ArchivesAwareness and Consciousness Podcast

#85 Beliefs are the Key to Change

on November 30, 2023 November 30, 2023 52 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#85 Beliefs are the Key to Change

00:00 / 1:05:07

Explore the intricacies beliefs in personal development. In this insightful conversation with Daniel Moor we dissect the pivotal role of beliefs in resolving personal suffering and achieving genuine happiness. ??

Gain some keen insights into the transformative power of belief systems and how they mold our decisions and perceptions. Discover whether your beliefs are steering you toward fulfillment or unintentionally contributing to personal struggles. ??

Then, we expand our discussion to cover how beliefs are the foundational code on which we build economic, political, currency, business, and nationalism. In order to truly understand any one of these topics of how the world works you will first have to understand how belief systems work.

Unraveling the web of beliefs that can either propel or hinder personal growth. This episode is your guide to understanding and leveraging beliefs for a more fulfilling life. ??

This episode might just reshape the way you approach your own beliefs, paving the way for a brighter and more purposeful journey. ???

If you want to move beyond gaining knowledge, and move into the realm of personal change, I suggest you practice the two courses mentioned in this podcast.

They are”

Self Mastery Course

Recapitulation

#PersonalDevelopment #Beliefs #HappinessJourney #PodcastInsights

#83 How To Change a Belief

on August 30, 2023 August 30, 2023 411 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#83 How To Change a Belief

00:00 / 32:52

In this session, I guide Greg, a Self Mastery subscriber, through changing a belief. The narrative of the belief is “I’m not ready.” However, the roots of that narrative story are based in the emotional experiences of a young child who was pushed to do things before he was ready. The belief is actually an energetic memory formed in the mind of a young child, with emotion, perspective, fear, several stories, and a need for protection.

To change this belief, we have to change all these elements of this energetic form.

I won’t go into all the tools and techniques I use in guiding this process of changing a belief with this client, as that is a much more involved explanation. One element that I utilize in this session is reflective listening. You will notice that I repeat what the client says. This is to ensure that I understand what he is saying, help affirm support to the client that they are heard, and for them to hold the imagery more clearly.

If you are interested in changing beliefs, you can employ these steps to change a belief by following the steps in my Self Mastery Course and my book MindWorks.

Not all beliefs change this quickly. Some have much stronger emotions and supporting beliefs that need to be addressed in a process that may take multiple sessions. This process was also sped up because of the client’s previous work on his beliefs, ability to focus his attention, and willingness to connect with the emotions he was feeling while staying present.

#81 Spiritual Power Journey Teotihuacan Mexico

on August 8, 2023 August 10, 2023 213 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#81 Spiritual Power Journey Teotihuacan Mexico

00:00 / 1:08:02

While in Teotihuacan, Mexico we recorded this episode with my co-teacher Eva Beronius about the Spiritual Power Journey. We can’t call it a retreat because we put in a lot of focused work. Yet, we do get away from the normal “matrix” world and have a lot of fun, laughter, and love. Explaining what happens on a Spiritual Power Journey/Retreat is very difficult because the process is felt energetically, emotionally, consciousness-expanding, perception-changing, and loving.

This Spiritual Power Journey is intently created so that you experience unconditional love and acceptance for yourself. That experience might come to you in a ceremony, a breathwork process, a meditation, a conversation with others, or while laughing and singing together. It might even be happening during the week, and you don’t notice the nature of the emotional space you are in. What you will notice is that by the end of the week, you will feel closer to your HOME in your Self. And you will wonder how you are going to go home and be without all the hugs and support.

Of course, the long-term solution to that is to create your life back home with all the hugs and emotional support that you experience on a Spiritual Power Journey.

If you are interested in finding out more or attending the Spiritual Retreat in Teotihuacan Mexico, go here.

to find out about other events go here.

#79 Why you don’t see reality

on June 9, 2023 June 9, 2023 452 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#79 Why you don't see reality

00:00 / 31:22

You don’t see reality. Nor do you even hear noises as they are. Instead, your brain is creating a simulation of sight and sound.

There is all the talk about meta-verse worlds and that this world might be a simulation. I’m talking about something like that, but not like that. This isn’t a “maybe it’s a simulation world”. In this podcast, I explain that you are creating a virtual world in your mind, and your brain tricks you into the illusion that it is outside of you. It’s a bit mind-bending to explain and to understand. I try to break it down into steps I hope you can follow.

Here is a diagram as taken from https://www.metaphysics-for-life.com/mind-over-matter.html

Except that final image you see.. is actually rendered in 3 dimensions and appears as if you are seeing the outside world.

#78 Your Attention is a Force

on January 4, 2023 January 4, 2023 240 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#78 Your Attention is a Force

00:00 / 20:26

Getting control of yourself and your life begins with your attention. Your attention is the steering wheel of your being and your life. Without control of your attention, you don’t control anything. Your ego-mind, emotional reactions, beliefs, and influences of others will determine your thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

The first step is always awareness. Real change begins with the awareness of your attention, what it is, and what you can do with it.

In this excerpt of the first session on Energy Training, I begin guiding you into a deeper awareness of your attention, what to do with attention to maximize change, and what to refrain from doing.

To listen to the whole episode, follow this link to the Self Mastery Community.
It includes a 20 min guided meditation, some more intro material, and Q and A at the end.

The next free open Zoom call for Session #2 of Energy Training is scheduled and you can join live.
The link to join Energy Training #2 is here:

As a bonus the meditation will also direct you towards greater relaxation.

#77 Relationship Connection the Secret Ingredient

on January 6, 2022 January 17, 2022 325 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#77 Relationship Connection the Secret Ingredient

00:00 / 56:59

It’s not enough to say that we have to work at our relationships if they are going to work. We also need to know what to work on, how, and in what way. That “work” or “effort” should also be enjoyable and rewarding or we are going to tire and resent the “work”.

If the “work” is a struggle and doesn’t bring us anything in return we feel like we are banging our head on the wall and not getting anywhere.

I learned in engineering school that Work equals moving a force through a distance. That means if you push and push and push on a wall, but the wall doesn’t move you didn’t do any “work”. You spent a lot of effort, but nothing moved, nothing changed, and therefore no “work” was accomplished.

I’ve had conversations with partners that were like that. I’ve felt the struggle and tension, tried to speak, and listen, and felt like we got nowhere.

Then there are those conversations that really moved the needle into feeling good with each other.

I got listened to and understood in a way that I felt important and valued. What I didn’t know was that this wasn’t an accident. The person listening to me was doing some very conscious and skillful things in their listening to help me have that experience.

We talked about an uncomfortable topic, both got to say what we felt and ask for what we wanted. We both were heard by one another and all that icky uncomfortable emotions disappeared. I felt myself smiling inside and at my partner. It wasn’t just relief to be out of the “stuck” feeling, but a joy about where we were.

What was the difference?

What is the ingredient that we both brought to the conversation that moved us out of being stuck, through those uncomfortable emotions, and into feeling joyful?

Have a listen to the podcast for Eva Beronius and my take on what makes the difference in a healthy connecting conversation.

#76 Relationship Connection is Possible

on December 28, 2021 January 17, 2022 299 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#76 Relationship Connection is Possible

00:00 / 1:14:17

How many people do you connect with?

How many people can you share anything with, including your crazy thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and know you will not be judged or criticized? How many people do you feel truly accept you just the way you are?

I began to wonder this about people. And so, I would ask my clients who else they talked to about personal matters and what they were feeling. The typical answer was “No one.”

Sometimes someone will have one or two people they feel they can really talk with. This might be their mom and a friend. But sometimes, that one person is a therapist.

I understood it. You want to be loved and accepted by your partner. Their love is precious, and to lose it would be painful. So we have these strategies of giving a good impression and hiding the stuff we fear they will judge us for. And so, our relationship is made “comfortable” in that space of keeping up a false impression and hiding our negative feelings and thoughts. However, it’s not comfortable long-term living in these masks and false versions of ourselves.

Yet we aren’t sure it is safe to take the mask off and be more truthfully raw.

How do we navigate these vulnerable moments of connection, so they don’t lead to disconnection?

Eva Beronius and I explore this in our second podcast in the series on Relationship Connection.

#75 Relationship Connection – The Struggle

on December 17, 2021 January 17, 2022 254 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#75 Relationship Connection - The Struggle

00:00 / 59:43

I gathered all sorts of habits and false beliefs in my childhood that later led to disconnection, disappointment, frustration, and heartbreak in a relationship.

One example was from the fairy tales and movies growing up. They painted a picture of “happily ever after” into my brain. Once you meet the right person, it goes seamlessly to “happily” ever after.” But, unfortunately, those stories planted a false paradigm that set me up for disappointment later.

I got into this “inner work” because I was struggling and unhappy in my relationships. I think a lot of people do. Even if their relationships are “good,” they may not feel good in them. Sometimes a “great relationship” brings up our inner fears, insecurities, jealousy, and other sabotaging emotions and behaviors.

When you are balanced on the inside with yourself, and you are balanced externally in emotionally connected and supported relationships, life is so much more enjoyable.

But we don’t show up with that in our life, at least I didn’t. So I had to work for it, both internally and in my external personal relationships. I had to figure out how to be connected with myself and how to connect with others.

This was not intuitively obvious. I didn’t have great relationships modeled for me. I had a good relationship model from my parents, but it was a 1950’s culture and traditional roles. Those didn’t work for me, so I had to work at it a system that did. I also had to “unlearn” the paradigms I had built in my subconscious patterns. What might those be? One was relating to adults as a child, for instance.

In this podcast episode, I join Eva Beronius from the “Uncover You” podcast to talk about the feeling of disconnection and struggles in relationships and map out when and where they happen. We identify how the ego and false beliefs play into those patterns that lead to feeling not seen, not heard, abandoned, alone, disconnected, unwanted, even when you are with someone.

And be sure to catch the next two episodes in this series because we will also discuss how and bring yourself and your relationship into connection and feeling whole.

“Relationships are the last bastion of emotional drama in the Dream of Maya” – one of my teachers, Bernadette Vigil.

If you can figure those out, then you are on your way to a happy life.

I hope you find some valuable nuggets in here.

And, if you do, please write a favorable review, perhaps on iTunes or the other platforms.

Thank you.

From Misery to Happiness

on November 5, 2021 January 17, 2022 275 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

From Misery to Happiness

00:00 / 72 min

Daniel’s journey from misery to happiness took a lot of work. There were many ingredients essential to making his transformation happen and he shares it here in this interview with him.

Daniel struggled with anxiety and depression for many years. His journey began with my books MindWorks, listening to these podcasts, and doing the online Self Mastery Course. More recently he has done personal coaching sessions with me to accelerate the changes. I really admire his consistent effort. There are ups and downs, but the consistent effort has been essential to the transformation of his whole inner world.

There are common obstacles we face when we work to change our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. I always like to get different people’s experiences on how they did it so others can benefit in understanding the obstacles, and what can be done about them. I think you will find Daniel’s insights and experience on his process valuable.

Why am I Unhappy

on August 19, 2021 January 17, 2022 261 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

Why am I Unhappy

00:00 / 22:02

Why am I unhappy, and Why do we suffer? These are two questions that confound people personally, and collectively. We can be accomplished, and comfortable in our life, and yet internally feel dissatisfied, inadequate, shame and fear. We are confused because we look to understand these emotions based on our external circumstances. When you look inward to the narrative stories you are telling yourself in your mind, you will find the primary cause of unhappiness and suffering.

The narrative story in our mind is what produces those negative thoughts, self-judgments, and emotions. It arises from the core beliefs we acquired earlier in life, and that can be re-programmed with awareness.

One specific component of these narrative stories that cause us to be unhappy is the false identity our belief system creates about us. In this excerpt from a group coaching session, I describe the component of the false identity from our belief system.

#71 The Dream of Maya

on March 16, 2021 January 17, 2022 247 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#71 The Dream of Maya

00:00 / 22 min

The Hindu goddess of Illusion doesn’t just reside in India. She resides in our own country, our news cycles, relationships, and in our own minds. She is a metaphor for the drama stories and distractions that devour our attention in unsatisfying ways and leads us into suffering. And if not suffering in a deeply painful way, then distraction from fulfilling our heart, soul, and emotional desires of a happier meaningful life.

I’ve been doing a digital detox. I gave up news for lent. I wanted to pull my attention out of the habitual cycle of opinions, fears, needing to be informed, emotions, and addictive social media scrolls. I wanted to clean up and clear space in my mind. In the process, I had this dream last week. It represents the Dream of Maya, or illusions we live in. It’s the world of stories that play throughout the day and keep us so occupied that we miss so many beautiful things that could be enjoyed, appreciated, and loved in those moments instead.

In this podcast, I share the dream I remembered when I woke up.

#70 Mastering the Mental Game

on February 25, 2021 January 17, 2022 293 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#70 Mastering the Mental Game

00:00 / 55:29

Multiple times Pauline Victoria has done what most people would call impossible. Despite being born without arms or legs, Pauline has learned to swim, gone to college, lived on her own, worked in corporate, drives a car, and took up scuba diving. Pauline said she was able to do these things because of her “mental game”. I got curious and wanted to know what was involved in Pauline’s mastery of the mental game. Could other people do it, and if so how?

In this interview, I dig into to dissect Pauline’s “mental game” to find out what it is made of, how she does it, and what has given her mastery over her mental game. It turns out that mastery over her mental game involved several elements that aren’t just of the mind. They include:

Desire
Attention
Will
Faith
Support
Surender
Presence

You can be plenty smart and “know” a lot, but if you don’t include these elements in your skillset, you aren’t fully developing your mental game. Without these, getting what you want will talk longer, or perhaps, not even happen. Listen as I interview Pauline and break down how Pauline Victoria mastered her mental game to get what she wants no matter what. We both believe everyone has these resources that they can draw upon to change what they are doing and how they do it in their life. If you want your life to be different, then it is worthwhile to pay attention and master these skills for yourself.

You can learn to develop these aspects of your mental game through the Self Mastery Course practices.

You can find out more about Pauline Victoria at

PaulineVictoria.com

OneLegUpProductions.com

#69 Self Awareness – Why do people believe crazy lies, conspiracy theories, and illusions?

on December 8, 2020 January 17, 2022 226 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#69 Self Awareness - Why do people believe crazy lies, conspiracy theories, and illusions?

00:00 / 32:45

The recent election in the US has brought to the mainstage how people can believe in different realities. Which brings me to a more fundamental question how do we discern the truth? Whether it is vote counting, fraud, economic policy, tax policy, climate change, opposing sides are getting more polarized. In the loud, emotional narrative of stories, both inside people’s heads and externally, it is harder to discern the truth.

I’m not taking a side A or B. I’d rather there be a critical thinking process that we can agree on that gives people the awareness and brainpower to discern fact from fiction, truth from illusion, and honesty from lies. In my experience, a necessary resource a person needs is self-awareness.

Figuring out the truth isn’t straightforward. Consider this; the mind is the mechanism that we use to discern the truth. And this is the same mind that generates stories, false narratives, daydreams, and fictional realities in our heads. These two uses of the mind are contradictory. It’s no wonder people are having difficulty seeing the difference between truth and a made-up story.

#68 Voices in your Head

on October 26, 2020 January 17, 2022 275 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#68 Voices in your Head

00:00 / 30 min

Having voices in your head is actually quite normal. The mind can make a conversation, debate, argue, self-judgments, criticisms, or come up with funny dialog all by itself. Many people are identified with the voices of the mind, so don’t notice them as separate. They feel they are the entity doing all the thinking.

With awareness, you realize these narrative thoughts as coming from something separate from your “self.” When thoughts keep you up at night, and you can’t turn them off, you can see them as separate from your control. When you sit down to meditate, you might notice that they don’t do what you ask of them.

We hesitate to acknowledge that the mind generating thoughts on its own is separate from us as consciousness. In doing so, we do ourselves a dis-service of truth. Perhaps we hesitate because there is a stigma associated with having “voices in your head” as meaning crazy or having schizophrenia. This is an incorrect association. Most people of some awareness realize they have continual chatter in their heads that they are not creating. It’s often called the “monkey mind.”

When you move into conscious awareness, you can realize yourself as separate from the monkey mind doing the chatter. From that state of awareness, you can explore the beliefs that drive these thoughts and many of the emotions. Most importantly, by developing skills, you can change the internal narrative of thoughts and their emotions.

For practical exercises to address the unconscious beliefs driving the programmed voices in your head, take the Self Mastery Course.

When you adopt a more truthful understanding of those thoughts’ sources, you can address and change them more effectively. By shifting your sense of identity to consciousness and seeing your mind as separate, you can remove a degree of self-judgment. The thought that”I have some problematic thoughts” changes to, “my mind has some problematic thoughts.” This can give a feeling of relief.

#66 Trauma symptoms and treatments

on August 25, 2020 January 17, 2022 694 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#66 Trauma symptoms and treatments

00:00 / 43:32

Trauma events can produce symptoms of anxiety, anger, suicidal thoughts, ADHD, panic attacks, or harsh self-judgments, and freeze responses. Trauma is often experienced by people who later become alcoholics and drug-addicted.

Trauma isn’t just experienced by soldiers in combat that develops PTSD. These same PTSD symptoms are the result of an alcoholic parent, a car accident, surgery, abusive relationship, sexual assault, abuse, or bullying. You don’t even need to experience them directly. When you watch someone get bullied or suffer a traumatic event your brain is cataloging that experience in a way that can bring up fears later. It is calculating that this might happen to you.

Listen to the podcast as I give an overview of trauma symptoms and how a person’s nervous system responds to distort and confuse a person when triggered. I also share some of the better modalities for treatment. The effects of trauma can be undone and your brain and nervous system trained to be self-regulating and calm again.

Follow these 5 steps to get a good foundation and understanding for overcoming trauma issues.

1. Join the Trauma Resource Group with Anna O’Brien HERE.Once you join, look under “Groups”. It is a free resource.

2. Do this Breathing practice regularly : https://pathwaytohappiness.com/blog/podcast/how-to-relax/

I recommend that you work your way up to 15 min twice a day. More of you can. It will take time over weeks or months to reset your nervous system to a relaxed state as default, but it will be worth it.

3. Practice the lessons in the Self Mastery Course located here:

4. Get guidance and understanding from experts with these books and audios.

Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine. He developed Somatic Experiencing which helps people release the memory trapped in the body. It’s a good book to start with so you understand how trauma is created, held, and that it can be healed.

Three o Or get the Audio Book

Complex PTSD: from surviving to thriving by Pete Walker: is written by a therapist that grew up in a trauma environment. He knows from first-hand experience what someone is going through. After reading this book, my client’s response is often a relief to the effect. ” I finally understand why my thoughts and emotions do what they do and why I haven’t been able to control them. Now I know I’m not broken. I’ve just had trauma.

— Or get the Audio Book

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is considered the kind of bible. It’s a deeper study of the history of trauma, how it’s been ignored, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood. He outlines how approaches like talk therapy fail, and why. It is backed up by studies he references, but that doesn’t make the information or content boring. He spends the last part of the book describing his experience with multiple approaches that really help heal trauma and their efficacy. If you just want to understand what you need to do personally right now for yourself, then get the two resources above. They will give more immediate help. If you want a larger lay of the land and deeper guidance on what will help and what won’t, then move on to The Body Keeps the Score.

Or get the Audio book version

Another good resource for overcoming trauma issues is The Power of Attachment by Diane Poole Heller

Heller studied extensively with Peter Levine and the Somatic Experiencing work. She combines that background to address insecure attachment issues through nervous system re-training. I think her background and the exercises she applies are very helpful for developmental type trauma.

5. Work with a therapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma.

I recommend someone who is experienced in the treatment of trauma, which means 5 to 10 years of experience. That way they will have seen and heard it all and be relaxed about whatever you show up with. If you find a therapist that is uncomfortable about your trauma history and reacts, winces tightens their facial muscles, then keep looking. It is important that the person you are working with remains calm in all scenarios, as this will help your nervous system reset. They can’t guide you to relaxation unless they know how to get there themselves.

The types of therapy that have been effective that I know of.

1. 1. Internal Family Systems

Types of nervous system treatments documented as effective:

1. 1. Somatic Experiencing
  2. EMDR (Uses various forms of bi-lateral stimulation )
  3. Emotional Freedom Technique

#65 Beliefs I’m Broken and Unlovable that Produce Shame

on July 28, 2020 January 17, 2022 495 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#65 Beliefs I'm Broken and Unlovable that Produce Shame

00:00 / 15:14

“I’m broken, I’m not lovable, Something is wrong with me, I’m not good enough.”

These are the narrative stories of thoughts that generate shame. Except it isn’t the thought that creates the emotion. It is the core belief that is carrying the shame. That belief generates thoughts and adds more emotion and thoughts. It is a belief that isn’t true.

Then why would you ever come to believe those things about yourself? And why, years later, would you still have your mind running with those thoughts when you intellectually know they aren’t true anymore? Here are some answers that help with those questions in this episode.

If you can remember back far enough, and I have clients that do, they recall who they were before they ever believed something was wrong with them. That sense of ourselves as whole, complete, loved, loving, and just fine the way we are is a sense of ourself that we seek within. It’s there. It’s in everyone. It’s in you.

It’s underneath the layers of narrative false beliefs our mind tells us. Cutting through those false beliefs to get to your authentic self is what the Self Mastery courses are about.

#63 Overcoming Trauma and Living Happy

on July 21, 2020 January 17, 2022 232 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#63 Overcoming Trauma and Living Happy

00:00 / 1:05

My interview with Anna who is waking up and being happy every day. That’s a log emotional healing journey from the emotions of anger, anxiety, depression, and anger that was overwhelming her everyday. Caused by earlier trauma in her life, Anna took an aggressive approach to change, which included applying the skills from the Self Mastery Courswork.

Most people recovering from trauma, or just trying to stop their emotional reactions set the bar low. They hope to manage the problem. Many people, even professionals will tell them that’s all they can hope for. Anna didn’t buy that story. At first she just wanted peace. But as she got to have peace, and calm she began to experience love. Then she wanted joy, laughter, fun. Now Anna is working on feeling unlimited, and she wakes up feeling excited about that each day. That’s a long way from where she was 3 years ago, when she was afraid to go to sleep at might because of the nightmares, and afraid to wake up.

I don’t know all that “be unlimited” entails, but it’s something Anna is excited to explore. Her hard work using the self mastery practices, combined with an aggressive application of trauma healing and recovery wasn’t easy. But listening to her, it sure seems worth it.

At numerous times the tunnel looking forward looked dark. Anna knew she could continue forward into the unknown, or go back at anytime. She kept going forward towards the unknown. Going back meant certain anxiety, anger, and depression. Sometimes what looks like courage at going forward, may just be an unwillingness to keep doing what doesn’t work in your life.

You can find out more about Anna’s coaching of trauma clients at: https://livinghappy.com.au/

The Self Mastery practices that helped her develop the needed skills for change are at Self Mastery Courses

You can also watch this interview on video on Gary’s YouTube channel:

#62 Overwhelmed with Emotions – Why am I so Angry?

on June 16, 2020 January 17, 2022 343 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#62 Overwhelmed with Emotions - Why am I so Angry?

00:00 / 21:58

Have you ever been overwhelmed emotionally? Most of our emotions are created by our belief system. But sometimes, in cases of real physical threat to ourselves, or someone close to us, our emotions are no longer from our mind or beliefs. Our sense of survival is driven by physical and nervous system instincts that are millions of years old. Those automatic survival responses can over ride any conscious efforts of our attention and put us into raging anger, grief, fear, or freeze responses.

If you have done a lot of awareness and conscious development, you can stay present while your limbic system and nervous system do their response. It might take everything you have to refrain from acting out on your overwhelming anger or frustrations.

Afterwards our rational mind and belief systems get back on line. When this happens our belief system might generate thoughts about what just happened. The inner critic (Judge) usually has something critical to say about how poorly we handled that. However it has no idea of the real source of those emotions, where they came from, and why. In essence, your Judge is stupid. Listen to this podcast to get a better understanding of those deeper survival emotions and how deeply wired into our system they are. It goes back millions of years.

#59 Self Mastery Interview with Eva

on November 12, 2019 January 17, 2022 215 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#59 Self Mastery Interview with Eva

00:00 / 1:15:45

The website is called Pathway to Happiness, but the journey there isn’t always that pretty. It usually involves delving into the emotions and beliefs from our past and cleaning them up. The process can require a raw honesty with yourself, the lies you turned into beliefs earlier in your life, and the repressed emotions that you didn’t know how to release earlier. Eva Beronious shares her journey out of a life of regular panic attacks, depression, and career burn out. Cause when you start there, going through that stuff mentioned above is a step out of emotional hell. You are in it anyways, you might as well move through it.

#58: How to Relax

on November 5, 2019 January 17, 2022 405 Views

Awareness and Consciousness Podcast

#58: How to Relax

00:00 / 25:53

There are reasons that breathing techniques can help you relax. Breathing, when done properly, bypasses your intellect and directs your nervous system to switch off the flight or fight mode of hyper-vigilance. This is something that you can’t do by thinking better thoughts or trying to be positive. Good breathing techniques allow you to work directly with your body to reset your nervous system, change your brain wave patterns, and return you organs and cells to a restorative process. This helps with digestion, your immune system and other healthy processes in your body.

There are several keys to breathing to relax your whole body. When put together it will be simple, but be sure to include as many as you can. Here is a short list. More details are explained in the audio podcast.

Focus your attention in your torso area. The heart area is the best, but the diaphragm where you will be moving most of the air is also helpful. They aren’t that far apart so you can have your awareness on both
Make your breath consistent. Find a relaxing pace and count the rhythm of the inhale and exhale. Breathe according to that rhythm. Making your breath cycle consistent is the most important factor. It reduces your heart rate variability which then changes your brain waves from beta to a more relaxing alpha.
Breathe down into your lower belly using your diaphragm.
Breathe through your nose as much as possible.
Close your eyes if you have that option. If you are driving, in a meeting, or around people you can do the breathing with eyes open.
Once your breathing rhythm has been consistent for a while, you may find it easy to lengthen the count of the inhale and exhale. Do this if it is easy and comfortable. Then be consistent with your breath in the new rhythm.
When your attention drifts off, simply bring it back to your heart/diaphragm area and continue the rhythm. Let pass any need to address what the mind offers. Don’t follow up on a thought, or “fix” anything during this time. This is a practice of letting that other stuff go for now.
Notice any subtle changes and sensations in your body as different areas make small relaxations.
The slower rhythm of breathing will allow you to notice different feelings and have different thoughts. Welcome these as a sign of good change.