3 Simple Meditation Techniques
August 17, 2010 by Ian Paul Marshall
Filed under Growth, personal development, • Headline
“Practice meditation regularly. Meditation leads to eternal bliss. Therefore meditate, meditate.”
~ Swami Sivananda
Life is so busy. It seems like we’re dashing from one place to the next all the time. So how can anyone find the time to work even five minutes of meditation into their lives?
Well you can work with the busyness of life.
Trying to find ways to sneak meditation in there when you can.
Below you’ll find three simple mediation techniques that are fun to do, easy to learn, and are quick to finish but will have a big impact on your life.
Body Breathing Meditation Technique
This technique is exactly as it sounds, it’s a body breathing exercise. The benefits are, peace, healing, and overall body awareness.
- Lie down on your back in corpse pose
- Focus on your breathing. In out. In out. In out.
- Now imagine your whole body is breathing.
- Every pore on your body is breathing in and out.
- Now realize that the breath, the air, is really the vehicle for the energy.
- So with every breath you are actually drawing in energy to you.
- Filling you up with life, love, and light.
- Keep doing this until you hit a stillpoint.
- You will know when you have reached it.
Hot Healing Hands Meditation
- Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor
- Rubs hands together to warm them up
- Bring hands together in prayer position in front of your chest
- Breath in and out imagining that the light of source is flowing into your crown chakra
- Direct the energy and awareness to the tips of your middle fingers
- Maintain for 5mins
- Release energy into the world or place hands on areas of your body that feel tense of uncomfortable
- Focus on your breathing while you do so
- A good mantra for this is “I AM THE LIGHT. REMEMBER THE LIGHT”
Hello God – All Day Meditation
This meditation is great. I love doing it while walking down the street. Anytime and anywhere that you are you can perform this mediation.
- Whenever you see someone, walk by someone, sit beside someone think to yourself that you are sitting, walking, or looking at God.
- And in your mind say, “I Love You God.” or “Hello God”
This is a fantastic practice that is easily done all throughout the day. It is a humbling experience that can easily unlock the love and compassion that longs to be shared with the world.
Be Inspirational!
Ian
Gratitude and Victimhood Can’t Co-Exist
August 17, 2010 by Mike Robbins
Filed under Spirit, personal development, • Feature
How often to you feel like a victim? If you’re anything like me, probably more often than you’d like to admit. Although I usually pretend to be too “evolved” to play the role of victim in my life, I do catch myself at times feeling, thinking, and talking in that old, familiar, “oh poor me” kind of way. Can you relate?
I remember one of my mentors telling me years ago, “Mike, you can’t simultaneously be grateful and victimized.”
The more I reflect on this piece of profound wisdom, the more I realize how true it is. Whenever I find myself feeling as though “It’s not fair,” or wondering “Why is this happening to me?” – I notice that I’m not at all in touch with anything I’m grateful for in those moments. On the flip side, when I take the time to focus on what I appreciate about myself, those around me, my life, and/or life in general – it’s almost impossible for me to experience victimhood at the same time.
I got a wonderful email recently which exemplified this power of gratitude over victimization. Here’s the note (with permission from the man who sent it to me):
Hey Mike,
I just finished reading your book Focus on the Good Stuff and I had a breakthrough that I wanted to share with you.
I’ve never been a good sleeper. For the past 17 years I’ve had to medicate myself to fall asleep. On a good night I wake up once; on an average night, two maybe, three times. I’ve done all the things you’re supposed to do to encourage better sleeping habits. Some nights when I wake up after 3 AM, that’s it, I’m done. I can’t will myself back to sleep – my day starts at 5 AM with a morning trip to the gym – which then makes for a very long day.
Now for the good stuff…One night several weeks ago I lay awake in the middle of the night. I tossed and turned and started to fret about not being able to get back to sleep. On my night table I saw your book which I had been reading earlier in the evening and I reflected on a couple of themes – appreciate myself and be grateful – and I started to think about what those meant to me. (new paragraph)
I lay there and made a mental list of all the things in my life that I was grateful for, and in no time at all I was fast asleep. No longer worried about what would happen if I woke up in the middle of the night, the next night when I awoke I made a mental list of all the things I appreciated about myself. It was easier than I thought and soon I was asleep with a smile on my face.
While I’m not quite ready to give up my sleeping pills yet, I’ve been able to shift my head space when I wake in the middle of the night. So my new approach is not to stress about why I’m not sleeping but to reflect on all the things that I’m grateful for or what I appreciate about myself.
Three weeks later, it’s been working like a charm – I’m sleeping better and I feel better in the morning.
I don’t know if I will be able to stop with the sleeping aid but waking up in the middle of the night is a whole lot more pleasant.
Sleeping easier…with gratitude,
Ian
What a great email, eh? Instead of feeling like a victim for his sleeping issue, Ian has chosen to use his wake-ups as an opportunity to practice being grateful. Not only is he deepening his capacity for gratitude and appreciation, but it sounds like he’s suffering and worrying a lot less, and ultimately sleeping better…how cool! Gratitude is powerful!
Here are a few things for you to think about and do, in order to expand your own capacity for gratitude in the face of situations, relationships, and circumstances which may have you currently feeling like a victim.
1) Notice where you feel victimized. Where do you feel like a victim in your life right now? Maybe you have a big issue or challenge related to your health, finances, work situation, love life, or family. Maybe there are some smaller “annoyances” in your life – sitting in traffic, waiting in line, dealing with difficult people, etc. – that leave you feeling a bit victimized. Take some honest inventory, without judgment, and notice where you go into victimhood yourself.
2) Ask yourself what you’re grateful for. Asking and answering the question, “What am I grateful for?” is one of the most powerful things we can do, especially when we’re dealing with a challenging situation. Remember, appreciating something or being grateful for it doesn’t necessarily mean you “like” or “agree” with it – it simply means you recognize the value of it. When we can acknowledge the value of something, even and especially when it’s painful or difficult, we take back our power from it and tap into some of its positive influence in our lives. Choosing to be grateful for the specific things we’re challenged by is one of the best ways we can transform these situations and our lives.
3) Think about, feel, and express what you’re grateful for. Gratitude is a wonderful concept and a transformative practice. Most of us know the importance of being grateful, but we can only benefit from it when we experience our gratitude. We can’t be grateful in theory (or in the past or the future), we can only be grateful NOW. Whether we choose to find the silver lining in difficult circumstances, use the situation (as Ian did) as a opportunity to focus on some of the things we appreciate about life, or simply remember to focus on what we’re grateful for at random times during the course of our day – gratitude is one of the most life-altering emotions we can tap into and experience as human beings. And, the great news is that we have access to gratitude any time we choose.
The Teacher Appears When You’re Ready to Learn
August 17, 2010 by Jenn Royster
Filed under energy healing, personal development, • Feature
I recently had a client in the office that had been struggling with life’s transitions. Her heart was discouraged and she had spent many months, even years attempting to release the pain. My heart was filled with joy when I received an email and pictures from her with the following experience.
This story is one of inspiration and Divine support when you are truly present in your journey. All we need to do is allow and put the effort into our growth.
(The following story is true and the name has been changed to respect privacy.)
Susan had been struggling with life’s transitions in her personal life to the point of frustration and discouragement. She decided to come in for a Spiritual and Energy Healing Session the day before her birthday. She had been several times before. Each time, feeling better but not quite where she wanted to be.
Susan had a strong urge to go to the beach on the morning of her birthday and watch the sunrise. In spite of living near the beach most of her life, this would be her first sunrise.
She was well on her way to the beach when she realized she didn’t have her sunglasses. Everyone knows that sunglasses are necessary on a bright sunny day at the beach!
Susan looked for them in their customary place, since they were not there, she assumed they must be in the car, and left for the beach.
She pondered in self refection for a moment and thought, “ Because I had decided there were only two options, I didn’t take a quick glance around to see if they were at the house. If I had, I would have seen that they were 6 inches from where I was putting on my shoes.”
When she got in her car, she didn’t look for them until halfway into the drive. Realizing they weren’t there, she knew she wasn’t going back for them. She immediately thought of her straw hat and knew that would be a sufficient substitute.
Then she started thinking about the idea of options, and how she had limited her options to one of two possibilities. She was not open to the idea of more options! As a result, she missed out on having her sunglasses with her.
She started to think about this concept in relation to her life as a whole and how she often decreed what the possibilities are with a person, situation, etc. and determine that if isn’t A, then it must be B, without allowing for the notion of C through infinity for possibilities.
Then she realized how her thought process was limiting her in a very simple, straightforward, practical way. Susan saw that this is something she wanted to change. Then she said, out loud, “Thank you for the lesson and I appreciate it very much.” Then she thought to herself, “I really wish I had my sunglasses!”
A beautiful sunrise was waiting when she arrived at the beach. She sat down in her beach chair for a while, then dove into the ocean and swam with the dolphins. It was wonderful! While she was swimming, She saw a woman walking her dog. Other than that, there was no one else on the beach.
She left the water and walked over to her chair and as she got closer, she stopped dead in her tracks. Laying in the sand, a few inches from her chair, was a pair of sunglasses!
She stood there for a while just staring at them, and then walked away from them. She wrapped herself in a towel, and stood at the water’s edge.
Susan thought to herself, “They look very similar to my own glasses which are a bit unusual in style. My lens don’t go all the way to the sides of the frame, there is a small gap between them, and I have never seen another pair like mine, but these have the same gap, the similar frame shape & color. I find that really interesting and have no explanation for it.”
Although her heart knew that she was just given a gift of encouragement to continue to think in the way she did regarding options, and the lesson learned, it also taught her to trust, and have faith in the energy of the universe.
Her mind started searching for another answer. She saw the lady with the dog coming back and thought maybe she had dropped them. But, she didn’t. They were for her.
Tangible and irrefutable in their existence & sudden appearance. Just what my rational brain can’t explain away. It was a good day!
Susan expressed to me that she feels different now, and believes it is a result of the energy and spiritual session work, and the enormous surge in trust that the experience on the beach gave to her.
Susan’s story is simple, yet powerful, and the personal growth for this young woman was tremendous. Divine universal love can reach us in the most unique ways, if we are willing, the teacher will appear, even if it is a pair of sunglasses.
Get Inspired and Reach Your Goals
What are some of your bigger goals or dreams that are sitting on the shelf because life has gotten too busy for you to even think about them?
You might be thinking, “I will get to them next month, next year.” Well, we know how that goes.
The year passes you by and those desires are still sitting on the shelf, collecting dust. Then the frustration begins to creep in because there is a deep longing inside you to bring these dreams to life.
Here are a few suggestions to get the momentum going while continuing to live your day-to-day life:
Week One: Clarify what you really want. Nothing will happen until you get clear about your goals. Find 30 minutes of private time during one day this week and take out a pad of paper to do some creative scribbling, drawing or journaling about what you would like to see unfold. Maybe you would like to take a trip to Portugal, learn another language, plant an herb garden, write a book or remodel your bathroom. Perhaps a lifestyle uplift by taking more alone time for yourself, or beginning an exercise program.
Week Two: What are the large steps that need to happen to reach your goal? If it is to plan a trip, write down all the steps involved, such as research on flights, hotels, travel sites you are interested in. If you want to write a book but don’t know where to start, maybe the first thing you need to do is to read a book about writing a book. If you want to plant a garden, but you’re not sure what you would like it to consist of, one of your large steps (I call these Mile Steps) would be to spend some time researching plants or flowers. You aren’t actually doing any of this work yet, you are merely writing these steps down. By seeing your large goals broken down into smaller steps, they are much more palatable and easier to swallow.
Week 3: Break it down into daily action steps. Take your Mile Steps from week two and break each one down into small increments. For instance, take your garden research and break it down into 10 minute increments per day. I call these Mini Feats, or small steps of accomplishment. Read your ‘how to’ book for 10 minutes each day. Try doing three Mini Feats per day toward your larger goal, and by the end of the week you are at least 15 steps closer to attaining it. If you say you don’t have 30 minutes somewhere in your day, I have to reply, “I don’t believe you!” Wake up 20 minutes earlier, take 10 minutes during lunch, watch one less football game during the day … I could go on.
Week 4 and on … Make sure you write down your three Mini Feats for each day and give them a time, like an appointment. This way you will be much more committed to making them happen. For more momentum, plan your Mini Feat’s the Sunday of each week. You will be that much closer to your dream by the following Saturday! You don’t want to look back in 10 years and realize that you’re still at the same place in your life then as now. Even if you love your life now, growth is a necessary part of your involvement on this planet. Every single day of your life is precious. Embrace it, and those you love, to the fullest.
A Buddhist Tale? Lindsay, Bristol and Mel
August 17, 2010 by Janice Taylor
Filed under Growth, • Feature
Just as I was ‘getting’ and ‘living’ the Buddhist principle of “Right Speech,” the third of the eight path factors in the Noble Eightfold Path, along come Lindsay, Bristol and Mel.
Just as I was beginning to ingest the tenants of Sufi speech …
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind? … Along come Lindsay, Bristol and Mel…
And I am pulled in, hopelessly and dramatically sucked in. Impulsively and hastily, I post the US Weekly link on my Facebook page – making sure that all my peeps are in the know.
I try my best to pay attention to Judy Woodruff’s smart words on the PBS NewsHour, but for Gawd’s sake, never mind that the world is ending, what about Bristol and Levi? Nothing about Lindsay or Mel?
I frantically surf the channels seeking the latest reports. Perhaps The Insider will shed some new light on the topic. How about Entertainment Tonight? No? It’s the same story over and over again. Mary Hart, Mary Hart, you have let me down!
No new news, but YAY, alas something new to look at! Might Kathy Griffin’s youtube video provide an alternative view, a new perspective on the matters at hand? Will she be crushed and inconsolable? After all she and Levi dated! But alas, she wisely uses the opportunity to plug her book and TV show.
Depleted, exhausted, I flop on my bed and stare at the ceiling and reflect on all the time I’ve spent (or wasted) on this unholy trilogy.
What is it about Lindsay, Mel and Bristol that makes them oh so irresistible?
Is it just ’cause they’re pretty? There’s something to be said for eye candy. Outstanding – the lot of them. And Bristol – OMG -times three! Have you ever seen a prettier family then Bristol, Levi and Little Tripp?
What about the mother/daughter angle? Come on – confess! Wouldn’t you have wanted to be a fly on that wall when the US Weekly story broke? Supposing it were true, and Sarah Palin didn’t know that Bristol and Levi were back together again. Wow! This mother/daughter team trumps Lindsay and her mom, Dina, by a mile!
Are we sucked in and totally fascinated, because we knew them when? Could there be anyone cuter, more adorable or freckled times two, then Lindsay playing both Hallie and Annie in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap? So sweet. So cute. Where’d that Lindsay go? Did she ever exist?
And OMG, how about Mel starring as Tim? Tim was simple with heart. And – OMG – let’s not forget Mel as Braveheart. Do you remember the deep love and devotion he had for his dead wife, murdered by those heathens? It’s just too incongruous with the real Mel to deal with. Could he be so different?
Can I stop watching? For the moment, yes. And, I am doing my best to eliminate OMG from my vocabulary. I am ready to return to right speech, in all manners of speaking.
What this article true? There were no falsehoods.
Was it necessary? If you want to be kind, you could say that I needed to confess my obsession with pop culture and it was useful, because now you can too. Confess and move on!
Was it kind? I didn’t say anything mean, did I?
What’s your take?
Spread the word … NOT the icing,
Janice
For the best wellness & weight loss wisdom,
visit Janice: Our Lady of Weight Loss, home of the Kick in the Tush Club
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