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READ: Don’t Put Anyone Out Of Your Heart by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:00:37 +0000

The story goes that, at the time of the Buddha, a group of monks wanted to do a quiet retreat away from the crowds of followers, so the Buddha sent them to a glade in the forest where he said they would be undisturbed.

The monks found their way there and settled down to meditate. But what they didn’t know was that this particular glade was inhabited by a gang of tree spirits who were really upset that the monks had come. And when tree spirits get upset they can be extremely scary, ugly, very smelly and unbelievably noisy, ferociously shrieking all over the place. They did everything they could to spook the hermits and make them leave. And it worked. The monks decided they couldn’t possibly meditate with so many disturbances, so they went back to the Buddha and begged him to let them go somewhere else.

But no. Instead, the Buddha taught them a meditation practice of loving kindness, or metta in Sanskrit, which develops loving kindness towards everyone, including yourself and your enemies. And then he sent the monks back to the forest. His famous words were: This is the only protection you will need.

Thinking the Buddha must be mad the monks reluctantly went back to the glade, sat down and began practicing metta. And the tree spirits, who at first were not at all pleased to see them returning, no longer had any affect on them. For all their antics, the monks just kept sitting there, beaming out kindness. Eventually the spirits were won over by the waves of love and compassion emanating from these robed ones and, far from than chasing them away, the same nasty’s that had been so ferocious now became disciples.

The question is, who are the tree spirits? Realistically, they are everything that goes on in our own minds—all the doubts, fears, anger, insecurities, and negative thoughts—that constantly undermine our basic goodness, which is innate in all of us. And the point the Buddha was making is that loving kindness—metta–has the capacity to overcome all manner of inner monsters and ghouls and lead us to a true heart opening. Metta is the act of extending our love, kindness and friendship equally towards all beings, proving that love is more powerful than any negative force. Rather than trying to deal with negativity, we cultivate the opposite; seeing and knowing pain, we bring caring and kindness.

We know this sounds so easy: just be kind and loving, how great, what a cool idea. But in practice it’s not always so simple, such as when someone says or does something that is personally critical, derogatory or hurtful. Can metta still flow when the ego-mind is upset? By focusing on loving kindness as a way of living, it shows us all those places that are bound in ego and selfishness; it brings us up against our limitations and boundaries. Where do we meet our edge? Where is our capacity to step over the edge into greater kindness? How genuine is our ability to be altruistic in a difficult situation?

We remember talking with our friend Ram Dass at the time of the Clinton/Dole election. He told us how he had a picture of Bob Dole on his meditation altar as: “Dole needs the most love and compassion as he is the one being so vilified.”

In that act, Ram Dass was practicing true metta. It was an important reminder not to cast anyone out of our hearts, for in the process we are casting out ourselves. If we feel affected by someone being dismissive, critical or hurtful, it is invariably because there is a hook in us for that negativity to grab hold of, a place where it can land and trigger all our hidden feelings of unworthiness, insecurity, and self-doubt.

However, when we extend metta toward someone we are having a hard time with, an extraordinary thing happens: the landing place, or the hook within, begins to dissolve. Then the negativity has no place to go. Metta asks that we stay caring, that we keep our heart open to the situation we are struggling with and all the accompanying annoyance and anger, and hold ourselves with gentle tenderness. Then amazing change is possible.

5 minute Loving Kindness Meditation

Begin by breathing into you’re the area of your heart, softening and relaxing with the in-breath, letting go of tension on the out-breath. Hold your name or an image of yourself in your heart and silently repeat: May I be well, may I be happy, may I be filled with loving kindness.

Next, wish all beings be well, wish all beings be happy. If at work you can spend a few moments repeating the names of people you work with and wishing them happiness and joy. On your way home from work reflect on your day and generate loving thoughts to those you meet. At night, think of your family and friends and wish them wellness and happiness: May they be well, may they be happy, may they be filled with loving kindness.

Finish by taking a few deep breaths and slowly opening your eyes, nad have a smile on your face!

****

See our award-winning book: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Jack Kornfield, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Byrone Katie, Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, and many others.

If there is one book you read about meditation Be The Change should be the one. Hear about some of the cool people who are doing it and why you should do it too. – Sharon Gannon, founder Jivamukti Yoga.

Our 3 meditation CD’s: Metta—Loving kindness and Forgiveness; Samadhi–Breath Awareness and Insight; and Yoga Nidra–Inner Conscious Relaxation, are available at: www.EdandDebShapiro.com

Ed and Deb Shapiro are the authors of BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You And The World, with forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman and Winner of the 2010 Nautilus Gold Book Award. Deb is the author of the bestselling book, YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, winner of the 2007 Visionary Book Award. They are featured bloggers on Oprah.com/spirit, HuffingtonPost.com/Living, and Care2.com. They have 3 meditation CD’s: Metta — Loving Kindness and Forgiveness; Samadhi – Breath Awareness and Insight; and Yoga Nidra – Inner Conscious Relaxation. See: www.EdandDebShapiro.com

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

Does Your Relationship Ever Get You Down? by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Technorati Tags: appreciation, gratitude, Happiness, inspiration, love, Meditation, personal development, Personal Growth, self-discovery, Spirituality

READ: To Forgive But Not Forget by By Allan Lokos

Allan Lokos — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:43:28 +0000

“To forgive does not necessarily mean to forget. Sometimes to forget is not wise, but to forgive is wise. And it is at times not easy. It can, in fact, be quite challenging. It will come as no surprise that one of the most difficult people to forgive can be yourself. Yet with patience and gentle determination, it can be done.”

We’re going to look at one of the perfection practices known as the paramis (see below). It’s the practice of nekkhamma, which we translate as “renunciation” or “relinquishing.” It means letting go: letting go of material things as well as views, concepts, ideas to which we may have been clinging for years, things that cause us stress, suffering, dukkha.

A simple action that can be helpful in terms of relinquishing is this: on a regular basis—perhaps once or twice a year— choose something to give away. Not some old relic you don’t care about any more, but something you do care about, that has value to you. There’s no need to go overboard by giving away something that will change your lifestyle or will make the kids resent you for the next twenty years. Give away something you like yet are willing to relinquish. During the entire process of selecting and relinquishing, be mindful of your feelings. This can be more challenging than it may at first appear, but it can help us prepare for the day when we must relinquish all that we hold dear.

Now, what about views and concepts? Relinquishing is the ground for practicing “beginner’s mind.” It helps us see things anew, as they really are; to be willing to listen to the thoughts and ideas of others with an open mind. So the relinquishing of thoughts and ideas about which we have been adamant can give us a sense of freedom, joy, and spaciousness. It can feel as if a weight has been taken from our shoulders. However, this also may be easier said than done. We might wonder, “Am I giving up something that I should believe in?” So relinquishing offers an opportunity to look more deeply at our beliefs.

Sometimes we have been holding onto anger or bitterness related to a particular person or event. Something to think about is: What would I have to give up in order to free myself from this bitterness? We might think, “Well, yes, but what he or she did was absolutely unforgiveable.” Consider the possibility, and I am only saying consider the possibility, that maybe nothing is unforgiveable. Maybe there is a way to find forgiveness even for what we have believed for so long to be unforgiveable. Explore this mindfully.

To forgive does not necessarily mean to forget. Sometimes to forget is not wise, but to forgive is wise. And it is at times not easy. It can, in fact, be quite challenging. It will come as no surprise that one of the most difficult people to forgive can be yourself. Yet with patience and gentle determination, it can be done.

Parami (Pali), Paramita (Sanskrit): literally, perfection, or crossing over (to the other shore).

The paramis are practices that can lead one to the perfection of certain virtuous or ennobling qualities. They are practiced as a way of purifying karma and leading the practitioner on a path to enlightenment. In the Theravada tradition, the ten paramis are dana (generosity), sila (morality), nekkhamma (relinquishing), panna (wisdom), viriya (effort), khanti (patience), sacca (truthfulness), adhitthana (determination), metta (lovingkindness), upekkha (equanimity). In the Mahayana there are six paramitas: generosity, morality, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom.

It is interesting to note that the parami of generosity comes first, before the other practices, even morality. Some commentators suggest that the list begins with the easiest practice and becomes progressively more challenging. Another view is that until one sees the interconnected nature of phenomena and has a heart open to the needs of all beings, the other paramis can remain beyond reach. With practice, the virtuous qualities become stronger and support one another. Generosity supports relinquishing, which supports morality, which supports truthfulness, which supports wisdom, which supports equanimity, and so forth.

The paramis are seen as the heart of our true nature but greed, hatred, and delusion cause them to become somewhat blurred. Practicing the paramis is said to help us see in a different, more beneficial way. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “These deeds, called the perfections, constitute the essential and comprehensive path to enlightenment, combining method and wisdom.” Thus the paramis are important practices for one who seeks to become an awakened being and to end the cycle of samsara, or cyclic existence. The key point to remember is that the paramis are offered not as philosophy but as practices. To be effective, practices need to be practiced.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALLAN LOKOS is the founder and guiding teacher of The Community Meditation Center in New York City. He is the author of Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living and Pocket Peace: Effective Practices for Enlightened Living. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Tricycle magazine, The Huffington Post, Beliefnet, Back Stage newspaper, and the anthology, Audacious Creativity. He has taught at Columbia University Teachers College, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Marymount College, The Rubin Museum, New York Insight Meditation Center, The New York Open Center, Tibet House USA, and Insight Meditation Community of Washington. http://www.cmcnewyork.org/

READ: Does Your Relationship Ever Get You Down? by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:51:06 +0000

Shortly after we were married we went to India and spent our honeymoon in monasteries and ashrams. We also had a private meeting with the Dalai Lama at his residence in McLeod Ganj, in the foothills of the Himalayas. As Ed recalls: After some thirty minutes of talking with him I was feeling so moved by this gentle and loving man that I didn’t want to leave! I was completely in love with this delightful being. He was so ordinary, sitting between us and holding our hands. Finally, I said to him, ‘I don’t want to leave! I just want to stay here with you!’ I knew he would understand my sincerity and would say yes, how wonderful, I can see you are ready for the teachings. But, instead, he just smiled and said, ‘If we were together all the time we would quarrel!’

So relax, if the Dalai Lama can quarrel, so can we! Inevitably there are going to be times when relationship is not easy, when differences collide, when egos clash, when my needs seem more important than yours, or when your needs are not being met. For relationship creates untold problems. Sitting in solitary bliss with our hearts wide open and love pouring out of us towards all beings is relatively easy, but as soon as we come in direct contact with another person everything changes. Our ability to stay open and loving, our selflessness and generosity, all this and more is immediately confronted by someone else’s own wants and needs, by their capacity to accept and love or not.

Relationship is not just an integral part of being alive, it is also the most vital and challenging teacher we can ever have. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, If you can make friends with one person, you can make friends with the world.

Difficulties in relationship show us the many ways our ego-selves try to be right, which can be a cause for either conflict or laughter. Once we were sharing some of our marriage issues with our meditation teacher, and he looked at us quite puzzled. ‘Why not just laugh?’ he suggested. And he was right. Laughter really is the best medicine. When we see the absurdity of two ego’s knocking heads and trying to outwit each other it is very amusing. So often a disagreement is about seeing the same thing in two different ways: one sees a white ceiling, the other sees a flat ceiling, but it’s the same ceiling!

Sometimes, it can be healthy to have a good quarrel, if we can then just let it go and come back to loving. There are bound to be times of flow and times of discord but we don’t need to hold on to either. Difficulties arise because we cling to our own opinion as being the right one and it’s this holding on, with the ensuing shame, blame and hostile silences, that causes so many problems.

In fact, those people we have a difficult time with are really our teachers. For without an adversary—or those who trigger strong reactions such as annoyance and anger—we would not have the stimulus to develop loving kindness and compassion. So we can actually thank our exasperating relationships for the chance to practice patience. What a gift!

We are not alone here, each one of us—both directly and indirectly—affect each other; everyone and everything is dependent on everything else. As Mother Theresa reminds us: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.

*****

See our award-winning book:BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Edgar Mitchell, Jack Kabat-Zinn, Byrone Katie, Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, and many others.

Deb is the author of the award-winning YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness.

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

As we think so we become by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Most of us tend to think of our bodies and minds as separate entities and treat them as such: we feed and water our body, take it for walks and give it exercise; we feed our mind with ideas and amuse ourselves with various kinds of entertainment. If anything goes wrong we go to someone to sort it out, such as a doctor to fix our body or a therapist to treat our mind, Read On…

LOVING A WABI SABI SLOPPY JOE by Arielle Ford

Even though Diane truly loved Jerry (her husband who is 20 years her senior), she was confronted on a daily basis with something about him she found very hard to embrace: his passion for poppy seed bagels. Since childhood, Jerry has had a love affair with poppy seed bagels. In fact, he enthusiastically devours one nearly every day. Jerry’s slices and toasts his bagel, then takes it into, Read On…

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READ: Walking On The Moon And Moments That Change Your Life Forever

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:01:17 +0000

Imagine walking on the moon and then returning to earth in Apollo 14? That’s what Edgar Mitchell, the 6^th astronaut to walk on the moon, talked to us about for our radio show and in our book, Be The Change. Few of us ever get to see the earth from outer space, but it was entering the vastness of space that led Mitchell to a deep, personal transformation, one of those moments that change us forever: unexpected and unlooked-for moments that take us out of our normal, rational selves and offer us a glimpse into another dimension of reality.

“We were coming home after being on the moon. As we rotated, a 360-degree panorama of the heavens appeared in the spacecraft window every two minutes. As my job had been the landing craft on the moon, I could now sit back and enjoy the view. I became immersed in the vastness of space. Suddenly, I realized the connectedness of everything, like the ancient mystics all said, and it was accompanied by this feeling of ecstasy, an overwhelming experience that I had never had before.”

Having a glimpse of a different reality can have the effect of turning us inward, as if the outer world loses its relevance while the inner world becomes alive and vibrant. As Mitchell continues:

” I wanted to know what had happened in that transcendent experience so when I got back to earth I started talking with Eastern mystics and holy men, and with spiritual people from all over the world. I studied virtually all the meditation disciplines and techniques and practices that there are. The only answer I came to was that I was in resonance, a deep quantum resonance with the ground of my being. A theologian would say the ground of our being is God; I would say it is a field of infinite energy and potential and that when we have such experiences we are in quantum resonance with that deep reality. And when we get in resonance with that reality, we have this feeling of deep peace and the sense that everything is really okay.”

Such transcended moments can take the form of dissolving our sense of being a separate self. For Deb’s mother, it occurred when she was washing the dishes and heard the sound of a wild bird’s song; in that moment, she became the sound and lost any sense of being apart from it. For Deb, it occurred when a worm crawled over her foot: “I was barefoot and had been walking slowly and meditatively across the grass. I had stopped and was standing very still and silent when this worm crawled out of the earth and traveled across my foot before disappearing back into the grass. I felt this intense gratitude that it had deemed me safe enough to walk over, and then I suddenly became it, there was no difference or separation between us. I too disappeared into the grass. In that moment I ceased to be a separate, ego-defined human. It changed the way I saw everything.”

Transcendence also awakens our heart to the love that is the essence of all life. Ed had this experience when he was on the ferryboat going from NYC to the Statue of Liberty. It was evening and he was gazing at the starlit sky. “It seemed the sky was clearer than usual with the stars shining brightly. It was if the microcosm became the macrocosm and there was no separation, just one breath. The universe was breathing and I was part of this universal breath, my whole body was breathing along with the whole cosmos. I became breath, and then it all became a bright light. All I could feel was that everything is love. I spun around and in every direction it was love! Within and without was love! Up and down was love! My whole being was blissful love!”

Such moments stay with us; they alter our fundamental awareness and constantly remind us not to take ourselves too seriously, that we are way bigger than we realize, and that that vastness is always available to us.

****

See our award-winning book: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Edgar Mitchell, Jack Kabat-Zinn, Byrone Katie, Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, and many others.

Deb is the author of the award-winning YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness.

Listen to Ed and Deb’s VividLife Radio interview with Edgar Mitchell 6th Man to Walk on the Moon:

Shoot for the Moon with Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, 6th Man to Walk on the Moon

VividLife Radio’s Ed and Deb Shapiro welcome Edgar Mitchell, an American pilot, engineer, astronaut.and the sixth person to walk on the Moon to discuss realization , oneness and walking on the moon. Edgar Mitchell was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970 by President Richard Nixon.

Technorati Tags: appreciation, Grace Ste.Croix, gratitude, Happiness, inspiration, life purpose, love, Meditation, personal development, Personal Growth, self-discovery, Spirituality

LISTEN: Shoot for the Moon with Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, 6th Man to Walk on the Moon

Going Out of Your Mind with Ed and Deb Shapiro — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:38:52 +0000

Ed Mitchell was awarded honorary doctorates from the New Mexico State University, the University of Akron, Carnegie Mellon University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Mitchell’s interests include consciousness and paranormal phenomena. On his way back to earth during the Apollo 14 flight he had a powerful Savikalpa samadhi experience, and also claimed to have conducted private ESP experiments with his friends on Earth. In early 1973, he founded the nonprofit Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) to conduct and sponsor research into areas that mainstream science has found unproductive, including consciousness research and psychic events.

Find more information on Edgar Mitchell visiting http://www.edmitchellapollo14.com/

Listen to more from VividLife Radio on demand:

Robert Thurman ~ The Way to Peace

VividLife Radio hosts Ed and Deb Shapiro welcome Robert Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, and co-founder and President of Tibet House US to discuss The Way Peace, Robert Thurman is personal friend and first American to be ordained a monk by the Dalai Lama and father to Hollywood superstar Uma Thurman

Legendary Artist Petter Max ~ A Magical Life

VividLife Radio hosts Ed and Deb Shapiro welcome the Legendary Artist Peter Max, Pop Culture Icon and one of the most famous living artists of our time, Peter discusses his magical life, history and how meditation has transformed his life. Peter painted the cover of the Beatles Album, Yellow Submarine and most recently painted a portrait of superstar Taylor Swift.

Technorati Tags: Apollo 14, Astronaut. Consciousness, Ed and Deb Shapiro, Edgar Mitchell, inspiration, Meditation, oneness, vivid life

READ: How Do You Deal With Burnt Toast? by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:43:09 +0000

We were with Deb’s mother, Anne Bancroft, in England. On the third day we were invited for tea at the House of Lord’s (more of that below) and were preparing to catch a train to London. In a bit of a rush we were quickly downing breakfast when the toast got burnt. We watched in amusement as Anne took a deep breath and said, “Oh dear, burnt toast,” calmly tossed it in the trash and put a fresh slice of bread in the toaster.

Few of us usually have such a reaction to burnt toast, especially when we are in a hurry. But Deb’s mom displayed the same attitude of calm acceptance later that day when we were having tea in London. Now, being invited to the House of Lords does not happen every day, but we were there to discuss a meditation project with one of the younger Lords. It is a stunningly beautiful old building, seeped in history and tradition and was a real treat for Ed, who grew up in the Bronx. We sat in the chambers and listened to the debate; we walked through the Queen’s robbing room where her throne sits; and then we went for tea.

Tea in the regal Tea Rooms sounds quintessentially English and we fully expected it to be of good English quality. The room was spectacular, the service was everything we could have wanted, but the cakes were not—they were boring, dry, commercial and cheap—not good Brit fare at all.

Accepting and simply being with what is, is a quality that Deb’s mother has perfected. It showed itself as she delicately ate her most unappetizing chocolate éclair. It is a quality that we can continue to learn in every moment that does not go our way. But, instead, we usually spend most of our time wishing that things were different – whether it is the big things like our partner or job, or the smaller things like the weather, burnt toast, or chocolate éclairs.

When we resist ‘what is’ then we create more suffering for ourselves, as there is a constant, underlying dissatisfaction, otherwise known as the ‘If Only…’ syndrome: if only this, that or the other happened, then I could be happy; if only so-and-so would change his or her behavior / lose weight / find a job, then I could be happy; if only I had more money / a bigger house / went traveling / had a good lover, then I could be happy. We were teaching a workshop and a participant, Mary, said she could only be happy when her children were happy. The list is endless. You can fill in the blank spaces for yourself.

Accepting what is, as it is, does not mean that we are like doormats and get passively walked over by all and sundry. Rather, it means recognizing that what happened even just a second ago can never be changed; it is letting the past be where it is so it does not take over the future.

At the same time we can make changes wherever necessary, working toward a saner and more caring present. This is really being best friends with ourselves and our world, because this is what is. We can either make a song and dance about burnt toast and get even more stressed, or we can take a deep breath and put a fresh slice of bread in the toaster.

****

See our award-winning book: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Jack Kabat-Zinn, Byrone Katie, Jane Fonda, Marianne Williamson, and many others.

Deb is the author of the award-winning YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness.

Read more from VividLife.me Bloggers:

As we think so we become by Ed and Deb Shapiro

The Awakening Man ~ A Portrait of Possibility for Humankind by Jeff Brown

The awakening man is conscious, heartfully defined. Through his eyes, being conscious is not a cerebral construct, nor an intellectual exercise bereft of feeling. It is a felt experience, an ever-expanding awareness that moves from the heart outward. It is feeling God, not thinking God. The new man is always in process, awakening through a deepening interface with the world of feeling. He continues to strive for a more heartfelt and inclusive awareness…

Technorati Tags: appreciation, gratitude, Happiness, inspiration, love, Meditation, personal development, Personal Growth, self-discovery, Spirituality

READ: Meditation Techniques for Beginners – The Easy Way To Start Meditating Today by Robert Taylor

VividLife Editorial — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:06:06 +0000

Meditation techniques for beginners are not as difficult as you may expect. While mastering the art of meditation is a life long journey, meditation is a wonderful experience that will change your life in so many different ways. If you are new to meditation or struggling to silence your conscious mind and enter into complete relaxation, these meditation techniques for beginners will set you on the right path.

Meditation can help treat depression, stress and anxiety leaving you with inner peace without the use of dangerous drugs and treatment. Modern science has helped this ancient practice of meditation with the introduction of binaural beats and sounds.

Simple Meditation Techniques for Beginners

Focused Breathing:

This exercise is one of the easiest meditation techniques for beginners to master. This techniques is based on the sound and feeling of your breathing. Find a quite place where you will not be distracted. Lay down or sit on a chair, whatever is most comfortable for you and close your eyes.
Once you are completely comfortable starting focusing on the sound of your breathing. Try and keep your breathing at a constant pace. Focus on the sound of your breathing and the air entering and leaving your body. You may find that you will begin to have random thoughts pop into your head, don’t stress, simply brush them aside by returning your attention to your breathing.

Silencing your conscious mind from all the daily stress, worries and fears is your goal. You may begin to notice that your body is becoming lighter, your muscles relaxing and feeling tingling sensations across your body, this is perfectly natural. Let this relaxing feeling spread across your body until it takes you over completely. If may feel strange but you may begin to feel slightly euphoric, a true sign you are entering deep into meditation.

The Best Meditation Techniques for Beginners:

Binaural Beats:

By far the most effective method to enter into deep meditation fast is using binaural beats. Binaural beats are sounds that effect your brain waves that are responsible for relaxation. By listening to these sounds you can quickly get into a meditative state fast.

These meditation techniques for beginners have become the most popular and effective methods to remove the frustration and struggle most face when trying to meditate.

Simply put on the audio with a set of headphones and you will quickly enter into a state of complete relaxation and bliss. Binaural beats are extremely effective and only require you to sit or lay in a quite place.

Download a FREE 10 minute demo that will leave you feeling mentally refreshed and psychically relaxed within minutes.

Robert Taylor - About the Author:

Discover meditation techniques for beginners easily with the help of binaural beats and sounds. Learn how to quickly melt away stress, anxiety and start feeling refreshed and rejuvenated within minutes today.

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Stress is not what you think by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ironically, the holiday season can be most stressful time of the year. Imagine you are trying to squeeze some toothpaste out of a tube but you have forgotten to take the top off. What happens? Deb actually did this in one of her most unaware moments and the toothpaste soon found another way out through the bottom of the tube and got all over her. It will force a hole in the side or wherever is the weakest point.

How to Express Emotions in a Conscious Way by Sarita

Human emotions are an inherent part of being alive. We may try to control them, repress them or manipulate them in some way. In spite of this, they are ever present in many unpredictable ways. Emotions are a tremendous blessing if we can understand and learn from them. In a sense, they are like weather, changeable and sometimes volatile, yet ultimately seeking a dynamic balance in our life and

Technorati Tags: anxiety, consciousness, depression, inspiration, Meditation, meditation for beginners, Robert Taylor, silence, stress, vivid life

READ: No One Has Any Idea What Will Happen Next by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:11:28 +0000

A new year has a very special effect: it makes us feel like we have the chance to start over, to do things right this time, to make amends, to become the person we really know we can be. Hence all those resolutions made with such determination.

So why does it take a new year to make us feel like this? Why is it that for 364 days we live with regret, doubt, holding on to what we did wrong and wishing we hadn’t, or dreaming of a future that can never happen because it doesn’t exist?

No matter how hard we would like to, there’s one thing we can never do and that’s change the past. We can weep, beat our fists against the wall, even eat bars of chocolate to assuage the guilt, but it won’t make the slightest bit of difference and won’t make us feel any better. The past is gone, over, no more, done.

Continuing to wish that our actions or words had been different means we’re really not in the present but are living in what-could-have-been or what-might-have-been or if-only. If the past is too painful or even too boring then we switch over to the future, that place of infinite potential that we want to believe could be real, like wishful thinking or a daydream. We live in what-might-be or what-could-be.

Of course we can learn from the past. Often the most painful experience turns out to be our best teacher; we can be grateful as the experience taught us so much. Memories can be like comfortable old shoes we are reluctant to part with. We can certainly put them on now and then, but we don’t have to hang out in them on a permanent basis.

Instead we can change our attitude toward what happened. Fully accepting that the past is irreversible and the future does not exist means we can actually just be in the present moment. Finally we can be here and now. Wow! What a relief! What a revelation!

Today is a very special day. It has never happened before and it will never happen again. And we have no idea what will come next. The greatest wonder is never being able to know what will happen next. No matter how hard we try, the future will always be ahead of us.

So what a great time just to be here now! The perfect day to let the past rest where it is and let the future take care of itself. As is every day. To experience just this moment, to pay attention to the colors, sounds, smells and sensations. To pay attention to our feelings, to other people’s feelings, and to make this day, this week, this month, and this year, one of beauty and tenderness.

******

See our award-winning book: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Jack Kornfield, Gangaji, Jane Fonda, Ram Dass, Byron Katie, and others.

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

Preparing for 2012 by Panache Desai

As the calendar year winds down you are presented an opportunity to reflect upon the events of 2011 with your heart, the ultimate barometer for feeling into every experience rather than evaluating the outcomes of the past 12 months through the limitations of your mind…

You are Sacred Purpose by Jeff Brown

You are not your shame, your fears, your addictions, your games, your guilt, the internalized remnants of negative messaging… You are not your resistance to your true path … You are not your self-doubt… You are not your self-distraction patterns. You are not your escape hatches… you are not your pessimism about a life of meaning and purpose. You are not here merely to survive and …

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READ: Mindful Living ~ Celebrating with Mindfulness by Jacquelyn O’Brien

Jacquelyn — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:34:49 +0000

This is a time of year for celebration and togetherness, a time to remember that we are all one. A time of gathering in, of spending time with loved ones and staying warm. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Hogmanay or something else, hopefully you are with people that you love.

It’s also a time of ritual; some religious, some social. For example, most of us will be enjoying at least one special meal with family and friends. Eating together is a core part of our society and it’s also an opportunity for mindfulness.

Many traditions encourage us to eat mindfully but I’d like to share with you five food contemplations for families from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Engaged Buddhism tradition. This is something we read before each family meal.

This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, the rain and the sun.
We thank the people who have made this food, especially the farmers, the people at the market and the cooks.
We only put on our plate as much food as we can eat.
We want to chew the food slowly so that we can enjoy it.
We want to eat in a way that nurtures our compassion, protects other species and the environment and reverses global warming.
This food gives us energy to practice being more loving and understanding.
We eat this food in order to be healthy and happy and to love each other as a family.

Thich Nhat Hanh

You might like to try reading this before enjoying your meal. Eat each bite slowly and mindfully and try to be fully present to those who are sharing the meal. Just for fun, here’s a video of my own ‘little Buddha’ reading the contemplations.

The Five Family Food Contemplations

Thank you for reading. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and connection.

Namaste,

jacquelyn

Jacquelyn is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher and Reiki Level Two practitioner. Yoga has helped her to overcome paralyzing fears and chronic pain and find her true purpose in life. Her focus is on encouraging those around her to have patience, kindness and compassion for themselves and the courage to stand, fearless, in their own light. Jacquelyn has studied meditation and mindfulness in the Shambhala tradition and with Thich Nhat Hanh. She teaches Gentle Yoga, Chakra Flow Yoga, EMpower Yoga, Beginners Yoga, Power Yoga, Learn to Meditate and a variety of workshops.

www.balancedlifeyoga.ca

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READ: Lessons From Santa by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ed and Deb Shapiro — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:18:16 +0000

Whether Santa is real or not really doesn’t matter, as he has been endowed with some remarkable qualities that we can all learn from. In fact, in many ways, he is better able to show us true spirituality than even the average guru!

1. He asks us to be good. Which is significant considering many of us so often act selfishly and greedily. By being good he means being kind, being generous, kind, considerate and thoughtful.

2. He gives to everyone, whoever and wherever they are, all at pretty much the same time. And he does it without asking for anything in return (except for the odd glass of milk and a few cookies). This indicates he has a truly generous heart, one that takes great joy in giving without needing to receive. Which is a very important lesson, as giving with no expectation of getting is the quickest route to happiness. Through giving to others, a la Santa, we get away from selfishness and neediness.

Yet he does not give blindly. Rather he considers what is the most appropriate gift for each. This shows great discernment. Too often we give without thinking — like giving candy to a starving child when what they need is food — so here Santa shows us how giving also needs wisdom in order to be of most benefit.

3. He listens to our requests and reads our letters. Meaning that he takes the time to hear and pay attention, which we could all do a lot more of. How often do we really listen to someone without judging them, or without imposing our own thoughts on them, or telling them what we think is right for them?

4. He has great psychic powers: he flies in the sky with reindeer, descends chimneys without getting covered in soot, he goes by many names and forms, and is extraordinarily elusive. Has anyone actually ever seen him? The lesson here is that we can all do more than we think we can, and we don’t need to be applauded. We can practice random acts of kindness quietly, simply, without bringing attention to ourselves.

5. He’s filled with joy and lifts our spirits at the darkest time. And we can do the same for each other. No need to spread doom and gloom, no need to focus on what is wrong with ourselves or the world. By focusing on what is good we not only bring a lightness of spirit to others, we also get to feel great ourselves.

6. He knows where we live. In other words, he is inside every one of us. Santa is our true, authentic self that is there when we let go of our ego-centered needs.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill

Happy Holidays and Happy Giving!

******

Deb is the author of the award-winning YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness.

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Winter Solstice and the holidays by Pragito Dove

The winter solstice, December 22^nd, has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years. As the shortest day/longest night of the year, this start of the solar year is a celebration of light and the rebirth of the Sun. We have all completed one more official journey around the Sun. Many of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with the Solstice have survived into the 21^stcentury so let’s see how we can join in this ancient celebration to bring love, light, joy and meaning to this season.

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