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  1. Made to create an environment for relaxation, meditation, studying, etc. I pray you receive what you need from your practice today. Thank You and Enjoy!
  2. The tears of a child, the pain of a mother! A heart full of memories of a dead father! Here's so much sorrow, in every eye. Nothing but hurt left here, Nothing but bullets, pain, misery and shattered dreams … Yet for the children of world only one equation counts: their shared humanity. We will gather together as brothers, We will gather together as brothers and we will live in solidarity with others in this world, we are the thirsty souls of a world without divisions. If we merge mercy with might and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change, our children's birth right. Let's step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid and don't trust any immortalist. The dove will find a resting place!! Amazon- official site of Alexis karpouzos Goodreads - Official site of Alexis karpouzos
  3. Uns sind die Begriffe Dankbarkeit und Meditation bekannt, aber was ist mit Dankbarkeitsmeditation? Was ist Dankbarkeitsmeditation und wie übt man sie aus? Letzteres werden wir im folgenden Artikel beantworten und stellen die Vorteile und 3 anregende YouTube-Videos zum schnellen Einstieg in diese Methode vor. Möchtest du mehr aus deinem Leben machen – sei es in Form von Glück, erfüllenden Beziehungen, anhaltendem Wohlbefinden oder gesteigerter Leistungsfähigkeit? Möchtest du dein Leben bereichern und es sinnvoller gestalten, anstatt dich im Chaos des Alltags zu verlieren? Dankbarkeitsmeditation kann dir helfen, diese Dinge zu erreichen, und sie ist auch eine der einfachsten Meditationsarten, die du praktizieren kannst. Was ist Dankbarkeit? Dankbarkeit ist die Fähigkeit, dankbar zu sein und Dankbarkeit zu zeigen. Dabei ist es ziemlich egal, was der Auslöser für diese Dankbarkeit ist. Denn es kann sowohl ein unerwarteter Sonnenstrahl sein, der unsere Nase kitzelt und uns Regen, Sturm und Kälte vergessen lässt. Oder ein freundliches Lächeln eines fremden Menschen an der Bushaltestelle. Eine kleine Geste oder ein kleines Geschenk. Oder das sich bewusst werden, dass wir am Leben sind und dass es uns gut geht. Und das Beste ist: Wir müssen nicht auf diese Momente und Situationen warten, für die wir uns dankbar fühlen, Dankbarkeit ist auch eine bewusste Entscheidung. Zahlreiche Studien zeigen, dass das tägliche Üben von Dankbarkeit dazu beitragen kann unser Leben zum Besseren zu verändern. Tatsächlich haben wissenschaftliche Studien ergeben, dass Dankbarkeit der „soziale Klebstoff“ ist, der eine positive Einstellung fördert, Beziehungen stärkt und uns hilft, bessere, glücklichere Menschen zu werden, die zudem einen positiven Einfluss auf ihr Umfeld haben. Was genau ist Dankbarkeitsmeditation? Dankbarkeitsmeditation ist, wie der Name schon sagt, eine Art Meditation, die sich darauf konzentriert, gezielt Dankbarkeit zu empfinden. Während es viele andere Meditationsstile gibt, die nicht so leicht zugänglich oder alltagstauglich sind, ist die Dankbarkeitsmeditation eine der einfachsten, die überall praktiziert werden kann, selbst inmitten eines hektischen Arbeitstages. Ähnlicher Artikel: 6 wissenschaftlich belegte Vorteile von Meditation Die Dankbarkeitsmeditation basiert darauf, sich verschiedene Dinge vor Augen zu führen, für die wir in unserem Leben dankbar sind. Das können zum Beispiel liebevolle Familienmitglieder sein, die immer für uns da sind, Freunde, die uns aufmuntern und inspirieren, oder Kollegen, die sich die Arbeit mit uns teilen, damit wir keine Überstunden machen müssen. "Dankbarkeit ist das Gedächtnis des Herzens." (Jean-Baptiste Massillon) Dankbarkeitsmeditation ermöglicht es uns auch, uns an den einfachen Dingen im Leben zu erfreuen, wie die Fähigkeit zu sehen, zu hören, zu schmecken und zu gehen oder etwas so Immaterielles wie eine wichtige Lektion, die wir in einer schwierigen Phase gelernt haben und von der wir im Nachhinein profitieren. Die Ursprünge der Dankbarkeitsmeditation Der Gedanke der Dankbarkeit ist ein Grundbaustein der meisten Religionen. Buddhistische Mönche beginnen ihren Tag mit Gesängen der Dankbarkeit für ihr gesegnetes Leben. Martin Luther hingegen bezeichnete Dankbarkeit als „christliche Grundhaltung“. Tatsächlich feiern Millionen von Christen jedes Jahr Thanksgiving, um ihre Segnungen bewusst wahrzunehmen und ihre Wertschätzung für alles auszudrücken, was sie haben. Unterdessen befürwortet der Hinduismus, dass „jemand mit einer Haltung der Dankbarkeit dem Erreichen von Moksha (Anm.: Begriff im Hinduismus für Erlösung oder Befreiung) oder der Freiheit von karmischen Lebenszyklen am nächsten kommt“, sagt Dr. Uma Mysorekar (Präsidentin der Hindu Temple Society of North America). Dankbarkeitsmeditation ermöglicht es uns auch, uns an den einfachen Dingen des Lebens zu erfreuen, wie der Fähigkeit zu sehen, zu hören, zu schmecken und zu gehen.“ Muss man religiös sein, um Dankbarkeit zu üben? Natürlich nicht. Experten sind sich einig, dass Dankbarkeit nicht auf religiöse Aktivitäten beschränkt ist – man kann für die Gaben des Lebens dankbar sein, ohne religiös zu sein. Dankbarkeit ist zwar keine angeborene Emotion oder gar Haltung, denn wir Menschen erwerben sie im Laufe unserer Erziehung, aber das bereits sehr früh im Kindesalter als sozial bedeutsame Komponente unseres Verhaltens. Vorteile der Dankbarkeitsmeditation Es gibt viele Argumente dafür, Dankbarkeitsmeditation als feste Routine in unser Leben zu integrieren. Hier sind fünf der wichtigsten: 1. Größeres Glücksgefühl Verschiedene Studien haben gezeigt, dass das Praktizieren von Dankbarkeit uns dauerhaft und effektiv glücklicher machen kann. Die bewusste Konzentration auf unsere Wertschätzung unserem Leben und seinen Inhalten gegenüber kann unseren Optimismus fördern und uns helfen, den ganzen Tag über eine positive Einstellung aufrechtzuerhalten. Tatsächlich hat eine Studie ergeben, dass Dankbarkeit eine der wichtigsten positiven Interventionen ist, um depressiven Gedanken vorzubeugen und dass Dankbarkeit Menschen helfen kann, ein glücklicheres, zufriedeneres Leben zu führen. Und wir sollten nicht vergessen, dass sich unser neues Glücksgefühl nicht nur auf uns auswirkt, sondern auch unsere Umgebung positiv beeinflusst und auf andere abfärben kann. 2. Verbesserte psychische Gesundheit Hättest du jemals gedacht, dass Dankbarkeitsmeditation auch dein Gehirn neu verdrahten kann, damit es besser für Widrigkeiten oder schwierige Lebensphasen gerüstet ist? Das Praktizieren von Dankbarkeitsmeditation sensibilisiert das Gehirn für empathische Handlungen und die wertvollen Dinge im Leben und ermöglicht es uns so, aus der Endlosschleife von Sorgen, Grübeln, Ängsten und Unsicherheiten auszubrechen. Medizinische Forschungen haben bewiesen, dass bei Menschen, die sich intensiv mit ihrer Dankbarkeit beschäftigen die Konzentration von Glückshormonen konstant höher ausfällt und damit davon ausgegangen wird, dass diese positiven Gedanken sich direkt auf Teile des menschlichen Gehirns auswirken, was wiederum unserem gesamten Organismus zugute kommt. 3. Stärkere persönliche Beziehungen Es hat sich sogar gezeigt, dass das Praktizieren von Dankbarkeitsmeditation die Ehe schützt und Freundschaften stärkt. Wenn wir unseren Freunden, Kollegen und unseren Partner*innen unseren Dank aussprechen, fühlen sie sich wertgeschätzt, was unsere Bindungen stärkt und hilft, Missverständnisse oder Konflikte zu vermeiden. 4. Bessere körperliche Gesundheit Für gute Dinge in unserem Leben dankbar zu sein, kann unsere Einstellung zum Leben verändern und es uns ermöglichen, uns besser zu fühlen, in vollen Zügen zu leben und sogar besser zu schlafen. Eine optimistische Grundeinstellung führt dazu, dass wir Spaß daran haben, uns gesund zu ernähren, auf die Stimme unseres Körpers zu achten und voller Tatendrang durchs Leben zu gehen. Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass mentale und körperliche Gesundheit untrennbar miteinander verbunden sind, deshalb wirkt sich eine positive Einstellung auch auf unsere Physis aus. Allein der Einfluss der gesteigerten Glückshormone - z. B. durch Dankbarkeitsmeditation - macht unseren Körper stärker und widerstandskräftiger. 5. Erweitertes soziales Umfeld Hast du schon einmal bemerkt, wie manche Leute mühelos und sofort Freundschaften knüpfen und erhalten? Dankbaren Personen fällt es leichter zu vertrauen, ihre Wertschätzung direkter auszudrücken und sich leichter mit Fremden anzufreunden. Eine Studie der University of New South Wales (UNSW, Australien) aus dem Jahr 2014 war die erste, die zeigte, dass ein Dank an eine neue Bekanntschaft für ihre Hilfe dazu führte, dass sie eher eine dauerhafte soziale Beziehung mit dem Danksagenden einging. „Danke zu sagen ist ein wertvolles Signal dafür, dass wir jemand sind, mit dem eine qualitativ hochwertige Beziehung aufgebaut werden könnte“, sagte die UNSW-Psychologin Dr. Lisa Williams, die die Studie mit verantwortete. Dankbarkeit gegenüber anderen zu zeigen zeugt von Großherzigkeit, Empathie, Offenherzigkeit und Achtsamkeit. Alles Kriterien für einen Menschen, den man gerne um sich herum hat, oder? Dankbarkeitsmeditation: Wie funktioniert das? Tolle Neuigkeiten: Der Start einer Dankbarkeitsmeditation-Routine ist ganz einfach! Alles, was wir brauchen ist eine ruhige Ecke und ein wenig Zeit (durchschnittlich 5-15 Minuten, je nach gewählter Technik). „Dankbarkeitsmeditation ist eine der einfachsten Meditationen, die wir überall praktizieren können, selbst inmitten eines hektischen Arbeitstages.“ Wir können auch "klein" anfangen und einfach dankbar sein für die grundlegenden Annehmlichkeiten und Privilegien, die wir im Leben haben. Viele Experten (und auch Prominente wie Oprah) empfehlen das Führen eines Dankbarkeitstagebuchs, in dem wir alle Dinge, Handlungen, Menschen usw. aufschreiben, für die wir dankbar sind. Eine visuelle Inspiration zur Dankbarkeitsmeditation Hier sind drei YouTube-Videos, die dazu inspirieren, unsere Dankbarkeitsmeditation-Routine zum Laufen zu bringen: 1: Morgen-Meditation Dankbarkeit: In 5 Minuten positiv in den Tag .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Diese Meditation kann Teil unseres Morgenrituals sein und uns darauf vorbereiten, dem Tag positiv zu begegnen. Wie oft fühlen wir die Last von äußeren und inneren Ansprüchen an uns und unser Leben schon nachdem wir gerade erst die Augen geöffnet haben? Wie oft zweifeln wir an uns und an dem, was wir erreicht haben und starten mit diesem düsteren “Mantra” in unseren Tag? Das tägliche Üben von Dankbarkeit mit der Technik der Dankbarkeitsmeditation am Morgen öffnet unsere Augen für die Erkenntnis, dass das, was wir haben, genug ist und dass wir so wie wir sind, perfekt sind. Und mit diesem Mantra lässt es sich doch viel besser in einen neuen Tag starten, oder? 2. Abend-Meditation Dankbarkeit: Entspannt und dankbar in die Nacht .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Genauso wichtig und inspirierend wie die morgendliche Meditation ist ihr abendliches Gegenstück. Nachdem uns die Meditation der Dankbarkeit morgens positiv gestimmt in unseren Alltag entlassen hat, kann uns eine Abendroutine mit einer ebensolchen Dankbarkeitsmeditation beruhigt und befreit von Alltagssorgen in den Schlaf begleiten. Denn es ist einem gesunden Schlaf gegenüber ebenso abträglich wie z. B. Lärm oder Alkohol, wenn unser Kopf voll von Fragen, Sorgen, Plänen oder Zweifeln nicht zur Ruhe kommt. Und ist es nicht tröstlich zu wissen, dass wir selbst dafür sorgen können, uns nur auf das zu konzentrieren, was da ist und was schön ist in uns und unserem Leben? 3. Dan Lok: 15-minütige geführte Dankbarkeitsmeditation für Fülle und Wunder (in englischer Sprache) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Der renommierte Wirtschaftsmagnat und Pädagoge Dan Lok zeigt mit einer einfachen, aber effektiven Visualisierungstechnik, wie wir unseren Tag mit Energie versorgen und Positives anziehen können, indem wir für alles, was wir haben, dankbar sind. Du beginnst, indem du dich entspannst und dich fragst, wofür und wem du dankbar bist und ob es Dinge gibt, die du für selbstverständlich hältst. Diese Meditation ist sehr einfach und hilft dir, mehr Mitgefühl, Empathie und Wertschätzung für alles Gute zu entwickeln. Viele Menschen gehen davon aus, dass je mehr wir uns auf das Positive fokussieren statt immer nur das halbleere Glas zu sehen, desto empfänglicher sind wir für noch mehr Positives in unserem Leben. Also Dankbarkeit als Glücksmagnet?! Warum nicht? Zusammenfassung: Dankbarkeitsmeditation Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die Vorteile der Dankbarkeitsmeditation vielfältig sind. Dankbarkeit ist nicht nur eine demütige Anerkennung dafür, wie gesegnet unser Leben ist, sondern auch ein Tor, um Fülle, Glück und Wohlstand (und hier ist nicht explizit das Materielle gemeint) auf unsere Weise anzuziehen. Dankbarkeit in unseren Alltag zu integrieren ist zudem sehr einfach und erfordert kaum zusätzlichen Aufwand. Wir können die ersten Minuten unseres Tages vor dem Aufstehen nutzen, um uns bewusst zu machen, wie wertvoll wir und unser Leben ist und wie viele Dinge es gibt, für die wir dankbar sind. Wir können abends vor dem Einschlafen unseren Tag Revue passieren lassen und uns auf all die schönen Momente besinnen und allen leise Danke sagen. Wir können im hektischen Alltag, besonders wenn irgendetwas mal nicht so rund läuft und sich Ärger in uns breitmacht, einen kurzen Moment innehalten und in uns zurückziehen, um uns zu vergegenwärtigen, dass dieser Ärger ein Nichts ist verglichen mit all dem Reichtum an Positivem, den wir in uns tragen. Und wir können unsere dankbaren Gedanken niederschreiben in ein kleines Dankbarkeitstagebuch oder mit ein wenig mehr Zeitaufwand mit dem Journaling beginnen, denn auch das Freisetzen von Kreativität ist ein meditativer Prozess. Fangen wir heute an? Hat dir der Artikel gefallen? Erfahre mehr über das kostenlose Angebot des happiness Projekts: Unsere Mission: Eine sichere und sich gegenseitig unterstützende Gemeinschaft zu ermöglichen, in der Werkzeuge, Praktiken und Erfahrungen ausgetauscht werden, die es jedem ermöglichen, ein glückliches und erfülltes Leben zu führen. Konkret heißt das für dich, dass du als Mitglied der happiness Gemeinschaft kostenlose folgende Vorteile genießt: regelmäßige Tipps zur Stressbewältigung, Meditation, Nachhaltigkeit und vielen anderen spannenden Themengebieten gelebte Inspirationen für ein glücklicheres Leben durch neue, tiefe Freundschaften im happiness Forum Erfahrungen austauschen, anderen auf ihrem Lebensweg beistehen und selbst unterstützt werden spannende, kostenlose Online Kurse in der happiness Academy belegen (aktuell ausschließlich auf englisch) z.B. Achtsamkeitsmeditation/ MBSR wissenschaftlich fundierte Artikel im happiness Magazin über das glücklich sein, zu den Vorteilen der Meditation, ... Du kannst dem Auf- und Ab des Lebens nicht entkommen, aber du kannst lernen bewusster damit umzugehen, es anzunehmen und dadurch innere Freiheit zu erlangen. Werde heute noch Teil der liebevollen Gemeinschaft offenherziger Menschen und melde dich jetzt an. Der Original-Artikel erschien im englischen happiness-Magazin und diente diesem als Inspiration. Geschrieben / übersetzt von Nikola Weichelt Nikola ist als Autorin und Community Managerin Teil des happiness.com Teams. Sie ist Pädagogin, Fachinformatikerin und hat obendrauf Psychologie studiert. Sie liebt Worte und Taten, Schwimmen und Radeln, Nähen und Fotografieren und natürlich ihre Katze. Sie mag Spaziergänge um 5 Uhr morgens, das Meer, im Regen herumhüpfen und alles, was mit Upcycling zu tun hat.
  4. I am a beginner and have started meditation and the search for inner peace, balance and happiness a little more than a month ago. I am hoping to find in this forum knowledge from people who have more experience in this subject than me and to share and better understand the forms I am using now. I have been using youtube as I have found many videos there, but that is also the problem, there are to many different ones. I am thinking of purchasing meditation music, but would like would like some insight from someone who knows this better before I continue. Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Recommendations or links to better resources than youtube would help a lot. Thank you and have a blessed day.
  5. We live in a universe that can be seen and experienced from many different perspectives. We therefore need to look at the universe from many different angles. Everything and everyone is a form of the universe being expressed in a particular way. In other words, each one of us can say with absolute certainly “We are the Universe!” Since we are the universe, each one of us provides a valuable perspective that complements the contributions of everyone and everything else around us.Each of us is the universe being expressed in a particular location in a specific way. We’re all part of the same moving and evolving cosmos, but the view of it is unique from each of our respective locations. This suggests that the universe is not only omni centric, but that it is also multiperspectival – there are many different, and equally valid, viewpoints on this. Each one of us is a cosmic laboratory within which we can discover the secrets of the universe. We speak in various ways, we are each the universe having become aware of itself in our own unique way. The insights that the universe has many different perspectives and is both cosmic and personal has great transformative potential, and is worth reflecting on deeply. AMAZON, ALEXIS KARPOUZOS OFFICIAL SITE Creativity and Modern Science Creativity and Theory of relativity In Einstein’s theory of relativity, the notions of events (space and time simultaneity), mass and energy equivalence (special relativity), space expansion (big bang) as well as space and energy-mass equivalence, are introduced. General theory of relativity combined to quantum mechanics leads to the emergence of the whole universe from zero and absolute nothingness. Such “emergence – creation” of the universe from zero does not take place in space or time, since both are identical to the universe, space as energy expansion of the vacant space and time as a measurement unit of movement and change. Hence, the event, as “something” that takes place, and since it takes place, creates space, time and matter – mass – energy, constitutes a novelty of the theory of relativity which suggests that the world is eternally being created and is not static and perpetual. Creativity and Quantum mechanics In quantum mechanics, the term “creativity” is amplified, since natural events form the constant transition from possibility to reality, according to the ontological probabilism of the Schrödinger equation. The completion of the quantum theory through the concept of the Grand Unified Theories, and especially through the yet incomplete superstring theory, reveals that at the micro level of creation of sub-atomic particles or space, motion literally comes prior to Being and objects are forms of a motion which suggests a constant transition from possibility to reality. In non – linear physics of complex systems, the term “creativity” does not simply correspond to the initial emergence of the universe (big bang) or to the sub-atomic scale processes described by quantum mechanics, the Grand Unified Theories and the superstring theory, but is expanded to all aspects of nature: i.e. physical – chemical, ecological, psychological – mental aspect. So, through the non – linear physics theory, macroscopically viewed beings are constructed, holistic forms of motion, in order for the whole to gain a non reducible (therefore the whole is constantly being produced) ontological meaning which characterizes the operation of the part. Combining the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity, it could be stated that modern physics abolishes the customary perception concerning the natural phenomena, which were concerned as a constant transformation of a fundamental substance. On the contrary, the contemporary description of the natural world by physics and mathematics corresponds to Morphodynamics, i.e. the description of the world as creation of all cosmic shapes from a zero point, on all cosmic levels. From this point of view, zero is understood as the absence of shape, while the notion of an unshaped eternal substance is weakened and does not seem to be able to be justified by the evolution of scientific thought. The “beings” and their “substance” are assimilated to forms of movement that have already been created or that are being created, and constitute motion inside motion. Creativity and Non-linear and Chaotic systems Physics of chaotic systems attributes a mathematical description through bifurcation theory to the notion of creating cosmic shapes, according to which when a physical system tends to critical situations, it develops new structures of existence and function through atopic interrelation and information processes in an unpredictable manner. Generally speaking, it could be suggested that new structures of existence and operation, that resemble to a virtual form scaling on the physical system and tuning its parts in order for the whole to gain meaning and being as a whole and not as a simple result of microscopic processes, are formed and created inside nature. This means that the world is revealed as information apart from being matter and energy. This procedure of creating cosmic figures seems, or is, indeed capable of being considered as a kind of expression of a “cosmic discourse”, of “cosmic words” and “cosmic sentences” in the sense of which, the fact that is indicated, is constantly supplemented by the fact that is about to be indicated. Ιt can be stated that the arrow of time, which is introduced by cosmic functions (thermodynamics, electromagnetic radiation, big bang, information procedures, Markov procedures, etc.), corresponds to an irreversible and irrevocable direction of a cosmic “sense” which is constantly being created and enriched. Hence, what came to birth from zero point, even if it is corroded in the future, has contributed in order its corrosion does not correspond to a cosmic situation similar to the one existing before its creation. In other words, birth and corrosion make the future always asymmetric towards the past. By this point of view, even if the whole universe reaches zero point at a time, this does not mean that zero point after the creation of the world is similar to zero point before it. Possibly, time equals to an unchangeable and irrevocable “cosmic memory” and to a development of cosmic correlations which can never be eradicated even if the world and the universe die completely off. Creativity and living systems – Networks – Relationships `Over the past thirty years, a new systemic conception of life has emerged at the forefront of science. New emphasis has been given to complexity, networks, and patterns of organization leading to a novel kind of ‘systemic’ thinking. `The view of living systems as networks provides a novel perspective on the so-called “hierarchies” of nature. Since living systems at all levels are networks, we must visualize the web of life as living systems (networks) interacting in network fashion with other systems (networks). For example, we can picture an ecosystem schematically as a network with a few nodes. Each node represents an organism, which means that each node, when magnified, appears itself as a network. Each node in the new network may represent an organ, which in turn will appear as a network when magnified, and so on. In other words, the web of life consists of networks within networks. At each scale, under closer scrutiny, the nodes of the network reveal themselves as smaller networks. We tend to arrange these systems, all nesting within larger systems, in a hierarchical scheme by placing the larger systems above the smaller ones in pyramid fashion. But this is a human projection. In nature, there is no “above” or “below,” and there are no hierarchies. There are only networks nesting within other networks. ‘ ` The realization that systems are integrated wholes that cannot be understood by analysis was even more shocking in physics than in biology. Ever since Newton, physicists had believed that all physical phenomena could be reduced to the properties of hard and solid material particles. In the 1920s, however, quantum theory forced them to accept the fact that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units. As we shift our attention from macroscopic objects to atoms and subatomic particles , nature does not show us any isolated building blocks, but rather appears as a complex web of relationships between the various parts of a unifield whole.’. Cells are parts of tissues; tissues are parts of organs, organs parts of organisms; and living organisms are parts of ecosystems and social systems. At each level the living system is an integrated whole with smaller components, while at the same time being a part of a larger whole. Ultimately – as quantum physics showed so impressively – there are no parts at all. What we call a part is merely a pattern in an inseparable web of relationships. Therefore, the shift of perspective from the parts to the whole can also be seen as a shift from objects to relationships.’ All living systems are networks of smaller components, and the web of life as a whole is a multilayered structure of living systems nesting within other living systems – networks within networks. Organisms are aggregates of autonomous but closely coupled cells; populations are networks of autonomous organisms belonging to a single species; and ecosystems are webs of organisms, both single-celled and multicellular, belonging to many different species. What is common to all these living systems is that their smallest living components are always cells, and therefore we can confidently say that all living systems, ultimately, are autopoietic. However, it is also interesting to ask whether the larger systems formed by those autopoietic cells – the organisms, societies, and ecosystems – are in themselves autopoietic networks.’ From objects to relationships – Throughout the living world we find systems nesting within larger systems. While mechanistic science concentrates on reducing things to basic material building blocks, the emerging holistic paradigm recognizes that systems are integrated wholes whose properties cannot be reduced to those of smaller units. The two fundamental themes of this systems view of life are the universal interconnectedness and interdependence of all phenomena, and the intrinsically dynamic nature of reality. Systems theory accepts neither the traditional scientific view of evolution as a game of dice, nor the western religious view of an ordered universe designed by a divine creator. Evolution is presented as basically open and indeterminate, without goal or purpose, yet with a recognizable pattern of development. Chance fluctuations supposedly take place, causing a system at a certain moment to become unstable. As it ‘approaches the critical point, it “decides” itself which way to go, and this decision will determine its evolution’. The theory of general systems recognizes two principal phenomena of self-organization: self-renewal, ‘the ability of living systems continuously to renew and recycle their components while maintaining the integrity of their overall structures’; and self-transcendence, ‘the ability to reach out creatively beyond its physical and mental boundaries in the processes of learning, development, and evolution’ [4]. He argues that adaptation of species through genetic mutation (genotypic change) is only one side of evolution. The other is creativity: the development of new structures and functions of ever increasing complexity, independent of environmental pressure, as a manifestation of the potential for self-transcendence inherent in all organisms. Creativity and society On anthropological level, the term “creativity” gains an extended level since it is revealed that the human is not a simple creation of a cosmic process, but has got a sense of belonging and co-creates in collaboration with Thought, its forms, its meanings and mental contents, the feelings and the emotions of theories, institutions, etc., which are not raised on the level of simple biological or physical – chemical processes, even though they are directly related to them and are produced by one another without being identified and without losing their self – efficiency. The world and the human are being co – created and co – produced in a two-way relationship, a feedback relationship that is unfolded as Time. It may be stated that cosmic creation from zero point or the absolute nothing of the cosmic forms of existence, is identified to a connected to time, ontologically unpredictable and innovative course of the world towards the asymmetric and the unique, through constant physical symmetry disruptions. Thus, the world is constantly enriched ontologically by a neo – innovation that renders the future asymmetric to the past. The arrow of time means that literally the world and the cosmic forms of being are constantly created from zero point and the absolute nothing and “return” to the latter, recreating it. Creativity of Unity / Multiplicity Our Universe exists as a unified field or whole. Creative energy swirling as atoms, giving rise to molecules, forming galaxies, stars, planets, mountains, rivers and the bodies of all living beings. If this is so, why do we not “see” the world this way, experience our lives for the miracle it is? Forests, lovers, galaxies, flowers, rivers, mountains, moons and countless living beings- our Universe moves and dances as each of us. Born of Earth, animated by solar winds , we are the children of evolution’s story, Nature’s emergence on the stage of cosmic history. Birds calling, hurricanes swirling, bees passing by, waves crashing on beaches, leaves waving hello from a neighbor’s tree. All flowering into this moment, creative expressions of our sacred totality. Waiting, just waiting, for our minds to quiet, our hearts to open and our eyes to see… Our physical bodies function as a harmonious whole, all the cells and systems working together as one, in synch with the surrounding world. We breathe in oxygen given to us by the trees, drink water from lakes and springs, take in materials from trees and plants that grow in the earth, their leaves gathering energy from our local star, the sun. Every moment of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, we live in unity and intimate connection with the creative wisdom of the natural world. Thinking and behavior that is in tune with Nature’s wisdom is more compassionate and holistic than the mechanistic ways of complex civilizations. All it requires is mindful observation, curiosity, a creative imagination and a peaceful heart. Transformation of Thought And Evolution of Consciousness The challenge for humanity now is to transform and transcend our fractured views of the world, to shift paradigms, to return to a more wise and holistic understanding of ourselves and our place in the Universe. A change in thinking and behavior will result naturally from a change of heart. As Einstein put it, “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Once enough of us open our minds and collaborate together, there’s a good chance we’ll find many of our problems can be solved quite easily. By aligning our species with the wisdom of Nature (and our own hearts), the health of our planet and communities could be restored. We just need to recognize our interdependence with the rest of the Universe, be more generous and grateful, care about one another, re-evaluate our priorities and change the way we think. The whole Universe pulses with complex interconnections and a mysterious beauty far beyond our imaginations. There’s a deeper truth that our limited conceptions ignores- that the Universe is not something that exists outside of us. You and I are creative living expressions of ALL that is. We are born of atoms forged in the heart of long gone stars, energized now by the photons of our local sun. Kept alive by the nutrients and air of our World. We are Life manifesting as people, mountains, rivers and trees. Seeing this deeper truth and experiencing our connection to the Universe is the beginning of wisdom. Sharing that wisdom with others- and using it as the foundation for redesigning the human systems that we build together- is how our world can be re-created and transformed. alexis karpouzos, twitter45.mp4
  6. Why must I lose everything I own?Why must I lose all I have lovedAll that I desire, all that I've known?Time is Relentless, dauntless.Like a fleeting moment, like a speck of dustIn a quick heartbeat, in a fleeting breathLoss descends like darknessLike the deep calm of death.but love Declares a war on loss, on the inevitable, asserts its arrogance, love shines its sword.Such valiance is what makes one standWithout fear or dilemma, unguardedChallenging death's aggressive blows.Yet again and again, life’s designs must fail.Yet there is a need so great, a longing so strongTime's lesson unheeded, all defeats ignoredLove asserts its arrogance, love shines its sword."You're not real , death, you do not exist"Life asserts proudly, as death smirks onPride stands firm, love marches aheadKnowing unknowingly…. that all will be gone.that the Tears evaporate. alexis karpouzos - zen.mp4
  7. I have many fathers and I have many mothersAnd I have many sisters and I have many brothersMy brothers are black and my mothers are yellowAnd my fathers are red and my sisters are white.And I am over fifty thousand years oldAnd my name is humanAnd I live from light and I live from loveAnd I live from the air and I live from the breadAnd I know someday, we will live togetherAnd we will be lovedAnd the planet EarthIt will belong to all of us, to all our brothers, animals, plants and lakes, rivers and mountains.And everyone will have what they need. Amazon official site of alexis karpouzos Goodreads, official site of alexis karpouzos alexis karpouzos, vk.mp4
  8. How exactly is Kundalini meditation more than religion or mere set of beliefs? Sonia Vadlamani explains how this energizing technique can offer a greater sense of awareness and purpose. At some point in our lives, many of us realize how we spend most of our days in a ‘default-mode’, as we keep reacting to the stimuli in the environment around us with minimal sense of control over the various events of the day. For instance, you may have noticed how often you fix your lunch absentmindedly or go about your work in an automated fashion – all without paying any real attention – yet feel drained by the end of the day. Meditation can prove to be an effective key to enhance our awareness. And Kundalini meditation could be a more intentional way to unleash one’s inner potential and improve focus. Indeed, practitioners of Kundalini meditation believe that every human being has life-energy or prana present within, which can be awakened with patience and dedicated practice. RELATED: 9 science-backed benefits of meditation What is Kundalini meditation? While the exact origin of Kundalini meditation is not known, its practice has been traced back to as early as 500 BC. Hinduism believes Kundalini to be a vast pool of energy visualized in the form of a coiled or sleeping serpent, resting at the base of the spine which is also the root chakra or muladhara. The seven chakras, including muladhara shutterstock/Olga Zelenkova Kundalini meditation was introduced to the Western world by Yogi Bhajan in 1968, who envisioned a new form of spirituality that connected ancient knowledge with the modern-era lifestyle. Purpose of Kundalini meditation The core philosophy underlying Kundalini meditation is to facilitate movement of energy through the body. The ‘coiled’ or static energy reserve generally refers to the unrealized potential that is inherently present in every human being. A fundamental part of Kundalini yoga, Kundalini meditation is aimed at harnessing this large reserve of unutilized energy at the base of the spine. It works by enabling energy movement through the seven chakras – starting from the base chakra at the bottom of the spine – through the different parts of body – to the crown chakra situated atop the head, from where it eventually exits the body. “Kundalini meditation could be a more intentional way to unleash one’s inner potential and improve focus.” This movement of the life-energy symbolizes awakening of Kundalini, resulting in an expanded state of consciousness and improved mind-body-soul balance. Kundalini meditation also lowers stress levels and enables one to act in a focused and purposeful manner, rather than leading their lives in automation mode. Benefits of Kundalini meditation The research on Kundalini meditation is still in premature stages, but researchers and psychologists have begun to acknowledge its potential benefits when practiced regularly alongside the other integral elements of kundalini yoga. Some of the science-backed benefits of kundalini meditation include: Lowered stress levels Kundalini yoga can reduce production of cortisol levels upon consistent practice, as shown in a 2017 study by Jocelyn N García-Sesnich, et al. Thirteen participants who practiced kundalini meditation along with other components of Kundalini yoga regularly for a period of three months exhibited a significant reduction in stress and anxiety levels. Improved sense of well-being A study conducted by Suresh Arumugam showed positive impact on psychological sense of well-being and improved memory power, encouraging a more holistic approach towards health in the participants. Reduced anxiety levels An eight-week study trial by M. G. Gabriel et al showed lowered anxiety levels and significant reduction in depression symptoms with regular practice of kundalini yoga, offering promising results for treating conditions like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Improved cognitive and emotional functioning Researchers Harris A. Eyre et al attempted to study the effect of a 12-week kundalini yoga intervention on mild cognitive impairment with declining age. The subjects exhibited improved memory levels, along with a significant decline in apathy levels and depressive symptoms. How to practise Kundalini meditation Practitioners of Kundalini meditation agree that the best results are achieved by starting small and proceeding gradually at a sustained pace, even if all you can dedicate to it is a few minutes daily. Here's how to get started: 1. Get comfortable Choose a quiet place where you're less likely to be distracted or disturbed. For best results, it's ideal to meditate at the same spot every day. Wearing neutral-toned, comfortable and loose-fitting cotton clothing is recommended. 2. Decide on a convenient time While there are no hard and fast rules about when to meditate, it would be best to practice it at the same time each day consistently, without disruption. Morning meditations work great for setting good intentions for the day ahead, while evening meditation is good for unwinding. Meditation right after a meal is not advised, as your body needs all the energy at this time for digestion. 3. Choose a meditation span Again, there's no set ideal duration here, it's up to you to decide. Anywhere between five minutes to an hour of practice. Starting smaller and gradually increasing the duration will help you to focus better, while fitting the practice into your schedule with ease. 4. Get into a comfortable position You could sit in lotus pose or a cross-legged position on a rug or on the floor, or in a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor. It's important to keep your spine in upright position through the duration of meditation. Close your eyes gently and press your palms together over your heart in prayer pose. In the Lotus position shutterstock/Syda Productions 5. Introduce a mantra Chanting a mantra can help you direct your energy and focus better while you meditate. A commonly chosen bija or seed mantra for this meditation is “Sat Nam” which translates to “I am the truth”. Chant “Sat” as you inhale and “Nam” as you exhale. This or any other mantra you personally prefer can be chanted out loud or silently in your head. 6. Focus on your breath movement Energize your breaths as you chant the chosen mantra. Start with a slow and prolonged inhale till your lungs feel full, then slowly exhale till your lungs feel completely empty. Ideally, the inhales and exhales should be broken into four parts with brief pauses. “The core philosophy underlying Kundalini meditation is to facilitate movement of energy through the body.” Repeat the cycle. Observe as your breath moves through your body. If your mind begins to wander, bring your attention back to the breathing pattern and the chants. 7. Draw meditation to a finish Set an alarm for a predetermined duration of meditation, and continue the breathing and chanting cycle till the alarm rings. Finish with a deep inhale as you raise your arms above, and relax as you exhale. 8. Increase the frequency gradually As you gradually increase the duration of meditation and practice more consistently, notice the energy rising from the base of the spine, coursing up along the length of your spine and outside via the top of your head. The takeaway: Kundalini meditation Realizing your fullest potential with Kundalini meditation could prove to be a rewarding journey. Regular practise can enable you to act from a place of purpose and intent, as opposed to reacting to your thoughts and external stimuli. It can also prompt a state of mindfulness by breaking unhelpful automated patterns in your life, thus clearing path for creative pursuits and more joyful existence. Main image: shutterstock/Dymtro Flisak happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to enjoy these benefits: ■ our happiness magazine with practical life tips and inspiration ■ share knowledge and help support others in our happiness forum ■ learn and self-develop with free online classes in our happiness Academy Self care | Tonglen meditation | Gratitude meditation Written by Sonia Vadlamani Fitness and healthy food blogger, food photographer and stylist, travel-addict. Sonia loves to write and has resolved to dedicate her life to revealing how easy and important it is to be happier, stronger and fitter each day. Follow her daily pursuits at FitFoodieDiary or on Instagram.
  9. Hi, I am a traditional Himalayan Yogi. A happy spiritual soul. Offering health, wealth, happiness and healing. I live in the Himalayas.
  10. With anxiety and depression levels rising in kids, mindfulness and meditation are increasingly being employed by parents. Here are 7 of the best mindfulness books for kids on the market that can instill these two essential life skills, keeping children calm and centered. By Ann Vrlak. Would you like to introduce mindfulness to your child, but aren’t sure where to start? It has been wonderful to see the explosion of interest in mindfulness for kids – in schools and in homes all around the world. There is a growing body of research that shows how simple mindfulness practices – tailored for children – can help kids learn invaluable skills they can use their whole lives, like how to: Self-regulate emotions Improve self-esteem and confidence Relax when you’re stressed or worried Concentrate better Treat yourself with kindness and compassion Increase empathy With this impressive list, it’s no surprise that schools are incorporating some form of mindfulness exercises in elementary and high school classes. Furthermore, many parents want to know how to teach mindfulness themselves, to help their children navigate everyday stresses and conflicts, and to learn tools to relax or take a pause if they feel upset. There are so many books about mindfulness for kids to choose from. I’ve done the work for you by choosing my seven absolute favorites. They’re all also five-star rated by the parents and kids I’ve recommended them to. Storybooks Storybooks are one great style of mindfulness book that explain concepts to children. Here are three of the best that are currently on the market: 1. Moody Cow Meditates | Kerry Lee MacLean Peter the calf has a “stupid, rotten day when everything went wrong.” He woke up with a bad dream, his sister drew on his skateboard, and the day just goes downhill from there. He is so upset and angry his sister names him “Moody Cow” which just makes things worse! Moody Cow Meditates is one of the best mindfulness books for kids because it describes the kind of day we all can have when nothing goes right and no one seems to be on your side! Peter visits his wise grandfather who shows him how to create a mindfulness jar: he adds sparkles to a jar of clear water for each angry thought he has and then shakes the jar. RELATED: The benefits of meditation for kids His grandfather explains how the agitated, cloudy water is like his agitated mind, full of thoughts. And as the water settles down, and the sparkles settle, it’s just like when you calm down again and can see things more clearly. Grandfather gently takes Peter through the mindfulness jar practice from his upset mind to a quiet place. 2. Visiting Feelings | Lauren Rubenstein Visiting Feelings is a book that also looks at how to be with emotions in a healthy way. Rubenstein encourages kids, through gorgeous illustrations, to treat their feelings like unexpected visitors. How tall is this feeling? What colour and shape is it? Is it warm or cold? By asking these kinds of questions, the author is encouraging kids to observe feelings at arm’s length, to be curious about them, instead of thinking that something is wrong. Make friends with feelings, she says, and listen to what they have to tell you. “There is a growing body of research that shows how simple mindfulness practices – tailored for children – can help kids learn invaluable skills they can use their whole lives.” Rubenstein also gently asks kids to notice where feelings live in their body – another traditional adult practice of noticing the physical qualities of an emotion – like a knot in your stomach, that give you a concrete place to begin exploring the emotion. There is a “Note to Parents” in the back of the book about emotional intelligence and tips on how to help children link mindfulness to emotions. 3. Take the time: Mindfulness for Kids | Maud Roegiers This lovely mindfulness book for children has a powerful message: if you’re feeling bad, do something small to feel better. Be with your friends, feel the cold air on your cheeks, or do something you love. And, whether we’re five years old or 50, when we’re feeling sad or upset, we often feel like we have to fix something or do something complicated to feel better. Focusing instead on small, simple pleasures that are always around us if we take time to look, is a tool of health and well-being your child can nurture throughout their life. The beautiful, heartwarming illustrations in Take the Time... bring the story to life. 4. Zen Shorts | Jon J. Muth This is one of Muth’s delightful mindfulness for children books that features the wise panda, Stillwater. Zen Shorts begins with a large, panda suddenly appearing in Michael, Karl and Addy’s back yard. He’s a mysterious fellow and a storyteller who soon has the children entranced with classic meditation stories put into kids’ language: someone who shows compassion for a robber and the man who says, “Maybe” to a whole series of life events that everyone assumes are “good” or “bad.” Kids also love Zen Happiness, Zen Socks and other books by Muth. Books with mindfulness exercises for kids Each of the following great books has sections explaining the principles and benefits of mindfulness for children, teaching tips and lots of specific mindfulness exercises you can do with your children. 5. Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children | Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community This book by beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh shines with love and respect for children, and how to nurture their growth through simple meditation practices. Hanh talks about meditation as a way to plant the seeds of self-awareness, relaxing through breath, recognizing your connection to nature, nurture compassion and community, embrace emotions – and more. All the ideas are accompanied by simple, engaging exercises kids can do on their own or with a guide – and many are included on an accompanying CD. RELATED: Thich Nhat Hanh – his life in quotes and teachings My personal favourite to do with kids is the Pebble Meditation. Kids gather four pebbles to represent a flower, mountain, still water and space, and use them in a meditation to emulate each of their qualities: “Fresh like a flower... Solid like a mountain.” This meditation, and others, builds on kids’ imagination and ability to embody positive and resilient states. Every chapter in Planting Seeds is grounded in caring for children, and encouragement to explore their inner and outer world with kindness for their own sake and the sake of all beings. 6. Child’s Mind: Mindfulness Practices to Help Our Children be More Focused, Calm and Relaxed | Christopher Willard This is an excellent mindfulness book for kids if you would like to know more about the psychological applications of meditation for children – for everyday challenges and for kids who are troubled by chronic anxiety or depression. Willard is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with a deep experience with mindfulness and meditation. He talks about meditation’s effect on kids’ mental, emotional and physical well-being in easy to understand language, and how parents can use mindfulness to help their children overcome difficulties. “ If you’d like to explore the world of mindfulness books for kids, all of these titles will give you and your child an experienced, caring and fun place to start.” Child's Mind features a creative range of mindfulness practices like The Universe in a Raisin; Hugging Meditation; Everyday Mindfulness, Everyday Games; and, Homesickness Meditation. All encourage kids to mindfully and gently explore what’s happening for them. I use many of his exercises with my young mindfulness students for the balanced way he shows kids how to accept and honour their own feelings, and how to do mindful things to feel better. RELATED: The benefits of meditation for kids 7. Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents) | Eline Snel If you’d like a short, approachable book about why mindfulness is a great skill for kids, read Sitting Still Like a Frog. Each chapter in the book explains a mindfulness concept or skill, and includes one or two exercises for kids to practice with. Some of the concepts Snel explains are Training your Attention Muscle, Weathering the Storm Inside and The Conveyor Belt of Worries. She uses imagery to great effect to help kids relate to their feelings, thoughts and experiences in entertaining, mindful ways. RELATED: 6 secrets to raising happy children Snel also includes short exercises parents can use with everyday routines, like meals and bedtime. She makes all the concepts fun and has a warm way of communicating. This book also includes a CD with many of the best guided practices. There is also an accompanying activity book with 75 mindfulness games. The takeaway: best mindfulness books for kids So, if you’d like to explore the world of mindfulness books for kids, all of these titles will give you and your child an experienced, caring and fun place to start. The books don’t just talk about mindfulness, they embody mindfulness in the way they talk about children and their needs, and the way they talk to kids in the stories and exercises. Most of these authors have more than one book, so you and your family can enjoy them together for a long time to come. • Main image: shutterstock/Tatiana Bobkova happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Meditation | Family activities Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
  11. I would say yes and here is why: The most influential course I took was "the science of happiness" about which I wrote an article for the Happiness Magazine a few years ago when happiness.com was just a little blog. Since then many things changed (for the better), and I think it is fair to attribute a big chunk of it to this course because it convinced me to start with meditation. I then did an MBSR (meditation-based stress reduction) course, and a few years later I am a certified meditation and MBSR teacher. What is your favourite course and why? How did it influence your life?
  12. Friends, Come to wilderness to have good health. Good health leads to happiness. Happiness leads to Holiness.
  13. At the dawn of the third decade of the 21st century, the existence of humankind has become highly perilous. We are cutting down our forests, exhausting our fresh water aquifers, and losing our vital top soils. We are stripping the life from our oceans and replacing it with hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste. We are flooding our environment with toxic industrial chemicals. Our pollution is driving climate change that causes heat waves, droughts, and wild fires that shred the fabric of life on the continents. And we are bringing new generations into the world, millions who require access to the resources of a dignified existence. The scope and breadth of the threats to life are increasing day after day. This is not a sustainable mode of development.Goodreads, alexis karpouzos official siteThe root cause of our ills stems from a mistaken way of thinking. What exactly does this mean? it means that we have been thinking of ourselves mainly as material beings, while denying our spiritual nature. Because we think that we exist as material beings and nothing more, we place first importance on protecting our bodies from harm and prolonging our material existence. Our spiritual nature, if considered at all, is treated as a secondary aspect of our physical being—something not to be taken seriously. To us, the only things that matter are the phenomena that appear in the material world—things that can be seen, or heard, or touched, or measured, but we know that our senses deceive us, the senses are a construction of the brain. What we consider a real world is an illusion. The domination of the positivist and materialist thought leads to irrationality and destruction.IMDB, alexis karpouzos official siteYet where has this approach led us? Has it brought us a sense of happiness and fulfillment? Rather than living each day in a spirit of joyful cooperation, with our hearts filled with bright hope and happy anticipation, we have isolated ourselves from others and viewed them as rivals or enemies. Our thoughts are flooded with suspicion, fear and greed, leading to an endless cycle of war, poverty, starvation, and environmental destruction. Unless we wake up soon and pay attention to our spiritual nature, there will be no future for humanity on Earth.Words are life. Words are light. Words are power. Words are energy. Words are truth. Words can enliven and words can also kill. Words can give hope, or plunge us into despair. People use words to build peace, and use words to make war. Words can create walls between cultures, religions, and nations. And words can also build bridges. The existence of an individual, a family, a community, a country, and our planet is being led to good or to evil through the power of the words we speak. The words we speak are responsible for everything that happens in this world. We, therefore, must be responsible for the words we speak. On behalf of future generations, I hope that each of us will do all we can to speak only bright, light-filled words, so that one day, our descendants will be born into a world filled with light. There is no time to lose. Starting at this very moment, I hope all of us will take a close look at the words we have been using and make constant efforts to fill them with brightness.Amazon, alexis karpouzos official site No one is going to change our lives for us. No one is going to change the world for us. It is time for each of us to recognize the prodigious, creative power that is unleashed by each word we speak, and to consciously speak only words filled with gratitude, encouragement, and good intention. From this moment forward, let us choose words that resonate with love and forgiveness for ourselves and others. We can certainly do it if we take just one step forward. One step at a time, one word at a time, we can uproot the germs of tragedy and of isolation in our consciousness and convert them into waves of happiness and conciliation. For the sake of ourselves, for the sake of Mother Earth, and for the sake of future generations, let us use words that contribute to the positive evolution of humankind on Earth. alexis karpouzos, visual art1.mp4 alexis karpouzos_ The world in the flames.mp4
  14. With the world in crisis, now is the perfect time to discover the ancient Tibetan practice of Tonglen meditation writes Calvin Holbrook. With each in-breath, we take in others’ pain. With each out-breath, we send them relief. As human beings, we usually react to pain and suffering by attempting to avoid it or distance ourselves from it. Instead, we tend to gravitate towards the pleasurable, and the experiences, objects and people who bring us comfort. But what if we reversed that logic and actively welcomed uncomfortable feelings and pain into our lives for a moment? Inviting pain and suffering of ourselves and others is the starting place for Tonglen meditation. And with huge amounts of global suffering present at the moment as a result of COVID-19, political and racial tensions and continued global disparities, now is an appropriate time to learn more about this ancient practice. What exactly is Tonglen meditation? Tonglen is Tibetan and translates as 'giving and taking’. Tong means "giving or sending", and len means "receiving or taking.” Tonglen refers to a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism which is used to awaken compassion. The origins of Tonglen date as far back as the 11th Century. During this era leprosy wreaked havoc, causing many deaths in Tibet. Meditation masters brought Tonglen over from India to help those who were suffering from the disease, and also to heal themselves so they could continue to help others to recover. How does Tonglen meditation work? Tonglen meditation is very much visualization and breath-focused and is used to transform negative energy into positive. With each in-breath during the practice, we visualize taking in the pain and suffering of others. With each exhalation, we send relief and healing light to those people so they can find peace. In a similar vein to loving-kindness meditation, Tonglen breeds greater compassion: we become liberated from selfishness and open up to love for both others and ourselves. Indeed, the aim of Tonglen meditation is to change our attitude towards pain and to open our hearts so we can become more loving as we dissolve the pain that surrounds us. Tongen meditation increases our compassion shutterstock/mimagephotgraphy According to The Tibetan Book of the Dead by Sogyal Rinpoche, Tonglen is effective in countering the restricting and sometimes negative influence of our ego by opening our hearts to those suffering around us without losing ourselves in their personal drama. With distance we are compassionate teachers and observers. Tonglen can be practised for those who are ill, those who are dying or have already passed, or those people in pain of any kind. While it can be done as a formal meditation practice (outlined below), we can also practise Tonglen on the spot at any given time: if we’re out and we see a stranger in pain, we can breathe in that person’s suffering and send them relief on exhalation. By practising Tonglen regularly, we start to connect with the open dimension of our being. How to practise Tonglen meditation As just mentioned, you can do Tonglen at any moment. But if you wish to cultivate a more formal Tonglen meditation practise, here are the steps to follow: 1. Flash on Bodhichitta The first step is to rest your mind in a few seconds of openness or stillness. This stage is traditionally known as ‘flashing on absolute bodhichitta’. Bodhicitta is a spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment motivated by great compassion for all beings. 2. Start a visualization and inhale Once prepared, it’s time to visualize the person or people who are suffering.Try to imagine them as possible and feel their pain and distress. Work with texture: as you feel your heart opening in compassion toward them, visualize all of their suffering gathering into a mass of hot, black, heaviness. Breathe it in. Inhale fully, imagining all the negative energy filtering through all the pores of your body. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Pema Chödrön explains Tonglen Meditation YouTube/OMEGA 3. Exhale and spread peace When you exhale with Tonglen meditation, you should aim to breathe out feelings of light, brightness and coolness. Feel positive energy fully, passing through your whole body. Imagine you are passing peace, happiness and well-being to the person in pain. Develop a firm conviction that all of his or her negative karma has been eliminated. Keep breathing in and out in such a way until your visualization is synchronized with your inhalations and exhalations. 4. Expand your compassion Finally, extend your taking in and giving out practice. If you’re doing Tonglen for someone you love who is ill, extend it out to everyone who is in a similar situation. Make it bigger. Furthermore, as with loving kindness meditation, you can also do Tonglen for people you do not have a close connection with or care for – perhaps those that have hurt you or hurt others. Practise Tonglen for them, thinking of them as having the same suffering as your friend or yourself. Breathe in their pain and send peace their way. What are the benefits of Tonglen? Although Tonglen is an important therapeutic tool in Tibetan medicine, in the West, few studies exist regarding the efficacy of this specific meditation – both regarding the benefits to the meditator and those that are being meditated on. While there is an ever expanding body of research on various forms of meditation, research into Tonglen is limited. “Tonglen meditation breeds greater compassion: we become liberated from selfishness and open up to love for both others and ourselves.” Nonetheless, practised regularly, it's safe to say many of the usual benefits of meditation – such as stress relief, reduced anxiety, improved sleep, etc – will apply. In terms of the meditator, the visualization aspect of Tonglen may have advantages as it can lead to a number of cognitive benefits. Repeatedly visualizing scenes or images that evoke positive emotional situations can reinforce the production of brain neurotransmitters associated with positive emotional states, encouraging the pruning of synaptic relationships that are counterproductive to this practice. However, when it comes to the healing properties that Tonglen aims to achieve for those on the receiving end of the positive intemtions, the effects are clearly hard to measure and there is very little clinical evidence to support it to date. RELATED: Meditation for anger – how to calm your rage quickly A 2016 study aimed to evaluate the distant healing effect of Tonglen meditation on stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-perceived quality of life in cancer patients. Just over 100 cancer patients took part, half of which were the subjects of three months of Tonglen meditation from 12 meditators – not know to them. The other half of patients were the control group. Tonglen: take in the negative and give out light Patients were questioned about quality of life and mood during and after treatment. In terms of depression, a statistically significant improvement was found in the treatment group that received Tonglen, suggesting it could make a real difference to how they felt. However, there were no significant findings in the other areas, meaning a more in-depth analysis and evaluation of Tonglen meditation is needed in the future. Tonglen meditation: round-up By practising the Tibetan practice of Tonglen on a regular basis, you can expect your compassion levels to expand naturally over time, as well as benefiting from the usual lifestyle advantages meditation brings. And while there is little scientific evidence to currently back up that Tonglen can improve the pain and suffering of those on the receiving end of it, it can certainly do no harm. Indeed, sending out positive energy to others could only lead to good things. More research is needed in the future to see if such compassionate meditation can really make a difference. ● Main image: shutterstock/sun ok happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online Academy classes Mindfulness | Mindful running | 6 phase meditation Written by Calvin Holbrook Calvin edits our magazine and is a lover of swimming, yoga, dancing to house/techno, and all things vintage. Find out more.
  15. Embracing our oneness with nature be key to our survival. The unity is the invisible Intelligence and is embedded in the rhythms and relationships that observed in nature, we are the work of this cosmic intelligence. What is good for the whole system? On Earth, to the web of life on the planet, what is good for the whole system is good for us all. However, what may be good for a few of us in the short term is not necessarily good for the whole system. Because a few can distort the dynamic, the structure of the whole, by biasing it to work for their immediate benefit, for greed, selfishness and vanity. So, let’s look at the whole system, let us act as if we are part of it—because we are. We are part of nature, and nature is part of the universe. This recognition is probably the deepest guidance we can have. AMAZON, alexis karpouzos official site The open Oneness doesn’t mean that we lose our individuality. The open Oneness means that we are joined together, each of us bringing something to the whole system, we are the whole system, we are all the others. This is what we need to understand; that we can, we must be, one with nature, without losing our individuality. We are not separate mechanical elements outside of nature. Every individual is a complex system running on the same information that orients all of nature. By following the intelligence implicit in the laws of nature we are not losing anything. We are gaining everything, because the secret of our health and wellbeing is to be one within ourselves, and to be one with others. Every event, every action impacts the whole system. If we know that, then we can freely choose to act as part of the whole. Every living system is alive and healthy when all its elements, every one of the trillions and trillions of cells, are working together with and for the whole system. If in the human body there is a group of cells that is out of step, moving on its own, if it just grows and multiplies on its own we have the condition of disease. Every disease is basically a condition where some parts of the body do not cooperate with, are not fully aligned with, the whole. All of us, all of the web of life on Earth, on Universe, must come together to form the symphony of oneness. That is the purpose of our existence. It is our contribution to the world. When we use our mind, our spirit, our consciousness the natural way, the way they were born to be used, we will find our way to oneness in our family and community, on Earth, and in the universe. Alexis karpouzos alexis karpouzos, iam the universe (1).ogg
  16. Confidence is a powerful quality that sometimes slips away from us. But you can rebuild and strengthen it confidence with meditation. Ann Vrlak offers up a meditative practice that you can incorporate into your daily life to build resolution, courage and faith in yourself. Confidence is a quality that pretty much everyone admires and most of us would like to have just a bit more of. It’s a powerful quality that we all define a little differently based on our values and personal history. I’ll talk later about how knowing your definition can help you be more confident. Here are a few of my ideas about what confidence is and why it’s such a great quality to nurture. When you’re confident, you have a simple, unshakeable trust in yourself. You know who you are, what your talents and gifts are, as well as the places you may still want to grow. You know you can handle whatever comes your way, either the expected or the unexpected. You’re not even troubled by what others might think of you because you know yourself. It’s not as if you feel invincible or nothing can hurt you. But you have learned through experience that you’ve made it through challenging situations – some big ones and lots of everyday ones. You know how to problem solve, handle a difficult emotion, resolve a conflict with someone close to you, or take time for healing. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? What can you do when you’re confident? First of all, real confidence doesn't mean having a big ego. When you have real confidence, you don’t need to prove anything to yourself or to anyone else. Build confidence through meditation practice shutterstock/Krakenimages.com When you’re confident, other people can feel it. They may not even know why they like you and feel calm around you. You’ll feel like a stable rock in a river: solid and present while events happen all around you. Maybe you already know someone like that. Furthermore, you’re more open and perceptive. You’re not spending energy on self-doubt or wondering what other people might think of you. You’re paying attention to what’s happening and how to respond in a genuine, clear and caring way. What builds confidence? So, how do you build or strengthen your confidence? It happens in two ways: Through responding skillfully to internal and external experiences of different kinds By finding a place of strength at the centre of your being You learn how to respond to the internal experiences we all have: thoughts, physical pain, worries, emotions, stress. And you learn to do the same with external experiences: conflicts with others, financial pressures, challenges at school. How do you learn this? Through practise. You watch for ways to practise confidence: over and over in day-to-day life and through practising meditation for confidence. “Real confidence doesn't mean having a big ego. When you have real confidence, you don’t need to prove anything to yourself or to anyone else.” I’m going to show you a specific meditation for confidence practice. However, any traditional meditation practice can build your confidence: by teaching you, step by step, to meet every inner and outer experience with kindness and curiosity and, in doing this, discovering an unshakeable centre inside you. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt As you practise these skills, on the quiet of your meditation seat, you’ll automatically see how your confidence with external events changes. You’ll gradually shift from tensing or withdrawing from discomfort, to being more open and curious – and confident. Meditation increases curiosity and confidence shutterstock/New Africa It’s helpful to know that meditation is a life practice that, at first, goes against the grain. When something feels uncomfortable, inside or outside of us, we’re biologically wired to get away from it. It’s a smart and functional survival tool! Most of us have developed a whole range of ways to “get away,” by binge watching media, eating, drinking and other distractions. You might feel temporarily better because you avoided the discomfort. But, you haven’t learned how to handle it any better the next time. And, not only that, you reinforce the belief that you can’t handle it and your confidence takes a dive. Meditation for confidence practice Would you like to try a meditation for confidence practice? Most people find this one really enjoyable, myself included! It’s based on creating a strong visualization of yourself in a confident state. It has three steps. Step 1 Explore and define what confidence means to you. Why? Because confidence probably means something quite different to you than it does to me. And knowing what the confident you looks and feels like will be a guiding star to finding that confidence. Sit or lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Take a minute to breathe and relax. Think about the word confidence and what it means for you. Do you see pictures, images or scenes? Spend a few minutes, enriching this picture and the feeling of confidence. What do you see and hear and feel? What are you doing? Are other people there with you? Who are they? What’s happening? Enjoy and amplify this feeling of confidence for as long as you like. When you’re done, you can journal about your experience for a moment. Jot down what feels most important and meaningful to you about your desire to be confident. What would it enable you to do and be? Step 2 Link these empowering images and feelings to a physical anchor. Choose a part of your body, like an ear lobe or an elbow, that you don’t usually touch in your daily activities. This will be your anchor for the practice. Bring your confidence image to mind and, when it’s at its most vivid peak, touch your chosen anchor. Keep your finger on your anchor, until the image begins to fade. When it does, remove your finger, and reconnect with your picture of confidence. When it feels strong once again, place your finger back on your anchor. Do this for a few rounds. To finish, let go of the images, and relax for a few breaths. Touch your anchor one last time to invoke the feeling of confidence. If you feel confident, wonderful, and if not, don’t worry. Take one more breath to allow it to emerge on its own, don’t chase it. The strength of your anchor will build over time. Feel more confident with this meditation practice Step 3 Use your anchor in a meditation for confidence. Here’s how to do this. Get comfortable again in a seated posture this time. Close your eyes and relax your body. Bring to mind a situation, in the past or future, that makes you feel less confident than you would like. Choose something that triggers some uncertainty or insecurity. Don’t choose anything too serious, maybe a presentation you need to make at work tomorrow or a disagreement last week with your partner where you didn’t speak up for yourself. See and feel the situation for a moment. Then touch your finger to your anchor. Do you feel a bit of confidence infusing the picture? Again, don’t force it. See if you can relax a little and allow some of the confidence to mix with your uncomfortable situation. Release the pressure on your anchor. It’s helpful to do a few repetitions in one session. Imagine the challenging situation, touch your anchor, allow the situation and the confidence to come into contact for as long as feels right, and then release your touch. Take a few breaths and start again. Now you know a complete meditation for confidence practice. You’ll notice it isn’t about convincing yourself you should be confident or criticizing any feelings of insecurity you might have. Instead, you’re creating and embodying a genuine sense of confidence that is much more powerful than any idea. “A confidence meditation practice holds a profound lesson that we can all benefit from: you don't need to make difficult experiences go away to feel better.” Once you’ve strengthened the connection with your anchor, you can use it in any type of meditation practice, like watching your breath or doing a body scan. Whenever you feel something uncomfortable or unpleasant, use your anchor. Stay in meditation, touch your anchor and connect with your felt experience of confidence. RELATED: Visualization meditation – how to practise it A confidence meditation practice holds a profound lesson that we can all benefit from: you don’t need to make difficult experiences go away to feel better – and you also don’t need to go away from them through distraction or unhealthy habits. Just add confidence to your experience. Feel your own strength and resourcefulness, and you may be surprised at how much better you feel. It’s like filling a glass: it can be filled with worries and insecurity or it can be filled with confidence. As you connect with and nurture your sense of resourcefulness and strength, your glass will be filled and worries just won’t have anywhere to go. I recommend doing this kind of practice whenever you can. I think you’ll enjoy it. • Main image: shutterstock/mimagephotography happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
  17. We are in the midst of a sudden “bifurcation” in the evolutionary trajectory of a complex dynamic system. Bifurcation creates crisis, and crisis, as we know, is both danger and opportunity. Either way, it is a prelude to change. The challenge is to choose the change that leads to a sane and flourishing world. This is a real but non-recurring opportunity. Failing to seize it means returning to where we have been: facing the prospect of our collective demise. Because for the past several decades we have been exposed to a plethora of crises, and these are likely to be as global as the pandemic, but not necessarily as temporary. They include conditions as bad or worse than a pandemic. For instance: millions dying of starvation and penury—and through epidemics and violence taking further millions with them. Hordes of displaced refugees tearing apart the fabric of more and more societies. Droughts turning fertile verdant land into arid, lifeless plains. Rising sea levels flooding a third of the human habitations on the planet. Violent storms destroying the homes of rich and poor alike. And local conflicts escalating into regional wars and turning into a global nuclear confrontation. The unsustainable processes we have created could reach fateful tipping points— points of irreversibility. We either learn to live sanely and sustainably, or we leave the stage of history. This is a lesson we have learned on the level of theory. Amazon, alexis karpouzos official site Now we are facing it in practice. global pandemic is an opportunity for consciousness change .Even if some people are depressed and do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic we are experiencing is temporary; it will pass into history as all the previous pandemics did. But the change it brings may be lasting. It can be change for the better, or change for the worse. Making it a change for the better is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. In a way, the pandemic is a blessing in disguise. It made us realize that we are an interdependent and either co-evolving or co-devolving living system. If we fail to make good use of the opportunity this gifts us, we expose ourselves to a plethora of crises. But if we make good use of it, we can create a better world. We can build a better world if we stop being fearful. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. What is it, then, that we need to do? we need to act differently; act as if we were part of the web of life on the planet. Because we are that, even if most of us neither realize nor act like it. We have been harming the planet, and so harming ourselves.We have ignored the interdependence and ultimate oneness of life. We need to adopt better goals. It is not “our people, our nation first”—not even all of humanity first. It is the web of life first, as it exists and evolves on Earth. When that web is safe and sound, we are safe and sound. Then we can flourish, instead of having to fight crisis after crisis. Our body is healthy when it is whole, and the body of humanity is healthy when it is whole— when it embraces and values all the beings that walk the Earth. We know this, and we have always known it. But in the modern world we have suppressed this knowledge, buried it in our desperate scramble for money and power. We have used the fabulous fruits of the human genius maibly to ach. alexis karpouzos, visual art1.mp4
  18. What is gratitude meditation and how do you practise it? Sonia Vadlamani answers these questions plus explains five great benefits it brings. Plus, discover three great gratitude meditation YouTube videos to get you started. Do you want to reap more from your life – whether in the form of happiness, enriched relationships, enhanced sense of well-being or increased efficiency? Do you wish to amplify your existence and make life more meaningful, instead of feeling like you barely exist amidst the chaos of daily life? Gratitude meditation can help you achieve these things, and it's also one of the simplest meditation types you can practise. What is gratitude? Derived from the Latin word gratus, gratitude is the ability to feel thankful and show appreciation for all things good in your life. Have you ever observed how you feel a spur-of-the-moment gratefulness when someone does something kind for you, or surprised you with a lovely gesture or gift? The emotion you felt was that of gratitude, and studies show that practising thankfulness every day can help change your life for the better. In fact, scientific studies have found that gratitude can be the ‘social glue’ that promotes positive outlook, strengthens relationships, and help us to become better, happier human beings. What is gratitude meditation exactly? Gratitude meditation, as indicated by the name, is a kind of meditation centered on feeling grateful. While there are many other styles of meditations out there, gratitude meditation is one of the easiest you can practice anywhere, even in the midst of a hectic work schedule. What's more, it's also one of the most rewarding styles of meditation. JOIN US! Discover more about meditation at happiness.com. Belong to a community that cares Gratitude meditation focuses on bearing in mind various things you're thankful for in life and letting that feeling of appreciation take a stronghold inside yourself. For example, it could be appreciating family members who are always there for you, friends who always cheer you up, or colleagues who share the workload with you so you don’t have to do overtime. Great to be grateful: gratitude meditation has many benefits Additionally, you don't always have to meditate on a noticeable act – gratitude meditation also enables you to take pleasure in the simple things in life you're grateful for like the ability to see, hear, taste and walk, or something as intangible as the important lesson you learnt from a difficult phase you were going through at some point in your life. The origins of gratitude meditation Research suggests that the foundations of gratitude were inspired from religion. Mindfulness and meditation expert Jack Kornfield is quoted as saying: “Buddhist monks begin their day with chants of gratitude for their blessed lives. Meanwhile, Martin Luther described gratitude as the “basic Christian attitude”. Indeed, millions of Christians celebrate Thanksgiving every year to count their blessings and express their appreciation for all they have. “Gratitude meditation also enables you to take pleasure in the simple things in life, like the ability to see, hear, taste and walk.” Meanwhile, Hinduism advocates that “one with an attitude of gratitude is closest to achieving Moksh, or freedom from karmic life-cycles,”, states Uma Mysorekar, M.D. Do you have to be religious to practice gratitude? Of course not. Experts agree that gratitude is not limited to religious pursuits – you can be thankful for the gifts of life without being religious. Benefits of gratitude meditation There are many advantages to incorporating a gratitude meditation practice into your life. Here are five of the most important: 1. Greater sense of happiness Studies have shown that practising gratitude can consistently and effectively make you happier. Counting your blessings can make you feel more optimistic and help you develop and maintain a positive attitude throughout the day. Indeed, a study revealed that gratitude could be the most-needed positive intervention that can prevent depressive thoughts and help individuals lead a happier, content life. 2. Improved mental health Could you ever have guessed that gratitude meditation can also rewire your brain to be better equipped to deal with adversity or difficult phases of life? Practising gratitude meditation sensitizes the brain towards helpful acts and appreciable things in life, thus enabling us to break free from the endless loop of worries, rumination, fears and insecurities. 3. Stronger personal relationships Practising gratitude meditation has even been show to protect marriage and strengthen friendships. Expressing your thanks for friends, colleagues and spouse can make them feel appreciated and valued, reinforcing your bond with them and preventing miscommunication or conflict. 4. Better physical health Feeling grateful for good things in your life can make a difference in your outlook towards life, enabling you to feel better, live to the fullest and even sleep better. Indeed, grateful people are more likely to experience heightened state of mind, eat healthily, exercise more often and live longer. 5. Increased social circle Ever noticed how some people make friends effortlessly and instantly? Grateful individuals can trust more easily, express their appreciation in more straightforward fashion, and make friends with strangers with better ease. A 2014 study from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia was the first to show that for thanking a new acquaintance for their help meant they were more likely to seek an ongoing social relationship with you. “Saying thank you provides a valuable signal that you're someone with whom a high quality relationship could be formed,” said UNSW psychologist Dr Lisa Williams, who co-conducted the research. Gratitude meditation: how to do it Great news: kickstarting a gratitude meditation routine is simple! All you need is a quiet corner and minimal time (10-20 minutes on average, depending on the technique you choose). “Gratitude meditation is one of the easiest you can practice anywhere, even in the midst of a hectic work schedule.” You could even start small, and simply be thankful for the basic amenities and privileges you have in life. Several experts (and even celebrities like Oprah) suggest that maintaining a gratitude journal to jot down all the things, actions, people etc you’re grateful for, can transform your outlook towards life tremendously. Here are three YouTube videos to inspire you to get your gratitude meditation routine up and running: The Mindful Movement: 10-Minute Morning Meditation for Gratitude This meditation can form a part of your morning ritual, preparing you to start the day on a more positive note. Ever feel trampled under the weight of senseless material pursuits, or dissatisfied by what you have achieved so far? Practising gratitude daily using this technique will open your eyes to the fact that what you have is enough, and that you are perfect. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Mary Kate: Gratitude Meditation To Shift Your Reality Using the powerful tool of Law of Attraction, this gratitude meditation technique shows you how to attract miracles in your life. Appreciating the smallest gestures and acts of kindness and being thankful for everything you have will help you manifest happiness and abundance every single day. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Dan Lok: 15-Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation for Abundance & Miracles Renowned business magnate and educator Dan Lok shows how to energize your day and attract abundance by being grateful for everything you have using a simple yet effective visualization technique. You begin by relaxing and asking yourself what and who all you're grateful for, and if there are things you're taking for granted. This meditation is very easy, and helps you develop more compassion, empathy and appreciation for everything good. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Round-up: gratitude meditation In conclusion, the benefits of gratitude meditation are many. Gratitude is not only a humble acknowledgment of how blessed our life is, but also a doorway for attracting abundance, happiness and prosperity our way. What's more, incorporating gratitude into our daily lives is very easy and hardly requires any additional effort. Are you getting started today? ● Main image: shutterstock/ WAYHOME Studio Liked this? Then check out Top 5 benefits of gratitude practice happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Mental health | Compassion | Empathy Written by Sonia Vadlamani Fitness and healthy food blogger, food photographer and stylist, travel-addict. Sonia loves to write and has resolved to dedicate her life to revealing how easy and important it is to be happier, stronger and fitter each day. Follow her daily pursuits at FitFoodieDiary or on Instagram.
  19. Many of us are guilty of self-criticism, and this trait ultimately makes us weaker and less capable. Self-love, on the other hand, pulls us to a larger, kinder place. Ann Vrlak explores the benefits of self-love meditation and gives you a practice to get started with. Self-love. Does the phrase make you relax and smile, or does it make you cringe? Your reaction to this question will tell you a lot about yourself and if self-love meditation is something you may want to try. Being critical of ourselves, having a lot of negative self-talk, is unfortunately all too common. But, that doesn’t make it any less damaging to our sense of well-being and happiness. Indeed, self-criticism is intimately linked with not feeling worthy of love. Somehow, somewhere along the line, many of us learned that we have to earn love, rather than it being our birthright. We feel we have to be perfect to be loved. The problem is there’s no such thing as human perfection. Interestingly, in a conversation with Western psychotherapists, the Dalai Lama was puzzled by the concept of “low self-esteem” – it was not something he recognized in Tibetan culture at all! Self-love: the two wings of meditation Your head and your heart are the two wings of meditation. The head provides step-by-step practices, context and an understanding of the goals of meditation. The heart is the environment, the space you bring to meditation. If you follow a practice, step by step, but feel unloving and self-critical, it will be an ineffectual practice indeed, not to mention a subtle kind of self-punishment. Better not to meditate at all! Reduce tension and build strength through self-love meditation Self-love meditation not only makes you happier, more creative and more resourceful, but it automatically opens your heart to others. And don’t be fooled: self-love builds strength. Self-love or self-compassion has an undeserved reputation as being weak or self-indulgent. Not so. Indeed, one expert in self-compassion, Kristen Neff, makes the case for the opposite: that it builds resilience, self-awareness and compassion for others. What are the benefits of self-love meditation? Here are just a few of the advantages to practising self-love meditation. Incorporate it into your daily schedule and you should start to feel some of the following benefits: 1. Reduces tension and anxiety Self-criticism or self-judgment feels just like criticism or judgement from someone else. It causes anger, sadness or even fear, and causes tension and anxiety. Practising self-love meditation literally helps your nervous system relax and feel safe. 2. It feels better! Continuing on from the last point: who would you prefer to spend time with? Someone who criticizes what you think, how you look, how you act? Or, someone who’s curious about you, is kind, and treats you with respect and compassion? If you prefer the latter – spoiler alert! – you can treat yourself the way you want others to treat you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? 3. Brings your unconscious self-criticism into the light Many, many people resist self-love meditations. Why? Because, as I’ve already mentioned, self-criticism is seen as “normal,” to some extent at least. There are many possible reasons for this that are outside the scope of this article! For now, it’s enough to know that practising self-love meditation will show you where you are on the spectrum of self-love to self-criticism. If you are nearer to the self-criticism end, that is not something to criticize yourself for. “Self-love meditation not only makes you happier, more creative and more resourceful, but it automatically opens your heart to others.” Meditation is a tool for self-knowledge. If your self-love meditation shows you your unconscious habit of negative self-talk, it’s OK, you’re not alone! You can start to notice this self-talk, how it makes you feel and how it affects what you do. And if you want to make things better. 4. Builds strength Self-criticism essentially makes you smaller and less capable. Self-love, on the other hand, takes you to a larger, kinder viewpoint on yourself. You see your ‘weaknesses’ or limitations without feeling threatened by them. This makes change and growth something you’re naturally drawn to do – you can choose it consciously from a healthy place. 5. Rest our minds We use our minds so much, we can forget to feel. It’s healthy to ‘unplug’ your mind and remember what is most important to you. Is it to feel happy? To feel safe and loved? A self-love meditation is a simple and powerful way to take quality time for yourself, let your mind rest and immerse yourself in love and respect. A self-love meditation practice You can do this practice sitting or lying down. Get comfortable and start by following your breath for a few minutes. When you’re feeling relaxed, notice any emotions you’re having in the moment. In particular, is there any slight feeling of upset or unhappiness that you can find? For your first few sessions of the practice, it’s best to work with something small, but you be the judge of what you’re up for. If nothing comes up right now, you can bring to mind a recent situation that caused you a bit of emotional turmoil. For a few breaths, notice where that emotion is located. You might feel sadness in your throat, for example, or anger in your solar plexus. See where you physically feel your emotion most strongly. Be specific. And notice the thoughts that accompany the emotion. Do you have thoughts of self-blame, regret or unworthiness? Now, repeat one of the following statements silently or out loud. If none of the statements feel right to you, that’s OK. See if you can find another that fits and has the same message of attention and caring. Here’s the first statement. “I see you [name your emotion]. That sounds really hard, I’m sorry.” Here’s another: “I’m here. Stay as long as you like [name your emotion], you’re welcome here.” Or: “I see you [name your emotion]. I love you.” If you have resistance to these statements, welcome to the club! See if you can feel the intention and meaning of one of these statements, even for a few seconds. What does it feel like to turn toward your own discomfort with a caring attention, rather than turning away from it, or minimizing or judging it? And if you just can’t feel any self-love toward yourself, toward your own pain, does that evoke some self-compassion in you? How hard is it to move through life in this way? When you feel resistance or judgement about the practice itself, include that, too: “I see you resistance. That must be hard. I’m sorry.” You can picture someone you care about having the emotion you’re experiencing. Can you feel the compassion you naturally want to give them and direct it to yourself? Is it actually true that they are worthy of love, but you are not? It helps to realize your common humanity: whatever upsetting or difficult emotion you’re experiencing right now, there are people all over the world experiencing the same thing. Suffering in big and small ways is just part of being human; it’s not a punishment. Recognizing that many of us are worried about our aging parents or about losing our job can soften your heart toward yourself and others. Keep feeling your uncomfortable emotion and saying your loving statement. If the words just get in the way, just see if you can feel love in your heart. Let love come into contact with your suffering. Continue the practice as long as it feels comfortable, watching and listening closely for how self-love feels for you. Conclusion: self-love meditation Self-love meditation can uncover perspectives and insights that you can’t see when you’re criticizing yourself. Do this practice as a kind of call and response. Send out self-love in your chosen statement and watch for a response. If you’re not used to sending yourself love, the response could be very small or very fleeting – part of you may not “believe” what you’re sending or not want to accept it. So, really watch for, listen to, and feel any response from your heart and body: a softening, a sense of relief, a bit of gratitude. Those small signs are seeds you can nurture each time you practice self-love meditation. Main image: shutterstock/WAYHOME studio happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online Academy classes Burnout | Stress management | Mindfulness Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
  20. In our busy, modern world it's all to easy to get distracted from the task in hand. Ann Vrlak outlines how meditation practices can improve your focus and boost concentration levels so you can get the job done and feel happier. A desire to improve mental focus is one of the most common reasons people want to learn meditation. In fact, improving concentration and focus may be more relevant to your everyday life than you think! There are two ingredients in a strong ability to focus: being able to direct your attention where you want it to be and keeping it there for a sustained period of time, regardless of anything else that might want to grab your attention. So, you need a stable, calm focus for things like: A work project you’re in charge of at the office. An important conversation with your partner or child. A creative project you're excited about. Thinking about work life balance, what’s most important to you and how you want to spend your precious time and energy. In all of these everyday situations, you just can’t be at your best when your mind is scattered: You won’t be able to move your project forward without the ability to focus on one thing at a time. If you can’t focus in a conversation, people won’t feel heard and that can cause disconnection and conflict with the people closest to you. Creativity invites you to go beneath the surface and connect with something deeper inside you that wants to be expressed. It’s very hard to do that when your mind is cluttered. To make wise, meaningful life decisions you need to hold many things in your focus: your intentions, values and hopes. You can improve focus at work with meditative techniques Luckily, focus is one of the core skills you learn through meditation. Each time you sit, you practise both parts of focus: putting your attention where you want it and keeping it there, in spite of any distractions. Why you might find it hard to focus When you practise meditation for focus, especially if you’re a beginner, you start to recognize what focus feels like and what lack of focus feels like, too! You learn what your unique distractions are: it could be anxiety, boredom, food, worry, or something else. You’ll learn, each time you sit to meditate, what keeps you from being present and focused. Related: Meditation for beginner's – our Top 6 videos That’s because meditation is a mirror, and it will show you how your mind operates, but usually outside of your conscious awareness. Once you are aware of it, you can begin to investigate, to understand and, if you want, to change or to heal. I don’t want you to think that your imperfect ability to focus is a personal failing. There are many pressures in the modern world that make it extra hard for us to see focus as something worthwhile, never mind being able to improve our focus. First of all, multitasking is very much the norm these days. Add in anxiety and stress, which are increasing in all age groups, even including children, sadly, and the ability to focus becomes harder still. “Focus is one of the core skills you learn through meditation. Each time you sit, you practise both parts of focus: putting your attention where you want it and keeping it there, in spite of any distractions.” Furthermore, thanks to the overabundance of information and entertainment channels available to us, we have all become conditioned to high levels of stimulation and information input. Experts say this information onslaught just isn’t healthy for our nervous system: it radically shortens our attention span and although we often turn to these outlets to relax, in fact, they increase anxiety levels. You can see how all these factors could work against your desire to strengthen your focus! Meditation for focus The great news is there are many meditations to strengthen your focus, and help calm your overstimulated brain. Practising meditation for focus also increases your confidence and self-esteem. When you’re able to stay with the task in front of you and bring more of your skills and resources to it, you’re not only more productive, but more satisfied with the process. The journey is as enjoyable as the destination. You can use just about anything as an object of focus in meditation, but I’ll describe two proven practices you can try. There are many more, but you can do these practices anywhere and anytime you have a few minutes – even when you’re sitting in traffic or waiting at the doctor’s. Mantra Repetition of a mantra is the oldest form of meditation and is used in Vedic meditation. You choose a mantra, which traditionally is a Sanskrit word but doesn’t need to be, and repeat the mantra out loud or silently to yourself for a period of practice. Mantra practice takes you into a focused space of sound and sensation. OM, the primordial mantra, is one simple and powerful mantra to use. It is said to be the sound of the universe that animates everything on earth. If you prefer to use words you’re more familiar with, you can repeat words or phrases like, “Peace,” “May all beings be happy” or “Be kind in all things.” .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } So Hum meditation for focus YouTube/Chopra Breath Meditation for focus practices that use the breath are the most common. They’re wonderful practices because wherever you go, you have your breath! Focusing on your breath is incredibly calming for your nervous system, while also leading your attention away from your mind. One of my favourite breath practices is the Box Breath. Each side of the box represents one part of a breath cycle–the inbreath, holding your breath, your outbreath and holding your breath again – and each is done for count of four. This practice is so powerful that even Navy SEALS use it in high stress situations where it’s crucial to relax and jumpstart their minds into a high level of alertness. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } xx xxx Meditation for focus through breathing YouTube/MyLife For both practices, the instructions are the same. Sit in a comfortable, but also alert position, ideally with your eyes closed. Start to pay attention to your chosen object of focus and do your best to keep your attention there. When your attention moves to something else, which it definitely will, the practice is to notice and gently, without judgment, bring your attention back to your object. Repeat, for as long as you like. That’s it! This practice is harder than it sounds, however. One reason is the overstimulation I mentioned that makes it quite difficult to focus on one thing for long. Another reason is almost everyone who tries this practice will think they’ve done something wrong when their mind wanders. They criticize themselves and feel reassured of their inability to focus. “When you practise meditation for focus, especially if you’re a beginner, you start to recognize what focus feels like and what lack of focus feels like, too!” So, there are two keys to this practice: To understand that a wandering attention is exactly what the practice is about; it’s not something you’re doing wrong. When you notice you have wandered and bring your attention back, be kind and matter-of-fact about it. Don’t let negative self-talk creep in to your mind and heart. Conclusion: meditation for focus Modern culture really doesn’t value being focused on one thing very much. Many of us have learned that more is better and multitasking is best. If you find that meditation for focus is hard, remember that “it’s not just you.” Give yourself a chance to relearn the benefits of an uncluttered, focused mind for your productivity, well-being, creativity and connections with people that are important to you. • Main image: shutterstock/WAYHOME Studio happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free to: ■ read our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Mindfulness | Happiness | Vulnerability Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
  21. Following a body scan meditation script allows your nervous system to heal and helps to reduce anxiety and stress. Meditation and mindfulness teacher Ann Vrlak shares an easy-to-follow 10-minute body scan meditation script and explores more of the benefits of this practice. Body scan meditations have become one of the most popular meditation exercises. In this article, I’d like to talk with you about why these simple exercises are often recommended for anxiety, relaxation and insomnia, among other benefits. The basic practice is simple to describe. You close your eyes and direct your attention to your body, moving from your head to your toes (or reverse), feeling as many sensations as closely as you can. Some people find it easiest to picture parts of their body, like what their hand looks like, for example. The most powerful benefits happen when you feel or sense that part of your body from the inside. You do your best to feel sensations in your body, like warmth, tingling or pressure. There are two main benefits when you use a body scan meditation script. First, this kind of sustained attention to your body has a profoundly relaxing effect on your nervous system. Your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and rejuvenation, is activated by this practice. All kinds of relaxing, healing chemicals and processes are set in motion. It’s like an internal spa day! The second benefit is that paying precise attention to your body sensations starts to bring your mind and body into sync. It’s a unifying, grounding experience that you can feel for yourself in the practice I’ll describe below. So, let’s look in a bit more detail at the benefits of following a body scan meditation script. 1. Allows your nervous system to heal Doctor and psychologist Rick Hanson has written several fascinating and accessible books about how our body and brains have evolved. For example, he describes life when we were a young species on the planet. Being alert to physical dangers like a tiger in the grass was a crucial survival skill. So, our brains became oriented toward potential external threats. Without an actual threat, however, this brain mechanism can become a recipe for the anxiety or stress so many of us experience today. We can become overly vigilant and never actually relax. Body scans are incredibly relaxing shutterstock/wavebreakmedia A body scan practice, Hanson says, is powerful because it reverses this mechanism. Paying attention to what’s happening internally, rather than externally, is a signal to our ancient nervous system that says, “Well, if I’m paying attention inside, I guess there’s no tiger out there!” Then your brain starts to do all kinds of wonderful things to relax and heal from the wear and tear of being vigilant at other times. 2. Reduces anxiety and stress I know, I already mentioned this in the last bullet. But, it's worth repeating because anxiety, stress and their common companion depression, are at epidemic proportions in our world. You don’t have to have high levels of anxiety or depression to feel less joyful, less connected or less capable. Even low levels can affect you in all these ways. • JOIN US! Discover more about meditation at happiness.com. Belong to a community that cares • When you use a body scan meditation script, especially if you do it regularly, you’ll start to disrupt the cycle of unease: stressful thoughts causing tension in your body, causing more anxiety, causing poor sleep, causing depression, and on and on. 3. Clears and calms your mind As you are probably aware, your mind needs something to do! A good body scan meditation script will help you with that because it’s restful for your mind. It doesn’t have to work hard at thinking and analyzing. A body scan practice shifts your mind into a relaxing state of simply noticing sensations, taking you away from any negative thinking you may have. It also strengthens your ability to focus. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } XX XX Try out our relaxing bodyscan meditation script here 4. Helps you get in touch with your body Our bodies carry a lot of stress and physical tension that we're often not even aware of. All the little daily stresses, as well as any older psychological wounds, leave a residue in your body. This residue holds crucial information about your well-being and healing. • JOIN US! Sign-up free to the happiness.com community and share your story and challenges • Becoming aware of it can be challenging, but a body scan practice strengthens your ability to be with whatever you experience kindly. And, you begin to recognize the intelligence in the body. Did you know there are brain neurons that extend throughout your body? Your body has a lot to tell you. 5. Trains you in self-care Self-care is another benefit of listening to a body scan meditation script. Slowing down enough to inhabit your body and your emotions is an act of self-care. It’s one concrete way you can practice caring about your own experience, listening to your own wisdom, and treating yourself with curiosity and respect. Body scan tips Firstly, be precise. As you’re listening to a body scan meditation script, do your best to really feel each area before moving on to the next. Even pause the recording if you need to. If you rush the practice, your body will know you’re not really paying attention! For example, it might take you ten minutes or even more to really connect with your shoulder. And that’s OK. This can happen no matter how much experience you have! On the other hand, if you start to feel stuck, move on to the next area and come back to it later on in the practice. You can also make any difficult areas an area of specific focus for the next time you follow the body scan meditation script. “Self-care is another benefit of listening to a body scan meditation script. Slowing down enough to inhabit your body and your emotions is an act of self-care.” Secondly, don’t judge. I’m going to give you different instructions and suggestions in the body scan meditation script below. But don’t judge your own experience by any guidance I give you, for example, naming a sensation like tightness or cold. It’s important that you name and connect with your experience whatever it is. That’s the purpose of this exercise. Body scan meditation script You should set aside at least ten minutes to do this practice. You can do it either lying down or sitting up. Take a few full breaths to help your body and mind begin to relax. Feel the sensations where your body connects with the floor or surface under you. Feel your body getting heavy. Starting by sensing your head. Sense your forehead and the area around your eyes. This is an area lots of us hold tension. There’s no right or wrong thing to feel. Just notice and gently name any sensations silently like warmth, tingling or pressure. Let your attention move to the top of your head, to your scalp, and down the sides and back of your head. And feel your neck, the muscles along the back and sides, and even sense inside your neck and throat. • WANT MORE ON MEDITATION? Sign-up free to happiness.com • Now sense your shoulders, the large heavy muscles of your shoulders and shoulder blades. If you notice any tension or discomfort here, it’s not anything you need to change, just be aware of it. If you like, you can breathe into any area that feels some discomfort. This just means that you imagine your breath is moving in and out of the area, instead of your nose. Let your attention move slowly down your arms, sensing your upper arms, elbows and lower arms. Sense the muscles and bones here. Feel the bones of your wrist and the softness of your palms. Our hands are a centre of so much activity and expression. Feel all the sensations in your palms, fingers and fingertips. Now shift your attention to your chest around your heart and solar plexus. What do you notice there? Breathe and feel it. It may be different in the next moment. You’re just tuning in right now to your body to these precise physical sensations. And remember: be patient. Your body moves at a slower pace than your mind. Body scan meditation helps you get in touch with your body Now allow your attention to move into your stomach and hips. Let your attention rest here for a few breaths. Continue down your upper legs, knees and lower legs, taking as much time as you need to feel the sensations and awareness there. Remember that there’s no right or wrong experience, only to be as present and caring as you can. Then move down into your feet, ankles, the soles of your feet and all ten toes. Your feet work so hard all day long: really feel all the muscles and tendons and tissues there. Now, take a big breath and see if you can feel your whole body all at once sitting or lying here, breathing. From the tips of your toes, up through your legs, your torso, your arms, into your head and face. Feel your body as one, whole field of sensation and energy. Keep breathing and finish the practice. And when you’re ready, slowly open your eyes. How to end your practice How did it go? When you’ve finished the body scan meditation script, take a moment to notice any sense of freshness, relaxation or groundedness. Take a moment to observe and feel your body and mind, before you return to your day. Once you have used this body scan meditation script a few times, try doing the practice in your own way. Move your attention through your body at your own pace, in any way you like, following the tips in this article and, most important, being curious and kind. You may find that going solo allows you to be even more attentive to what is going on for you, and to connect more deeply with your inner world. • Main image: shutterstock/Mark Nazh happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ develop with free online Academy courses Better sleep | Breathwork | Happiness Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
  22. The explosive symptoms of anger come fast and hard when they arise. Ann Vralk explains how to learn to spot the cycle when you're raging and calm yourself with meditation techniques. Meditation is a tool to better understand yourself. It can help you recognize thoughts or beliefs that stress you out. And it can also help to understand your emotions, to become more familiar with how they affect you and your relationships, for better or worse. Furthermore, meditation practice can help you with one of the more difficult emotions we experience – anger. I’m not singling anger out because it’s bad or more negative than other emotions. Anger is just different because it can have a lot of energy to it and your temper can suddenly turn to rage in a flash. Before you know it, you’ve snapped at someone you care about and said something you wish you could take back. Unmanaged, unconscious anger can harm your relationships, not to mention your self-esteem. The evolutionary role of anger Anger or rage is the act of pushing back against something you see as threatening. As an evolutionary survival tool, it’s extremely effective. Indeed, it helped our ancestors to protect themselves and it fuels our bodies with chemicals that literally make us stronger. So, during a fit of rage if you sometimes feel you’ve been taken over by something that clouds your better judgment, you’re absolutely right! You’re hardwired to feel anger and, not only that, for your anger to override other considerations, like maintaining connections with other people. After all, at the end of the day, in evolutionary terms, survival is more important than anything else. Feeling angry? Meditation can help calm you But, of course, in your life in the modern world, chances are you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where your physical survival is not threatened every day. So, the things that trigger anger probably threaten you in other ways. Maybe your thoughts about how the world should be or how people should treat you are threatened. Of course, there are also things that should anger you, like racial injustice or child hunger. Understanding anger For all these reasons, understanding anger, being able to see where it comes from, is part of coping with it more skillfully and with compassion and kindness. Because anger can be triggered by different causes, it’s good to be able to distinguish between helpful and unhelpful anger. Anger at an injustice, that motivates you to act, to support others, is helpful. The kind of anger that causes you to act harshly or harm other people and yourself, is clearly not helpful. RELATED: The best books on meditation – our top picks Practising meditation for anger, you’ll learn to tell your helpful anger from the unhelpful kind. One of the most challenging aspects of rage is it feels righteous. Have you ever felt like you were absolutely in the right and the other person was absolutely in the wrong? It feels so good to be right, doesn’t it? “As an evolutionary survival tool, anger is effective. Practising meditation for anger, you’ll learn to tell your helpful anger from the unhelpful kind.” The problem is, if it’s hard for you to see (or even want to see) your own part in creating a situation that angers you, chances are you will continue to be triggered by that situation. The truth is none of us are perfect and none of us are without some blame, intentional or not, in conflicts and disagreements. The good news is, if you can see your role, then you have some control. Because, if you have to depend on other people changing in order to be free of your anger, you have no control at all. The cycle of rage Like any emotion, anger has physical emotional and mental components to it. But, for many of us, rage can feel like a dense, impenetrable ball of feeling. It’s not always even clear what you’re thinking or feeling – it’s just a immensely strong feeling of “No!,” of pushing away. Anger can look something like this: a thought triggers physical tension, that is felt as an emotion, that triggers another angry thought, and on and on, until all you’re aware of is the dense ball of feeling, with no way in. Meditation for anger: the practice The meditation practice I’ll describe next will help you to tease apart and understand the role that each plays when your anger erupts and then keeps feeding itself. When you recognize these three components, you'll have an opportunity you didn’t have before to create some space around them, work with them and understand them, so you can bring some choice, perspective and compassion to what is troubling you. RELATED: Meditation for beginners – our top 6 videos I said earlier that a hallmark of anger is how fast it arises. This meditation will help you slow those angry feelings down. For example, you might start to recognize that your anger is a mix of a clenched stomach, the emotion of betrayal, and the thought that you’re never respected. I’ll take you through this meditation for anger step by step with a brief description of what to do and how it will help. Step 1: Evoke anger Close your eyes for moment and picture a situation that angers you – a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 in intensity. Let the usual thoughts and feelings you have about it happen. You don’t have to do this for long! Just picture the circumstances for one minute to evoke your anger, so you can practise directly with it. Step 2: Practise belly breaths Take five deep, full breaths. As you do, focus on the area around your belly button. Feel how your belly rises and falls, expands and contracts as you breathe. Throughout the practice, do your best to hold your focus on your belly breath if you feel uncomfortable or are getting lost in the cycle of anger. When you’re angry, your breath is agitated and fast. Conversely, if you use a practice like this one to calm your breath, it can help calm your body, and your thoughts and emotions follow. Belly breathing calms angry and fast breathing shutterstock/kei907 As you do this meditation for anger and your body calms down, you’ll start to engage the decision-making and judgment part of your brain, your pre-frontal cortex. This is the area that can step in and say, “Wait a minute, I really care about this person. I don’t actually believe they’d disrespect me. I wonder what’s really going on.” Remember, this part of your brain can be offline when your old brain thinks you’re under threat. A breathing meditation does much more than trigger a bit of relaxation. It will literally bring a part of your brain back online to give you more choice and perspective. Step 3: Recognize the anger cycle As you’re breathing, scan your body to see where anger lives in you. Is it in your jaw, or solar plexus or neck? Just notice where you feel the anger most strongly. Indeed, notice it as precisely as you can: where it is, if it is tight or hot, pushing out or pushing in. Focus your attention like a laser beam. Then let your attention expand to include your thoughts. What are they telling you about the situation – thoughts of blame or judgement or others’ intentions? Whatever they are, do your best to notice them, let them go and notice any other thoughts that show up. If you find yourself getting caught in the cycle of the thought and embellishing the story, that’s totally great that you noticed! Pay attention to the breath in your belly again for two breaths. Then come back to noticing your thoughts. “When you’re angry, your breath is agitated and fast. Conversely, if you use a meditation practice like this one to calm your breath, it can help calm your body, and your thoughts and emotions follow.” Finally, pay attention to the emotion itself. Is it actually anger you’re feeling? How do you know it’s anger? Are there any other emotions within or under the anger, like grief or anxiety? Whatever emotion is present for you, use it in this practice: locate it in your body, notice and let go of your thoughts, come back to the emotion. I’ve described this step in a particular order, but you can respond in any order to what’s happening. The practice is just to notice and include all three components of anger: physical sensations, emotions and thoughts. Step 4: Notice, breath and understand Keep noticing the three components over the time you’re practising. Be curious. Be kind. Keep breathing. Let your attention move as your awareness and experience move among the three. Watch for new insights or points of view, especially the point of view of others. When you’re done with the time you have, finish with a few cleansing breaths and stretches. Conclusion: meditation and anger Meditation for anger isn’t about repressing your anger or avoiding conflict or anything like that. It’s a tool to help you better understand your anger, slow it down and show you ways to respond to situations with more choice and good will. So, the next time you feel the red mist rising, stop, pause and try this meditation technique – it may just calm you down and prevent some serious upset. • Main image: shutterstock/leolintang happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free to: ■ read our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ learn with free online classes in our happiness Academy Anger management | Trust | Mindfulness | Vulnerability Written by Ann Vrlak Ann Vrlak is Founder of OneSelf Meditation and a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. She’s a Certified Meditation Teacher for adults and for children (the best job ever!). She loves to share how the perspective and practice of meditation can support people with their everyday stresses and on their journey of self-discovery.
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