One of my friends from college is a body worker who has an amazing ability to see people’s auras. And my friend uses this gift to determine which acupressure points to work.

It frustrated me that I couldn’t see the aura, but one day I began to scan people’s bodies with my hand and I discovered that I could feel the pressure points.

Much of the esoteric literature that I read during that time talked about the human aura and the chakras system. It all sounded very interesting, but it had no tangible application for me at that time. And then one day I wondered if I could feel the chakras with my hands.

I felt some kind of interesting shapes and textures the first time I attempted to sense the aura. I didn’t really understand what it was all about, but I continued to scan people’s auras when ever the opportunity presented itself.

My sensory capabilities continued to develop over time. I gradually came to understand the significance of what I found in the subtle bodies. I’m able feel the subtle bodies with my hand. And then I see an internal image that corresponds with the sensations I feel.

Observing the subtle bodies has provided me with an invaluable source of information that has given me tremendous insight into the process of human development. At this point I can feel what is going on with a person emotionally and see where they are at in their lives. I see the issues that people struggle with, how they have been wounded and how those wounds continue to affect them. I can also recognize an individuals potential and see what kinds of resources they have to work with.

I usually scan the chakras of my clients at the beginning of every session. I monitor a client’s progress from one session to the next, by listening to the client’s feedback and observing the changes as they occur in the subtle bodies. And then I watch to see how that corresponds with the changes that are taking place in their lives.

Younger people’s auras usually have a very dynamic quality about them. Powerful generative forces are continually at work within the bodies and minds of children, adolescents and young adults. That makes it possible for them to learn quickly and develop new capabilities. It also gives them a resilience that allows them to bounce back more readily and adapt to ever changing circumstances.

These generative forces decrease as the years go by. And that’s one of the reasons why it takes a much greater effort to maintain our health.

The stresses of our modern lives begin to take their toll as we grow older. Our bodies and minds are stressed from long hours of work and lack of adequate rest. And then some of us have the added responsibility of family. Many of us are also way over stimulated from the continual media bombardment. And our bodies are often toxic and malnourished as a result of a diet consisting largely of processed foods. These stresses can eventually wear us down over time.

I’m sensing what’s going on in people’s bodies and minds every day.

And I’m always wondering how people let themselves go like that. But so many people are not that in touch with themselves. They understand very little of their own internal processes and they do not really know how to care for themselves. Then there are many people who don’t even care to know.

I take note of what I see happening in people’s subtle bodies. I see what shuts people down, and I can also see what causes people to grow. And much of my work involves helping people to reconnect to their core and then develop a greater self-awareness.

Many in our society see the body and mind as separate. But I started to understand the interdependence of our body, emotions, intellect and spirit through my work with people.

So many people neglect their bodies and avoid their feelings and emotions. Their bodies start to break down as a result. The body, mind and emotions are also part of our spirit. And we can not attain any kind of balanced spiritual awareness when we allow our minds to atrophy, our emotions to putrefy and our bodies to go to hell.

Our body-mind can not process when we are over worked and over stimulated. Issues usually get pushed to the back burner. They may eventually drop off the radar screen. The stress just accumulates in our body. The lack of self-nurturance causes parts of us to wither. That’s why we need to pursue our passions and to give ourselves time to process, rest and replenish.

I use to see these bumper stickers that said "kill your television set". And maybe that’s a little extreme, because there is value is some programming. But think about it. So many people are spending three or more hours a night in front of the tube. How much of your life are you throwing away by sitting around vegetating in front of the television? And what could you be experiencing or accomplishing with all that time that would enrich your life?

Television is a form of passive stimulation. We sit there and allow political and corporate entities to spoon feed their message to us. We don’t even have time to process our own lives and feelings, but we’re letting all these other people feed their stuff to us. Television has a way of pacifying the parts of our brain-mind that need stimulation and interaction. Our lives start to revolve around television programs as opposed to developing real human relationship. The more we sit around and watch simulated realities, the less we participate in life. And that creates complacency.

We need times of solitude to process, grow and discover who we are. Excessive media pulls us away from ourselves and that causes us to become even more disconnected from our source. And look at the content that’s being fed to us. All that violence and negativity gets stored in our brain. It generates negative emotions, shapes our attitudes and our outlook on life.

People who get involved and make a real difference in the world continue to learn and grow as individuals. And these people usually show the greatest development in their auras.

Ask yourself "…What is it that I feel really passionate about?" Then stop making excuses… "I don’t have the time …or money". If you really want something bad enough you will find a way to make it happen. Find the courage within that allows you to push beyond all of that. Then get out there and really engage in life.

It’s important that we take the best possible care of our body-mind. Food is fuel for our body-mind. And all foods have a consciousness about them. Deadened and devitalized foods poison us and dull our senses. Think about what you’re putting into your body. And eat the most vital life filled foods.

Many of us are so busy that we seldom get adequate rest. Sleep deprivation creates a stress on our bodies that disrupts our endocrine system which can then lead to hormonal imbalances. It also interferes with our metabolism and does lots of other things to wreck our bodies. Sleep debt also impairs our ability to function. Our memory suffers, we do not think as clearly and that makes us more prone to accidents.

There are a million things I want to do, and I can easily stay up late into the night. But I really suffer the next day, because I don’t think very clearly, or accomplish much. My productivity decreases markedly, so I end up wasting lots of time. I can also recognize the effects of sleep dept as I look into people’s auras and see how the vital reserves of life force are drained from the body. That’s made me realize the importance of getting adequate rest so the body-mind can repair and replenish itself.

We hold very different sets of expectations for children and adults. Children are expected to grow. And we do a lot to encourage that process.

Something happens to many people as they reach adulthood. The accumulation stress, hurt and disappointment often causes people to contract. Many stop exercising, learning and having new experiences. They just stop growing.

What we already know gives us a sense of familiarity and that means comfort for many. But what’s familiar is not necessarily healthy. We do have needs for stability and we want to get to a place where we feel comfortable in our lives. But we stop growing if we continue to sit indefinitely and that causes us to stagnate. And stagnation is a form of slow death.

It takes tremendous pain to get some people to even consider the possibility of change. And even then, many will do just enough to get out of pain. And then they go right back to sleep.

Some people have a vision of their life’s purpose from a very early age. But it usually doesn’t work that way for most people. Visions are not revealed in their entirety. Discovering one’s vision is a process. You will be presented with pieces of the puzzle and then you will have to use your intuition to guide you.

We all have desires. Desires connect us with our underlying needs. Coming to an understanding of our deeper needs puts us in touch with our purpose. And the act of pursuing your desires will lead you to the fulfillment of your purpose.

I felt this powerful attraction to American Indian Culture as a child. And I sat and looked at picture books for hours. I didn’t realize that there was a purpose in all that. But it was a step along the way that eventually led me to Oklahoma, where I studied with a traditional native doctor. And that’s what brought me to where I am now.

Many people do not have any strategy for success. And many have these magical expectations that their dreams will come true someday. Life seldom, if ever works like that. Realization of your dreams is a process that requires commitment. We have to somehow get a sense of what needs to be done, set goals and then take tangible and constructive steps every day to make that happen. You will make mistakes, and some things won’t work, but you will gradually figure out what does work and you just continue to go forward.

Start by asking yourself the questions "…What is it that I really want? How can this work? What steps can I be taking right now to make that happen?

It also requires that we have an openness to life. This openness allows us to recognize the opportunities as they present themselves. And then it’s up to us to find the courage and determination to embrace our opportunities.

My work is very demanding, and I’m always encountering new people and facing different kinds of challenges. Some other aspects of my experience felt very stagnant. I’m faced with many of the same stresses from day to day and I felt that was limiting my growth.

Then one day I had this gut feeling that I needed to go to Sri Lanka. I didn’t know why, but I made a reservation, hopped on a plane and there I was. I found myself in a reality that was completely different from the one I was familiar with. That was a real shock in the beginning. Things operate very differently in South Asia and I had to learn a whole new way of being in the world. I feel very at home in this part of the world now. I’ve had a lot of really amazing experiences in both Sri Lanka and India. I’ve grown so much as a result of my experiences. And now I have a life on both sides of the planet.

The lack of appropriate stimulation causes the neuro-pathways to atrophy. That has a narrowing effect upon our consciousness. Our sensory capacity and our range of motion begin to diminish. And we find ourselves living in an increasingly smaller box.

We need to stretch by having different kinds of experiences that require us to learn and grow in new ways. Our brains need healthy stimulation and exercise. We can increase our intelligence over time as we continually learn and keep ourselves actively engaged in life.

Thoughts and emotions affect our physical body. They also affect the functions of our brain. The thoughts, feelings and life experiences that we fail to process form a heavy congestive residue that saturates the cells, tissues and organs. Thoughts, feelings, emotions and life experiences need to be digested. You can help to facilitate this digestive process by breathing into your feelings and emotions. This practice will activate a healing intelligence within your body and mind.

Avoidance is very disempowering because it weakens us. We can’t process the issues and conflicts that we avoid. What often happens is that these issues become frozen inside of us and that doesn’t really allow us to grow or mature. It keeps us stuck, which prohibits us from moving forward.

Conflict is just a part of life. And there’s a certain amount of stress and conflict that is unavoidable. What really matters is how we deal with the stress. Fears lose their power over us as we face them head on. Facing issues as they arise allows us to grow. It enables us to develop greater capabilities and competence. We become more present and that makes us more powerful.

Breathing into unresolved feelings helps us to process internal conflicts. It also allows us to become more fluid so that we can more easily adapt to ever changing circumstances. A process of reconciliation takes place within the conflicted parts of our mind that brings us into a greater alignment. We become more present and we grow much stronger.

Physical activity is so important because it engages us in a way that draws us into our body, so that we become more present. Exercise vitalizes the cells, organs and systems of our body by promoting the circulation of blood and life force. Exercise doesn’t resolve stress, but it will help to mitigate its harmful effects.

I began to train with the Chinese Master, Li Tai Liang in xin yi, bagua, tai chi and chi gong. Many of these practices have been passed down in secret over hundreds of years. Working with these practices helps to sharpen my mind and to develop a stronger internal power. It’s an excellent form of cross training that helps me to care for my body and advance in my work. Learning all of these intricate forms has engaged parts of my mind that were previously dormant. It has also helped me to develop a body consciousness that I never before knew existed.

American Indians have gone out to fast alone in the mountains without food or water for centuries. I sat and listened for hours to the stories about the vision quest told to me by my elder Kiowa friends. I grew more and more fascinated by the accounts of the amazing powers and gifts these individuals developed, that they used to assist themselves and others. And I knew that was something I wanted.

I couldn’t wait to get to the mountains. I’ve gone through the vision quest many times now, and that’s what helped me to develop many of the gifts that allow me to assist people in my work.

Much of the pain associated with past hurts and traumas goes numb over time. But these wounded parts of us often do not function that well. These wounds can have a debilitating influence that interferes with our ability to function.

I had some serious emotional wounds. I was hurting and did not function that well in my life for some time. I was determined to change that. There are also aspects of my present day life can be very challenging. And I make a real concerted effort to address issues as they arise. But I’m always amazed by the volume of stressful feelings and images that comes out of me while I’m on the mountain.

Every vision quest I go through has taken me down through deeper layers of the psyche. Another bandwidth of consciousness opens up as that happens. The experience is tremendously freeing, and has allowed me to continually increase my range of motion. I feel more and more present, alive and I continue to develop new resources and capabilities.

I’ve only scratched the surface, and I realize there’s so much more. That’s why I continue to receive healing sessions and go through the vision quests when ever the opportunity presents itself.

We endure so much in our lives, and so much of the unprocessed stress remains trapped in our body-mind. This causes our bodies break down faster, and that accelerates the aging process.

Working with these practices for many years has made it possible for me to see and feel so much more. I feel very concerned as I watch what happens to people. Their bodies are often toxic, out of shape and they’re holding tremendous amounts of stress. The neglect causes their body-mind to shut down. That diminishes the quality of life and disconnects us from the source.

This is why it’s so crucial for all of us to receive some form of body work or healing every month. Making this investment in yourself will help you to be more present so that your body-mind stays young and vital. You will continue to grow as a person, your mind will continue to develop and you will deepen your connection to source.

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