What is it, to be 'authentic' ...

To understand what 'authentic' is, let's first figure out what 'authenticity' is not. First and foremost, to me, 'authenticity' is a state not related in any way to a fear of any sort. Fears generally stem from a feeling of an imminent, or perceived future loss. Losses may be of several kinds - the commonest being the loss of something that has material value. The next level of loss may be, a loss of face, of reputation, of a good name and anticipated humiliation, a loss of someone's affection or love, or the loss of someone's presence in our lives. Feelings of loss, thus, create fears, which in turn trigger anger.

The part of our body where we experience, or actually feel anger is our solar plexus, which is the endocrine area related to our adrenals. It is also known in yoga as the third chakra. In Sanskrit, a chakra means a circle, or a circular movement - and chakras incidentally are energy centers in our bodies, associated with one or another endocrine gland. Generally speaking the solar plexus is the area above the navel, and below the diaphragm. This is where we feel 'yucky' when we are really angry/upset/mad. The solar plexus is the 'seat of empowerment', but also coversely, the 'seat of disempowerment' in our body. Like the two aspects of anything at all, both these emotions are experienced right here. Disempowerment is the direct result of the loss, fear, and anger cycle, until we learn to manage ourselves differently.

I'm often asked, so how do we know if we are coming from an 'authentic place' or not. Well, when we say or do something, and experience a lot of emotion in the solar plexus area, it should be clear to us that we are operating from an 'inauthentic' place. However, when we are true to ourselves, calm, and grounded, with no baggage of emotion, then we are operating from an 'authentic' space. Try it - you'll be amazed at having the experience of being totally in control, voicing what you want to say, with clarity, and power.

Getting better every day :-)!

Kiki ;-)