The Alchemy of Energy

For awhile I’ve been thinking about writing on how energy levels influence our behaviour. If used effectively it can also contribute to our well-being and happiness quotient. This concept may not be appealing to the rational amongst us. All I ask is to have an open mind. Any new discovery is first met with skepticism, and so is the case with metaphysical concepts. At the outset I am not an expert in this matter, just have a keen interest in the subject and choose to share my little understanding. 

Guess most of us have had an experience, where a person we have forgiven (could be after ages) or someone we have thought about, amazingly gets in touch. Yeah, we could choose to call this a random occurrence or coincidence. However, an understanding of energy levels opens a different kind of door and knowledge.

Just as we have a physical body, we also have an ‘auric’ or energy body. This energy body changes with the way we think, feel and act. Observe how you feel empowered when your positive or helping another, and depleted when angry or negative. Also, thought is a form of energy. Hence, every time we think about a person or event, we are connecting at an energy level. It explains how a person can be really nice to you at a conscious level but you still don’t feel comfortable (they may not have the same thoughts at the sub-conscious level). If we are constantly annoyed with our family, colleagues and situations, we are feeding them with negative energy. And then we will say, ‘no matter how nice I am or how much I do (overtly of course!), the person is the same or doesn't change. Instead, what we should be attempting is to accept the person for what they are and on a daily basis send positive energy to the person. Then, one can witness an amazing change in the other person’s attitude and behavior. You will also start feeling a lot more positive as you are not dwelling on negativity!

Recall how a toddler learns to walk or talk. If our parents got discouraged with how long it took for us to walk or talk, we would all be immobile dumb creatures! Instead, every attempt, fall or syllable is usually encouraged. This is precisely how we ought to be while dealing with people and situations. The famous saying on motivation comes to mind, ‘treat the person of what he/she is capable of becoming than constantly thinking or criticizing their short-comings’.

In addition, the more negative we feel about a person; we are feeding the person with more of that particular negative energy. Where is the sense in expecting the opposite miraculous result?

In this regard, the ancient Mexican ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ technique can be a useful tool. The story traces its root to Shamanism and has recently become famous when Therapist Dr. Hew Len miraculously cured Psychiatric Patients who were tied or kept in closed wards due to their aggressive nature. In Dr. Len’s words, “I was simply healing the part of me that created them”.

The technique has some basic premises- firstly, ‘total responsibility’ which doesn’t mean only for our actions but also for that of the entire universe since we belong to it. The reason being since we are all connected to each other, we need to take responsibility for what goes wrong even if  we feel we did not make the mistake. Hence, in order to heal the other, we first begin to heal ourselves. Therefore, we can help another, by thinking of the other person and repeating ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ meaning “I am Sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you and I Love You”. It is believed that Dr. Len cured the entire Criminal Ward using this method without having any face-to-face contact, and the inmates who were chained were released and transformed. It does not matter how much of this story one is ready to digest. An open mind to experiment how energy affects us would be a good starting point to begin.

Self-identity through ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ is supposed to have helped and healed many people as the second tenet of this technique is that ‘peace begins within’. Repeating ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ like a Mantra is supposed to help in clearing up negative memories and processes embedded deep within our sub-conscious mind!

I have always wondered how we take an instant liking (and dislike) to some people and places. One such person who has had such an amazing impact on the young budding Psychs at Bangalore University has been Prof. M. S. Thimmappa. Being in his presence was a treat in itself. Of course, all his talks and lectures left everyone inspired. I humbly dedicate this blog article to Thimmappa Sir for being such a wonderful human being and showing us how an individual’s persona can impact an entire University and much beyond.

Hope this article helps readers in empowering their lives and relationships, which in turn will help those around us. Happy Alchemy via ‘Ho-o-pono-pono’ or the Energy Principle People!

             

Focus On What You Want

One of the most important tenets of life and psychology is to learn to ‘focus on what we want’. Yet, how many of us do this on a consistent basis. Agree, we all know what we want from Life but we focus most of our energy on what we don’t want or what could possibly go wrong. Whether, we want to call it the Law of Attraction, Manifestation Process or any other terminology, the basic funda is the same- ‘whatever we focus our energy on, grows’. So, if we end up thinking of all the things that can possibly go wrong, it most often will. And then we fall into a vicious cycle of ‘nothing is right in my life or I am hopeless’. The Key to Successful Living and Happiness is to start becoming aware of our self-talk and then re-programme our mind to Focus on Happiness, Success, Peace etc.

Most often, our underlying 'Belief' stems from our parents and significant others during childhood and it is believed to have a bearing on our Adult Life. This explains why Regression Therapy is sometimes an essential part of Therapy. Moreover, it is essential to identify, accept our beliefs and then make a progression towards positive change. Just saying ‘I can do it’ at a conscious level will not produce the desired result when the belief deep down is self-doubt or low self-esteem. I strongly believe a change at the conscious and sub-conscious level is important for a successful outcome.

The more I get to know and practice Psychology, the link between Psychology and Philosophy becomes clearer. No wonder, Psychology sprung out of Philosophy. To relate an incident related to the theme of this article, I would like to share my Ajji’s (grand mother) philosophy. My granny would always say there is too much of a product when in fact there was a dearth of it and had to be bought. For eg, “rice is hechide (in abundance)” if she wanted to say ‘rice is over’. I remember asking, ‘why do you want more rice, if there already is sufficient quantity’. That is when my granny narrated the story of ‘Asthu Devathas’(Gods who Bless). She said, “You never know when the Gods will say ‘Tatasthu’ (as you wish), hence it is essential to always wish and proclaim what you want or wish for. Else, if you keep focusing on lack, that will keep getting blessed and you end up creating negativity when what you really want is the opposite”. While it may seem like a fairy-tale, I realize that she was ingraining the ‘seed of positivity’. The movie ‘Inception’ deals with the concept beautifully. No wonder our grand parents seemed happier, content and more positive than the current generations.

One of the reasons for this negativity in our society could be due to the rat race mentality we are currently obsessive about and focusing on how to out-beat our opponents. Life would be a lot less stressful and meaningful if we focused and harnessed our energies on what we want or wish for. The only person we have total control is on ‘ourselves’. Why not focus on empowering the ‘self’ by thinking, believing and acting in an uplifting manner?

I’m sure all of us would have had an experience wherein what we were looking for has come through some source, be it a book, song or friend. That is exactly how things work. There is tremendous power in our ‘thoughts’; all we need to do is to channel it to our benefit and those around us.

            Being a Sports Psychologist, I most often deal with Players' performance issues. One area I most definitely work on is to enquire about a player’s goals. While the goals are clear (in most cases), the player most often focuses on, ‘what if I fail, I get beaten, I lose to him/her etc’. In this scenario, the outcome as the player expects will be of loss. Instead, focus needs to be on best performance or success. Our Intentions need to clearly define what we want and then it needs to be re-enforced with techniques such as Visualization and Affirmations (which I shall deal with in the future).

When there is no dichotomy between what we think and feel, the results will be to our liking! Of course, it does not happen over-night. The Magic Genie is in your hands. So, let’s ‘Intend’ to focus on all that we want to come into Life! 

Breathe and ‘Let Go’

Finally, I sat down and figured how to  start a blog! After thinking for awhile about what the first note ought to be, I thought I’d start off with something that has been close to my heart. 

We have all heard on numerous occasions on the importance of ‘breathing’ and why it is essential to control one’s breath, especially when under pressure. I would like to narrate an interesting event that is so closely related to the topic.


I vividly recall how tense i was just before My Symposium Presentation at the International Conference on Sport Psychology held at Sydney in 2005. To my discomfort, I had to address the audience at the Tumbalong (read huge!) Auditorium. In order to gain confidence and soothe my nerves, I went to get a feel of the place the previous evening. While, I waited for the proceedings to end and go on stage, a gentlemen and one of the best Sport Psychologists Dr. Kenneth Ravezza approached me and enquired if I had a presentation the next day. I silently nodded and what he did still touches my very being. He quietly held my hand, led me to the stage and pointed to the far extreme ‘green exit board’ and said. ‘Just remember to look at the board and breathe every time’. On a lighter note, he added, ‘no one will know what you’re looking at as it is beyond the audience.’

No prizes for guessing as that is exactly what I did the following day. And of course, Ken was present to support me and later came and congratulated me. It was a big thing for me, especially since it was my first one in Australia. What Ken did was to use the green board as an ‘anchor or trigger’ to release pressure and emphasize positivity.

Recently, read an article which emphasized how breathing could be used as a strategy to ‘let go’. All the exercise requires one to do is to ‘imagine saying the word ‘let’ as you inhale and ‘go’ as you exhale’. There by, the inhalation and exhalation process of breathing becomes a tool of ‘letting go’ and also aids in bringing ‘one’s awareness back to the present’.

If we have observed our breath during pressure, anger or critical moments, it is normally short. To think clearly one’s breathing needs to be long and rhythmic. This simple exercise of ‘letting go’ can be beneficial in various situations, especially in sports when one wants to bring his/her awareness to the task at hand. This also helps in focusing on what is essential and helpful, and not on what has already happened.  

Of course, one needs to consciously perform this exercise during normal day-to day situations so that it becomes a part of us in the sub-conscious. Only then can it be employed to perfection in tenser, critical moments!

Let’s all wake up to the ‘power of breathing’ which is essential to life itself! I have been trying it out myself and it has helped me cool off on a few occasions! Moreover, deep breathing is known to have numerous health benefits!

I dedicate my first blog article to ‘Dr. Kenneth Ravezza’ for reaching out and bringing out the best in me, despite not knowing me. Some times the smallest of gestures can mean a lot to  a person. The power of reaching out cannot be emphasized enough. Let’s intend to reach out in whatever manner we can to those who require it!

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