Winter And Your Spiritual Practice

Deep winter. The earth is swaddled in snow, a deep silence pervades the land were I live, punctuated only by the occasional ” thock, thock” of the axe splitting wood.

The Winter season can be a great time for introspection and self-inquiry. One’s Chi is contracted and Yin.  The life force of much of nature is quiescent, hibernating; collecting itself for the surge of life that will follow in the spring.  For warm-blooded, non-hibernating creatures (this might be you!) this presents some difficulty. The active Yang part of your life force is reduced and is split between keeping you warm, fighting off colds and flu, and all of your regular mental and bodily functions. Activities of daily living, work, recreation, negative emotions, even sex can compete for your available Chi.  Sometimes it seems there is just not enough energy to go around and one can easily become mentally and physically sluggish, lethargic, perhaps even emotionally challenged or withdrawn.

Additionally, aggressive exercise during this time can seem invigorating, but may result in a net energy loss, leaving one prone to exhaustion and illness.  While meditation is an ideal practice in many ways for the Winter season, one’s practice should be balanced by some physical training that generates life force. Yoga, Tantric Qigong, and T’ai Chi are excellent for this purpose. They balance your mental and emotional states and generate more energy than they consume in the performance of the exercise.

Sometimes it seems to be an extra challenge to pony up the perseverance and spiritual discipline necessary to continue a yoga or tantric qigong practice in the cold stillness of January and February.  The often physcially and emotionally exhausting madness of the December holiday season doesn’t help much either, does it?

Winter Meditation for Collecting Life Force
Try this meditation to collect your Chi during the cold winter season. You can do this either out of doors, making sure you are adequately wrapped up in warm clothes and blankets, or indoors, preferably in front of a window with a good view of nature. Wear warm but loose clothing, a thick, fluffy sweat suit with a sweater may be ideal for this. Make especially sure that your waist is not constricted.

1. Sit up as straight as you can, take a deep breath, and relax your legs, belly, chest, shoulders, neck, and jaw.
2. Locate the Tan Tien point, 4 finger widths below your navel.
3. As you view the wintry landscape, begin to breathe deeply into the Tan Tien, collecting your life force deeply into your center, just as the earth’s energy is collected and stored deeply underground.
4. Press you feet firmly against the ground or floor and draw in Chi from both the earth and the air.
5. Feel warmth grow in your belly as you continue to breathe deeply and continuously.
6. Feel the vast strength and stability of the earth, and how its energy abides even during the coldest time of the year.  Align and harmonize your energy with this boundless earthly reservoir of wintertime Chi. Continue for 10 minutes or more.
7. Conclude by feeling that you will abide as you amass your Chi, that you are able to protect yourself from exhaustion and illness, and are readying yourself for the rebirth of spring. © 2009 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

The Presencing™ Process

Winterize Yourself!

Instruction & Coaching

Meditation / Stress Management CDs and MP3 Audio Programs
De-stress & train yourself to use meditation and visualization for Health, Longevity, and Serenity! Some of our meditation and stress management programs contain Theta Brainwave Entrainment technology. Our programs are available on CD or download.

Relax! Journey to the Primal Sea

Guided Relaxation and Meditation

Relax, let go of the stress, anxiety, and frustration sapping your energy and peace of mind. Enjoy a session of deep breathing, full body relaxation and a journey to a relaxing ocean environment. Experience being at One with yourself and your world.

This CD contains soothing music, ocean waves, and instructions for reducing stress and deeply relaxing the body. It can be used as a stress break to recharge yourself during the day, as an extended meditation, or a non-drug alternative for insomnia.

1. Preparation
2. Conscious Breathing
3. Guided Relaxation
4. The Primal Sea - Meditations on Unity Consciousness
5. Awaken Alert and Alive.

Download here

Relax! At the Beach: Manage Stress at Work and Home

Those who attain balance and freedom from stress lead healthier and more joyful lives. Isn’t it time you joined them? Come, let us lead you to your own secret, glittering strand of beach between Heaven and the Eternal Sea…

Contains soothing music, ocean waves, and a series of short techniques that anyone can use for reducing stress & visualizing a serene, rejuvenated, empowered center within yourself.

1. 1 Minute Relaxation
2. 1 Minute Stress Manager
3. 5 Minute Relaxation
4. At the Beach
5. Progressive Relaxation
6. At the Beach
7. Bonus Track: Ocean Waves

Download here

Relax!  Ocean Surf

Ambient Ocean Wave Sounds for Relaxation and Meditation
With Theta Brainwave Entrainment
Recorded on the coast of beautiful Assateague Island, this audio program contains ambient ocean wave sounds and wind on the beach.  The powerful sounds of the Atlantic Ocean wash over you, cleansing away your stress and soothing mind, body, and spirit.  There are two tracks, both approximately 32 1/2 minutes in length. Track 1 simply contains the natural sounds of the dynamic Atlantic Ocean breakers and ocean wind combing the island shore.  Track 2 contains the same wave and wind sounds and also includes a Theta Entrainment track.

Track 1: Ocean Surf 32:30 Can be used as soothing background sound or white noise at work or home. Set this track to repeat if you wish. Adjust volume, treble, and bass as you desire.

Track 2 Ocean Surf with Theta Entrainment 32:30 This track uses Theta Brainwave Entrainment to slow your brainwaves to the Theta threshold, allowing you to experience deep relaxation and the ability to meditate like a Zen monk, even if you are a beginner. Theta states can help you attain deep sleep, meditate, induce hypnosis, reduce stress, improve ESP and intuition, and facilitate learning, creativity, and higher states of consciousness.

Download here

Relax!   The Cosmic Journey

Guided Meditation for Empowerment and Cosmic Consciousness

This audio program contains meditations to activate Cosmic Consciousness & personal power, soothing music, & a Theta Brainwave Entrainment track. There are both daytime and evening versions included. Theta entrainment enables even beginners to relax and achieve deep meditation and/or overcome insomnia.

The daytime version includes instructions for relaxing the body, expanding consciousness, & affirmations for empowerment. The evening version is similar, but is focused more on achieving a deep meditative state with the aid of a Theta Brainwave track. This technology uses low frequency sound waves to encourage your brainwaves to slow to the Theta Threshold, a deeply relaxed state achieved by advanced meditators. With Theta Entrainment, you can achieve deep meditation equivalent to years of meditation training.

Using this Audio Program: Daytime Version with Affirmations
This version includes instructions for relaxing the body, expanding consciousness, & affirmations for awakening empowerment. It is not intended to relax you to the point of sleep.

Evening Version with Theta Entrainment
This version is focused on achieving a deep meditative state with the aid of a Theta Brainwave track. This technology uses low frequency sound waves that encourage your brain to slow down to the Theta Threshold, a deeply relaxed state achieved by advanced meditators. You may hear a slight pulsing sound in the background, you might want to adjust the volume so you hear this. With Theta Entrainment, you can achieve deep meditation equivalent to years of meditation training.

Daytime Version Tracks
1.  Prelude - Soft music 1:00
2.  Relaxing the Body - Guided Relaxation & Music 13:04
3.  Afterglow - Soft Music 0:56
4.  Ascension - Music 1:00
5.  The Cosmic Journey - Daytime Guided Meditation & Music 15:16
6.  Universal Power - Affirmations 0:29
7.  Arise Empowered - Affirmations 0:16

Evening Version Tracks
8.   Prelude - Soft music 1:00
9.   Relaxing the Body - Guided Relaxation, Music, & Theta 13:01
10. Afterglow - Soft Music & Theta Entrainment 1:00
11. Ascension - Music & Theta Entrainment 1:00
12. The Cosmic Journey - Guided Meditation & Theta Entrainment 15:00
13. Bonus Track: Flightpath - Space Music with Theta Entrainment 9:25

Download here

1 Minute Stress Manager

This is an MP3 track from our “Relax! At the Beach: Manage Stress at Work and Home” CD. Learn to meditate, reduce your stress, calm your emotions, and increase your energy within seconds.

This audio program will help relieve your stress and get you meditating in only 1 minute, no previous experience with meditation is necessary, just download the 1 Minute audio file and follow the instructions.

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These programs are available for download or on CD ($15 + $3 shipping) Payment can be made with PayPal, Check, or Money Order.
To send a payment via mail, send your Check, or Money Order to:
Jade Garden, PO Box 581, Olney MD 20830
PayPal: Send your payment to: khall94433@aol.com or download here.

For ordering information, email info@inner-tranquility.com wholesale ordering available

Comparison Chart

…………………… Journey to the Primal Sea … At the Beach Cosmic Journey Ocean Surf
Good for insomnia:…………………….Yes……………………………Yes………………Yes………………..Yes
Breath coaching:………………………Yes…………………………..Some…………….Some………………No
1 minute relaxation:……………………No……………………………..Yes………………No…………………No
1 minute stress manager:……………No……………………………..Yes………………No…………………No
5 minute Relaxation:………………….No………………………………Yes………………No…………………No
Extended Relaxation:…………………Yes……………………………No……………….Yes…………………No
Virtual Vacation:…………………………No……………………………..Yes………………No………………..No
Ocean Waves:…………………………..Yes…………………………….Yes……………….No………………..Yes
Soothing music:…………………………Yes……………………………..Yes………………Yes……………….No
Ocean Bonus Track:………………….No…………………………….Yes……………….No…………………N/A
Unity Meditation:………………………..Yes……………………………..No……………….No………………..No
Beginners or Advanced:…………..Both………………………….Both……………..Both…………….Both
Theta Brainwave Entrainment……..No………………………….No…………………Yes……………….Yes
Available on CD & Download………Yes…………………………….Yes………………Yes……………..Yes

Rev. Keith Hall has taught T’ai Chi, Qi Gong, Tantra, and meditation for 30 years & has published many articles on the Eastern arts. For info on products, workshops, and a free e-newsletter, email to: info@inner-tranquility.com © 2006 Keith E. Hall.

What is Presencing ™ ?

Learn Tantric Qigong

Learn Tantric Qigong™:

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Tantric Qigong, Mindfulness, and Flow

Mindfulness, which is often thought of as a Buddhist concept, is really about being Present.  Presencing is one form of self-inquiry (which can be done as a meditation or as coaching) as is Tantric Qigong.  These art forms are about getting out of your head, your mental analysis, comparison and judgment, and becoming present to what really IS.

It sounds simple, and it is. However, this is not very easy for most people. We are constantly and anxiously analyzing, comparing / contrasting, projecting our assumptions, and judging the world around and within ourselves. Our perceptions are based on our past experiences and our experiences are shaped by our perceptions.  This is why I often maintain that we are continually “lying” to ourselves and others.  Our internal stories about the world and ourselves are supreme acts of creation in that each person’s world becomes based more and more on this mental / perceptual editing.  How can we know what is real?  How can we ascertain what is truly necessary and important in our lives?  What will really sustain our Self, our heart and soul?  Thinking and analyzing isn’t gong to cut it. It hasn’t worked too well so far has it?  Perhaps no-thinking may be more useful.

Even kittens seek release from the Wheel of Karma

All of the multitudinous forms of meditation have elements of stilling the mind and its critical or judgmental aspects, these demons of discernment gone horribly wrong. But have you ever tried stilling your mind? Herding kittens is much easier. Practices such as Vipassana, Zen, T’ai Chi, Yoga, and Tantric Qigong all have techniques to bring one out of the maze of one’s thoughts and unbridled emotions as one of their goals.  The only difference in these arts is in their approach.

One approach to mindfulness and being present is to focus on the details of our experience.  Walking down the street, noticing every minute part of what is around us.  People, the sun, clouds, every caress of the air upon your cheek, the feeling of your clothes touching your body.  Internally, we can notice body sensations, the character of your emotional flow, the many mental distractions.  Notice them and let them go.

Try this exercise:   Stop and see, touch, and smell the flowers.
A particular flower, perhaps a lily.  Notice its overall form and all of its minutia. The sturdiness of the stalk.  How does it feel to lightly stroke its petals?  Kiss a leaf.  Notice its texture.  Does it kiss back?  The color.  How the hues blend on its petals and leaves.  The subtle patterns within.  The heady incense of its scent.  Pistils droozed, laden with pollen. Can you almost see and hear the grains floating down?  Take plenty of time.  The closer you come into unity with this flower, the more you will become Present and unify your consciousness.

Flow
The river of Tao encompasses all of creation, including every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not.  All creativity comes from being “in the zone”, being in alignment with the Tao, from being in flow.  Like water, the flow of Tao is both dynamic (Yang) and still (Yin). When we are truly present to flow, obstacles evaporate, we Do and Be effortlessly, and life is suffused with meaning, abundance, and joy. To be in harmony with the flow of Tao is both power and wisdom, knowing when to do and when to be still, when to utilize Will and when to Surrender in the moment.

Qigong as a Meditation
Using the mind alone to still the mind is fraught with great difficulty. Where you are blind to Self, by definition you cannot see what is needed for equanimity, for inner peace.  You remain blind. When you are stressed, distracted, overwrought with emotions you must keep in check, the mind is a team of horses pulling in many directions at once. It is an almost impossible challenge to attempt to use only mental processes to be present and centered, and to still the raging beasts

Tao is Flow

of the mind.

One of the great aspects of T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong is the facility with which these arts bring you into mindful presence and flow.  You really can’t let your mind wander; you’ll forget what you are doing.  The practitioner must focus his or her attention on one’s stance, sense of grounding, the coordination of subtle movement with deep diaphragmatic breathing, alignment of the body with gravity, and the flow of life force (Chi, Qi, Ki).  The moment your mind wanders you are lost, the efficacy and consciousness of energy flow is diminished. This sort of compels you to come back to mindful presencing.  We begin anew, as we must always do each moment, to align and unify mind, body, and spirit, heart and soul, with the eternal power of Now. © Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com

Learn Tantric Qigong ™

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Qigong, Immunity, and Influenza

With debate raging over the efficacy and side effects of the H1N1 flu vaccine, which contains mercury (as thimerosal) and may contain other adjuvants, perhaps it is appropriate to consider carefully some natural alternatives to increase one’s immune response.

It is well known to practitioners of T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong that these arts demonstrably improve one’s overall health and vitality in a gentle, non-stressful manner. The relevant question here is, does the practice of these ancient Qi generating exercises convey additional immunity to protect oneself specifically from influenza infections?

In one study, conducted by Dr. Yang, et al and published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine (35(4):597-607), researchers found that Qigong and T’ai Chi can definitely enhance immune response. A group of 50 adults was divided into two groups. One practiced qigong, meditation, and T’ai Chi forms, while the control group did no exercise. The Qigong – T’ai Chi group attended three one-hour Qigong and meditation classes each week.

All of the participants in the study got vaccinated for the flu at the beginning of the study and had blood titres performed periodically during the succeeding months. Results showed that the group practicing Qigong and T’ai Chi had significantly higher antibody responses to the influenza virus than the control group. In the Qigong – T’ai Chi group, results showed a 173%, 130% and 109% increase in antibodies to the flu at 3, 6, and 20 weeks while the control group showed only a 10% -  58% increase in influenza immunity.

From the Abstract of the American Journal of Chinese Medicine:
“… This study was intended to examine whether 5 months of moderate Taiji and Qigong (TQ) practice could improve the immune response to influenza vaccine in older adults… Baseline pre-vaccine blood samples were collected. All subjects then received the 2003–2004 influenza vaccine during the first week of the intervention. Post-vaccine blood samples were collected 3, 6 and 20 weeks post-intervention for analysis of anti-influenza hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers. We found a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the magnitude and duration of the antibody response to influenza vaccine in TQ participants when compared to CON. The vaccination resulted in a 173, 130, and 109% increase in HI titer at 3, 6, and 20 weeks post-vaccine, respectively, in the TQ group compared to 58, 54, and 10% in CON. There was a significant between group difference at 3 and 20 weeks post-vaccine and at 20 weeks the TQ group had significantly higher titers compared to the pre-vaccine time point, whereas the CON group did not. A higher percentage of TQ subjects also responded to the influenza A strains with a protective (> 40HI) antibody response (37% TQ vs. 20% CON for the H1N1 strain and 56% TQ vs. 45% CON for the H3N2 strain…”¹

What does this mean?

After 20 weeks, the practitioners of Qigong had an average of over 10 times the immune response to the flu than the control group (who were vaccinated, but did not practice Qigong). Additional immunity specific to Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu was detected in the Qigong group.

More ways to reduce the risk of contracting the flu:

–Wash your hands frequently

–Eliminate or reduce white sugar in your diet. Excessive sugar consumption can have a debilitating effect on the immune system.  See some other dietary guidelines for increasing immune function.

–Take a high quality source of omega 3 fats which help strengthen cell membranes, improving resistance to infection.

–Optimize your vitamin D levels. An optimal level of vitamin D can help you fight infections of all kinds.

–Get plenty of sleep.

–Manage your stress. When you are stressed your body does not have the reserve of Chi necessary to fight off viral infections.  See more about programs for stress management here © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved.

Presencing ™: The Art of Being Present

Instruction and coaching

Winterize Yourself

Qigong and Immunity

Tantric Qi Gong ™

Learn to Meditate:

Intro to Tantric Qigong

Learn how to improve your health and well being in as little as 10 minutes a day!

Boost your immune system, get grounded and empowered, accelerate your spiritual evolution!

Find out why millions of people have practiced this exercise for thousands of years. Easier and more gentle than T’ai Chi, Qi Gong (Chi Kung) consists of conscious breathing and very gentle meditative movements that generate and circulate life force and consciousness.

The 8 Treasures system of Tantric Qigong can be learned by almost anyone, regardless of his or her physical condition. Practicing these simple exercises results in increased vitality, flexibility, mental focus, and alertness.  Tantric Qigong will noticeably reduce stress levels, and is a gentle non-impact aerobics routine for cardiac and respiratory health.

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The Learning stages of Tantric Qi Gong include:
1. Relaxing & aligning the body
2. Controlling the breath
3. Focusing the mind-Transmuting the emotions
4. Moving the Chi
5. Development of the Spirit

This introductory workshop is available in a 1 - 2 hour format and is appropriate for anyone who can breathe and move his or her arms!

Learn more about Tantric Qigong here.

Rev. Keith Hall has taught T’ai Chi, Qigong, Tantra, and meditation for 30 years.  He is a senior student of Master Yung-ko Chou, with permission to teach. Rev. Hall has studied at various Mystery Schools and with Dhyanyogi Madhusudandas, S. Saraswati, and others. He has also taught Bioenergetics, Tumo, Vipassana, Zen, Spiritual Bodywork, various Yogas, and other Eastern and Western psychospiritual disciplines. Rev. Hall has published articles on East - West disciplines in numerous journals.

The Presencing Process for Enlightenment & Freedom ™

Instruction & Coaching

How does Tantric Qigong™ work?

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Learn Inner Tranquility:

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Learn about Tantra:

1 Minute Meditation and Stress Manager Audio Program

Ever want to learn how to meditate but felt frustrated by trying and re-trying to still your mind? Perhaps you have done some meditation, but continue to feel stressed at work or at home.  Or maybe you feel that you don’t have enough time to learn?

We have the answer! This audio program will help relieve your stress and get you meditating in only 1 minute, no previous experience with meditation is necessary, just download the 1 Minute audio file and follow the instructions.

Some hints:
– Headphones are recommended.
– Sit up straight or lie down.
– Loosen your waist, belt, etc.
– Close your eyes.
– Take a few deep, slow breaths, and begin.

Download the meditation here.

You are licensed to download and burn 1 copy to CD and install 1 copy on your computer or portable device.

“Be the change you want to see in the world!”
–Mahatma Gandhi

© 2003 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Learn Tantric Qigong:

Poems to Bring You Present in Mind, Body, and Spirit

from students of our Presencing™ Workshop:

Lotus Of Presence

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Day
Flower Opens
Night
Flower Closes.

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Fully Present
open to Being in the moment
Balanced in body, mind, & spirit.
–Goddess Colleen

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Relaxation
Alignment
Peace.

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this light on my high third eye
horizon point, is it the light in
August?
– e. d. cummings

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Breathe
Energy Flows
I am here
and I am gone.
–SG

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Coolness of the room,
Breathing
Chimes and bells.
– K

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Cool breeze earlier
heat flowing, swirling, buzzing
in body and head.
–Sarah P

Presencing™: Live Your Life Fully!

The Art of Being Present

Presencing™: Growth, Meditation, Manifestation

Instruction & Coaching

Presencing™: Growth, Meditation, Manifestation

Presencing™ is a method of self-inquiry that scans the body, mind, and emotions for what is Present at that time. What is present is often the tip of the iceberg, a barely recognizable “feeler” put out by your higher self to try and get your attention. Your higher self tries to get you to notice something, some resistance, some karmic / emotional / physical pattern that requires release before your evolution / understanding / manifestation can proceed smoothly.

What appears as something minor, can often be a significant guide to your healing and mental / emotional / spiritual progress. The small self tends to defend against this knowledge and self-responsibility, repressing self-knowledge and projecting responsibility externally. Until we are fully self-aware and claim responsibility for, and mastery of our thoughts and emotions, our progress will be slowed. Allowing the unimpeded flow of what needs to shift, heal, and be recognized within ourselves creates a profound and simple process of self-knowledge and emotional freedom. The energy trapped in subconscious repression and external projection is then freed to create empowerment, joy, and creativity.

Meditation
Often the agenda of meditation is represented as developing the ability to still the mind. Let’s be honest, the mind resists this. The brain is designed to process information for survival and growth and is loathe to let go of this function. Many people learning or practicing meditation are curious as to why their minds often seem noisier when they sit for meditation than in their daily lives! It would seem counter-intuitive, but meditation retreats can be just as “noisy” as a football game. Its just that it is all internal. This can be somewhat frustrating at times. Combine this emotional / mental content with physical discomfort or distraction, and meditation can be a bit of a challenge. The very process of “stilling the mind” can become an active repression of coded information valuable to a more highly efficient process of self-knowledge. No amount of “stilling” will negate the noise until its message is received and integrated.  Presencing™ allows these messages / feelings / distractions to reveal their hidden wisdom. For some, the Presencing Process(sm) is so efficient that within a few minutes a person can achieve deeper states of meditation, peace, and joy than they thought possible.

Therapy / Communication Skills
As a therapeutic modality, Presencing™ presents a palette of mind – body tools to create a more holistic approach to healing. One of the difficulties with verbal therapy is that, well, we lie! Even when we think we are telling the truth, we tend to edit, rationalize, and project i.e., we have defense mechanisms. Talk therapy can be like Talk Radio: we all want to be a righteous Rush Limbaugh, defending our paradigm from too much scrutiny. Not that this is entirely a conscious decision. We have “sleeper cells” deep within us that press our subconscious agenda.

The mind and the mouth can lie, but this is not so with the body. The body is always broadcasting our truth. Therapies based on the work of Reich, Lowen, et al recognize this and turn to the body for greater truth. Presencing™ is a simple and more gentle path to the same end. No stress, strain, or catharsis is required. Truth and freedom from past trauma can be achieved through attention, recognition and validation of both mental / emotional and somatic content.

Manifestation
One reason we often find it difficult to create what we want is that we are always praying for what we don’t. Affirmations often are inefficient in manifesting because we tend to broadcast affirmations mainly with the conscious mind. Our subconscious mind / emotions may be broadcasting antithetical requests sequentially or simultaneously. We are both asking for what we want and what we don’t. No wonder Universal Mind is confused! Perhaps we have delivered to us a mix of both. What we ask for can be partially negated by subconscious thought processes / emotions. One example: we want to manifest something, but fear that we cannot. Which desire is stronger? If equal, they tend to cancel each other.

The Law of Attraction states that you attract what is similar to yourself. This is not a new concept in metaphysics or religion. Thousands of years ago the Old Testament gave us a heads-up: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”; (T-5.VI.6:1; Galatians 6:7, 2 Corin 9:6). So, to effectively attract what we want, we must clear ourselves of the subconscious resistances and counter messages we are broadcasting. Simply put: the Presencing Process(sm) helps us sow the right seed. © 2009 Keith E. Hall and Inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved.

Rev. Keith Hall has synthesized the seminal aspects of Breathwork, Bioenergetics, Neo-Reichian, Tantric, Taoist, and Buddhist practices to create the Presencing Process(sm). Presencing(sm) facilitates deep healing, joy, empowerment, and freedom from past limitations so we can manifest clearly what we desire in life.  Presencing(sm) is a simple, yet profoundly powerful process for creating our lives the way we wish to.

The Presencing Process for Enlightenment and Freedom(sm) - September 26

The Art of Being Present – release old patterns, create joy & fulfillment – Now!

Please consider joining us for this simple yet profound process for Awakening!

The Presencing™ Process

The Art of Being Present

Poems to Bring You Present

Coaching and Instruction

The Art of Being Present

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. –Buddha

What moment do we have other than this?

The past is an illusion long gone. The future is not yet made manifest.

Each moment of our lives lands as a dew drop upon the lotus. Delicate, unique, irreplaceable. To look upon it with full attention and unfettered gaze reveals its precious and inimitable perfection. This magic moment, a crack between past and future, is an Infinity of existence; never seen before, and never to be seen again.

Can we not Be as the lotus enveloping the drop?
Does the lotus analyze and compare?
Is the lotus anticipating the dew drops yet to be?
Or does it embrace this diamond - liquid, delicate, and evanescent, and open its petals to experience the All?

Can you recall in your life a sudden revelation of beauty, deep serenity, a spontaneous awakening to Unity, excitement, joy, and vibrancy that stilled your mind and opened your heart? Ever ponder how you were able to perceive this flash of Shangri-La secreted between your history and your expectations? What is the Secret to reentering this often all too brief state of acceptance and Bliss?

Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. –Chuang Tzu

The key is to both embrace and let go of each moment simultaneously. To participate and witness at the same time. In doing this, it is perfectly possible to create a Zen-like process of attentiveness to, and reverence for, your everyday experience. Being Present to the experience of our life, moment by moment, can help awaken our capacity for extraordinary joy, freedom, compassion, and creativity.

All authentic spiritual traditions have as part of their process a centering of consciousness on the power of Now. The practices of Yoga, Taoism, Buddhism, and Tantra all involve meditation, attention, and conscious breathing. Just like the dance of breath, of both inhaling and exhaling without vacillation, we must balance will and surrender, yin and yang, Intention and letting go.

There is a way between voice and presence
where information flows.  –Rumi
This process of freeing ourselves from our patterns, habits, compulsions, and unconscious drives is often referred to as “burning karma.”  Our karma is the result of our actions, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and expectations. Our personal history is comprised of habits and subconscious drives which shape and maintain the prison of the small self in which we reside. We are at once the architects, wardens, and inmates of this institution. Unless we pardon ourselves for the crimes of complacency and inattention to our Higher Self, we will impose a life sentence upon ourselves.

Deliverance from the prison of our karmic patterning is an essential process for achieving the mastery of true emotional freedom and self-realization. In freeing ourselves from these self-imposed strictures, we develop the skills to create anew, rather than re-create over and over again what no longer serves the growth of our spirit. This freedom from karmic patterning results in self-knowledge, wisdom, and being Present with the Sublime.

We get to choose each moment and how we want to live in it. How do you want it? Realize that every moment is IT…It all comes down to Presence. Being present in the moment…And Love. -Bhagavan Das

Find an object – a burning candle, a flower, a dew bespeckled spider’s web. Still your mind and observe. What do you perceive? Use all your senses. Maybe write down your observations. Give yourself lots of time, don’t rush about with mental questing. Open yourself to the experience and to your observations. What do you notice? Take a deep, conscious breath and observe again. Pay attention with your mind. Assimilate with your body. What do you feel?

Through this process of stilling the mind, calming the emotions, and opening the doors of perception, you may become able, as Blake said, “To see a world in a grain of sand…heaven in a wild flower, (and) hold Infinity in the palm of your hand…” © 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.Inner-tranquility.com . All rights reserved.

Coaching and Instruction

The Presencing Process™

What is Presencing™?

Poems to Bring You Present

Spiritual Discipline

Discipline is necessary for personal growth, I think most can agree with this. This is why most Taoist, Tantric, and Yogic systems of spiritual practice activate the third chakra early in their training. It creates spiritual will power. Also, for those of us who at times feel anger, judgment, a tendency to be a control freak (sometimes to the point of being obsessive - compulsive), anxiety, resistance or stubbornness; activating this chakra gives us something more spiritually constructive to do with this energy.

Many people feel they just don’t have enough time in their lives to put something else on their “to do” list. Of course, it is not that there isn’t enough time. We have all the time that we have. It is lack of direction, motivation, commitment and discipline where we fail. We have plenty of time for careers, family diversions, reading, TV, shopping, vacationing, talking / texting on our cell phones, emails and the internet, not to mention Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll! These are just a few of the seemingly infinite number of distractions available. Let’s be honest, most of us just haven’t made personal growth and consistent spiritual practice a priority.

In a way, our material culture diverts us from our spiritual nature and our commitment to spiritual growth. We invest a lot of our time and vitality in acquiring possessions, social status, and power. Thus, we feel we need to invest a lot of time and energy in careers, or at least good paying jobs. We become more jaded and desensitized to our external gratifications and affluence, yet we still inwardly yearn for that elusive “something else”. We need more and more time and money to collect more possessions or to collect more experiences in a desperate attempt to feel alive and thus satiate our yearning. This yearning, which is of the Spirit, can never be satiated solely through materialism and the lust for new experience.

We are so good at insisting on focusing outward at the expense of our knowledge of Self and Spirit that we can perversely develop a sort of spiritual materialism and spiritual dilettantism. This can manifest itself as an expectation of instant spiritual gratification / enlightenment, salvation from outside of ourselves, attachment to dogma or a certain philosophy, the obsessive reading of thousands of books, attending lectures, continually “collecting” self improvement courses, etc.

We will never attain self-realization through reading books or surfing the Internet. Lectures, no matter how renown the lecturer, will not take you there either. Neither will hopping about from class to class, discipline to discipline, always window shopping, never committing. This is one effect of the information explosion. We are swamped with data and noise, while access to, and the experience of Wisdom appears to be shrinking! It is interesting that the search engine Bing’s new TV commercial alludes to this overload in a lightly comical fashion. However, Bing does not address the Wisdom aspect.

My approach to the dichotomy of spiritual evolution vs. an insanely narcissistic and material culture is to demystify and present powerful and efficient technique. I am interested in tools that take only a few minutes to perform, have more than one benefit, and if practiced assiduously can be the agents of profound healing, revitalization, and evolutionary change.  If you use and embody them.

Part of this methodology is to activate spiritual will power and vitality through the practice of Tantric Qigong™ and other Taoist disciplines, certain asanas and Bioenergetic positions, and deep, conscious breathing. We activate higher consciousness and life force, compassion, and spiritual vision through practices that include pranayama, certain movements, and internal energy control combined with visualization / spiritual intent.

I will leave you with this to contemplate: do you choose to set aside a few minutes each day for personal growth and spiritual evolution? Do you wish to embody a practice that will relieve stress and anxiety, empower and rejuvenate yourself, improve your sexual / emotional life, creativity and productivity, and empower your Divine Nature? Do you feel that motivated in this incarnation? Well, do ya? © 2006, 2009 Keith E. Hall and www.Inner-Tranquility.com . All rights reserved.

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