Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Learning About Reiki

What is Reiki? Reiki is a Japanese type of spiritual practice also used for stress reduction and relaxation. It is a technique that also helps promote healing either for self or for other people. It is characterized as a practice of "laying of hands".

The healing powers of the technique are based on the idea that there is an unseen "life force energy" that flows through each person. This life force is said to be the reason why people are alive. When one's life force energy is low, then people are likely to get sick or feel weak. If the life force is high, people fell healthy and happy.

Reiki is also a form of meditation used as a type of therapy for treating physical, emotional, and mental diseases. The name Reiki is taken from two Japanese characters that describe energy itself. The word "rei", which means "unseen" or 'spiritual" and "ki" which means "energy" or "life force" is combined to become Reiki. In English, its meaning is usually given as "universal life energy".

It was Mikao Usui who was known to have developed Reiki in 20th century Japan.  Story has it that Usui received the ability of healing after going through three weeks of fasting and meditating on top of Mount Kurama. Practitioners of Reiki use a technique similar to that of the laying on of hands.

This action is said to promote the channeling of "healing energy" to another person. The energy flows through the palms and brings along with it healing powers that can be used for self-treatment as well as for treating others.

Reiki is a simple, natural as well as safe method of dispensing spiritual healing and self-improvement. It is said to be effective in providing alternative treatment for virtually every known illness and malady. Not only that, Reiki also helps create an added beneficial effect, that of spiritual healing. This method is also said to work well when combined with other medical or therapeutic techniques to help relieve side effects and promote recovery.

Reiki, although seen as a very powerful healing technique, is an amazingly simple to learn. Reiki and the ability to use it effectively cannot be taught in the usual sense. The skill is said to be 'transferred" to the student during a Reiki class.

This ability is not merely learned but is passed on by a Reiki master to the student during a gathering known as "attunement". After the skill has been passed on, it allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" that can then be used to improve one's health and enhance the one's quality of life.

Although the practice of Reiki may be spiritual in nature, it is not considered as a religion. There are no set of beliefs that one should learn about before learning to practice the technique known as Reiki. The practice does not depend on any form of dogma.

It will work whether the student believes it or not. But it is said that the practice of Reiki helps people to keep in touch of their spiritual selves rather than the intellectual concept that it provides.

The practice of Reiki also aims to develop and promote living in harmony with others. Aside from practicing Reiki and its principles, the founder of the Reiki system, Mikao Usui also recommends the practice of simple ethical ideals that can lead to peace and harmony among people.

Getting to know what Reiki is may help people not only become a healing channel but also a tool to promote peace among other people.

Things You Should Know About Zen Meditation

We all have to deal with stress from either work or school. You can't close your eyes to make it go away but you can find peace so you can deal with it. One technique that can offer this is called Zen meditation.

Zen meditation is often referred to as the study of the self. It involves sitting in various postures so you are able to bring the mind and body to a peaceful and stable condition.  This happens as you focus on images and thoughts that just pop up as your heart rate slows down until you reach a reflective state of meditation.

One of the best seating positions to do this is called the Burmese position. There is also the full lotus, half lotus, kneeling or 'seiza" posture and sitting on a chair.

The key here is to keep your back straight so that your deep breathing will go naturally. This allows more oxygen to enter that will help cleanse and energize the body.

The buttocks must be thrust out and the chin tucked in. The hands should be placed close to the body with the left hand resting on top of the right with palms open and up. The joint of the middle fingers are resting on top of the other with the thumbs slightly touching.

Your eyes should be half closed and your head should be positioned to a 45 degree angle towards the body. Given that it is not easy to keep the eyes like this the whole time, you can try closing them first and then opening them later on. Should you get sleepy, just open them wide.

The challenging part is staying in a stationary position for 15 to 20 minutes. After you have developed a breathing pattern, you slowly relax the muscles from your face all the way down to your feet. As it slows down and oxygen enters, you should focus on positive thoughts and exhale those that are negative.

By concentrating, you are able to unite the body, mind and soul so that your mind is aware of only the present and no longer the past or the unforeseeable future.

Aside from the right posture, you should always wear loose clothing. It is not wise to practice this after a heavy meal because a full stomach usually creates discomfort which in itself is a distraction.

If you would like to learn Zen Meditation, you can read about it or better yet join a group. Once you get the hang of things, you can even buy a few accessories to make the experience a fruitful one like incense sticks, a bell or even a ringing bowl to mark the start and end of a session.

Short incense sticks burn for about 45 minutes while the longer ones are double the time. You can even use the kitchen timer since no one will be there to ring the bell to say time is up.

Zen meditation experts recommend that beginners should try for 10 minutes first until you get used to it before you decide to extend this for 20 or 30 minutes. Should your mind wander off, concentrate a little harder to focus once again on your breathing so your thoughts will settle down naturally.

Beginners Explore The World Of Yoga Meditation

Yoga refers to the unity of the body and mind and unity of the mind and soul. In Western cultures, people believed that gaps between the actual bodies and ideal bodies are increasing. This is because of two major reasons: lack of exercises and unhealthy diets leading to diabetes and obesity.

The practice of Asana through Pranayama can bring flexibility to the body, calmness to the mind, and balance. This can provide basic trainings with some simple asanas. There are five simple points need to be followed: Proper Breathing; Proper Exercise; Proper Diet; Positive Thinking and Mediation; and Proper Relaxation.

Yoga meditation can give people something which nothing else can. The individuals are introduced to the different levels of themselves. Yoga meditation can bring calmness, tranquility of the mind, better health, better life, better relationships, personal insights, spiritual insights, philosophical insights, and a true sense of wellness. 

Numerous studies have revealed that yoga meditation can significantly affect the musculoskeletal, nervous, endocrine, and circulatory systems. Using certain yoga postures can assure well being because it taps the body into the wisdom of self healing. Yoga can also build flexibility, balance, and strength without any injury risk common to fitness activities and high impact sports. Yoga meditation can reduce stress and boost immunity which is always associated with most chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Beginners can explore the world of yoga as long as they have the tools needed to stay in good condition. They can always enjoy the yoga benefits.

Hatha Yoga is one structure of meditation. Each posture, each breathing practice is considered as meditation forms. It calms the body, mind, and breath. Practicing this for about an hour can help people feel more relaxed for several hours because they have achieved serenity and peace. This could be a very great meditation practice.

The asanas compared to various forms of exercises are completely different. These are normally done with fast movement and within specific amounts of strain.  Exercises can accelerate breathing, waste energy, and draw circulation on the body's surface. In the end, it develops the muscular parts of the body. This means that the vitality goes with the muscles at the costs of the internal nerves and glands.

According to the Founder of the Yoga teaching, Sri Bhagavan Patanjali, asana in literal meaning is a posture which brings comfort and steadiness. So, asanas must be practiced with extreme comfort and ease.

The cleansing method of Yoga called NETI-nasal cleansing is an extreme powerful technique yet the most simplest. Neti can work wonders for allergies, several asthma cases, and chronic sinusitis. The effect is very remarkable for hay fevers, an infection on the upper respiratory tract.

In the United States, there are more than 40 million sufferers of sinusitis. Most of them failed to be cured by antibiotics. Jalaneti or neti is the best method of treating sinuses naturally.

Neti is also excellent for people who wanted to quit smoking. It is because the tendency for breathing through the mouth is reduced. The nose is re-sensitized by neti on the concrete pollution of smoke ingestion thus it de-programs the brain from psychological and physical addiction. Yoga meditation is really helpful for achieving a great and healthy body.

Getting In Touch With Oneself By Transcendental Meditation

Each human being is a masterpiece, a source of limitless energy and potential. Within each person, there is a vast well of power, knowledge, and life. Each is created with a mind and a soul that instinctively rises above to meet the infinite boundaries of being.

The quest for happiness, for success, and for a better quality of living is endless among most people. Many look forward to the promises of tomorrow for a more pleasant life. Some, on the other hand, cling to various things for joy and satisfaction. However, do you know that many of the things that most people dream today are actually hidden within them? These are only waiting to be discovered and unleashed.

Transcendental meditation revolves around this purpose – to help a person successfully bridge the gap that separates him from his inner self and to discover the treasures lurking within him in the process. Transcendental meditation can be traced back to the year 1957, originating from India's Vedic tradition. This specific type of meditation primarily works using a certain utterance called mantra. The idea behind this activity is to reiterate the given mantra following specific principles and procedures.

When successfully performed, the result is the attainment of a specific state of mind that is called transcendental consciousness. Once you attain this state, you will experience a sense of tranquility and alertness. These two senses of being may make you think that transcendental consciousness is ironic in nature. However, this can actually be achieved, and the benefits are overwhelming.

Practicing transcendental meditation is a way to calm the body and the mind, to free it from the binds of the material world. You will not need to exert too much effort to achieve this. No concentration is even required. You do not have to do anything. With the mantra as your guide, you will be able to transcend worldly thoughts.

Once free from the bounds of material perceptions, only then will you be able to discover the pool of potentials that you have. Your intellect will reveal to you truths that have been hidden in the depths of your soul and riches that you may never even know exist in you. By looking inward, you keep in touch with yourself and bring to life all those dormant potentials that have been endowed to you since you were born.

The challenge to every person who practices transcendental meditation is to be able to bring his hidden potential out into his daily life. This activity only requires about twenty minutes of your time, performed two times a day, to be able to take effect in its best form. With practice, you can easily learn the technique and witness the changes that it will bring your life. It is geared towards the growth of the entire self. By drawing energy from within, you will be able to improve your outer self and your whole life. Once the gap has been bridged, you can expect to experience a new personality, a new lifestyle, and a much better outlook in life.

Ultrasonic Subliminals: Do They Really Work?

Ultrasonic subliminals are widely available on the market these days. But people are still wondering whether they work or not. To better understand how they effect change in a person's mind, take a look at how ultrasonic subliminals are made.

A Quick Inside Look

Ultrasonic subliminals are vocalizations or other sounds that have been made with such high pitch that they block off vibrations in the eardrum. Instead, they tend to shudder some portions of the inner ear. Because of this mechanism, the conscious audible range is incapable of detecting the sound. The subconscious, on the other hand, perceives the stimulus, deciphers it and then understands the message.

Unlike masked subliminals that are normally covered or masked with other sounds (i.e. sound of water), ultrasonic subliminals may be recorded without the masking sounds. As a result, the recording gives the impression of a blank CD. Then again, a visualizer will typically reveal the existence of the high-pitched sounds.

Without a doubt, ultrasonic subliminals have a number of advantages over the masked variety; and vice-versa. However, the majority of commercially sold subliminals are in the masked format as this layout is easier to make and has an extensive history of success – given that it is correctly made and utilized. The ultrasonic type is more difficult to create yet it is generally more effective for the reason that the subliminal message is considerably louder.

The Mechanism of Action

In essence, ultrasonic subliminals function the same way as hypnosis but with no alteration of the awareness. The recordings usually require repetitive usage over a number of days, weeks, or even months to achieve full effect. Sorry to say, but anyone who is marketing "instant results" with ultrasonic subliminals is selling falsehood.

Although they can generate positive outcome after one exposure, this likelihood is very rare and typically occurs when the goal is strongly desired within a short span of time.

More often than not, ultrasonic subliminals require three to four weeks of exposure before it begins to show results. You need to at least expose yourself to the recording for one hour each day. Then again, for better outcome, you can play it all night long. Some people who are willing to take the extra mile may even get the desired effect in less than one week or as quick as three whole nights of exposure.

The Subliminal Message

The subconscious aspect of the mind is extremely childlike. It soaks everything up literally. Therefore, the sentences used in subliminal messages need to be brief, simple and straightforward. They need to steer clear of negative statements since the words "not" and 'don't" are generally not recognized by the subconscious. For instance, the phrase "I am healthy because I don't smoke" may be perceived as "I am healthy because I smoke".

In addition to using positive statements, the subliminal messages also need to be in the present tense. The subconscious mind only recognizes the present. For this reason, the script – in order to be considered a good one – should avoid using future tense.

The focus of the messages in ultrasonic subliminals should be in the "here and now" and not in the "yet to come". For example, the phrase "I will be successful" is not an excellent affirmation because it actually gives the subconscious an idea that you are not doing well right now. It somehow suspends the belief into a future that never takes place.

What Is Transcendental Meditation

Meditation has been practiced for centuries. In the years that followed, various movements have evolved and one of them is called transcendental meditation.

Transcendental meditation was a movement founded in 1957 by a Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Today, it has over 6 million followers and some of them include Hollywood celebrities and singers.

The organization that practices Transcendental Meditation is better known as the Spiritual Regeneration Movement. What makes this form of meditation different from the others is the fact that you don't just learn everything there is to know by reading a book but by learning from a transcendental meditation expert.

The ultimate goal of Transcendental Meditation is to make each member achieve pure consciousness. By doing so, the individual will be able to find peace with him or herself and also with the rest of the world.

The practice of transcendental meditation takes about 15 to 20 minutes each day. In order to be part of this organization, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created a seven step process which everyone must go through that also includes two lectures, a personal interview with a trained instructor and four days of practice. Apart from that, you are required to pay a signup fee that is almost $2,500.

More than 500 clinical studies have been done on Transcendental Meditation. One study shows that members who are in their 50's feel much younger. Another study shows that it improves your academic achievement, creativity and intelligence.

Those who have been practicing it claim that it reduces problems such as anxiety, insomnia and stress. Even those who have had addictions with alcohol or drugs in the past say that this has helped them kick the habit. 

In short, Transcendental Meditation is able to improve your physical health. Probably the biggest surprise is that one study showed that members of this movement have had fewer medical problems than those who are not.

Given the benefits it can do to those who practice it, this is probably the reason why some companies in the US offer this program to their employees. This is because management knows that stress costs them more than 200 billion dollars annually which means a decrease in the worker's productivity.

One example of such a company that offers this to their employees is General Motors. This car company has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for several years and results from a study showed that this increased the productivity in the workplace, improved morale and had a good impact on the physical health of their workers.

There are even some who have mistaken Transcendental Meditation and the organization itself to be part of the religious cult. This is because another name by which it is known is the "Science of Creative Intelligence" which in fact is a degree that you can get after you graduate at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.

It should also be pointed out that Transcendental Meditation is scientific so you don't have to abandon your current religion. In fact, it can be done with little effort so it is possible for you to achieve pure consciousness regardless of your age, gender, educational background, culture or religion. 

Transcendental Meditation makes you look inward so you are able to turn those dormant potentials into realities. Of course, this can only happen over time and with practice so you will soon be able to experience an endless world of possibilities.

The Basics Of Ultrasonic Subliminals

People all over the world are discovering the benefits of using ultrasonic subliminals to effect change in their lives. In fact, numerous audio products have been developed and sold on the market to be of assistance to folks who want to turn their life and careers around – obviously, for the better. 

However, a lot of individuals are still skeptical about the effectiveness of ultrasonic subliminals. To get a better understanding of what it is all about, you need to take the two concepts apart and be familiar with how they work. After that, you may determine for yourself whether it does work or not.

What is Ultrasonic?

Ultrasonic is actually the adjective of the term "ultrasound", which is sound with frequencies greater than the maximum threshold of human hearing. Technically, a person can hear sounds between the range of 20 Hz and 20,0000 Hz. This upper limit has a tendency to diminish with age. For that reason, most adults have become incapable of hearing sounds beyond 16 kHz (16,000 Hz).

The human ear itself doesn't really react to frequencies of less than 20 Hz. However, these can be felt through the sense of touch. Some recent studies had also revealed a "hypersonic effect" – a term that describes the phenomenon that demonstrates a quantifiable outcome on a person's psychological reaction with respect to the absence or the presence of frequencies beyond 20,000 Hz. You may not consciously perceive the sound but it can definitely have an effect on you.

What is Subliminal?

In Latin, the term 'subliminal" stands for "beneath the threshold". It represents information that is exceedingly faint for a person to perceive consciously. Nevertheless, it is recorded in the subconscious area of the mind. At times, the word subliminal can also stand for the pieces of information that the conscious mind has chosen to pay no attention to in favor of more interesting or more obvious details.

Subliminals are helpful in making modifications to the subconscious portion of a person's brain, which basically guides one's actions. Since this aspect of the mind is not equipped with the capacity for rational thinking, it will unerringly believe whatever it is told, for as long as it is done with enough repetitions or a sufficient amount of emotions.

You must wonder if it is possible for the two aspects of the mind – the conscious and the subconscious – to argue. The answer is a big "YES". Of course they disagree. And whenever this occurs, the subconscious mind would win the squabble all the time.

To get a better image of how the conscious and the subconscious aspects of the mind struggle against each other, try to picture this out: the conscious mind is usually left powerless when conflicting subconscious ideas – thoughts that could not be controlled by logical thinking – linger in a person's brain. In essence, the conscious mind is largely responsible for your "waking life", while the subconscious mind reigns in the "world of the dreaming".

How Does Ultrasonic Subliminals Work?

Ultrasonic subliminals make the most of the fact that the conscious side of your brain is intended to concentrate only on a few things, while the subconscious aspect makes a note of everything that is registered by any of your five senses.

By making use of subliminals to repetitively expose the subconscious mind to certain messages, you can make it believe and consequently accept those ideas as newfound programming. Once it has accomplished that, it starts manifesting the recently encoded ideas and the changes occur.

Techniques That You Might Not Know About-meditation

Meditation and holistic living have become buzzwords in recent years, with more and more people seeking an alternative to the frantic pace of modern life. However, many practitioners don't consider the barriers modern society presents to meditation. Even seasoned meditation practitioners can lose focus in the speed-crazed, mindset of modern life. Meditation encourages a strong self awareness and a healthy mind-body connection. Today's culture seems to operate on a completely different system.

The modern world is addicted to activity, and the more the better. Because of this, many people remain chained to distractions and cannot tap into their body's natural potential to break free.|Stress is created when the mind is not doing what the body is. If you are doing bills and your mind is wandering from picking up the kids and making dinner to finishing up at work, that creates stress. But if your mind is focused on what your body is doing, then there is no stress. This is a fundamental meditation technique.

|Most meditation techniques assume the mind-body already exists. This works well in a mountain monastery, but can be difficult to achieve with the hectic pace of modern lifestyle. A more basic gateway into that mind-body connection is needed.|A transition from the modern world into meditation should tap into the senses. You're trying to strengthen the bond and focus your attention on multiple levels. Look for ways to utilize textures that interest you, sounds that soothe you, and scents that enhance your focus.

Experiment with simple, easy motions to relax your body and to prepare yourself for meditation. Motion can focus the mind and help you break away from the whirlwind of thoughts generated each day. Think of running your hands through a river, or through a fountain if you have one available. Play with smooth stones, or make shapes of clay or sand. Flip a smooth stick of wood or roll it back and forth between your hands.

|Once you've disconnected from the modern world, you can truly take advantage of your meditation time. A more centered, aware state of being will allow you to delve deeper into your inner self. You might be surprised at what you can see with eyes unclouded.

Once thought of as a ritual performed by men who shaved their heads, wore long robes and lived in a mountain cave, this mind quieting, stress relieving natural self-healing practice is becoming so commonplace that corporations such as Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft recognize the intuitive powers of it and offer meditation classes to their employees.

|Having the ability to quiet one's mind and retreat to a thought-free state of calmness opens the connection to higher intelligence and greatly enhances problem-solving abilities. In addition, with practice and coaching you can develop the ability to ask pointed questions and receive answers to them through this same dynamic channel.

The number of miracles born out of a regular practice of meditation are untold. From loosing weight and quitting smoking, to manifesting more money and physical items, to rekindling relationships and curing terminal diseases, millions of accounts of miracles just like these are attributed to meditation.

The Power Of Subliminal Messages

Information that is processed in the subconscious part of the brain – also known as subliminal messages – can actually influence a person's attitude and behavior. This finding was revealed in a recent study conducted about the subject. The results also suggests that some subliminal messages may produce effects that are opposite than expected. For instance, subliminal exposure to the image of a flag tones down instead of intensifying political attitudes.

Researchers from the Psychology Department of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem state that the studies they have conducted indicate that subliminal messages indeed have a large influence on attitudes and political behavior. This finding was a significant addition to what is already known about the outcomes of subconscious processes.

The studies, spearheaded by Dr. Ran Hassin – a cognitive scientist, reveal that the subliminal image of the national symbol affected not only the political attitudes of the citizens, but also the voting intents and actual casting of votes in the general elections.

In the article entitled "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", which was published in the U.S. Journal, Hassin's team gave a detailed account about a set of experimentations that analyzed the consequences of the subliminal presentation of their national flag. The research involved more than 300 participants recruited from Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus.

In the initial trial, the Israeli participants were randomly split up into two groups. They were questioned about their thoughts and feelings regarding the main issues of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Before responding to the queries, half of the participants were exposed to subconscious images of the national flag flashed on a screen and the other half was not. Based on the results, the exposed group had a propensity to veer to the political core.

A brief exposure to the image of Israel's flag – so fleeting that people did not even have time to take it in – was enough to cause people to embrace more modest views. Another experiment, carried out weeks before the Israelis pulled out from Gaza, produced the same results and displayed centrist views with respect to the retraction and the presence of Jewish settlers in Gaza and the West Bank.

The third experiment, conducted just before the country's most recent general elections, demonstrated the same results. The subliminal image of Israel's national symbol – the flag – attracted left wing, as well as right wing, Israelis to the political hub. Significantly, the participants who were subconsciously exposed to the national flag stated that they meant to opt for more predominant parties than those who were not intentionally exposed to the subliminal image.

The research proponents then summoned the participants after the general elections and discovered that the subliminally exposed group actually voted more moderately. The subliminal exposure to the national flag demonstrated what appears to be an astonishing effect that is yet to be probed and analayzed.

According to Dr. Hassin, the outcomes were interesting for two basic reasons. First, the results provided reliable empirical proof for the non-conscious means in which national ideas ingeniously affect a person's behaviors and thoughts. Dr. Hassin's research team is now expanding the study to investigate what other dogmas can do so, as well as the ways they are expressed.

Secondly, the outcomes considerably extend the experimental knowledge with regard to the nature of the subconscious processes, as well as the influences of subliminal message. At present, Dr. Hassin and his team are exploring the psychological mechanisms that cause this phenomenon.

The Origins Of Meditation

The practice of meditation has been around for several millennia. Although there are no recorded texts which would point exactly when this practice started, several ancient civilizations became the cradle of today's meditation practices.

India particularly is hailed as the proponent of meditation as an organized practice. Over centuries, many Hindi scholars have written about meditation, from the ways of doing it to its benefits. Some of the well-known Hindi texts include the Vedas and the Yoga Sutras which was written by Patanjali.

But no one has arguably been more influential in the world of meditation than Siddharta Gautama, otherwise known as Buddha. In 500 BC, he achieved enlightenment through the practice of meditation. His influence spread throughout Asia and eventually the whole world.

While the East has been practicing meditation for several centuries already, the Western world picked the practice up much later. In fact, it was only in the mid-20th century when meditation became a popular practice among Westerners.

Today, more and more meditation centers and organizations crop up in the West. While meditation used to be intertwined with religious practices, a good number of Western meditation centers are stripped off this spiritual aspect. They usually focus now on the health benefits of this practice especially in the fast-paced world of today.

But regardless of the loss of the spiritual side of meditation, it is still widely-recognized for its benefits to people's mental well-being. It was and it still remains as one of the central aspects of meditation.

The Power Of The Unconscious: Do Subliminals Work?

Subliminal messages are said to be messages or signals that surpass the conscious mind and directly goes to the unconscious mind of human beings.  What makes some people doubt the effectiveness of subliminals is that they don't really "feel" or "experience" the detection and interpretation of the subliminals.

But what can they expect from messages that are meant to target the unconscious, right?  Do subliminals work?  What are the proofs that they do or they don't?

Several debates and controversies have risen in lieu of the power of subliminals messages.  Some would say that they were just duped by subliminal messages and nothing really happened to them when they listened to the subliminals.  Some would even go to the extent of saying that subliminals are one of the greatest rip-offs of all time. 

On the other hand, a number of people also claim that subliminals have played a big part in their success in life and that they wouldn't mind receiving future subliminal 'treatments" for further success and increased optimum performance.

Subliminal Suggestions: More Powerful Than Ordinary Suggestions?

Subliminal messages expand their latent power/influence from the belief that they may be able to get round the crucial functions of the conscious psyche.  It has also been repeatedly discussed and argued that subliminal suggestions are generally more influential than common suggestions.

This road to persuasion or influence would be similar to hypnosis or auto-suggestion wherein the subject is suggested or somehow encouraged to be calm and relaxed so that suggestions can be aimed to deeper parts of the human mind.  Some observers have proposed that the unconscious mind is unable of critical rejection of subliminal or hypnotic suggestions. Numerous studies and research findings do not maintain the conclusion that subliminal messages are markedly influential.

Some researchers even contend that several psychological studies on subliminal influence and suggestions may be inadequate or flawed due to certain limitations brought about by inevitable internal and external factors.  Researchers don't really approve of studies or experiments which only make use of a short period of time; they give subliminal influence or suggestions to subjects and then go on with the experiment immediately after. 

What researchers would like to happen is that the subjects be given more time to absorb the subliminal messages and suggestions and maybe come back after several weeks or months. 

Proponents of the power of subliminal influence and suggestions have repeatedly stated that the effect of the subliminals may require some time before it can generate specific, desired behaviours or changes.

Why Use Subliminals If It's Possible That They Don't Work?

As of now, there has been no certain research that can prove the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of subliminal messages and suggestions.  We are only left with puzzle pieces that would somehow and eventually lead us to a conclusion on the future whether subliminals work or not. 

Although we know that there are some things that can actually circumvent the conscious mind of human beings and go directly to the unconscious, we still have no hard proof that they really go to the unconscious and bring forth certain effects and changes to the behaviours of humans. 

It is quite hard to measure the unconscious mind, since from its name itself, it is unconscious.  It is quite difficult for humans to blurt out what is going on in their unconscious mind, right?

We are left with the question 'do subliminals work?" but perhaps in the future, we will get some real and concrete answers to our question.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Understanding Transcendental Meditation .

Transcendental Meditation is a meditation technique introduced in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is a simple, natural, relatively effortless meditation technique where the mind can easily and naturally look into the source of thought and achieving the settled state of the mind which is known as the Transcendental Consciousness. It is said to be the pure consciousness which is the source of all creative processes in the human mind.

Transcendental Meditation's origins can be traced back sometime in 1955 when the Indian ascetic Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started teaching a new meditation technique that he said was derived from the Vedas. Maharishi had previously studied with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. Maharishi even served as his secretary from 1941 until Saraswati's death in 1953. It was sometime in 1957 that Maharishi began the Spiritual Regeneration Movement in Madras, India, at the conclusion of a festival that was held in remembrance of his deceased teacher. Maharishi then began going on a number of worldwide tours promoting and disseminating his technique sometime in 1958.

Maharishi started to plan on establishing one TM (Transcendental Meditation) teaching center for each million of the world's population in 1978. During that time, it would mean having to build about 3,600 TM centers throughout the world. Since then, Maharishi has continued the teaching of Transcendental Meditation from the Netherlands through an organization called the Global Country of World Peace. This organization has reported that over six million people all over the world have learned the Transcendental Meditation technique since it was introduced.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught in a standardized, seven-step process. The process is composed of two introductory lectures, a personal interview, and a two-hour meditation instruction session given on each for four consecutive days. The instruction starts with a short ceremony that is performed by the teacher. After that, the student is taught and starts practicing the technique. The following sessions are given in order to provide further enhance the correct practice of the meditation technique as well as to provide more information that the student might need to know about.

The goal practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique is, according to Maharishi, to achieve enlightenment. He states that enlightenment comprises of seven major states of consciousness. The first three are commonly known as waking, dreaming, and deep dreamless sleep. The fourth state, Transcendental Consciousness, is said to be achieved and experienced during the practice of the technique.

Maharishi says that a person who practices Transcendental Meditation will eventually learn how to maintain the experience of transcendental consciousness even while living everyday life. This is what he refers to as enlightenment and calls it as the Cosmic Consciousness, the fifth state of consciousness. The sixth and seventh states, the God Consciousness and Unity Consciousness, are further improvements of the Cosmic Consciousness.

Transcendental meditation can be practiced for as short as 15–20 minutes in the morning and evening. It is usually done while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. While undergoing Transcendental Meditation, a person's awareness starts to settle down and begins to experience a unique state of relaxing alertness. As the body further becomes deeply relaxed, the mind begins to transcend all mental activity in order to experience the simplest form of awareness, which is the Transcendental Consciousness. This is the state where the consciousness is open to itself. The meditation technique used is said to involve neither concentration nor contemplation.

Things To Know About Meditation That Might Help You

Meditation is easy to do and can give you an instant feeling of calmness and relaxation.|This mediation technique is simple and very effective and only takek you a few minutes to learn and will help you relax away from the stresses of everyday life.|A definition accepted in most dictionaries for meditation is, continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature. Meditation can provide you with inner strength and you are going to be much happier.

This is really reflection.|Meditation generally involves where one consciously discounts wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming and focusing the mind, while controlling the breath, and sensory awareness.|There is one meditation anyone can do, and by doing it, one's life force itself comes under control; ones senses turn off, and the mind becomes quiet. Then the peace and realization that comes from true meditation comes to the practitioner.

What is the name of this meditation, and how is it done? Even spoken over and over, the syllables merge...so one is saying Sohamsoham...I am He, He am I...it is a prayer and a meditation mantra which are spiritually charged word or series of words used a meditation theme.|One feels close ones intuition, and one feels as if the world of material things is less important due to its overbearing insignificance when compared to the bliss one feels in meditation.|Sit up straight with your spine in a line...do not slouch.

You must be comfortable, so sit on a chair or on the floor with a soft mat or carpet underneath you.|When you feel completely relaxed, command your mind to be silent, your emotions to be still, keeping your body as relaxed as possible.|As you do this meditation, actually imagine the air entering your nose and traveling all the way down into your lungs. This is one So.

As you exhale, you can imagine the air traveling out of the lungs, up to the nose and out of your body. This is one Ham.|Beginners in this meditation usually silently say the word So with each inhalation and the word Ham with each exhalation. Continue in this way, as long as you are comfortable, but no less than 5 minutes, and no longer than 20 minutes until the meditation feels natural to go longer.|

A definition accepted in most dictionaries for meditation is, continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature. This is really reflection.|Meditation generally involves where one consciously discounts wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming and focusing the mind, while controlling the breath, and sensory awareness.|This mediation technique is simple and very effective and onlu a few minutes to learn and will help you relax away from the stresses of everyday life. Learn as much as you can about meditation so you too can start feeling better.

The Battle Between Mindfulness And Active Meditation

Optimistic or pessimistic thoughts and feelings, noises, the things you see – everything around you, may it be distraction or not should be received as you do mindfulness meditation. You are not to exclude anything with this type of meditation; all you need to do is sit down in peace and perceive any past or present events and feel any emotions you might encounter in the course of meditating. 

Mindfulness meditation however is contradictory to active meditation. This type of meditation involves not pure sitting but letting your body move – from slow to intense movements. It is a process where a practitioner can undo all suppression as well as negative emotions by letting the body move and easily go into stillness.

Posture Talk

Posture is important in mindfulness meditation so that energy will flow better. A comfortable seating position should be selected; it does not matter whether it is lotus, Burmese or Seiza positions.  Let your hands rest on top of your thighs. The palms of your hand should be on a downward position.

On the other hand, posture is not extremely important with active meditation. You can do any movements you wish to undertake such as walking, dancing, or stumping of feet. Shouting, laughing and crying can be incorporated as you move. 

The Meditation Process

Once you have assumed a comfortable seating position, you are now ready to undertake the mindfulness meditation wherein you need to become aware of the current moment. You should experience what is happening right now at this very moment where you would welcome yet slowly dissolve the fear, rage, qualms, and reservations in life.

Mindfulness meditation teaches you to be conscious of what is happening in your life as well as your environment. It lets you witness the good and the bad events. Most importantly, it lets you respond in a positive way to the matters you have become aware of. 

Release of tension and stress may be the comparable factor between mindfulness and active meditation. There are five processes a practitioner should undertake with active meditation.

1. Do frenzied and unsystematic breathing. This is done with the belief that it is through breathing which invites repression so it is also in breathing that it will be freed.  2. Act mad. This is done in order to free yourself from negative emotions you are keeping within. When you do this step, you need not be serious. You need to act mad and play with your body.  Jump, dance or jog if you want to. Let shouting, laughter or wailing accompany your actions.  3. Release Hoo! You need to repeatedly say, scream or yell "Hoo!" By doing this, you are increasing your sex energy.  4. Stop. Whatever position you are in when the leader says stop, immediately put an end to everything that you are doing and be still with the position you have. Now is the time to discern. 5. Celebrate.

The type of meditation to undertake varies from one person to the other. There are instances that mindfulness meditation may work well for you but not for your partner. The most important aspect of meditation is the result – you need to feel good and relieved.

Methods Of Meditation To Relax You

We all know there are many different methods of meditation to help relieve stress and to relieve tension and relax you. The first thing you want to do is remember that there are ways to meditate that will fit your lifestyle. You may have a friend that has used meditation to help them relax and would want to give you advice on how they meditate. You must realize that the person you are talking to has a whole different lifestyle then you do.

Your friend can suggest ways that help him or her but will it help you? If you are an active person exercise can be a very good and healthy way to meditate. Walking can be very relaxing and it can give you time to gather your thoughts while getting healthy at the same time. If you are not the kind of person that is not use to a lot of exercise and you feel walking would help you meditate make sure you start out slowly. Do not try and walk 2 or 3 miles starting out. You want to meditate but you want to relax while doing it. If you are not use to exercise you do not want to ware yourself out.Walk slowly and take time to gather your thoughts.    One of the most relaxing ways I find to meditate is by prayer. I will be the first to admit I do not know a lot about the bible and probally do not actually pray in the way that most people do who know a lot about the bible. My point is I want to relax and have time to myself by meditating and I take my comfort in the lord. I guess you can say I talk to the lord more then I pray. I actually feel that me talking from my heart is the same as saying a prayer from your heart.  I remember my mother would take the prayer list from church and no matter how many peoples names were on the list she took the time to sit and meditate and say a prayer of healing and comfort for each and everyone on the prayer list. My husband finds he can meditate and relax by listening to music. He actually has hundreds even thousands of different types of music he listens to. His nerves are not really good so his comfort is in his music and he plays the radio day in and day out. He mostly listens to classic country and the oldies station.

The music helps him concentrate and keep his thoughts together.Another way I find of meditating is through animals.You can talk to your pet without worrying about him talking back to you like a child would. You can curl up on the couch turn the television on low and just communicate with your pet. You may think how do you communicate with an animal? Animals are very smart. They understand what you are trying to do.

If you have had a bad day they can comfort you by just being there for you.If you have a dog or a cat let them sit or lay next to you and pet them and you will be so relaxed you will forget about the stress your day has brought. So whether you are meditating by a method of exercise, or a method of communicating with your animals or by prayer take the time to just relax your mind and your body and you will be physically and emotionally stress free.

Remember meditation is basically taking the time to collect your thoughts and when you take the time to get your thoughts together your mind will then be able to concentrate on the things that are important in your life.

Meditation Through Prayer

I know there are a lot of us that pray for people who are sick,or maybe someone that has lost a loved one,or for peace in the world,or maybe you even pray for a lost soul.Whatever it is you may pray for you do it out of the love and faith you have in your heart.Meditating through prayer just gives me a peaceful feeling inside.I guess you can see that when I pray I don't pray like maybe a minister would pray.I know all about god,however I will be the first to admit I do not know a lot about the bible.

I understand the meaning of what the bible says but I do not understand a lot of the words.I basically should say I use meditation to just talk to god.I believe that the way I talk to god is the same way that people may pray to god. I went to church today and the minister was talking about another minister that liked to tell everyone he knew about everything he has done good in his life. He bragged so much that he really didn't have the time to listen to what the people in his church needed. I guess you could say even though he preached an excellent sermon and did everything a minister should do,He just really couldn't see that his pride was taking over his life.

After meditating for a few seconds are minister went on to tell a story of a very religious Christian man and a tax collector walked into a temple at the same time.You could tell when the tax collector walked in everyone stayed away from him because he was not well liked.The Christian man prayed that he would not ever turn out to be anything like the tax collector.The tax collector said a simple prayer asking god that he may be worthy of gods love.I'm sure the Christian man did a lot of good things in his life,But maybe he should have meditated about his pride.

The tax collector did not look down on anyone or asked god if he could be like someone else,he just asked to be worthy of gods love.We all have done things that we wish we could take back.We pray that god will forgive what we have done and we then feel better about ourselves.We know god can forgive us but the important thing is can we forgive ourselves.We truly cannot be happy with ourselves until we do.

I am very concerned about someone I love very much right now.She is a very good Christian person,also a very hard worker and is very sick. She never complains and has been through very much and will have to continue to go through a lot.

As I was meditating in church I felt the tears coming and all I could do is ask god over and over again to please lay his healing hands on this person I love very much. So whether you are practicing meditation through prayer to heal someone you love or to have peace in the world I can tell you the prayer you are saying will comfort you and give you peace of mind.

The Benefits Of Meditation

Meditation plays a large part in Eastern philosophies and religions. Later on, the West also got hold of it and has realized that it has a lot of health benefits.

The one thing students and those work deal with everyday is stress. Meditation for just 15 minutes or even longer allows you to relax and later enables you to make an effective decision. It also lowers the level of stress anxiety in your system thus decreasing the risks of heart disease significantly.

The practice of meditation also makes you self aware of what is happening around you. This enables you to focus on the present rather than events that happened in the past or the future. It teaches you to be in control of your mind and not make you do anything based on your emotions.

Believe it or not, meditation also develops insight into our subconscious. This is because our attitudes, behavior, feelings and perceptions are all connected and if you are able to harness it, you will be able to understand yourself better.

This allows you to have a positive outlook in life and even make changes in yourself. You become content or thankful with what you have instead of harboring feelings of anger, anxiety, greed, hatred and jealousy towards yourself and others.

You will also be able to see the big picture instead of the small one when given a task at work so even if there are a few setbacks a long the way, you are still able to keep your eye on the end game.

Medication can also make you feel younger. This is because in one study, people who have been practicing this for many years were physiologically 12 years younger than their chronological age. The results of the test were based on the test subject's auditory discrimination, blood pressure and eye sight.

So now that you know the benefits of meditation and what it can possibly do, you are probably asking yourself right now how does it work? Well, let us first correct the common misconception about meditation.

A lot of people think that you have to sit in a pretzel position or go off to some far away place to make this work. The truth is that you just have to find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed, sit on the floor or on a chair in whatever position you like best and slowly clear your mind of all thoughts.

You should keep in mind that sitting in a comfortable position may sometimes make you doze off. So concentrate otherwise it defeats the purpose of this exercise.

Next, you should close your eyes, focus on your breathing and let the positive air go in and the negative thoughts go out. You might hear sounds nearby and since you can't do anything about that, just acknowledge that it is there and just concentrate on this exercise.

This can be done at work or at home and how long it will be done depends on you. Some people may start out for 5 minutes and then extend the time in the future. The important thing is that you feel recharged and ready to taken on whatever challenge is out there when you are ready to open your eyes.

Relaxation And Meditation Exercises

After a day's hectic schedule of meeting deadlines, attending meetings, preparing different documents, and so on, you will always be looking forward to going home and relaxing. There are many ways to relax, and one method that is quite effective is meditation.

How will you do it? Perhaps you've already heard other people talking about meditation. It's not as hard as you think. The idea revolves around focusing your thoughts to a certain relaxing thing over a sustained time. This way, your mind is able to rest, and your thoughts about stressful things are diverted elsewhere. Your body can recuperate and relax through meditation; toxin build ups are also cleared away.

You will notice that while you're meditating  your breathing slows, your blood pressure is reduced, the muscles relax, anxiety and irritability are reduced, stressful thoughts and lactic acid are eliminated, clears your way of thinking, headaches and stress are also lessened, and you can now concentrate and focus fully.

Focusing on just a single thing is the true essence of such activity. This is an active process unlike that of hypnosis. All your mental faculties should be concentrated on the meditation's subject. Meditation is usually done for about 30 minutes, so be sure that you're in a comfortable position. You can lie on your bed, sit on your favorite couch, or choose any position that you're really comfortable with.

You can focus on different things when you're meditating like breathing, an object, a sound, or even imagery. Whichever you choose, it is very important to remain focused. If you experience any distractions and external thoughts, strive hard to drift them out. This is natural when you're just a beginner; you will always find your thoughts wandering but as you continue practicing meditation, you will soon improve.

You can try these relaxation exercises and incorporate it in your meditation so that you can achieve total relaxation.

1. Tense Relax – start by clenching your fists, and then pull forearms firmly against the upper arms. Keep your muscles tensed, as well as that of your leg muscles. Now, your jaws must also be clenched and your eyes shut tightly. While holding those tense, breathe deeply and then hold for about 5 seconds. Then let go of everything at once. Feel the sensations while your tensions are being released.  2. Heaviness/ Warmth – this is done by feeling your legs and feet getting heavier and warmer by the second. Imagine that it's like wearing lead boots. After that, try to imagine that your central body portion is also getting warm... warmer and relaxed.  Tell yourself that you're forehead is getting cooler and relaxed. Breath easy and regularly. Just feel all the heaviness and warmth spread over your entire body. 3. Ideal Relaxation - close your eyes and try to create an ideal relaxation spot inside your mind. Choose any place whether it's imagined or real and furnish the place according to your own preference and style. Wear comfortable clothes and imagine that you're going to that place. Feel mellow and at ease in your imagined and ideal relaxation place. Enjoy that special moment for about a minute.

These are just simple relaxation and meditation exercises that you can do. If you're feeling stressed and tensed, do these exercises.   

Meditation Using Your Body And Brain

There is a constant two-way communication going on between your body and your brain.Do you remember a time when you may have thought of something that was just terrible or maybe you had a 'sinking feeling" in your stomach area? That is the kind of communication that goes on between your brain and your body.Meditation can help relax your mind so it can help train your body to relax and your brain to be clear.

Recent research has found that not only does your brain communicate with your cells,but your cells will also communicate with your brain and also with other parts of your body.In fact,scientist have recently discovered that we think with not only are brain but our bodies as well.Meditation can help us to also understand about our brain.It is not inaccurate to look at your entire body as being part of your brain.

That may be a new fact that may startle you,but do not reject it.Many scientists are now starting to believe that we are actually a "bodybrain".You can communicate with your body and brain through meditation.A key part of your body's incredible communication system involves your cells' receptors.This means every call in your body can have millions of receptors on it's face,and each cell has perhaps seventy different types of receptors.

While meditating as I learned more I discovered that in the early 1970s,Candace Pert,PhD.D, was the first scientist to prove that the existence of these receptors with her own discovery of the opiate receptor.This receptor molecules float on the cell's oily outer part of the membrane and also have roots that can reach deep inside the cell.I'm sure that Dr.Pert had to do a lot of meditating as she wrote her wonderful book The Molecules Of Emotion,Dr.Pert says that 'the life of a cell,what it is up to at any moment,is determined by which receptors are on its surface,and whether those receptors are occupied by ligands or not.

A ligand is described as a small molecule that will bind itself to a cellular receptor.Still using mediation to keep my mind clear I learned that there are three chemical types of ligands. They are the neurotransmitters,the steroids,and the ones that we are most interested in at this time,the peptides. According to Dr.Pert,as many as 95 percent of all ligands may be peptides.

The receptors and their ligands have come to be seen as "information molecules'- the basic units of a language that are used by cells throughout the organism to communicate across systems such as the endocrine,neurological, gastrointestinal,and even the immune system." I would say as much knowledge as Dr.Pert has on this subject meditation would be what kept her mind in focus.

Art Of Visualization And Meditation

There are many types and forms of meditation and many people are now slowly realizing the importance of meditation in their everyday life. Even medical practitioners are now accepting meditation as a way to treat certain health conditions like depression.

Meditation is considered an art in itself. It takes a lot of practice to master it. If you're really into meditation, then you'd better start mastering visualization's art.

Visualization is used by almost every individual. But this is more evident among children; as people grow older, they use this technique much less. Children are full of wild imaginations. Although you're unaware of it, you're actually using visualization one way or another. What you must do is to know that you're doing it and be more conscious of yourself.

Mediation makes use of visualization very often. In fact, most of the meditation exercises that people are familiar about are all inclusive of visualization. So before concentrating on other complicated meditation exercises, you must first be able to master this specific art.

Some people may think that visualization is easily mastered, well, that might be true. On the other hand, there are also individuals who struggle with it. Visualization grows stronger only if you keep on practicing; and you must always be prepared and concentrated to let all your imaginations go.

If you want to master visualization, you can try this simple exercise. Pick a certain object in your home and clear your table and leave nothing but the object. Look at your chosen object and try to absorb all the specific details. You can try looking hard on the size, color, shape, and the light's shade on it. Then, memorize all details if possible.

The next step is to shut your eyes and try to picture your chosen object inside your mind. Ask yourself if you remembered all the details, or if you forgot some of them. While doing this, think about your feelings about the exercise. Again, ask yourself if you feel stressed about the exercise or if you're interested.

Now, clear the object inside your mind. Picture another object found inside your home. Observe and pay close attention to the details. After that, open up your eyes and search the house for that particular object. Was the object the same to that pictured inside your mind? Did you miss out certain details, if so, which one/s? You have to once again ask yourself what you're feeling while doing the exercise.

Now, you have to go back to the table and remember a certain object from your past. Pay close attention to all the details. After doing so, try to put the object in its proper surroundings.

As you go about the exercise, you might have noticed that there are certain gaps filled in by your imagination. So, can you now tell which of the object's part are real and which ones are not? Or which part came from just your memory?

You were also asked to think about your feelings. If you're a beginner, visualization is quite stressful but don't worry because this is but normal. Soon enough, the stressful feelings will disappear and you can do visualization exercises with more ease than before. So don't stop now just because you're having difficulties, just keep on practicing.

Finding The Truth Within The Pages Of A Meditation Book

This world is made up of many different realities. All of these, diverse as they may seem, actually work and revolve around one thing – the meaning of life. The search for things like happiness, victory, and personal satisfaction is actually a quest for life's real essence. Where do you find all these things? You might be amazed, but everything is actually found within one's self. The answer to life's endless questions, the unlocking of the many mysteries of living, all these are hidden in the deepest recesses of man's soul.

Near as they are, getting in touch with all these realities, all the solutions needed to lift the world from its misery, is actually a great feat that requires will and determination. If you wish to unravel the many treasures within yourself, you will find a great help from meditation books.

Meditation is a practice, an activity that has its origin thousands of generations ago. Many philosophers and thinkers are known in the promotion of this activity and the benefits that it provides. In this modern era of fast living, meditation still finds a place in the lifestyle of many people. There are various forms of meditation being introduced and practiced, meditation programs being offered, and even meditation books which are all designed to lead people in the path and direction towards themselves and to the truths that many are looking for.

Meditations books offer insights about taking full advantage of meditation in man's everyday living. Whether you are a beginner, someone curious about meditation, or a person whose goal in life is to find the real essence of existence, there are actually various meditation books to help you get started.

Every meditation book is written for enlightenment, which is actually the goal of every meditation practice. Enlightenment lurks within the pure silence of the soul, and it is only when you are able to establish connection with your inner self will you be able to find the truths that you need in order to live a happier and a healthier life.

Meditation books do not stop on teaching you how to start a regular personal or structured meditation session. Each book is designed to help you go through the process, deal with the possible obstacles that you may encounter along the way, and to successfully apply meditation to everyday living.

Although the concrete activity when doing meditation is performed within a specific span of time and with certain guidelines that you must observe, real meditation is actually a lifestyle. Whatever you do, wherever you are, whatever the current experience you are in, you can turn that into a meditation. When done successfully, you will be able to find fulfillment in everything that you do and improve the total quality of your life.

Meditation books are treasure troves of knowledge. They bring abstract concepts into the setting of the real and the concrete world and help you find the best way by which you can get the best out of your life.

Check out some Meditation Books on Amazon.

Audio Meditation Materials

Today's technology has a great impact on the lives of all people. Many new things are introduced into the market in terms of products and services. Even meditation has a different face nowadays.

There are many types of meditation, and included in these types is audio meditation. Just as the word suggest, you can meditate through the use of an audio form. Many years ago, this wasn't possible, but now, it seems that technology just keeps on surprising people with newer and better ways. And meditation is not exempted.

There are many audio materials available on the internet. If you think that audio meditation will do you good, then what are you waiting for? Do your homework and search the net for possible audio materials that can be used for meditation.

Here are some of the audio materials featured on the web:

- Sacred Sound; this is used to assist individuals who are trying to meditate. The sound is able to heal and balance the chakras. Other people who are into yoga find this material as an effective mediation tool. Instrumental pieces last for about twenty minutes with a short break in between. If you want to meditate, this is a very good mediation tool that you can use.

- Inner Sunrise; if you want to feel all wonderful from the inside, this CD is the best one for you. It features a yoga master that can help you in your journey inwards to achieve peaceful serenity from within.

- Moolamantra Vol.2; having an open heart has its advantages and if you're like that, don't forget to check out this great CD. You will surely receive the unlocking key to desire, fulfillment and spiritual treasures. This CD features an ancient chant that is set on a subtle chorus of feminine voice and evocative orchestration.

- Chakra Dhyana; this is a 50 minutes album containing traditional mantras to activate your seven chakras or energy centers. It begins with your root chakra and ends with the coronary. This is a guided meditation that can help you and other listeners to experience deep relaxation and awaken Kundalini.

- Dhyana Mantra; this was recorded in India and is considered Moolamantra's transformative version. It is able to retain the raw and refreshing energy although it was an improvised recording of the South Americans and Indians. If you purchase this CD, you will feel mystical power and you will be transported to a different spiritual plane.

All of the above items are audio materials. You can also find audio/video materials that are best suited for people who want to use their sense of sight and hearing while meditating. All the audio materials are available online; you only have to find an online store that sells such CD. Don't forget to check into the CDs shipping details, and perhaps you can still find great deals.

Don't be left behind. Meditation's new face is already widely available. A lot people are ending up with various illnesses; and if you want to start practicing meditation, you can always start with audio meditation.

Meditation Can Help


 As you exhale, listen to the sound and associate it with the word Ham. As a guide, So sounds as does if you are saying it in English. Ham could actually be written as Hom, as the in Ham is very weak.Meditation is one of the most important spiritual disciplines. The benefits of regular meditation are numerous, too many to list, yet peace of mind is one of the greatest.

Try listening to our Let Go recording (see holisticmakeove m link below) which utilizes brain-mind technology to effortlessly guide you into a meditative state.|Avoid all drugs. Even "just" marijuana "only once in a while" hinders intuition and clouds your mind for weeks afterwards.|Try meditating with someone you love or with a group of friends. The combined energy will help you go deeper.|You may be sensitive to something you"re eating or drinking. Pick a day and eat lightly, perhaps about half of what you usually do. Consume what you know will be easy to digest, such as lightly steamed vegetables.

You should be able to focus more easily provided you feel lighter and more alert.|Certain supplements, herbs, and medications, especially if they affect your mood, may be disagreeing with your system and causing you to be scattered. Ask your doctor or health professional for alternative recommendations or if you can do without them for a while. If you keep asking God or your guides or angels of the Light how you can be more successful with meditation, you"ll eventually become aware of effective ways to go deeper and focus better.

You"ll be a pro in no time.|If you"re still having trouble perceiving anything, jump start the process by using your imagination. Tell yourself you"ll perceive the first image, thought, or feeling, in response to any of the questions or instructions in the script, on the count of three. Then count one, two, three and provide a picture or thought from your imagination or memory. Continue this process until other images that feel more related to the issue you are exploring start filtering into your mind.|

Try relaxing music. Experiment with different kinds to test which works best for you.Whatever works the best for you is what you should be thinking of trying out. Meditation can change your life for the better and once you begin feeling better you will know that you definitely made the best choices by choosing this to help you along the way throughout this difficult life.

Learn more about meditation the next chance that you can because your life will be ever changing because of it. There is more to be learned about it even to this day. Things are going to be different in your life and meditation can be the reason for your healing and becoming a much more positive person that is happier and healthier.

The internet is the best place to locate information about meditation, and there are many wonderful websites that could provide you with tons of information.

Meditation Is Something All Of You Should Know More About

Guided meditations are one of the best ways to start meditating.They're simple to use, which if you're in need of relaxation is a helpful reason in itself.|Probably the hardest thing about using a relaxation meditation is actually making the time to listen to it.|That may sound odd, but we tend to place least priority on ourselves. We look after others, help others and generally do our best to help them to lead better lives.

|Set aside the necessary time. If you think you can't find the time, think again. There are almost certainly times in your day when you can find 20 minutes or so. Cut out watching the news for starters - that will have the beneficial effect of keeping you away from negative influences as well. Find a comfortable chair if you're going to listen to your guided relaxation whilst sitting down. Or find a bed to lie down on if that's the position you'd prefer.

|Finding the time is far and away the most difficult part. And even that's easy when you set your mind to it.|Put on your headphones. If necessary, put a 'do not disturb" sign on the door to your room.|Press play and let your mind wallow in the stress-free luxury of listening to a guided relaxation.|Finding the time is far and away the most difficult part. And even that's easy when you set your mind to it.|Then switch the cell phone to silent.It's actually really simple to use a guided relaxation meditation to relax yourself.|

Meditation is something that any one of you out there could practice at any stressful time in your lives and it will really help matters not seem so severe. There are many different books on the internet where you could learn more about meditation and start practicing it each day. This is important for you to do in order for you to feel better about your situation in life.

Read through many different magazines and books until you truly understand what meditation can do for you in your life, it is really going to improve every single aspect of it, there is no doubt about that. There are ways of feeling better through meditation but if you do not push yourself to do so then you are going to be one very unhappy person at the end of the day.

Meditation can save your life in many ways because of the changes that it will make you feel each and everyday that you step out of bed. Tell your friends about it and they too can benefit from practicing meditation everyday that they wake up or before going to bed. This is something positive that you can do for yourself and for your mental well being for many years to come.

Do some sort of meditation everyday for a couple weeks and just see how much better you feel about things. It is going to really surprise you alot.

The Art Of Meditation: How You Can Completely Relax Through Meditation

In the hectic lifestyle people live in today, you have to consider that this kind of lifestyle is bad for your health. Recent studies have found that stress contributes to heart diseases and high blood pressure. You have to consider that because of the help of stressful lifestyle that people live in today, stroke and heart diseases have been considered as one of the deadliest diseases plaguing today's society.

This is why you should learn how to relax and take care of your body. You need to consider that your body needs rest from time to time. It cannot handle too much work for too long. If your body is yelling out that you have had enough work and is saying that it is tired, it probably is. With 5 minutes of relaxation, you can revitalize your body and get it ready for another batch of work.

Although exercising can also help in preventing heart diseases, you have to consider that it is just not enough. You also need rest and relaxation. Besides, if you are stressed out, you won't be able to work at your peak efficiency. Your brain function is also overwhelmed by stress and you will not be able to think clearly if you are overstressed. This is why you need to relax. Besides, what's the point of working if your brain and body don't function well-enough?

Today, one of the most helpful ways to relax is through meditation. Although meditation have been practiced thousands of years ago, you have to consider that recent studies have found and has proof that meditation can indeed relieve stress and give you that extra boost of energy you need.

Meditations can completely relax your body and mind and it can also make your brain more alert and make your heart relax. Meditation can completely make you feel refreshed and get you ready for another batch of work. It can also help you block out any distractions that may come across your way.

First of all, there are different kinds of meditations available today. One of the most popular forms of meditation is the Buddhist meditation. You have to consider that Buddhist meditation offers great forms of relaxation. This particular meditation only requires you to go into a locked quiet room. Inside the room you will begin meditation by sitting down, closing your eyes and get rid of all the thoughts running inside your head. Do this for a few minutes and you will be able to get back up with your mind and body feeling refreshed.

Although the so-called "power naps" can also offer this kind of feeling, you have to consider that meditation is more effective than a five-minute nap.

Meditation was first taught as part of a religious practice in the Buddhist religion. However today, meditation is now accepted as part of the western culture and many people, particularly busy people, are now practicing meditation in order to get their mind and body to relax. If you want to learn how to meditate, there are schools available that teaches you how to meditate properly. You will also learn the different kinds of meditation.

On advanced levels, some schools can even teach you how to meditate while you are working.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

No More Sitting On The Floor Thanks To Meditation Chairs

One of the most challenging things when meditating is finding the right sitting position. This is because your legs could become numb after some time which is why even if there is already meditation cushion in the market, there are some who still prefer to use meditation chairs instead.

When you look at a meditation chair, the first thing you will notice is that this does not look that different to a dining chair. It has 4 legs and a back rest. However, what it does best is make you more comfortable than when you are sitting on the floor by being able to mold to your body which prevents cramps and provides complete relaxation. 

The material that makes this possible is called buckwheat hull because it conforms to your shape thus providing a firmer seat. It is also able to do this because of the ergonomic design which prevents the user from slouching during the most intense moments of meditation as it is angled slightly forward.

A good example of a meditating chair is the Seagrass. This was designed by a meditation practitioner who felt that it is very difficult to meditate while sitting in a lotus position. This chair allows you to cross the ankles or the feet or pull them up if you are tired of having them rest on the floor. It also provides proper spine support so you will never experience any back pain after the session.

The Chinese meditation chair is perhaps the oldest since it has been around for centuries. It didn't have ergonomic features like the ones we have now but it has a very wide base so that the user has sufficient room to also cross their legs. It also did not have any cushioning but you can easily fix that.

Another example is the Tilt Seat that is also known as the kneeling chair. The beauty of this meditation chair is that it does not put any pressure on the knees and this can also be used as a study table because you can easily read a book when you put a cushion on the floor.

There are other meditation chairs available and they come in other shapes and sizes. One option for those that want something bigger is the meditation bench. Because of the larger area, those of you who still prefer the lotus position can do so without putting pressure on the legs. Something similar to that is called the cane chair for meditation.

When choosing the right seat, you should always consider your height, size and comfort level. Don't forget support for the back so this also helps improve your posture.

The nice thing about meditation chairs is that they are light and portable. It can easily be stored in the closet when you are done and the designs that most retailers have can easily compliment with the rest of the items in the room.

The meditation chair is designed to make you feel comfortable in the 15 or 20 minutes when you are in session. How you make your mind and body relax is already up to you so if you are serious about improving your health or combating stress, then investing in one of these will surely be good for you.

Check out some meditation chairs on Amazon

Meditation Facts

These days, going to the doctor when you are sick is not the only way so you will feel better. According to the National Center for Complementary Medicine, meditation is among the top 10 alternative therapy treatments. But before we get into that, it is best we learn some meditation facts.

First, meditation means awareness. Why? This is because your senses are heightened as you concentrate on your breathing and your hearing is sharper than before. You tell your mind to block out these distractions so you are able to find inner peace which you can carry with you when you open your eyes.

Some think that meditation is a religion when in fact it is a science. This is because numerous studies done in the past show that those who practice it feel relaxed, are physically fit, have improvements in their academic standing in school and have an increase in their productivity at work.

But where did the word meditation come from? This comes from two Latin words. The first is called 'meditari" which means to think, dwell upon or to exercise the mind. The second is 'mederi" which is to heal. If you put these all together, it describes basically what this activity is which is a time for your to reach deep in your mind and recharge.

As you can see, meditation has benefits that are physiological, physical and psychological. You don't have to take any pills or get a prescription from a doctor. It is free and it doesn't consume much of your time. This can be done in 5 to 20 minutes each day. You just have to sit comfortably and close your eyes then continue with whatever you were doing.

Given that meditation has been practiced for centuries, various movements have emerged. But regardless of their names or techniques, this can be grouped into two basic approaches.

The first is called concentrative meditation. Here, the person focuses his or her attention on the breath, an image or a sound to create a greater awareness and for clarity to come forth. Think of it like you are looking at something through a microscope so you are able to narrow your focus.

This is quite easy since all you have to do is sit down and just breathe. The correct way of doing it is to inhale and exhale slowly because as this becomes deeper and slower, your mind becomes more aware and tranquil.

The second type is called mindfulness meditation. Just like concentrative meditation, the person sits quietly and then reflects on his or her feelings, sensations and thoughts. These things come to mind one at time without the person calling on any of them to come forth. It just appears and no action is taken so that when you wake up, you see the bigger picture and know what you have to do.

Which meditation technique is the best of all? There is no correct answer to that because this depends entirely on the personality of the individual.

The one fact about meditation you should remember is that regardless of what you choose, its focus is to silence the busy mind. It does not remove the stimulation which you feel but rather direct your concentration to something else to achieve that inner peace. You just have to keep an open mind to see what it can do because it is a science.

Meditation-explanations About It

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.