The Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico Applied to Modern Health: Freedom of Perception
Published in Yoga magazine, November 2011, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Back in the sixties, don Juan Matus described to Carlos Castaneda. the “conditioning of modern man”. He told him to be aware of how we are constrained by social and cultural conditionings and how our inner being (spirit & guide) is forgotten, numb and without purpose. We identify more with the outside world, with our idea of who I should be, (competing: “I’m better/worse than him/her”) and there is little room for, or access to, our inner life.
We are bored when we are not hyper-stimulated. Have you ever concentrated on your breathing for 20 minutes while you were on a bus (or somewhere) without being interrupted by worries of the future or by stressful and repetitive thoughts? How many times during the day do you give yourself the chance to open your eyes and marvel at the beauty of your surroundings?
For the seers of ancient Mexico, we are beings of energy and we come to this planet to increase our awareness through life experiences and interactions with others. One’s self, one’s path, and how we choose to walk it, can be the purpose of life in itself, Carlos Castaneda said. But how do we choose when our attention is being diverted by all the advertisements of a consumer society? We get tense when we think about how to pay the rent or how to make ends meet. It becomes difficult to access another state of consciousness when we are in a mode of survival, worry, fear and scarcity.
What Carlos Castaneda proposed to us was not a “fashion” of the hippy years. It was a mood, the mood of the warrior, of being aware of one’s mortality and one’s approaching death. A spirit that loves and respects the earth and its creatures, and beyond all that, that seeks freedom.
Freedom is not to be understood as “I do what I want,” but as the freedom to perceive the essence of life itself, the freedom to be creative and fluid, cheerful and considerate, without expecting to be applauded or congratulated. Freedom to breathe deeply, to feel the body expand and the heart that opens when you’re in the middle of a business meeting or even the birthday of a family member you may not like. Freedom to recognize the illusion of linear time and space. Freedom to accept everything I am and to enjoy every second of my existence.
Our proposal, based on our apprenticeship and on our own experience of almost 20 years of teaching and researching, is to explore our life’s purpose as energetic beings; to expand our understanding and perception, to free ourselves from the physical and emotional limitations and to thrive in the world.
Our association with Carlos Castaneda and our professional work related to health and welfare have led us to develop being energy™. It takes the form of a series of programs focused on knowledge and education, including ancient and modern techniques of healing and personal care that increase our energy and vitality. These programs have evolved from our passion to combine two interests: expanding the capacity to perceive and improving our health.
Carlos Castaneda loved movement and we practiced movements daily with him—an aspect which we focus on in our teaching. From him, we also learned breathing techniques and ways to call inner silence which are part of the course curriculum.
In these programs we include movements, exercises and sequences of breathing that bring vitality, inner strength and confidence, and which increase our wellbeing and health.
We include information and formation from psycho-neuroimmunology – the relationship between our immune system and emotions and thoughts – dynamic lectures, and the sharing of group and personal explorations, leading to expanded perception.
By reclaiming our energy and integrating a new awareness in our daily lives, we reach a state of wellbeing; we begin to feel the vastness and mystery of the universe living within us.
For more information contact us at:
info@beingenergy.com
beingenergy.com being energy™ provides a forum for the general public and for professionals who work in the areas of health, education, art and social science, to meet and expand our inspiration and to work together for the development of health and consciousness in a safe and dynamic environment. It is based on the conviction that cooperation and group work is the key to opening new pathways and creating great benefits not only for small groups but for the whole planet.
