Thursday, August 6, 2009

How Self-Aware Are You?

By Alice Landry
August 4, 2:10 PM

Self-awareness is the capability to look deeply into your own mind, body, heart, and soul and discover the underlying beliefs, values, and moral standards that influence the way you think, feel, and behave.

The only constant in life is change, and being able to adapt to the dynamic waves of life is an attribute of self-aware people. Those who resist may continue self-destructive patterns and fail to realize blessings in disguise, lessons they should have learned, or windows to new adventures.
With the desire and intention to increase self-awareness, you present yourself with the opportunity to consciously evolve and improve as an individual.

Review the following ways to become more self-aware:
• Actively listen to those who support and love you
• Develop a conscience
• Forgive yourself and others for past mistakes
• Release the need to control outcomes
• Intend for the highest and best path to unfold before you
• Keep your focus in the here and now
• Live your life from a love/Spirit-centered approach
• Look ahead to understand the potential consequences of your actions
• See the best in everyone, including yourself
• Learn to be more conscious of your thoughts and choose positive ones
• Keep your feelings in check and determine the source of negative emotions
• Avoid thinking in extremes (i.e. all or nothing)
• Release drama and choose peace
• Be responsible and empower yourself by owning your mistakes and achievements
• Be teachable and allow yourself to receive insights and epiphanies
• Know that there is always room for improvement and change is a necessary part of life

Gaining insight into yourself and why you make the choices you make can be scary - like looking in a pool of water and seeing the reflection but knowing there are secrets, fears, and murkiness that lie below.

The benefits of enhanced self-awareness include the ability to make healthier and purposeful choices, to improve the relationships with yourself and loved ones, and to reduce the negative effect of life stressors.

Affirmations: I increase self-awareness every day as I consciously monitor my thoughts, feelings, and actions. I live life from a place of love. I gain insight, learn from my mistakes, and move on. I am teachable and willing to see all sides of a situation. I am responsible for me.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Your Higher Self

Your Higher Self is the aspect of your consciousness closest to Source - the fully realized eternal being that you are.

It exists beyond space and time and the confines of third dimensional reality, and is the overseer of your multi selves - past, present and future, conscious and subconscious.

It knows all you have been, all you are now, and all you are becoming, and it is aware of the countless possibilities available for your growth and success and that which will serve you optimally.

Your Higher Self knows you inside out and loves you unconditionally. Its vast, all-encompassing perspectives will gift your life immeasurably and pierce the veils and limits of your personal beliefs and programs, bringing truth and light to even the darkest of arenas.

Your Higher Self communicates with you via your intuition. Its information is sourced in love and truth beyond the confines of your conditioned self. It is the golden compass that points ever to the truth of who you are, to your highest path and potential and the love at the heart of all.

By connecting to this infinite and loving source (that you do so very intimately and tangibly in the Intuition Zone meditations), you are accessing the highest level of your being, which will raise your vibration profoundly, and by virtue of such alone, massively enhance your manifesting potential by the law of resonance.

The meditations, exercises and practices in the Intuition Zone enable you to connect to this more real you - your expanded all-knowing self and the keys and solutions, love, wisdom, healing and guidance that will most serve you and take you to your dreams in a magical and effortless way. Go to: http://www.intuitionzone.com/?10608

Here's a re-cap of some of what you'll experience in the Intuition Zone: * Profound shifts in consciousness
* How to receive clear and reliable guidance
* How to re-invent yourself and your reality from the inside out
* How to align to source on a daily basis
* Spiritual solutions to seeming 'problems'
* Signs, symbols and metaphors in your everyday life
* How to release unwanted vibrations
* How to harness your intuition at greatly enhanced levels
* How to experience the healing power of unconditional love
* Over 17 step-by-step exercises and techniques
* Beginner exercises & foundations for intuitive practice
* Yes-No methods of divination
* Automatic writing technique for with your Higher Self
* How to decode your inner & outer reality
* The different facets and faces of intuition
* Over 18 examples of message 'Platforms' in your everyday life
* The metaphor mind-set exercise

<http://www.intuitionzone.com/?10608>

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

7 Days of Holistic Health

by Alice Landry
Have you given yourself a holistic health check-up lately?
Are your thoughts and emotions well and in balance? Does your body crave more attention? Is your spirit yearning to connect with its higher creative power and the rest of the world?
Here are a total of 28 steps you can take toward holistic health and harmony. Follow the suggestions below for one week. Start a journey of health, happiness, and self-improvement. Feed your 
Mind (Mental)   Body (Physical)   Heart (Emotional)   Soul (Spiritual)   
  
Monday   Say "I take steps everyday to improve my life" ten times throughout the day.   Eat a piece of your favorite fruit and top it with Splenda, cinnamon, or peanut butter.   Think about one person or situation that makes you feel sad or angry. Then let it go and decide that only you canmake yourself feel a certain way.   Step outside for five minutes and be quiet and still. Just observe, listen, and heal.   
  
Tuesday   Read an inspiring book or magazine for 5 minutes.   Do 5 minutes of any exercise (walking, yoga, jump roping, dancing).   Watch 30 minutes of a show or movie you find hysterical.   Take a pen and start writing about whatever comes to mind. Do that for 5 minutes. Don't go back and read what you wrote. Just surrender it.   
  
Wednesday   Give someone a genuine compliment.   Lie down for 10 minutes and rest.   Find one of your old CDs of music that you really enjoyed and jam out to it.   Be generous by tipping someone well, donating a bag of old clothes, or volunteering your time, even if it's letting someone merge onto your lane of traffic.   
  
Thursday   Write down 5 things you've been waiting to do. Then make a definitive plan to do one of them.   Buy floss and use it.   Talk from a positive perspective. Say "I can..." or "I am..."   Be creative. Use silly putty, paint, Legos, food, music, or whatever you desire to create a spontaneous work of art.   
  
Friday   Say "yes" to a social engagement.   Eat a serving of your favorite vegetable. Add a little seasoning and savor every last bite.   Read a joke and share it with friends.   Recognize uncanny coincidences as synchronicity. Feel the power of Spirit when you notice the same phrase, number sequence, word, animal, or color, place, or name at least 3 times in a short span.   
  
Saturday   Say "I only participate in activities that serve a higher purpose" ten times throughout the day.   Replace coffee with herbal tea or lemonade.   Relax yourself for 5 minutes. Ask your partner or a friend to give you a mini massage, do deep breathing, or bathe in sunlight.   Go green by picking up one piece of trash, recycling newspaper, using a canvas bag, or planting a tree.   
  
Sunday   Complete 2 things on your to-do list and cross them off with a smile.   Stretch your body for 5 minutes.   Share a personal accomplishment with someone. Then say "Thank you" when he or she says what a great job you've done.   Take a meditative moon bath. Lie outside and allow yourself to be bathed by the light of the moon. Don't think or talk. Just receive.  
Even if you take one small step forward each day, you are still working toward something positive and healthy. Remember that steady progress creates the fulfilling life journey you desire and deserve.
If you are already doing one or more of the activities, such as flossing, then great! Find something else you can substitute that's easy, manageable and health-promoting, perhaps something you've been putting off for a while. The point is to make progress and evolve.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational use only and is not intended to replace medical advice. Contact a physician if you have any questions or concerns about your physical, mental, or emotional health.

Affirmations: My holistic health is important to me. Even if I take only five minutes to better my life or somebody else's life every day, it is still five minutes more than what I've been doing. My mind, body, heart, and soul are in perfect, healthful balance. I create time and use my energy productively in order to think, feel, and act in the highest and best ways.


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Meditation and ADHD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The practice of transcendental meditation may help children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder manage their symptoms, research suggests. In a pilot study, researchers found that lessons in transcendental meditation, or TM, appeared to calm the anxiety of children with ADHD,and improve their behavior and ability to think and concentrate.

TM is considered to be one of the simplest meditation techniques Practitioners sit comfortably for 10 to 15 minutes with their eyes closed, silently repeating a mantra -- a sound, word or phrase -- to calm the mind and body.

Some researchers believe that meditation affects the nervous system in a way that can alter a range of bodily functions, including breathing, blood vessel dilation and stress-hormone regulation

The current findings indicate that children with ADHD can not only learn the TM technique but also benefit from it, the researchers report in the online journal Current Issues in Education "The effect was much greater than we expected," lead researcher Sarina J Grosswald, a cognitive learning specialist in Arlington, Virginia, "The children also showed improvements in attention, working memory, organization, and behavior regulation," she added

"The study included 10 children between the ages of 11 and 14 who were attending a school for students with language-related learning disabilities. All had been diagnosed with ADHD and, though most were taking medication, were having problems at school and home. "The students were taught the TM technique and then practiced it at and then practiced it at school twice a day, for 10 minutes at a time. After three months, Grosswald and her colleagues found, the students reported lower stress and anxiety levels, while their ADHD symptoms also improved, based on questionnaires given to teachers and parents. "Teachers reported they were able to teach more," Grosswald said, "and students were able to learn more because they were less stressed.

Larger studies, she and her colleagues write, are now needed to see whether TM can be used as an ADHD therapy, either in addition to standard treatment or by itself TM doesn't require concentration, controlling the mind or disciplined " Grosswald noted. "The fact that these children are able to do TM, and do it easily shows us that this technique may be particularly well suited for children with ADHD."

Monday, June 8, 2009

Why Multitasking Destroys Your Productivity

I'm guilty of multi-tasking and the more I do it the more I find it harder and harder on focusing. “Stressing output is the key to improving productivity, while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.“- Paul Gauguin

Why Multitasking Destroys Your Productivity By Alex Mandossian
Most entrepreneurs I know are proud of their “multitasking” ability. But maybe they shouldn’t be.The term was originally applied to computers - to describe the way a CPU solves problems by scheduling tasks and switching back and forth from task to task until each one gets done. Well, that may be an efficient way for a computer to work, but it’s anything but efficient when it comes to your productivity.Dave Crenshaw wrote my favorite book on the topic, and I recommend it to anyone who still thinks and feels that multitasking is cool. On page 29 in The Myth of Multitasking, he writes:“Around the end of the twentieth century, some wordsmith saw the connection between our increasingly hectic world and the world of the computer. A catchword was born.Newspapers began peppering their articles with the word. Talk show hosts began using it with frequency. Magazines began publishing articles about how to multitask more effectively.Multitasking quickly became as popular and accepted as the automobile and the hamburger.”Dave Crenshaw has a more accurate word to describe flipping back and forth between two (or more) activities. He calls it “switchtasking.”Multitasking or switchtasking reduces your efficiency (your ability to do the right things) and your effectiveness (your ability to do things right) because it forces you to keep changing your mental focus. During the switchover time (less than a second, in most cases), your concentration diminishes and the number of mistakes you make dramatically increases.In fact, many states (including California) have outlawed multitasking on the highway by making it illegal to speak on a handheld mobile phone while driving a car.“A mere half second of time lost to task switching can mean the difference between life and death for a driver using a cellphone, because during the time that the car is not totally under control, it can travel far enough to crash into obstacles the driver might have otherwise avoided,” reported Dr. David Meyer from the University of Michigan.Okay, so let me ask you a candid question. How many of the following common multitasking activities do you engage in?Writing e-mails while speaking on the telephoneChecking voice mail while speaking to your spouseReading the newspaper while listening to the newsWatching TV while having a family conversationTweeting while instant messaging while…I’m guessing you’ve done “all of the above” at some point in your adult life. But my point isn’t to nag you about multitasking. It is to make you conscious of how destructive it can be.It’s not only mentally stressful to splinter your attention (and make mistakes along the way), multitasking sets you up for failure… and the guilt of not completing everything you set out to do.Stacking vs.MultitaskingNow if you do two things at once but can keep the majority of your attention on only ONE of those things, that’s a whole different animal. I call this stacking. Dave Crenshaw calls it background tasking. (You can call it whatever you wish.)Stacking helps you get more done, faster and better. It is a productive use of your time because only ONE of the tasks you are doing requires mental effort.Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:Eating dinner while watching a videoJogging while listening to your iPodDriving while listening to the radioWriting an e-mail while printing out a documentMunching on a snack while riding a bicycleListening to the news while showeringReading a book while getting a haircutStacking doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll become more effective (by doing the right things), but it can practically guarantee more efficiency (doing things right to get maximum results in minimum time).Stacking & America’s Middle ClassHenry Ford didn’t invent the car, but he did figure out how to produce automobiles that were within the reach of the average American. And I believe he did this by preventing his workers from multitasking.Prior to his introduction of the assembly line to the manufacturing process, cars were individually crafted by teams of skilled workmen. But instead of having one team work on one car, from start to finish, he created a stacking environment where the cars came to the workers - and each worker performed the same assembly task again and again.The stacking power of the assembly line reduced the time it took to manufacture a car from 13 hours to less than six. That made it possible for Ford to offer the Model T for $825 when it made its debut in 1908. Four years later, the price dropped to $575. By 1914, Ford claimed a 48 percent share of the world’s automobile market.What to Do NowYou can stop the insanity of multitasking right now by listing (right here) two or three multitasking activities you commonly engage in at work or at home.Then, the next time you catch yourself multitasking, stop. Take a moment to think about what you’re doing, and quickly choose one of those tasks to focus on first. Complete that task before you switch to the other one.I think you’ll find that this automatically makes you more efficient, more effective - and feeling a lot better about yourself for getting multiple jobs done right.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Is Meditation an Answer to School Problems?

I found this article published at Daily Gleaner. com and I though it was well worth sharing.
Published Tuesday June 2nd, 2009 By JENNIFER DUNVILLE dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com
A meditation educator is travelling the province to encourage teachers, parents and principals to buy into a program that uses transcendental meditation to reduce behaviour issues and academic problems in schools.Ashley Deans, a physicist and educator with the Canadian Association for Stress-Free Schools, said 30 minutes of meditation a day can make a big difference in a student's academic success."The transcendental meditation technique is the single most effective technique available for eliminating stress, promoting health and increasing creativity and intelligence," Deans said. "It's not that unconventional since meditation has become more mainstream. Think of it in the context of providing a quiet-time program in schools."The transcendental meditation technique was introduced to the world more than 40 years ago by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Hindu man who dedicated his life to spirituality and meditation.Deans said the technique doesn't require special concentration or contemplation, or change in lifestyle or beliefs. Students meditate for 15 minutes in the mornings and 15 minutes in the afternoon."This is an effortless technique that allows the mind to settle enough to experience that feeling of pure, silent awareness," Deans said. "It may look like the students are sitting there with their eyes closed wasting time, but what's actually happening is they are relieving acute social stress that can manifest itself in violence, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, accidents and sickness."Deans has given transcendental meditation presentations to principals and teachers in Fredericton, Saint John, Perth Andover, Moncton, and other parts of the province.He said everyone has been open to the idea, and a First Nation school in Big Cove has signed up for the transcendental meditation training.Dist. 18 Supt. Alex Dingwall said he's not aware of any schools in Fredericton that have bought into the idea, but he said the district wouldn't stop schools that wanted to try it."There are all kinds of strategies out there for helping kids deal with stress, reducing behavioural issues in schools or improving academic success," Dingwall said."We leave it up to our principals to decide which strategies they want to latch on to."Dingwall said the only time the district would step in is if a group was promoting a new program or initiative in schools that wasn't appropriate for children or backed by research."That isn't the case in this instance," Dingwall said."This group has been very public and has done some research on this strategy. Our only concern might be the loss of 30 minutes of instructional time in favour of meditation."Teachers who implement transcendental meditation are still responsible for teaching the entire curriculum even if they have 30 minutes less to work with each day.Dingwall said he would approve the meditation program if schools could find a way to include meditation without taking away from the regular classroom time."It would be considered part of the physical education curriculum, for example," Dingwall said. "There's normally a cool-down period in gym anyway, so I suppose it could be included that way."Deans said the benefits of transcendental meditation outweigh the loss of instructional time.He said the Maharishi School he works with in Fairfield, Iowa, has students that are more alert, receptive to knowledge and respectful towards classmates. He said test scores at the school have also increased."Every year, the school that I'm executive director of in Iowa, scores in the top one per cent of all schools in the United States on standardized tests, and it's not for any other reason other than meditation," Deans said."It's an amazing thing and, essentially, all it means is that every teacher would have to give up five minutes of class time each day."

Thursday, May 14, 2009

How to Make Your Afirmations Work For You to Achieve Your Goals

By Anne Shipley http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anne_Shipley

An affirmation is NOT a desire or a wanting of things that will happen one day in the future. An affirmation is a statement of knowing and allowing.
THE 1st MOST IMPORTANT PIECE IS TO STATE YOUR INTENTIONS KNOWING THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE WHAT YOU DESIRE.
When we make an affirmation it is a statement of things that are. I am, I have, I intend. There is no doubt in these statements. You are not leaving room anywhere for any uncertainty or any negative thoughts.
The universe is abundant in all things. Everything that ever was, is now and ever shall be. You are not making a request for anything you do not have already. You are simply recognizing the truth that it is here for you to take. Know this and Claim it! Know that you are deserving and it is your right as a part of the Universe to have what was meant for you to have.
God doesn't do anything to us that we do not choose for ourselves. This is our free will. Choose all you desire knowing that the Universe gives it freely.
Your affirmations are your beginning. Start by using affirmations that will assist you in changing your thoughts. For example; "I am worthy of all my desires." " I have the power and strength to do anything." " It is my right to have joy and peace." "I accept I am the creator of my reality."
Feel the feelings that exist with knowing these things. Act as if you are truly all powerful as a part of the Universal energy.
These affirmations thought often enough, will change your beliefs and thus create for you a new reality.
THE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO IS ALLOW FOR YOUR DESIRES BY LETTING GO.
Allowing is the ability to not sabotage our affirmations by negative thinking or by thinking there is much we need to do to make our desires happen. In order to recognize our negative thoughts we must be conscious of our thoughts. If our desire is to be thinner, but we look in the mirror and think, "Look how fat I am." This is sabotaging your desires. See yourself feeling healthier, more energetic and thinner. It is not the Universe that denies us, but our own will (thinking) that inhibits our reality to change. Our own insane thoughts that believe we are not worthy or good enough.
You are a part of the Universe and Universal energy, which responds to Universal Laws. Therefore, if you expend your thoughts in negative thinking such as, "There isn't enough, I'll always have to struggle, I can't change, the world is going to get worse...." this is what you will create in your reality.
Allow means to let it happen. There is nothing that you need to do (except change your thoughts).
You do not have to busy yourself with all kinds of data, resources, invest lots of money or join a group.
The Universe will create situations in your life that bring you what you desire. So, just be open to new opportunities, but don't exhaust yourself trying to make something happen. This may include a new investment or group, but don't force things to happen. Know that they will and when they do you will feel happy and excited, but not afraid or in doubt. Remember that it is not you (ego mind) that is going to create. It is your spirit, your higher self that creates. There is no thing you have to do.
I know this can be difficult because we are trained early on that we have to work hard to get what we want, but trust in the Universe and stop sabotaging your life with your own thoughts that you can create on your own.
As you think so you create your world and thus perceive it. Your thoughts can be changed. You are the creator of your thoughts. As you think on anything you are sending it your energy. If you think things are getting worse, they will for you.
Enhance your affirmations by seeing yourself as the spiritual being you are and recognize that as a part of this Universe you have a right to your desires, claim them and then give thanks for them. The Universe will accommodate you. If you think you will succeed in all you do, you will.
Practice writing your affirmations 3 times every day for 60 days.
Anne Shipley, Life Coach I am a lover of life, grateful for each opportunity to learn and gain wisdom through interactions with my great companions and seekers. http://www.healingpowercoach.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Shipley