Organised dances and prescribed dance moves – do these things take away from something instinctually human? Why is it we find in society the only ways to access dance is to be part of a prescribed dance class, intoxicated, or hiding in our rooms? When did we become ashamed of dance? When did it become impossible for us to let go and feel? To move with something greater than ourselves? We have lost the ability to surrender our bodies and minds to flow. And that is important.

What is Ecstatic Dance?

Ecstatic dance is a sober dance hosted by a live DJ where the only communication is through movement. It is usually a closed group, I.e no late comers. The group starts by setting individual intentions. Examples may be: ‘to have fun’ ‘to connect with others’ ‘to release emotions’ ‘to feel something’ ‘to relax’ ‘to release stress’ etc.

The music is then played, this is a range of EDM in a two hour DJ set. Genres include, house, wave, trap, tribal, psychedelic. Emotive, trance inducing tunes.

You are invited to let go of your inhibitions and allow yourself to move in any way that feels good and right. To release trapped emotions and feel the presence of the people around you. It can be whatever you make of it – it can be an incredibly cathartic, connective, liberating and fun experience.

Being able to move past the anxieties of being seen without drugs or alcohol is a birth rite we have lost, but we can reclaim it. We are allowed to feel unbridled joy and fun.

Why should I reclaim it?

1. Makes it so much easier to go with the flow of life.

It becomes easier to see the flow you find in dance is always available and directing our lives, putting down the fight and seeing where it takes you saves so much energy making you feel more fresh and vital day to day.

2. Better Sex.

Being able to move past self consciousness, anxiety, judgement, hiding and being fully present in your body, feeling the flow, presence of the other and connection makes for a mind blowing universal sexual experience. Performance anxiety prevents connection which is the core element of any intimacy.

3. Discharge Emotions.

Our culture doesn’t clearly teach us how to experience and discharge emotion. As such we tend to hold it in, bottle it up and down the line develop all sorts of medical conditions. Dance is a way to release stuck emotion through dynamic movement. Anger is particularly shamed in society (hence so much road rage and domestic abuse, where else can you discharge anger?) At Ecstatic Dance, all of you is welcome. You can stamp, YELL, throw your arms, shake, roll on the floor, whatever the energy needs to move through you.

4. More Confidence.

Being able to to show yourself, move past inhibition and self judgement in order to meet other people in flow is a fantastic confidence booster. Knowing you can relax, let loose and connect authentically in a world that demands perfection, is a super power.

5. Grow Empathy.

Spending any amount of time out of your shell in self exploration helps us understand the nature of human, living and the universe. Being able to do that in a shared environment with other people out of their shell gives real connection and exploration of the other. We may come to realise other people are the same as we are and our need to protect ourselves may lessen as we grow understanding and empathy.

(Bonus no.6) Feel Positive Emotion.

With so much bottling of emotion we can limit our feeling amplitude. Being able to move into our emotional body and release negative emotion, allows us to feel high vibration positive emotion – resulting in states of euphoria, joy, love, ecstasy. Hence names ecstatic dance.

Where can I find an Ecstatic Dance?

Ecstatic Dance is available all around the world. The official Ecstatic Dance website advertises local dances – click here. I will be hosting an Ecstatic Dance in Weymouth and surrounding areas. Sign up to my newsletter or follow my social media to keep updated. More information here.

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The post 5 Reasons Why you should try Ecstatic Dance first appeared on Existing Human.

This is so deeply embedded into us that we can still be affected by loss of connection despite having our survival needs met. This is seen in cases of the lonely elderly who die much younger. Some estimates say that loneliness is a greater risk factor for premature mortality than obesity and is comparable to the risk of smoking. Some research indicates that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease and high blood pressure. Because evolutionary we know rejection from the group means death, our bodies start dying quicker.

Therefore fear of rejection is written into our cells. Not only is it a psychological condition but also a biological one. In fact rejection from the group was used by ancient tribes as a form of punishment. Ostracized from the tribe, the individual was not expected to last long on their own. We also see this phenomenon in groups of chimps who on rare occasions reject a member who is acting abnormally, in one case two members were shunned for having polio.

Flight, fight, freeze, fawn

This means we are hardwired to analyse what the group requires us to be in order to fit in and survive. In our felt experience, this means we may lose presence and enter a threat response such as flight/fight/freeze/fawn giving us an anxious feeling. We may feel like we need to ‘recharge’ by having some alone time due to the amount of energy expended in the outer analysis and threat response.

Fawn response is sometimes referred to as ‘people pleasing.’ It is when we place all of our worth and well being externally in order to favour the needs of others. People who are chronic people pleasers may experience increased levels of illness and burnout and bitterness. It is different to being a kind and considerate person because this person still has a centre, sense of self and healthy boundaries that keeps balanced. They’re motivation for being kind comes from just wanting to be kind rather than a fear of rejection.

Some people will fight, often emotionally and energetically in order to dominate the group to avoid rejection. Some responses may cause us to ‘freeze’ making our minds go blank as we become of fearful of doing or saying the wrong thing that could lead to rejection. Other people may ‘flight’ and avoid social contact altogether.

Although these behaviours are all different, they are manifestations of the same mechanism. Coping with the fear of rejection and ultimately death.

Awareness

The fear of rejection is so intrinsic it remains standing even when the idea of ‘self’ has dissolved. Therefore prying yourself free from its grip it is not a quick thing. However, any work you do to lessen its impact on your daily life is incredibly freeing. The more you witness and understand, the better it gets.

This system is very powerful and often is completely undetected. We are pushed around by the whims of these fear based emotions. So the first thing is to be able to witness this. This requires a degree of awareness. Awareness means giving yourself space to see things as they truly are. This can mean slowing down, stopping, breathing. Allowing the dust to settle and seeing what arises in the mind and body without judgement. This is the basis of meditation yet it does not require you to sit dutifully on a pillow looking zen. Simply slow down and observe. The more you do, the better you will get at it.

Once we are able to see the fear arising we can see what is causing it. This is what we call the inner critic. A series of beliefs inherited from our upbringing. Common foundation beliefs may be “I am not good enough” “I am bad” “I am too much.” From these foundation beliefs arise additional beliefs and behaviours called survival strategies that keep us in line with those bottom line foundation beliefs. This is because the foundation beliefs are what kept us safe in our childhood environment. Believing “I am not good enough” may result in additional beliefs such as “others are more important than me” which may lead to people pleasing tendencies which were rewarded in childhood. Whatever beliefs and strategies we conceive in childhood persist in adulthood.

This is what our personality consists of. A lot of the time these beliefs and strategies are non-harmful but they are limiting. Strategies may include overeating, procrastination, avoidance, isolation, overworking. Being slave to these is tiring and unfulfilling.

True freedom is available to the person who can undo these patterns.

Can you recognize any patterns you act out? Try this exercise “the reason I… is because I…” continue this line of questioning into you find the core belief.

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Insta: @melinarjames

The post Why the Inner Critic is ruining your life first appeared on Existing Human.

1. Cup of tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

2. Flower Shower

Subhuti was Buddha’s disciple. He was able to understand the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity.

One day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.

“We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness,” the gods whispered to him.

“But I have not spoken of emptiness,” said Subhuti.

“You have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness,” responded the gods. “This is the true emptiness.” And blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.

3. Muddy Road

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

“Come on, girl” said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. “We monks don’t go near females,” he told Tanzan, “especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?”

“I left the girl there,” said Tanzan. “Are you still carrying her?”

4. Your light may go out

A student of Tendai, a philosophical school of Buddhism, came to the Zen abode of Gasan as a pupil. When he was departing a few years later, Gasan warned him: “Studying the truth speculatively is useful as a way of collecting preaching material. But remember that unless you meditate constantly your light of truth may go out.”

5. Buddha’s Zen

Buddha said: “I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes. I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles. I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags. I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake in India as a drop of oil on my foot. I perceive the teachings of the world to be the illusion of magicians. I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illuminated ones as flowers appearing in one’s eyes. I see meditation as a pillar of a mountain, Nirvana as a nightmare of daytime. I look upon the judgment of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and fall of beliefs as but traces left by the four seasons.

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The post 5 Zen Koans: Riddles for Awakening first appeared on Existing Human.

Many illusions create a gap between our understanding and truth. The Ego is a part of the mind tasked with survival of the organism. Essentially, the part in the driving seat, that has a evolutionary purpose of seeing things a certain way in order to keep us safe long enough to reproduce. A basic, but powerful system that is hard to override because it is convinced that is working for the benefit of ‘you’ – the organism. It’s most powerful tool therefore is fear. Fear that if you move outside of certain parameters your physical safety will be compromised, this makes it a very convincing player.

Many cultural traditions point to the fact that the internal world is an illusion. Buddhism in particular teaches us about the 10 fetters – illusions that we can overcome to become awakened pure life.

Once the 10 fetters fall, one is left with the knowing that there is no knowledge, there is no form, there is no predictability, certainty, there is no ‘I’, observer or self, there is no other. There simply is. And all that is, is part of the same thing. All is one. One is all.

The trouble with no duality is that it is not a concept, but a truth that cannot be understood within the confines of standard mind. It is therefore a tricky thing to write or talk about. It may be like trying to make a blind person read words in a book. Or possibly more realistically – asking someone who has never opened their eyes before to read words from a page. When they are able to open their eyes they will be able to see what the readers were referring to. Zen masters created short stories that point towards fundamental truths. These stories are called koans.

See more on Koans here: 5 Zen Koans: Riddles for Awakening.

When we can observe these habits of mind we see how much energy is taken in trying to avoid life. Life is all encompassing oneness of now. It is ungraspable and unmalleable. Yet we build defences to keep it out of what we think we are. We spend precious energy driving separateness in order to maintain the idea of the self. We may also not accept things as they are and use energy deluding ourselves into thinking things are a certain way. We move away from life by completely detaching from it by creating an imaginary future realm that has no bearing on reality. With this arises stress. In the words of Eckhart Tolle “Stress is a sign that you have lost the present moment. The future has become more important than life itself.”

With the entry into non-duality there is an abrupt realisation that it is not possible to know anything because all there is, is flow. You are not a rigid observer witnessing the universe in flow, you are also non-formed and part of the flow. When this becomes apparent you stop battling with the reality of the nature of everything, saving energy that was wasted on constructing a false reality. This surplus of energy can help you connect with the flow and you can experience many mystical experiences and states of bliss.

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The post Go With The Flow: The Mystery of Non-Duality first appeared on Existing Human.

What separates the people who kill themselves when experiencing suicidal thoughts and those who don’t, is isolation.

Isolation is lethal. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you are most likely isolated in some form already. Such states arise when it seems apparent that all there is to life is suffering and it is no longer possible to bear. To be feeling such suffering indicates isolation from the true external world and the love around us. Our sense of time becomes distorted and we believe there is no possible future where things get better. Further isolation makes us believe we are trapped and we (or part of us) becomes desperate to escape by any means.

For most people – suicidal thoughts are an unwelcome intrusion. They can be incredibly vivid, leaving the person feeling distressed, scared, vulnerable. There can be great inner turmoil as one fragment of the person is providing suicidal ideation, whilst the other wants to live and feels disturbed by these images. (Suicidal thoughts are usually images.)

Stress increases as one tries to hide or ignore what is happening due to a fear of judgement, institutionalisation or being belittled/patronised.

Society has a role to understand what is happening with suicidal people. These people are not deranged or disturbed. They are normal people experiencing incredible suffering. Suicidal images are a natural response to obscene human suffering.

The question might now be? Why are these people suffering so much? Life has never been so comfortable, they must be more sensitive.

Life has certainly become more comfortable with recent technological advancements and capitalism meaning more people can afford ‘luxury items.’ However with the focus on logic we have lost the ineffable. We have lost community, sharing, love, connection with nature. All the while, seemingly gaining more expectations on the individual; We have images of what we need to be in order to be accepted constantly thrown at us. We need to be educated, slim, tall, fit, healthy, funny, fast, good looking, popular, make good money, respected, the list goes on. Virtuous attributes are no longer respected in our society. Instead of worshipping heroes, we worship celebrities for the material perfections they represent. We have lost humility and humanity.

Humans are not designed to face adversity alone. We are a social animal and the emphasis and rise of the individual has left people without connection. You may not even feel safe to be who you really are around people because you’re trying to present an image of who you want people to think you are in order to be accepted. This is what is being taught to children by placing human worth on monetary currency or other unimportant values at school and through social media.

People with suicidal thoughts experience the hardship we all face with self worth being externalised to physical concepts and items. But it is likely they have also experienced traumatic events as well as this mounting individual pressure. This creates a concoction of suffering that is too much to handle alone.

Hardship is inevitable in life – but isolation and hardship is a lethal combination. Therefore the most important thing to do is destigmatize suicidal thoughts so that it is easier for people to talk about it. The reason there are so many suicide helplines is because it removes the isolation element in the worst moments and people can be talked down from following through with their plans. Connection saves lives.

Suicide has touched many of our lives which makes it painful to talk about – but shying away from it, cements the stigma and so people remain discouraged to share how they are truly feeling. Which enforces the feeling of isolation which makes it more likely for people to commit suicide.

Britain in particular has always been proud of having a ‘stiff upper lip’ and avoiding uncomfortable conversations is what we do best – How is the weather where you are?

But if we keep this narrative more people will continue to kill themselves. We need to prepare ourselves for when the feelings come to a loved one, friend, colleague or ourselves! Freaking out makes people regret telling you and discouraged to talk to anyone else. So we need to allow ourselves to get close to the uncomfortable topic to see it for what it really is – a normal person who needs connection.

So what actually to do?

If you are concerned about someone’s welfare: be honest.

Tell them that you are concerned about them and open the door to the conversation. They may not want to use the door right this second but now they know you’re there for them. Especially if you told them in a respectful and calm manner.

If you don’t understand what they are going through, or if you’re feeling a bit frightened, don’t try to be a stoic hero, share that information. Be yourself and be honest, that is the foundation for connection. Which is exactly what they’re asking for. You don’t need to be perfect at this! There is a common misconception that ‘if i get this wrong they will kill themselves.’ You have no control over what anyone else does ever. So don’t torture yourself with that pressure or try to hide how you’re feeling in order to be what you think they need. If they have come to you, it’s probably because they trust you and you’re naturally a nice person without trying.

Tell them its ok to talk about suicidal feelings

If that is what they are experiencing. But only if it is actually ok, if you are likely to get triggered, kindly explain that and encourage them to talk to someone else. It’s important they feel encouraged to talk to someone else and you trying to hide your trauma response probably won’t do that. (Then go find someone you can talk to so you can work through how suicide affected you.)

Don’t over react

Remember this is a normal human being. With a normal response to a shit time. Be kind, breath, try to stay present with them. Panic will not make anything better.

Knowing when to intervene.

It is vitally important to be calm and avoid overreacting if someone is sharing with you. However if someone is manic, crying on the phone, changing wills, leaving notes or actively carrying out suicide attempts or you suspect that is happening. This is when police are called immediately.

There will be debate on when to initiate further support/sectioning people with suicidal ideation. In my view, leading with drastic measures discourages the individual from seeking help in an individual’s case and in general. Because it creates a fear culture in society of ‘if I tell anyone, they will think I’m crazy and I will get sectioned!’ Further discouragement since no one wants to be labelled as suicidal because it is not seen as natural, no one wants to cause a fuss, no one wants to worry their loved ones, no one wants to be sectioned!

Furthermore utilizing these services too early can make an individual feel like no one understands what they are going through – they may be horrified by their thoughts and have no intention to act on them. Talking to them in a belittling way as if they have no control over what they do, can make the isolation worse. This is why it’s important to open the conversation with individuals to gauge where they are and in general society so we can all get a better understanding of why suicidal thoughts come and their different stages and manifestations. This will make us better at connecting with people in general and those in dire circumstances.

Opening this conversation and calming the anxiety around it, will save lives.

If you are feeling suicidal and don’t know who to turn to you can DM me on insta: melinarjames or there are hotlines below:)

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ Phone: 116 123

Papyrus has a beautiful video on there homepage.

The post Why suicidal thoughts aren’t scary first appeared on Existing Human.

From a young age, many of us will have discouraged to play freely outside, in order to avoid getting dirty or sick or hurt. To a parent, the natural world seems brimming with threats that could harm their youngsters. By their nature, parents are on alert to protect their offspring as of course they should. But it can feel like they are fearful of a threat that isn’t really there. So what is really going on?

In Japan, there is a glorious interest in the beauty of nature and cooperation with nature, so that in some gardens you don’t know where nature begins and art ends. Wildlife interact and coexist with humans as if brothers. Deer that would fearfully bolt as soon as it registers a nearby human in england, would be at peace with humans in japan. It would appear not a coincidence that Japan boasts the greatest number of centenarians – people who live past 100. Clearly then this is not a fundamental belief all humans are born with. How can cultures in the East and West differ so greatly?

Japanese culture is based around Shinto text; one of which states ‘the process of nature cannot be evil.’ Every natural impulse is not to be corrected, but to be sublimated, to be beautified. This is is vast contrast to the Christian teachings of Europe. Whereby Adam and Eve, part of the glorious Garden of Eden, were banished for commiting sin.

The story as it has been told shows that Adam and Eve (and therefore humanity) were relegated from heaven on Earth and cast seperate from it. No longer welcome. Leading to a life of deep shame and in a constant desperate need for forgiveness and mercy. Mankind desperately blamed itself for this separation causing shame-driven self-flaggellation in the form of mental torment and in its worst, physically torturing ourselves in the Dark Ages. Hoping that punishing ourselves for our sin will please the eye of God and he would allow us back into Eden.

When this seemed to have no avail – we began to separate ourselves further from nature by dividing ourselves away from our true nature within in the assumption that this part was sinful. In a desperate attempt to understand why we were still being punished with suffering we distanced and elevated ourselves away from the natural/animal self and condemned it. Misunderstanding the line in the Bible ‘man is made in the image of God’ to mean that man is the closest thing to God and therefore hierarchically superior to all other beings. It did not say ONLY man is made in the image of God, all things are the image of God. As buddhism describes ‘all things are Buddha things.’

Nature seeing itself as separate from itself…

This story has been in our consciousness for thousands of years. Leaving us with several subliminal beliefs.

1. We deserve to suffer.

Mankind deserves to be evicted from Eden because we did something wrong. We brought this suffering to ourselves.

2. We are not a part of nature.

The eviction made it clear we are not welcome as a part of nature. Further attempts to rid ourselves of sin has guided us further and further away from our true identities as we try to move closer to God. God that we assume is without and not within.

3. We don’t know how to connect.

This story has gripped us for millennium. Many of us are still roaming the world with no compass, lost in the waves of suffering. Finding no sacredness, joy or happiness in life and its endless interconnectedness. The garden of Eden is here but we have forgotten how to be a part of it.

How has this message permeated so much of our history if it is wrong? This, to me, seems to be a fatal case of missing the point. The story of Adam and Eve is the compass we need but it has been misinterpreted. At its core: Adam and Eve had access and were part of the Garden of Eden, which was blissful. They listened to the serpent and acted in accordance with it. They then lost access to the garden of Eden. (I personally feel, the big God man kicking them out forever for breaking a random rule in rage and judgement is some extra flavour added in by organised religion in order to make people feel bad and therefore get control and money.)

The serpent represents the devil, which represents all things out of alignment. What does that mean?

All universal connections, including the intricately balanced system here on Earth, are founded upon energetic sharing and exchange in the form of love. Anything that works against love and therefore the natural flow of life – is out of alignment. Examples of things out of alignment may be: fear, rage, contempt. And actions in accordance with these feelings are out of alignment. Adam and Eve, gave space to some from of unaligned feelings by listening to them (the serpent), believing them, probably identifying with them (“I am the anger that I feel” is an example of identifying with emotion) and finally acting in accordance with the unaligned feeling. This brought adam and eve out of the natural flow of life and they then became separate from it. Following more and more unaligned feelings (doubt, self hatred, bitterness) until they could not find there way back to Eden. Maybe even doubting they were there in the first place.

The Garden of Eden is here, it always has been, we just need to wake up to it. Allow ourselves to see our natural connection to the world. The first step, as always, is meditation. Find the serpent in your own mind. Become aware of the thoughts, feelings that arise and crucially the space of which they arise in. This place is the founding of peace and bliss in this life and we all have the right to live in heaven on Earth.

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Article also available on Medium.

The post Mankind is ready to reconnect with nature, welcome home first appeared on Existing Human.

Connection to nature is very easy to lose in modern society. We are wrapped up almost all hours of the day away from the cycles of night, day, weather and season. Working office jobs, commuting via car or public transport, and spending the rest of our time in our homes. This leaves mere moments of our days spent in the great outdoors. A strange reality for Earthly animals as we truly are.

Living this way, disconnected from nature and our true environment can have serious impacts on all aspects of our health and wellbeing. With mounting evidence showing that increased urban living is leading to more attention deficit, noise-related stress and working memory impairment.

But there is a remedy, nature is our cognitive healing balm. Evidence suggests spending just two hours a week in nature can boost our mental and physical health. Benefits include improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation.

A piece of nature disconnected from itself

In a time of increasing pressure for individuals to consume, appear perfect and attain financial wealth, we are seeing unprecedented levels of mental health concerns. For many, a mental health diagnosis may not be appropriate but there may be a feeling that they could be much happier.

This is the time to prioritise time in nature to boost your mood.

There are many ways one can spend time in nature, hiking, camping, picnic, walking, running etc. But the most beneficial is wild swimming.

Whilst swimming in general has a clear propensity to improve psychological wellbeing, research suggests that swimming outdoors in cold water is particularly good for us. There is plenty of scope for further research into the psychological effects of wild swimming, but a number of core benefits have been identified by research so far.

Improved stress response

Van Tulleken et al’s 2018 study ‘Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder’ clearly documents how Sarah, a young woman in her twenties, was able to stop taking antidepressants as a result of weekly cold water swimming over a sustained period of time.

The biological theory is that immersion in cold water triggers the body’s natural stress response. This stress response, which includes increased heart rate, blood pressure and the release of stress hormones, is an evolutionary development formed over millions of years to help us to deal with threats. Immersion in cold water even just a few times enables us to reduce the body’s stress response not just to cold water, but to other anxiety provoking situations such as sitting exams or attending job interviews.

This makes us better prepared for the inevitable challenges life throws our way and can help to seriously alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Whilst this research is not conclusive, there are many first hand accounts (including my own) which lay claim to a significantly increased ability to deal with stress in conjunction with the undertaking of regular cold water swimming.

Being near water is good for us.

Blue Mind Theory is a relatively new branch of scientific inquiry which assesses the positive psychological and neurological response that being near water has on the mind. Defined by Wallace J. Nicholls in his book Blue Mind as “the mildly meditative state we fall into when near, in, on or under water”, blue mind has been identified as “the antidote to what we refer to as ‘red mind,’ which is the anxious, over-connected and over-stimulated state that defines the new normal of modern life.” Nicholls’ research explains how spending time near the water is essential to achieving an elevated and sustained happiness. Wild swimming provides us with the opportunity to access our “blue mind” and take a break from the anxieties and stresses of everyday life. Accessing our blue mind is a form of eco-therapy.

Mindfulness and staying present

The shock of entering cold water, the element of risk and the awe-inspiring response to immersing yourself in nature, combine to provide us with the ability to become present whilst wild swimming. These moments take us back to simplicity, we focus on our breathing, on feeling the adrenaline and cold spreading across our bodies and last but not least, on staying afloat! Whilst we are focusing on all of these things, we experience a connection between body and mind, where the two are working synonymously and bringing us into the present moment. For those of us who experience anxiety, PTSD or severe depression, it is often the case that there is a dissociation between the body and mind, leading to panic attacks, flashbacks, nightmares and more. By bringing us into the present moment, wild swimming offers us a reprieve from this dissociation, enabling us to reset and bring our focus back to the elements of life which we can control.

Confidence, resilience and bravery

Cold water has the power to strengthen both our bodies and our minds. It allows us to work on aspects of mental resilience daily; to train our minds to overcome that little voice that says we can’t do something and realise that actually we are capable of anything. We’ve experienced the benefits of pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones — it has helped us grow stronger, braver and more confident. Skills which, once harnessed, can be applied to other aspects of our lives too.

Increased dopamine response

A case study undertaken by Srámek et al in 2000 showed that cold water immersion can boost dopamine levels (a hormone and neurotransmitter that helps us experience pleasure) by 530 per cent, whilst further studies have shown that it also increases the release of endorphins. Meaning you feel absolutely amazing after cold swimming!

Trauma release

Cold water swimming can help release trapped emotions resulting in greater understanding of self, relief and feeling lighter in oneself.

Wild swimming is the ultimate way to connect with nature. Floating in a vast body of water one feels gently rocked and curressed by the waves as if mother nature herself is holding you. The cold water demands presence and so your overstimulated mind becomes calm, able to take in the wonder of the natural beauty of being beneath a great open sky. The experience itself is beautiful, yet the afterglow is a grand phenomenon in itself. You may be able to release trapped emotions from previous trauma or a busy work week. Plus, you leave with a spring in your step and a smile on your face having been flooded head to toe with endorphins.

Give it a go.

What did you think? Will you give wild swimming a go? Do you think society is too disconnected from nature? Leave a comment below and share on social media.

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The post The Adventure and Connection of Cold Water Swimming first appeared on Existing Human.

Hardwired into the human infant is the need to belong. Instances of not belonging are increadibly painful, hence we begin to avoid situations where we will feel that pain. By associating certain behaviours with pain, we learn patterns of behaviours that we adhere to automatically, patterns that continue well into adulthood until awakening. We begin to map the world around us based on these emotive reactions. A complex web of beliefs, expectations and patterns compile into our internal reality. This reality is ultimately built on the fear of not being accepted. This fear is so powerful because non-acceptance directly means non-safety.

The map of reality we create is unique to our individual environmental factors such as upbringing, cultral and societal expectations and experiences. Therefore, every persons reality differs in some way. There of course will be cross overs in people’s realities that allows for cooperation and functioning society. But by the opposite, differing realities are the cause of conflict. Conflict results as people attempt to cling onto their ‘reality’ as truth and deny someone elses. The tight clinging onto one’s reality is an attempt to find safety by following mans fundamental instincts to be certain, controlling everything around you in order to maintain certainty and therefore safety. This gives rise to an indignant sense of right and wrong.

So it is clear that there exists a form of external world as well as a mental construction/mapping instinct within humans that gives rise to an internal world.

We all live in a goldfish bowl

This can be illustrated by the idea of one living in a goldfish bowl. Every person is residing within their own, unique goldfish bowl which they themselves have naturally created. When one looks out, it appears to be the external world but is actually the goldfish bowl. Furthermore, as one looks out to the external world the view is somewhat distorted from the glass and does not give an accurate depiction of the real world.

Suffering arises when we believe our internal world is the external world. That we have expectations for how things should go, or how things should be in the external world based of the map of our internal world. The greater our belief that we can predict what will happen in reality based on our internal world, the greater the suffering.

As beings that naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain it is natural that if one suffers enough within their life they may seek an alternative path that offers relief from their suffering.

This is usually where the dark night of the soul comes in, a period of huge suffering and disorientation that leads to a spiritual journey.

The spiritual journey is the slow unravelling of the goldfish bowl. Working through past traumas, learnt behaviours, limiting self beliefs, conditioning until you reach the fundamental tendencies and beliefs of human that can also be unravelled. Allowing one the ability to peer over the goldfish bowl.

The journey deep into the self reveals the human tendency to identify. The knowing of an I feels irreputable. Yet as we try to find an I, all we discover is a sort of space within, where phenomenon arises such as emotions, thoughts and pictures. This relinquishes the need for a self or I, meaning we can allow even more space for the arising phenomenon and to experience it without identifying with it. Allowing it to pass smoothly and quickly, and eventually arising less frequently as it becomes easier to love and accept whatever arises with spaciousness.

When the goldfish bowl is removed one is able to interact directly with the external world, exposing the truth that there is no requirement for an internal world. One is able to have a much simpler existence interacting with nature, as a part of nature. Not an object separate from it. Since the illusion of separation falls apart, the external world enters into the space where your mental, emotional and physical phenomenon arises. Leaving one with the awareness that there really is no me, there is simply experience. Nothing is other, everything just is. At this point the mental translator that objectifies and describes every ‘thing’ turns off when not required, such that the seen is simply the seen.

With that experience, it becomes obvious that, despite the illusion of stability, the universe is in constant flux. And that really there is no substance, there are simply changes in energy that we naturally abide by, experience and flow with. This is especially disconcerting to the mind who is tasked with ensuring safety and survival for the body and rather wishes there is substance, something to grasp onto in order to orientate. The urge to know is very strong and can lead to a period of restlessness as the mind thrashes around in this ‘new’ environment (although it was always here like this) attempting to find something concrete to know.

When the mind can accept that there is nothing to know it settles into simply being. Accepting all the universe in any way it manifests.

Pure conscious acceptance – the end of spiritual development.

That is the end of the spiritual journey. It is the end of suffering but not discomfort. It is the awareness of all interconnected. It is the end of illusion. But it is the not the end of the road. Whilst it is not possible to regress or become unaware of something you have become aware of. It is possible to slip into unconsciousness and old patterns.

This is because our brains create pathways based on patterns. It also tries to conserve energy through cognitive easing — following the neural pathway of least resistance. As such it is the case when you first awaken that your alternative pathways that lead to unhelpful behaviour are well grooved. Making it easy to fall into unconscious behavior. This is simply something to be aware of as once full consciousness is achieved, it will always return.

Once at this place, it seems to me the point to life is to experience. Experience what you can whilst you can, feel as fully as possible into everything, allow joy and nurture playfulness.

https://medium.com/@existinghuman/what-actually-is-the-spiritual-journey-e9fc7c30705a

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This way of being is harming the environment and ourselves. Abhorrent individualisation is pushing competition and driving consumerism which is harming the planet, draining resources and imbalancing the intricate system we are a part of. As such we are undergoing a current shift in collective consciousness. True understanding and awareness, which, once upon a time, was only available to people who committed their entire life to spiritual practice, is becoming easier and easier to obtain. With the improvement of living conditions for many in the West post industrial revolution, more space within us has been free’d to evolve and transform our way of thinking and relating to the world. This process is usually initiated by something that forces us to change. For many that is a near-death experience, a place from which people can experience ‘post-traumatic growth’ but it is more than that. A person’s points of reference completely change and they see the world through a completely transformed lense.

For other people, it is the descent into an inexplicable existential depression. A depression that surpasses the usual definition. This depression is highlighted by complete disorientation, loss of all previous certainties, absolutes and references. Big questions emerge about the nature of being, ‘who am I?’ ‘ Why am I here? What is the Point? ‘I don’t understand’ It is a place of seemingly inexhaustible darkness and complete aloneness. But it is there for a reason. It is so heavy as to be overpowering, usually the stronger one’s certainty on world views the more darkness you experience as it is required to pindown one’s mind until it finally submits. Once you can fully surrender to the depression and once you can comprehend that you actually know nothing – it will start to ease.  Saint John of the Cross, a Spanish monk, coined the term “Dark Night of the Soul” (“Noche Oscura” the name of one of his poems) based on his own existential depression that lead to mystical experiences and divine connection.

The purpose of the Dark Night is good and it is ultimately a good sign that you have outgrown your current frame of reference and it is time to awaken. What is actually happening is that a part of ‘you’ is dying. In actual terms, part of your mind (egoic self) that you were strongly identified with but that isn’t actually you is dying. This egoic self and its attachment to how it perceives the world is holding your growth and expansion back; so your soul (knowing what you require in order to grow) naturally pushes this old part to splinter off. Dark nights are often made worse by people fighting this process and urging to remain control over what is perceives and what is happening. The best thing you can do if you start to feel grief symptoms is to let them run and accept them for what they are. Fighting the process doesn’t stop it, it prolongs and exacerbates it. By fighting it you end up fighting everything around you, pushing negative energy into a universal system that delivers to you what you put out – meaning you will attract more and more negativity in this state until you literally cannot cope and collapse, allowing the process to work as you are exhausted and finally surrender.

All of this probably sounds terrifying, and it is not pleasant whilst it happens and you don’t understand what is happening. However, it is the start of understanding the life-death-life cycle. The one universal truth is that everything bursts into existence, dies, reshapes, rebirths. The universe is a constant flux of activity that is never still or absolute. It is forever flowing through a cycle of life – death – life. Nothing is fixed. So when our mindset is fixed, or is obsessed with becoming fixed on something, it does not serve us in understanding and cooperating with the world around us. So by allowing the fixed mindset to die, a new one is born, one that begins to learn these fundamental truths. This process is constant, learning, attaching, releasing, living, dying, living until we realise, by the nature of the universe, there is nothing for our minds to attach to because everything is in constant flux. We realise presence is the only constant, and change becomes no longer something scary or challenging but is understood as the basis of everything. This is the opposite view of the egoic mind that’s job is to categorise, sort and fix everything in our minds frame of reference. We see this in society, where everything is labeled and systemised. This certainly has a very important place but it is now over-valued, we can exist in a world where we have society and order but also a true understanding of the universe and ability to cooperate with the landscape around us. Society and awakening are not mutually exclusive, we can and must have both.

The dark night of the soul is a true gift. It brings great darkness but allows us to witness true light and follow a path that leads to absolute fulfilment. This journey, shows us the beauty, connection and joy of being. Particularly being part of a universal dance. For those experiencing the dark night, chances are there is someone you are energetically attached to who has awakened. Being close to that energy can start the process in you. If you have a feeling you know who that person is, reach out to them, share what you are going through they will be able to understand and support you.

Otherwise, trust in the process, surrender to the flow, feel what comes up and stay with it. This path whilst painful is leading you to inexplicable wonders.

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What exactly is an Equinox?

The time taken for the Earth to complete an orbit around the Sun is one year. During the orbit, the Earth rotates on a North/South pivotal axis, resulting in a 24 hour day/night cycle. This North/South (polar) axis is also on a tilt. Depending on its location in the annual orbit, this tilt means our location on Earth is either closer to the Sun or further away – resulting in Summer and Winter for locations above and below the equator. Locations along the equator are equidistant from the sun all year round.

So, during the annual orbit, for locations above and below the equator such as the UK, there is a point where the Earth is furthest from the Sun – we call this the Winter Solstice. The point where the Earth is closest to the Sun – the Summer Solstice. And two points perfectly in between the Solstices where the length of the day matches the length of the night are called equinoxes. These four events mark the seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

As markers of changing seasons they are considered transitional points of the year. Points where nature is letting go of the old and welcoming the new. This nature is amplified within us during these times of year, as such it is not unusual for old traumas, patterns and unhelpful thoughts to surface in order to be released to make space for the new.

The spring equinox is particularly powerful as we come out of winter, a time of hibernation, restoration, conservation of energy into Spring a time of renewed strength, vigour and growth. You may notice as life bursts into being all around us, fresh flowers, symphonies of birdsong, freshly born lambs, that you have a spring in your step and sense of forward momentum that seems to prioritise sorting and cleaning! The spring clean is a real thing!

It is generally accepted that the spring equinox is a time to utilise fresh energy to sort, cleanse and reorganise such that as the amount of energy hitting Earth increases as we approach summer, you have released baggage that may hold you back and you have space to act on new intentions.

Some suggestions on what to do on Spring Equinox:

1. Find methods of release for old ways of being that have come to surface.

• Meditation
• Breathwork
• Trauma and Tension Release Exercises
• Physical exercise
• Sauna
• Cold water exposure

2. Set intentions for the coming year. Consider what you would like more of in life.

• Write down these intentions and goals in the positive sense, avoid negative statements. For example “I want more… in my life” as opposed to “I want less… in my life”
• Visualise what you want, utilising all of your senses.
• Work on accepting what you want as if it is inevitable. There is no possibility it won’t happen, in some sense it’s already happened.

3. Spend time outdoors

Connect with nature and witness the changes happening all around you. Appreciate the beauty of new growth, knowing you are growing right alongside.

4. Relax

If possible avoid stress and rush, keep slow, grounded and conscious.

5. Cleanse and Purify your home.

Spring clean, sort, organise. Consider a subtle energy cleanse by visualisation, imagine a pure white light clearing your home or work space of all negative energy, this visualisation technique can be used in conjunction with burning Palo Santo, a sacred wood that is originally used by Indigenous communities of the Andes to clear stress and negativity.

Ultimately, today is about emerging from winter and feeling the changing energy, appreciating the emerging life around us and setting ourselves up for success by removing the old to make space for the new. Embracing the start of a life element in a large example of the life-death-life cycle.

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