Life as a mythical stage show

Henriette Lamprecht – As a neurophysiologist, Monet Viljoen has a doctorate in researching how childhood trauma and or maltreatment, as well as psychological illnesses, manifest in the brain and the endocrine and immune systems.While spending more than a decade in the world of academia, Monet always felt something was missing in this linear approach that ignores the more subtle expressions of life, while maintaining much respect and admiration for the realm of science. While receiving years of unsuccessful traditional psychotherapy - in an attempt to deal with her wounded relationship with the masculine - Monet decided to extend her research to the East and the esoteric.“Consequently, and alongside my studies, I discovered a passion for the ancient traditions of yoga, Vedic philosophy, Taoist tantra, womb wisdom and Buddhist mindfulness practices,” she says.At the same time, she explored many dance forms, where Monet most resonated with the feminine art of pelvic floor–rooted dancing, especially in tribal fusion belly dancing. Within the scope of Jungian depth psychology, in her so-called “descent to the underworld”, she extensively explored how the unconscious mind works and influences the way we perceive reality, our beliefs, the choices we make, and the way we behave.“This level of understanding was obtained by investigating the roles of mythology, symbolism and specific archetypes in the psyche. Taken together, in my alchemical journey, I found healing on a holistic level by drawing on the above lineages.”Combining modalitiesTo help others heal to the extent that she has healed and integrated various aspects of herself, Monet also completed a yoga teacher training course, based on authentic Vedic discourse. She also trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is a mindfulness-and-values-based behaviour therapy. “By combining the modalities of ACT, Internal Family Systems, yoga, Jungian psychology and myth, I created the ‘Life as mythical stage show’ ™ practice through which one’s unconscious limiting beliefs are systematically rewritten to create a new reality from a place of love, awareness and power.”Aimed specifically at women, Monet also combined her knowledge of chronobiology (how every system in the body has its own rhythm) with preserved womb wisdom predating the patriarchal system of more than 5 000 years ago, as well as Taoist tantra, in coaching on hormone balancing, using diet, self-care and lifestyle recommendations that follow lunar and menstrual cycles.Amongst many other modalities, Monet also practices sacral chakra healing. “The sacral chakra is the temple for honouring the purity of sensual desires, creative thinking, joy, passion and pleasure, being guided by appropriate emotion, and maintaining positive relationships. It also provides a channel for moving energy toward higher states of consciousness. “All human beings are subjected to adverse childhood experiences, which directly implicates the dark side of the sacral chakra - fear of engaging with people, addiction, giving up your own desires and inclination to please others, excessive need for validation or adulation, lacking purpose, co-dependency, jealousy and envy.”In addition, the sacral chakra fuels unconscious mental and behavioural patterns (our shadow, the hidden aspects of our psyche). “Therefore, the healing of the sacral chakra is not possible without doing shadow work,” Monet explains.According to her, transformation is essentially a metaphysical term signifying the process of “having a make-over”. “To undergo a make-over is to partake in the alchemical process of turning metaphorical base metals into gold.”KoshasAccording to the ancient wisdom of the Orient, specifically the 5 000 year yoga tradition, the body is viewed as consisting of five layers, bodies, or “koshas” in Sanskrit.The Annamaya kosha is our physical body, Monet says, with which we are most familiar as we can see and touch it.Then, with increasing subtlety and likened to the layers of an onion, there is the Pranamaya kosha (breath body), the Manomaya kosha (emotional body), the Vijnanamaya kosha (intellect body) and finally the Anandamaya kosha (bliss body), with the individual Soul (Jivatman) being connected to the Supersoul (Paramatman/God/Goddess/Source/ The Universe/The Force) - the latter which permeates every aspect of existence. “In recent years, quantum physics has verified the existence of these layers, and we can appreciate that all these koshas are inextricably linked: if something goes awry in one layer, it affects all the other layers.”The last place for dysregulation to show up is in the Annamaya kosha (physical body), which is the kosha that conventional allopathic medicine aims to (but most often fails to) treat Monet says. – monet.khandroma@outlook.com; www.shadowilluminationyoga.com*MINDFULNESS*BALANCE

Life as a mythical stage show

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-26

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Life as a mythical stage show

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-26

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