Talking truth about "self improvement" as it relates to health, overall wellness and expressing the truest version of you. This is Marta Mrotek with Something Honest…..

One of the really rotten things about any unhealthy habit is the way it keeps us from getting to that next right thing. Even if we’re only talking about patterns of thought, or maybe especially when that’s what we’re talking about, those habits keep us stuck. Even when we know what we should be doing and we know that what we want is in another direction, it’s usually just easier to fall into a pattern that weakens our resolve and ignores the inner voice that always knows what’s true. Integrity turns up the volume on that inner Truth and points us in the right direction.

Welcome to the Practice Challenge for Integrity! If you’ve been following along in order, we’re still turning up the heat for Transformation and a lot of that comes from the work that we’ve done to go even deeper with self-study getting ready to create a Purification Ritual that sets us up for the Principle of Willingness next week.

If you haven’t listened to the other Integrity Episodes yet you’ll probably want to go back to the Talking Points for an introduction and the Study Journal Episode for an even deeper dive on moral inventory. I hope you’ll stick around until the end for a short, guided mediation that focuses on moving into alignment with your Highest Self and Purpose.

Most of the work that we’re doing here will extend into next week’s challenge. This really is a three-part process and right now we’re stirring the energy pot so that next week we can mentally kind of skim off or maybe even burn away some of that painful stuff that keeps coming to the surface. Some of that stuff that you don’t need anymore is probably getting really obvious now and it really is starting to make sense that you’ll be stronger without it. If you remember last time, I said that in many ways Courage was like working through Truth again? Just diving a little deeper? The same goes here with Integrity and Hope. We’re making that connection stronger and lining up with that energy so that it can move effectively. Integrity reminds us that the ability to respond in a positive way, even in the most challenging circumstances, is strengthened when our motives line up with the power and wisdom that comes from the Source. Living in agreement with a Higher moral code frees you from the desire to manipulate the behavior or opinion of others. It takes away all of those burdens that really don’t belong to you and what’s left behind is clearly yours to release, accept, confess or amend to make things right.

This is the part where I always like to come back to the Yoga Sutras and how we can turn the principles into practice. And once again we’ve got some instruction for how to do it. We’ve talked just briefly before about the restraints and observances laid out for ethical conduct, and this particular one talks very specifically about purity. It starts out with reminders about the physical body and physical environments and the need for cleanliness in a really practical way and we’ve already gone over this a little bit. Hopefully you’ve already taken a look around to see if there’s anything physical that needs to change and maybe even taken steps to start making a change for the better. But practicing purity in relationship to mental and emotional states becomes much more subtle. We start looking at what we’ve feeding our minds. It definitely helps to go back to what you’ve been writing in your Study Journal and some of those old stories that keep affecting the thoughts that you’ve been thinking on a regular basis. But it also applies to some of those things that we allow, maybe even unknowingly, in areas that relate to what we consume intellectually. What we choose to read, what we watch on TV what we follow, or engage with, or expose ourselves to through all kinds of media. You can start cleaning things up on so many levels if you’re intentionally turning this into a regular practice.

And if we think about that foundation that we’ve already established and the idea that we need to be mindful about the integrity of this structure and what we need to do to build something strong here. Looking at what we might call impurities and knowing that whether they relate to physical health or something that’s more mental or emotional, or in relationship to our own ethics or moral code, this idea of moving into alignment with that Higher Version of you will make all the difference in the eventual outcome.

If we go back to that concept of how our thoughts can be colored or poisoned by what we consume mentally, we talked about that in the Courage Episodes, we can apply it here. If you really think about it, you do know what’s medicine in your life and you know what’s poison. Whether it’s something you’re putting into your body or into your mind, you know what’s good for you and what’s not. If you really think about it, you already know what’s making the healthy connections weaker and what’s making them stronger. Make that part of your practice this week. Work on pausing from time to time and considering what you’re about to consume. Mentally or physically, and just ask yourself, “Is this medicine or is it poison?”

Physical Practice

If you’re interested in a more physical expression and a pose for working on improving energetic alignment this week’s pose is Warrior I. You can add on from what we did last week with Fierce Pose, resolving in a forward fold and you can you’re your hands on the ground as you step back with one foot into what looks like a runners lunge. Then you’ll drop the back heel and angle the toes forward and slightly out to the side. When your ready to rise up press firmly through the feet and keep the legs strong. Keeping hips and shoulder forward and square as much as you can as you actively reach up with the arms and hands. Once again we’re grounding and reaching but now we’re really channeling that energy for a more specific purpose. And even if you never actually assume the posture this is just a really good visual image. Take a few moments to think about that strong warrior energy. We’re ready to go into the battlefield of the mind and slay any of the demons of past or future but we’ve turned all of our raised weapons into really useful and easily accessible tools. This can be a great affirmation of your connection with True Power and a really helpful reminder for staying focused on the next right thing. Think about the importance of lining up with your purpose and focusing your energy without any fear.

If you want a couple of really practical ways to practice this one in everyday tasks think about it whenever you pour or drink a glass of water. Think about everything that goes into that process of purification and how important a dependable source of clean water is for your health. That’s something to grateful for, just think about what it would be like if you didn’t have access to that!! Or anytime you’re making food, especially when you’re following a recipe, putting it all together mindfully for a specific purpose, or even when you’re stirring a boiling pot on the stove. Thinking about all of the energy involved, everything that changes on a molecular level and everything that’s happening in there to make what you want.

And if you want a visual for this we’ll put one out on YouTube. We’re gonna take a quick break here to acknowledge our sponsors. Find a quiet spot, a comfortable place to sit and anything else you might need to get ready. We’ll be right back with the Integrity Practice Challenge in just a moment.

We’re back and ready to work on creating Purification Ritual for Integrity.

Purification Ritual

And in many ways, this is just the middle of a three part ritual that started last week with Courage and we’ll complete next week in the Willingness Challenge.

If you’re working in a journal, you’ll want it close by and you can pause here if you still need to. Once again, I do want to remind you that you can just listen along for this… you can always do this mentally if the physical part isn’t accessible right now.

Okay, so this time we’re going to pretend that you just noticed a seemingly negative thought, emotion or physical reaction that points to something that challenges your personal ethics. This doesn’t have to feel like a great big thing and it doesn’t even have to be something that feels negative. Anything that brings up any kind of moral dilemma or question about what needs to be done can apply for this one. As soon as it comes to mind, stop what you’re doing, and if possible close your eyes. You can do this next part mentally but if your hands are free this time we’ll start again by rubbing the palms of the hands together… this does work best from a seated positions but even if you’re standing or reclined it’s pretty easy to apply. Breathing normally and increasing the amount of friction between the hands until they start to get hot and when it feels right hold them out in front of your chest like you’re holding the sides of a that big glowing ball of Energy. And while the sensation is still strong see if you can manipulate the edges of that energetic ball. Moving the energy around a little bit, and at some point pressing in slowly, just very slightly at first, moving in really slow small increments, to mentally condense that energetic ball, almost as if you were squeezing out, what we’ve been calling the bad stuff, but it’s really just stuff you don’t need anymore. And your eyes are closed so just keep the hands moving in toward center even if the sensation starts to fade, and at some point you’ll feel the fingertips touch and it’s as if you’re holding a something about the size of a softball or a baseball close to your chest. And all that’s left is the good stuff, the really good stuff and we’ll take a big breath just to appreciate it. So breathe in deeply and exhale completely. With your next inhale flatten out the palms so the hands are together at the center of the chest, with the palms pressed in that prayerlike position…. and a big exhale here to hold. Breathing in now still pressing the palms firmly with the exhale push both hands out in front of you, with the palms facing out like you were pushing something away and hold here for a breath or two,

Inhale and bring the hands back in to that prayer posture, hold for just a second at the top, and exhale to push the hands out until the arms are fully outstretched. Next inhale, as you bring the hands to heart center pull in everything that’s good, pause at the top to feel it and exhale to push out everything that’s standing in your way, and with the still palms facing out and this time creating a circle of purification . 

You can do this mentally or bring your arms out to the sides and twist back and forth slightly, giving that a couple of breaths and resolving with right hand held up at your side, maybe even both hands held up at first as if you were taking that oath in court like last time, but then bringing the thumb and the little finger together so now you look like you’re making the sign that the scouts use with the three middle fingers raised and together. This is the seal for mental clarity in yoga but it’s nice to go back to that idea of oath taking and even just the first few words that are often said by kids all over the world while they hold this salute. You know, “On my honor, I will do my best…”  And just keep breathing, making a connection with that energy for growing Integrity and your ability to respond in a positive way.  You can bring your left hand rest on your leg or in your lap with the palm facing up, again mirroring that hand gesture for Surrender, always coming back to gratitude and accepting each moment as it comes...

Stay here breathing, letting the breath move naturally… Affirming any energetic shift, any healing that may have happened or might still be happening, recognizing any change in your state or shift in perspective and allowing any information that floats to the surface…. Taking special note of what you’re feeling now. Maybe take a moment to mentally or verbally affirm your intentions, maybe just to feel a little stronger… Stay here until you recognize the desire to move, but not moving just yet... And ask yourself, “What next?” And now it has even MORE meaning… “What’s the next right thing?” Making time your friend, reminding yourself that you don’t have to have everything figured out you’re just looking for the mental clarity to know what’s right in this moment. The answer might lead to some kind of physical practice or meditation but this ritual might lead to finding the right kind of energy for taking action on something that you’ve been putting off. Maybe something that needs to be confessed or something that needs to be done to make things right? Maybe just something small that you can do right now to make a change for the better. Come back to this whenever you need a little extra clarity and tap into that internal guidance for choosing the next right thing. When you’re ready to open your eyes do it slowly, see if you can hold still here for another breath or two and if you have your practice journal nearby, pick up your pen and write about your experience. And we’re using prompts to help you explore a little further as we keep stirring that energy for transformation so maybe ask yourself something like.. “What could I do to increase my ability to respond in a positive way?” Take your time here, coming back when you’re ready for the meditation.

So, now we’ve got two energy moving rituals to choose from. Practice with them. Use them whenever you’re feeling stuck or just want to start moving energy around when it feels stagnant. There are so many areas of life where we could use a little more mental clarity and a better understanding of what is actually our responsibility and ours to change.

If you need to take a moment here before the meditation, you can put me on pause real quick but if you’re ready to move on let’s get right to it.  

Once again, today’s mediation is most often done in a seated position, but again, it can always be done from a standing or reclined positions if that feels better for you. If you’re sitting on the floor sit tall, if you’re sitting in a chair, looking for one with a straight back and low enough to put your feet on the floor. Making yourself comfortable.

Okay, everybody ready? Closing your eyes, or lowering your gaze and we’ll take a big deep breath, breathing in deeply and letting it with a long sigh…  Consider whatever you’ve been working on and why… Especially if it relates to morals or ethics but maybe just in relationship to checking your motives or even just to move energy more efficiently or respond more positively. Paying attention to those subtle patterns and emotions that might be pointing to something that needs your attention. Is there anything that immediately comes up for you? And if there’s not.. just set your intentions on lining up with that part of you that knows everything and moving into a deeper sense of alignment with that energy that leads to everything good.

Consider applying the hand gesture here, buddhi mudra, the seal for clarity, even if it’s just for a few breaths, with the right hand up thumb and middle finger touching, reminding yourself to do your very best in every circumstance. And whenever it feels right, you can always set your hand down. Maybe matching the left hand in your lap with the palm facing up, accepting and allowing whatever comes… Making any final adjustments to your physical position and agreeing to be still…. Taking a few breaths to draw on the energy of transformation, the energy of the warrior... knowing that sometimes we need to realign to see what’s right in each moment… mentally reaffirming that circle of purification and reminding yourself that there’s a place inside you that always knows what’s true… always knows what’s best, always knows what’s next…

Big breath in and big sigh as you set an intention to channel that internal wisdom, “I live with the Integrity of my Highest Self and Purpose.” Finding the natural rhythm of breath imagining yourself breaking down any of those old patterns, removing any obstacles or old beliefs that just don’t serve your purpose. Able to see them more clearly now and learning from them. Knowing that you can choose to do something different this time. Still working on increasing your ability to respond, making that connection with everything good even stronger.

Coming back briefly to that idea of energy moving. And that refiner’s fire burning away any impurities, and now that you’ve got that energy pot all stirred up imagine yourself skimming off anything that you don’t need. Getting all that old junk out of you way, getting closer and lining up with higher version of you and a deeper sense of purpose… Still breathing slow and deep… See all of that good stuff in your life, and see it clearly, everything that’s already there and everything that you’d like create. Knowing that what you’re building here is strong, something entirely good and built to last. And give this a few breaths, really able to see now, even if it hasn’t taken physical form just yet… Affirming any intentions that you may have set. That’s how you make the energy grow…

Taking just a few more breaths here to affirm any energic shift, everything that’s happening on the inside to line up with what you want, affirming any healing that might have happened or might still be happening …. And see if you feel any different than you did when you started. This is where we affirm that energy is in fact real, and that you do in fact have the power to change your state at any time. When you’re ready to open your eyes and move make it slowly. Taking the time to write about your experience. If you’d like a final prompt for reflection ask, “What can I clarify, confess or amend to make things right?” You can pause here to answer or just make sure you come back to write.

We’re wrapping things up by coming back to our Challenge Question for this week…

Challenge Question

We’ve been asking, “How do you know the next right thing?” And just considering that there is a part of you that knows… What can you do to get more connected with that? Hopefully, the work that we’ve been doing here is starting to things up and making that question easier to answer.

We’ve got a link in the description for the Something Honest YouTube Channel if you’d like a visual reference, look for the Integrity Remix for this one.

 I want to thank you all so much for listening. Be sure you’re all set up to get notifications and come back to start working on Willingness. We’ve got all new talking points and a new challenge coming your way. Remember, we’ve got three episodes every week this season to help you move into even deeper alignment with that Truest version of you.

Check the links to find show notes on the podcast page and go to wellnessmeetings.com for more about the Wellness Meetings Method….. Something Honest is a Wellness Meetings production with original music composed and produced by James Mrotek at Mrotek Media.

This is Marta Mrotek sending out love and gratitude. Until next time, let’s all get to work on being well!