Tag Archives: meditation

Reiki Gong Mental & Emotional Stability Practice DVD · Medstartr

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Have you heard of Reiki Gong? It’s a combination of Reiki and Qigong. A friend of mine invited me to a retreat that will be in April in Nashville, TN, but I can’t afford to go (wish I could). However, I was intrigued by the content and decided to look into it further.

So I checked out their FB page: Reiki Gong Dynamic Health. As I scrolled through the posts I came across a post about a project they are working on for mental and emotional health. They are trying to create a practice on DVD for those who suffer with mental & emotional health issues and don’t have access to alternative therapies. Reiki Gong Mental & Emotional Stability Practice DVD · Medstartr. I was moved by this and wanted to share it with my readers.

Personally I have not had a lot of success with so called “modern medicine” concerning my own health issues. I am very sensitive to drugs and find that I do better with natural and alternative practices. Through my work I’ve known many people over the years with moderate forms of mental and emotional illnesses and I never experienced that any of them were cured with drugs. Some of them did better for awhile, but then there was always a need to eventually find a better or different drug. In this type of situation I think it’s worth looking into alternatives.

During this past winter I was helping to care for an elderly woman with serious anxiety and depression issues. She was on 3 different types of anti-anxiety, anti-depression medication and she felt terrible all the time. Most of these drugs have side effects that make you feel ill and weak. She was too old to make significant changes in her life and that made me really sad.

Through talking with her, especially when she had “episodes” or “panic attacks”, I realized that she had built a pattern of thoughts and behaviors over a lifetime that had created her present circumstances. She was helpless, needy and totally dependent but this was not because of her age or illnesses. I know people much older than her who have worse ailments but are less needy and dependent, and not depressed at all. I realized through talking with her that most of her mental and physical health issues would not have developed if someone had taught her to think differently when she was young, and to take care of herself.

That experience gave me a lot of motivation to look at my own thought patterns and to put more effort into caring for myself both physically and emotionally. I have always been inspired by people who are pioneering the way of alternative practices in the west. So, if you have a chance, please check out these pages about Reiki Gong and if you like what you see, give them some support.

 

New Challenge

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Winter is a difficult time for me physically, mentally and emotionally, so I try to find ways to challenge myself. In the past I could challenge the physical elements of snow and ice by just getting out there, shoveling, sledding, driving, photographing, whatever. Now I still try to do those things, but less than before because I have more physical challenges than in the past.

Challenges that limit us can weaken us mentally and emotionally. To strengthen myself I’ve given myself other positive challenges, like yoga. Since I started attending classes last October, I’ve been able to gradually, very gradually, build strength and health physically, mentally and emotionally. It has not been easy and my class attendance was not always consistent for the first couple months, but I have persisted. Now I’m attending classes twice a week and beginning to practice at home as well.

One thing that helped me with my yoga practice was following a beginners yoga challenge on yogajournal.com. I received daily written inspiration on will power, and a weekly video of yoga practice. It was quick, easy, motivational and free.

In March I will be starting a new challenge, and I invite you to join me if you wish. It is a free 21 day meditation course sponsored by Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. I know that sounds kind of commercial, but it looks like it could be valuable. Of course, if you’re already a meditation master maybe you don’t need it. But if you are looking for some guidance to start meditating, some ideas on improving your mental or physical health, or just a little inspiration, then why not try it? It can’t hurt, it’s free, and it’s completely accessible at your own time, location, pace and comfort level.

Starts on March 11, 2013. Here’s the link if you care to join in. http://www.chopracentermeditation.com

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Yin Yoga

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I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to practice yoga a few times a week consistently since discovering Yin Yoga. This type of yoga is very meditative and less active, which is good for me since I have some muscle weakness issues going on. Yin is concerned with relaxing the connective tissues, allowing for more flexibility, which is very helpful as we get older.Yin 1

Yin consists of mostly floor poses, some with assistance of a wall, and the poses are held for 3 to 5 minutes. By committing to stillness in each posture, Yin prepares the body & mind for meditation. The breath and awareness of bodily sensations assists in relaxation and not over doing it. I sleep better after Yin Yoga so it must help with reducing stress. Here’s a little tip from Yoga Journal’s online magazine:

“Meditation is an incredibly powerful willpower booster—the practice of returning attention again and again to the breath kicks the prefrontal cortex (the decision-making center of the brain) into high gear and quiets the stress and craving centers of your brain. Every time you bring your attention away from a wandering thought and back to the breath, you strengthen self-awareness and boost self-control.”

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If anyone feels they are not strong enough or flexible enough to do yoga, Yin is a good place to start. I have good days and bad days with my strength, so on a bad day I can still do Yin. I feel a little sore the day after, but some mild stretching and Traumeel (homeopathic anti-inflammatory) usually help me work that out.

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Winter Meditation

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winter meditationUnder the snow in the cold damp earth there are seeds of new life. Winter hides the secret of renewal. One day those seeds will surely burst with energy driving shoots up to break through the top soil. My heart explodes with thoughts of spring, new growth, and the blossoms that fill the air with fragrance. With this thought I can endure winter, seeing also it’s beauty.Winter Window

Weekly Photo Challenge – Renewal

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A timely post as I have been renewing my commitment to health and well being by going to yoga classes, meditating with a lovely smelling candle, and eating healthier.

 

My Christmas cactus is also experiencing renewal, especially since it didn’t bloom at all last year.

This is my daily morning renewal, my special blend, and it’s a nice afternoon renewal as well. God Bless the coffee bean, may they prosper and grow forever!

Renewal – What does it mean to you?

Create The Day – With A Break

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Yes, take a break now and then, a break from the hectic pace of life. I’m not talking about an all out vacation, that’s different because a lot of planning and activity usually goes into vacations. I also don’t mean a 15 minute coffee break at work. What I mean is to stop all activity and “must do’s” for long enough to give yourself space to breathe, to think, and to be yourself. How long? You decide.

Our culture is very demanding and it’s starts early on in life. You have to go to school, you have to get good grades, you have to dress like others, think like others, get a car, get a career, get the next latest technology, get a raise or a better job, get more, more, more, so you can go more and do more! It has been referred to as the “Rat Race” because if you’re not careful it can become a lot of mindless running around.

So I am advocating for occasional breaks; unplanned, spontaneous, at your discretion, and completely of your own free will – take a break. It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do during your break, it doesn’t matter how long or short it is, as long as you are able to clear your mind and find peace, tranquility and personal power by valuing yourself. My husband does this through his daily walks, that works for him. I often read a book, play with my cats, or just lay in the grass on a sunny day with my eyes closed.

Sometimes I need to take a break from the computer and writing (that’s why this post is late). Sometimes it’s the housework or endless errands I need a break from. Sometimes I need a break from work, and sometimes (believe it or not) work is my break from other things. For me, the important thing is to not be driven by some system that was created by our collectively perceived needs and wants, but to live intentionally by my own design. Unfortunately, we all have to live in this society as it is and deal with the way it is on a daily basis, which makes it quite difficult to not be sucked into the “Rat Race” or get trampled on. So I pull myself aside now and then to reflect, refuel my energy and reaffirm my intention, and sometimes just to relax.

You can exercise, meditate, do breath-work, sing, dance, play or do nothing at all to take a break as long as it helps you feel your value as an individual apart from any needs or wants. Your personality will determine what type of break works best for you. In that moment aside from the hectic pace of life the only purpose is to experience the beauty, goodness and peace that exists beyond the craziness of this world, and to rediscover or reaffirm what you truly value in life, because that is what will give you the power to keep going, and to create a life of your own design.

Enjoy the breaks, enjoy the life you create.

 

 

 

Create The Day – With A Smile

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A simple random thought or memory draws the corners of my mouth up a bit, and my son might ask, “What are you smiling at?” The twittering of a bird on a tree branch outside my front door draws my attention; I gaze silently smiling as I watch his uncontrollable song. My cat jumps from the table to my shoulders as I pass through the dining room and wraps herself around my neck, rubbing her face against my cheek with a purr – it always makes me smile.

On the other hand there are bills and demands that I find it hard to smile about. There are problems and pressures that make me cry. How not to let those things create my day is what I go to bed praying about, and wake up thinking about. Every morning my husband says “good morning” with a smile and I wonder how he does it; but I remember he was raised with such manners.

Many things make me smile: a plant, a flower or tree, an animal, a beautiful painting or photograph, a friend or family members face, the sunshine and the blue sky, the ocean, the clouds and a soft breeze, lovely memories, and the writings of other bloggers. These are the things that fill my life with joy. I seek them, I find them, and I smile. A smile begins in the heart and spreads to the face sending pleasant feelings of peace through my body. A smile is a powerful thing.

So I think I will try to smile more each day, not in a shallow way, but by finding the smile in my heart. If the world were to end tomorrow I would like to go smiling, by thinking about how beautiful it was. If I wake up to a new morning I would like to wake up like a child that feels loved, wondering what new excitement the day holds. What better way to live than to create each day with a smile?

For another meaningful post on smiling check this out: The Monster In Your Closet

Create The Day – With Thoughts

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When I was a child sometimes people would say, “you think too much”. Such a funny thing to tell a child, especially a child like me. I was very imaginative, but I was also very busy, always busy, creating something or going somewhere to do something.

I always had an awareness that there was power in thoughts, because happy thoughts can make you feel good and sad or negative thoughts can make you feel down or tired. It was difficult for me to turn off my thoughts, causing me to have a long struggle with insomnia. For that reason I turned to prayer and visualization late at night when I couldn’t sleep. However, it would not be until many years later that I would learn about focusing my thoughts into action, and about calming my mind, actually I’m still learning about that.

After leaving home I had other interesting experiences with the power of thoughts. Often when the phone would ring I would know who it was ahead of time, especially if it was my Mom or someone I was close to. One time I even decided to “will” my mother to call me because I needed to talk to her but I didn’t know the number for where she was staying. Within several hours she called me.

During another period of my life I was sharing a house with 3 Japanese girls who knew very little English and had just come to live in the USA. It was kind of my job to help them acclimate and learn English, but my knowledge of Japanese was zero. Sometimes however, they would be speaking to each other in Japanese and I would respond to their conversation in English, with correct information or answers. They were always surprised and would ask, “How did you know what we said?”

Prayers are like thoughts too. I have often experienced having my prayers answered. I have been led to books I needed to read, people I needed to talk to, or places I needed to be at a particular moment because I had prayed for a specific type of help. I prayed for a friend who had been trying to conceive a child for 6 years, and a couple months later she was pregnant. I prayed for another friend who was having vision trouble due to diabetes and their problem cleared up within a hours. I’ve had too many of these experiences to write about all of them.

Some people would consider these experiences to be just coincidence, and once someone even told me, “you’re not that powerful”. Okay, I’m not that powerful, but I think that’s mostly because I don’t focus on using my thoughts in these ways. Usually when these things happen it’s because my heart is moved to help someone or to care earnestly about something. When the heart and mind work together, thoughts can be very powerful.

On the other hand I have experienced that my thoughts can be pulled in so many different directions that I become powerless to do anything. I also have experienced being so focused on one thing that I miss or forget something else that’s important. So this week I want to practice focusing my thoughts more carefully on positive and productive things. Of course I should do this for the rest of my life, but I think I’ll just take one day at a time for now.

Just as thoughts will influence our emotions and actions, emotional experiences and activities will also influence our thoughts. The mind, heart and body are like partners performing a dance together, but it takes a lot of practice to make the dance beautiful.

Feelings

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“When you feel happy, really happy, it somehow seems that you’ve always been happy and that you’ll always be happy. The same is often true when you feel sad, or lonely, or depressed, or broke, or sick, or scared. Something, perhaps, to remember.”  

Notes From The Universe
Thoughts become things… choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

Conscience

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Self-portrait, Spring 1887 (F 345), Oil on pas...

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“Some good must come by clinging to the right. Conscience is a man”s compass, and though the needle sometime’s deviates, though one perceives irregularities in directing one’s course by it, still one must try to follow it’s direction.”

Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890
Dutch post-impressionist painter