POSITIVE THOUGHTS, POSITIVE YOU

Consciousness is an endless stream of possibilities.

“Our character is what we do when we think no-one is looking.”

H. Jackson Brown, Jr

Every day, the news stations and newspapers present us with reports, facts, and opinions from all around the globe. People we meet also have news to share about their health, their family, and their jobs. We receive a daily dose of information and most of it’s not pleasant.

While most of us are well aware that “remaining calm” or “love is the answer” are appropriate choices to the issues that we learn about or personally face, putting them into practice is another matter entirely when you find it challenging to monitor your thoughts, keep them in check, or even reign in actions that you really don’t want to pursue.

While meditation helps you to uncover your life’s purpose (dharma) there are daily encounters where you have to make choices, either instantly or with some pondering and self-discussion. In both cases, and whether you realize it or not, each decision that you make will result in some form of action, which impacts you and the world around you (karma).

In yoga terminology, this is referred to as Samsara, which translates as cause and effect, whereby you reap the results of the seeds of your actions. This life-cycle has an ebb and flow to it and how you respond is your choice and yours alone.

The basics of life keep us busy and it’s often a challenge to remain calm and in control while balancing obligations to family and work. Challenges are everywhere, from the mundane to the major ones and living your life to its highest and greatest can seem especially difficult particularly when someone says or does something thoughtless to you or a loved one.

No-one likes a hot-head and having a life that’s overflowing with happiness, contentment, meaning, and purpose can only occur when you take a moment to identify your priorities and look closely at what you are doing and whether it serves you best. It does take effort, but so does the alternative.

Meditation is one of the simplest methods to help you look deep within and determine what will actually make you happy. Then the steps that you need to take and live by in order to attain it fall into place with ease.

What Makes You Happy?
Before you enter into your meditation practice, ask yourself one question such as; “What will make me happy?”
The answer will either come to you during your meditation, or soon after, as a feeling of certainty about what is right for you.
The lower mind is where all your rational, everyday thinking occurs while the Higher, or Wisdom Mind, is where you uncover your innermost desires and aspirations. Your Wisdom Mind gives you the strength of purpose and conviction to follow what resides deep within you.

All obstacles and thoughts dissipate in your mind’s eye and a sense of peaceful assurance fills you. This gives way to joy and bliss. Following your meditation, the joy continues to stay with you as you embark upon your path to happiness. There is a richness to your activities that benefits not only yourself, but everyone who comes in contact with the fruits of your actions. Only when you lose yourself and stray from your purpose does discontentment, anger, and your old mind-set return.

While happiness can be generated via meditation or affirmations that reshape the way that the brain formulates responses to external or internal stimuli, it is ultimately your thoughts that determine your happiness.

It’s all very well repeating affirmations such as “I am happy” or “I am successful in all that I do” if you don’t believe it, don’t feel it, don’t experience it to be true. You choose what your responses and emotions will be in both the joyful and sad events that occur in daily living, be it the birth of a child or the sad passing of a loved one.

So how do you maintain integrity and contentment?
Choose what you want to focus on, then practice focusing on it!

Technique
For example, try focusing on liking situations and people. This is a popular technique that I teach during workshops.
The next time that you are at the grocery store, try liking your surroundings and the people who are in the store too. Don’t focus on the way the other shoppers dress or style their hair.
Project feelings of happiness to them and to the world.
Notice what is good in your environment.
Appreciate what you have.
Smile.  (Don't grin.  Your smile is sufficient.)

Continue this method with family members and yourself. When folding laundry, take each person’s clothing and think about whom that item belongs to. Send that individual loving, happy thoughts. Think about some quality that you appreciate in this person. Do the same with your own items. What features and talents do you like about yourself?

The purpose of this technique is to show you that it is possible to reduce negative thinking one thought at a time and replace it with feelings and thoughts that are appreciative and happy. You will find that you release old emotions because they are literally dragging you down. This attitude overflows in all areas of your life and in turn, you find that it becomes easier to identify and stick with your goals and achieve a life that is fulfilled and enriched with great relationships and opportunities.

Meditation Generates Power
Meditation connects you with the wisdom mind which is the source of all insight and with continued practice it leads you to a state of bliss. It directs your mind away from a negative view of the world and shifts it towards one that embraces opportunities. This awesome power is yours and only you can choose what you are going to do with it.

Remember, no-one has control over your thoughts except yourself. Your hope, wishes, even your imagination are all within your own power to direct their energy in one path or another.
Studies show that the mind can not discern between what it has actually seen and what it is seeing via your imagination.
This means that your mind can be “tricked” into believing that a memory that you have created has actually been experienced!

Use the power of your thoughts to generate a reality that is positive, loving, and all that you desire. This is not a make-believe type of imagery, but a means of creating more positivity and constructive actions that in turn generate affirmative thoughts and actions. Gradually, you develop the habit of thinking positively, seeing opportunities rather than obstacles, and being the type of person that people want to be around because they feel good by being in your presence.

Downbeat and pessimistic thinking is an acquired habit with its own internal mantra, and you can release yourself from thinking in terms of boundaries, disappointments, and problems by first and foremost seeing all that is good in your life and being thankful for it. Thinking and doing the right thing all the time may seem like a lofty principle, but ultimately it’s your life and the karmic results belong to you too.

Meditation is a great teacher and you have the resources within you to have a truly amazing life. It is YOU who has the ability to empower yourself and take the first steps to move forward on your life’s purpose, rather than standing still.
You are a remarkable individual with untapped possibilities and you Can have amazing success with all of your endeavors.

The choice remains yours.

The quote at the top of the page asks you to consider how you would act when you think that no-one is looking. Meditation teaches each one of us that the Self is always observing.
SO WITH THIS AWARENESS, HOW DO YOU ACT?

AFFIRMATIONS
I choose my thoughts
Every thought takes me closer to my life purpose
I am filled with joy and enthusiasm
Divine guidance is always with me
I love myself and others
I choose to do things that foster love
I am successful in all that I do
I am connected to the source of infinite wisdom
I am at peace

Gratitude and Opportunities

Meditation opens the door to your wisdom mind.

There are so many open doors yet people don't walk through them, so many paths, yet people don’t follow them,

so many opportunities, yet people don’t take them.  by Margaret Stockley

Discernment
Meditation is more than a method of attaining relaxation or a peaceful feeling. As you maintain a regular practice you are drawn ever closer to the source of Love where you experience and abide in Bliss. Along this exclusive meditation path that is yours to follow, you discover possibilities to help you grow, prosper, and be happy.

In addition to being an incredible personal tool, meditation assists you in looking directly at what you believe about yourself and the world around you. By looking inwards, you discern and review what you may hold as unshakable truths and change your opinions one by one so that they are more in line with what you determine to be your purpose in life.

Each one of us has this enquiring mind yet many of us don’t use it.

Uniqueness
In nature, a flowering plant can produce several blooms and when inspected closely, you discover that each one is different in small ways. Their subtle variations are what make each petal, leaf, and scent special. Humans are like these flowers in that each person has a uniqueness that sets them apart from one another. This realization of how distinctly extraordinary and special we all are is the first step in accepting yourself first, then others without apprehension or bias.

The extension of this means that you learn to honor those people who are close to you, then friends, neighbors, and even strangers. You no longer react to rude people with a quick retort or gesture. Through meditation, you identify and stay connected to the source of peace, joy, and abundant happiness that resides within you because you recognize the sanctity of the Divine that is in each of us and endeavor to touch every living being with the loving energy that flows through you.

Self-Talk
Make it your priority to leave the past where it belongs. Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation about your beliefs which may in fact stem from out-moded events or conversations. Meditation helps you to ascertain which thoughts and habits, if any, are limiting your ability to create the circumstances within your life that you want.

Over time, you cultivate calmness not only when meditating, but when you are living your daily life. Negativity is breathed away, and the more it happens, the more the mind desires to stay happy.

Progress along your life’s path is not dependant upon how good you have been up to this moment in time. What matters is how you proceed from this point on in turning your life around from uncertainty to sensational and in sharing your awesome dreams with others.

Surrender
While meditation is a solitary experience, you realize that each and every one of us is connected to the same source, even though some of us haven’t tapped into this universal wisdom mind of unending power, perception, and understanding.

You uncover your purpose and see that you can’t fulfill it without the assistance of others because the purpose of each one of us involves helping and sharing our distinctive gifts with others.

Meditation taps into the ultimate source of discernment and wisdom and permits you to recognize when you need to seek the advice and knowledge of others, find comfort and guidance through prayer, and tap into the well of tranquility of meditation.

When life is drifting along happily, many people choose to give thanks to the Divine. However, when things don’t turn out quite the way we want them to, how many people turn to the source of all that is good and ask for guidance?

More to the point, what do YOU do?

D you seek guidance from a Higher source or do you say,

“I’ll do it. If I simply do this, then that, all will turn out just fine.”

And does it?

Meditation maintains connection to the source of the guidance that each one of us needs. It’s not about being detached from your life and letting it drift on by. It’s about going right to the TOP of the advice chain.

This surrender to the Divine guidance is hard for many people to do, but once you try it, and reap the rewards, it becomes easier to see that it’s not the little you that has the answers, but YOU who receives the answers from the Divine.

Gratitude
Meditation is often described as a mirror to your Self, revealing to yourself the reality of how you are really doing in living your life with purpose. You will know that all is well when peace flows through you and stays with you for longer periods until your whole life is peaceful.

With your eyes open to see and your ears open to hear, you walk through the open doors, follow the right path, and put to good use the many opportunities available to you.

Discernment, Surrender, Purpose; these all accompany the wisdom and peace that you receive through meditation.

Share what you know and are grateful for with everyone.
Remember, what you give, you WILL receive back.

I meditate daily, teach specific methods during yoga classes and professional workshops and know I am living my purpose by teaching others and sharing what I know.  I am grateful for the opportunity and for the peace it brings to others.

In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday November 26th. For those of you who live here, I wish you a peaceful Thanksgiving.

Here is a sample of what I am grateful for. These are not reserved for this one day. I am grateful each and every day and I wish everyone a life of love and light.

I am grateful for the love of family
I am grateful for the love of friends, old and new
I am grateful for the wonderful life that exists for me

Creating a Mind-Shift: Releasing Self-Doubt

"The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."

Ayn Rand

When life is frantic, people are angry, traffic is hectic, and the world seems to be getting crazier, how do you respond to this?
When you are faced with a hectic day, how can you tap into the tranquility that you so desperately need if you cannot find it?
When thoughts and past conversations keep replaying in your mind, how can you find peace?

Downbeat and pessimistic thinking is an acquired habit with its own internal mantra, so in order to stop thinking in terms of restrictions, failures, and obstacles you have to create a mind-shift and start thinking in terms of possibilities.

Looking Inwards
Meditation is a wonderful tool in helping you to look at what you believe about yourself and the world around you. By looking inwards, you discern and review what you may hold as unshakable truths and change your opinions one by one.

We all have this enquiring mind yet many of us don’t use it.

Developing awareness in all situations, including your own feelings and reactions, enables you to take control of what you think and therefore do. It’s up to you to determine what kind of reaction, and ultimately reality, you are going to create.

You Know It’s There

If you are climbing a hill, you can’t see the other side but you know it is there.
Likewise, if you are walking on a woodland trail, it is often difficult to see the end of the path, yet you know it is there.
Even on a road with no obstacles to obscure your view, there can be a bend in the way that prevents you from seeing the end of your journey, and yet once again you know it is there.

While we can’t be sure about what the terrain that lies ahead for any of us is like, we can each be certain that the most wonderful opportunities are waiting for us to get to them.

What you want to achieve you can, by resetting your attitude and developing habits that reinforce what you want to achieve in your life.

Prepare yourself to live the life that you want to achieve from this point on. Be determined and sure in your certainty that while you can’t see your exact destination, you know it IS there.

Intuition and Meditation
Once you train your mind and body to relax and receive answers and blessings during meditation, you will find it easier to return to a peaceful state by remembering what tranquility feels like, and thereby using the breath to be fully present and conscientious.

When you establish a regular practice, you discover an additional benefit of meditation; Intuition.

Sitting or lying down, depending on your physical abilities, close your eyes and focus on creating a rhythmic flow of breath.

Stay with the flow of the breath as it becomes slow, steady, and even.
This may take several minutes.
With each inhalation, breathe in the richness of life.
As you exhale, release the breath in a slow and steady stream.
Feel tension and stress leave the body on the breath.
Slow the breath down even further with each inhale and exhale.
Consciously release all anxiety, allowing the facial muscles and the limbs to relax.
Feel peace fill the inner space where tension once resided.

Maintain inward focus on an object or the breath.

If you are new to meditation:
You may like to focus on a candle. The shape and type of candle is your choice. Now focus on the candle flame.
See the light, explore it.

As you continue to focus on the light, your surroundings dissipate
With each inhalation, draw the light from the base of your spine to the crown of your head
With each exhalation, see the light pour from the crown of the head to surround you
Feel yourself enter into the light
Become surrounded by the light
Be as one, with the light.

If you are experienced at meditation:
With each inhalation, see a light at the base of your spine and draw the light in a column from the base of your spine to the crown of your head
As you exhale, see the light pour from the crown of the head to surround you.

After 5 rounds, focus on the breath
Slowly focus on the space between each breath
The space between each breath will lengthen
Enter into the space between each breath.

This is a peaceful place and the more you concentrate on the space, the wider it becomes and the greater your peace. Experience the peace of this relaxing environment.

In both cases, stay in meditation until you feel that it is time to complete your session.

Knowledge appears in the form of enhanced intuition.
You will have awareness of the source of Love, Purpose, and the certainty that all will be well.

When you have completed your meditation, slowly bring awareness back to your body.
Allow the eyes to open.
Keep the breath calm and steady, the body relaxed.
Feel recharged, invigorated, and contented.

Know that you can return to this peaceful safe place simply by following the breath’s journey.
Peace and knowledge resides deep within you.

With practice, you will restore balance and harmony simply by returning to a calm and peaceful flow of breath.
Embrace your ability and make wisdom and peace a daily reality.

Releasing The Habit of Self-Doubt
It’s a gradual process as you uncover and release the habitual thoughts that keep intruding when you need them least. But take comfort in knowing that the incidences of negative self-judgment and views will be less frequent, the gap between each undesired thought will increase, and you will find yourself living in a very beautiful cycle of peace and tranquility.

Two thoughts can't occupy the space!  As you focus only on that which is positive, the mind likes the happy feeling and wants to stay in that place.  When you catch yourself experiencing self-doubt, which is negative thinking, either replace it with a positive affirmation, or follow the breath to your place of wisdom and peace.

Examples of positive affirmations are:
I choose my thoughts
I have abundant energy to complete all my tasks
I am filled with vitality in body, mind, and spirit
All aspects of my being are filled with love
A wonderful life exists for me

As self-doubt is stripped away, your hopes and aspirations arise as you know with certainty that you are loved, and that an exhilarating life filled with purpose does indeed lie ahead for you.

You know it’s there.

Peace.

Creating The Future That You Deserve

Where will YOUR path lead?

"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self."

Benjamin Franklin, 1750

Poor Richard's Almanac

Most of us can’t get through the day without keeping an appointment diary or noting important events down in a calendar. We schedule visits to dentists, meetings, lunches with friends, and have set days when we attend yoga classes or the fitness studio.

What would happen if we didn’t make notes and commit to remembering these daily events?

We’d let people down, miss out on fun occasions, and fail at our jobs; none of which is good.

Life and all its obligations can become all-consuming and in a fast-paced world with high demands on your time and energy it’s not easy to figure out what you really want out of life, let alone put it into practice.

While responsibilities are important, you are important too.

In fact, when you fail to nurture your needs you fail your future and all your possibilities.

KNOWING YOUR POTENTIAL
Lack of time for your own self impacts many aspects of your life including preventing you from maximizing your amazing potential.

Every one of us is filled with promise and yet we fail to use it either because we don’t have time, don’t know how, or didn’t realize it was there.

When I teach yoga or co-lead CAN DO® workshops, it delights me to see men and women discover something unique and wonderful about themselves that they never knew existed. Whether it’s a physical strength or a skill that had never been used, to see the excitement flow through them as they grasp the reality of what has been lying within them all this time is truly wonderful.

However, distractions and feeling pulled in many directions doesn’t even give you the quiet moments that you need to figure out who you are, where you want to go in life, and what may actually lie within you.

Meditation is a wonderful method that enables you to gain time for yourself as well as reap the health benefits. Your life energy shifts in an upward direction by gaining insight into how to live in the moment and to reduce the impact of life’s pressures with calmness and self-control. No matter what life sends your way, you recognize what you can change and what you cannot.

All of the past samskaras, or imprints and habits of the mind, are released and you learn how to view life from a different perspective and initiate positive change.

Can you imagine the possibilities that you are capable of having?

Meditation is a means to helping you to transform your life by altering your perceptions.
In time, it enables you to expand your expectations and see that there are no limitations; only the ones that you set for yourself.

A regular meditation practice strengthens your mind and actions by fostering thought-patterns that nurture the behavior and positive qualities that you desire. Learning to live actively rather than re-actively benefits your relationships, (personal as well as professional) while enabling you to live more consciously in all that you think and do.

That’s how the tiny seed of transformation begins.

Obstacles disappear as you alter your responses, attitudes, and habits. Change happens in stages but occurs as a result of deliberate contemplation.

The hardest step that anyone takes is always the first one, however once you make it positive forces take over sending you effortlessly forward to complete this particular leg of this incredible journey.

REAP THE BENEFITS
Making meditation a regular part of your daily routine enhances your health and spiritual well-being, creates new pathways in the brain making it easier to implement changes with each passing day, and brings a new perspective and awareness to your life. It reaffirms what you know and provides the momentum to continue and succeed in all that you do. You gain clarity of thought and lucidity of mind combined with a clear identity of your personal strengths and what your goals and objectives are.

The demands of family and work can become all consuming, but each time you practice Meditation you create a positive mind-set and ignite positive energy that the brain wants to repeat. In a short while you find that you not only look forward to your meditation, but you make time for it.

Like the many people who have learned to meditate, you too have the ability to release thoughts and feelings that block positive energy, while transforming the way you think and act and creating the wonderful future that you deserve.

WISDOM MEDITATION
If you have any questions about any aspect of your life, ask it or write it down now.
The complete answer or the one of the steps that you need to accomplish in order to reveal the whole answer usually occurs soon after your meditation.

Sitting or lying down, depending on your physical abilities, close your eyes gently and focus on creating a rhythmic flow of breath.

Let your arms rest loosely by your sides, or place your hands face up on your lap.

With each inhalation, breathe in the unique blessing of life.
As you exhale, release the breath in a slow and steady stream.
Feel tension and stress leave the body on the breath.
Slow the breath down even further with each inhale and exhale.

NOTE: This may take several minutes. Do not rush any part of your meditation. It’s only a total of 15 to 20 minutes after all.
You deserve to give yourself this special time!

Focus your awareness on your heart.
Give thanks for being alive and for all your experiences.
Acknowledge that life is a blessing.
With each inhalation, feel the connection to the source of the energy of each breath.

Continue with this rhythmic breath until a feeling of peace flows over you.
Peace and love fill every part of your body.

Now focus on the area between the eyebrows.
This is known as the Ajna Chakra and commonly called the third, or inner, eye.
With the eyes remaining closed, look straight ahead and lift the eyes up slightly. Not too high or the eyes will start to flutter and become unsteady.

This area is the source of all wisdom.

See a light at the base of your spine. Hear the sound of Om resonating deep within you.

With each inhale, draw the light through you and as you exhale see the light pour from the crown of your head to surround you.
Repeat this five times until you are filled with, and surrounded by, the light.

Maintain focus on the inner eye.

When you first begin to meditate, thoughts will probably intrude.
That’s very common and doesn’t mean that you can’t meditate or that you should give up.

Simply acknowledge that they are there but don’t follow them. Let them drift through and return to concentrating on the inner eye.

When you feel that your meditation is complete, slowly open your eyes.
There is a well of wisdom that resides deep within you and you can draw from it at any time simply by returning awareness to the rhythmic breath and the space within.

When you have a regular meditation practice, you will discern what you need to release in your life and what you need to connect to.

Remember, there are No Limitations.  Only those that you place on yourself.

You are a remarkable individual with untapped possibilities and you Can have amazing success with all of your endeavors.

Letting go of the concept of, and worldly limitations of, the self enables you to accept the truly amazing opportunities that will help you to create the future that you deserve and one that will benefit not only yourself, but everyone who comes in contact with you.



Om Shanti Peace

Powerful Thoughts, Powerful You!

The Himalayas

Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on Earth.

What are you doing today?

What are you thinking about?

Your thoughts and intentions are composed of energy and with their positive power you become a force for change.

Conversely, the opposite is true and people pick up on your negative “vibes” and either pull away in order to distance themselves from you or they react angrily. Whatever the reason, the result is not pleasant.

Meditation develops a single-pointed focus, blocking out distractions and actually helps you to train your mind to focus only on what you want to focus on.

Remember, the mind does not see.

The eyes transmit images to the brain and the mind discerns what these pictures represent, based upon previous experiences and your formed opinions.

Even when time has passed and situations have come and gone, when you close your eyes, you can “see” images from the past in your mind’s eye.

It is a relatively easy matter to trick the mind into believing what it sees or hears.

The brain responds to information received via the senses, mental images, and from memories. Mental visualization or sensory induced stimulus creates changes in the heart rate and respiratory rate and is depicted in four brain wave patterns: Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta.

Music, rhythmic breathing, and meditation alter the brain waves and promote healing by bringing the mind into Alpha rhythm, promoting a calm and relaxed state of mind.

There are many guided meditations listed on this site already and you can access them simply by clicking on the guided meditations in the Labels link near the bottom the blog page.  They will help you develop a regular meditation practice.

Yoga philosophy teaches us the following statement:
Where the breath goes the mind follows and where the mind goes the body follows.

Meditation will block out what you don’t want and help you stay in control of your mind, giving you back your awesome power to be in command of your thoughts and subsequent actions, while maintaining a positive and peaceful state of being in the process.

Whether I'm teaching yoga in my studio or teaching people through seminars and presentations, I encourage everyone to discover and use their untapped potential.

Hold onto your dreams and dare to imagine that life could be different.

Keep expanding your mind in all directions beyond the height and breadth of even the vast mountain range of the Himalayas.

There are NO limitations to your possibilities.

Make your thoughts as wonderful and extraordinary as YOU are, and see the transformation that occurs.

Veterans Day 2009 Meditation

Before we have today's meditation posting I wanted to simply remind people to pause at 11 a.m. to mark Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. (so called depending on which country you live in.)

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One.
And so it was that at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare.

The following video is a tribute to the men and women who have served or are currently serving in the military, and their families.

For today's meditation, I invite each one of us to pause and take stock of who we are, what we are doing, and how we can make a difference.

Meditation

Freedom to Soar

1. Create Space
Spring-clean your mind. The deeper you dig through the jumble of tired and worn-out behaviors, the easier it becomes to recognize what you need to keep and what you can do without.

2. Let your Light Shine
Don’t judge yourself. Fear of doing what’s right in your life can hold you back. You have the support of a loving Spirit that helps and guides you when asked.

3. Love
There is a peaceful and sacred place deep within you where your Spirit resides. By eliminating negativity, you also exclude judging others and in turn bringing judgment upon yourself.

4. Use the Spiritual Community to Nourish your Needs
No one is an island and what affects people around you in your street, town, and country can alter your own destiny thereby demonstrating how each person is bound to one another.
Create peace, in word and action.
When you consciously endeavor to do no harm to yourself or towards others, you bring lightness into your world.

5. Meditation
Your whole life is a prayer when you are one with the Spirit. Immerse yourself in silence and hear the voice that created the universe.

Love and Light.

POSITIVE POWER

Sign in Sri Swamiji's Bonsai Garden in Mysore, India

Our present is the result of all our yesterdays, and the future depends on how well we live today. Sanskrit Verse

What’s stopping you from achieving what you want?
Do you know what you are trying to reach?
Sometimes it’s our own self that keeps getting in our own way.

Each one of us has a unique power that extends far beyond the physical body and our finite minds. This power is never-ending and unlimited in its ability to manifest change and propel you to where you need to be.

All too often, we encounter difficulties when we attempt to reach for goals and aspirations. We self-sabotage our efforts by mantras that replay statements that we wish we hadn’t said.

Yet when we live consciously with our thoughts, our words, and our actions, then the past no longer is something that we want to rework or do over.

The present is no longer something that we want to hide from.

The future is no longer something that we dread.

As a prized and unique individual, you have the skills to be a blessing to others. Your beauty shines from within and people sense when you are being genuinely helpful to them. They respond positively as your intentions show through your actions.

You do not act alone.
Meditation enables you to tap into the source of this inner power and achieve whatever you truly desire.
This gives you the confidence and determination to say to yourself “I will not give up,” and “I will make the right choices.”

Progress is not dependent upon how good you have been up to this moment in time. What matters is how you proceed from this point on in turning your life around from failure to success and sharing your divine dreams with others.

AFFIRMATION

• My efforts are recognized positively.
• I am successful in all that I do.
• I see the best in people and work to help them
• I am always connected to the source of Divine Love
• My inner vision is always clear and focused.
• I am loved

LOVE

Holy River Ganges, India

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden where the flowers are dead. The consciousness of living and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.”

Oscar Wilde

“I am a river of Love. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

Mother Teresa

Meditation on Love

Method
For this particular meditation practice, imagine a river filled with the energy of Love.

With each inhale and exhale, feel this river flow effortlessly through your body.
See the fluidity permeate through every cell, bathing you in Love.

Feel this river of Divine Consciousness flow through you and surround you.
Experience the oneness with the source of all Love.

Focus on the word Love.
As you repeat it, feel bathed in the energy of Love.
Continue to repeat the word Love, while feeling embraced by Love.

See the energy of Love as a brilliant white Light radiating from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.
As you inhale, draw the Light from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.
As you exhale, feel this Light flow through you and pour from the crown of your head to surround you.
Feel totally immersed in the Light and at one with the Light.

See your Light and Love continue to surround you and when you are ready let it extend out into the world.

So in order to see a change in the world, you simply have to look within and connect to the Light.
As you continue to practice this meditation, you will illuminate the world with your inner light.

Bathe daily in the River of Love and keep your own Love flowing by being consciously connected to the source of all life and Love.
Feel the Love, warmth, and richness in your life permeate through all that you touch, in both thought and action.

Direct all your energy to what truly matters, i.e. Love, and you will be more productive and happy in all areas of your life.

Imagine what your life will be like when you know how to be at peace and filled with love.
Direct your energy and Love to others and see Love returned.

Be at one with the river of Love.

Peace and Love.

Om Nama Shivaya

Magnificent altar to God at the Basilica Notre-Dame

Many thanks to Kim for her question "what does Om Nama Shivaya mean?"
Today's posting is my answer that I emailed to Kim earlier this afternoon.  If you have any questions, post them on the blog in the comments section or email me.

Om Nama Shivaya is a classic mantra and one that I play in my yoga studio. There are many different CD's available containing variations of the accompanying tune, and they are also listed on the blogsite in the music section.

Om Nama Shivaya is one of the most powerful and sacred mantras and repetition of it is said to purify the practitioner. The phrasing and energy of the sounds are designed to create a transformation in your consciousness and enable you to attain a higher state of awareness.

The six syllables of the full chant refer to the first six chakras that run from the root of the spine to the ajna chakra (3rd eye.)

While there is no direct translation it can mean "I bow to God" and repetition should be done with full awareness of its meaning, rather than simply repeating it for repetition's sake.
Om refers to the universal Energy, or sound of God
Nama, as two syllables, na ma, can mean "I bow before you."

The trinity of syllables of Shi va ya refers to Shiva, or God and asks that all God's energies be directed to you to bless you and lead you to the highest state of peace and meditation, which we refer to as Bliss.

Shiva is also the image of God which is said to bring to a close the trinity cycle of Creation, Destruction, and Rebirth.
Some people think of the mantra and God as the destroyer of our illusion (maya) and ignorance that stands in the way of perfect union and enlightenment.

When I say this mantra I see it as a means of cleansing (removing illusions), praising God and receiving blessings, and a means of entering and attaining the state of Bliss.

The two words, namah and shivaya, are also referred to as the panchakshara (five letter) chant. Pancha means five.
Tradition has it that when you chant these five sacred sounds while meditating on Lord Shiva (God) you will be blessed by visions of Shiva (God) - the Lord of the yogis.

As with all mantras, as a minimum it should be invoked morning and evening 108 times. You can repeat it mentally or out loud, fast or slow. But as mentioned above, the mantra should be repeated with respect and awareness of what you are saying as though you are actually bowing before God.

Mantras act like a shield to block unwanted thoughts and energy, however the vibrational sounds of mantras are powerful and protect you by their energy too.

As you continue to repeat this mantra, I hope that you will feel the vibrational energy as though you are being merged as one into God's loving embrace.

Om Shanti
God is Peace

Peace, Light, Love

  A dragon holding a golden key.  What will it unlock?

Many thanks to Flo for sharing the dragon with us. I've photographed it on my yoga mat in my yoga studio.  Note the dragon's breath as it protects the key.

Last week I posted an article about dragons and while they don’t exist except in our imaginations, there are real things that can create fear and anxiety in each of our lives, if we allow them to.  Inner Happiness

These fears prevent many of us from exploring and seeing the potential that lies before us every day. If our imagination can project fear, then it can also project happiness.

Instead of allowing the fears to burn away your hopes, desires, and potential, meditation and affirmations help you to take control of your thoughts and actions and overcome any internal and external obstacles.

Unlike stories where a knight will arrive and slay a dragon, the only person who can eliminate the dragon breathing down your neck with it's fiery breath is YOU.

Meditation and assertive affirmations remove all feelings of helplessness and of being lost.

The inner light of meditation connects you to the Universal Source that infuses you with peace and love.
When you are connected to the source of Love, there is NO PLACE for fear to reside.

Period.

It's that simple.

When you are learning to meditate there will be times when you feel positive, only to have doubts later on.  Love is stronger and each time that you meditate you will REINFORCE your strength and the power of Love.
This power exists within you and you can tap into it every time that you meditate and bring it into all your activities.

Assertive affirmations are a great way to keep you focused on the wonderful individual that you are.  They act like a shield to block unwanted thoughts that will harm you if permitted to continue.

Holding a positive image in your mind during your meditation practice helps you to stay focused.  Following your meditation, you can concentrate on this image whenever you experience the mind wandering from a peaceful state.

One image that I like to focus on is the face of a person that I love.  I invite this person into my heart and see their divine qualities.  Slowly, I fill my mind and body with love until it is overflowing.

During my waking moments, I can re-experience this loving feeling whenever I draw this person into my mind's awareness.  It's a simple yet effective method of developing concentration and awareness of Love.

Use the strength and power of your meditation practice to chase away any dragons and seize the golden key that will unlock the door to health and success in all that you do.

Peace, Light, Love

Chakra, Sun and Moon

Thank you to everyone who wrote to let me know how much they enjoyed the photographs and observations from Montreal.  I had a wonderful time exploring new sites and meeting interesting people and returned home safely on Sunday night.

On Monday I taught a meditation workshop that focused on the chakras that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means "wheel" and carries energy through a subtle channel called sushumna.

Each chakra has a specific energy and therefore purpose, such as intuitive knowledge, however while this energy exists, many people go through life without activating or using these natural gifts.

Meditation enables you to utilize these energy wheels by using the powerful feminine energy called kundalini to pierce the center of each chakra and allow a series of transformative experiences to occur.  This energy exists in both men and women and provides you with exactly what you need at this moment in time.  For some, it occurs as a profound feeling of joy, cleansing of emotional stuff, enhanced creativity, or intuitive knowledge and knowing what choices to make.

However, learning to awaken this energy is best practiced with a teacher to address any questions that will arise, that your posture and practice is correct, and to ensure that energy can flow freely as obstacles are released.

As an overview, the workshop was in three sections:
Pranayama,
Concentration
Meditation.

All three sections contained practices that would travel through each of the chakras and awaken the kundalini energy.

PRANAYAMA
A healthy body is one where the life-force flows steady and even, unrestricted in its ability to direct energy throughout every area, and one that is vibrant and energized. When blockages occur to restrict this flow, the result is a disruption within the cells and dis-ease occurs, manifesting in illness.

Passive breathing occurs without any conscious thought or awareness and permits strong emotional drives to adversely influence your thoughts when exposed to negative energy or situations.

This allows cellular distress to occur and random thoughts and behavior to fire off, eventually resulting in illnesses ranging from mild sadness or anger to a downward spiral of abuse and actual physical symptoms.

Active breathing, at the other end of the spectrum, protects and preserves. It requires your dynamic input to be aware of what you are thinking and feeling, how you are going to act, and consequently creating a balance within your body, mind, and spirit.

SUN AND MOON
In today's posting, I thought that I would share one of the traditional pranayama practices that we did during the chakra workshop.
It is suitable for you to practice at home.

Known as Sun/Moon or Surya/Chandra breathing, it has been used for thousands of years as a means of bringing balance to both hemispheres of the brain, bringing the brain into alpha wave, and permitting the two energy channels of Ida and Pingali to travel around each of the chakras via the subtle energy body.
Ida and Pingali originate at the root chakra and weave around each chakra before crossing behind the nostril area. This specific breathing technique has many benefits, including preparing the mind for meditation and allowing the flow of kundalini to emerge.

Method
Sitting in a comfortable seated position with the spine erect, bring awareness to the rhythmical flow of the breath.
The breath should be slow, steady and even with no straining or effort.

Using either hand, place the thumb and ring finger on the nostril crease.
The 2nd and 3rd finger can either be curled in the palm of the hand (Vishnu mudra) or placed between the eyebrows. (Nasagra mudra)
Using complete breath, close the right nostril and inhale slowly and steadily through the left nostril.
Top of the inhalation, close left nostril and exhale through the right.
Inhale through right nostril
Top of the inhale, close right nostril and exhale through the left nostril.

That completes one round.

Continue for 10 rounds or at least 3 to 5 minutes, exhaling through the left nostril when you are complete.

Keep each breath the same length.

You may find that one side of your nose is more open than the other. Unless there is a physical obstacle such as injury, with regular practice, both nostrils become open, the brain becomes balanced, and the subtle energy channels allow kundalini to flow.

BENEFITS
• Nourishes the body and prepares an open channel for kundalini to flow
• Continuous practice eliminates desires and cravings.
• Allows the breath to flow without restriction, eliminating the toxins and waste products that reside in residual air and saturating the cells with oxygen.
• Creates alpha brain waves and develops a calm and positive state of mind
• Deepens concentration
• An even breath flow produces even thoughts
• Strengthens the diaphragm and abdominal muscles
• Soothes the nervous system
• Increases blood flow to the brain