1 Tim. 2:15 STUDY and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully TEACHING] the WORD of TRUTH. Amplified Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High [EL ELYON] shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty [SHADDAI]. I will say of the Lord, “He is my REFUGE and my FORTRESS, My God, in Him I will trust.”
d. Joshua 1:8 This book of the Law [Torah] shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall MEDITATE on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.
e. 1 Timothy 4:15 MEDITATE on these things; be in these things in order that your improvement may appear to all.
c. 1 Cor. 10:13 No TEMPTATION has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be TEMPTED above what you are able, but with the TEMPTATION also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.
d. James 1:12-14 Blessed is the man who endures TEMPTATION, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one being TEMPTED say, I am TEMPTED from God. For God is not TEMPTED by evils, and He TEMPTS no one. But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them.
Step 3 – APPLY THE PRINCIPLES OF YOUR TEXTBOOK [THE WORD OF GOD]:
a. Rom 2:13-15 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the DOERS of the Law will be justified. For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves, who show the work of the Law [Torah] written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing one another.
b. James 1:22-25 But become DOERS of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a DOER, he is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror. For he studied himself and went his way, and immediately he forgot what he was like. But whoever looks into the Perfect Law of liberty (The Law [Torah] is Perfect” – Psalm 19:7) and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a DOERS of the work. This one shall be BLESSED in his doing.
Think It, Say It & Do It!:
I READ, MEDITATE & STUDY THE PRINCIPLES OF MY TEXTBOOK, the Word of God, as I SEE MY TEMPTATIONS AS SIMPLY A TEST, and APPLY ITS PRINCIPLES in Yeshua’s Name! Shalom Y’all!
Showing posts with label meditation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditation. Show all posts
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Why Pursuing Pleasure Is The Emotional Equivalent Of Eating Empty Calories
The Greek word for happiness is eudaimonia. “Eu” means good, or well-being, and “daimon” refers to the spirit. For Aristotle, eudaimonia was the ultimate good, obtained by virtue and insight.
Connectedness and purpose are what it’s all about, really. When we're virtuous, we have or demonstrate integrity to some greater purpose. When we have insight, we inevitably experience the interconnectedness of all things. We have a sense of ourselves as part of something bigger. That big thing could be the astounding pulsing rhythm of this biological planet, or something out there in the stratosphere. That part doesn't matter. What matters is the sense of well-being we humans derive from meaning, purpose, belief, and connection.
So, I’ve invited myself to play with words and create a new narrative that reflects my understanding (informed by science, philosophy and contemplative traditions) of the purpose of life and the ultimate of aspirations. Like Aristotle (and my cells) I’m pointing my compass toward eudaimonia, toward living with insight, virtue and purpose and to “flourish” alongside those I share this planet with.
And how do I conclude my morning meditation practice? “May all beings be well in spirit.”
:-)
Connectedness and purpose are what it’s all about, really. When we're virtuous, we have or demonstrate integrity to some greater purpose. When we have insight, we inevitably experience the interconnectedness of all things. We have a sense of ourselves as part of something bigger. That big thing could be the astounding pulsing rhythm of this biological planet, or something out there in the stratosphere. That part doesn't matter. What matters is the sense of well-being we humans derive from meaning, purpose, belief, and connection.
So, I’ve invited myself to play with words and create a new narrative that reflects my understanding (informed by science, philosophy and contemplative traditions) of the purpose of life and the ultimate of aspirations. Like Aristotle (and my cells) I’m pointing my compass toward eudaimonia, toward living with insight, virtue and purpose and to “flourish” alongside those I share this planet with.
And how do I conclude my morning meditation practice? “May all beings be well in spirit.”
:-)
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Deep, Cleansing Breaths: Managing Stress Effectively
Anxiety triggers the sympathetic nervous system, which is the “fight-or-flight” system of our body that tells us to be on high alert so we can face a threat in our environment. This system is highly adaptive when you have a time-limited, acute stressor, like encountering a bear in the jungle. Since few of our TFA placements are in regions where bears are prevalent, this fight-or-flight response is rarely adaptive in our modern world, but our bodies haven’t caught up to the reality of the new types of stresses that we face (deadlines, pressure, classroom management woes, worry, etc.). So when our anxiety becomes chronic and this “fight-or-flight” system is constantly in the “on” position, it can wreak havoc on your body, like raising your blood pressure, lowering your immune system response and making you more susceptible to illness. This system was not designed to stay “on” all the time.
To counteract this effect, you want to try to trigger the relaxation response (aka, the parasympathetic nervous system). Using these techniques will lower your heart rate, decrease your blood pressure, and bring your stressed body back to equilibrium. Here are a few ways you can do this:
1. Deep breathing—this technique is best done sitting in a quiet place for a few minutes breathing deeply with your diaphragm, the muscle that sits beneath your lungs. You activate the diaphragm by feeling your belly expand when you inhale, and then contract when you exhale. You can inhale to a slow count of three or four, and then exhale the same number of seconds. Check out thisvideo to learn how to do this technique.
2. Meditation—this is an ancient technique that originated in the East thousands of years ago. Find a quiet spot, either sitting in a chair or cross-legged on the ground. Close your eyes and do a quick body scan, noticing the physical sensations of your body making contact with the chair or floor. Then direct your attention to your breath, noticing where the air passes over your nostrils as you inhale and exhale. Soon enough, a thought will arise and your mind will wander. This is OK, as this is just what the mind does. Just notice that your attention wandered and gently bring your focus back to the breath. Do this again and again, as often as needed. You can start with meditating 5 minutes, and then slowly work your way up to 30 minutes or more. Check out mypost from last year to learn more about mindfulness and meditation.
3. Imagery—this is the equivalent of finding your “happy place.” Just visualize a place or a person or an imaginary world that makes you happy and calm. The trick with this technique is that you want to visualize as much detail as you can, trying to conjure up the experience of all 5 senses.
4. Self-soothing activities—this can be any activity that chills you out and can be highly individualized. For some taking a long, hot bath is soothing. Calm music can trigger a relaxation response. Some people like the repetitive motion of knitting. The list here is endless, so just experiment with whatever is calming for you.
5. Distraction—finding activities to take your mind off of stress for a little while can be very useful. Catching up on your favorite show on Netflix is a favorite for many. Going to the gym to exercise for a bit can help too (exercise provides a ton of benefit for managing stress). Immerse yourself in the latest vampire novel. You don’t want to use distraction so much that you avoid confronting your stress entirely. But on occasion, distraction can take the edge off a stressful experience, providing some temporary relief.
6. Social support—think back to a time you took a load off by venting to a friend about a stressful experience, and how good you felt afterward. Just talking about your stress can counteract the effect of it. So next time you’re feeling your anxiety on the rise, call up a friend and invite them to coffee (decaf, of course).
Use these techniques whenever you feel the toll of stress and anxiety on your body. Use these techniques before bed if you’re having difficulty initiating sleep. Heck, use these techniques on a daily basis, fitting them into your routine, and you may find that your overall stress levels go down, making you more effective while at work.
To counteract this effect, you want to try to trigger the relaxation response (aka, the parasympathetic nervous system). Using these techniques will lower your heart rate, decrease your blood pressure, and bring your stressed body back to equilibrium. Here are a few ways you can do this:
1. Deep breathing—this technique is best done sitting in a quiet place for a few minutes breathing deeply with your diaphragm, the muscle that sits beneath your lungs. You activate the diaphragm by feeling your belly expand when you inhale, and then contract when you exhale. You can inhale to a slow count of three or four, and then exhale the same number of seconds. Check out thisvideo to learn how to do this technique.
2. Meditation—this is an ancient technique that originated in the East thousands of years ago. Find a quiet spot, either sitting in a chair or cross-legged on the ground. Close your eyes and do a quick body scan, noticing the physical sensations of your body making contact with the chair or floor. Then direct your attention to your breath, noticing where the air passes over your nostrils as you inhale and exhale. Soon enough, a thought will arise and your mind will wander. This is OK, as this is just what the mind does. Just notice that your attention wandered and gently bring your focus back to the breath. Do this again and again, as often as needed. You can start with meditating 5 minutes, and then slowly work your way up to 30 minutes or more. Check out mypost from last year to learn more about mindfulness and meditation.
3. Imagery—this is the equivalent of finding your “happy place.” Just visualize a place or a person or an imaginary world that makes you happy and calm. The trick with this technique is that you want to visualize as much detail as you can, trying to conjure up the experience of all 5 senses.
4. Self-soothing activities—this can be any activity that chills you out and can be highly individualized. For some taking a long, hot bath is soothing. Calm music can trigger a relaxation response. Some people like the repetitive motion of knitting. The list here is endless, so just experiment with whatever is calming for you.
5. Distraction—finding activities to take your mind off of stress for a little while can be very useful. Catching up on your favorite show on Netflix is a favorite for many. Going to the gym to exercise for a bit can help too (exercise provides a ton of benefit for managing stress). Immerse yourself in the latest vampire novel. You don’t want to use distraction so much that you avoid confronting your stress entirely. But on occasion, distraction can take the edge off a stressful experience, providing some temporary relief.
6. Social support—think back to a time you took a load off by venting to a friend about a stressful experience, and how good you felt afterward. Just talking about your stress can counteract the effect of it. So next time you’re feeling your anxiety on the rise, call up a friend and invite them to coffee (decaf, of course).
Use these techniques whenever you feel the toll of stress and anxiety on your body. Use these techniques before bed if you’re having difficulty initiating sleep. Heck, use these techniques on a daily basis, fitting them into your routine, and you may find that your overall stress levels go down, making you more effective while at work.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
1. Clean your space.
Energetic cleaning can leave a space more balanced and open. When meditating, it's important to pay attention to you surroundings. Always meditate in a clean room and one in which you feel relaxed and comfortable. I like candles and incense to calm a space.
2. Get comfortable.
I don’t like being uncomfortable. I don’t think anyone does. And sitting cross-legged in lotus with a straight back and poised yogi fingers doesn’t spell comfortable to me. Sore butt, achy back, and pins and needles will most likely be the outcome.
3. Body check.
Take a few moments to settle in to your body. Observe your posture, and notice the sensations where your body touches the chair and feet meet the ground. Feel the weight of your arms resting on your legs.
4. Use the alarm clock meditation.
If the recommended 20 minutes seems a bit full on to start, set a timer for five minutes. Then meditate until the timer goes off. This way, you don’t have to wonder about how long it’s been, or how much longer you should meditate for.
5. Observe the breath.
In the first stage you use counting to stay focused on the breath. After the out-breath you count one, then you breathe in and out and count two, and so on up to ten, and then you start again at one.
6. Hold your attention.
While doing this, it's completely normal for thoughts to bubble up. What are we having for dinner, I need to call so and so, can I return that gift? You don't need to do anything- just guide your attention back to the breath. If you can remember the number you'd counted up to, start again from there, or simply start from one again. Continue until the timer chimes.
7. Wish yourself well.
A common technique in Buddhist practice is to practice loving kindness meditation. Sounds a bit airy fairy but this really works. Practice it on yourself, someone you can't stand, or a neutral person you pass daily. Turn your attention to yourself and say words like May I be well and happy. May I be peaceful and calm. May my mind be free from hatred. May I be free from suffering. Repeat as desired.
8. Let it be.
Spend 30 seconds to a minute just sitting and thinking about nothing. Let those thoughts come in, and watch them go out. Don't rush back into whatever it is you need to do. Just take your time, slow your pace, and let it be. Remember, you're the expert on you. Find the things that work for you, and ignore the rest.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
more perfection for me.
For security: Seek self-assurance
Rather than always looking to the other person to make you feel secure in your relationship, get into the habit of reassuring yourself. Start to challenge your own fears and imaginings rather than just accepting them. Ask yourself: "Hold on a second. What real evidence is there for this fear?" At the same time you can focus on the thought: "Okay, nothing in this life is certain and I can live with that. And even if this relationship did end, I'm strong enough to go through it and ride it and will have learnt things from it." We all need to go with the flow in relationships. What we fear will be 'the end of the world' if it happens never really is.
Sit down, close your eyes, and strongly imagine feeling relaxed and secure around your partner. This will train your brain to feel that "whatever happens, I'll be okay."
<333 link
Focus on the good
Relationships are meant to be fun (at least some of the time). Insecure people look for signs of what's not working. I want you to look for signs of what is.
Doing this will get you and your partner feeling naturally more positive.
No meaningful relationship will always totally work all the time. Being too black or white about relationships spells trouble. There are always some difficulties, but keep focusing on what is good.
This doesn't mean that you have to accept anyone who will accept you, even if they are obviously not right for you. But it does mean that if there are occasional problems, you don't have to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' and become so destructive that the relationship ends or so clingy that your partner ends it for you.
Emma learned to relax and enjoy her relationship. She stopped feeling she had to control what her partner thought or did and her new laidback attitude made it easier for their love to genuinely blossom.
A good relationship is there for you to enjoy together, to share resources and develop together in healthy ways. If someone really does treat you badly or lies and cheats, then feeling insecure is a natural and justified response. However, if you're actually in a generally good relationship, then follow these tips because what you have is precious.
But possibly not as precious as the knowledge that whatever happens, you can relax because you'll be okay.
Rather than always looking to the other person to make you feel secure in your relationship, get into the habit of reassuring yourself. Start to challenge your own fears and imaginings rather than just accepting them. Ask yourself: "Hold on a second. What real evidence is there for this fear?" At the same time you can focus on the thought: "Okay, nothing in this life is certain and I can live with that. And even if this relationship did end, I'm strong enough to go through it and ride it and will have learnt things from it." We all need to go with the flow in relationships. What we fear will be 'the end of the world' if it happens never really is.
Sit down, close your eyes, and strongly imagine feeling relaxed and secure around your partner. This will train your brain to feel that "whatever happens, I'll be okay."
<333 link
Focus on the good
Relationships are meant to be fun (at least some of the time). Insecure people look for signs of what's not working. I want you to look for signs of what is.
Doing this will get you and your partner feeling naturally more positive.
No meaningful relationship will always totally work all the time. Being too black or white about relationships spells trouble. There are always some difficulties, but keep focusing on what is good.
This doesn't mean that you have to accept anyone who will accept you, even if they are obviously not right for you. But it does mean that if there are occasional problems, you don't have to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' and become so destructive that the relationship ends or so clingy that your partner ends it for you.
Emma learned to relax and enjoy her relationship. She stopped feeling she had to control what her partner thought or did and her new laidback attitude made it easier for their love to genuinely blossom.
A good relationship is there for you to enjoy together, to share resources and develop together in healthy ways. If someone really does treat you badly or lies and cheats, then feeling insecure is a natural and justified response. However, if you're actually in a generally good relationship, then follow these tips because what you have is precious.
But possibly not as precious as the knowledge that whatever happens, you can relax because you'll be okay.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Meditation
Meditation is also one of the most powerful tools you can use to manage your mind, reduce stress and create a sense of well being.
Meditation is like a mini mind vacation from your thoughts. The act of meditating allows one to step outside of our thoughts.
If you’ve ever had a racing mind, a knee jerk reaction, negative thoughts, limiting thinking, or destructive patterns then you can appreciate and embrace the value of being liberated from your thoughts for a time.
As you practice meditating you will begin to be able to manage your thoughts and attention and create the necessary space to manage you thoughts instead of your thoughts managing you. This is expansion in awareness and consciousness. As Buddha said, “What we think, we become”.
There are many forms of meditation but the simplest way to get started is to sit for a few minutes in a quiet space and observe your breath for 6 counts in and 6 counts out.
When I’m going through times that are confusing, overwhelming or super busy I feel drawn to the orange realm and feel a real sense of peace and harmony when I meditate.
Why not liberate yourself from your thoughts for a time and cultivate those happy molecules : )
http://rainbowframework.com/the-1-tool-for-mind-management/
Monday, April 29, 2013
**Eat, Smoke, Meditate: Why Your Brain Cares How You Cope**
Last year, a Harvard study confirmed that there’s a clear connection between mind wandering and unhappiness. Not only did the study find that if you’re awake, your mind is wandering almost half the time, it also found that this wandering is linked to a less happy state. (You can actually use the iPhone app used in the study to track your own happiness.) This is not surprising, since when your mind is wandering, it’s not generally to the sweet things in your life: More likely, it’s to thoughts like why your electric bill was so high, why your boss was rude to you today, or why your ex-husband is being so difficult.
Another study found that mind wandering is linked to activation of network of brain cells called the default mode network (DMN), which is active not when we’re doing high-level processing, but when we’re drifting about in “self-referential” thoughts
Meditation is an interesting method for increasing one’s sense of happiness because not only has it stood the test of time, but it’s also been tested quite extensively in the lab. Part of the effect of mindfulness meditation is to quiet the mind by acknowledging non-judgmentally and then relinquishing (rather than obsessing about) unhappy or stress-inducing thoughts.
New research by Judson Brewer, MD, PhD and his group at Yale University has found that experienced meditators not only report less mind wandering during meditation, but actually have markedly decreased activity in their DMN. Earlier research had shown that meditators have less activity in regions governing thoughts about the self, like the medial prefrontal cortex: Brewer says that what’s likely going on in experienced meditators is that these “‘me’ centers of the brain are being deactivated.”
They also found that when the brain’s “me” centers were activated, meditators also co-activated areas important in self-monitoring and cognitive control, which may indicate that they are on the constant lookout for “me” thoughts or mind-wandering – and when their minds do wander, they bring them back to the present moment. Even better, meditators not only did this during meditation, but when not being told to do anything in particular. This suggests that they may have formed a new default mode: one that is more present-centered (and less “me”-centered), no matter what they are doing.
So is being happy all about shifting our tendency away from focus on ourselves? Research in other areas, like neurotheology (literally the neurology of religion), suggests that there may be something to this. Andy Newberg, MD at the University of Pennsylvania has found that both in meditating monks and in praying nuns, areas of the brain important in concentration and attention were activated, while areas that govern how a person relates to the external world were deactivated. These findings may suggest that for people who practice meditation or prayer, the focus becomes less on the self as a distinct entity from the external world, and more on connection between the two. This reflects the idea discussed earlier where shifting attention from inside to outside is at least part of what quells unhappiness.
What about using other tools like cigarettes, food, or alcohol, as a method for finding pleasure and calming the mind? Don’t these things take a person outside of him or herself, and move the focus from the inner world of stressful thoughts to something outside, or “other”? Looking forward to the next hit of caffeine, nicotine, or coke might seem like a valid method of moving attention from the inside to the outside, but if you look closer, it actually intensifies the unpleasantness.
Brewer uses the example of smoking to illustrate why addiction fuels negative thoughts rather than abates them. In addition to the pleasurable associations, smoking actually creates a negative feedback loop, where you are linking stress and craving with the oh-so-good act of smoking. So whenever you experience a negative emotion, craving returns and intensifies over time, so that you are actually even less happy than before. A cigarette may quiet the mind temporarily – during the act of smoking – but in between cigarettes is where things get bad, because craving creeps in. Though we’re using craving as the example, unhappiness, self-referential thoughts, or everyday worries can all be substituted in.
Substituting a carrot stick or other behavior for your actual craving (or other form of unhappiness) is a typical method of treatment, but it doesn’t often work, says Brewer, because the feedback loop is still there. Addressing the process itself with other methods (like meditation), which allow you to ride out the craving/unhappiness by attending to it and accepting it, and then letting it go, has been more successful, because it actually breaks the cycle rather than masks it.
So if you’re dealing with unhappiness of any kind, whether it’s every day worries, or more severe depression or anxiety, the method you choose for coping matters. Finding one that solves the problem – breaking the cycle, rather than masking it – is crucial.
What type of coping method do you use?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2011/09/21/eat-smoke-meditate-why-your-brain-cares-how-you-cope/
Another study found that mind wandering is linked to activation of network of brain cells called the default mode network (DMN), which is active not when we’re doing high-level processing, but when we’re drifting about in “self-referential” thoughts
Meditation is an interesting method for increasing one’s sense of happiness because not only has it stood the test of time, but it’s also been tested quite extensively in the lab. Part of the effect of mindfulness meditation is to quiet the mind by acknowledging non-judgmentally and then relinquishing (rather than obsessing about) unhappy or stress-inducing thoughts.
New research by Judson Brewer, MD, PhD and his group at Yale University has found that experienced meditators not only report less mind wandering during meditation, but actually have markedly decreased activity in their DMN. Earlier research had shown that meditators have less activity in regions governing thoughts about the self, like the medial prefrontal cortex: Brewer says that what’s likely going on in experienced meditators is that these “‘me’ centers of the brain are being deactivated.”
They also found that when the brain’s “me” centers were activated, meditators also co-activated areas important in self-monitoring and cognitive control, which may indicate that they are on the constant lookout for “me” thoughts or mind-wandering – and when their minds do wander, they bring them back to the present moment. Even better, meditators not only did this during meditation, but when not being told to do anything in particular. This suggests that they may have formed a new default mode: one that is more present-centered (and less “me”-centered), no matter what they are doing.
So is being happy all about shifting our tendency away from focus on ourselves? Research in other areas, like neurotheology (literally the neurology of religion), suggests that there may be something to this. Andy Newberg, MD at the University of Pennsylvania has found that both in meditating monks and in praying nuns, areas of the brain important in concentration and attention were activated, while areas that govern how a person relates to the external world were deactivated. These findings may suggest that for people who practice meditation or prayer, the focus becomes less on the self as a distinct entity from the external world, and more on connection between the two. This reflects the idea discussed earlier where shifting attention from inside to outside is at least part of what quells unhappiness.
What about using other tools like cigarettes, food, or alcohol, as a method for finding pleasure and calming the mind? Don’t these things take a person outside of him or herself, and move the focus from the inner world of stressful thoughts to something outside, or “other”? Looking forward to the next hit of caffeine, nicotine, or coke might seem like a valid method of moving attention from the inside to the outside, but if you look closer, it actually intensifies the unpleasantness.
Brewer uses the example of smoking to illustrate why addiction fuels negative thoughts rather than abates them. In addition to the pleasurable associations, smoking actually creates a negative feedback loop, where you are linking stress and craving with the oh-so-good act of smoking. So whenever you experience a negative emotion, craving returns and intensifies over time, so that you are actually even less happy than before. A cigarette may quiet the mind temporarily – during the act of smoking – but in between cigarettes is where things get bad, because craving creeps in. Though we’re using craving as the example, unhappiness, self-referential thoughts, or everyday worries can all be substituted in.
Substituting a carrot stick or other behavior for your actual craving (or other form of unhappiness) is a typical method of treatment, but it doesn’t often work, says Brewer, because the feedback loop is still there. Addressing the process itself with other methods (like meditation), which allow you to ride out the craving/unhappiness by attending to it and accepting it, and then letting it go, has been more successful, because it actually breaks the cycle rather than masks it.
So if you’re dealing with unhappiness of any kind, whether it’s every day worries, or more severe depression or anxiety, the method you choose for coping matters. Finding one that solves the problem – breaking the cycle, rather than masking it – is crucial.
What type of coping method do you use?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2011/09/21/eat-smoke-meditate-why-your-brain-cares-how-you-cope/
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
A new study suggests that your brain reacts the same way to meditation as it does to sex. Both dissolve our sense of self-awareness, separating ourselves from our ego.
The lead researcher, Gemma O'Brien found that people meditating and having an orgasm both experience "diminution of self-awareness" and "alterations in bodily perception."
When you meditate, the left side of your brain lights up and when you have sex, the right side of your brain lights up -- both experiences leading to a stoppage of mental chatter in your brain and helping you lose physical and mental boundaries.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-2821/Meditation-Sex-Are-Same-to-Your-Brain.html
The lead researcher, Gemma O'Brien found that people meditating and having an orgasm both experience "diminution of self-awareness" and "alterations in bodily perception."
When you meditate, the left side of your brain lights up and when you have sex, the right side of your brain lights up -- both experiences leading to a stoppage of mental chatter in your brain and helping you lose physical and mental boundaries.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-2821/Meditation-Sex-Are-Same-to-Your-Brain.html
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Yin Yoga
So what exactly is Yin yoga? It is a more meditative approach with a physical focus much deeper than Yang like practices. Here the practitioner is trying to access the deeper tissues such as the connective tissue and fascia and many of the postures focus on areas that encompass a joint (hips, sacrum, spine). As one ages flexibility in the joints decreases and Yin yoga is a wonderful way to maintain that flexibility, something that for many don’t seem to be too concerned about until they notice it is gone.
This intimate practice of yoga requires students to be ready to get intimate with the self, with feelings, sensations, and emotions, something of which I have noticed can be easy to avoid in a fast paced yoga practice. Yin yoga is often used in programs that deal with addictions, eating disorders, anxiety and deep pain or trauma. For me my first experience with yoga was when I was knee deep in an eating disorder. Not familiar with the difference in practices I did notice that yoga helped me, and I often equate my practice to saving my life. Now that being said, several years later I stumbled across Yin yoga and found that the recovery process I had been going through apparently needed some more work and WOW did Yin point that out to me. I often struggled with being alone, sitting with feelings and sensations (something addicts struggle with) and found it challenging to face myself and the rawness of what I was doing and who I was in that moment. This concept in practice, allowed me a greater mental stability something much of which is a benefit of meditation, basically “learning to sit still.”
Many find immediate benefits like more open hips, a more relaxed body and centered mind.
Some of the benefits of Yin yoga are:
Calming and balancing to the mind and body
Regulates energy in the body
Increases mobility in the body, especially the joints and hips
Lowering of stress levels (no one needs that)
Greater stamina
Better lubrication and protection of joints
More flexibility in joints & connective tissue
Release of fascia throughout the body
Help with TMJ and migraines
Deeper Relaxation
A great coping for anxiety and stress
Better ability to sit for meditation
Ultimately you will have a better Yang practice
I really do believe that if you incorporate a little of both will create a more well-rounded practice as well as a better-rounded version of the awesome you!
Yin yoga as taught me to truly be still, to really come face to face with myself, even more than my past practice has; and because of this I am now able to bring what Yin has taught me into my more Yang like practices and ultimately my life as a whole.
Yin yoga teaches you how to really listen, you don’t get the opportunity to go in and out, jump around and find a distracted version of stillness within your practice. Yin is such a great compliment to other styles and your own personal life, because it brings long periods of time in an uncomfortable position, which then asks you to learn to “be” to “accept what is” in that given moment. Something we can all benefit from daily. For me, I did not know how to be in my own company, I did not like to feel or be or anything that required me to have an emotion. There is something so deep about Yin that will tap into a part of you in a way only unique to Yin. And for me a healthy Yin practice has poured over into a healthier Yang practice and a healthier life as a whole. And I wish that for everyone.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5037/Yin-Yoga-101-What-You-Need-to-Know.html
This intimate practice of yoga requires students to be ready to get intimate with the self, with feelings, sensations, and emotions, something of which I have noticed can be easy to avoid in a fast paced yoga practice. Yin yoga is often used in programs that deal with addictions, eating disorders, anxiety and deep pain or trauma. For me my first experience with yoga was when I was knee deep in an eating disorder. Not familiar with the difference in practices I did notice that yoga helped me, and I often equate my practice to saving my life. Now that being said, several years later I stumbled across Yin yoga and found that the recovery process I had been going through apparently needed some more work and WOW did Yin point that out to me. I often struggled with being alone, sitting with feelings and sensations (something addicts struggle with) and found it challenging to face myself and the rawness of what I was doing and who I was in that moment. This concept in practice, allowed me a greater mental stability something much of which is a benefit of meditation, basically “learning to sit still.”
Many find immediate benefits like more open hips, a more relaxed body and centered mind.
Some of the benefits of Yin yoga are:
Calming and balancing to the mind and body
Regulates energy in the body
Increases mobility in the body, especially the joints and hips
Lowering of stress levels (no one needs that)
Greater stamina
Better lubrication and protection of joints
More flexibility in joints & connective tissue
Release of fascia throughout the body
Help with TMJ and migraines
Deeper Relaxation
A great coping for anxiety and stress
Better ability to sit for meditation
Ultimately you will have a better Yang practice
I really do believe that if you incorporate a little of both will create a more well-rounded practice as well as a better-rounded version of the awesome you!
Yin yoga as taught me to truly be still, to really come face to face with myself, even more than my past practice has; and because of this I am now able to bring what Yin has taught me into my more Yang like practices and ultimately my life as a whole.
Yin yoga teaches you how to really listen, you don’t get the opportunity to go in and out, jump around and find a distracted version of stillness within your practice. Yin is such a great compliment to other styles and your own personal life, because it brings long periods of time in an uncomfortable position, which then asks you to learn to “be” to “accept what is” in that given moment. Something we can all benefit from daily. For me, I did not know how to be in my own company, I did not like to feel or be or anything that required me to have an emotion. There is something so deep about Yin that will tap into a part of you in a way only unique to Yin. And for me a healthy Yin practice has poured over into a healthier Yang practice and a healthier life as a whole. And I wish that for everyone.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5037/Yin-Yoga-101-What-You-Need-to-Know.html
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