Learn to Meditate

2014-07-22T12:41:00.001-04:00

Perfect for your summer reading, Inner Knowledge; Harnessing the Senses for Peace, Balance, and Health is now available to borrow through Amazon Unlimited. Enjoy the meditations and step-by-step approach to a balanced life.

Inner-Knowledge: Harnessing the Senses

INNER KNOWLEDGE

2013-03-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Inner Knowledge; Harnessing the Senses for Peace, Balance, and Health is available in print through all major stores such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com

Filled with cutting-edge research for a non-yoga audience you don’t have to practice yoga to reap the benefits!

The following is an extract from Chapter 2 Mind Into Matter.

You Can Choose Your Thoughts

Psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz combined the science of neuroplasticity with quantum physics to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder adjust what and how they think and thereby learn to respond in new ways.

During his research he made an extraordinary discovery; that these patients were able to achieve lasting change because of their new-found ability to refocus their attention on positive thoughts and behaviors which in turn transformed the neuropathways in their brains.

Schwartz conceived the concept and practice of “self-directed mental force” based on his own personal practice of meditation, along with using the concepts of quantum physics.

Self-directed mental force is a process where the mind forges new connections in the brain simply by changing undesirable thoughts into more constructive and positive ones.

Perspective Awareness Transformation works similarly by allowing you to let go of the old perspective that does not work so that you can consciously make new and healthy choices in thought and deed, and in doing so, transform yourself.

You are not your thoughts and this means you are not bound to your current thinking.

New perspectives are born from new ways of thinking and new ways of thinking are the cause for and the result of conscious awareness...

Click on INNER KNOWLEDGE for more information,

Inner Knowledge: Harnessing the Senses for Peace, Balance, and Health. Available in print.

2013-03-06T21:54:00.000-05:00

Inner Knowledge: Harnessing the Senses for Peace, Balance, and Health

I am so excited to share the news that the latest print and e-book that I have co-written with my colleague Lorrie Jacobsohn is now launched.

Check out Inner Knowledge for more information on our new book.

Inner Knowledge; Harnessing the Senses for Peace, Balance, and Health is available through all major online stores such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon etc.

Inner Knowledge fuses ancient yoga wisdom with leading scientific research. It can enrich your quality of life, open up new possibilities and strengthen your resilience to deal with daily challenges.

As medical professionals, yoga instructors, and educators we’ve developed a down-to-earth, practical approach to incorporate mind-body knowledge into busy lives.

You don’t have to practice yoga or dedicate hours of your time to reap the benefits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following is an excerpt from Inner Knowledge.

Chapter 1: The Power Of The Senses

The ripple effect of the past continues to affect the present only if you give it permission to do so. This is a unique blend of the supply and demand, chicken-and-egg scenarios. What your brain demands, your body supplies.

This natural rebounding of energy is more than cause and effect, right or wrong, or sowing what you reap. There is the constant need for one or the other to be fully satisfied.

Just as the ripple effect of gentle waves expands across the water after a tiny pebble hits the surface, we too, affect those around us with how we live.

We can emanate a sense of calm and harmony so that all the lives that we touch along the way are also affected positively, and each in turn passes this along to another, and so on.

Focusing on the positive thought suppresses the impulses and compulsions that try to take over the mind.

You are in total charge of how you process the information that you are receiving. You witness your life changing for the better, responding with positive thoughts and right actions with greater frequency.

Focusing on the positive thought suppresses the impulses and compulsions that try to take over the mind.

You will perceive a brilliant new perspective of your capabilities and realize that opportunities are indeed waiting for you.

Step forward with confidence that you have the ability to live fully in the present and to lay the path for what is yet to come. Now, you are well on the path of transformation.

Your vision creates the reality, so how can you create it?

Path To Inner Knowledge is published!!!!

2012-06-08T15:17:00.001-04:00

I am delighted to let you know that the book that I have co-written Path To Inner Knowledge is now published as an ebook!

Life is experienced through the senses providing a common thread that connects the body with the mind, and outer experiences with inner thoughts and emotions. Path To Inner Knowledge helps you to change your life from the inside out, despite the outside influences that you are drawn to.

Each week I will post an affirmation, a thought for the week, or an extract from the book.

Join our readers and find your own unique balance between your senses, thoughts and actions.

Thoughts have their own unique energy. Use the power of your words to create only what is positive for you. I am filling each cell with light and creating a new body.

My ideas are flowing and opportunities present themselves.

I am clear on my intentions and my goals.

I choose my thoughts. I am filled with vitality in body, mind, and spirit.

All aspects of my being are filled with love.

Explore the book HERE

2011-08-22T11:58:00.001-04:00

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add color to my sunset sky.” ~ Tagore

"Believe in yourself and what you are capable of. Your resilience becomes evident in your strength, gratitude, and heightened spirituality and in your resolve that you can and will rise above any problems that have brought you to this point, as well as any that you may face in the future." ~ Margaret Stockley

Four Key Steps to Silencing Self-Talk

2011-04-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

Scientists at the University of Toronto-Scarborough have studied the important role that the inner voice plays in controlling impulsive behavior.

They examined inner conversations such as “keep running when tired, stop eating even though you want one more slice of cake, or don’t have an argument.”

In one test, participants were shown different symbols on a computer screen and were told to press a button if they saw one type of symbol and to refrain from pressing the button if they saw a different symbol.

There were actually more “press” than “don’t press” examples in order to make the act of pressing the button an impulsive and repetitive response.

Repeating a word over and over in order to gauge any impact on their ability to do the test also blocked the participants “inner voice”. The repetition prevented any self-talk that would aid self-control resulting in impulsive behavior.

Researchers suggest that the correlation between mindfulness and self-regulation is perhaps the least surprising of the findings reported in mindfulness studies, because your level of mindfulness will in fact predict self-regulation in all aspects of your life.

The research shows that it is not possible to control behaviors that you are unaware of therefore mindfulness may increase not only awareness of your own personal behavior but it may also improve your ability to self-regulate your behavior beginning with your thoughts.

In yoga philosophy there are progressively four states of the body and mind that an individual gains mastery over:

first is control of the physical body
second is control of the breath
third is control of the senses
and finally there is control of the mind.

Conscious awareness of thoughts, feelings, and emotions quietens the internal chatter of imaginary conversations and halts the playback of events based on interactions with other people that did not go as expected or was based on an imagined “sensing” of how other people felt.

The consequence of rising to external influences or emerging thoughts creates erratic spikes in emotions, feelings, and reactions, which in turn affect the energy that flows in waves through each of us.

With awareness, the senses enable us to be mindful of what we are thinking and feeling; whether we are demonstrating empathy for example, or whether our actions or non-actions are appropriate.

Simply put, mindfulness enables you to discern what you are thinking first and to respond accordingly, with no more speaking (or doing) before you think.

This heightened level of awareness also teaches the body and mind to relax by monitoring the senses fully and expanding mindfulness in all mental and physical activities. It allows you to release attachment to outmoded beliefs and use a clear perspective based upon what you actually perceive rather than having living life clouded by bias or emotions.

When you practice the action of awareness you will end up with the results of your conscious choices.

Affirmations
When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

The past has no hold over me

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions

I make conscious decisions to follow one path or another

My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness.

Reverse Gratitude

2011-03-28T15:14:00.000-04:00

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues

but the parent of all others.” Cicero

Your thoughts produce emotions in response to sensory information, memories, or anticipation of future events which in turn trigger a physical response.

Thoughts about public speaking for example, can produce a dry throat, sweating palms, and a racing heart in some people while others look forward to addressing a large group of people; feeling relaxed, excited and positive anticipation when they think about the future event.

Positively reframing memories and current events promotes hope for the future. There are several methods that can be implemented and one that I use and share during seminars is called “Reverse Gratitude.”

Reverse Gratitude
Instead of thinking about 3 things every day that you are grateful for, pause and consider different aspects of your life, whether it is possessions or relationships, and think about how you would feel if a particular object or person was no longer in your life.

It is especially useful when struggling to come up with reasons to give thanks or express appreciation, particularly when the mind is drawn to past conversations or comparisons that cultivate a cycle of negative feelings.

This helps to highlight what you actually have need of, what you value, and releases the full range of genuinely grateful feelings to events that brought you to where you are now, to lovingly appreciate what you have in life, and to live in hopeful anticipation about what the future holds.

Affirmation

May you and I be happy

May you and I be well

May you and I be at peace

Getting What You Think You Deserve

2011-02-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

“Out of the endless possibilities in life, we only choose among those we believe we deserve.”

In my yoga studio, one of the lessons students learn is to value each moment.
No one moment is more important than the next and the journey is just as important as the destination.
Set yourself up for Success by living THIS moment in the present to your maximum potential. Then the next moment will ALSO be lived to its fullest potential, and then the remainder of your life!

Thoughts crystallize into habits, which either pull you away from your vision of where you want to be or solidify into your success.

Think about what you want, plant this vision firmly in your mind, and believe that it is within your scope of possibilities to actually achieve.

Let each moment be filled with positive steps that lead you forward to an amazing destination overflowing with joy, happiness, and daily triumphs.

There ARE no limits to what you can do.

The Best 5 People In Your Life

2011-02-04T15:34:00.002-05:00

Living an Uplifting Life

Jim Rohn said: You are the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with.

Who are the best 5 people in your life?
Who upholds you? Who lets you down?
Look at who is currently in your life and whether they support you or disparage your ideas and thoughts.
When you are surrounded by negativity it is hard for positive ideas to flourish.
Decide who you want to have in your life and who you want to spend time with.
Positive people will encourage your choices, ideas, and in-turn you will be happy in their company and they in yours.

I recognize who is helpful to me

I will stay true to my beliefs

I will seek out and find an environment that uplifts and supports me

Change Your Brain In 8 Weeks

2011-02-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

~Going With The Flow~

Changing Your Brain In 8 Weeks
In a study that appeared in the January 30, 2011 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report that participation in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in the regions of the brain that are associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. This is the first study to document meditation-produced changes in the brain's grey matter.

Study participants took part in the program at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness, focusing on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations and feelings and state of mind.
A set of MR brain images were also taken of a control group of non-meditators over a similar time interval.

The meditation group participants practiced mindfulness exercises for an average of 27 minutes per daily and their responses to the mindfulness questionnaire showed significant progress compared with their pre-participation responses.

The MR images, which focused on areas where meditation-associated differences were seen in earlier studies, found increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.
Reductions in stress also were correlated with decreased grey-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress.

No changes were seen in the control group.

The study team reported that the act of practicing meditation changed the brain, increasing well-being and quality of life.

Going With The Flow
Multi-Sensory Meditation involves training the mind and body to aware of the input from the senses and to remain detached from the emotions and experiences that arise.

When the 5 senses are involved, strong emotions can create a powerful attachment within the subconscious to past events and the fear associated with similar future experiences.

Multi-Sensory Meditation develops your natural ability to remain impervious to the variability of daily life. This acceptance of the “flow” literally creates new neural pathways within the brain, equipping you with the skills to shift from a downward cycle of negativity to one that is up-beat and filled with positive vitality.

It promotes an awareness of attachment leading to a successful release of negative thoughts and feelings. The mind is no longer flooded with overwhelming thoughts and feelings that determine reactive responses, but rather, there is intention and awareness in every moment creating a happier and healthier way to live.

By highlighting the connection between the senses, memory, consciousness, and awareness patterns of behavior change, resulting in a focused mind and a calm and energized body.

Contact me for more information about Multi-Sensory Meditation and how to learn it.

Affirmation
Your own internal dialogue can and will influence the way that you shape your own actions and ability to self-motivate. Positive self-talk directly impacts future actions with the power to produce healthier and more productive behavior.

I now surrender to the Universal Flow

I accept what is happening and trust that all will be well

I am at peace with all that surrounds me

No Pain - All Gain! Train the Brain to Remove Pain

2011-01-19T10:21:00.000-05:00

During meditation and yogic breathing techniques, brain wave patterns change.

Scientists from The University of Manchester have found that people who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less. The study was published in September 2010 and showed that meditation reduces the emotional impact of aches and injury.

In the study, pain was administered via a small laser and the threat of pain was also anticipated as part of the research.

The scientists found that the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain known to be involved in controlling attention and thought processes when potential threats are perceived, was more active compared to non-meditators. The experienced meditators also perceived the pain as less unpleasant relative to controls.

The more experience that a meditation practitioner had, the more the individual was able to distance themselves from anticipation of soreness, both reducing the expectation of and the negative appraisal of pain.

Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and to spend less time anticipating future negative events, reducing the recurrence of depression which makes chronic pain considerably worse.

Other studies have demonstrated that the pre-frontal cortex thickens as a result of meditation and thickening of this area of cortex is also shown to protect a person from sensitivity to pain.

Meditation Reduces Pain

During meditation and yogic breathing techniques, brain wave patterns change from beta waves to alpha waves. In addition, both hemispheres of the brain and the body become balanced. In most people, one side is slightly more active than the other e.g. being left or right-handed, but balanced sides also mean that your creative, physical, and logical abilities are equal and productive.

During the alpha state, the brain produces endorphins, natural pain-reducing hormones that are also responsible for a feeling of wellbeing and calming awareness throughout the body. Endorphins are the “feel good” factor involved in maintaining a positive quality of life, aid in controlling the body’s response to stress and in the regulation of growth and gonadotropin hormones.

When the mind is balanced, the whole body is affected.

Multi-Sensory Meditation which we teach, via classes and seminars, positively impacts your internal and external perception, your awareness of possibilities, and by promoting an optimistic mental state enables you to be free from negativity. In its simplest form, it is your own way of distancing your mind from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. You give yourself permission to relinquish the thoughts, demands, and pressures coming at you from the outside as well as from within, releasing attachment to the familiar path you traveled on before and experiencing the peace of the moment.

Guided Meditation
See previous postings on the website on the basic method of How to Meditate

Train The Brain To Remove Pain
Begin by following the breath from the tip of the nose into the base of the lungs and follow the breath out again.
Notice the body
Begin at the base of the body at the right side
See the right foot then the left
Move slowly over each area of the body, without becoming attached or associated with any particular area
Notice how each part of the body feels
Notice what you sense, smell, touch, hear, see, experience

How does your body feel with your surroundings; do you feel supported by the earth, does your body and heart feel open or closed
Travel with conscious awareness from the feet to the crown of the head
Begin to release awareness of your body, one limb and area at a time
Recognize that you are not your body
As you release awareness of having a body, you release awareness of areas that have pain as well as areas that are pain-free
With practice you learn to disassociate your Self from the confines of the body

Affirmation
Thoughts have their own unique energy. Use the power of your words to create only that which is positive for you.

See yourself as strong and healthy. See healing energy passing into you. See yourself doing all the things that you are now physically able to do. You move lightly, filled with vitality and the knowledge that all is well.

I am filling each cell with light and creating a new body

Affirmations For Following Your Life Path

2011-01-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

Follow your chosen path.

No journey is possible if you don’t believe that you will ever reach your destination.
Even the most rugged vehicle equipped with a state of the art navigation system will keep on driving in circles and weaving its way around the wrong routes if not provided with a clear purpose or idea of which direction to head in. Eventually it will run out of fuel, forced to stay put.

Strengthen your resolve to not let yourself be affected by detractors or to give up following your chosen path by living each moment of every day with purpose and peace.

Use affirmations either as part of your meditation practice or carry them with you and repeat them throughout the day whenever you catch yourself thinking a negative thought.
Over time, your affirmations will have a positive effect and transform not only your behavior but generate an assuredness of self-worth and contentment.

My inner glow is not dulled or discolored by what is happening around me

I do something every day to enable me to stay on my chosen path
I am a beacon of pure energy radiating on the world

helping others by the brightness and power of my light

I am ever expanding my awareness and opening my senses to the opportunities that surround me

The Power of Your Intention

2011-01-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

Actions are a reflection of your thoughts.

The Power of Your Intention
You are an energetic 'power house' and your influence on others is strong. Keep your intentions set on the 'Highest Good'. Use your ability to energetically uplift the energy of others.

When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

Conscious Choices
You have the wonderful ability to think positively. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for you and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.

The past has no hold over me

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions

I make conscious decisions to follow one path or another

My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness.

New Year Affirmation

2011-01-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

There are NO limitations to your possibilities.
With a vast array of promise and potential to choose from, ask yourself if you are shrinking from what you really want because you are making mediocre choices based on what you think that you deserve.
Promoting a positive mental state frees you from disorder and chaos while opening your Self up to myriad of opportunities.

My thoughts are under my control
I remain unaffected by negative surroundings and attitudes
I look for and find the best in other people
I see my life anew

A New Attitude
What do you believe about yourself, your relationships, and the world around you?
Where does the information come from that enables you to form these beliefs?
Your beliefs create your life! They form the foundation of all that you think and do. Your beliefs are believed by the mind whether they are real, or true, or even false.
The beliefs that YOU hold are what you use to lead you whether you are aware of them or not.
Reinforce positive beliefs like love and altruism that strengthen and sustain you and enable you to be a constructive force to the world around you.

I believe in myself and what I am capable of

I can soar as high as I can imagine.

Today I choose to believe rather than hope.

Solstice Full Moon and Positive Affirmations

2010-12-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

The Solstice full moon beaming down over the cross at the top of the Basilique Notre-Dame Montreal.

It was an amazing and special sight to see.

There are NO limitations to your possibilities.
You create your own vision and so the promise of what life has to offer is limited only by your thoughts.

Negative thoughts draw more negative energy to you; however it is possible to create a healthier mind and body simply by changing the way that you think. Choosing encouraging and upbeat thoughts create a pattern of behavior that greatly assist you in creating a life that is healthy and a pleasure to experience.

Carry an affirmative phrase with you every day to remind you to stay optimistic.

Affirmations

My vision is clear
My positive thoughts create a positive image of what I desire for my life.
I love and accept myself.
I am in a constant state of fulfillment.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.

Creating Opportunities

2010-12-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson

Manifesting and Intending
As the end of the year approaches there can be a feeling of completion, the energy of withdrawal, or anticipation of what lies ahead in the New Year.
This is also a wonderful time to apply reflection and introspection followed by manifesting and intending in order to welcome what lies ahead with open arms.

There are NO limitations to your possibilities. With a vast array of promise and potential to choose from, ask yourself if you are shrinking from what you really want because you are making mediocre choices based on what you think that you deserve.

Reset your energy and use it to let go of preconceptions that hold you back and instead view the myriad of opportunities that exist as a turning point to achieve what you didn’t think was possible.
Finding true meaning and value in your life occurs by looking deep within, shedding what you are done with, and identifying your innate abilities.

Create a turning point in your life by using your inner fire to stoke your ideas and carry you forward with a passion.
Surprise yourself with what you are capable of achieving.

Know that you can dare yourself to overcome perceived obstacles and succeed by action. Fill your life with enthusiastic people who will stand beside you and behind you and encourage you to grow.
Live your life free from anger, doubt, and guilt and overflowing with love, happiness, and the wisdom of your past experiences.

The future is filled with exciting opportunities.
Make your thoughts as wonderful and extraordinary as YOU are, and see the transformation that occurs.

Affirmation

My life is overflowing with joy and peace

I am clear on my intentions and my goals

My ideas are flowing and opportunities present themselves

I have what I need to accomplish all that I desire

I love and I am loved

I delight in sharing

I feel wonderful

Meditation, Soldiers, and You

2010-12-15T10:01:00.001-05:00

Meditation is a proven method for inner peace

Meditation and Soldiers
According to the David Lynch foundation an estimated 30-35% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.

When an event is shocking and severe it can cause physiological changes in the brain. The trauma and stress is still carried around by the soldiers months and even years after their tour of duty has ended, with soldiers re-experiencing the smells and sounds of the traumatic event and creating stress that compounds over time.

Operation Warrior Wellness
Their minds are in a state of heightened activation, stress, and aggressiveness and while medication can alleviate some symptoms, the underlying stress still remains.
David Lynch’s organization is teaching Transcendental Meditation to soldiers in a program called Operation Warrior Wellness and the soldiers report experiencing “resilience, strength, and internal hardiness.”

Stress-Relief
Stress is relieved enabling individuals to talk about and cope with their feelings and to successfully get through their day without turning to alcohol, gambling, or other methods of self-medication that are used in order to escape from what is re-occurring in the mind.

Meditation is an evidence-based approach to provide deep relaxation that is deeper than sleep. During meditation, practitioners experience deep feelings of relaxation and relief from stress. Deep relaxation allows soldiers to sleep better, enabling their daily activities to be performed better. Moreover, it allows the individuals to return to an active and productive life.

During meditation, the mind withdraws from the information gathered from the senses permitting a fullness of relaxation.

Awareness of Self
The Self emerges and you realize that you are not the body, nor are you the mind. This realization of the Self enables discernment to emerge and with it comes heightened intuition.

Relaxation achieved during meditation is profound and the mind and body find the method so beneficial that it wants to keep repeating the experience. Research shows that even after the first session, there are both positive chemical and physiological changes occurring in the brain and that the experience is not merely subjective.

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. The mind cannot discern between what it has actually seen and what it is seeing via your imagination.

Meditation is a simple yet proven method to attain release from acute and chronic stress, even severe stress as in PTSD.

Living a Happy Life
Life is not about what you think may happen in the future. Life is about enjoying the journey of daily creativity and loving experiences, of focusing on the beauty of life, of filling your life with positive experiences through books, music, and the right people who uplift you with their happiness and attitude.

Meditation is a unique practice that provides relief from stress and immediate benefits that will enable you to enjoy life to its fullest.

Releasing Barriers to Peace
Self-inquiry via meditation helps you identify barriers to peace and to see that they are dependent upon the senses for their fuel. You can release all obstructions by permanently taking away the energy source and putting a permanent damper on the obstacles that threaten to ignite when the environment is right. So, what lies buried beneath the ashes in your life?

Affirmations

My thoughts are creating the reality that I desire

My imagination creates what I believe

My affirmations are creating habits in keeping with my objectives

I am now achieving my goals

Breathe Deep! The Power of Your Breath

2010-12-02T09:41:00.001-05:00

Power Of The Yoga Breath
A 2006 study on the effects of pranayama (yoga rhythmic breathing) in patients with severe COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) examined forty eight patients randomly divided (24 each) into two groups.
The study group patients were trained to do pranayama daily, six times a week, for 3 months for at least half an hour duration and both the groups were allowed to continue with their usual physical activity and medications.

Pranayama consisted of six breathing exercises: Bhastika Pranayama,'Kapalabhati Pranayama, Vhasya pranayama, Anulom-Vilom pranayama, Bhramid pranayama and Udgeedh pranayama.

Lung function tests, spirometry, and blood gases were taken and compared with the control group.

Amazing Results
The results showed that there was improvement in the lung function parameters in the study group which in turn had an overall positive effect on the patients. “Patients had reduced symptoms, became more actively involved in their own health care, more independent in performing their daily activities, increased exercise tolerance and therefore were less dependent on family, friends, health professionals, and expensive medical resources. There was improvement in the psychological function of the patient with less anxiety and depression and increased feeling of hope, control and self- esteem.”

The researchers concluded that yogic breathing is a “noncompetitive, personal, inexpensive and enjoyable activity which can produce truly amazing results.”

Your Breath
Your feelings and emotions correspond to your thoughts and actions and the subsequent flow of the breath.

Yoga philosophy teaches that where the breath goes the mind follows and vice-versa, highlighting the distinct relationship between how you breathe and your individual physical and spiritual well-being.

The average body takes approximately 21,600 breaths every day, which equates to 15 breaths per minute. We are all breathing but all too often the breath becomes held, rapid, or uneven in response to events that either exist in the mind or are actually happening in the present moment. These events include, fear, laughter, and even stress.

Maintaining a full and steady breathing pattern not only benefits the mind and body by promoting a relaxed physical state and clear decision-making but there is also an abundant supply of oxygen to ensure completion of daily tasks while the cells of the body are nurtured and stale waste products are eliminated, ensuring better overall health.

Connecting with the flow of the breath is also a spiritual tool that draws you closer to the quiet place within while acting as a means by which to train the mind to maintain a single-pointed focus.
Conscious awareness is further strengthened by concentration on the rhythmic breath.

Simple Techniques to Practice
Awareness of each of the senses, and whether one is more active than the other, assists you in not only regulating the flow, rate, and rhythm of the breath, but helps you to make better choices in relation to the thoughts that you produce and their impact on you and your surroundings.

You can embrace the senses and the breath when you are walking outside, perhaps in a park, the beach, or the countryside. Synchronize each inhale and exhale with each step while noticing what you hear, feel, smell, see, and touch. As each step becomes linked with each breath, you can cease the awareness of the senses and draw closer to the rhythmic flow of the breath.

You can also link the breath and step with an affirmation or with each word of your affirmation.

Breath Affirmation
Affirmations are a proven and powerful method of changing the way the mind thinks and creating a positive (or negative) outcome.

Recognize what you want.
Create language that affirms what you want.
By repeating and believing what you have written, the mind will gradually replace the outdated patterns and images with ones that support you in achieving a new reality.

I fill my body with light

I release all impurities

I am free and strong

Or you can try the following method:

With each inhalation I breathe in ….(add a word)

With each exhalation I breathe out …(add a word)

Role of Pranayama in Rehabilitation of COPD patients - a Randomized
Controlled Study. S K Katiyar, Shailesh Bihari
Dept. of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Murari Lai Chest Hospital
G.S.V.M. Medical College, Kanpur
Indian J Allergy Asthma Immunol 2006; 20(2) : 98-104

Fallen Millie's Christmas Song "Want to Be"

2010-12-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

Instead of the regular blog posting I'm so happy to share with you the following information on my niece Amy's band Fallen Millie.
Their first single is set for the UK Christmas charts and if you are looking for an uplifting Christmas story of hope that will put your faith back in teenagers, this is it.
A brief sample of their song is at the end of today's posting.
Here is their official press release and photograph from their single.

‘WANT TO BE’

FITTING A CHRISTMAS HIT

IN WITH OUR GCSEs

Five school girls from North London are aiming for the Christmas No. 1 with a festive song.

'Want To Be (Under Your Christmas Tree)' by Fallen Millie was released on iTunes on 29th November.

It’s an unashamedly Christmassy and hopeful record. Recorded for fun because, as Fallen Millie say, “Christmas records should be about Christmas!”

From the stage that launched Amy Winehouse and Alexandra Burke.

Fallen Millie – Amy, Brooke, Franky, Tash and Yasmin – all met at ‘open mic’ vocal nights at the Bull Theatre in Barnet, North London. The same venue where Alexandra Burke used to sing and Amy Winehouse trained.

The girls are all still at school – aged 15 and 16 – and doing their GCSEs at the moment.

“We want to make records we love and to send out our own positive messages,” say Fallen Millie.

“We have unique voices and very different personalities, but somehow we all gel together. We’re not a girl band – we’re a band of girls who love singing together. And we’re having the time of our lives!”

‘Want to Be (Under your Christmas Tree)’ by Fallen Millie is available on iTunes and all good on-line digital retailers.

Fallen Millie are available for appearances and interviews.

Fallen Millie Christmas Song "Want to Be"

Contact Susi Earnshaw Management for further information or contact me and I'll have the management team get in touch with you.

Gratitude and Attitude

2010-11-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

The vastness of the Himalayas

“When you truly feel equal love for all beings, when your heart has expanded so much that it embraces the whole of creation, you will certainly not feel like giving up this or that. You will simply drop off from secular life as a ripe fruit drops from the branch of a tree. You will feel that the whole world is your home.”

Ramana Maharshi

Deep down, we all share the same common desires to have adequate shelter, food, and freedom from harm. This truth affirms our need to share in our commonality as fellow human beings and thereby work together to create a better society that brings about the internal and external peace that we seek.

We know we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we know we should feel compassion for all living things, and we know we should respect the challenges that we face without judgment, knowing that we are all at different stages on the journey of life.

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.

Having a life that’s overflowing with happiness, contentment, meaning, and purpose occurs 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.

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

The following 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?

Be grateful for all that you have every day.
Say thank you, until you mean it.
And if you say it long enough, you will believe it.

Here is a sample of what I am grateful for. These are not reserved for any 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

In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday November 25th. For all who are celebrating it, I wish you a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Inspired By Some Great Purpose

2010-11-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

Patanjali

Today I decided to post this wonderful quote.

I hope you find the words as meaningful as I do.

"When you are inspired by some great purpose,

some extraordinary project, your thoughts break their bonds:

Your mind transcends limitations,

your consciousness expands in every direction,

and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.

Dormant forces, faculties and talents ... become alive,

you discover yourself to be a greater person by far

than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
Anon

Please note that some websites incorrectly attribute the above quote to Patanjali who wrote the Yoga Sutras. Many thanks to the scholars who have provided up-to-date information regarding this error.

Staying Positive: The Way to Success and Health

2010-11-02T17:30:00.000-04:00

Love is all you need?

Love really does keep you healthy.

The hormone DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is produced abundantly in the body from cholesterol and secreted by the adrenal glands. Once it is in your body, it impacts the body in multiple ways and can be converted into estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and even cortisone. It is also known as a cortisol antagonist; fighting the negative effects of stress and anxiety however it fluctuates according to your response to circumstances and decreases as you age.

High levels of cortisol have been associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and depression, as well as anxiety, increased stress, low energy and elevated blood pressure.
Studies indicate that DHEA protects from cortisol overconcentration, has an anti-depressant effect, enhances memory in young to middle-aged adults, and supports the immune-system therefore maintaining a steady level of this beneficial hormone is to be encouraged.

So how do you maintain the levels that you need?
Researchers have also found that meditation promotes positive emotional and physical states which, in turn, dramatically elevate levels of DHEA. Meditators allow feelings of peace and love to flow through their body and the multiple benefits support better overall health, outlook on life, and increased vitality.

The converse is also true; that people who harbor sad or even angry emotions and thoughts have less of the hormone in their system and higher amounts of cortisol which, over time, feeds illness and unhappiness.

Meditation does promote self-awareness, happiness, and feelings of love but you can continue to reinforce the benefits with your interactions with other people,your activities, and what you choose to surround yourself with.

Meditation and health
Meditation helps to rebuild your energy, enabling you to be inspired, at peace, and connected with the centers of your heart and mind. Without this, you risk leading a hectic lifestyle in which you feel emotionally and physically wrought and chronically exhausted.

It's more than just a relaxed feeling though and as you have seen from the brief information mentioned above it also creates positive changes to your physical and mental health.

A balance between rest and activity enhances productivity because you are able to focus, are more observant, and creativity can flourish. The difference between being tired or rested often translates into the difference between being overwhelmed with daily challenges or finding resourceful solutions to them.

Positive, successful peopleSpend time in the presence of positive, successful people either in person, in books, or online. Let them know what you are doing. Share your plans with those whom you now trust and can confide in at this point in your life’s journey. They won't be "nice" simply for the sake of it. Successful people will be constructive and supportive, offering positive suggestions and encouraging you and you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

Eliminate naysayers from hearing about your aspirations. After all, you know how they will respond.

What's your priority?
Meditate daily. Find the time. Make the time. Prioritize your time in order to meditate.
It is during your daily meditation practice that you will recognize and subsequently address self-limiting patterns of behavior and take the first steps that will release them.
Carry affirmations with you. Memorize them. They really do block out unwanted and pessimistic thoughts.

Affirmations
An integral part of any affirmation is to believe that it will happen.
If this does not come naturally to you, an easy way to learn this is to practice feeling as if it has already happened by imagining what it will feel like.
Follow up any affirmation with an expression of gratitude, whether it’s a simple “Thank You” or a more lengthy prayer or communication of thanks.

Today I choose to believe rather than hope.

Divine guidance is with me always.

There are opportunities for deeper insight in all of my interactions.

I am willing to grow. Love is my guide

Taking back your power: Positive affirmations list

2010-11-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with

a certain set of attitudes. Hugh Downs

The following affirmations and positive thoughts are my own and I'm happy to list them in today's post.

If you choose to use them, please remember to credit my name.

You have the wonderful ability to think positively. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for you and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.
Here are three to begin with:

I choose to be kind
I choose to give love
I choose to be happy

Thoughts have their own unique energy and work for you or against you, but if you don’t monitor them by paying attention, then it should not be a surprise when situations occur that you don’t really want.

If you knew the real power of your thoughts, you would never have a negative thought again.

I have the freedom to choose how I will act, even when my first thoughts are not ideal.

Use the power of your words to create only that which is positive for you and will not do harm to others around you.

I am in a constant state of fulfillment.
I love and accept myself.
I am filled with energy to do all the daily activities in my life.
I choose to be grateful.

There is always a way to choose the right path, be it in words or actions and you are defined by the choices that you make.

The happier I am with people around me, the happier I am as a person.

The illusion of the world is very powerful and plays easily with the mind, if you let it happen, or don’t pay attention to what is actually going on.

Your thoughts and words reveal your innermost values and what you hold up as important.

Distractions caused by focusing on feelings or emotions of the past, or anticipation of what is going to happen or might happen in the future, draw you away from what is actually taking place at this moment in time.

Each moment of every day my life is filled with wonder.

Be grateful for all that you have every day.
Say thank you, until you mean it.
And if you say it long enough, you will believe it.

When you are exposed to a specific event, it is how your mind reacts that determines the response, rather than the actual event itself. When you are aware of the power of your intention and how it shapes yourself and the world around you, you recognize how uncontrolled emotions can keep you tied down in the very place you are struggling to get away from.

I am responsible for my life and have the power I need to have joy.

The past has no hold over me

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions

I make conscious decisions to follow one path or another

My life is brimming with bright choices and overflowing with joy and happiness.

Remember:
You are a wonderful amazing individual with no limits except those that you place in front of you.
Have confidence in your abilities.
Believe in yourself and what you are capable of and soar as high as you can imagine.

Increasing your optimism. There are No limits!

2010-10-20T09:53:00.002-04:00

Concentration, Optimism, Success

The brain has an open loop system where we are able to pick up subtle clues that are emitted from one another. We can also anticipate the actions of other people and react accordingly and this amazing ability fires back and forth in split seconds between each person. For example, hormones are activated in 40 milliseconds while the sympathetic nervous system is activated in a mere 8 milliseconds.

There is also a cycle of "sacrifice and renewal" which occurs daily within the neurons and this cycle is affected either positively or negatively by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

It is estimated that 85,000 neurons are lost every day and if the SNS is activated more frequently and for prolonged periods, it actually promotes cognitive loss. This includes reducing the health of the immune system, increasing nervousness and fears, and stimulating stress.

The PNS has the opposite effect; promoting renewal and health including a better memory for details, increased positive emotions, lowering blood pressure, and arousing compassion.

Increasing optimism
Activities such as meditation, yoga and prayer have all been shown to promote renewal of neurons while also increasing hope, compassion and optimism.

Meditation affects your perception, your perspective on life, and by promoting a positive mental state enables you to be free from negativity that creates upset. It allows each one of us to move beyond the comprehension of what is occurring in the mind and body and to actually begin to feel the flow of positive emotions.

Mindfulness moments increase and effectively give the mind space to focus on what is positive and meaningful to you.

You begin to recognize what is dominate in your life and choose to develop new habits more in line with what you desire. This allows you to transcend the meditative experience and bring the benefits of meditation into your everyday activities.

So what will you do with the new-found attitude?

Let creativity flow
Wonderful things can happen when you channel your true passions into disciplined action and move beyond recurring thoughts and habits and replace them with positive ones through affirmations and a regular meditation practice and to actually begin to feel the flow of positive emotions. Don't compare yourself to others; simply do your best and encourage this in others,

Becoming active rather than reactive to situations fosters positive emotions, framing goals with hope for the future while also being able to see that negative events can “wake” you up to possibilities. This allows you to transcend the meditative experience and bring the benefits of meditation into your everyday activities.

There are NO limits
Be creative and inventive. Let your ideas flow and find what inspires you. Your horizon is as vast as you allow it to be and as tall and exciting as you make it.

Other people do not have your vision or your desire to succeed. There are no limits to your potential.
Your physical outer world is a reflection of your inner world and your energy is always radiating, flowing, and touching others. True change occurs from within and your positive inner dialogue helps elevate others around you even when you are not saying anything TO them; just thinking positive thoughts.

Affirmations

All that I perceive about myself is positive.

I face challenges with certainty that I will find solutions and overcome all obstacles

I am able to help and encourage people around me

I am successful in all that I set out to do

My life is filled with wonder.

2010-10-11T14:28:00.000-04:00

In the 2008 University of Wisconsin study, “Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise” the researchers found that compassion meditation increased the practitioners capacity for empathy, which has both clinical and social importance.

Earlier studies showed that two people can share the same emotional responses or elicit the same activity in their brain when one actually experiences pain or pleasure, and the other person is either a visual witness, or hears the experience taking place.
This illustrated that humans have a foundation for empathy.

In the study mentioned above, two groups were studied: one who were experienced meditators and the other who were learning the technique.
Measuring brain activity to sounds such as a woman in distress or a baby crying elicited emotional responses in the groups such as a negative, neutral, or positive.

Brain imaging showed that meditating on compassion elicited reactions in the brain in both groups; however the experienced meditators exhibited a greater reaction, especially when someone was experiencing difficulty or distress.

Meditation increases compassion by helping you to focus on affirming thoughts, rather than problems and attune yourself to the needs of others.

Meditation
Meditation has been used for thousands of years for self-reflection, self-awareness, healing, and enlightenment. Today’s technology enables us to see the physiological and chemical changes that occur throughout the whole body.
People who meditate regularly are clinically shown to have fewer overall symptoms of stress, fewer cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms, less emotional irritability, and cognitive disorganization.
As the study mentioned above also shows, compassion increases, not only to others, but also to yourself.

Meditation draws your attention away from a particular problem or illness to a place of overall knowledge and feelings of inner calmness and peace. It helps you to concentrate less on individual set-backs or issues and provides you with a tool that promotes inward focus, enabling the mind and the body to experience a profound state of restfulness. In turn, the brain becomes balanced, while the mind and body move beyond thinking, to simply being.

Affirmation
You have the wonderful ability to think positively and compassionately. It is a conscious choice to ensure that your thoughts and subsequent action are doing their best for yourself and for others. Whether you call it positive thinking or an affirmation, as long as you believe that it is working then it will have the power to make a difference.
Thoughts have their own unique energy
Promote clear and positive images by seeing yourself as confident and compassionate in all that you think, say, and do. Use whichever words best meet your own needs and purpose each day.
Here are a few to begin with:

I choose to be kind
I choose to give love
I choose to be happy
May you and I be safe
May you and I be loved
May you and I be happy