February 2014 - Being Energy

We just arrived in Los Angeles after a week in Chichén Itzá, the most enigmatic City legacy of the Mayas where we taught our workshop and training called “A Crack Between Worlds”. We are truly honored and thankful. We are filled with colorful images and sounds from the jungle around us, and we are experiencing “the crack between worlds”. As Javier, a professor and psychologist participant of the workshop said it last Monday: “I feel energetic and at the same time fluid, allowing daily events to show up and flowing with them. I am quiet and at the same time enjoying all”

We mentioned in our announcement that “the crack between the worlds” is an opening in our consciousness that makes way for new experiences of being and states of heightened awareness. And that is what we all experienced there and still vibrating right now.

Chichén Itzá welcomed our offerings and received us with love and respect. From the hotel staff to personal at the archeological site, all greeted us with delight. Our venue, a “palapa” (dwelling without walls), was surrounded by tress and vegetation, brimming with crickets and birds. The food, the large rooms, the carved wood furniture, details in the windows, vivid paintings, musicians playing rancheras, everything seemed orchestrated by the universe to come to enhance our experience of spiritual growth and heart opening. We even enjoyed swimming in the fresh water pools!

We meditated on the Observatory, also called “el Caracol” , where a large black bird sat at the very top expanding its wings. This temple, aligned with the movements of the planet Venus, inspired us to see our lives as cycles. We identified and wrote about cycles from before we were born all the way after death. It helped us to see the trajectory of our lives, our path with heart, and our legacy.

On Sunday evening, we sat at the pyramid of Kukulcan, the feathered serpent, astonished by an indescribable sunset in silence and awe.

We felt alive by the beauty we could see with our eyes and the presence of the temples buried under the ground. We breathed in knowledge described not only on its monuments and buildings by also on its mystery and unknown layers of existence.

We saw the butterfly resting on the Chacmol’s chest, and felt in our foreheads a band of stars. Thank you to our ancestors for allowing this event to happen. Thank you to all our teachers, students and friends walking on the Toltec paths with us.

With infinite love,

Aerin and Miles

Today we talk about a recipe for enjoying more energy in our lives: A strong support network.

It’s something we may take for granted, but there is little doubt that a good support network improves our health. It helps to ground us emotionally, and provides a buffer against adverse events in our lives. Social networks provide us with a sense of comfort, security, belonging and community.

A circle of support consists of the trusted individuals in your life to whom you can turn in good times and in bad. These people may be family members; friends; co-workers; fellow members of a church, synagogue or temple; or members of a support group.

Studies show that having a social network can be critical in successfully weathering stressful events, be it a bad day at work or a year filled with loss or chronic illness. Social support can include:

Emotional support—where the actions that others take make you feel cared for

Informational support—where others provide information, advice or guidance to help you

Instrumental support—where others offer physical support in the form of money or services, like grocery shopping, housekeeping and driving you to an appointment

Whatever your challenges, age or state of health, building a strong circle of support can literally be life-saving. Studies show that people who have a good support network are less vulnerable to ill health and premature death. One of the earliest of these studies, conducted in 1905 by Dr. Joseph Pratt, showed that tuberculosis patients who gathered together under his care benefitted physically and mentally from the psychological support of the group. Since then, research continues to show the power of a support group in health and healing from all variety of physical and/or mental illnesses.

If you already have a strong support network, you are very fortunate. But it’s never too late to foster close and rewarding relationships.

The Mayo Clinic offers these tips for building and maintaining a strong support circle:

Appreciate your friends and family. Take time to say thank you and express how important they are to you. Be there for them when they need support.

Stay in touch. Answer phone calls and texts, return emails, send notes and reciprocate invitations to let people know that you care.

Be a good listener. Find out what’s important to your friends, family and other s

Don’t overdo it. The idea is to nurture your relationships. Try not to overwhelm others with information that they may view as too sensitive or personal. Also, be careful not to engulf people with phone calls or emails.

Don’t complete. Be happy when your friends, family members and co-workers succeed. Celebrate their accomplishments and they’ll celebrate yours in return.

Engage in energizing connections. Remember that building a circle of support is meant to reduce your stress, not increase it. If you’re feeling drained rather than supported in a relationship, then it is best to avoid the relationship. Now you have all the ingredients in our recipe for feeling more energy in your life. During the weeks ahead, we’ll round things out with exercise tips from Being Energy to help you feel strong and fit.

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