Multiple Black Belts at Losing Weight

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Where is your scale?

Mine is in the kitchen! Every morning when I make coffee I weigh myself. Since it is the same time I can compare it and make a mental note if it is higher than the day before!

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Multiple Black Beltsr at Healthy Treadmills Losing Weight

The Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis

These are two very powerful tools for self-improvement, but how can you use them in harmony? For example: Self-analysis and meditation cannot be performed at the same time. After all, multi-tasking runs contrary to what meditation is all about.

So where do we start? Self-analysis will give many of your meditations purpose. The purpose of self-analysis is to objectively look inward, constructively, without judgment or regret, and to find solutions to ongoing problems.

“who is right and who is wrong.”

There is an instinctive fear to take start this task. Hence, the reason why there are professionals for psychological analysis. This leaves you with a decision from the onset: Whether to do it yourself, or with the help of professional guidance.

If you elect to go it alone, that’s fine, but be prepared to encounter more issues than you originally thought possible. At one time, we have all managed to disconnect with our inner being. This creates a fear of looking inward because of our reaction to what we might see and learn.

Don’t waste time with evaluations, comparisons, or judgments. These concepts only support our feelings of inferiority, and for most of us, those feelings should be purged from our inner being.

You will need solitary time, when you can reflect on dilemmas, and take notes. You can do this in your car, but you will need a recording device. You will also want to make sure anything embarrassing is either encoded or hidden. Records are great, but they can be incriminating, so take the time to protect yourself from a potential invasion of your privacy.

The quest for self-improvement is the purpose of this kind of meditation. You need to clear your mind and focus on one thought only. This should not be turned into a form of grieving, so you must look at it objectively and try to remove your personal feelings.

Your mind will naturally “stray,” a bit, unless you have been practicing meditation for some time. The straying aspect is actually good in this instance, because it allows you to come back with a slightly different perspective each time.

The end result of all this work, will be discovering a multitude of self-improvement solutions and improve the quality of your life.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

In order to meditate, you will need to set aside time, in the early morning, or at night. There is less activity in most households, at this time, and less of a chance for you to be diverted or interrupted.

Meditation and the Monkey Mind?

Some find the term, “monkey mind”, upsetting, derogatory, and insulting. This is a shame, as the point is lost, the ego is involved, and a natural human defense goes up. After all, we are supposed to be the “king of the primates,” aren’t we?

The first time I heard the expression, “monkey mind,” in regard to meditation, I thought of Swayambhunath Stupa, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sometimes, this is named, the “monkey temple,” and it made me laugh inside, as monkeys need supervision in human settings. The picture of unsupervised monkeys got into my head, and I was suppressing laughter during a serious conversation.

Monkeys can be nuisances, when allowed to roam without some guidance, and it is the same with the untrained mind that runs from topic to topic, without getting much accomplished. So please don’t waste time being offended by the term, and try to look at the comical side.

When you allow yourself to enjoy life, and try not to take anything too seriously, you can see that monkeys don’t have it so bad after all. Very often, the human mind spends too much time defending, worrying, posturing, influencing, fearing, and feeling embarrassed, to enjoy life to its fullest potential.

In fact, you are not your mind. You are responsible for your actions, but many things happen in the thought process before you do take action. For example: when you think, images and options are created. As a result of those images, you get a physical feeling somewhere around your heart.

Whether the feeling is, good or bad, you process it into action, or treat it as a fleeting thought that passes and may be forgotten. So if you have a fleeting evil thought and it passes - should you waste time feeling guilty about it? The natural safeguard for ethical behavior is your heart or “gut feeling.” This is the best indicator of wrong or right.

Mankind has the ability to influence the universe, and create different realities, but separating what is sacred, from what is evil, has been a dilemma for thousands of years. The disconnection from your inner self, nature, and God, has led to excessive confusion.

Thank God for meditation; it allows you to harness the power of the mind, settle down, and focus, on one subject at a time. If you take the time for a daily meditation practice, your decision-making process will be much more controlled and clear. The end result will be to look at the monkey with much more respect, appreciation, and a bit of humor.

Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential - Part 1

Meditation is often misunderstood by those who do not practice it. Very often, I hear meditation referred to as, “altered states of consciousness.” That sounds more like intoxicants, rather than bringing clarity to a cluttered mind. Without going too deep into what meditation is, or is not, let’s focus on one of the many things a daily meditation practice can do for you.

Meditation is commonly seen in many Yoga classes, but it has been practiced by a variety of cultures, including Roman Catholic priests, as well as Japanese Samurai, who practiced a form of Zen meditation. I mention this so you can see the full spectrum of meditation and its many facets.

There are many varieties and types of meditation, but the easiest form to learn is, “breath awareness meditation.” Compared to many other meditation techniques, this will enable anyone to experience the benefits of meditation in much less time.

At this point, let’s consider that meditation and Yoga teachers often compare the mind to a monkey. Many thoughts are running through your brain, at the same time, and it is hard to control all of your impulses - let alone, sit still and meditate. So why go through all this trouble?

Meditation has many rewards, and we will now consider one of extreme value. Through daily practice of meditation, you will release the unlimited potential of your mind. The ability to change, or alter the universe, starts as a single thought within your mind.

One human decided to harness the power of fire, and did he/she foresee the global warming effect? How could he/she imagine where we are now? This is just one of many thousands of examples of Karma - the law of cause and effect. Therefore, one seemingly small change, of any kind, will have a ripple effect on the universe.

Some of the seeds to change the universe, rests locked up in your mind, but you have the ability to shape the future by any small changes that you make. Let’s say you have a friend, family member, or associate, who cares for you deeply, but, up to now, you have always taken it for granted. Can you imagine what would happen if you take the time to groom that relationship? The answer is you would have a loyal ally and all you had to show was kindness or appreciation.

You have the ability to alter your own personality and affect the world around you. Hopefully, your personality will always continue to change for the better; if so, this will alter everyone around you for the best.

Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential - Part 2

You can be the creator of your own manifest destiny. Through daily meditation practice and focus on changing your life for the better. In fact, you have the ability to redefine yourself in any direction you desire. The power that you can cultivate is limited only by your own imagination.

As I have mentioned earlier, this will change the lives of people who you come into frequent contact with. Therefore, you must always be kind, trustworthy, and considerate to others. You should make a change in that direction at this very moment.

Why the sudden need for character improvement? It goes hand-in-hand with using power and influence wisely. Remember Lord Acton’s saying: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The power of your mind has the ability to alter reality. Therefore, this is a power that must be controlled.

How is this possible? Here is an example: If you had two identical twin boys, who haven’t eaten for two days, and you put an apple in front of them; what would they do?

Most likely, they would fight over it, and the winner would eat, most or, all of it. You and I know they should divide it equally, but each of them has really felt starvation, and that is a reality you and I do not feel at the moment. So we are not talking about imagination, but three legitimate points of view, that each becomes our own reality.

Meditation will allow your mind to see multiple points of view, without judgment. If you can see only one point of view, you haven’t meditated long enough. The best leaders, negotiators, and diplomats, know that you have to understand the opposing viewpoint, to move forward, on any issue. There is always justification, on both sides, in any conflict, but true compromise is meeting the opposition in a different reality, than you both started from.

If you had the ability to travel in the space shuttle, your view of earth, from within your space vehicle, would be much different from the person living in poverty, within a refugee camp. You could not see, or feel, that person’s pain, and each of you would have a vivid picture of life on earth.

You can meditate from a mountain top, but once you have seen the full picture, you have an obligation to help mankind, with acts of kindness. Once you have discovered how easy it is to help others, you are no longer struggling with; “who is right and who is wrong.”

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe, With Which Meditation Should I Go?

Maybe you’ve already tried to meditate and found yourself even more frustrated than before you started.

Two comments I’ve heard in the past regarding meditation that really stand out for me are:

Yeah right. Personally this has never worked for me, nor have I observed this to work with newcomers. How can anyone new to this practise think nothing? Words as well as immediate issues arise, and mind chatter just keeps on keeping on. The good news is that you can learn to overcome this; it just takes some practise coupled with patience.

Speaking from experience, if I am pretty stressed out (which incidentally happens rarely) and I try to have a decent meditation session, it rarely works well for me. For a start I’m not adequately prepared eg, not in the present moment and still in problem solving mode. From my observation of others when they’re stressed and try to meditate they become further frustrated because they’re unable to stay focussed and get into the zone. The secret is to prepare yourself adequately first.

Find yourself a technique you know you’ll enjoy so practising will be a positive experience. Alternatively find yourself a meditation group that has a good teacher. Not only will you learn to meditate, you might also form some great friendships that will last a lifetime.

Meditation is a discipline that can be learned through a step by step process, and once adept, you can use it for any number of reasons. Decide if your meditation is for relaxation; connection to spirit or self; to achieve clarity of mind; or to regain some inner strength.

My reasons for meditation are numerous. I meditate on purpose to receive answers to questions I might have. Before going into a meditative state I write down exactly what my question is, give it a timeline, and wait. Generally the answer is received during the session or shortly afterwards, depending of course on the timeline I gave.

I’ll also meditate to access my creative self. After I’ve jotted down what my intention is I go into a meditative state with pen and paper handy. Generally what happens for me is that I start receiving ideas one after the after which I quickly jot down. I've written an entire workshop through one of these meditation sessions.

A great self healing tool, whenever I feel ‘flat’ I’ll use colours, crystals, sound, and essential oils for my meditation sessions. After each session I am lighter, centred, balanced, and more focused.

So if you're now ready and keen to get started with some serious (or light hearted) meditation simply follow the 10 basic points listed below to help you on your way:

2. Get yourself ready by putting on soothing music and have your aromatherapy oil burning with your favourite oil blend. Activate the answering machine. Is there anything else you need?

3. You might like to have a journal and pen ready for some note taking at the end of your meditation with inspirations and insights that come to you.

4. Spend a little while settling into your space until you’re happy with your comfort level. Are you too cold or hot or is the temperature just right?

5. Slowly begin breathing in and out, using your diaphragm muscles tuning into the rhythm of your breathing and the rise and fall of your chest.

6. You may wish to close your eyes at this point and enjoy this peaceful, relaxing moment, closing the door to the outside world for now.

7. If closing your eyes is not for you, focus on an object such as a candle (take extra care with any lit flame) or something similar.

8. If images or internal chatter starts to become frustrating, avoid suppressing them, instead name them, release them, and move on. If this persists, make a mental note that you will deal with it after your session. Refocus and continue.

9. When you’re ready to come back, return wide awake and alert, wriggling your toes and touching your nose and have a really, really big stretch.

10. Use your journal to write any insights or inspirations you may have had during your journey, or simply enjoy the present moment with greater clarity and peace.

Welcome back! If you haven’t tried meditation yet, why not give it a go? Add another ‘life skill’ to your resource toolkit and enjoy greater health and wellbeing!

Michaela is a Transformational Coach, certified practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), writer and Metaphysician who is totally committed to helping others create positive and action oriented changes to their lives (see http://www.michaelascherr.com)

Michaela is the author of several e-books including Book of 10 Colour Meditation Scripts and publisher of a monthly newsletter called From My Desk.

Married to David, Michaela has two children and a grandchild and currently lives in Brisbane Australia.

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