"I AM THAT"

"The cosmos is also within us...we're  made of star stuff."   - Carl Sagan  -

 "A human being is part of a whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."        - Albert Einstein -

"So Hum" is a breath mantra from the Siddha Tradition of South India meaning "I am That."  I incorporated this "mantra" or mental focus phrase in its original form as well as in translation, to the CHI Wholeness Exercise (CHI-WE). 

Visualizing yourself at the center of a circle representing the Universe / the wholeness of who you are, you repeat "I am That" (meaning you are whatever you see) in a language of your choice, ("Mimi Hivo" in Kiswahili) synchronizing it with slow deep breathing. As you do this, you are consciously bringing that awareness and Universal Energy in with your in-breath, into your heart and into your whole being, and breathe it out into Earth.  Focusing on your breath and on the mantra keeps you in the moment. 


My doctoral research showed that doing this easy exercise for 5 minutes creates a statistically significant, measurable physiological change almost immediately, shifting Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity from Sympathetic (stress response) to Parasympathetic (de-stress response).  


I observed this phenomenon with 58 trauma-exposed Sri Lankan youth in my doctoral research.  I saw similar results in American teens in the Washington D.C. area.  I see the exact same phenomenon with clients,  including cancer patients of various ages and youth in HIV-AIDS affected areas in Kenya.  


I share this easy technique as part of the CHI Self-care Program  I offer individuals and groups through workshops and individual sessions in-person in Kenya and online to anyone anywhere in the world via computer and/or phone.  E-mail me if you would like to take this workshop in-person in Nairobi, Kenya or online via Skype.

NOTE:      Watch the video full screen and with full sound for best effect.  

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