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TECHNIQUES IN BREAKING THROUGH MENTAL AND

EMOTIONAL BARRIERS

July 11, 2009 by ravenstarshealingroom

Tension, pain, illness, anger and even goosebumps are bodily words. The body is our voicebox of the
unconscious. Bodily sensations are also the language of the unconscious.

Discussing the thyroid’s function needs more than looking at a chakra, particularly the 5th. Everything
in our bodies is in constant perpetual movement. Everyday we unconsciouly breathe in and out
thousands of times….it’s automatic. The medulla oblongata, located above the spinal cord in the neck
region aids in our respiration by activating the diaphragm.

The diaphragm moves downward as we breathe in, creating a motion, a wave from the lower thoracic
(spine) region into the abdominal and pelvic cavities. If we feel happy, excited, or angry, these emotions
create an expansion of energy! Our lungs then come into play expanding outward and then contracting.
As they contract our feelings pass through our communication center giving expression to our emotions
and thoughts. The whole chakra system lights up and dances to the hum of pulsing, whirling,
interconnecting lights. We express ourselves freely and openly…..if angered, we release built up tension.

But if we’re in pain, ill, lethargic or sad, our emotions become suppressed, our bodies contract creating
restricted and rigid movements.. Breathing becomes difficult and shallow, our blood suffers from the
loss of its normal circulation of oxygen. Our bodies become stressed and toxic. We hold back or conceal
our thoughts and feelings. Our a ention drifts in and out, stimulated only by sudden sounds which
draw us back for a brief moment.

I wrote this on another site….

Our 1st, 2nd and 3rd chakras are located below the diaphragm describing our our physical and basic
needs. As we move higher among the chakras above the body’s midline, we enter the thoracic cavity. It
is here we begin reaching out and taking in an awareness of our imagination and spiritual nature.

SABIAN SYMBOL
Sun Sign: CANCER Degree: 6 Number: 96 Symbol: IN SPRING GAME BIRDS ARE FEATHERING
THEIR NESTS.

On Aeclectic Tarot, for this symbol, I wrote……

The Diaphragm (the most important muscle in breathing)We all have a knowing that our bodies breathe
in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. We called this in another thread inspiration (air in) and
expiration (carbone dioxide CO2 out) The inspired air passes through our nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea,
right and left bronchi and finally the aveoli (air sacs) of our lungs. We’ve been looking at these
throughout the symbols.It is our red blood cells that, when flowing through our lungs, takes the oxygen
breathed in and let’s go of CO2, which in turn we breathe out. All these pathways are interconnected.
***
But air is not taken in by inspiration alone, the diaphragm (a great dome-shaped muscle that separates
the chest from the abdominal cavity) and the chest muscles contract, increasing the size of the chest
cavity (thorax) which helps to “reduce the air pressure” in our lungs…which raises the sternum, then
the ribs, enlarging our chest cavity. (Still with me?) All these actions help to allow air into our lungs!
Phew! A lot of work that takes place in a ma er of a few seconds!
***
When we breathe out, the diaphragm and muscles relax, allowing our chest wall to return to its original
position, “pressure increases” and the lungs expel (breathe out). For those who are inspirational
speakers, singers, poets’, teachers, the air that passes over the vocal cords causes them to vibrate and
produce sounds…..so the diaphragm is very important in the function of speaking. It allows us to
express the deepest part of ourselves, (our feelings, our deepest desires, our emotions)

In reflexology, the diaphragm and solar plexus are located in the same area of the foot which is at the top
of arch and near the base of the ball of both feet (it separates the ball of the foot from the arch). If we
press our thumb in this area (both feet) it helps us to let go of stress, relax, breathe deeply let and
maintain a strong connection with the world outside ourselves. www.ofesite.com/health/reflex/chart/
(h p://www.ofesite.com/health/reflex/chart/)
***
The diaphragm helps us to connect to our power, our sexuality, our passion, our creativity and higher
spiritual values. It begins at our 2nd chakra, the seat of our emotions. The symbols we’ve been working
on here have been focused on our emotions and feelings. This area has recorded all our repressed as well
as passionate feelings. When we have been disempowered or controlled through society’s expectations
or through a more dominating authority, we hold back feelings of pain, humiliation, as well as
resentment and rage. When something outside of us triggers these emotions, we can and have
unexpectedly blown up and sometimes in the most inappropriate situations. I know this has happened
to me, and I suddenly wonder, where the h**l did that come from? But if we don’t find a way to let go of
these repressed feelings, we could experience health issues in these areas.
***
The game birds are telling us of the limits we have imposed in our own lives. They tell us not to be
possessive or hold on to people and things in our life….when we do, it interrupts the flow of natural
energy from where the diaphragm sits…..our sacral area.When we are in balance with ourselves, with
others and the universe, our heads naturally tilt up and our pelvis tilts down. This can only happen
when our lower joints have the freedom of movement to carry not only the weight of our bodies but also
our pelvis and the inside edges of our spine. Tension contracts the muscles in our body, affecting not
only our movement but our diaphragm as well.
***
This also feeds quite well into the next body part, the thoracic cavity.
One of the simplest healing techniques that anyone can use is conscious breathing. Breathing is the
source of life; without it, we could not survive. When we breath consciously, we take control of this
source of our own lives to calm the emotions and strengthen our will. To breath consciously, it is
important to learn to breath properly.

Gay Hendricks, wrote a wonderful book called “Conscious Breathing” , here’s what she says in the
chapter, The Breath of Life……..

“When the body is under stress it responds with restricted breathing. The breath becomes shorter,
shallower and more in the chest than in the belly. When the body is relaxed, breathing slows down and
drops farther into the belly, becoming deeper and more nurturing. When I explain this to clients, I
contrast relaxed breathing with fight or flight breathing……..When we perceive a threat, several things
happen to our breathing all at once. Our belly muscles tighten, or breath shifts up to the chest, and our
breathing speeds up. We are poised to run or fight back. The sympathetic branch of our autonomic
nervous system is fired up, dripping adrenaline into our bloodstreams and slowing digestion so that the
energy can be diverted to our muscles. When we are no longer perceiving a threat, our breathing shifts
from the fight or flight pa ern to the relaxed pa ern. Belly muscles relax, digestion strats again and the
breath drops down into the abdomen………All of this can happen in a split second, regardless of
whether the threat is a charging rhino or the unexpected midnight creak of a floorboard.”

Anodea Judith, wrote the wonderful book, Eastern Body, Western Mind. In the Fifth Chakra section, she
writes….

“As an event impacts us, it impacts us with a vibration. Like (a) guitar string, it is our nature to express
what impacts us. When that expression is restricted (by whatever inhibitions we have been forced to
accept) we lose our resonance and no longer vibrate the chorus of creation. We become less fully alive,
out of step and dissonant………it is easier to block expression than it is reception, easlier to block what
comes out of us than what comes in. Therefore a block in the throat chakra is most likely a block in the
discharge of energy, creating a situation in which the input exceeds the output. This difference is
experienced as stress………

So what blocks us from expressing our truth, our outrage, our creativity or our needs?……..Shame at the
core, fear for one’s safety, or simply being out of touch with the core self make us unable to bring the
inside of ourselves out to meet the world…….We protect the vulnerable interior self from exposure and
possible harm or ridicule……….We do this by tightening the neck and shoulders, by throwing our heads
out of alignment with our body, by talking incessantly about anything except what is really bothering
us. Some do it by stuffing food down their throats, as if filling the mouth will block the passage and
prevent the feelings from pouring out………

Underneath each of these methods is a need to hide. In hiding we keep ourselves in isolation, keep
ourselves from intimacy and keep ourselves from evolving. “

What Anodea Judith wrote spoke to Megan (August 9th issue). “When I’m off balance, I can swing from
either being excessively shy or too outgoing. When shy, I lack confidence, my willpower weak, which in
turn alienates me from my intellect my emotions, body feelings and my creativity. I can’t think straight,
words come out wrong or not at all. I’m really concerned with how others see me.”

When the pendulum swings the other way, Alexis (August 9th issue) admits “I can be too outgoing, I
don’t think before I speak. I have trouble listening, empathizing or supporting others because I’m too
much into me. I either bulldoze my way through life or find myself going around in circles never ge ing
anywhere fast.”

So how can we find the balance between the two?

CONSCIOUS BREATHING

Conscious breathing helps us to develop a link between conscious and the unconsious, between mind
and body, between spirit and soul. It is here we find the deeper part of Self with it owns rhythms and
perspectives. Paying a ention to our breathing helps us to become aware of the tension points in the
body and where there is disharmony. Conscious breathing takes us to a place within our being that
touches the Divine Spirit. The medieval mystic Tauler calls this place “the ground of the soul”; Meister
Eckhart, “the li le castle”; Teresa of Avila “the inner castle”; John of the Cross, “the house at rest in
darkness and concealment”; Catherine of Siena, “the interior home of the heart” .

BREATH AND MOVEMENT

When I am very stressed, I find it helpful to combine conscious breathing with simple movement. One of
my favorite techniques is to stand up and place my hands side by side at arm length toward the ground,
parallel to the ground, palms down. When I inhale, I turn my palms up, and slowly raise my hands,
keeping them parallel to the ground. While still inhaling, I bring my hands upwards to the place in my
body where I am holding stress and anger. (Usually up to my navel, solar plexus, or heart, though I
don’t generally think about from where I need to release, I just do what feels right.) When I stop
inhaling, I turn my palms down again, then exhale while slowly moving my hands back down toward
the ground. (This is much more simple to do than to explain!) The above exercise serves to ground stress
and bring balance and the courage I need. It also strengthens my connection with the earth. Because it
can be done so quickly, I often use it when I need to take immediate action yet lack the focus or mind-
set. It’s amazing how much this quick, simple technique clears one’s mind! Of course, the more you use
it, the more your body will respond to it.

BREATH AND SOUND

Identifying with something outside of us is different than identifying with something inside of us. When
we are in touch with our own internal thoughts and feelings, we are much closer to ourselves. Singing,
chanting, toning, etc., helps us to identify and become aware of our feelings.

Ever hum a catchy tune then find yourself actually singing the song? Did the words that you sang bring
tears to your eyes? Was it because they represented something you’re going through or feeling
challenged to come to terms with at the moment? Did they represent a judgement or confrontation?
And, did more tears fall and then gradually fewer tears and a feeling of strength and conviction come
through. Was it a realization that you had to at some point come to terms with a part of yourself that
criticizes, judges and condemns? Or the fear of being critictised or judged? What is important here is the
experience itself not the words. The world, and most of our experience, is drowning in words. Get in
touch with your own experiencing.

HUMMING

Sit alone quietly and take a li le time to get in touch with your body right now. When ready, begin to
hum very softly and without intending to do anything but follow your humming, identiy with it, and let
it lead you somewhere. Focus your awareness on your humming and let it begin to change by
itself…………Just be aware of what it is like and what it does as it changes in tone and volume. Don’t try
to change it, just be aware of the qualities and feelings in your humming and see where it leads you.
Your humming may drift into a tune that you recognize, and perhaps some words will come to you.
Identify with whatever comes to you and become the feelings in the tune and the meanings of the words, to
see what you can discover…..

You can also do this with your imagination by visualizing a particular imagined thing or
situation…..you create it and its characteristics out of yourself. Let this creation be like a
dream…..spontaneous and free of your intention. Let it originate completely from within yourself……
don’t try to manipulate or control it…..let it develop spontaneously and you will learn a great deal about
yourself. This can also be done with a group who can share their experiences with others and learn from
their experiences as well.

The imaginal realm can be a meeting ground between the physiological and the spiritual. It is a powerful
connection between body and spirit. Humming and singing can create and produce strong physical
sensations that can linger for days later, helping us to understand and learn more about ourselves and
others. In some cases it can help us to become aware of something we are resisting. When we resist, we
close ourselves off. Humming and singing a particular tune helps us to explore and release what is
hidden and bring it out into the light.

TONING

Belleruth Naparstek h p://www.healthjourneys.com/ (h p://www.healthjourneys.com/) wrote the book

“STAYING WELL WITH GUIDED IMAGERY” as well guided imagery CD’s, and other books.

On page 86 of the book mentioned above, she does an energy moving imagery where you start by
shaking out your body and position yourself by si ing or standing.
She writes…..

“You may want to gently sway back and forth a li le with your eyes closed to try to get a sense of where
your gravity is.”

Then she asks you relax your eyes and take a few deep breaths, and after each one, breathing out as
completely as you can.

“And still again…..this time imagining that you are inhaling a magical supply of healing energy on the
in-breath….perhaps seeing it in sparkling microdots of color……or colors……or maybe hearing a sublte
hum as it dances into your body…..or perhaps just feeling on the inside the subtle energy moving into
you…..”

You continue breathing in and exhaling, feeling this energy dancing into every corner of your being…….

“And again….breathing it in…..and as you exhale, feeling it as it moves toward anyplace that might be a
li le denser or darker or heavier….drawn toward anyplace that might feel blocked or
uncomfortable…..or tight….and sensing it gently around these places…..softening them…..loosening
them….massaging and opening them…..

And feeling the heavier places beginning to shift and move….like a logjam beginning to break
free…..slowly at first….but then faster and easier….as each new breath helps to move it along….gently
and easily…….neither pushing or pulling….just a gentle invitation to float along free.”
Belleruth Naparstek then asks you to open your throat and make a sound with the out breath. It doesn’t
ma er whether it is loud or soft, high or low, just whatever feels right to you. She says to let the
vibration and humming to move through you, releasing painful feelings that are stored in the body and
feeling any achy or sore places begin to shift and move….

“And opening your throat and toning again…..maybe this time a li le louder or softer….or maybe
higher or lower…….feeling the vibration all through your body…..and feeling the sound releasing
energy….

And dropping your jaw…..opening your throat….and le ing whatever tone that wants to, come out
with the exale…..rich and deep and strong…..or soft and subtle and high……..feeling the vibration move
through your body…..healing, soothing, and energizing you….from head to toe…..so simple but so
powerful….like recharging a ba ery…..”

Naparstek then asks you to continue to feel the sensation of energies moving through you and how good
it feels to connect with yourself. The many exercises in her book(s) are simple and powerful,
reconnecting us to the vital force and helping us to know ourselves be er. Without judging or criticizing,
our hearts open and our human spirit awakens.

It has been said the heart chakra is a meeting place for energies which flow down from our crown or 7th
chakra and up from the ground or 1st chakra…..it is the gateway where these energies merge and blend
together. The 5th chakra helps us to listen to our bodies and become more a uned to it. It is up to each
individual to learn how the body communicates and act on the interpretation. The throat chakra is also
about being responsible for your life. This takes us to the next imagery which helps to magnify
symptoms of pain and discomfort and truly hear what your body is trying to tell you. This imagery is
adapted from a book called “Spiritual Technologies” which unfortunately I couldn’t find on the internet.
I had photocopied this from the library (for a group study) and don’t even know who the author is. This
was over 10 year ago! If you recognize it, please let me know so I can credit the author.

To get your body into a relaxed and aware mode, stand or sit, feeling the floor beneath you. Focus on the
feeling of the solid floor……see it with your feet and feel the solidness beneath you……it goes for miles
and miles. (this grounds you)

Sense with your head the space between you and the ceiling then to inifiniteness of the universe.

“Coming back to the room notice the forms, colors and people around you. Pay a ention to the sounds
inside you…..feel your heart beating….sound the heart sound “HA,” now “HA–HEE,” now “OOO…..”
(do this at least three times) if you are standing sit down, close your eyes remaining relaxed and alert.

Take a deep breath and relax. Now turn your a ention to your dominant hand, to your right hand if you
are right-handed and to your left hand if you are left-handed. Allow a feeling of energy to build in your
dominant hand. Continue to focus on your dominant hand. Imagine a dial controlling the intensity of
your concentration. The highest reading is ten and you are now at four. As you turn the dial up your
a ention becomes greater, more intense, more concentrated on your dominant hand. Your concentration
is now on 5, and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and now 10, the highest intensity of your concentration. Allow the
energy to build from your conscious a ention.

Now move your a ention throughout your body, checking your sensations through your body
beginning with the top of your head. Notice first your scalp, the feeling of your hair on your head. Now
pay a ention to your forehead, experience any tension there. Focus now on your eyelids against your
eyes, your nose, your tongue, your lips, your neck, the back of your neck, right shoulder, left shoulder,
your back against the chair. Note the sensation in your chest, your breast, your stomach, your lower
back, your hips, your genitals, your thighs, your knees your calves, the feel of your feet in your shoes,
your right arm, your left arm, your hands in your lap, and back to your dominant hand.

Now move your a ention through your body at your own pace. Stop and pay a ention to any place
where there is special tension or discomfort or lack of ease. Focus on the sensation in this special place or
places in your body. Hold your a ention there. Hold.

Now become the sensation in that part of your body. Identify yourself with it. Amplify it. If it is tense,
allow it to feel even more tense. If there is an ache, let the ache increase. You want to hear the body’s
message loud and clear. Amplify it; experience it clearly and unmistakably.

The sensation is your friend and it’s telling you something. Now put some questions to it. It won’t
answer verbally. Perhaps when you question a sensation, some images will come to mind, and you’ll
have a feeling related to the sensation, or it will connect with something in your life, or you’ll have an
intuition.

Now get into the sensation and ask: Why are you feeling like this? What’s your concern? What’s on your
mind? If I changed something in my life, would you change your tune?

Amplify the sensation again. And be aware of images that come to mind or connections and feelings
related to your life and experience. Amplify and have your radar out for the overtones and what your
body is telling you.

Again direct your a ention methodically to the sensations throughout your body from head to toe, until
again your a ention is stopped by a special sensation that summons your detailed a ention to the
message your body is sending you.

When you are finished, take a deep breath, relax your focus and come back to ordinary consciousness
and open your eyes.”

Many people who did this exercise had a visual of different animals answering their questions. Wolves,
crabs, elephants, fox, ants, frogs and buffalo are some of the animals people mentioned seeing. It has
been said, meeting an animal in this way is a way of encountering our own soul. They call us back to
earth, back to our bodies, bringing the parts of ourselves that have felt ignored or forsaken. Animals
teach us how to survive in the world.

The mind and body communicate constantly with each other, but most of this communication is on an
unconscious level. We need to get beyond the conscious level and examine the images coming from our
unconscious mind. The purpose is not to judge them but bring them out into the open.

“I believe we develop our diseases for honorable reasons. It’s our body’s way of telling us that our needs
—not just our body’s needs but our emotional needs, too—are not being met and the needs that are
fulfilled through our illnesses are important ones.”
Carl Simonton

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings, by changing the inner a itudes of their
minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
William James
**
Stay tuned to a new topic……

Posted in 5th chakra, body/mind, breath awareness, diaphragm. medulla oblongata, thyroid | Tagged
5th chakra, Anodea Judith, conscious breathing, deep breathing, diaphragm, emotions, Gay Hendricks,
medulla oblongata, reflexology, sabian symbol, solar plexus, stress, thoracic cavity, thoughts, thyroid | 4
Comments

4 Responses

Ana on August 4, 2009 at 3:19 am | Reply

It is a very useful and beautiful article..It will help me a lot to manage in a be er way my
feelings and emotions..
Thanks for this gift,

Ana

ravenstarshealingroom on August 6, 2009 at 1:52 am | Reply

Hi Ana,

Sometimes when I’m faced with a difficult choice my emotions run up and down like a yo yo.
Remembering exercises such as these helps to put things in perspective and remind me that I always
have a choice in how I will act and respond to things.

The key to this is balancing the mind and the emotions. And it’s hard sometimes when there is so
many wandering, rapid thoughts going on in my head.

The trick is to find ‘our way’ to center within the Self. When we can do this we can pay a ention to
the energies surrounding us and the messages they hold.

Thank you!

ravenstar

EMOTIONALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY on January 17, 2014 at 4:30 pm | Reply

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