, but inside you begin to be able to access that place of inner peace where you can hear those quiet whispers, even when the world outside you is chaotic.

Other benefits – a feeling of connection with nature and life, a better understanding of yourself, observing deeper meaning behind events, increased creativity, and a sense of fulfillment in life which comes from knowing you are being true to yourself. The list could go one, but you get the idea…

Higher Guidance Meditation:

Here is a great meditation by my friends at Openhand to help you access those inner whispers. It’s relatively short (20 mins) so it’s ideal to use to reconnect with yourself during a busy day.

Author: Richard West – WakeUp World

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20 February, 2017 by Choki team

The Powerful Practice of Eye Gazing

The very first time I experienced eye gazing I was floored by what I felt and saw. The connection you feel with another human being, the visualizations of past lives, future potentials and more, all can become very real while engaging in this exercise.

Of course, there are many different intentions you can set before a session of eye gazing that can bring out an array of outcomes, but let’s jump into a rundown of how to go about an eye gazing session and from there we can explore what the benefits of such a practice might be.

“When eye contact between two people is initiated and maintained, an invisible energetic circuit is established between the two participants, dissolving the barriers that ordinarily separate them from each other, drawing them ever closer into a shared awareness of union.” Will Johnson

Right off the top it’s possible that some of us might think this is some “new-agey” or spiritual practice. I can assure you that eye gazing can be used by anyone and while the experiences we may get from a session might be different, everyone will certainly feel something and likely benefit from it.

Intention

Whether or not you are going to do this alone or with a partner, set out some form of intention about what you want to achieve with the process. It can be as simple as wanting to gain more comfort within yourself or with another, to looking into something deeper like past lives. You can also use this technique to connect more deeply with someone, understand their feelings, clear tension and so on. Setting the intention is quite simple, you say to yourself what you are looking to achieve and then allow that to be as you begin the process. In a partner situation, it’s best that both are setting out the same type of intention.

Generally this can be done most powerfully with a partner, however doing it on your own can also be a great experience. To begin you can first close your eyes and get your mind a bit quieter for a few seconds. To do this, simply focus on your breathing and try to let go of any expectations about the process.

If Gazing Alone

Open your eyes after clearing your mind with the process above. Gaze at your eyes in the mirror and allow yourself to get more and more comfortable looking into your own eyes. After a few minutes you may notice that your surroundings will become more blurred with time and eventually you may see just your eyes and nothing else. From here the process will vary depending on the intention you initiailly set in going into the exerceise. This is pretty much all there is to the process as what will be reveleaed to you is up to the intention. You can allow this to go for as long as you want but generally the longer you go the better the experience. You may not notice too much after just a few minutes so you may want to try things for at least 5 – 10 minutes.

Gazing With a Partner

Both people should sit comfortable across from one another. Open your eyes after quieting the mind and begin gazing into your partners eyes. Generally your eyes may want to focus more on the left or right eye. Choose one side and let it be. Over time, you may notice various colors or shapes changing when it comes to your vision of the other person. It is key to simply let all this be and don’t focus on it all too much.

The surroundings will likely begin to blur and things will generally take their course from there. Once again this is based on the intention you set forth. It’s important to note that being open to how things will unfold is key as the same results may not transpire for everyone. Similar to gazing alone, the length of time you choose to gaze is entirely up to both involved, but generally results are better when doe for 5 minutes or more.

Gazing For a More Intimate Experience

This is generally best suited for couples or those in a close relationship. It can be a much more intimate experience and can assist in connecting before being intimate with one another. The intention of connecting deeply with your partner is set out in the beginning, from there the process is fairly similar to the previous methods.

Sit across from your partner and begin to breathe comfortably. With each breath allow yourself to become more and more open and comfortable with connecting with your partner. Allow the process to unfold slowly and you may notice you will begin to feel much more unified with your partner. Roles between the two of you will disappear and a more true, soul to soul connection will be made. You can then allow the process to go where ever you choose for it to go.

Feel free to try out these exercises as often or as little as you like. There isn’t really a right or wrong way to do this. So long as we allow ourselves to be expectation free and open to the process, it generally can happen quite easily on it’s own. Truthfully, this type of exercise can also be done with nature. You may have found this has naturally happened to you before.

By gazing at a tree, flower, or specific aspect of nature, you began to connect more and more with that single life form and everything else began to become less focused. You may have notice the energy waves the plant or tree gives off and you may have felt very connected with it. This can be a great calming and meditative exercise to practice.

If you have done eye gazing before, feel free to share any tips or experiences you personally have had in the comments below!

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Author: Joe Martino – Collective Evolution

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