How to Learn Kung Fu Lesson Two: Strength Exercises Tutorial Qi Gong Tra...



In this video our friends over at Energy-cultivation.com show us how we can use simple Kung Fu exercises to increase our strength and reprogram our minds to become more successful and achieve more in our lives using basic martial arts exercises.

Christian Christmas Meditation to achieve true Christmas Spirit



Meditation which originates from Vedic Hinduism is adopted by Eastern religion as one of their religious components. In fact, it became the mainstream of Western culture. Although meditation is considered as a simple language, its description varies in two ways. In western culture, meditation is the state wherein the mind is concentrated on one object forgetting about others. While in eastern culture, meditation is the state wherein the mind is switched off. This means nothing is thought about.

Various spiritual practices are adapted to emphasize quiescence or activity. There are several purposes why meditations are done. It includes improving oneself or concentrating one's mind to God in aspects of improving spirituality. Some practices physical yoga for improving their health and achieve peace.

In Christian traditions, several religious practices are considered as meditations. Lots of these practices are monastic including the Holy Rosary and prayers that focus on Adoration or the Eucharist in Catholic Religion, known as hesychasm in Eastern Orthodoxy. These are similar to Eastern meditation which gives concentration on individual objects.

Meditations in Christians are usually in prayer forms.  Some prayers are primarily made using the intellect upon contemplation of the heavenly mysteries. But meditation or Christian prayer by the heart is a Theosis practice as been defined in the Philokalia. It is because attaining an inner stillness is involved while physical senses are ignored.

Meditation is incorporated by Christians during special occasions including Christmas. Advent recollections in preparation of celebrating the birth of Jesus are conducted.

There are two ways in which meditation is used, the unguided and guided meditation.  A guided meditation is done with guidance throughout the meditation procedure. You can do this within a small group guided by a meditation practitioner such as priest and lay ministers or use meditation DVDs or CDs.

Unguided meditations can also be done within a group but no one speaks. The session is carried out in silence accompanied with meditation music. Some sessions are done in isolated locations with a quiet, peaceful, and natural surrounding. Still nobody speaks. Meditation music is the sound that can be only heard. You can do unguided meditation well after taking several sessions of a guided meditation.

There are several advantages of meditations. Besides it being an inward adventurous journey, it helps you discover yourself. It can increase your inner awareness to see the right path of life. Your consciousness about everything can bring clarity, serenity, and bliss harnessing and sensitizing your mind power.

If you want real transformation and natural qualities nourishment, then meditation is the best option. The meditation techniques are composed of processes for transforming your thoughts, yourself, and recognizing negative thoughts as well as changing those into peaceful and positive thoughts.  Meditation can manage your stress so that your mind can experience a sanctuary of peace and value love in your mind and heart. It neutralizes emotions to achieve bliss and nirvana.  It can make you live longer because mediation creates a platform for a healthier lifestyle.

Christians of all ages can meditate. Learning this practice can help you improve your daily lives and cope up with your environment. If obtain inner peace, then it can lead to world peace. And if meditation can heal oneself, therefore it can also heal the world. This is the true spirit of Christmas.

How to Learn Psychic Kung Fu Qi Gong Lesson One Tutorial for Beginners



Chi is the vital life force that flows through all animate objects. It is a manifestation of your will and interal energies. Similar concepts can be found in almost all cultures of the world. In Japan it is called 'Ki', the Guru's of India call it 'Prana', the Hebrew word for it is 'Rauch' and the ancient Greeks knew it as 'Pneuma'. The ability to focus ones Chi, or Psi, is an important part of developing Psychic powers.

THE HEALING POWER OF MEDITATION



The use of meditation for healing and spiritual enlightenment has been an ancient practice that is common among the world's great religions and cultures. It is an accepted and proven alternative therapy that is classified under “mind-body medicine.”

Through the years, more and more people have found meditation as an effective way to ease chronic pain, improve heart health, relieve stress and anxiety, boost mood and immunity, and resolve pregnancy problems. Even doctors are already prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure; improve exercise performance in people with angina; help people with asthma breathe easier; and to relieve insomnia.  It is a safe and simple way to balance a person's physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

According to cardiologist Herbert Benson, MD: “Any condition that's caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation.”  Benson is the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.   He said that the relaxation induced by meditation can help decrease metabolism, lower blood pressure, and improve heart rate, breathing, and brain waves.  When the body receives a quiet message to relax, tension and tightness begin to seep from muscles.

Brain scans (or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI) of people who meditate have been used to show scientific evidence that meditation really works. It shows an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involving attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.

Meditation is not difficult to learn but it is a skill that needs to be practiced in order to develop the ability to focus on the breathing patterns and the need to ignore distracting thoughts.  Meditation is usually accompanied by a mantra, a word or phrase that is repeatedly chanted to produce a biological response such as relaxation.  The soothing power of repetition is at the heart of meditation.  Constant practice of meditation allows people to learn anddevelop the ability to produce meditative and relaxed states without difficulty. Meditating several times during the day makes the practitioner feel relaxed throughout the entire day.

Benefits of Meditation 
Heart Health: Countless studies have shown that regular practice has significantly helped reduce high blood pressure. A study conducted at the College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa, showed significant lowering of blood pressure and heart rate in black adults.  Another study conducted by the American Journal of Hypertension showed that teenagers who meditated for 15 minutes twice a day for four months were able to lower their blood pressure a few points.
Immune Booster:  In a Psychosomatic Medicine study testing immune function, meditation has bben shown to be useful in warding off illness and infections.  Flu shots were given to volunteers who had meditated for eight weeks and to people who didn't meditate. The result of blood tests from the meditation group had produced higher levels of antibodies against the flu virus.

Women's Health: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), infertility problems, and even breastfeeding can be improved when women meditate regularly. In one study, PMS symptoms subsided by 58% when women meditated. Another study found that hot flashes were less intense among women who practiced meditation.  Women struggling with infertility had much less anxiety, depression and fatigue following a 10-week meditation program; 34 percent became pregnant within six months. Also, new mothers who meditated on images of milk flowing from their breasts were able to more than double their production of milk.

Meditation Enhances Brain Activity
Those who practice meditation regularly showed evidence of significantly higher brain activity, called gamma wave activity, in areas associated with learning and happiness compared with those who didn't practice meditation. Gamma waves involve mental processes including attention, memory, learning and conscious perception.

Many health care providers consider meditation as a key element of an integrated health program.  However, when you are having a hard time getting into that meditative state, try to enroll in a class.  It will help and guide you with your progress.  Any practice that can evoke the relaxation response can be beneficial, be it through meditation, yoga, breathing, or repetitive prayer.  The growing body of research literature on meditation and other alternative therapies gives us no reason to believe that one is better than the other.


Seven Simple Secrets to Successful Meditation

People think that meditation is hard and that you need to be a full time monk to be able to meditate properly.



That’s simply not true.

Absolutely anyone can learn how to meditate quickly and easily. You don't have to go through an elaborate ritual to be able to meditate. Put simply, meditation is way to get in touch with your inner self.

Here are some tips to make your meditation even easier:

1. Choose the right teacher. Whether you are learning meditation with an online course or in a local group, pick a teacher you get on with and one who is teaching the kind of methods you get along with.

2. Learn to relax your body. As a typical tensed up westerner, this may be the biggest skill you need to learn. But once you learn how to relax, you'll find meditation so much easier. By the way, don't stress yourself about learning to relax either!

3. Take it easy. No-one is going to give you a SATS test on meditation. It doesn't matter if you take longer to learn meditation that someone else. It’s absolutely fine if you take your time to learn a technique. Everyone has their own speed of learning.

4. Respect yourself and others. Treat yourself and others respectfully. If you find yourself attracting negative people, change the signals you're sending out (meditating regularly will help with this).

5. Get rid of distractions. Turn off your cell phone while you are meditating. Close down that chat window. Turn off the television (that's good advice anyway, whether for meditating or not).

6. If possible, join a meditation group. Meditation is much more fun in a group and you'll find that others are finding the same learning curve as you are. Groups generate their own energy – the sum of the whole truly is greater than the sum of the parts. Joining a group can widen your circle of friends and can be a booster to your confidence. Depending on the group's aim, you may also learn about different meditation techniques as the group progresses.

7. Simply let go. The word "meditation" means trying to let go. Go with the flow. Allow what is happening to happen. Don't fixate on exactly what your meditation experience should or shouldn't be.


What is Qi Gong - How to use Qi Gong Exercises to improve your life

What is Qi Gong and how can you use it in your daily life to improve your health, fitness and well being? Can anyone do Qi Gong? Is Qi Gong the same thing as Chi Gung? In this short video we take a look at what Qi Gong is all about, the benefits and the different ways you can practice at home. Qi Gong is all about Chi and energy flow. 




Developing Leadership Skills



Leadership, what is it and what is the difference between being a manager and being a leader? Definitions of leadership, there is not a single definition that everyone agrees on.  Manfred Kets de Vries, a professor at INSEAD, says that leadership is a set of characteristics, behaviour patterns, personality attributes that makes certain individuals more effective in achieving a set goal or objective.

Another way of describing leadership is to say that, to get the best out of people, individuals, teams, organisations, they need to be led, guided, persuaded, motivated, inspired, to be committed, to do their best, to work together to achieve a common objective.  This, rather than the pure management approach of being told, directed, ordered, and treated as subordinates.

True leaders are recognised as being the leader, and their followers accept that they need to be guided by that leader, but they do not feel that they are mere subordinates.  A good example is the captain of a sports team - hockey, baseball, netball, cricket, soccer, football, athletics - these are individuals who have an individual role to play, yet find time and ways to motivate and encourage others to do their best, to use their own individual skills, knowledge and experience (scoring goals, defending, winning races, hitting home runs) whilst at the same time working together as a member of the team to achieve team objectives.

There are other ways of defining leadership, managers perform transactions, and leaders bring about transformations.

The transactional manager influences others by appealing to self-interest, primarily through the exchange of rewards and services.  The relationship between this type of manager and the follower is seen as a series of rational exchanges that enable each to reach their own goals.  Transactional managers supply all the ideas and use rewards as their primary source of power. Followers comply with the leader when it’s in their own interest - the relationship continues as long as the reward is desirable to the follower, and both the manager and the follower see the exchange as a way of achieving their own ends.

The transformational leader inspires followers to not only perform as expected, but to exceed expectations - transformational leaders motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond immediate self-interest, where what is right and good becomes important - these leaders transform the needs, values, preferences and aspirations of followers. They do this so that the interests of the wider group replaces the self-interest of individuals within that group.

The Power of your Smile




I often wonder why people seem reluctant to smile these days. It costs nothing to smile so come on people lets start looking a bit happier. This article is all about this and about having a more positive outlook on life which will bring positive results.

I am somebody who used to always think in a negative way, I have now managed to stop this and my life has improved no end. I now like to be around positive people, as these people tend to be more successful and happier. In my opinion there are too many people who are always moaning and groaning and are seemingly depressed.

Growing up I had many things to be negative about, I had a stutter, I have a bald patch, I was overweight and am also quite short for a male at five foot four. I was one of the ones who walked around in a depressed state and I used to feel sorry for myself. Even when I write about it now, I laugh about how stupid I used to be.

I realized early into my twenties that I needed to change my approach to life. I was quite fortunate in that I had a friend at the company I worked for, who was to prove an inspiration to me. His name was Stuart, and even though this may seem cruel, Stuart did not have a lot going for him. I won't go into details but lets just say even with the problems I felt I had, I was not jealous of him. I became quite good friends with Stuart and we would regularly have lunch together. I would meet him in the canteen at 1pm and would be waiting in my gloomy state of mind, with my gloomy face, for him to arrive. Arrive he certainly did, always with a beaming smile on his face. This always amazed me as I could never understand what he had to be happy about. We would sit down and talk whilst eating our lunch and he never had a negative word to say. When he talked, he talked with passion, about his work and interests. One day it dawned on me, if Stuart (who from what I know of him, seemingly has nothing going for him) can always be positive, happy and smiling, why can't I?

This was the beginning of my new outlook on life. An era of being positive, appreciating what I have got and more than anything else, plenty of smiles. I now am happy with my weight, height, bald patch and am proud to say I have now overcome my stutter.


A Positive Attitude leads to a Positive Life: Be Happy



Regardless of your age, your place in life, your occupation, or the ways you choose to spend time, I can guarentee that your attitude is one of the most significant things that determines your happiness and contentment in life.

Attitude is so powerful because it is one of the few things that every single person has the ability to be in control of regardless of any other factors in life. When life is going well and we have no complaints we can choose what kind of attitude to face each day with. Fortunately, when our lives seem like they couldn't get any worse we can also choose what kind of attitude we will have each day.

Can you think about a time in your life when your attitude made all the difference? Or, maybe think of an example from the life of someone you know. Can you think of a situation when all things looked grim and yet you or someone else's attitude made that situation better just by being positive?

You may be wondering why it is important to keep a good attitude regardless of other factors in your life. Good question. One thing I've learned about life is that it will not always go my way. It is highly unlikely that every single day for the rest of my life will be filled with joy, friendships, and peace. It is possible, but unlikely. It is much more likely that life will throw me things I wasn't expecting. Tragedies, sicknesses, and relationship trials will come my way and it will be my attitude that determines how those events affect me.

Keeping a good attitude in life allows us to remember that even in tough times we have much to be thankful for. Choose to let your attitude reflect this perspective rather than reflecting the fact that you are not getting exactly what you want at a moment in time. Let your attitude reflect all of the ways that your life has been blessed and all of the good things that have happened to you.

We have all heard it said that "attitude is a little thing that can make a big difference." I agree with whoever said those words wholeheartedly, but I'll even take it a step further and simply say that attitude is a big thing. Attitude is perhaps one of the biggest factors that determines the path and results we see in life. When we can look at the worst situations with hope and a right perspective, nothing will be too difficult to bear.


Use Manifestion to alter Reality and Change your Life



There is a well known and very much overlooked ‘secret’ that Master Manifestors use continuously. It is a very basic, simple component that sets in motion all that exists in the human world. We all know it is real and absolutely necessary. Yet the vast majority of people do their level best to avoid it.

Without this ‘secret’, all dreams, hopes, wishes and well intentioned goals will remain in a keepsake box stuffed under the bed. The box will be pulled out on rainy afternoons, and its carefully saved articles dusted off and cherished once more. Some time will be spent in pondering potential possibilities, and hopefulness will expire. Great wistfulness will settle over its guardian, and with a tired resolve, the goals, ambitions and really serious potential will be carefully put to rest once more.

The real definition of potential, to put it politely, is ‘worth nothing as it sits right now’. Goals, dreams, wishes, hopes and desire have only potential without the obvious secret that can only lead to manifestation. Not worth a darn right now. There is little so common in the world as latent potential. But add the magic ingredient, and your desires will become manifest before your eyes. Pour a viscous, electric blue liquid into your keepsake box, and it will empty itself into your real world.

This secret, magic ingredient is commonly known as ‘action’. Git’r done, get it on, go, just do it, start, ACTION. This is a billion dollar concept that gifted speakers devote entire seminars to.

All desires must begin their journey into manifestation somewhere. All things already exist, but you must accept them, or go get them. You must actively allow results to happen. Take action, and get what it is you want.



Consider a sated, comfortable diner sitting after dinner at a lavish restaurant buffet. All he wanted to eat waits in shiny serving dishes. He tremendously wishes for a piece of delicious pie, but has none. Magnificent fresh pie is only across the room. Does he really want the pie itself, or is the activity of wanting pie more fun? Which will be more satisfying, wanting the desire, or fulfilling the desire? What will it take to fulfill this dream? In the diner’s case, the monumental undertaking of getting up and taking the pie will satisfy a craving.

Lose the potential, and take the action. Start and the path to success will unfold in front of you as you walk upon it. The pathway will continue as long as you wish to travel, but you must take that first step. Desire all you want, but without actually doing something about it, the reality will never manifest itself in front of you, and remain a wistful keepsake stuffed under the bed in a box.

Take action, start, and your path will reveal itself to you. Action.

The Power of Positive Thinking




Are you constantly bombarded by thoughts of negativity? Plagued by feelings of insecurity? Do you see everything in a negative manner? The reason for this lies deep within your heart. You are what you mentally and spiritually eat. If a person drinks alcohol on a daily basis, odds are their body will be affected in some way. They may have liver issues, develop cancer or incur some other type of health problem directly related to the amount of alcohol they have consumed. In the same way, a person who constantly feeds themselves negative thoughts will simply turn into a negative person.

This is the time to go on a diet. A diet of positive attitude food. You have to literally stop feeding your mind negative things. Ask yourself is this thought negative or positive or negative? What do negative thoughts look like? Well, they start with can't rather than can, no as opposed to yes, will and not won't. The Bible which is the greatest self help book ever written, speaks about taking every thought captive. The problem in our society has become that our thoughts have taken us captive. We have begun to let our thoughts control us.

A great way to know what we are negative about is to ask those people who are closest to us. You can ask your spouse or another person in your life who really knows you how they would rate your attitude on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being super positive and 1 super negative. Ask this person to be totally honest with you. You will benefit from their honesty even if it causes you pain. Ask this person what it is that you specifically say that they perceive as negative. Write down what they say and look at the actual words. Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Those words are a reflection of what is inside you. They are who you are. The great thing is that you can change. It is as simple as making a choice to do so. You must decide to replace the thoughts of negativity with thoughts of positivity. Decide what words you will change the negative words on your paper to. Once you have done this, make an effort to insert these new positive thoughts in your mind. You will begin to notice a positive change taking place in your life. Your family, friends and co-workers will all notice it as well. They may not know what is different about you. But they will know that you are not the same person that you were.



The items which are causing negativity in your life could very well be the news, movies, constantly replaying tragedy in your mind and the list could go on. These things should be eliminated if you want your new mental health regimen to be a success. The news is very negative and does not help someone who is trying to rid their mind of such thoughts. When you are feeding yourself thoughts of death from a war or gunshot or car accident visually the outcome will be negative. I do believe there is a time to grieve over the death of a loved one. However, if a person constantly replays this negative event in their minds it can lead to depression. The person who has passed away is not coming back and we must close that chapter in our lives and move on to the next chapter. This is a difficult task which can only be done by making a decision to proceed with our own life, no matter how hard this may be.

You can do it. You can and will have a positive attitude, if you simply take the steps outlined above. You do not have to be what you were in the past. You can be different in the future. The choice is yours. I know you will make a positive one.

The Power of Desire: 3 Ways to Get the Life you Want

Desire is a very strong Key towards your mind power.



You must not only know “what you want”, but you must also “want it hard enough” and be willing to make an effort towards attaining it…


And in order to do this you simply need to create a strong and intense desire towards whatever it is you want to accomplish or attain.

You need to develop a desire so strong it will cause you to use every ounce of your power and energy, toward the accomplishment of your object or goal.

Desire is said to be like a goal-striving energy, a sort of built-in magnet which has the means to pull whatever is needed to you… now this can work two ways for you, both as a “success magnet” or a “failure magnet,” it all depends on how you, the controller, controls it and also the goals you set for it.

Very few people know how to create and hold a strong dedicated desire, they satisfy themselves with simply “wishing” or even a mild “wanting”, and fail to put into action a strong, intense and continuing desire.

If you take a look at the progress of any person, who has accomplished both famous and wonderful things you will find there was, and is a strong and continuing desire for success, within them all…

You see most of the time, people who are successful - only become successful at what they do after trying many, many times and after never giving up!

All great people have the 3 Keys…

1. Know just what they want = (Belief, Enthusiasm )

2. Want it hard enough = ( Desire )

3. Are determined to get it = ( Will )

It is these 3 things only, which separate the men and women who have a strong sense of purpose, determination and desire, from the rest of us who merely “wish for things”

A strong desire can have a tremendous influence on all of your mental faculties, causing them to put all of their power and energies to work for you.

In fact, without desire you would not do much thinking at all, because there would be very little motive to do so... you would also perform no actions, as there would be no reason for such. Desire is the “mover of action” - both mental as well as physical action.

The strength of your work, whether it is mental or physical, will be determined by the amount of desire that you have for the goal, object or end result of such work.

The more you desire a thing… the more you want something, the harder you will work for it, and the easier this work will seem to you.

You see any task you perform under the influence or incentive of a strong desire will seem much easier - than the very same task performed without such influence, incentive or encouragement. Desire and affection are the two main reasons we are influenced or compelled to “do things”

If our desire or affection was somehow absent or missing, then there would be no action - because there would be no motive, reason or cause for such action or to do anything…

So most of the time we act solely because we “want” or “like” to.

Without desire or affection we would be unable to make any choices or decisions - this means we would perform no actions. Now we see that desire is the motive-power behind action.

Take away this motive-power and there will be no activity or movement. Without this “want” and “want to” there would be no “will to do” and this would lead to “not doing” anything.

Everything we do is prompted by desire in some shape or form. It would be impossible for us to remain without desire, and still act in one way or another - or in any way at all.

Desire is the motive-power behind all action; it is the breathing force behind all natural activities, processes and events. We can easily learn how to become masters of our own desire, instead of being mastered by it...

But before we do so, we must first desire to do so – we must desire to start, desire to achieve, and desire to finish what ever it is we want to accomplish in our life


Can't Sleep? Try Meditation for Insomnia



For sufferers of insomnia inability to relax physically and mentally well enough to sleep is often a problem. Thoughts race and make it difficult to shut down and get to sleep until it is nearly time to get up again. The nightly routine of fighting with a racing mind in hopes of a few minutes of unbroken sleep becomes their routine. This article was written to give insomniacs tips as well as advice that is geared toward falling asleep easily. Meditation will always be beneficial.


The first thing we need to do in this battle against insomnia is discuss the problem with your doctor. Often there is a medical reason behind sleep difficulties.
Staying away from sleeping pills is the next thing you should do. Sleeping pills can cause addiction problems as well as add other issues that can cause insomnia defeating their purpose. Sleeping pills also impair mental acuity. Placebo studies have shown patients who were given a placebo actually slept better and were more refreshed than those who were given sleeping pills.

After that you need to keep in mind that there in not a quick-fix for insomnia. While there may be instances that popping a pill can take care of the problem; insomnia isn't one of those instances. There can be many reasons for insomnia which sleeping pills wouldn't address, and chemically induced sleep is not as refreshing as the real thing. Having a routine will also help you to get enough rest as well as keep insomnia at bay. If you keep track of when you go to bed and when you get up for several days you will most likely find a pattern. Often insomnia can be treated by setting a schedule and following it while watching your sleep patterns. You need to be exposed to natural light daily as well.

Going outside to get natural sunlight is also important. You need sunlight for over-all health in addition to stabilizing your sleep patterns. Meditation can improve sleep, you can also try listening to soft music in the evening to help you relax. Daily exercise is important for the brain as well as the body. Exercise can help you relax and ensures a deeper, more restful sleep. It is a good idea to have a dark, cool, quiet place to sleep with a comfortable and well supported sleeping surface. You should sleep in your bed instead of in a chair reclined in front of a television set.

Start your sleep period by relaxing your body starting with your toes and working your way up until your whole body is relaxed. Proper diet plays a large part in sleep habits. You need to get enough vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and magnesium. St John's Wort can improve mood if you are suffering from depression, which commonly occurs in people with insomnia. Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba can help with concentration during the day as well. Before starting any supplements you should seek the advice of a licensed medical professional and through meditation.






Incredible BRAINWAVE Meditation OPEN YOUR MIND



Training yourself to make brainwave meditation work for you takes a bit of patience.  But the rewards can be tremendous and well worth the effort.  That is because of all the various meditation techniques, brainwave meditation combines traditional meditation disciplines with the science of monitoring and controlling the flow of your brainwaves for the good of your health and well-being.

That is one of the reasons that brainwave meditation adds another layer of value to the time you put into your meditation efforts.  It takes what is already is good about meditation and focuses the science and the discipline of an athlete to help you get the most from your meditation as possible.  But, just like anything else, if we do our part to be an active participant in the brainwave meditation process, we are sure that we will get the most out of brainwave meditation that is possible in the time we have to invest in it.  So let’s discuss some things we can do to make our time in brainwave meditation most beneficial.

Understand the Process.

If you have been involved in meditation for very long, you are already benefiting from the brainwave benefits even if you don’t know what they are or how to direct them.  That is the natural reaction to meditation.  During meditation, you direct your mind.  You learn to discipline it to put it into a contemplative state.  Then you learn to direct that contemplative state to relax your body and achieve the other positive effects of meditation that you want.  Finally, you may learn to be able to go into that contemplative state on demand even if you are in the middle of your work day.

The truth is that whatever meditation technique you are using, you are unconsciously learning to do brainwave meditation along the way.  This is simple biofeedback at the most basic level.  As you ease into your program, your meditation technique will reduce stress thus causing negative brainwaves to subside.  Then, those well rehearsed meditation routines will slowly raise your level of relaxation and control.  This is actually using brainwave meditation to accelerate the brainwaves that cause that kind of psycho-physical reaction.

So what happens with brainwave meditation is you are just wrapping the science around that process and equipping yourself with additional tools and knowledge so your meditation efforts are far more effective and you get the most out of your brainwave meditation exercises.

Do Your Homework.

Just like with any new discipline, the more you know about brainwave meditation, the better you will be at it and the more you will get out of it.  The science and development of brainwave meditation came out of several different disciplines.  We already mentioned the science of biofeedback.  You can view this science as both a source for brainwave meditation theory and an outcome of it as well.

The meditation sources for that side of the discipline of brainwave meditation come from Kundalini Yoga, for which there are ample sources for you to use to increase your knowledge and skills in this ancient art.  So you can see that brainwave meditation is very much a combination of the old and the new.

Finally some groundbreaking new research into such brain activity research such as binaural beats have had a positive influence on how brainwave meditation is used to benefit you both medically, mentally, physically and spiritually as well.  If you take the time to do your homework on these key topics, you will be able to select the right approach to brainwave meditation.  But moreover, you will be able to enter into a program of brainwave meditation so much more effectively and achieve much greater results as well.

Your Brainwave Meditation Journal

There is a lot to learn to make brainwave meditation become a major part of your meditation program.  And because Kundalini Yoga is a discipline, it will take time for you to grow and advance in your ability to conquer this mental and spiritual discipline.  As with any regimen of discipline whether it be diet or exercise or even athletic preparation for an event, a journal is an outstanding way for you to track your progress, record questions and update each day with new discoveries and things you want to do to improve your brainwave meditation approach.

We know that entering into this new side of your meditation program is going to be an adventure.  But if you put in a good faith effort, you learn to understand the process so you know what to do with each new change and advance in your discipline and you do your homework so you are both a smart and educated student of brainwave meditation, you will get the most from your work.  Not only that but you will benefit the most from brainwave meditation and you will have a lot more fun with it too.


How to Meditate in a loud noisy enviornment



The first thing any meditation text will tell you is to find a quiet place with little or no distractions. In a perfect world, these silent places would exist for everyone. But, in many people’s lives, distractions are the rule rather than the exception.

Let’s face it; life is hectic these days. If you share your home with children, parents, or roommates, you have built-in distractions at every turn. Whether it’s the television, earsplitting music, or just loud conversation, you may not be able to get a moment’s peace in your home no matter how hard you try.
You may ask, “How can I possibly meditate under these conditions?”

Unfortunately, many people just give up. They feel the noise and distractions in their lives make it impossible for them to enjoy the advantages of a daily meditation practice, which include stress-relief, mental relaxation, and physical rejuvenation. Ironically, these are exactly what we all need in these stressful, hectic times.

Well, the good news is, you can! The method I’ll describe has been effective for me and many of my friends and associates. It takes practice though; along with acceptance, patience, and perseverance. Here’s how it works:

The key to meditating in a noisy environment is to change the way you think about noise. Rather than letting the external sounds distract you from your meditation, use them in your meditation.

Try this: Sit calmly and just listen to the noise around you. Let the sounds fill your head. Focus on the tones and vibrations of the sound rather than their origin.
All sound—whether distracting like a television, a baby crying, a dog barking—or calming like ocean waves or a running stream—are just vibrations. If you break the noise down to its components, you can focus on the deep underlying vibrations and actually enhance your meditative state. If a sound is a sound is a sound, then this sound could easily be comforting rather than annoying.

  • Acceptance – You can’t make the noise go away. You could try ignoring it but this is usually futile. You could try blocking it out with music but you will find that lulls in the music will allow the outside noises back in. The intermittent nature of this can prove to be even more distracting. You may even find yourself dreading the soft parts of the music or the silence between songs. In order to meditate in this kind of environment, you have to acknowledge the unwanted sounds in your space and understand that you must coexist. If you can accept them and are determined to meditate “with” them, not in spite of them, they lose the power to control your life.
  • Patience – Give yourself a break. Don’t expect to be able to do this right away or 100% of the time. Be patient with yourself and realize that ALL meditation is about catching the mind wandering and bringing it back to your “object of meditation.” If you feel you’re getting frustrated with yourself because the sounds are still annoying you, pat yourself on the back instead and accept that you are only human. Just smile and focus back on your meditative mind, you will eventually succeed and—believe me—it will be worth the effort.
  • Perseverance – Don’t give up. There will be times, especially at first, when you just can’t help being annoyed by the unwanted sounds. You’re non-meditative mind will “know” that these sounds are distracting and it will naturally want to be distracted. Just focus as best you can for your meditation session and come back tomorrow and try again. You’ll find that the meditative mind will start to learn that these sounds are part of the process and it will become easier and easier to reach your meditative state.

So, if your life is full of noise and distraction, you don’t have to give up on a healthy meditation practice. Try the method above and see if it works for you. I sincerely hope this information helps because I strongly believe everyone should include meditation in their daily lives regardless of their living situation.













Mindfulness and Meditation: Live in the Moment



In our every day lives, we are all guilty of neglecting our minds, allowing our brains to be lulled into a lazy, neglected, and unaware state. It is as if we are allowing ourselves to be sculpted by bland and repetitive consumerism, our individuality being chiselled away by a tedium we cannot even be bothered to challenge with any will.

Life need not be like that. We are each blessed with a powerful mind; but normally people have forgotten or, most likely, never even knew how, to use it. It is such a waste of our own greatest resource.

One way to start to extricate ourselves from the mindless quicksand is to gently exercise our minds, using mindfulness and meditation as a way of bringing ourselves more emphatically into the real world, and start the process of exercising control over our minds and our lives.

Creating a mindfulness meditation is a gentle but powerful exercise. But how do you go about it?

A Simple Mindfulness Meditation Exercise

As with any meditation session, you need to get into a relaxed and comfortable position, eyes closed, and then commence with deep nasal breathing, focusing your thoughts on the breathing to ease yourself into a meditative state.

Once you feel that you are calmed by your breathing and that your breath is under your rhythmic control, then you can move on to focusing on your own body, a part at a time. I was first taught this at yoga class, where we were taught to concentrate first of all on the left foot, focusing on it from a position above ourselves. Then move up the body slowly, left ankle, knee, thigh and so on. When reaching your head, you then do the same in reverse on the other side of the body: right shoulder, right elbow, right hand and so on.

Once you have completed your tour of your own body, as if you were someone else examining it, then it is time to open your eyes and increase your mindfulness of your surroundings.

To do this, focus on any object in the room; it does not have to be anything special: a cup on the coffee table, a vase, a plastic flower, anything. Try to maintain that focus for half a minute, and then move on to any other object. You can repeat this several times, always maintaining a focus on your own body and your own breathing, creating a triple harmony with each object on which you focus.



By using this simple mindfulness meditation you are increasing awareness both of yourself and your surroundings, in a very gentle and easy way. It can serve as a prelude to some mental task, as well as being part of an ongoing mindfulness campaign to strengthen and expand the use of your own mind.

For example, most days I write, but sometimes I just do not seem able to concentrate on what I am supposed to be writing about. I find this type of exercise, even just for 10 minutes, will snap me out of that inexplicable malaise, and I can get right on and write what I should have written earlier.


Using Meditation for a Richer Life





Meditation became part of the vernacular of lifestyle choices and a source of a lot of conversation as far back as the 60s for baby boomers when there was a big interest in eastern religions and things that were exotic and new.  But while many of the flash in the pan interests in exotic religions during that time frame faded away in the life style of baby boomers, meditation has endured and become a common practice and resource that has benefited this generation in every decade of their lives.

There is a good reason meditation has endured and even grown in popularity far beyond any religious context.  Meditation has tremendous benefits for virtually every aspect of life and those who integrate it into their daily lifestyles can experience those benefits virtually as soon as they start.  You don’t have to be a guru at meditation to realize benefits from the very first time to give it a try.  Some of those benefits include…

Meditation is calming.  Because the act of meditation calls for you to bring your thoughts into captivity and to still your mind and focus it, that sense of your soul being in turmoil eases and you are able to address the cause of your anxiety and see a solution more clearly because your emotions are not clouding the issue.


  • Meditation helps you focus and concentrate.  The great thing about meditation is that the effects of meditation continue past those few moments when you are meditating.  Those few moments of calm create an atmosphere of focus and clarity of thought that goes on throughout your day helping you focus your mind and more easily concentrate when you need to.
  • Meditation reduces stress and mental anxiety.  So often the stress that comes out of problems and difficulties is dominated by emotional reactions even more than by the problem itself.  Meditation clears away the effects of the stress making it easier for you to solve the problem itself.
  • Meditation helps reduce physical anxiety.  The process of meditation involves extended periods of quiet deep breathing.  This simple action floods the brain with oxygen and energizes blood flow throughout the body which refreshes tired muscles and causes your entire physical system to relax and release pent up anxiety.
  • Meditation helps you sleep and digest your food.  The refreshed blood flow, rich in oxygen that comes from the session of meditation, takes action immediately on the digestive system often reducing or eliminating digestive problems and even easing the symptoms of ulcers.  Because the mind is relaxed and well supplied with vital oxygen and blood flow, sleep comes more easily and is more recuperative.


Some successful role models in all walks of life that come out of the baby boomer generation credit meditation to why they are able to accomplish such great things.  In addition to all of these benefits, meditation is easy to integrate into your lifestyle and you can go at your own pace learning to become better at meditation and grow in your ability to use it.

Meditation is profoundly easy to do.  The image of a meditation practitioner in painful “lotus position” going into a virtual trance is the extreme of the discipline.  Because meditation has been adapted so that any of us can benefit from the health benefits it brings, you can begin meditating immediately and see the benefits from the very first session.

Small wonder many baby boomers have continued down through the decades to be enthusiastic proponents of meditation.  And there is no reason baby boomers cannot continue to enjoy the tremendous benefits as they move into their late middle age and retirement years as well.

Power Yoga Exercise and Meditation



Health is the real wealth of an individual. Good health does not mean the absence of physical illness but also the lack of mental and social illness. A healthy person can properly survive and easily cope  with the difficulties and stress of daily living. Incorporating regular physical activities, nutritious diet, and refraining from alcohol and cigarettes are necessary in maintaining a fit and healthy body. Yoga is a physical activity that has been used in the ancient times to alleviate health problems associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, shallow breathing, backaches, chronic illness, and many other forms of discomfort. Nowadays, Yoga has gone from a spiritual discipline practiced by many in the Far East, into a mainstream exercise routine that has been taught in many gyms around the world. Other researches suggest that yoga may promote relaxation and reduce distress.

A new form of yoga that focuses on a more fitness-based approached has been developed. It is called Power Yoga, a method closely modeled after the Ashtanga style of practice. The term Power Yoga became widely used in the mid-'90s when many yoga teachers tried new ways to make Ashtanga Yoga more accessible to the western audience. Both Power and Ashtanga Yoga focuses on strength and flexibility. The only difference between the traditional method and Power Yoga is that the latter does not require the performance of a series of poses. It took the basics of yoga and and gave it a dose of aerobics to tone the muscles, sharpen focus, and strengthen the heart.

Other known benefits of practicing Power Yoga include:

Improved strength, endurance, and stamina
Tighter abs, legs, and arms
Helps release physical tension
Helps maintain good and proper posture
Serves as a good warm up for athletes
Improves an athlete's overall performance

Power Yoga is a very accessible exercise.  To practice this new yoga method, all that is needed is a flat floor surface, a mat or towel, and enough overhead space to extend the arms. It can be performed  by individuals of different ages and level of physical condition.  However, not all poses should be attempted by everyone. Proper posture and alignment should always be maintained during stretch or posture to avoid injuries. These activities should be stopped when there is fatigue, pain, or dizziness. In addition, the mental component of yoga is as important as its physical activities. Concentration and meditation should not be taken for granted. Yoga should be done with an open and gentle mind when one performs yoga positions and posture. Impatience, self-criticism, and comparing oneself with others may hamper the improvement of one's physical and mental health.

Individuals who want to engage in physical activities like yoga should consult doctors and other health professionals before taking yoga classes. Certain injuries to the wrist, back, and ankles may prevent some individuals from practicing yoga postures and positions. Furthermore, yoga should be practiced with care and precaution. Some people have reported injuries that were acquired by executing yoga postures without focus, or by attempting difficult positions without working them gradually or by not having proper supervision. Oftentimes, beginners complain of muscle soreness and fatigue after engaging in yoga. These effects may disappear with continuous practice. Yoga is a great way to strengthen the and body and improve overall health.


Shaolin Kung Fu and Meditation Explained



Shaolin kung fu is not just about defending yourself against an attacker or inflicting bodily harm. Shaolin martial arts also stress discipline, respect for yourself and others, patience, and being humble even in victory. The mental training of Shaolin martial arts helps prepare the student for any events that may come. Being physically prepared for an altercation is good, but if you are not mentally prepared you will not be focused enough to use the tools that your body has. This is why Shaolin meditation is such an important part of the Shaolin martial arts training. Meditation may not be literally practicing your physical tools, but it allows your mind to make better use of those tools.

Keeping cool in a self defense situation is one of the best ways to ensure you will survive. Tough mental preparedness allows the body to be pushed beyond its physical limits. Out bodies can only do so much, but our minds allow for much greater feats. I am sure you have heard of "mind over matter" and the truth is that it works. When the Shaolin added mental training to their physical training the result was that their martial arts system obviously surpassed all others in application and practical results.



One form of Shaolin meditation is called "Chan" or "Zen". The Shaolin received the concept of Zen meditation from an Indian priest named Bodhidharma. What Bodhidharma did that was so unique was to introduce breathing patterns into the meditation. You see Bodhidharma would find that the Shaolin monks were falling asleep during their meditation, so he added the breathing exercises to help keep them focus on increase their mental development. To this day Shoalin Kung Fu practitioners still use Chan meditation and it has formed the basis of the Shaolin mental preparation and development.

The Shaolin monks would prepare their minds to withstand the most terrible conditions so that when faces with those conditions in the real world, they would be prepared instead of shocked. Knowing that you have the mental toughness and readiness instills a confidence that allows you to go into any situation ready to act without hesitating. Self doubt is the number one way to be defeated before the enemy has even thrown a punch.

Meditation also allows one to focus his inner energy into his actions. The Japanese call this Chi, and many Westerners have heard of it. The Chinese, however, call it Kiai. Kiai allows a Kung Fu student to do things their physical body alone cannot do. Developing control over your Kiai is a matter of intense mental strength and conditioning. While some people may scoff at the idea of Kiai, and it is true that it might be more of a mind over matter application than an actual force, but Chinese Kung Fu masters has demonstrated their control over their Kiai by doing physical feats that would otherwise be impossible.


How to be a Winner at Life: Think like a winner and be a champion



How many times did you hear a true champion speak with doubt? How many times did you hear a boxer say, “It will be a tough fight, we will just have to wait until Saturday and see how it all works out”? Never, because doubt will knock you out before you even begin.

The athletes that are remembered are always those that performed memorably during times of pressure. I say memorably because they could be remembered for choking or rising to the occasion. Anyone who has played competitive sports knows that there is a different feeling during a play-off game, but as with all things in life, that by itself is not a bad thing, it is all in the way you handle it.

People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them-- Epictetus 200AD

If you let self-doubt enter your mind, anxiety is sure to grow. Once you start to doubt whether you are capable of winning you’re on your way to disaster because the mind can only hold one thought at a time. You are either thinking of winning, and visualizing what winning will be like, or you are worrying about what happens if you don’t win. You can only hold one picture at a time. Sure some athletes waver back and forth, but at any given time you can only be holding one thought.

What the mind sees, feels, and thinks, it works towards. The mind needs to be given direction and then it works towards making that given destination a reality. The mind is constantly working towards results, the trouble is what directions are we giving the mind. When you learn how to control your mind, greatness is achievable. Learning how to think like a winner is the first step towards becoming a winner.

To Become a champion, you must first look and act like a champion. -- Muhammad Ali



Some people say you cannot control what comes into your mind. I believe with the proper training… you can. Regardless of whether or not you can or cannot control what enters your mind, you can definitely control how long you hold any thought that does enter your mind. If a seagull decides to have a bowel movement while flying overhead, you cannot exactly control that… but you sure the heck can control how quickly you clean yourself off.

It is the same with your mind. When a negative thought enters, clean it out with a flood of positive images. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Focus on winning, not on not losing. Begin to daydream, make this daydream the ideal outcome. Not what you will settle for, but what would be perfect.

It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you are not. -- Denis Waitley

Meditation for Dummies: A beginners guide to Meditating

Meditation for Dummies



No person would want to be called a dummy. But if you think that meditation is just a religious thing that only religious people practice, then you might be a dummy after all.

Beginners can actually be called dummies because they have no idea what they're getting into. But if you only seek the help of knowledgeable people, or purchase helpful books about meditation, than you can go your way easily and with very little problems.

Newbies in meditation can avoid embarrassing situations if they only try to do their homework. Before plunging into a new activity like meditation, one must know something about that activity so that he can go on smoothly and with very little trouble.

Every individual's inner emotions and thoughts are important. It can be quite upsetting to have such thoughts torment you and take control of your life. People experience an emotional disturbance at some point in their lives, and it can be very bothersome. You will often have feelings of confusion, guilt, shame, worry, and anger. One thing that can help you regain your control over your mind and emotions is through meditation.

Sometimes, it can be very discouraging to find meditation courses that are very religious-related. Now, there are other alternatives for people (and dummies) who want to do meditation with no religions involved.

Meditation is misrepresented and sorely abused in many cultures. Some say that only weirdos gets involved in meditation. Different people have different perceptions of what meditation is all about.  For a majority of people, meditation has nothing to do with spiritual rituals and religious beliefs. They do believe that meditation is all in the mind. Scientifically speaking, meditation is a very effective tool in terms of psychological foundation.



Dummies often think that meditation gurus are all bearded men that live in caves or in the wilderness. Well, that is really funny but you can't find a meditation guru that fits that description nowadays.  In fact, many of them are professional individuals who just want to help other people in need. They themselves have problems that only meditation has been able to answer, and now, they are sharing their experience and teaching other people how to do meditation. Though it may come in many forms, techniques, and types, it is still the same. This is true no matter what language is being spoken.

Traditional meditation books can be very long and not very interesting. If you want a more lively discussion, you can try the latest meditation techniques that were developed just recently. All it takes is to surf on the internet and find informative sites that feature meditation techniques. If you're quite lucky, you can actually find a free meditation guide on the net.

You can also explore books and articles that focus more on life's real drama so that you can easily relate to it. It's fun when you're learning and reading a real life situation. Oftentimes, you can picture yourself in it.

So if you're a dummy or just a typical person who wants to learn how to meditate, do some research and you can instantly see the results. By finding a good meditation source, you can start learning about the basics.  


Creating Positive Change in your Life



Change is difficult for many people. Often times our whole identity is wrapped up in what we've learned as children will work for us when dealing with people, allowing us to survive, thrive and fit in. While some people have had to learn to thrive in the midst of change and learned to be adaptable by being open to new ideas and embracing change, many others have had to fight for survival and every table-scrap that came their way. Behavior is learned and it takes work to unlearn and dismantle these old beliefs.

The truth of the matter is that win-win is always possible. When you are able to see beyond the ego and recognize the abundance that is available, people, minds, and ideas come together and can create amazing changes that improve the current scenarios for many, many people. When you work with people who have this abundant and generous attitude, you are uplifted, the team soars, and amazing energy and creativity is unleashed. This is much harder to do, to sustain, and to elevate within others when you encounter individuals driven by the thought of scarcity and competition.



People like Steve Jobs are visionaries that have sought to bring about such shifts in society and in business. One thing I've learned along the way is that it is often better to take the high road. This isn't about judging others as wrong or seeing yourself as better than others. This is about recognizing your truth as to how you wish to BE in the world. Don't compromise your integrity. Don't get caught up in the competition. See the vision, see the outcome, feel the purpose and passion you're driven to offer the world, and give it freely. We all die. You can’t take anything from this life with you. So give what you have to offer the world. What is not given is lost forever.

If your goal is to truly bring about a positive change and serve others, how it is accomplished becomes less important and seeing it accomplished becomes more important. While it may be a blow to your ego when others criticize your inspiration, or someone takes the credit for something you've introduced, holding fast to the benefits for everyone will often soften the sting. You do need to pick and choose those places where you'll offer yourself, the key is to evaluate whether it is serving a common good. When you’re getting compensated for your contributions, gratitude would serve you spirit of peace. If you continually feel abused and stomped on, maybe it is time to move on to a more collaborative team, as well as a more receptive and appreciative audience.

Knowing that you are accomplishing your purpose and living your passion will be reward. In time, it will be recognized. Imposters will eventually be seen and heart & soul will always outlast the mind & ego. Along the way, through the journey that is your life and career, you will need to hold fast to the true inner qualities and nature of the brilliance that is you. Don’t allow these negative experiences to become something that undermines your value. You are not the negative experience. Often times, the negativity we experience from others, is more a reflection of them and less about who you are.

We all have different lenses, different gifts, different wiring, and different experiences. Difference is not something to be judged, it is a gift of diversity that brings the pieces of the puzzle of life together and creates a society, a solution, a technology, etc., together for the benefit of us all. Don’t doubt yourself when others cannot see the vision you see. Keep true, keep your intentions, and you will attract the right support, the right people, and the right opportunities. Lower the ego and aim high the vision.

Make a Difference


How to be more Confident and Increase Self Esteem in Daily Life



I've been coaching for a few years now, and the biggest thing I've learnt - both for me and for my clients - is that inner confidence is the key to it all.


There are all kinds of strategies, ways of thinking, patterns of behavior and practical tips for improving your life and feeling better about yourself, but they're all redundant if the foundation isn't there. That foundation is the real you, the you that you know deep down you are. The trick is that it takes confidence to find that and to bring out who you are – here are the three keys to real inner confidence.

1. Get To Know Your Values

Personal values are a big passion of mine and I often get carried away with myself when I talk about them. I make no apology for that though – they’re one of the most important things you can know about yourself and are vital in getting genuine inner confidence. Your values are ten thousand feet down inside you, right at the very core of who you are; and they’re the building blocks, the foundations and cornerstones for you. A value is something in yourself, in others or in the world that’s most important to you, and could include things like respect, progress, family, fun, nature, achievement or freedom.

Why is it that some people and situations leave you feeling angry, frustrated, demotivated or deflated? It’s because one or more of your values is being denied, suppressed or repressed – and we experience that as a negative experience because it’s denying a fundamental piece of who you are. You know those times when you’ve felt really alive, amazing or buzzing? Those are the times when one or more of your values are being honored, and you can get more of that by living according to them.

Your values are all yours, and no matter what happens, no one can ever take them away. You can have absolute confidence in them because they’re there all the time just waiting for you to notice them and use them. When you get to know your values, you can start to make choices and align your life around them. It’s so simple and it feels amazing because all that really means is that you’re allowing who you are to live in the real world.

2. Trust Yourself

People spend too much time looking for signs that they’re doing the right thing or on the right path. Sometimes we get that by hearing that we’re doing well at work, sometimes it could be encouragement from a friend or loved one, and sometimes we get that feedback by seeing our material wealth or possessions growing.

But rather than looking on the outside for those signs, how about looking on the inside at what you’re telling yourself? How about trusting yourself to do the best thing and make great choices? How about trusting your own insights and using your own intuition? I’ve seen those ideas scare the bejeezus out of people and you know why? Because it makes you accountable and responsible for what you get. If you trust yourself implicitly and you make the wrong choice, you’ve got nobody else to blame.

But the fact is that we all make mistakes and we’ll all continue to make mistakes. So how would it be if you could trust yourself to get through anything and trust yourself to continue making choices that serve you well – even if sometimes you screw up? That’s the kind of trust I’m talking about, and that’s genuine inner confidence.

Start by listening to yourself and noticing what your intuition is telling you. Be aware of that little voice inside you or those gut reactions you get and pay attention to what they’re telling you. Trust yourself to make decisions, trust yourself to adapt and trust that you’re good enough to have, do or be whatever you want. True confidence will follow.

3. Exercise the Muscle

Confidence is a muscle, and like any muscle you need to exercise it so that it doesn’t shrink and waste away. The problem is that unlike your biceps or glutes, which tend to stay in the same place, your confidence muscle can be harder to find. How do you develop your biceps or firm up your glutes? By doing exercises that are designed to work that muscle over a period of time until you see the results you were looking for.



It’s just the same with confidence. Let’s say that you’re the kind of person that doesn’t take many risks, the kind of person who goes through each day doing what needs to be done and doing it well, but not really stretching yourself. You might talk yourself out of doing something because it’s too scary or because you think to yourself ‘I’m not good enough,’ ‘that’s not who I am’ or ‘I don’t really want it anyway.’ That kind of person lives within what they know and what keeps them safe and comfortable. The fewer risks they take, the less confident they need to be and so the less confident they become.

To work your confidence muscle you need to be prepared to take risks – big or small. You need to be willing to stretch yourself in an unfamiliar direction, to try something new or try something in a slightly different way. You need to open yourself up to the possibilities around you and push yourself to increase what you know, what you do and who you are. The more open you are to risk, opportunity and possibility the more confident you need to be, and so the more confidence you’ll develop. That’s your confidence muscle – the question is, what are you going to do to exercise it?"

Improve your life with Will Power Self Control and Determination

Willpower and Self Determination 



Do you ever wonder why you make the same mistakes repeatedly? Have you pondered over why you felt stuck when you tried to change a behavior pattern? Do not feel alone many people are in this same position. Many people have habitual behaviors, and struggle to fight through the negative chaos resulting from the behavior. Often when people desire to change a behavior, they first must make a conscious decision. The final choice is what determines the results. When are ready to make that decision, consider building self-determination and willpower. The combination of strengths will provide you the ability to follow through with your decision and make the changes.

Determination requires a mindful attempt. For instance, if you have a habit of cussing and want to stop using profanity, focus on your determination and willpower. Build your conscious mind so that it triggers you when you do something wrong, such as cuss. Stay focused. Staying focused will help you to build consciousness, determination, and willpower simultaneously.



You have the inner strength to take control of your behaviors. When you make a conscious choice do not let anyone, including you persuade your decision. Learn to say no and mean it. Inside your conscious and subconscious mind are the answers to developing determination, willpower and to take control of your life. One of the best practices to help you retrain your thinking is reflections. Reflect on your inner feelings and thoughts and discover some alternatives to help you change the behaviors that are interrupting your life.

Research the topic self-determination, willpower, and changing behaviors to build up your knowledge. Building knowledge is the answer to finding effective ways to take control of your life. On the Internet, there are many articles, books, CDs, etc filled with information to help you grow. Cleanly becoming aware of barriers to change or the secrets of how to change isn’t enough to bring about change. You have to make a decision and take action to bring about change on your triumph.
Changing behaviors many times is easy when you look inside of you. Many people struggle to give up certain habits, yet despite how many times they try, they often fall back into that pattern of behavior. This is because these people fail to look inward to find answers create new ideas, make new discovers, and find solutions to solve their problems. Those who are not victorious at their attempts to stop a particular behavior recurrently say that they didn’t have the determination to break the habit as an alternative of being self-determined to strengthen their willpower and to accomplish their goals they give in to habit. Other people are successful at giving up certain behaviors. Many of these people are successful because they use strategies that can help them improve their strength of mind. If you want to purge the bad habit, you have to make up your mind to stop and act on your decision. You have to be self-determined, and believe in your capacity to stop. You have to know that stopping something you are adapted to is going to be difficulty, but meaningful.  By focusing on the reasons why stopping a particular behavior can be beneficial to you, you may be able to find the willpower to beat the habit. You have to respect yourself enough to bring about positive changes in your life.

No matter how difficult it may be to ignore your cravings or desires, if you are self-determined, you can beat them. Willpower is the key to change behaviors, but to have willpower, you must first know and like yourself for who you are and be self-reliant enough to stick to behavior patterns that will let you make the positive changes that will lead to your ultimate happiness.

The Seven Chakras Explained

Chakra Meditation Basics



Chakra meditation is one of the more popular meditation techniques used today. Its philosophy is based upon the discovery or the search of the charkas. A charka can be considered as an energy point or force in the body that tries to govern different physical, mental and spiritual functions in an individual. It is the practice of awakening the charka in the body that is the aim of chakra meditation.

According to the practice of chakra meditation, there are seven chakras locate din the different parts of the body. Each one governs different bodily functions and may also provide different benefits when awakened through meditation. One of the charka is the Mooldhara or the "root place". This chakra is located somewhere in the cervix in women and in the perineum in men. It is said to govern the skeletal and the excretory system of the body. The Mooldhara may also affect the sense of smell as well as the legs and the cervix. Attributes to it include the basic life force, material attachment, procreation, and response to stimuli of labor for women.

Another of the seven chakras is the Swadhistana or "place of one's abode". It can be located somewhere at the tip of the spinal column. It is said to affect the urinary system such as the kidney and the bladder. Other bodily systems that this chakra may affect include the reproductive system such as the ovaries, fallopian tube and the uterus in women and the testes and prostrate gland in men. Attributes connected to this chakra include the sense of taste, the ability to analyze, a balanced sex drive, high fertility and no fear of water.

The third chakra is the Manipura or the "city of sparkling jewels". This chakra is located in the spinal column somewhere in the lumbar junction of the L1 and T12 vertebras. It is said to affect the digestive system, the adrenal glands as well as the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems of the body. This chakra is attributed to power, ego, self confidence, strength and good assimilation and digestion.

The fourth chakra is the Anahata or "unstruck". This chakra is located in the spinal column somewhere in the center of the chest. It is said to affect the cardiovascular, respiratory system as well as the muscular system. This chakra is attributed to a person's emotions, relationships, love, and ability to express oneself through the arts. If this chakra is afflicted in the body, it is said to lead to respiratory disorders, heart problems, and low immunity. It may also lead to a person having fear of loneliness, experience some form of emotional imbalance and the inability to maintain friends

There is also the Vishudh chakra or "purification". It is located in the spinal column somewhere at the C7 vertebrae. It is said to affect the thyroid and parathyroid glands, as well as the function of the throat including the voice, ears, sense of hearing. Attributes to this chakra include the transformation of thoughts into speech, better ability to speak or sing, and the acute sense of hearing. If afflicted, this chakra may cause thyroid imbalance, restriction in the voice as well as the inability to comprehend and understand.

The Ajna, or "command" chakra is said to be located in the mid-center of the brain somewhere at the top of the spinal cord. It governs the autonomic nervous system, pineal gland, and the pituitary gland. This chakra is also said to be attributed to the sense of intuition, higher level of mind and wisdom that is beyond normal intellect.

The Sahasrara or the "one thousand" chakra is said to have various positions according to different ancient texts but is usually found at the base of scalp. It is said to control no specific bodily system but has the overall control of the brain. The knowledge of the seven chakras is the basic in better understanding chakra meditation.



Chakra Meditation Basics

Chakra meditation is one of the more popular meditation techniques used today. Its philosophy is based upon the discovery or the search of the charkas. A charka can be considered as an energy point or force in the body that tries to govern different physical, mental and spiritual functions in an individual. It is the practice of awakening the charka in the body that is the aim of chakra meditation.

According to the practice of chakra meditation, there are seven chakras locate din the different parts of the body. Each one governs different bodily functions and may also provide different benefits when awakened through meditation. One of the charka is the Mooldhara or the "root place". This chakra is located somewhere in the cervix in women and in the perineum in men. It is said to govern the skeletal and the excretory system of the body. The Mooldhara may also affect the sense of smell as well as the legs and the cervix. Attributes to it include the basic life force, material attachment, procreation, and response to stimuli of labor for women. 

Another of the seven chakras is the Swadhistana or "place of one's abode". It can be located somewhere at the tip of the spinal column. It is said to affect the urinary system such as the kidney and the bladder. Other bodily systems that this chakra may affect include the reproductive system such as the ovaries, fallopian tube and the uterus in women and the testes and prostrate gland in men. Attributes connected to this chakra include the sense of taste, the ability to analyze, a balanced sex drive, high fertility and no fear of water. 

The third chakra is the Manipura or the "city of sparkling jewels". This chakra is located in the spinal column somewhere in the lumbar junction of the L1 and T12 vertebras. It is said to affect the digestive system, the adrenal glands as well as the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems of the body. This chakra is attributed to power, ego, self confidence, strength and good assimilation and digestion. 

The fourth chakra is the Anahata or "unstruck". This chakra is located in the spinal column somewhere in the center of the chest. It is said to affect the cardiovascular, respiratory system as well as the muscular system. This chakra is attributed to a person's emotions, relationships, love, and ability to express oneself through the arts. If this chakra is afflicted in the body, it is said to lead to respiratory disorders, heart problems, and low immunity. It may also lead to a person having fear of loneliness, experience some form of emotional imbalance and the inability to maintain friends

There is also the Vishudh chakra or "purification". It is located in the spinal column somewhere at the C7 vertebrae. It is said to affect the thyroid and parathyroid glands, as well as the function of the throat including the voice, ears, sense of hearing. Attributes to this chakra include the transformation of thoughts into speech, better ability to speak or sing, and the acute sense of hearing. If afflicted, this chakra may cause thyroid imbalance, restriction in the voice as well as the inability to comprehend and understand.

The Ajna, or "command" chakra is said to be located in the mid-center of the brain somewhere at the top of the spinal cord. It governs the autonomic nervous system, pineal gland, and the pituitary gland. This chakra is also said to be attributed to the sense of intuition, higher level of mind and wisdom that is beyond normal intellect.

The Sahasrara or the "one thousand" chakra is said to have various positions according to different ancient texts but is usually found at the base of scalp. It is said to control no specific bodily system but has the overall control of the brain. The knowledge of the seven chakras is the basic in better understanding chakra meditation. 

A Guide to Buddhist Meditation

Buddhist Meditation



Remember those Chinese martial art movies that feature monks with their heads shaved off? Well, those folks practice Buddhism which is a spiritual movement designed to make the person find the true nature of life. At the heart of this is meditation which is the means of making this possible.

But to understand Buddhist Meditation, you have to know the Buddhism itself is centered on the Four Noble Truths. First, we have to realize that there is suffering in the world which happens because of our ignorance and our desires. When we do understand ourselves, we can finally find a way to end this suffering. Those who find the answer have reached a state of Nirvana.

This then leads us to the core of Buddhist meditation which is the practice of the eight fold path. These virtues namely are the right action, right concentration, right effort, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right speech, right thought, and right view.

The proceedings of Buddhist Meditation are based on two things. The first is called “Samatha” which means tranquility and the second is called “Vipassana” which means mindfulness.

Let’s talk about this a little further. “Samatha” meditation involves a lot of breathing which is designed to develop concentration, detachment, equanimity and happiness. There are 40 samatha meditations and each teaches the mind to focus on a single object to produce various states of tranquility.



Vipassana meditation on the other hand develops self understanding by being able to comprehend the things that are going inside one’s head. By practicing this regularly, you will soon develop wisdom which makes you free from all suffering.

But do you have to be a follower of Buddhism in order to practice this kind of meditation? The answer is no even if this technique is based on the doctrines of this religion and revolves around concentration and mind control.

For those who would like to get into Buddhist meditation, the first thing you have to do is find a quiet place where you can do this without being disturbed. Next, get a nice soft pillow or cushion to sit on if the floor is not that comfortable for you.

Now, let your hands rest on your lap with the palms facing upward. It’s hard to stay in this position for 5 minutes or more so don’t be afraid to make a few slight adjustments. The important thing is that you are comfortable the way you are.

Then it is time to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Anybody can do this but there are 4 proper ways of doing it. You can inhale and exhale long, inhale and exhale short, inhale short and exhale long or inhale long and exhale short.

It will take some time before you get the hang of things. Don’t forget to relax all your muscles so your mind and body is able to act as one.

Buddhist meditation is just one of the many techniques around that can help relieve you from stress, make you think better to have a better outlook in life and do all sorts of things that will improve your overall physical health.

If you appreciate what Buddhist Meditation can do, you can already invest in cushions, prayer beads, incense and a few other accessories. It is optional so don’t think that just because they are not around that your experience is not a fruitful one.