What is Feng Shui? How to bring balance and harmony to your life.

Feng Shui (pronounced “fung shway”) is an ancient Chinese art whose name translates from the Chinese as “wind and water.” Wind and water are two of the five elements that comprise all of nature. Wind is the earth’s breath, and water is the invigorating lifeblood of everything that exists on our planet. 

When you say Feng Shui art most people think its just about moving your furniture around. But its much more than that. At its core Feng Shui is arranging the basic elements of your life and all the things that you surround you to create the optimal and harmonious flow of vital life energy, just like the flow of water and wind.

Feng Shui has had a huge impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe and you can have its benefits work for you! By simply changing the interior of your home, changing the colors of your walls, or relocating the furniture in your bedroom, you can enjoy the positive effects of Feng Shui. 

When you think about the places where you feel the most tension. Is it at work? One of the problems that people face when trying to apply Feng Shui in these environments is that they don't have the control to make drastic changes. What would your boss say if you just started painting your office walls?

But Feng Shui is about more than just moving your desk or filing cabinet. You can bring about good luck and contribute to an environment that fosters positive energy, creativity and mindfulness with Feng Shui paintings, photographs, sculptures and even jewelry! Tibetan Thangkas (also spelled tangkas, thankas or tankas) bring good luck and positive energy to any office space.  Buddha Thangkas, along with Buddha statues, are commonly used for meditation. Buddha Thangkas are also proven to protect you from evil as well as bring good luck, health, and prosperity!

Remember it’s not just the workplace that benefits from Feng Shui! Any home can be filled with the same feelings of good luck, well-being and positivity as the office. Maximize health and wellness through healing and meditation in the home too. 

An why stop there? Spread around some of that positivity and well being and get Feng Shui paintings, sculptures and jewelry for your loved ones too. Beautiful hand crafted trinkets are a perfect gift for her or for him. Give others the balance, harmony, and spiritual fulfillment they deserve. Because practicing good karma is a cornerstone of Feng Shui. Be generous and give of yourself in order to receive in kind from the universe and others around you. 

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Martial Arts Underground - Learning Martial Arts

The purpose of MartialArtsUnderground.com is to showcase what the website feels are pure demonstrations and tests of martial arts.  They have a love for martial artists testing themselves and each individual’s expression of their chosen martial art.  They believe that no two people will express their art in an identical fashion and they attempt to with videos display what they see as true, realistic, and functional displays of martial arts.

The videos that are posted on Martialartsunderground.com are handpicked and display what is felt is a true uncompromised representation of the style that the video displays.  On the website there are many of videos posted that are listed as style vs style.  However, Martialartsunderground.com believes wholeheartedly that it is never a case of which style is better, as they believe that there is no “best style”.  There is only, the style that fits that particular person best.  The videos posted serve as a display of a very good representation of two stylists testing their skills against a live resisting opponent.  This type of testing, while it is not the only reason for martial arts, will go on to further styles and martial arts as a whole through the testing of theories and the application of principles.  They believe that realistic applications of techniques will continue to improve all martial arts and keep them functional and alive.

There are also many videos posted that display martial artists utilizing their styles in real world self-defense situations.  Many of those videos will display people utilizing martial arts to defend themselves or others in a way that is consistent with the true purpose of martial arts which is self-preservation.  In those videos you will be able to observe clear techniques that you will be able to identify as having been trained in a school or gym.  These videos are posted to help reinforce and provide confidence that techniques learned and trained in martial arts are real and work in real settings by real people.

Martialartsudergroud.com also posts videos containing basic techniques and combinations of various martial arts.  It is felt that you cannot have martial arts without basics, just as you cannot have a house without a foundation.  So, there are any videos posted showcasing sound basics and fundamental techniques of styles to watch, learn, and enjoy.  As well as applications of the techniques found in the forms of traditional martial arts as a good reference and study tool.

Martial Arts Underground also features blog articles from various contributors covering a wide range of thoughts on all subjects within the martial arts like Chi (ki), meditation, philosophies, thoughts on technique application, and martial arts in general.  They are written from authors that are martial artists in various disciplines and offer a wide range of viewpoints.  All topics written about in the blog section can be discussed in further detail in the forum section that is also within the site.  Where all topics on martial arts can be had in an open setting to further the development of any martial artist on the path.

Overall, martialartsunderground.com is a website that is designed to display and promote martial arts in the purest way and to highlight and discuss all parts of martial arts from the internal to the external.  They, at martialartsunderground.com, highly believe that martial arts is a path to help all who practice it to achieve any goal that they set and will continually strive to present the most realistic and complete view of martial arts possible.

Autosuggestion Meditation - How to remove Negativity from your thinking

Do you find that your mind is filled with negative beliefs you have about yourself? All the things which believe about ourselves to be true, positive or negative, are based on an amalgamation of our memories and ideas. If you think “I am a failure” this is because you have repeated experience of failure in your life and have built a prejudiced belief system around this idea. This notion that you are predicated to failure will naturally lead you to more failures. Everybody has some negative thoughts and beliefs about themselves, consciously or subconsciously.

But what if you could change your beliefs? What if there was a way that you could implant in your mind new more positive and functional ideas about yourself? By altering mental associations inside your mind you can directly reprogram your subconscious mind with repetitive new thoughts and self suggestion – or Autosuggestion. You take take steps to remove negativity and unwanted beliefs about yourself using this technique.

The classic model of Autosuggestion, as pioneered by French psychologist and author Émile Coué, uses a method half way between self hypnosis and meditation mantras. A mantra is a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power  repeated over and over during a meditation session often used as a tool to help a person “clear their minds”. Common mantras include “Om Namah Shivaya” or “Hare Hare Krishna”.

Émile Coué believed that we could use this repetitive mantra-like technique to implant new ideas and belief systems about ourselves. That by repeating a new idea over and over again we could implant a fresh belief into our subconscious minds which would in turn affect our quality of life. And it works. This is a technique that I use myself with the autosuggestion “I AM the coolest man in the world” and well guess what? I really think I am!

Coués method is over 100 years old and the idea of Autosuggestion has been bought into the 21st century. The Autosuggestion sound method is a modern technique which utilizes the technologies we have today which were not available in early 1900s France.  The new Autosuggestion sound method can be used for helping you to quit smoking, or learn a new language, to feel younger or increase self confidence. The new ideas that you can implant inside your  mind have as much unlimited potential as you do!

Fate & Destiny: How they influence our Future

All of us are working towards some goals. All of us have some plans for our life. We plan for our future, our children, our career and retirement. We are always planning and trying to implement our plans. While doing all this, we forget to count fate, and that can give us a shock if we are not ready for it. When one makes plans, one should always leave the results to fate. Otherwise the shocks can be disastrous for our equanimity. Let us see how.

Some people don't believe in fate. How do these people justify few occurrences? For example, why some kids get cancer at a very early age? Why, a person who takes care of his/her health in all the possible ways, is suddenly diagnosed with impossible sounding diseases? Why does one person survive in an accident while the other person traveling with him/her dies on the spot? Why some people instinctively leave some place, a night before a natural calamity? We hear of so many such miraculous survivals and cruel deaths, that the role of fate becomes impossible to deny.

A journalist who goes out only to fulfil his/her duty gets kidnapped in a foreign country and is killed mercilessly. Why? Few others make all the plans to go to the same place, but change their plans on the way! Which power makes us act in ways that either help us survive in a disaster or pull us towards one? It is fate. Isn't it?

What should we do if life is such? We surely cannot stop planning about our future? We surely cannot sit at one place and let fate play its own game. And after thinking about the games fate plays, one cannot plan and be absolutely certain that things will turn out precisely as planned. What is the best way to live life?

Let us plan. Let us apply all our might to bring the plans to fructification. Let us fight against all the obstacles and try to reach the goals. Let us do whatever we can to achieve what we desire. Let us leave the results to God. To dream of results and be sure that they will be fulfilled as per our plans may give us a bigger shock, if that does not happen.

Stress Relief and Sleep How Sleep affects your Health

Your child brings home a report card filled with low marks. Your dog just bit your neighbor, and the sink in the kitchen no longer works. You feel you’re under major stress. As a result, you find yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to get a good night’s sleep. This is truly unfortunate, because sleep can re-charge a person’s batteries, enabling him or her to better tackle the stressors that come along the road.

Stress-induced insomnia can take a variety of forms. For instance, you may have difficulty falling asleep in the first place. Or you may wake up hours earlier than you should. You may find yourself waking up several times during the middle of the night. Or you may even find that you feel tired when you wake up in the morning because you didn’t get good quality sleep.

One important point to remember is that you are not alone. Just about everyone suffers from lack of sleep at some point in life. That said, dealing with insomnia can be exhausting. You might feel run down during the day and have difficulty concentrating. You may turn to coffee in order to keep awake during the daylight hours, which can lead to a feeling of restlessness. You may even try taking a nap in the mid-morning or late afternoon, only to find that you have difficulty sleeping again at night.

While old age, depression, and substance abuse can all lead to insomnia, it might be said that the number one cause is stress. If your insomnia persists for a week, you should contact your doctor. He or she may prescribe medication to enable you to get to sleep more quickly. But you should be aware that there are other techniques you can use to deal with stress-related insomnia.

To begin with, try to determine the root cause of your stress. This might be your job, your home life, or even some of your recreational activities. Next, determine whether you are overscheduled. By eliminating some of your commitments, you might be able to seriously reduce your stress level. Then, do some problem-solving. How can you make a stressful situation better? It could involve engaging in positive thinking, changing your attitude about the situation, or coming up with solutions to resolve the situation.

There are also some concrete steps you can take to improve your sleep. For instance, make sure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep. This means finding the most comfortable bedding available, decorating your room with soft, subtle colors, and eliminating clutter or other signs of work in progress.

In addition, condition yourself to associate your bed with sleep. This means resisting the temptation to do work in bed, or study for your classes while lying down. You should even try to avoid watching TV programs in bed. The idea here is to eliminate stimulants from your sleeping area which could prevent you from falling asleep. If you like to read in bed, make sure that you read only fun, pleasurable books, not significant tomes that could keep you up at night.

One other helpful tip is to set up a regular routine prior to going to bed. It may involve taking a bath or shower to relax you or drinking some milk right before settling down to sleep. Also, try to get up at the same time every morning so that you are following an established schedule. In addition, make sure that you do not engage in drinking beverages with caffeine or alcoholic drinks after dinner.

Insomnia is one of the most dangerous side-effects of stress. It can rob you of your energy, strength, and endurance. It can make the simplest tasks difficult to handle during the course of the day. And it can even lead to major depression. If you find yourself having trouble getting to sleep at night, take immediate action. Don’t wait for your body to feel the stress of night after night of sleeplessness. The more proactive you are, the greater the likelihood that you’ll be able to combat insomnia, as well as the stress that goes with it. Refreshed and renewed, you’ll be able to take on the challenges that come your way, once you’ve gotten enough sleep.

The Number One Secret to Deal with Stress and Anxiety: Exercise!

Exercise: The Ultimate Stress-Reliever

Perhaps it’s the result of having a new job, a new mate, or a new baby. You are overwhelmed with a feeling of excitement. Yet, you feel inadequate as well. As a result, you are under a tremendous amount of stress. At times, you might feel as if there’s no relief in sight—as if you’re on a treadmill which shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

However, the secret to effectively dealing with the stress may be to get your body onto an actual treadmill. Exercise can be the key to stress relief. It’s an obvious antidote to fatigue. It can make you feel more energetic, improving your strength and resiliency. It has been shown that individuals who are more physically fit often experience fewer health troubles. In addition, exercisers are less likely to suffer from psychological problems such as depression, binge eating, or insomnia.

Without exercise, you are increasing the likelihood that you will be afflicted with colds, flu, or other medical problems. Aerobic exercise in particular can improve your cardiovascular system and decrease your anxiety level. Some studies have shown that, during aerobic exercise, a chemical is produced in the brain which helps to heal the body from stress-related conditions. You should exercise at least three days a week for 30 minutes at a time in order to improve not only your health but your mental outlook.

If you find it difficult to become motivated to exercise, there are a number of steps you can take. To begin with, you can join an exercise club. Knowing that you’ll have to pay dues to a gym may make it more likely that you will actually end up exercising. You might also consider enlisting the aid of a personal trainer. A trainer can provide powerful motivation, pushing you to complete exercises you never thought possible. Another idea is to join an exercise class. There, you’ll meet other people who are in a similar position. The camaraderie that develops between exercisers can help to reduce your stress level.

In general, exercise should make you feel less anxious. Your muscles become less tense and you will be less shaky after a round of exercise. It has also been shown that exercise leads to an hour and a half to two hours of relaxation response. This has also been referred to as the endorphin response. As a result, your mood will improve, enabling you to deal more effectively with stress.

Exercise can also improve your self-image. You’ll experience greater self-worth, which will, in turn, reduce your stress level. A confident person is an individual who knows how to handle stress without becoming flustered. As a result of exercise, you may also end up eating better. Your improved menu may also prove to be a stress reliever. For instance, if you give up caffeinated drinks, you might become less jittery.

In addition to your sessions in the gym, you should be looking for additional opportunities to exercise. This could mean taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to work instead of driving, or playing touch football in the backyard with your children. The point is to get moving—and keep moving—at every available opportunity.

Exercise quickens the blood flow to your mind, offering the brain additional sugars and oxygen which can be important if you are concentrating. Exercise can also clear out waste products from the brain which can result in unclear thinking. You will also feel a greater sense of well-being as a result of exercise.

As has been shown here, exercise is beneficial for both the body and the mind. As a result, it can relax you when other techniques fail. By engaging in exercise, you free up your mind, enabling you to concentrate better and work more efficiently. Chances are you will not only feel better, you will look better as well. With your brain under control, you should experience less stress. Granted, exercise takes time and requires discipline, but it is well worth the exertion. The good feelings you get from a powerful exercise session can actually last for days. You may find that you actually look forward to working out because of the tremendous benefits it brings with it.   

The Historical Origins of Yoga

Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before.  People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical.  There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe.  Millions of Americans today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity.  The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease.  Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy.

There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments.  Americans mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body.

Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*.  Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body.  Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness.  In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self.  Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies.  Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life.

There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice.  Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted.  The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background.  The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food. Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything.  *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) - published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India

The Art Of Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient martial art, one that was practiced for centuries in China as an exercise, a martial art, and a way to improve the internal flow of energy in the body.  It emphasis correct form and feeling with each and every movement, which is why it is always taught to be practiced in a slow and gentle fashion.

By involving the entire body with little to no impact, Tai Chi promotes strength, flexibility, and stamina.  With the entire body being taught to move as a whole, Tai Chi cultivates the link among the mind and the body, helping to enhance one’s coordination and balance.  It can also help with the joints as well, especially if an individual is very stiff in the joints.

Although it was developed to be a martial art, it involves very little striking, offensive, or even defense techniques.  Tai Chi is a movement and breathing art that works all of the major muscles and joints in the body, helping to circulate internal energy, or chi.  The Chinese believe that internal energy, or chi is what prevents or stops diseases.

When practicing the art, the body will remain very soft and relaxed, just like it was suspended from the top of the head with the joints being similar to that of a puppet.  The mind of the student is focused on each movement, focusing on the flow of energy.  By being relaxed and focused, you allow the energy to flow through your entire body.

Even though you are soft and relaxed, you are still constantly moving.  The energy that flows through your body never stops, it keeps you moving.  When you move in reality, it takes little to no energy to make a movement.  By using your chi, everything you do seems as if it is weightless.

In combat, the Tai Chi student uses his opponent’s energy against him.  The stylist is very relaxed, believing that the energy of the opponent can be used against him.  There is little to no strength involved.  When the opponent becomes weak and tires himself out - the stylist attacks.  This way, there is very little energy left for defense or even attacking.

Tai Chi is one of the oldest styles of martial arts, and one of the hardest to find these days.  Just like other martial arts, such as Tiger Claw and Ninjutsu, it can be very hard to find a dojo that teaches the art.  If you can find a dojo that teaches the art of Tai Chi, you really shouldn’t pass it up.  It can teach you a lot about internal energy and your spiritual well being - learning more about yourself than you ever thought possible in the process.

The Zen Path of the Shaolin Monks

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 Learn Falun Gong Exercise For Beginners Tutorial Routine Martial Arts

Falun Gong or Falun Dafa (literally means "Dharma Wheel Practice" or "Law Wheel Practice") is a Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance (Chinese: 真、善、忍). The practice emphasizes morality and the cultivation of virtue, and identifies as a qigong practice of the Buddhist school, though its teachings also incorporate elements drawn from Taoist traditions. Through moral rectitude and the practice of meditation, practitioners of Falun Gong aspire to better health and, ultimately, spiritual enlightenment.

Falun Gong was first taught publicly in Northeast China in 1992 by Li Hongzhi. It emerged toward the end of China's "qigong boom"—a period which saw the proliferation of similar practices of meditation, slow-moving exercises and regulated breathing. It differs from other qigong schools in its absence of fees or formal membership, lack of daily rituals of worship, its greater emphasis on morality, and the theological nature of its teachings. Western academics have described Falun Gong as a qigong discipline, a "spiritual movement", a "cultivation system" in the tradition of Chinese antiquity, or as a form of Chinese religion.

Easy Body Exercies to Increase Mind Power

For thousands of years, physical disciplines like yoga, Tai Chi and Sufi Dancing have been said to increase mental and spiritual powers. If this is true, how might one explain this, and even better, how can we use this fact, practically, to enhance our lives as artists, business people, parents, and partners?

First, we have to strip away the mysticism from the activity. Not that these activities have no esoteric aspect, but rather that we have to approach them on the most down-to-earth level. The higher the tree, the deeper the roots. The taller the building, the deeper the foundations. If you want to soar, be certain that your tether is strong. So we need to start with a simple, physiological explanation (if possible!) and then suggest a way that this ties in to advanced artistic accomplishment, relationship skills, intellectual clarity, and spiritual growth.

Perhaps the single most important in terms of Body-Mind is known as the “Flow State Performance Spiral.” In order to relate this breakthrough thinking in such a short essay, we’ll have to condense considerably:

1) All physical technique is composed of three aspects: breathing, movement, and structure.

2) Each of these aspects is controlled by the other two (breath is created by movement and structure, etc.)

3) Stress “dis-integrates” this structure. In other words, when you are under stress, the physiological signs will manifest in your breathing rate or shallowness, your posture, your muscle tension. This is why lie detectors work!

Before he died, Hans Selye, the creator of the “stress” concept, said that he had misspoken himself, that it is not stress that hurts us, it is strain. Stress is the pressure we are under. But strain is the degree to which that stress warps us out of true.

Stress is not the enemy. In fact, when handled healthfully, it is the primary trigger for growth. So the key is to avoid strain.

Let’s skip around a bit to a truth about artistic and intellectual pursuits: your ability to utilize your intelligence, education, skills or talents will be in direct proportion to your ability to maintain “flow” under stress. Or to put it another way, in life, we are rewarded for how much stress we can handle without folding. Writer’s block, for instance, is nothing but a poor reaction to performance stress.

Combining these ideas, what we have is that mental and emotional balance under stress leads to excellence. Combine this with the fact that learning to cope with physical stress develops skills that are tremendously applicable to the mental arena. The most vulnerable portion of the “Flow State” triad (breath, movement, structure) is breathing. Proper breathing will be degraded by stress before you can detect it in posture or muscle tension. This is one of the reasons breath control is addressed in most religions and spiritual disciplines, whether this is through pranayama (yoga), exercise, hymns, ritual prayers, dance, or sacred postures.

A good yoga teacher, for instance, will place the student in a posture sufficiently extreme to force total concentration. When the student learns to relax and focus, that posture becomes relatively easy, and a more extreme posture is given. The point is to teach the student to monitor their own internal process. Fine martial arts or breathing meditation teachers use similar techniques.

The student learns to recognize the early signs of strain, and to dissipate them. NOTHING in life creates more stress than lack of oxygen, and learning to remain calm in the midst of oxygen debt will teach you to remain calm when the children are screaming, when your boss is on the rampage, when someone cuts you off on the freeway.

Or when you have a writing deadline, or when insecurity and fear hammers at the door of your resolve.

Deliberately practicing a physical discipline to enhance this quality of calmness and centeredness, while simultaneously working toward goals balanced in body, mind, and spirit, exposes you to the currents of life while helping you develop the skills and strategies necessary to excel. This, over time, leads to excellence, even in a purely mental arena.

There are numerous disciplines that will teach proper breathing under stress, and this article has listed a few. If you wish to reach your maximum potential as a mental, spiritual, and emotional being, seek one of these techniques out, and integrate it into your life. It is one of the best investments you could ever make in your future.

The Benefits of Tai Chi Meditation in Motion Energy Flow

To the uninformed, the mere mention of the term “martial arts” evokes images of rigorous fighting and violence.  However, in China and other parts of the world, thousands are recognizing the health benefits of a Chinese form of martial arts called Tai Chi.   Many of its practitioners have adopted Tai Chi not only as a martial art but as a technique to manage stress and anxiety.  While its roots are to be found in China, the martial arts has gained wide following in the United States where stress and anxiety are now considered very common ailments.

According to the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, at least 19 million Americans are now affected by stress and anxiety.  The anxiety disorder includes other symptoms of distress such as depression, alcoholism, excessive cigarette smoking, and other forms of subtance abuse.   In many cases, the disorder becomes so intense that a person with anxiety could no longer function properly or engage in normal everyday activities.  A generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) manifests itself as a chronic irritability, tension, or worry over a situation. The anxiety is often unwarranted or exaggerated when a person is anticipating a certain event or situation. Stress and anxiety are treatable and can be addressed using a variety of therapeutic options.  The great number of people afflicted with anxiety disorders has also resulted in the increase in demand for therapy centers and psychiatric services.  In these centers, a patient with an anxiety or stress disorder is provided counseling, coaching, and even diet advice.  If necessary, the patients are also given anxiety medication to help relieve their worries.

One very popular stress management alternative is Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese form of “soft” or internal martial arts that helps promote health and longevity.  Often seen being practiced by groups of people in parks, Tai Chi has grown popularity especially among the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.   Often called the “moving meditation,”  Tai Chi was developed in China as early as the 12th century by a Taoist monk named Zhang Sanfeng.   Tai Chi literally means “supreme ultimate boxing” or “boundless fist,”  a name that clearly points out to the combat applications of this slow, graceful Oriental art of physical fitness.

Many Tai Chi practitioners attest to the effectiveness of the art in promoting relaxation.  The deliberate, slow movements of the upper torso, hands, arms, legs, and feet are soft exercises that promote flexibility.  The practitioner breathes slowly with each graceful movement of Tai Chi.  The slow repetitive movements of this unique form of martial arts promote the internal blood and oxygen circulation.  It is believed that the emphasis of Tai Chi on proper breathing allows its practitioners to heal damaged internal organs and body cells. 

Whether it is done alone or as part of a group, the Tai Chi forms or exercises offer anxiety relief.  In fact, there are specific movements that require the practitioner to visualize the act of releasing stress and anxiety.  As the Tai Chi practitioner moves his arms inward, it is accompanied by slow, deep breathing. The next move of pushing the arms outward is accompanied by the exhalation of air and the visualization of pushing away all negative thoughts and worries.

Other practitioners have also found Tai Chi to be an effective means of breaking the habit of smoking and excessive use of alcohol.  Aside from bringing a sense of clarity and serenity, the practice of Tai Chi also helps the practitioner to adopt a more healthier lifestyle.  Advanced forms of Tai Chi include the study and use of traditional Chinese medicine which involves the use of acupuncture, herbal medications, and therapeutic massage.

For serious cases of stress and other psychological disorders, regular consultation with a doctor or psychiatrist is highly advised.   While Tai Chi is already a proven alternative form of stress management, some individuals may need to take anxiety medication that is prescribed a health professional.  

While it is not always necessary to take drugs to treat anxiety, balancing the collective wisdom from Eastern and Western forms of medicine may be an ideal way of approaching the issue of personal health and fitness.  Millions of people around the world have taken up Tai Chi not just as a martial art but as a means to release stress and tension.   With more efforts to promote the healing and fitness aspects of Tai Chi, it is expected that more people will learn and benefit from the ancient secrets to longevity and stress-free living.

Boost Self Confidence with 5 Easy Techniques

There are very few people who could call themselves perfect and be right. Most of us need to build self confidence today, but the majority just either ignore the issues or concentrate on the negatives: stress, worry, jobs, money problems and relationship issues. Concentrating on these areas drains our self confidence rather than improving it.

If you could improve your self confidence you could make more money, look and feel better physically, or just be more relaxed with other people.  Below there are five simple techniques that have been proved to help build self confidence today.

1.  Talk to yourself. It sounds crazy but it works. All of us have a running monologue constantly in our heads, whether we realize it or not.  Everything we see, hear, or touch sparks off an immediate dialog in our thoughts.

For those who lack confidence this monologue is filled with negative messages many of which are the negative side of adverts from television, radio, advertisement boardings, newspapers, and just overhearing other people talk.

These negative thoughts literally suck energy from our minds and bodies and block the flow of positive messages. We need to hear the positive messages as they will build self confidence today and raise our self esteem.  Take control. Use your inner thoughts to talk to yourself in a positive manner, as often as you can.

As an example one of my regular sayings is "I like myself, I like myself, I like myself". I just repeat it for a couple of minutes.  It sounds cheesy, but does build self confidence today – Try it.  I bet that if you go to the mirror right now and repeat out loud "I like myself!" 50 times, it will be impossible to keep from smiling.

2.  Dress as smartly and as classily as you can.  You wont feel at your best if you don't look your best. You will be amazed at just how much more confidence you will have just looking your best.  It just feels good when you are wearing your best clothes, are well groomed, and are surrounded by a clean environment.  So what if it is Saturday, you need to build self confidence today not next week.  Put on your nice clothes, get the car washed, style that hair!  A hairdresser once told me "Everyday is show time!"

3.  Increase your self esteem even more by giving thanks to what you are, how you look, and what you are doing.  Say "thank you" to yourself to everything you see, all whom you meet, and each smile that you receive.

4. Stand or sit correctly:  How you stand sends out a message to the World, and in turn, back to you. This results in improving how you feel about yourself and will build self confidence today and every day.

There is scientific evidence that shows how posture affects our mood. Do not slouch. Slouching produces a down mood. By slouching you are telling the world and yourself it doesn't matter, you don't matter.  Standing tall and upright will actually lift your mood.  Help build up your confidence by pulling back those shoulders, stop that slouch, and walk proud.

5.  Smile. Just smile and things seem better somehow. Practice smiling regularly and get your facial muscles used to the physical act of smiling.

Go to the mirror and smile – make yourself. Not a grimace, but a proper smile. If you don't think you can try this:

1)Open your eyes as wide as you can – (try and get your eyebrows right up to you hair line)
2)Slightly open your mouth
3)Pull the corners of your mouth back towards your ears (If your not sure pull them back with your fingers so you know what it feels like then try again without your fingers).
4)Repeat 50 times. Get your facial muscles used to smiling and you will smile more and encourage smiles from others. This will make you feel happier and with that you'll build self confidence today.

How to Improve your Self Esteem using Simple Techniques

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.

Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?

Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.

Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior
Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.

Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment
You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for awhile, it may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Change will be there forever, we must be susceptible to it.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Self esteem experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Self esteem.

Dart Pin #4: Past Experience
It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.

Dart Pin #5: Negative World View
Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.

Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory
The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.

Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God wouldn’t come down from heaven and tell you – “George, you may now have the permission to build self esteem and improve your self.”

In life, its hard to stay tough specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and armors to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s options give us arrays of more options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing a bullet proof armor ideally means ‘self change’. The kind of change which comes from within. Voluntarily. Armor or Self Change changes 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of thinking.

Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Its like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline. Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination. So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your starter guide to self improvement.

There's a lot to understand about Self esteem. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

Being Happy is Easier than You Think!

If you aren't happy, why aren't you?

Chances are it is because you want something which you do not have, objects or conditions. This is probably not a good enough reason and a review of your situation and perceptions may be in order.

You may have seen video of children in very poor countries laughing and playing, unconcerned that they should have more to be happy about. They are happy because they are playing, because they have their friends and family, and some food to eat that day. Everyone has the right to be happy, and if they can be in their situation, shouldn't you?

"Happiness consists more in small conveniences of pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life." - Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

Happiness is inside us, in our minds, in our thinking. It is not external material things or experiences, but the enjoyment of our thoughts and feelings. This is good because our thoughts, and therefore our happiness, are up to us.

Start by reviewing the things that you have to be happy about and dwell on these. Don't overlook the little or basic things that you take for granted.

Make a habit of substituting unhappy thoughts with happy thoughts. Whenever an unfavorable picture enters your mind, eject it and replace it with a pleasant one. We all have some nice experiences to recollect and there are usually little pleasures around us most of the time. You can even imagine enjoyable experiences, and it will have a similar positive effect.

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."  - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Establish good principles and conduct yourself according to these principles. Love, or at least be tolerant of, your fellow humans. Don't strive too hard for that which, in the end, will not make you happier.

Easy Relaxation Techniques to help you Unwind from Stress

When looking for relaxation techniques you will find there are many forms. Here are a selection of four techniques you can choose from and use when practicing relaxation.

Relaxation techniques and methods

For a deeper state of relaxation you might want to use a combination of these relaxation techniques.

Relaxation techniques: Meditation
Meditation is a mental exercise. You choose an object or a visual image and focus on it. A popular method is focusing on the breathing. A lot of people prefer the lotus position when doing this exercise. By keeping the spine straight, energies are allowed to flow better.

This helps to develop something called mindfulness. Random thoughts are reduced when mindfulness is being developed. You can be more productive with fewer random thoughts because you can focus on one thing at a time.

Relaxation techniques: Progressive relaxation
Muscles are use with the progressive relaxation technique. This technique is use to help identify the difference between tensed and relaxed muscles. When you can recognise tensed muscles you can consciously relax them.

It is best to lay down when practicing this technique. You should focus on one muscle at a time. Tense the muscle for about 10 seconds. Then consciously relax it. Pause for a moment before moving on to the next muscle. Moving from each muscle from the top of the body through to the toes. After the exercise, each muscle should be totally relaxed. You may want to lay still for a while and enjoy the relaxing feeling.

Relaxation techniques: Breathing
There is a logical reason why breathing exercises helps you to relax. If you are tense you may have noticed you are breathing with your chest. Maybe fast and shallow.

This exercise helps you to get into the habit of breathing using your belly. You can notice the difference if you place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Inhale deeply and allow your belly to expand. The hand on your belly should move more.

To do the exercise sit in a comfortable chair. Your back should be straight. Both feet should be flat on the floor.

Inhale deeply through your nose and hold for as long as it feels comfortable. Exhale through your mouth which should be only slightly open. A pause before repeating the process has a better calming result with this exercise.

Relaxation techniques: Imagery
Another powerful technique is visualisation where you use your imagination. Guided imagery is a term often used for this technique. The practitioner imagines being in a calm and pleasant place. It doesn't have to be a place you have been to. Just as long as it is nice to imagine. The objective is to imagine being in a place where you are surrounded with things that makes you happy.

Used on there own, any one of these techniques can be quite relaxing. Used together you will find that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

If you wish to use a combination of these exercises, start with the progressive muscle exercise to relax you. Use the breathing exercise to maintain the relaxed state. And then use meditation or the imagery exercise to focus your mind and help reduce random thoughts.

How Achieve your Goals Using the Law of Attraction

Do you know how to take advantage of the Law of Attraction when setting your goals? Many people are unsure if they should be too specific when they set their goals, especially after watching films like "The Secret". This documentary style movie states that you should allow the Universe to bring you your desires and not be too hung-up on the ‘how-tos’ or ‘from-wheres’. "The Universe knows the best way" is its ethos. So how does goal-setting fit into the attraction process?

Let me explain.

Anyone who has studied the tried-and-tested approach to goal setting knows that you should include specific details; in fact they know that you should be as specific as possible. These specifics include completion date, plan for achievement or stepping-stone goals and highly specific details of the goal itself. For example, you may set a goal to have an increase in turn-over of $10,000 by the end of the quarter. You immediately devise a plan to increase sales and being to build your goal-steps setting smaller goals that will lead to the attainment of your desired outcome. So how does this fit into "The Universe knows the best way" approach offered by most law of attraction experts?

Well it’s really very simple. The Law of Attraction is always responding to your personal vibration. Your vibration is affected by what you think and how you feel. So if you get specific in your goal and even set time-limits for specific tasks then the Law of Attraction is responding to those thoughts and the feelings associated with them. By staying focused on your desired outcome and feeling positive about its completion and attainment you are super-charging your Law of Attraction actions. As long as you don’t feel negative about your goal, or the plan you have devised, goal-setting like this can be very powerful.

However, if you set your aims too high, or make your goals unrealistic, then the Law of Attraction will work against you! You feel overwhelmed, doubtful and stressed. The Law will respond to this and your attraction vibration will be the opposite of what you want. By over-stretching yourself you will get negative thoughts and feelings about your goal. But by setting realistic goals, that do still stretch you, you can fully utilize the Law of Attraction to your advantage.

One key element of the Law of Attraction is that you always get more of what you focus on. Placing your attention on certain things consistently makes them grow and expand. So, by setting goals and working a plan to achieve it you are actually focusing your energy, thoughts and emotions towards that of the desired objective. By having set time-limits for the achievement of each step of your goal and the goal itself your thoughts, energy and feelings are also focused in that direction. Thus you are following one of the fundamental rules of the Law of Attraction - what you put our attention on expands.

The key is to always remain focused on the goal itself and not on the lack of it! You must also ensure you do not get frustrated if it appears that you may not reach your goal in the time-limit you specified. These are draw-backs of goal-setting as far as the Law of Attraction is concerned. However, they can be over-come.

Set realistic easily managed goals at first. Once you become proficient at goal-achievement you can start to stretch yourself a little more each time. As you begin to see overwhelming evidence that the Law of Attraction exists and that it is working in your favour you will be able to set you goals higher and bigger until there is nothing you cannot achieve.

Just always be aware that while you are pursuing your goal every positive thought and feeling you have about it is attracting more things to you that will help you achieve it!

Manifesting Money using the Law of Attraction

There is a science to manifesting money.  When you understand that core of money at its finer subatomic level you will realize that you are never poor.  It does not always take money to make money.

Like everything in life there is a foundation and greater levels which go beyond there.  There are many people who when first understanding the law of attraction think that all that is ever needed is to wish for it and the money will come.

Then there are others who hope for more money, think they understand how the law of attraction works and continue to work hard while scattering their energy.  They lack focus and lack of focus means lack of power.

Your knowledge of the law of attraction is the base, yet there are many levels which enhance your application of the law of attraction.  Once you take the time to understand and study those levels you can apply them to anything.  You can truly start from nothing.

The first step is to begin to see money opportunities all around you.  The more aware you become of how money exchanges hands and how it flows the more confident and skilled you will become in weaving it towards you.

It does not take a particular education; it does not take large amounts of your own money to get the law of attraction to begin blessing you with money.  Challenge yourself to learn the universal laws then begin to apply your knowledge of money to those universal laws.  How many ways can you make money that does not require you to spend one penny?

You can begin to weave lots of money as you understand the subatomic nature of money and how it interacts with your present reality.

The Seven Secrets of the Law of Attraction

The whole idea of the law of attraction is to be a co creator with God in manifesting the things that are deepest to your heart.  When you use the law of attraction in the right way you can experience manifesting your desires at a much faster rate than you ever would have had you not made the effort to use it correctly.

You can use the law of attraction to manifest faster results by taking the following steps.


1. Be Grateful Now

Gratitude can dramatically change your life but best of all it gets the law of attraction to give you more of what you are feeling grateful and happy for.  When you are feeling frustrated and down the law of attraction gives you more reasons to feel down.  You manifest more situations that make you feel unhappy.  So as the first rule to manifesting faster results begin to see all the things in your present life that you are grateful for no matter how simple it is.


2. Speak of It

It may seem hypocritical at first when you learn of the law of attraction to speak of your desires as if they are already here.  In reality all things are already created.  The moment a thought is conceived you have brought it into your reality.  The more you speak of that thought the stronger it becomes and the faster it moves into your state of being.  Think of a child who becomes eager about the thing he or she wants.  See how eager they are about it?  They look up pictures about it, they speak about what they will do when they get it.  They don’t worry about how or when it will come, they just know and above all they are excited about it.  Speak with joy about what will come into your life because your words and thoughts about it feeds that creation and brings it to you faster.

3. Surround Yourself With The Things You Desire

You maybe asking, how can I surround myself with the things that I want if I don’t have it?  It may not be yours at the moment but you can borrow, you can visit, above all you can place yourself in the environment and among the people who are closely link to the things you desire.  The successful application of the law of attraction depends on you already being in that energy of what you want.  It is up to you to create the state that you want to attract and you do so by being among the things that you want until it is fully yours.  The law of attraction will give you quite easily what you bring into your focus, whether you are speaking of it or observing it.  You get more of what you surround yourself with.


4.  Let Go!!!

Let go of what you want.  Yes, let it go.  Know that you desire to experience a particular thing but don’t hold on out of fear of doubt.  The more you cling on to the needing or wanting feeling the more disastrous your manifesting will be.  You will only succeed in feeling more needy.  Allow yourself to feel full and confident.  Those who understand how the universe and the laws of attraction work easily understand the power of their intention and don’t feel stress or needy.  They create and know that the law of attraction is working for them and what they create will soon manifest.  They create then let go and move into the state of receiving.

There is a great paradox that comes with letting go because a very large part of manifesting requires that you give a lot of focus to your desire but there is a delicate balancing act of focus without feeling needy or being clingy.


5. Learn to Receive

To activate the law of attraction you must move into the state of receiving.  This is something most people cannot do.  Many people say that they want certain things but few people know how to receive those things that they are asking for.  Most people feel doubtful or unworthy about what they want.  Deep within they feel that they do not deserve nor will they get what they are asking for.  Those tiny feeling of unworthiness are giant blocks in the manifesting process and can only serve in destroying what you are hoping to attract.  The law of attraction is a science that takes you deep into your inner nature and allows you to see where you are feeling disconnected as a co-creator with God and the universe.  Become worthy and allow yourself to receive.


6. Become Worthy Now

Become worthy by recognizing that you can manifest anything that you want because you are Gods and Goddesses and what you desire is only a tiny speck in the universe.  You deserve to manifest what you want because when you are rich you influence those around you in positive ways.  When you use the law of attraction to manifest  a better life you are in the flow and in a better state of adding value to the world.  The faster you can feel worthy of what you desire to manifest the faster it will come.

One of the biggest blocks in manifesting is the feeling of unworthiness that most people feel.  God wants you to have, the universe is great enough and there is more than enough for you and everyone else.  You are worthy!.


7. Give What You Desire Most

You may not have all the money in the world for yourself but you do have something of value and that thing which is of value to you may be in scarce supply to someone else.  Give to others and you will be stunned and amazed by how fast the law of attraction will manifest abundance in your life.

There is a natural flow in the universe and in order to manifest more you must also be in the flow of giving.  Give to others as long as you do not give more of yourself.  There are many flawed concepts of giving more than you have, this is very faulty.  Give only what you can, never ever deplete yourself.  Give what makes you feel happy to give.  Give with love on a regular basis but also be aware of conserving your own and the law of attraction will bless you by bringing to you much more than you give.  As you give you will get and you will manifest much more than you could ever have imagined and much faster too.

Using Meditation to Quiet the Monkey Mind

Some find the term, “monkey mind”, upsetting, derogatory, and insulting. This is a shame, as the point is lost, the ego is involved, and a natural human defense goes up. After all, we are supposed to be the “king of the primates,” aren’t we?

The first time I heard the expression, “monkey mind,” in regard to meditation, I thought of Swayambhunath Stupa, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sometimes, this is named, the “monkey temple,” and it made me laugh inside, as monkeys need supervision in human settings. The picture of unsupervised monkeys got into my head, and I was suppressing laughter during a serious conversation.

Monkeys can be nuisances, when allowed to roam without some guidance, and it is the same with the untrained mind that runs from topic to topic, without getting much accomplished. So please don’t waste time being offended by the term, and try to look at the comical side.

When you allow yourself to enjoy life, and try not to take anything too seriously, you can see that monkeys don’t have it so bad after all. Very often, the human mind spends too much time defending, worrying, posturing, influencing, fearing, and feeling embarrassed, to enjoy life to its fullest potential.

In fact, you are not your mind. You are responsible for your actions, but many things happen in the thought process before you do take action. For example: when you think, images and options are created. As a result of those images, you get a physical feeling somewhere around your heart.

Whether the feeling is, good or bad, you process it into action, or treat it as a fleeting thought that passes and may be forgotten. So if you have a fleeting evil thought and it passes - should you waste time feeling guilty about it? The natural safeguard for ethical behavior is your heart or “gut feeling.” This is the best indicator of wrong or right.

Mankind has the ability to influence the universe, and create different realities, but separating what is sacred, from what is evil, has been a dilemma for thousands of years. The disconnection from your inner self, nature, and God, has led to excessive confusion.

Thank God for meditation; it allows you to harness the power of the mind, settle down, and focus, on one subject at a time. If you take the time for a daily meditation practice, your decision-making process will be much more controlled and clear. The end result will be to look at the monkey with much more respect, appreciation, and a bit of humor.

10 Top Tips to Improve Self-Esteem

The best way to improve your life and earn the respect of others is to improve your self-esteem. This is not a very difficult task. All that it needs is good guidance. Here are ten tips that can happen when you improve your self--esteem.

1. You should surround yourself with people who are positive and supportive, and shun friends who are cynical and negative. This will generate a huge swell of positive feelings in you. You will respect yourself more, and your self-esteem will grow.

2. You should be clear about what you want to achieve in life. Set goals, and work for their achievement. To make your task easier, break your main goal into several smaller goals which are relatively easier to achieve. This will make the task of reaching your main goals seem easier. It will also give you a feeling of satisfaction whenever you achieve one of the smaller goals.

3. Always be positive about yourself and keep reminding yourself about your good qualities, your accomplishments and how you help your family, friends, others and yourself. Don’t make the mistake of brooding over negative things, and never put yourself down.

4. Develop the ability to accept criticism about yourself, without getting upset or defensive. This will help you eliminate your weaknesses one by one. However, make sure that the criticism is constructive. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by criticism that is cynical or meant to lower your self-esteem. This will be a great mistake, and do irreparable damage to your self-esteem.

5. We all need to accept the fact that we will fail from time to time. We should not let it get us down or to have too much of a negative effect on us. We should think that we have not been successful this time and that we will succeed the next time. This will help us to pull ourselves together and move on. Such an attitude will help us overcome the most difficult conditions.

6. Never compare yourself with others. This is the easiest way to feel inferior and lose self-esteem. It is much better to rate yourself on your achievements. Such an approach will give you self-confidence. At the same time it will make you feel better when dealing with your peer group.

7. Never put yourself down. Failures are like parasites. If you allow them to grow they will eat away your self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem. The best is to push negative thoughts out of your mind, if you want others to treat you with respect. This can only happen when you project a positive exterior, even in most adverse situations. Make it a point to filter out all self-criticism.

8. Don’t give in to bullies in your place of work or in your personal life. You must learn to stand up to them. This can only happen if you are assertive about your rights. Of course, this does not mean that you should pick up physical battles to make your point. On the contrary, you should exercise restraint and make your point in a dignified manner. This will not only make others treat you with respect but also increase your self-esteem.

9. You may be self-conscious and because of this you may avoid talking to groups of people. Try to approach groups of people and introduce yourself to them. Ask them questions about themselves and try to be genuinely interested in the answers. Listen carefully and attentively to what they say and respond to show your interest. Interacting with people will make you feel more relaxed. You will realize that it is easy to speak to groups of people and to relax by concentrating on what others are saying, rather than on yourself.

10. Self-esteem is also dependent upon the felling of well-being. A lazy person or a poorly groomed person will always feel inferior to a confident, smart individual. So, you need to take good care of your body. Remember, a healthy body is essential for a healthy mind.

Visualization and the Law of Attraction

Visualization is by far one of the most powerful tools for good setting and attracting what you want. Yet few people know how to properly visualize.  With the right technique you can begin to see outstanding results in successfully attracting what you want, granted you full apply what you learn.

First you are visualizing all the time.  You may not be aware of it but you are always conjuring up images in your mind.  When you are speaking on the telephone to someone you are most of ten times trying to see in your mind what they are telling you.  You also visualize when you are deep in thought. When you are worrying about paying your debt or worrying about the way you would really like to live your life you are also visualizing what you want.

The hard part however is to use that creative force to actually attract the things you want.  This is where many people go terribly wrong.

Here is a great test to help you understand the most effective way visualize.  Think of the last time you were deep in thought.  Now try to remember what that felt like.  If you can recall that time, you will notice that you were deep inside of yourself.  You were unaware of anyone or anything and as you were allowing yourself to visualize you could feel clearly that you were having the experience as if it were real.  That is the power of visualization.

When people ask all the time How do I visualize the things I want, I tell them the same way you visualize the things that you don’t want.  You see when you are feeling anxious and fearful you lock yourself away in your inner mind with those images.  You loose sight of other possibilities and if it is something that happened to you, then you recreate it in its full detail with all your emotions all over again.

Try to immerse yourself with full emotions when you are trying to create the things you want.  Many thoughts may come to distract you but if you will redirect your mind to what you do want your mind will be trained to hold that thought.

There are many tools and techniques that can greatly empower your ability to visualize if you really have a hard time.  You can add extreme magnetism to any mental image you want to create as long as you apply the right technique.

Using Yoga for a Healthier Life

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.