Yoga Is a Form of Meditation

There are five different principles to yoga, with meditation being one of them. This is where there is awareness of your mind constantly. In order to perceive one's own self in a clear manner, the mind is made to focus on one particular thing so the mind will become still. If practiced regularly, meditation will let you achieve a better sense of will along with sense of purpose. It will help your mind become clear, drastically improve concentration, while discovering the tranquility and wisdom inside yourself.

What Meditation Means
When you are brought to the present - the here and the now... and kept there, you are in state of meditation. This means meditation can easily be used in your life. Meditation does not mean writing down a grocery list of things you can focus on. You just need to be acutely aware of your being and keep your mind focus and away from random thoughts. When meditating, keep in mind about living in the present or NOW.

1. For concentration we need to focus on one object or thing: The focus could be how you breath, repeating a word out loud or in your mind, or even a sensation that is being felt inside your body. To live in the present it will involve the senses of listening, smelling, and feeling.
2. Wandering thoughts should always come back to the object being focused on: The mind will tend to wander around when you are trying to focus on one object. This is normal so do not get discouraged with practice your mind will become quiet. The mind can be stubborn so other thoughts might creep in so instead of fighting the thoughts take a minute and acknowledge them and let them go. There is no for suppressing or trying to hide your thoughts when doing mediation. There will be times when you get distracted it is okay just go back to the original focus.
3. When doing meditation try ignoring all sensations and thoughts that are irrelevant: You will not be taking to a new place of existence with mediation. If there are people around when you are meditating you will hear them still. The object with Meditation is to stay focused. Focusing will keep you in the NOW.

Meditation and the Benefits
The art of looking deep in your self is called Meditation and means having your mind focus while restraining from other thoughts. With practice you will learn your purpose in life and understand it better while benefiting in your mental health and physically.
As you get better with mediation you will start experiencing better mental and physical health. Some studies claim this is accomplished because of the reduction in biochemical markers and physiological. This means the heart rate will decrease, respiration rate will decrease, the stress hormone plasma cortisol is decreased, pulse rate will decrease, while the EEG for relaxation will increase. Meditation will have you in a deep relaxation state, while our mind is increased for the awareness level. This means your reactions are faster, creativity is greater, and your comprehension is improved.
More benefits:

• Capacity in the lungs is increased
• Immune system becomes improved
• Nervous system is recharged
• Stress is reduced
• Memory becomes improved
• Helps in aiding with asthma treatment
• The mind becomes open
• Compassion and patience become amplified
• Sin, guilt, and temptation you become aware of
• Faith in your religion becomes increased

Patience, determination, and discipline are all required with meditation. Practice makes perfect so do not think you will have all this the first time you try.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zach_Shalev

The Importance of Goals and Goal Setting

Through the use of goals and goal setting we can get to where we want in life. The whole point of goal setting is to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.
If you focus your mind on a certain goal, more than likely you will achieve it. By deciding what you want, and working towards it diligently you can accomplish everything you wish for.
A correct goal gives you all the incentive you need to grow and work towards completing the task in hand. We all have big ideas about where we want to get to in life. Here's a few simple tips on how to construct a good goal and how to stay on track for completing it.

Make It Clear and Stay Committed
The various circumstances of life can easily take you off course unless you are very clear about what you want to achieve. Set clear guidelines about what, why, when and how. By doing this you can ensure you stay committed and focused. Eliminating any outside distractions and moving towards your goal.

Direction
Take a piece of plain paper and write what you want to achieve. Then think of all the different ways you could accomplish this goal. Include the different steps you need to take and the time it will take.
Having a written plan is a vital factor in getting to where you want to be. Think of where you are now, and what you need to do to get closer to your goal. What are the first steps you must take? Are there any tasks you need to outsource? What are your strengths?
Focus on what you are good at. In areas of weakness look for guidance or advice from people with more expertise in that area. Don't waste time trying to learn something extremely difficult when it will push your goal further and further away from you.

Have Fun
One of the biggest barriers for not achieving something is having no fun. If you take the fun out of something then it becomes boring, tedious and a drag. Nobody wants to do something regularly that provides no excitement to them and that they don't enjoy. Ensure you have fun whilst working towards you goals. Without it you will quickly become de-motivated and lose focus.
We all have what we need to achieve our goals. Its been within us from day one. Focus your mind and use the simple tips above. Stay committed and ensure you are clear about what you want to accomplish.

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Law of Attraction: Do You Know About The Power Of Flow?

Flow is the quality of ease that can be integrated into a life to give it the look and feel of almost effortless achievement. It's not as elusive as it may seem. We all know people who go through life attracting opportunity after opportunity; or those who have a knack for being at the right place at the right time to connect with the right people.

These people seem unusually lucky; life seems to favor them but in reality they have turned synchronicity and attraction into a habit where most people experience them in random fashion. Our culture has been programmed to link struggle with valor and so the tendency is to unconsciously choose struggle over ease.

This struggle mentality validates the assumptions that life is hard and you have to work hard to get make ends meet or to get ahead. It places the under-achiever in declivity while setting the high performance achiever up for burnout. This struggle mentality is a sickness that is perpetuated by both the unsuccessful and the successful. There is a high price attached to success that is adrenaline-based; there is this unending pressure to go faster, work harder, jump higher, sleep less, and do more. This model of success is very unattractive, very expensive, and is simply a more glamorous form of failure.
The high performance achiever may be relentless at first, but eventually as the burn intensifies, they begin to ask themselves, "Is this all there is?" There is a better way that leads to success that can be achieved and sustained without amputating other important aspects of yourself and your life.
Steven Lane Taylor, author of the book Row, Row, Row Your Boat; A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow", suggests that we can intentionally tap into the flow of life's benevolent energy. When we do, we begin to move gently toward our goals instead of racing past them like an Olympic runner being chased by a herd of frightened elephants. The high performance achiever is often the one who is most at risk in becoming trapped in the work harder, faster, longer paradigm.

In Steven's book, he uses the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to provide a simple model for unlocking the mystery of flow.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Harris

Four Steps to Making Life Easier on Yourself

How would you like to make life easier on yourself? So often we sabotage our own efforts and projects simply by being too self-critical, or by wanting everything to be perfect. This short article will explore four ways in which you can make life easier on yourself. If you incorporate these four things into your daily life you will find, as I did, that life becomes much easier and less stressful.
* Adopting a positive attitude- Whenever something happens that sabotages our plans, a traffic jam when you are on your way to an important meeting, for example, try to be positive. Instead of worrying about the time try to use it preparing yourself for the meeting. Think of possible answers to the questions you might be asked. At the very least try to look at these unforseen situations as nature giving you some space.
* Self-talk-What do you say when you talk to yourself. When most of us make a mistake, or things don't go as planned the tendency is to start thinking, I've done it again, when will I do things right. This puts us in a frame of mind that anticipates failure and wreaks havoc on our self-concept. If you fail, and most likely you will, tell yourself that it's ok, it is a learning curve. Then get right back to trying again. Go easy on yourself and try giving yourself a boost. Remember that your self-talk influences how you see yourself, if you think of yourself as a failure then you set yourself up for it. Go take a break. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again, as the song says.
* Perfection-you don't have to be perfect. This is a sure fire way of inviting problems into your life. Perfectionists are great procrastinators, they find it hard to finish a job because it doesn't meet with their standards. Sometimes the only way to get things done is to tell yourself that the job is good enough. You have done your best, none of us are perfect. Let it go.
* Gratitude-be grateful for what you have and who you are. Make a promise to write down in your diary three things that you are thankful for every day. See your attitude change and watch as your life becomes easier.
There you are. Four steps to making your life easier. If you start using these strategies on a daily basis it won't be long before you will find yourself less stressed and situations less stressful. You will be making life easier for yourself.

 

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