Fitness:  Intention.  Moving with intention is important.  It helps us to have purpose and direction.  When we go into a mode of connecting into the physical body it allows us to connect a little deeper with in.  Your workout can become an extension of your meditation practice.  When we workout, we breathe-we move-we connect.   Motion in itself is an important physical affirmation to life that you are in the flow.  If you have ever been in a state of great activity followed by too much time off, and then try getting back into your original flow you may have experienced this type of stagnation.  Life can reflect this with how we hold our emotions in the body.

Question and Homework:  What affirmations can you apply to your next workout, walk, run, etc?  Then start your workout.  Dedicate the energy of this action to fueling that intention into reality.

“As I engage my yoga practice so do I engage my life.  I am in perfect balance on the outside and within the temple of my soul.  I open to the divine flow and move any blockages out of my body with each exhalation.  I breathe in life and create sacred space through my practice.”

“As I move so does my life”

*You can be as simple with this or as detailed as you’d like.  Have fun with it.  Write down the affirmation and carry it through your day.

Nutrition: Cheat day.   A lot of people forget to give themselves some leeway when planning out their nutrition for the day/week.  Plan in a cheat day, and allow yourself to have a treat.  When we build in flexibility to our diet, we allow ourselves to not attach any emotions of fear (“I am afraid of failing my diet and not reaching my goals”), doubt (“My will is not strong enough to achieve my goals), or blame (“I am a failure).  We allow ourselves the opportunity to be imperfect and this is really where we want to be.  Knowing I have a cheat day coming also gives me something to look forward to. Its a day of release, celebration and abandon. You of course do not want to go overboard with how you structure this day (i.e. eating several large pizzas by yourself).  Give yourself your favorite treat, dessert, or dinner item.  You’ll also notice that when you give yourself these moments of abandon you are the one in control, instead of the food being the one on control of you.

What are your favorite cheat foods? What are your feelings on allowing this kind of flexibility in your diet?  Do you find yourself in rigidity through your day?

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

michael@michaelbrazell.com

We come into the experience and well, life gets busy.  We get caught in this 3rd dimensional density and it gets hard to be the divine beings that we are.  I can only imagine what the soul must be thinking, it went from fully in the flow to being the backseat driver… and well, most of us are great at playing bumper cars.

Doing readings I get a unique perspective on where people are in this journey.  I get to see life unfold, and I get to see it in mass which gives me a greater dimensional perspective.  In the past many of the readings I use to get were focused on more mundane topics: “When is s/he going to call me back, am I going to get a raise next week, whats the name of my future husband/wife, but occasionally I’d get the deeper life path reading.  Ever since the turn of the year almost all the readings have been centered in on this deep awakening.  I’ve seen so many people making radical shifts into deeper spirituality and into the things they have always wanted to do.  This is even true for me.  I feel my own path evolving and am having to deal with some of the blockages I’ve put in my own way.  Trusting ourselves is not easy.  Trusting that the divine will catch us when we jump, also not easy, but we don’t have to trust the air is there when we inhale.  Life is much like this.  When I ask a client, “If you could do anything for the rest of your life, that one thing that would make you completely happy, what would it be?”  I often get a puzzling look, and for many, this is the first time since they were kids that they have given themselves permission to dream.

What do you want to do with this life?  Do you allow yourself time to dream, daydream, or to use imagination?  What stops you from seeing life through a child’s eyes?

Take a few moments and make a list of things you feel that you are opening up to?  How has your path changed this year?

Let yourself be part of the divine flow, even if just for a breath… or a dream.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

I’ll be doing live on-air readings, spirit connections, and hosting discussions.  I’ll be spanning the spiritual spectrum and dishing it out with a lot of fun!

If there are topics you’d like to see discussed on the show feel free to add those in the comments section below!

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

One of the best ways to get a full body workout is to engage the core.   You might have heard people talk about the importance of having a strong “core”, but might not know what that means.  The core muscles of the body (hamstrings, glutes, abdominal, lumbar, thoracic spine, moving up and into the lats) are the body’s center literally.  All of our movement extends from the core, and our physical balance is grounded in this area.  Having a weak core can cause many physical problems as well as energetic ones.  I’ll go more in-depth in another post, but its time to do a delicious and quick core routine.

This workout can last as long as you want to give it.  You can make it quick, or you can do an extended workout session.  In future posts I’ll do video examples of the workout routines and invite you to follow along.

1) Plank 15 sec- 1min hold (This is a staple of any core workout routine.  If you do other exercise other than planks, you will feel and see a difference in how you carry your body) .

–this is also the up position of a push up, you can modify and come down to the elbows for a low plank.  Try the extended arm plank first.

2) Squats (10-20)  Coming straight up from your plank, engage the body with a squat series.  Big muscles burn big calories.  On the very last squat hold the down position for a count of 10 (or more).

3) Jumping Jacks or Jump Rope (30 sec-1min)  We also want to elevate your heart rate a bit.  You can also choose to run in place, dance around, step-touch, or any semi cardiovascular exercise for the given time limit.  Be creative.

…… and that’s it.  Quick, easy and to the point.  You can do this as one complete cycle to wake the body up, or do them as sets to build into a larger more extended workout.  The idea is to allow yourself space to do a little something, and that might evolve into a bigger something.  You can intensify a workout by extending the given times, our you can keep it short.

Enjoy and have a great weekend

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

You are divine sparks and you must set the world ablaze with your life, your light, and your love

How often should you cleanse?

I personally like to do once or twice a month.  Let your intuition guide you.  If things around you seem to be going haywire, take a moment and see where the discord might be coming from.  Is there something within you that might be causing you to go off-center?  Where are your emotions?   These can all be signs that it’s time for you to go a little deeper.

Cleansing the external world can also be a great way to sync ourselves up to an internal cleanse.  You’ll need to create that sacred space for yourself.  Allow your area to be free of things binding you into the moment.  Clutter can be distracting, and on the other hand sometimes a bit of chaos leads to creativity.  Play with your external sacred space.

You can of course go longer than 7 days.  You can live your life as an action of deep connection to your own divine flow.  Allow yourself the opportunity to be present in your life fully.  As we move forward I’ll do other cleanses, fasts, and challenges that are more specific in nature (yoga, raw dieting, master cleanse, etc).   This is just a basic outline that can be applied to almost anything in your experience.

Share ,grow, and be present fully in your life.

Namaste

Michael A. Brazell (Mahayogi Das) CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulitneraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

What are some new thing you want to try that you might not have before?  What new space has been created in your life due to taking on a cleanse?  What attachments have come up, or into perspective that you were not aware of (emotional, physical, spiritual, or otherwise)?  How are you feeling about where you are in the cleanse?

As always, keep focused–stay connected–and know that you are loved.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

Struggle during a cleanse is a good thing.  It allows you to see what power that thing you are eliminating has over you, your emotions, and where your energy is leaking.  This allows us presence and we can patch those holes.  Be cautious not to lash you towards those around you.  Take deep breaths, and be sure you are tuning into yourself as the day goes on.  Even when we are not in a cleansing status, it is important to get into the practice of tuning into our intuition throughout the day.  Where are you in the body?  Are you worried, stressed, etc?  When we start building a deeper relationship with the intuition, we have access to unlimited divine knowledge.  This process you are engaging in throughout this week is giving you a chance to tap in through an experiential connection to this energy.  For those that struggle, you can ask your divine self for ways out of the struggle (that do not include dropping the cleanse).  For those that are in the flow, ask the divine what you can do to bring in “new” experiences, abundance and growth.  You are where you are in this process, and it is exactly where you are supposed to be.  Breathe in, breathe out… be present throughout the day.

If you have questions, post them in the comments section.  This is a living process, and I want to be sure that you have all the tools necessary to be successful moving forward.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulitneraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Here is an example and my example:

I Michael A. Brazell make a commitment to doing a full raw/water cleanse until Sunday April 22nd.  I commit to moving my body, mind, and spirit into greater states of being.  I commit to taking this first step to improving my health and wellness. If I do not make it until Sunday.  I commit to examining the reasons and I will attempt to re-engage until Sunday.  I also commit to engaging my physical body through daily deepened yoga practice, as well as fully engaging my spiritual self with journaling, mantra, and reading. 

Then sign your journal page.   You can use any variation.  The idea is you are committing to yourself for the next 7 days, and this is an important first step.  Often we make verbal contracts with ourselves but we do not follow through.  New Year’s resolutions are a great example of this.  If you can stick it out, even for a few days you’ll hopefully see a bit of improvement.  Remember, even if you do not make it the entire week, it is not a failure–so long as you take the time to look at what happened in that moment of deviation from your plan.  Where was your power in that moment?  What was driving you to deviate from your cleanse?

Day one is usually a bit more exciting than the other days, and day 2 tends to be a bit trickier.  If you are eliminating from your diet, be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the week.  This will help to flush the body of toxins that will begin to release.   If you are giving up caffeine or sugar you can expect to have withdrawal symptoms sometime later today, and possibly tomorrow.  These are typically headaches, body aches and cravings might intensify.  Eat fruit, drink (decaf) tea, or decaf coffee.  The idea is to shift yourself into a new way of being.

If you are making the transition to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, great!  Try new and delicious non-animal options.  Let this be a week to explore your diet and the food available to you in a new and delicious way.  Check to see if there are restaurants in your area that specialize in veggie foods and give them a try!  If you are going raw, plan out some delicious salads.  Plan out new food combinations you might not have tried before.  Put watermelon on your salad, eat new fruit combinations, etc.   With any change you might not like everything, but the goal here is to try new things for the next week.

Post to your Facebook, twitter, etc that you are making a slight lifestyle change the next week.  This takes your commitment from being just between you and the journal out into the world.  If you have friends that want to take the journey with you, great.  The only caution I give is not to attach your success to someone else’s journey.   If they quickly fall of the bandwagon, it does not mean you have to.  If you have friends that love doing cleanses of various shapes and sizes, they might be able to offer you some advice on sticking to it.

Here is your day 1 journal exercise:

1)  Have you tried anything like this before?   What did you like about the experience, what did you find difficult?

2) Write a mantra for yourself to use this week.  It can be something simple:  I am moving into greater states of connection.  I love my life fully.  I am committing to growth, etc.  If you are having trouble doing this step, just email me or comment below and we can work an affirmation/mantra out for you.

3) Write down 25 things you are grateful for.  These can be simple, material, spiritual, complex, etc.

4) What are your hopes, your dreams, your desires?  What’s keeping you from living your life to the fullest?  What binds you? (fear, anxiety, trust, etc)  What can you do to eliminate the bind?

5) Journal, journal, journal.  If you find yourself in a weak spot during the day.  Take out your journal and talk yourself through it.  When we keep the struggle in our minds, we often end up surrendering into the option we didn’t want to take.  Looking at your gratitude list, your commitment contract, and even having a dialog with yourself for a few moments in the journal can be a helpful way to detach, and then step back into the moment.  What is causing me to want to step off track?  What can I do to recommit in this moment?  Where are my emotions currently?  Etc.  These are just a few questions you can ask yourself to shift your thoughts back to the process at hand.

Welcome to Day 1.  Commit, live, love, and be joyful!

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

I will also be detailing my own experience and giving examples throughout of what you might be feeling and encountering as you move into this process.

1. A journal.  This is going to be your best friend not only in this cleanse but you will also be focusing on evolving yourself.  The next couple of points will be the first entries in your journal.  There isn’t any need to have something fancy.  Even a simple legal pad will suffice for this week-long journey into the self.
2. What will be your intention for this week-long process?  Set an intention for yourself.  What is your goal for the week, and even for beyond.
3. Where are you currently in your journey towards greater health?  Take an assessment.  Weigh yourself, take measurements.  Where are you in your currently fitness lifestyle?  What does your current diet look like?
4. Now, what are you going to remove during this week.  Some people go a little crazy with this commitment.  Pick one thing that you are going to remove.  Sugar, caffeine, nicotine, etc will all require a bit of detox for the first few days.  The body will crave not only the substance you are removing, but sometimes we also begin to uncover some of the emotions and situational habits attached to the substance (i.e. we smoke to take a break, we eat ice cream for emotional release).  It will be important to pay attention to your emotions this week.  Eliminating too much too quickly can set you up for failure.  You can progressively remove things as the week goes on, or you can apply some of the principles you learn this week to other areas of your life.  Write down what you are going to eliminate, and remember it is just for a week.  Even if you go back to it after the week, it at least gives you the option not to.  One of the reasons many of us continue down roads we know are not healthy is because we surrender to not having any other options.
5. THERE IS NO FAILURE DURING THIS WEEK.  One of the things we do not want to do during this week is create an even greater sense of disconnection.  We start and we stop.  Even if you do not make it the entire week, keep going.  The week is also designed to allow you space to step in, and out of the cleanse for evaluation.  Not finishing and understanding why you didn’t make it all the way through is just as important.  This will allow you to examine the area of your life you are focusing on with greater clarity.

Begin with the self assessment.  Throughout the week, I’ll be giving your journal and insight assignments.  These will help to keep you focused during the cleanse.  If you are not ready to commit to a food based fast, this will apply to other areas of your life: Facebook, twitter, cell phone, etc.  Cleansing is not limited to just food, but food has a greater and more direct impact on our health.

Here are a few suggestions if you are lost when it comes to choosing a direction:

1. Go vegan or vegetarian for a week
2. Give up sugar for a week
3. Give up caffeine (coffee) for a week
4. If you are vegan or vegetarian go raw for a week
5. Eat only green leafy foods for a week
6. Fast from Facebook for a week
7. Fast from fast foods/processed foods for a week

So, there you have it.  The only thing you really need to begin this process is a desire to move deeper int your experience, and a notebook.  I’ll provide you with tips, inspiration and assignments (it’s not called a challenge for nothing).

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.soulinteraction.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com