Step on the Path of Power with me this spring where I share the tools that helped me heal myself from grief, PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts to a life of purpose and joy. It does not have to take time. Sometimes it does take time, but it does not have to. What a Path of Power does however require is the courage for you to finally tap into your power within.

To find the tools that work for you, it is key that you find easy-to-learn and practical ways that address the integration of body, mind and spirit in your everyday life. The issue that I have been noticing is that there are very few who truly teach tools for the spirit.  Luminous Warrior offers the Path of Power (POP) Program to address exactly that problem. Not only does the program include tools for your body, mind, and emotions, it also teaches you practical tools for your spirit, for the energy, the consciousness, that is as much part of you as the rest.  In 9 individual workshops, the Path of Power program teaches you lessons, techniques, practices and tools that can heal and strengthen you physically, bring balance and power to your emotions, increase your mental stability and focus, and help you find YOUR way of connecting with your spirit and life larger than you. Contact Luminous Warrior to find out more about POP and how it can help you find the path to heal and transform your life.

Source: Womanstats.org

The work of Women’s Media Center through Women Under Siege is another example of individuals and organizations combating the systematic use of sexual violence as tools of intimidation, reprisal, and genocide.  Global Journalists Combating Sexual Assault is a past posting that describes the steep rise of sexual assault being committed against female journalists as a means of terror and retribution.  Acts of violence against journalists in general is climbing, but female journalists are being specifically targeted with sexual violence.  From natural disasters in Haiti to the violent conflicts of the Arab uprisings throughout the Middle East and North Africa, female journalists around the world have become a significant presence among field correspondents, and as a result, are increasingly targets for reprisal.

High profile assaults like the one against Lara Logan, a correspondent for the television news magazine 60 Minutes, are brining to the forefront the rising prevalence of sexual violence against journalists as these women increasingly speak out.  Just as WMC works to raise awareness of and take action against systematic campaigns of sexual violence against women, various organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists are seeking education, training, and initiatives to combat the violence against journalists.

Global Journalist Security (GJS), in partnership with Luminous Warrior, is providing journalists with the specific training they need to avoid and protect themselves from various forms of violence and coercion; including sexual assault.  Frank Smyth, Founder and Executive Director of GJS, established Global Journalist Security to get away from the generic, “cookie-cutter” military-based training, and implement a fully-integrated course plan that is designed to specifically address the needs of international journalists, human rights advocates, and others who work in high-risk areas around the world.  GJS has partnered with Luminous Warrior to address the personal security, trauma awareness, and emotional self-care training needs of foreign correspondents.  As an expert in self defense, krav maga, sexual assault avoidance, trauma, and stress management and integrated self-care methods that are at the cutting-edge of neuroscience and psychosomatic health methods, Sara Salam, Director and Founder of Luminous Warrior, is leading training modules that address threats of sexual violence along with a host of other applicable topics.

Explore the Luminous Warrior website to find out more about the full-spectrum training available through the self defense and self-care programs.  Also, go to Global Journalist Security to learn about the rest of the GJS team and the work that GJS and Luminous Warrior are doing to address the personal security and self-care needs of journalists around the world (www.globaljournalistsecurity.org).

Meditation

Winter time is an excellent time for retrospection, meditation and exploration of deeper issues. To do this, we need to slow down. In fact, we are usually so busy that we are not even aware of how neurotic our thoughts and actions are. When we slow down through meditation, relaxation, or simply taking some time off, we may be overwhelmed by the recognition of how fast and full our lives really are. If we can take the time to truly relax and slow down, the winter season can provide a profound opportunity for internal insight and deep introspection. This process may naturally give rise to “stuff” that is stuck under the surface of our mundane activities; issues, thoughts or patterns we may have been avoiding with our ongoing business. Simply allow these issues to arise, unfold and slip away as you calm your mind with simple meditation and breathing practices. Allowing this process to unfold during the winter season can have a much different quality than the peeling process that we engage in during our spring and fall cleanse. The end result may be similar but different organ systems, emotions and patterns are involved. This level of mind/heart medicine is an integral part of true integrative health and the winter season is an excellent time to experience meditation’s holistic benefits.

Organs

According to the principles of TCM, winter is associated with the element of water and influences the health of the kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, bones (including bone marrow) and teeth. In TCM, the kidneys are the primary source of vitality, energy and heat as well as vital essence. Energy is drawn from this source during times of stress and anxiety or when the body requires healing. During the coldness of winter, it is critical to maintain healthy kidneys and adrenal glands through proper diet and supplementation, good hydration, as well as energetic practices such as yoga and Tai Chi, which help keep your core warm and well nourished.

Emotions

According to TCM, winter is inactive, cold and damp in nature, relating to feelings such as fear and depression which tend to exert more influence during this season. In Western medicine, many people are diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a particular form of depression/anxiety that occurs during the darker months primarily due to lack of sunshine exposure. Women often experience this condition more than men and it results in poor mood, lack of energy, irritability, weight gain due to overeating and fatigue. In addition to supplementing with Vitamin D-3, I recommend opening your curtains during the day to allow any sunlight to come in and taking brisk walks (in the sunshine if possible) to improve circulation and blood flow. Meditation practices which help to calm the mind and heart are also extremely valuable during the winter season.

Many of the recommendations by Dr. Elias are great for any time of the year.  Luminous Warrior offers an integrated, full-spectrum approach for maintaining the health and wellness of the mind, body, and spirit.  Programs and classes in fitness, shamanic healing, self defense, yoga, and meditation are all available to assist your journey to full transformation and empowerment at the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.   Come to any of our drop-in or intro class to discover your personal path. 

Vaccaro and his colleagues’ decision to survey mixed-martial arts fighters is definitely an interesting choice. The inherent risks of stepping into an enclosed space (a cage or ring) to engage in physical violence with another person will definitely elicit feelings of fear in the average person, and MMA fighters exist and are often promoted in a culture of “hyper-masculinity”.  With that foundation, the researchers surmise that the devices utilized by MMA fighters to manage their fears (or many fighters would call it nerves) is interpreted as “indicative of ultimate manhood”.   Thus, mixed martial arts fighters are prototypical of Managing Emotional Manhood.

After 121 interviews conducted with various fighters over a 2-year period, there are not many surprises to the methods utilized by fighters in dealing with the fears of competition-based violence.  According to this study, the two greatest fears of cage fighters are serious bodily injury and losing in front of others.  The researchers categorize the fighters’ fear management methods as scripting, framing, and othering.

These tools will already be familiar to most people who have had to deal with fear-inducing situations; even situations outside of violent conflict.  Scripting is the attempt to preemptively manifest order despite the anticipated chaos of violence by planning and creating a game plan for the match.   The unpredictable nature of fighting is a significant source of fear as physical violence has a dynamic fluidity that can generate unforeseeable and potentially catastrophic consequences.   A game plan gives a fighter a focused strategy in attempting to manage the chaos and the potential outcome, and also helps establish an anchor in the rational mind when fear-induced panic threatens to overwhelm.   Framing is another device utilized by MMA fighters.   Framing is used to mentally recast a fight into something other than an unpredictable force of violence.  As common ways to frame a fight, combatants tell themselves, “this fight is no different than what I do every day in the gym.” or “no matter what happens, this is a great experience.” Finally, the study classifies othering as the process by which a fighter separates himself from his opponent by elevating himself as naturally superior.  Imagining a more powerful, virtual version of oneself  and/or casting the opponent with perceived negative qualities are processes fighters go through to manage their own fears.

The conclusions drawn from Managing Emotional Manhood are debatable, but some aspects of the devices used by fighters do have application in street-based self defense scenarios as well as inside the cage.  For instance, similar to what is accomplished for competitive fighters, scripting is commonly employed in self defense training.  Movements in defensive tactics are repeatedly practiced so that they become reflexive reactions should an attack actually occur.  Also, Othering does not have to involve perceiving everyone else as inferior, but creating a virtual, powerful self that is fully empowered can be an effective method of risk reduction against violent assaults.

As written about in previous posts, there are numerous differences between training for competitive fights and training for self defense.  Many factors such as Awareness and understanding the Decision to Fight should be included in any training, and addressing the mental and emotional components of self defense are critical to a quality program.  Luminous Warrior has many modalities and programs to transcend fears without stepping into a cage or ring.  Self Defense Classes, Fitness Regimens, Luminous Yoga, and Shamanic Energy Medicine are all available to find your path to empowerment.  Take a look at the rest of the Luminous Warrior website to find out which programs are best for you.

Reynolds’ article summarizes a recent study that suggests physical exertion increases the rate at which the body cleanses itself of the debris that is produced during normal metabolic functions.   Research conducted by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and published in last month’s edition of Nature, studied the process by which cells remove or even recycle debris such as “broken or misshapen proteins, invasive viruses or bacteria, and worn-out, broken-down cellular components.”  The research explains how the cleansing process is normally accomplished.

“…cells diligently sweep away this debris. They even recycle it for fuel. Through a process with the expressive name of autophagy, or “self-eating,” cells create specialized membranes that engulf junk in the cell’s cytoplasm and carry it to a part of the cell known as the lysosome, where the trash is broken apart and then burned by the cell for energy.”

Scientist who study the body’s metabolism are increasingly looking at the process of autophagy as being a critical area of study for finding the causes to some common diseases and ailments.  If the body loses its ability to cleanse and recycle the cellular detritus, then this can cause cells to die or malfunction.  Metabolic researchers are investigating the possibility that a breakdown in the autophagy mechanism may contribute to the development of a range of diseases, including diabetes, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s and cancer, and the slow-down in autophagy at middle-age may contribute to the body’s general ageing process.

Gretchen Reynolds’ article highlights that through a series of laboratory experiments, scientists are speculating that physiological stress through physical exertion may cause the autophagy process to accelerate and improve the body’s ability to efficiently clear and recycle the cellular waste. Scientists suggest that the increase in autophagy may be a key component to explaining the significant health benefits of exercise and physical activity.   

Past blog postings have raised awareness of the benefits that exercise and physical activity have not only on the physical body, but also the mind and spirit.  In a series of postings including Raising Worker Wellness: Self Defense, Fitness and Healing; Fitness, Self Defense, and the Brain; and Self Defense: Strengthening Body, Mind…and Soul, it is shown that there is a significant body of scientific research that shows physical fitness as an important factor to developing and maintaining a healthy body and mind. Luminous Warrior, however, also maintains that physical wellness also contributes to complete holistic and integrated well-being by helping to reduce stress and releasing trauma.  By engaging the body in physical exertion and stress through activities such as fitness and conditioning programs or self defense classes, the body can be cleansed of potential toxins that result from repeated exposure to stressful environments and traumatic experiences.  This cleansing takes place at the very cellular level of the body.

Luminous Warrior offers a variety of programs and classes that give you the opportunity to experience the benefits of the cleansing process for yourself.  Warrior Fitness, Luminous Yoga, Warrior Self Defense, Shamanic Healing, and much more offer a variety of ways to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and bring you to new, profound levels of health and wellness.  Take a look at our website and explore our class schedule and programs to find out what path is best for you.