Mind over Body

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"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."

-Buddha

Our body always follows our mind and in order to achieve good health we have to take care of our body as well as our mind. Whenever, we think about good health, we think about good nutrition and regular exercise. These are definitely required to achieve good health, but in addition we need to focus on releasing negative emotions, and experiencing positive states of mind regularly. Our mind is much more powerful in influencing the internal functioning of our body. Based on our mental state, various chemicals are secreted in our body that structure the physical condition of our body. So, we constantly shape our physical well-being based on the thoughts and emotions we feel or imagine on a regular basis.

There is a natural intelligence built in our body to maintain our good health.Our body is constantly breaking the old cells and making the new ones without any conscious instructions being fed to do so. Given a chance, our body has the complete ability to recover itself from any illness. All the healing mechanism is naturally built into our system for proper functioning of our body, but sometimes, due to constant dwelling in undesirable states of mind, we disrupt our well-being and develop some kind of disease/illness. Whenever, we are experiencing any negative state of mind like fear, jealousy, anger, anxiety etc., our body automatically secretes some chemicals that have adverse effects on our internal organs. If we regularly experience or imagine  such negative states, lot of toxins get collected in our internal system that need to be cleansed to achieve good health. The tendency to disease and physical disharmony also increases in such situations. However, if we constantly dwell in positive mental states, our body automatically secretes the chemicals that help in building healthy new cells.

Meditation and Energy Healing techniques help in fostering positive states of mind and promote healing. These should be made part of our lifestyle along with good nutrition and physical exercise. We have to cleanse our mental-emotional body daily in the same manner as we cleanse our physical body. This helps in releasing of stored thoughts and emotions of anger, resentment, insult, jealousy etc. and we experience a state of pure love and joy. All the negative states are like clouds, which could be dispelled by the power of wisdom, and then we can see the light of pure love shining within all of us. Our personality can be refined through the exercise of positive mental action in the body, and this results in increase in our energy and joy of living. The tendency to disease and disharmony decreases and we become more and more perfect beings through which the limitless possibilities of the Divine within may be expressed.

"May I be safe and protected.

   May I be peaceful and happy.

  May I be healthy and strong.

    May I experience well being."

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How to handle life's challenges

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Life  is a journey which we can complete either by complaining about the challenges, or by gracefully accepting them as an opportunity to learn and grow.  We are constantly conditioned to avoid pain and work towards getting more happiness in life.  Whenever, we perceive us going through difficult time, we get angry/sad and keep waiting for the that time to end. However, life passes in moments and we must completely live every moment regardless of the feeling that it brings. Happiness or sorrow, both are transient states and the only thing that's permanent in life is "change".  Good or bad time are just the  perceptions of our mind. Here is a great Mantra to be remembered:
  
"This too will pass."

 We should always remember this mantra, and not get attached to any event of our life.  If we always remember this mantra, nothing can make us suffer in our life and we can always be satisfied with whatever life brings to us. If we follow this mantra, we shall never get overwhelmed in any situation and lead our life with peace and gratitude.

Our life is directed by the inner desires stored in our subconscious mind i.e. our "feeling mind".  Here so many of our desires are deeply rooted, which drive us towards the various experiences of our life.  Each event of our life is extremely important for our growth and development. Present moment is the only time that's real and to be lived completely.  So, we should calmly lead our life, gracefully accepting each experience as a gift from God and, without getting attached to any experience, we should keep reminding our self that "This too will pass".

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Daily practice to attract Abundance in life

Here is a 5 minute exercise which can be practiced every night before going to sleep. It will bring us in a positive state of mind, and while we are sleeping our subconscious mind will automatically work to bring more abundance in our life.

It is a two step exercise:

Step 1: We must think about any three good things that happened today. It can be anything mundane or most exalted, but it should seem to bring more abundance and happiness in our life. It can be as simple a fact like "I enjoyed the evening walk today" or something else like "I was announced the  #1 bestseller author." We can either write down such three good things from the day or we may contemplate them mentally.

Step 2: Next is the very important part of this exercise where we must reflect on "why" each good thing happened. We have to find the reason for each event and feel the gratitude towards the people or conditions involved. For example, I enjoyed the walk because God gave me the strength to go out, or maybe because two strangers greeted me with a smile, or maybe because the weather was so pleasant, or whatever else that made your walk enjoyable. It can be any reason that makes sense to us. Let's now extend our love and gratitude to God or other people involved in bringing those happy moments in our life today. Let's feel that love and peace completely with a big smile on our face and close the day with this small prayer to God.

"Oh God, protect us from all negativity, 

fill our heart with eternal love and peace,

keep us healthy and guide us with your light.

Thank you God!"

The Golden Rule for Emotional Health

Here is a Golden Rule :

"Be a provider of all the emotions you want to experience in life."

Everyday we look forward to receive love, respect, happiness etc. from our friends/family/co-workers, and feel disappointed if they are not able to meet our expectations. Now,instead of waiting for their response or permission, we can constantly experience these elated emotions, if we take the initiative to become the provider of these emotions. If we follow this Golden Rule, we can experience positive emotions all the time at our own Will. We have to be the change we want to see in others. 

We feel loved, whenever we give love.

We feel respected, whenever we treat others with respect.

We feel inner strength, whenever we help someone.

We feel happy, whenever we appreciate something.

We feel joyous, whenever we thank God for His blessings.

Celebrate Life!

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"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection."

-Buddha

Modern society has changed the meaning of living for many people. Everyday, we are running around to fulfill our immediate needs or some goals of life. Everyone seems to be rushing through life and short on time. We don't find it important to pause and think "Are we really Living or just Existing?" Because of society's pressures and some forced upon needs, we have somehow forgotten to lead a meaningful life experiencing every little moment in our journey through life.

There is a common saying that we only live once, but to be able to feel Alive we have to experience every moment of our life every single day. Each moment of our life is very precious, so instead of dwelling in the past or being anxious about our future, we should learn to enjoy in the present only. Every present moment is quickly going to move into the past, and we have to be always present here and now to be able to experience each moment of our life. 

"It is better to travel well than to arrive."

-Buddha

We constantly keep thinking that we will be happy when we get so and so, but the truth is that we can get happiness only by feeling happy in the present moment. "Like attracts Like" is the Universal Law of nature. Only our positive vibrations sent out to the Universe can bring back the same to us. Sometimes, when our goals are not being met or we have to bear some financial or personal loss, we loose hope in our future and start feeling anxious or depressed. Such feelings either keep dragging us into our past or keep us  constantly worry about  our future. We perceive such situations as difficult and challenging, but actually this is God's way of giving us the opportunity to grow and learn. Life is a Learning School, and we have to constantly keep learning from our experiences throughout our life. We must have full faith in His decisions and lead our life with love and wisdom. 

Life is a precious gift from God Almighty. When we rush through it, we miss on the Joy of Living. Let's Celebrate every moment of our life irrespective of our surrounding environment or conditions. Let's be present in each moment and enjoy every step of our journey without thinking about the destination.

 "Let us be Alive in every moment of our life" 

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Everyday Spirituality

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"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue."

-Buddha

Spirituality is considered as a journey to our own inner self. The essence of spirituality is the search to know our real self and to discover the true nature of our consciousness. It emphasizes on development of positive virtues like unconditional love, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, harmony, and empathy towards others. Spirituality helps us to develop inner peace and discover the essence of our own being. It is possible to look at spirituality another way, as something free of institutional structures and hierarchies. It is centered on the deepest values and meanings by which we live, regardless of our faith and religion.

Everyday we can take small steps on this path to discover more about our inner realities. We can explore new ways to attain inner peace, joy and fulfillment. Meditation practice helps us to relax our body and calm our mind, to be able to achieve deep states of inner peace. When we follow the guidance of our inner self, change becomes a natural part of our being  and we change gracefully, step by step. Without change, there can be no growth, and self-improvement should be our life long mission. Every living thing either grows or dies, that's the law of nature. So, we have to make a continuous effort to know our self better, and bring about change in order to realize our full potential.

Each one of us is gifted with special talents and unique characteristics. We were all born as instruments of God, and we have to use our special talents for the growth of others. God made each one of us to serve a special purpose contributing to the growth and evolution of humanity. We are a unique creation of God, and we must spread the fragrance of our being in the world around us. Earth is a spiritual battleground, and everyday we have to make choices. We must be strong enough to be able to choose light when darkness is overwhelming. Our destiny is shaped by the decisions we make and we are completely responsible for the creation of our life's circumstances.

Spiritual blessings come to us in the form of loyal friends, a loving family, special talents, psychic abilities, healing powers, good health, inner strength, inventions and discoveries for the service of mankind etc. We should be grateful to God for all the blessings and bravely make the right choices in our daily life. Spirituality is not gaining paper knowledge, rather it's a way of leading our life wisely every single day. It's about realizing the Divinity within our self and connecting with all fellow beings at the same level. Each moment of our life should be filled with joy and happiness, regardless of the external circumstances. A Spiritual person is the one who is always joyous and grateful to the Almighty for His blessings.

"May we always feel the Joy of living !"

 

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How to Meditate Effortlessly

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"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

-Buddha

Meditation is a state of intense awareness achieved by stillness of our thoughts. It's a journey to the center of own being, and experiencing our natural state of expanded awareness. Meditation helps us to relax and allows us to discover truths about our own nature. Meditation is all about being completely in the present moment and letting go of any past or future. We simply have to drop all our thoughts and put aside the mental tendency to constantly worry and plan. 

We all possess three states of thinking - conscious thinking during the waking state, subconscious during sleep and super-conscious during self awareness.  Meditation is not a passive state of daydreaming or drifting in a subconsciousness state, rather, it brings us in touch with the super-conscious state of intense awareness. When we are able to internalize the energy of our senses during meditation, it awakens a tremendous flow of energy in our whole being. We are able to deeply relax our body and mind, and expand our sense of identity until we realize our unity with all creation. 

Meditation has great health benefits and gives us a respite from excessive stress of daily life. As we relax, our blood pressure lowers and our response mechanism slows down. We become more centered and don't react as strongly or negatively to adverse situations. Meditation has been found to strengthen the immune system and enhance the activity of "telomerase" enzyme that protects genetic material during cell division and enhances cellular viability.  Consistent meditation practice fosters improvement in emotional well-being and helps release of negative mental states such as fear, anger and worry. We inculcate more positive attitudes and show love and compassion towards every creation of God. We are able to experience the love and joy present within our self, and share it with the world around us, bringing peace and harmony. 

Meditation Techniques

Meditation can be performed any time and anywhere we can be quiet and free of distractions. If possible, it's good to meditate at some predefined place everyday, as over time the special place gets filled with the positive vibrations generated during meditation. Next important thing is the correct posture during meditation. It is essential to keep the spine straight and our body must be able to relax completely without any aches/pain. We can either sit in a straight-backed chair or on the floor in cross-legged position or lotus pose. We can use a soft cushion underneath for support and while sitting in the chair, we have to sit away from the back of the chair, placing our hands palms facing upright at the junction of the thighs and abdomen and our shoulder pulled back slightly with chest up. Our feet should be touching the ground completely and the whole body should feel relaxed and comfortable.  It's beneficial to face east during meditation as it helps to align our body's magnetism with that of earth.

Meditation is an active process and requires energy and self-discipline.  It's a process where the practitioner goes through stages of relaxation, interiorization and expansion. During the "Divine Energy Yoga"  classes, we perform very gentle exercises to relax, energize, and internalize flow of energy, followed by a guided meditation to experience healing and expansion of awareness.  It does not require any physical or mental effort, but we have to focus on relaxing our muscles and let go of all the chatter in our brain. Before beginning to sit for meditation, we can do some Yoga postures or stretching exercises to relax all the muscles of the body. Next important thing needed is to free our self of all thoughts and emotions. Many people try to focus on some outside object of concentration, so that they do not focus on their own thoughts. They make an effort to suppress their internal thoughts and try to focus single-pointedly on the chosen object of concentration. This may help to quieten the mind, but involves a constant effort trying to meditate, and may dis-hearten the new practitioner who is trying hard to sit quietly to be able to meditate.

Research has shown that about 70% of our daily thoughts are carried over from the previous day. The very same thoughts and emotions keep coming back again and again because they are circulating in our mental-emotional body as partially-processed or undigested thoughts and emotions. For example, if we were subjected to deep insult sometime and we could not take any action to correct it, the emotions of anger, rage, despair and thoughts like "what we should have said" or "what else we could have done", keep coming back to us whenever we face a similar situation. Now, stopping to think them by focusing on something else will not remove those thoughts and feelings from us. As our physical body digests the food everyday, our mental-emotional body also needs to digest everyday thoughts and emotions. Every thought has a life-cycle of birth, survival and death. Whenever, we let go of any thought/emotion, it brings it to its end. Initially, we have to train our self to be able to do so, but eventually, through consistent practice it becomes a natural part of our being.

Technique to Cleanse Mental-Emotional Body 

  

Here is a small exercise that can be performed everyday to relax our mind and let go of our stored thoughts and emotions. 

Sit comfortably in any meditation posture as described earlier. 
Close your eyes and internally look at the point between the eyebrows and imagine a big screen in front of you. Now, keep watching this screen and let your thoughts be projected on this screen slowly one by one. Try not to judge any of them and completely and honestly feel all the sensations they bring in your body. If you feel shortness of breath, pain in the chest, tears in your eyes, pain in neck/shoulder or any other unpleasant sensations, just don't be afraid to experience them completely. Embrace them as a small part of you and, without denial feel them completely. Never try to judge any of the thoughts/feelings, as this will interrupt the process by activating your conscious mind. You are  just being with your self and trying to discover your true self. As soon as you focus on any thought completely and feel all the sensations associated with it, that brings it to it's end. Keep repeating this process for every thought or sequence of events being projected on your virtual screen.
You can do this exercise everyday for 10-15 mins or more, and it will help you explore many new things about yourself as well as cleanse your mental-emotional body for complete wellness.

                                  "Oh God! help us see Your light in us"

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