Enkindle Wellness

Author: Ken Stewart

  • How Did the Diplodocus Hold its Head Up?

    You may experience some neck tension with stress and prolonged sitting at the computer, driving or working at a bench. But think of the poor old Diplodocus, how did they manage to hold their heads up with a 7 metre long neck?  They didn’t have a tall frame on their shoulders and the cables that we see holding up the long boom of the cranes on high-rise building sites.

    The Diplodocus used a wonderful structural design which is actually the structural basis of all life forms. It is the structure of all parts of us from our DNA to our cells to our organs to our bones, muscles and nerves.  It’s called the tensegrity matrix.

    The term tensegrity (“tension” + “integrity”) was coined by Buckminster Fuller (best known for the geodesic dome). Use of a tensegrity design creates a structure with the strength, stability, and flexibility far greater than would be expected of its individual parts.

    In plants and animals the matrix is the material that forms the structure of every part, from within the individual cells to the whole plant or animal. It is the tissue that supports, connects, binds together and transmits information.

    This is a vastly different model from the conventional understanding of the body as a skeleton clothed in muscle and skin.

    The Diplodocus’ very long and flexible neck, able to move in all directions and support its head, was due to its tensegrity structure rather than the lever and pulley system we see in a building crane.

    The tensegrity model explains how cells and the whole body can move and respond to forces from the outside and forces within. It also utilises the body’s energy and nutrients to remain strong and flexible. It is known as the tensegrity matrix.

    When we look at our body as a whole, the matrix is made up of connective tissues. Connective tissue consists of cells and fibres which weave their way throughout our bodies surrounding our brain, organs, bones, muscles and nerves. Connective tissue also includes: bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, fat tissue and blood and lymph systems.

     

    In addition, the matrix has specific structural and electrical properties that respond to changes to its tension and shape. These changes have been shown to have a significant effect on everything from the function of individual cells to the function of the whole body. In humans, these changes can have a dramatic influence on health and wellness.

    The tensegrity matrix is amazingly resilient and flexible, allowing us to perform all kinds of activities – from simple bending to gymnastics. It is even capable of bouncing back into shape after significant forces are applied it. But there is a limit – sometimes the forces are too strong for our structure to absorb.

    Trauma, as the result of a physical injury or from mental/emotional stress, results in a change in tension and shape of the matrix. This causes a region of the body to become more rigid and have a decreased flow of energy (electrical charge). This isn’t always experienced as local pain, but as the rigidity continues it can result in pain and stiffness in other parts of the body that are connected via the matrix.

    The techniques I use are designed to release tension in the tensegrity matrix. Positive changes to this matrix are more likely to occur with a very gentle specific contact than with a forceful one, because a forceful contact may cause the matrix to go further in a rigid protective mode. With the release of tension there is a greater flow of energy throughout the body causing increased strength and flexibility and improved function of organs, the brain and nervous system, the blood and lymph systems and the digestive system.

  • When the Voice Gets Louder….

    When the Voice Gets Louder, You’re on the Right Track.

    Have you ever noticed that when you make the decision to start or actually do something new, especially if it involves a significant shift from your previous way doing things, there is an increase in the “chatter” in your head? Your inner voice may say: “You can’t do that”, “What will people think?”, “Nobody else does it like that”, “You’re stupid to think like that” ….and dozens of similar statements. My suggestion is that the louder the voice, the more likely it is that you’re on the right track.

    The voice in your head: the critic, the guardian – is the voice of your thinking mind.

    The voice in your head: the critic, the guardian – is the voice of your thinking mind. Its talk is derived from the past which it thinks will help you interpret the present and predict the future. Its role is to keep you safe – it’s about survival. It’s the guardian at the gate. It holds you safe as it holds you back.

    The information from your inner voice comes directly from past experiences and from what you have learned from those with whom you grew up. The voice may even speak from memories of events in the lives of previous generations. Recent research in the field of epigenetics (the study of how stress, diet, behaviour, toxins, and other factors regulate gene expression), has shown that severe trauma in one generation can be passed on to future generations.

    Your voice can appear very rational, logical and sensible; and while it has aspects of these qualities, careful observation will show that it is driven by emotions, mainly those that are immature or irrational, such as fears that come from childhood. This information is from the past and is out of date because it is based on the limited thinking of the child you once were. “The Work”, a process developed by Byron Katie, (see my previous blog) is a simple way to observe the voice in action.

    The part of you that your voice calls silly, irrational, crazy, dangerous, etc. is actually your intuitional, creative, authentic self.

    But who is this inner voice talking to?  What is the purpose of all this chatter? The part of you that your voice calls silly, irrational, crazy, dangerous, etc. is actually your intuitional, creative, authentic self. Notice that when something arises from this deeper aspect of you, it is not expressed in words but more in feelings and “knowing”.  Intuition, when it is noticed by the inner voice, (the “guardian at the gate,”) sets off the chatter referred to earlier. Paradoxically, the greater your intuitive desire to change, the more shrill your inner critic becomes. The louder the inner voice, the more likely you are to be on the right track!

    The challenge therefore is to accept your inner voice for what it does best (because it’s a futile waste of effort to try to get rid of it) and proceed, albeit with caution and care. Acknowledging your inner critic for what it is and does, allows you to move forward to a fuller life.

    By helping you to notice what is going on within you, and by helping you to identify the positive aspects of having an inner critic, Network Care can set you on the path of discovering your true and authentic self.

  • The Hero’s Journey

    Every experience in life can be seen as a heroine’s (hero’s) journey. The challenges the hero faces, the forces of good and evil, the resolution, are similar – often amazingly so – across time, place and culture. Fairy tales, legends, myths, movies, tales of all sorts follow this archetypal storyline: innocent hero answers a call to venture out of their innocence and is initiated into a situation fraught with danger. With the help of allies, hero meets challenge and returns home triumphant.

    Keeping in mind that a hero’s journey can happen in an instant (a sudden flash of insight), the hero’s journey occurs over and over again in your life. Understanding the hero’s journey and recognising it playing out in your own life can help you to experience life more fully.

    There are six stages in the hero’s journey; each one bestows a gift;

    1. Innocence
      All is well with the world, the hero is relatively naïve and happy. Things are easy, safe or at least comfortably familiar.
      Gift: a chance for renewal and a deepening of the lessons of the previous journey.
    2. The Call to Adventure
      The Call may come as a crisis demanding immediate resolution or it maybe the subtle ticking of a hidden clock, signalling the need to mature. To answer the call is to take on the challenge, it may be dangerous and there will be no turning back. The hero must take a leap into the unknown. To not answer the call is to retreat back into innocence and safety – there is no hero’s journey.
      Gift: you are energised and begin to move.
    3. Initiation
      The hero enters the realm of the bottomless pit where secret strengths germinate. It is the experience of not knowing how or if the situation will be resolved. It is a journey of maturation and transformation in which the hero has to develop new strengths or wisdom to survive. There is a sense of giving up, of realization that the situation cannot be dealt with by normal means. It is this surrender that allows the transformation.Gift: your skills are strengthened and your sense of yourself and what you need to do, are sharpened
    4. Allies
      At the point of transformation allies appear in the form of people or objects to assist the hero. They represent the deep well of wisdom that the hero has in reserve and learns to tap into at this time. The allies bring a sense of trust that there is a way out of the bottomless pit.
      Gift: you get support for your journey.
    5. Breakthrough
      A new level of awareness or way of being is attained. This transformation and expression of new abilities enables the hero to escape the bottomless pit to the new world. An “Ah Ha” experience.
      Gift: you re-enter the world with new abilities.
    6. Celebration
      The journey ends with the return of the hero, bringing gifts or wisdom back to those who’ve remained. The hero is a wiser and deeper person. The successful hero’s journey benefits many people not just the hero. A new status quo is reached at a higher or richer level paving the way for the next hero’s journey.
      Gift: celebration generates joy and instils practices that can help you as you undertake your next journey

    Adapted from:

    “The Highest Goal” by Michael Ray

    “The Path of the Everyday Hero” by Lorna Catford and Michael Ray

    Developed from the work of Joseph Campbell:

    “Whether small or great, and no matter what the stage or grade of life, the call rings up the curtain, always, on a mystery of transfiguration – a rite, or moment, or spiritual passage, which, when complete, amounts to a dying and a birth. The familiar life horizon has been outgrown; the old concepts, ideals, and emotional patterns no longer fit; the time for passing of a threshold is at hand.”

  • “I’m Stuck”

    It’s great when people come to see me and say they are “stuck” or “blocked” in some aspect of their body or their life. This is because realising you are stuck is the point at which moving forward is possible.

    “It seems as if I keep making progress then I hit a barrier, I feel like I’m running around in circles, I’ve tried EVERTHING, it’s SO FRUSTRATING!”

    If you think of something, it could be a pain (or any other aspect of your life), that you are experiencing (or have experienced in the past) a feeling of being stuck or blocked; observe the feeling that you “have tried everything.” And you probably have indeed tried lots of things, often treatments that are designed to “fix” the problem.

    These treatments will usually give symptomatic relief and psychological relief because a “professional” has told you they have found the source of your symptoms and given it a name (a diagnosis).  I’m not saying this is “bad” because it can be crucial and lifesaving.  But it is also the reason that our health care system fails many of the people who suffer chronic diseases and pain.

    When you are focused on and are receiving treatments aimed at “fixing” the problem you may get relief, but you continually dissipate the energy that is required to bring about real change. I know about this because I spent 20 years as a manual chiropractor, with the best of intentions based on my understanding at that time: trying to “fix” people’s problems. (Not to mention trying to “fix” my own problems.) I finally realised that I was only helping people to stay stuck in a “holding pattern” where they got relief from their symptoms (e.g. their headache) for a short period of time then the headache would come back because nothing had changed in their life.

    Fortunately there was the occasional person who did move out of that holding pattern and I noticed that these people often, not only resolved their symptom pattern but told me about changes they had made in their life – “changed my whole diet”, “left the job I hated” etc. These people inspired me to search for a way of working where I could help people break through their stuckness and achieve more of what they want to do in their lives. This is what I do now.

    Life creates layers of blockages within us. These blockages originally occur at times of stress, often when we are young and have a lesser ability to cope than an adult. These blockages are not bad things when they originally occur as they help us to be safe and to cope. Later in adult life they come out as symptoms and a restriction in our ability to be who we are capable of being. It is a lifelong process of clearing these blockages.

    When a person realises and expresses that they are stuck then the energy for change is available.

    Say out loud, with conviction; “I’M STUCK!!!”.

    Notice the energy that arises in saying this and a sense, in the background, that there is a spark of possibility that change can occur. Once that spark has occurred there is energy for change and my “work” can help you use that energy to move forward in the aspect of your life that is blocked.

    Once the energy for change is set free, you may find yourself wanting to say “Enough of this”, “I’m drawing a line in the sand”, or “I have a plan and I’m moving forward.” The energy that was bound up in the blockage is now flowing and creating real change.

  • Being vs Doing – Resolving the Paradox

    Being vs Doing – Resolving the Paradox

    The only thing you ever have is now.If we are “supposed to be” perfect in the moment how do we change ourselves and the world for the better?

    This apparent paradox is the old question of Being vs Doing. Wisdom calls for us to accept things as they are and at the same time we know that we want to change things. How can this be achieved? I have to say that I pondered this over for several years and the answer seemed to be there, like it was hanging in space, but I could not grasp it. I have since realised that I was trying to understand a “big picture’ concept using the “small detail” part of my mind. I will explain……

    I was inspired to understand the “answer” to this paradox, about 4 years ago, by a person who comes to see me. At that stage I had seen him a few times and one day, when I asked him what changes he was noticing with the Network Chiropractic Care, he said that there was a paradox (I don’t remember what the particular paradox was) that he had been searching for an answer to for many years and in the previous week he had finally understood it.

    The crucial thing I noticed was that when he said the words “in the previous week I have finally understood it”, he changed his posture to a slightly more erect one and tilted his head back a little. Clearly he had found the resolution of his paradox by accessing his “big picture” mind. The Network care he had received had made a new higher level posture more available to him and had contributed to his being able to achieve this insight.

    Most people who experience Network Care become aware of positive changes to their posture and often describe it using such words as “feeling taller”, “more connected”, “more grounded”, “more powerful”,  “more feminine / masculine”, “more at ease”, and many other positive descriptions.

    An aspect of the change in posture is the position of the person’s head becoming level, or slightly tilted up, (their eyes look straight ahead) rather than tilting down (to look at the ground in front of them). It is proven that we access a different part of our brain depending on the posture of our head.

    The tilted down posture gives more access to our busy mind, where we focus on practical detailed tasks and where we think more about our “problems”. In Network we call this the Lower Mind. The level or slightly tilted up head position accesses more of our Upper Mind. This is where our “big picture” thinking occurs.

    As an experiment try saying the words, “feeling taller”, “more connected” etc. that are in the paragraph above; first with your head down looking at the floor in front of you, then standing straighter, looking ahead and notice the difference in how you feel inside. Then try saying a few words like “I’m hopeless”, “I never get things right”, “it’s all his/her fault” (you can make up more it you want – we all have/have had plenty) using the two different postures. In the upright posture some of the “negative” thoughts may even sound silly.

    The Upper Mind is where we access our creativity and philosophical ideas. Here, you will notice, answers tend to come in moments of clarity or “Ah Ha’s” as opposed to the detailed logical progression of the Lower Mind’s processes. Our Lower Mind’s thoughts tend to be much more influenced, mostly unconsciously, by our physical and emotional injuries.

    This doesn’t make the Lower Mind bad or something to “get rid of” – it’s a wonderful, essential part of our make-up as a human being. But it’s important to realise that with Network Care we gain greater access to our Upper Mind and therefore have more choices about which aspect of our mind we use in different situations.

    Imagine writing a shopping list for a special meal you want to create. You tend to use your Upper Mind to get a “big picture’ of the combination of dishes you would like to serve and how you will present them, then you switch to your Lower Mind to think about the ingredients you have in the cupboard and which ones you will have to buy etc. i.e. the details. You might notice yourself switching back and forth between your Upper and Lower Minds to check that the details and the big picture are congruent.

    Now, back to the Being Vs Doing paradox. I agree with Eckhart Tolle who says:

    “The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present.”

    When we talk about being in the present moment, we are describing the act of gathering our attention and energy in the here and now, focusing on what is around us and what is happening in our life right now in the moment.

    So if you are drinking a cup of coffee, you are noticing the flavour and temperature of the coffee and the feel of the cup in your hand; if you are reading this article, you are focusing fully on these words; if you are listening to a friend, you are giving all your attention to him or her and not looking at your phone or allowing your thoughts to wander.

    You cannot live in this world without doing. As you further develop the art of being fully present in the moment, then everything you do will become more purposeful and meaningful.

    The important message to remember is that by being fully present in each and every moment, you will be able to do your very best work and accomplish your full potential. Learn how to be first, and then your best doing will follow……..and the paradox will disappear!

     

  • Invite Your “Higher Self” For a Coffee and Chat.

    Much of what distresses us comes from a conflict with our “higher selves.”  We often perceive ourselves as falling short of our own potential and are overwhelmed by inadequacy.

    The following thought-experiment might prove useful:

    Imagine for a moment that your so-called higher self is living a parallel life. Right now, he or she is doing the things you want to be doing, having the relationships you want to be having, living the life-style you want to be living, enjoying the health you want to be enjoying, and is expressing him or herself creatively and emotionally in all the ways you want to be expressing.

    Let’s pretend this ‘You’ was an actual person and let’s pretend that you have the opportunity to invite them for a coffee and chat at your favourite café.

    As you prepare to meet, what are you feeling? Are you nervous or embarrassed? And as you sit there chatting, do you find yourself wanting to make excuses for why you’re not living the same life this higher version of Yourself is living? Take note of how you are feeling during this imaginary scenario, but avoid making comparisons.

    Instead, observe how this higher You is carrying themselves, check their posture, tune in to their energy, be receptive to their vibrations. Get a sense of their confidence, joy and enthusiasm. See the light behind their eyes.

    Now, step out of conflict with this other You. After all, it’s YOU!! You are them. It merely takes a mental shift to step right into their shoes. The barrier to becoming your “higher-self” is purely imaginary. There is no barrier…… simply a merging.

    Until we start thinking the thoughts and carrying the presence of the higher version of ourselves, we will continue to live a lesser experience.

     

  • What is Is

    What is Is

    “The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When our mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want.” – Byron Katie

    Byron Katie

    In 1986 while in a halfway house for women with eating disorders Byron Katie experienced a life-changing realization: “I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment.”

    People immediately began seeking her out and asking how they could find the peace that radiated from her. Katie calls her method of self-inquiry “The Work”.  Click Here to download a worksheet for doing The Work.

    An excerpt from Loving What Is  by Byron Katie.

     “The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When our mind is perfectly clear, what is is what we want. If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try to teach a cat to bark. You can try and try, and in the end the cat will look up at you and say, “Meow.” Wanting reality to be different than it is, is hopeless.”

    “And yet, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that you think thoughts like this dozens of times a day. “People should be kinder.” “Children should be well-behaved.” “My husband (or wife) should agree with me.” “I should be thinner (or prettier or more successful).” These thoughts are ways of wanting reality to be different than it is. If you think that this sounds depressing, you’re right. All the stress that we feel is caused by arguing with what is.”

    “People new to The Work often say to me, “But it would be disempowering to stop my argument with reality. If I simply accept reality, I’ll become passive. I may even lose the desire to act.” I answer them with a question: “Can you really know that that’s true?” Which is more empowering? — “I shouldn’t have lost my job” or “I lost my job; what can I do now?”

    “The Work reveals that what you think shouldn’t have happened should have happened. It should have happened because it did, and no thinking in the world can change it. This doesn’t mean that you condone it or approve of it. It just means that you can see things without resistance and without the confusion of your inner struggle. No one wants their children to get sick, no one wants to be in a car accident; but when these things happen, how can it be helpful to mentally argue with them? We know better than to do that, yet we do it, because we don’t know how to stop.”

    “I am a lover of what is because it hurts when I argue with reality. We can know that reality is good just as it is, because when we argue with it, we experience tension and frustration. We don’t feel natural or balanced. When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.”

    The Work is a simple, quick and powerful way to help us connect to the present. Being present is the way to create a better world. Click Here to download a worksheet for doing The Work. The website for The Work is http://www.thework.com . There are several free downloadable documents on The Work website at http://www.thework.com/dothework.php including The Little Book which is a great background and instruction manual for The Work.

  • Seeking a Balanced Life

     

     

    Sometime last year I woke one morning and realised I had a cold. It made me stop and think (as symptoms are supposed to do) about what was going on in my life that was causing the stress that contributed to my succumbing to a virus.

    I paused and went through a checklist of my current activities to see if I was living a “Balanced Life”.

    • Exercise
    • Diet
    • Meditation
    • Family and friends time
    • Work challenge/satisfaction
    • Sleep

    I thought that I was carrying these aspects of life reasonably well according to some ideal “to-do” list that I had set myself. And then the big “ah ha” came from my realisation of two things:

    • That I was trying to do all of these things every day;
    • That there was not enough time set aside for me…. to just “smell the roses”.

    “Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
     

    My stress (expressed as a cold) was the result of my long list of things I felt I had to do to have a “balanced life”. Then I stopped for a moment to consider what it was that I really had to do that day, and if I didn’t get it done, would there be an “end-of-the-world” crisis?  I took a deep breath and realised that I didn’t actually have to do anything!

     

    It’s interesting when I act from this new perspective, my mind is less of a chatter-box and I actually achieve more.

     

    While it is useful to have a “to-do” list to refer to; a “balanced life” of achievement can only come from being present with the current moment. Now, whenever I notice myself getting caught up in my “to-do” list, I take a step back. It’s an ongoing process.

     

    The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, take a moment to step back and give yourself the space to breathe. You might be surprised at how much easier it is to face the day when you’re just the tiniest bit mindful of your breathing. You will be on the way to creating a more “balanced life”.

     

    “Be aware of your breathing. Notice how this takes attention away from your thinking and creates space.”  –  Eckhart Tolle

  • Learning to Know

    Learning to Know

     

    I have always been fascinated by the task of having to re-learn things I thought I already knew. Clearly everyone has experienced this, so here are a few reflections on this mysterious and mostly frustrating aspect of life.
    Most of us have decided at some stage to follow advice for a better way of living. Whether it is to “know” to: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”; or to “know” that: “You shouldn’t get angry and stressed as it doesn’t help you and is bad for your health.”
    There are millions of words of advice that we are exposed to – especially on Facebook – advice that that we “know” is valuable and inspiring, yet why is it that “knowing” is not enough to integrate valuable advice into our lives in a permanent way? Why do we spend such a lot of our lives re-learning what we thought we already knew?
    So what actually is “knowing”? Is it that we only really “know” something when we live it as a way of life – when it has become a practice rather than an idea?
    I believe we can divide “knowing” into four stages, from thinking we know something, to it becoming a way of life.
    Stage 1: Thinking we “know”.
    This is the beginning and weakest stage of knowing. We know something intellectually and can feel good about ourselves for “knowing” it. This satisfaction in “knowing” at this stage is often what tricks our mind into telling us that we have done enough “work” on this thing so we forget about it and continue unconsciously with our lives. Nothing has changed.
    Stage 2: Understanding.
    We may study and think about the very thing that we “know” will help us to change. We may even reach a level of understanding. But this is still at the level of the conscious mind. Also. too often at this stage, the mind is telling us reasons for not carrying out the change we want, telling us that,   “it’s not that important” or “it’s too hard” or “I haven’t got time” or something similar. We can become exhausted by these internal arguments and mostly nothing changes or if only for a short time.
    Stage 3: Living it.
    This is a higher stage of knowing that is only reached in a small percentage of changes in our lives. “Knowing” has evolved beyond the level of the mind but it still is mostly a mind component. Here we can fall into the trap of thinking that we know everything there is to know about changing. We can become experts in theory but fail in our practice. And so our capacity to completely change is actually compromised.
    Stage 4: A way of life.
    At this stage we no longer “think” about change because it has become a way of life. It is integrated into our way of living. This happens quite rarely and yet is essential for a successful life. When a change hasn’t reached Stage 4 then we will go through these stages again and again to re-learn what we thought we already knew.
    As life is never static it is still possible to lose a “knowing” that was a way of life. The key is to notice when we are not doing something that we “know”. The most import thing about noticing to create positive change is that we just observe and not judge.
    Network Care can assist us to “know” at a higher stage because it helps us to be more present and less “stuck in our head” by clearing phyisical and emotional blockages that have built up over the years.