Yoga for Meditation

Yoga has been used as a form of exercise, to relieve stress, meditation,  and all the way up to reaching higher spiritual planes. The practice involves an accumulation of physical, mental, and spiritual techniques.

Several Eastern influences that were mostly in India like Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism incorporate yoga into their religious practices. There would be yoga gurus (an expert or master) in India who consulted with individuals about their aspirations or spiritual goals.

In Western culture, yoga's mostly seen as a form of exercise or an easy way to become more flexible. Although it produces excellent results, yoga is much more than that.

Buddhist monks are oftentimes associated with meditation but anyone can practice it. Within yoga, the instructor or whoever is practicing focuses on breathing a lot. Poses require certain breathing patterns for optimal peace of mind and heart rate control. The strong flow of oxygen relieves tension, releases anxiety, and clears the mind.

There are several poses one could use for meditation that have been linked.

As one article summarized, meditation clears out mental pollution/de-fogs the mind. In a way I look at it as smudging from the inside out; you can release bad energy by meditating. 

I prefer to do yoga outside in warm weather for optimal mood lifting. I've never genuinely meditated before but I do see it as an opportunity to deeply reflect.

Healing Stones

The philosophy of how healing stones work is based on several Asian cultures. More specifically, Hindu and Buddhist practices conceptualize chakras and spend time nurturing, charging, and strengthening these chakras with crystals and stones.
Each stone’s property is specific and they’re associated with different chakra zone colors. “Amethyst, for example, is believed by some to be beneficial for the intestines; green aventurine helps the heart; yellow topaz provides mental clarity. Colors red through violet are associated with seven chakra points on the body.”
The way stones are supposed to work in the spiritual sense is that they conduct the energy requested from it when charged properly. Like I’ve mentioned before, stones can be cleansed by smudging, meditating, placing them out in nature/natural water, or letting them sit under moonlight. These methods cleanse and dispel any previous energies stored in the vessel. 
Scientifically, there’s no tangible evidence of healing stone efficacy. When explaining the effects of this practice psychologically it's described as the placebo effect which is when someone's belief in a treatment effects the outcome. People often discredit spiritual practices based off that.
To me if the mere prospect of incoming healing and prosperity changes someone's outlook, I would call that an effective practice.
I believe that when someone expects a certain outcome, that helps them visualize a positive future. Intentions become reality when positive energy manifests itself.

Zodiac Sign Element Types

On the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are four nations: air nomads, earth kingdom, water tribes, and fire nations. Each of these distinctly different groups of people had their own cultures and values.
My significant other introduced me to the show around the time I learned more about astrology and it was interesting to parallel personality traits of characters with certain bending powers to zodiac signs. For instance an air bender would be evasive and flighty in situations. Aang, an airbender , typically fought by dodging attacks. On the flip side, Zuko the firebender was usually impulsive and brash. Most of the time he only wanted to fight to flex his bending skills which weren't that impressive in earlier seasons.
Like the show, those four elements make up the zodiac signs of Western astrology.

Air: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra
Water: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio
Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Air signs tend to be adaptable and intellectual , Water signs can be sensitive or nurturing, Fire signs are known for being bold and passionate, and Earth signs are typically grounded and practical.
The basis of astrology is to sort of classify people's personality types by how the planets aligned on their natal chart.
Indian and Chinese astrology are similar in that they both connect the types to elements. In Chinese astrology there are five elements instead of four: Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal.
Of course astrology isn't set in stone for everyone, socioeconomic status and family/cultural values effect people's personalities more than anything. But there are far too many coincidences for me to discredit the merit of astrology.

Smudging Process

Any holistic cleansing practice requires energy transfer.
Before I could use my lapis lazuli and labradorite stones I took them to the beach to restore them with saltwater because it's a natural cleaning property. After that I sat and meditated with each stone to charge specific intentions and what I'd hope to gain from the stone's energy.
When looking up how to clean tarot decks, gem stones, etc., smudging will come up a lot.
Like I mentioned in the last blog post smudging isn't solely reserved for religious ceremonies. In a way, it can be considered a spiritual shower.
Energy can be stored in any space or vessel so it makes sense to use sage burning to cleanse a room or new apartment for instance.
So I suppose any herb shop should have a bundle, also called a wand, of dry sage to light. "Next, place it on any heat-proof burning surface like an Abolone Shell — a traditional vessel used by Indigenous American people that represents the element of water."
Once you have a true flame, you stop the flames to where the wand just smokes.
From here direct the smoke towards whatever's in need of cleansing. Usually the candle burner recites an incantation to help visualize negative energy disappearing with the smoke.
To end the ritual you can either smother the flames in the container or let it burn all the way.

Cleansing with Sage

Sage is used to cleanse a number of properties. I've been interested in using it purify my gem stones, tarot card deck, and home spaces. 
As I mentioned in the first post, my aunt brewed sage spray for me. It's meant to cleanse my energy and help promote calmness.
Various cultures around the world have used smudging (sage burning) in spiritual ceremonies. In North America specifically Natives would place resins and herbs to burn over hot coals from fire, a practice known as "Sacred Smoke Bowl Cleansing". They would then use smudging sticks and feathers to smear and spread the ash.

When sage is burned, the aroma helps with meditation which is why this practice is often compared to the burning of incense seen in Chinese culture. 
"The theory behind smudging is that the smoke attaches itself to negative energy and as it clears it takes the negative energy with it, releasing it into another space to be regenerated."
The aromatics are meant to drive out bad spirits/energy from whatever the smoke is drawn towards.
Not only does sage drive out the bad, but when used with other herbs like cedar and sweetgrass it can bring optimal positive energy, goodness, and blessings.
A whole religious/cultural ceremony is not always required for this cleansing practice. There are people who smudge after a bad decision was made, a hard day, an argument and many other instances.
I joked with my mom that the Pensacola Bay Center should've been cleansed with sage after a particularly orange hued president's rally. We don't need that energy festering here.
One of these days I'll try my hand at smudging so I'll write more in depth about the process soon.

Hello Everyone

So hey, if you've read my bio then you already know my name and what this blog will be about. But just in case, my name is Jasmine and this blog will focus on holistic healing with some integration of astrology.
Holistic health is meant to not only nurture the physical but mental, emotional, and spiritual states as well. This approach to wellness considers the whole of a person.
Within the last few years, I had taken an interest in Buddhism because the notion of being a mindful spiritual being intrigued me. Along with that, yoga can be used to practice this religion through thoughtful meditation. This led me to search for other ways I could heal my mind, body, and soul all together.
What steered me into the lane of holistic practices and astrology was my Aunt Falon who practices reiki (which is commonly used in Buddhism) and uses astrology as a guide. One of my favorite things she's ever said is, "If trees and plants have seasons, why wouldn't humans?"
Just recently on vacation, she gifted me with sage spray she brewed herself. She had given acquaintances samples of her batch and it has been said to relieve anxiety and agitated behavior.
Holistic practices vary but I'm discovering more ways to integrate this natural way of healing into my personal life. It felt fitting to learn more about it by way of this blog. Hopefully I can do some good with it.