8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

 

The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn’t mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong. In fact, in recent years, modern science has validated a number of teachings and beliefs rooted in ancient wisdom that, up until now, had been trusted but unproven empirically.
Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science.

Helping others can make you healthier.

In their never-ending search for the best way to live, Greek philosophers argued over the relative benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic well-being sees happiness as a factor of increased pleasure and decreased pain, while eudaimonic (“human flourishing”) happiness has more to do with having a larger purpose or meaning in life. A recent study from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Barbara Fredrickson may reveal which form of happiness is more beneficial for health and well-being.
The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, found that while both types of happiness can make you feel good, the latter could promote physical health and longevity as well. Using phone interviews, questionnaires and blood samples, the study explored how the two forms of happiness affected individuals on a genetic level. Participants with more hedonic and less eudaimonic well-being were found to have a lower production of virus-attacking antibodies, while those with more eudaimonic well-being experienced an increase in antibody production.

Acupuncture can restore balance to your body.

The traditional Chinese medicine technique is believed to address imbalances in a person’s qi (pronounced chi), the circulating energy within every living thing. Whether or not you believe in the existence of this energy flow, a new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that the age-old practice may be an effective way to relieve migraines, arthritis and other chronic pains.
Analyzing previous research data from approximately 18,000 subjects, researchers found that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture and standard western care when treating various types of pain, including migraines and chronic back pain.

We need the support of a community in order to thrive.

Traditional Buddhist teachings suggest that community is a key component in any happy, fulfilled life. A 2010 study conducted by Brigham Young University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers confirmed this belief, concluding that a healthy social life promotes longevity.
In analyzing the 148 studies — involving more than 300,000 individual participants — available on the subject, the researchers discovered that those with stronger social relationships maintained a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival. The effect of social relationships on mortality risk is even greater than the effect of exercise or obesity.

Tai chi can help alleviate a variety of health conditions.

This ancient Chinese martial art is based on the belief that achieving balance with one’s mind and body creates an overall sense of peace and harmony, naturally inspiring a long life. A report in the May 2009 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch summarized several studies confirming that this “moving meditation” practice can help prevent and treat many age-related health problems alongside standard treatment in older adults. A number of studies in the past decade have found tai chi to be helpful for those suffering from arthritis, low bone density and heart disease.

Meditation can help you reduce stress and discover inner peace.

Stemming from ancient Eastern origins, the practice of meditation is believed to help still the mind and reach a heightened level of awareness, improving health and well-being as a byproduct. Science is now proving the health benefits of meditation. The latest study from a team of Harvard Medical School scientists reveals how this mind-body practice can affect genes that control stress levels and immune function.
Harvard psychiatrist John Denniger and his team used neuro-imaging and genomics technology to measure potential physiological changes in each subject more accurately. After observing the high-stress individuals as they followed the study’s prescribed yoga and meditation practices, the team noticed an improvedmitochondrial energy production, utilization and resiliency, which help to reduce the stress linked to health conditions like hypertension and infertility.

Compassion is the key to a meaningful life.

Tibetan Buddhist tradition includes a practice called metta, or loving-kindness. A 2012 study from Emory University found that compassion meditation based on this Tibetan model can effectively boost one’s ability to empathize with others by way of reading their facial expressions.
Another loving-kindness meditation study from 2011 found that, over time, this practice increased participants’ positive emotions that allowed them to find a deeper sense of mindfulness, their purpose in life, the network of support surrounding them, and their health. These components helped increase their overall life satisfaction.

Accepting what you can’t change is key to reducing suffering.

According to Buddhist teachings, one must accept the things they cannot change in order to reduce suffering. Now, scientists have found that this belief rings true,especially for older adults who are working through difficult life changes.
Researchers from Deakin University in Australia found that facing the realities of living with assistance and losing a degree of independence helps seniors live longer and feel far happier. Their study, which was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies last year, compared feelings of life satisfaction and perceived control of older adults living with assistance and those living in the community. Their analysis revealed that the ability to accept the inevitable (as well as maintain low-level control) in an assisted living setting was a significant predictor of life satisfaction. The researchers concluded, “In order to protect the well-being of older individuals, adaptation involves both a sense of control and the active acceptance of what cannot be changed.”

All you need is love.

If there is one thing that a variety of ancient wisdom traditions can agree on, it’s the value of love in maintaining a happy, meaningful life. And a group of Harvard researchers, on a mission to uncover the true roots of life fulfillment, conducted a 75-year study that reached the same conclusion.
The Harvard Grant Study, led by psychiatrist George Vaillant, followed the life trajectories of 268 male students in order to answer life’s universal questions of growth, development, value and purpose. Vaillant considers the most meaningful finding of the study to be that a happy life revolves around loving relationships. He explained that there are two pillars of happiness: “One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”
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Source: huffingtonpost.com

6 Mistakes I’ve Made on the Spiritual Path

Yes, I know, there are no mistakes on the spiritual journey. There can’t be, if you think about it. The spiritual journey is, to a certain extent, a process of learning. And don’t we almost always learn best from what we often see as our mistakes? But then, if we learn from them, if we grow from them, how could they really be mistakes?
As you venture down the spiritual path, you really start seeing your life as a long curriculum in a giant classroom called Life. No mistakes. Just your individual assignments. I have had my “lessons” to learn, my conditioning to undo.
That said, here are 6 things that I would have previously called mistakes. For me, they weren’t. But maybe you will see something in them that will help you as you journey down the path.

1. You cannot choose love too often. So many times along the path, I’ve been given the opportunity to choose love or fear. Many, many times I chose fear. I pushed people and things away to avoid loving them. I suffered, to be sure, and Life graciously came back and offered the lesson again and again. I’m very glad it did. Choose love.
2. You can’t sit too much. I loved meditating when I first started, but I loved reading about and talking about spirituality more. And reading and talking about spirituality, while they can be helpful, just doesn’t cut the mustard. Spirituality must be lived, it must be experienced. Sitting with yourself, finding out what you really are is so incredibly important and transformative.
3. Not enough time spent in nature. For centuries, spiritual masters have made references to nature, to time spent in nature, as a part of their journey. There is something about the trees, the rocks, the plants, the sky, the sun that calls to us. Being in nature is a powerful aid to our spiritual growth. Taking a walk in the pines will do more for you than a library full of books.
4. Being arrogant about my beliefs. I was a jerk in the early days of my journey. I was cocky, overly confident, and thought I knew it all. What a joke! The real truth of the matter is that I knew so little. By being so cocky, I rejected a lot of interesting and potentially helpful spiritual teachings along the way. I had to learn humility, almost by force. I’m truly grateful I did, because now I see so clearly how all the things I thought I knew were an obstacle of sorts to knowing the only thing that mattered: who I truly am.
5. Believing that feelings are reliable guides to behavior and truth. I’ve made lots of choices in life based upon how I feel, which is not a great idea, I’ve come to see. Feelings are just feelings. They are simply sensations in our bodies in response to our thoughts. They have something to teach us, for certain, but they aren’t the truth. For instance, every time you’ve experienced anxiety, you are afraid of something that is only in your mind. But you aren’t in eminent danger, and you aren’t going to die. Thus, anxiety is a poor guide for action. The only thing to do with feelings is to experience them and then let them go. Feelings want to be felt. Let the energy flow. As Hale Dwoskin of the Sedona Method likes to say: “Feelings are not true, they are not you, and you can let them go.”
6. Rejecting spiritual teachings before giving them a chance. This goes along with number 4 above. For instance, I hated The Secret when I first saw it. I was very agitated after watching it because I had a strong reaction to some of the “personalities” in it. They seemed so arrogant and, well, like used car salesmen. And so I rejected all the ideas in The Secret. Of course, I was being as arrogant as they seemed to be. There are good ideas in The Secret, and had I listened to some of them, I might have found a way to learn some lessons that I took over a year to learn the hard way.
   

I’ve found over the years that one of the best ways to learn and grow is from hearing other people’s stories, their successes and mistakes along the spiritual path. I would love to hear of your “mistakes” in the comments.
by Tom Stine

The Six Metaphysical Laws

There are Six Metaphysical Laws of Prosperity, inviolable principles and maxims beyond the physical plane that dictate a person’s future success and ultimate prosperity.
1. The Metaphysical Law of Human Radiation recognizes that each person is basically a powerful energy source that radiates a karma of thoughts and feelings, emotions or “vibes,” if you will. In a philosophical way, we are both living magnets and power sources of human energy–a yin and yang in oriental thinking. This law teaches us that as we radiate out our unique energy, we attract into our lives those people and circumstances that are in tune with our unique thoughts. You attract to yourself what you radiate out from yourself, whether it is positive or negative. People of a similar mind tend to group together. Your close friends probably think much like you do. They have become your close friends because of this metaphysical law of human radiation. It confirms the old adage that birds of a feather flock together. Others immediately recognize fundamentally good people because of the aura they cast. They easily attract friends. People instinctively trust them. This occurs by the metaphysical Law of Human Attraction. Those who have few or no friends also operate under the Law of Attraction. Somehow the true natures of people shine through and others instinctively know who they really are inside.



YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
For years you have heard that you are what you eat. It is true, but did you know that you become what you think about all the time? This is equally true. There is another maxim that guides your life: what you radiate out, you also attract to yourself. Stated differently, what a person thinks about all the time is attracted into his life. Show me someone who is passionately consumed with a belief or concept, who lives, breathes, and eats a particular idea, and I will show you a person who will have that preoccupation become a reality in his or her life.
With this metaphysical law of attraction in mind, obviously you want to be very positive and optimistic in your outlook so that you will attract those developments in your life. This is much more than just “positive thinking,” although there is certainly nothing wrong with positive thinking. Success visualization is a process that changes our lives by creating images in our minds that ultimately become reality. These images are first just anticipation, but they quickly become an expectation, and finally an intrinsic belief. Over time you “know” that this will become a reality in your life. Since you are creating your life every day, you are also creating your future.
2. The Metaphysical Law of Self-Determination is an acknowledgment of the role of personal responsibility. It is your “self” that determines your fate and nothing and no one else. The self-determination you feel within gives you the strength to overcome all the obstacles you will face in life. You must take personal responsibility for your actions and the results in your life. Your “self” must become strong and determined. You always succeed through self-determination.
3. The Metaphysical Law of Continuous Growth reveals that you cannot succeed in life if you stop growing mentally. Personal self-improvement and professional educational growth should be your never-ending quest. To enjoy continued success and prosperity, you must always be learning and striving for improvement. The Metaphysical Law of Continuous Growth is the accepted way of life for truly successful people. Remember, when you stop growing, you are ripe. And when you are ripe, you start to rot. If you are not reading and learning new things regularly, then your brain is withering away. To earn more, you must learn more.
4. The Metaphysical Law of Self-Direction basically dictates that you are happiest and feel the best about yourself and your work to the degree that you are self-directed in your vocational activities and in your personal life. From a vocational standpoint, you must be able to express your creativity and individuality or you become an unhappy robot. If you feel you are controlled by others or by circumstances out of your control, you will find yourself generally unhappy. People want to feel they are self-directed at work, even though they really may not be.
This law was discovered decades ago during the period when factories dominated the U.S. economy. Employees were treated as machines and were not given even the slightest power to vary their activity. Unfortunately, this is still prevalent today in meat cutting plants, assembly lines and other low-level jobs. The factory worker who works on the assembly line has little control over his work and generally feels frustrated and unfulfilled. The secretary who pounds the word processor and routinely files meaningless papers day after day generally feels stifled and dehumanized. The positive aspect of this law has been rediscovered recently by companies like Saturn that advertise that their employees can now stop “the line” by pulling a cord when they see something wrong. To them it is a big deal.
In your personal life it is also important to feel self-directed. Teenagers don’t like to be under the strict authority of their parents. Women don’t like to be bossed around by their husbands and vice versa. Everyone wants to be in control of his or her own life. The question you must ask yourself is “Who is in control of my life?” To be happy in life, the answer should be “you.”
5. Most successful people live The Metaphysical Law of Positive Choices. These people recognize that during each day there are literally hundreds of choices to make, most seemingly small but ultimately important, and with each choice there is a consequence. They recognize that there is a cause and effect in everything they do. Everything in your life today was brought about by the choices you made in the past-everything!
Successful people make careful, thoughtful choices because they know that the events they cause create their future. They tend to be pro-active people who plan ahead and work toward predetermined goals. They function daily by the logical principle of cause and effect. Thoughtful people recognize that they cause the developments in their lives and are responsible for the results. They work hard and expect positive results.
In contrast, unsuccessful people don’t make conscious choices. They believe that everything happens to them by accident and that they have no control over their destinies, when in fact they create their future daily by the choices they make. Unsuccessful people consider themselves victims. They have no long term goals, in fact, no plans beyond the short term. They hope for the best, but make absolutely no plans to make the best happen. The concept of positive choices and cause and effect are foreign to their way of thinking.
6. The Metaphysical Law of Strong Conviction and Positive Expectations mandates that whatever you believe with absolute conviction and confidently expect to happen becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and will become a reality in your life. The two powerful parts of this law are conviction and expectation. They are really the same concept, because if you believe something with absolute conviction, you also expect it to become true. It recognizes the powerful force of your will to succeed.
If you continuously build your convictions about your inevitable success in life, you will instinctively take the appropriate actions that will bring about the results you reverently desire. What we expect to happen, happens. Very successful people in life live by this law. They anticipate and expect success, and they achieve it. These positive expectations have a powerful impact on our relationships and on the events in our lives, such that the expectations really do influence the outcome.
Worry is negative goal setting and negative expectations. It is thinking about, talking about and imagining exactly what we don’t want to happen. It is the exact opposite of the Metaphysical Law of Strong Conviction and Positive Expectations. To be successful, become obedient to the Law of Positive Expectations and visualize success daily in everything you do.

Written by Jocelyn Daher

New Study Reveals How You Can Upgrade Your Genes!

There’s a lot of talk about “DNA activation”, which is usually dismissed as new age mumbo-jumbo with no real scientific basis. But a new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France reports the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation. It shows that you can actually switch on certain genes while meditating, an idea that had previously only been thought of pseudoscience.
The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained control subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities. After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says study author Richard J. Davidson, founder of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs,” says Perla Kaliman, first author of the article and a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spain (IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS), where the molecular analyses were conducted.
The study was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Mindfulness-based trainings have shown beneficial effects on inflammatory disorders in prior clinical studies and are endorsed by the American Heart Association as a preventative intervention. The new results provide a possible biological mechanism for therapeutic effects. So it is not as though you are changing your genetic material when you reach deep states of meditation, but you are indeed changing which genes are being expressed and to what degree they are affecting the body.



Sources: Jill Sakai,http://www.news.wisc.edu/22370

How Toxins Harm Your Energy Field

The human body is an amazing biological quantum “machine” that has incredible potential. When we look at the human body from the outside, we see a beautiful biological form made of flesh. However, beneath the flesh there are many different layers of tissues.
What many of us don’t understand about the human body is that it is also made of energy fields and energy structures, including but not limited to the chakras, the meridians, and the aura. The idea of the existence of chakras, meridians, and auras was once laughed at by conventional western scientists, but due to new advancements in subtle energy detection technology, many scientists are starting to admit that these energy systems exist.
At the fundamental levels, the human body is a hologram made of condensed light or energy. If this were true, how come we don’t see our body as light? The reason why we don’t see our body as light is because our mind processes the energy codes of our light body as matter, causing us to see our body as flesh instead of light. If this is hard for you to believe, read this enlightening article titled Frequency and Vibration: How They Create the Structures of Matter and Life.




The moment when our mind processes the information of our light body as matter is the moment when we are tricked into believing that our body is truly made of flesh and blood. This doesn’t mean that the matter that makes up our physical body is truly an illusion. It just means that matter works similar to an illusion. From the perspective of our physical self, matter is very real to us.

How food and environmental toxins harm your energy fields

Understanding that your body is truly made of energy or light is essential for understanding how toxins can harm your energy fields. Your body has many different energy fields. To be more specific, these energy fields have magnetic and electrical properties. The proper term for these types of energy fields is electromagnetic fields. Your body does an amazing job of generating countless electromagnetic fields. Many of these electromagnetic fields are small and hard to detect. The ones that are easy to detect are the heart’s electromagnetic field and the aura.
When your body is healthy, it often produces electromagnetic fields that flow properly and are mostly free of negative energy and information. When your body is saturated with food and environmental toxins, such as heavy metals, sodium fluoride, refined sugar, and pesticides, these toxins disrupt the electromagnetic communication process of biophotons, which are the “living light” in cells. This disruption then causes abnormal electromagnetic resonances, affecting how your body generates electromagnetic fields. These toxins also interfere with the communication process of cells, because they act like a kind of electrical noise in your body.

How toxins harm your cells and DNA

The longer food and environmental toxins stay in your body, the more abnormal electromagnetic resonances they cause. Over time, these abnormal electromagnetic resonances will cause harmful biochemical changes in your body, leading to serious medical conditions. Besides causing abnormal electromagnetic resonances, food and environmental toxins can also lower the numbers of electrons in your body. When inside your body, food and environmental toxins often act like free radicals.
Free radicals are basically molecules that are missing certain electrons. This feature makes free radicals very destructive to the molecules of your body, because when inside your body, free radicals like to steal electrons from the molecules of your tissues and DNA. It is considered normal to have a certain quantity of free radicals in your body. However, when there are too many of them in your body, they can get out of control, causing molecular chain reactions that can damage your DNA and cells.
If you don’t take actions to reduce the amount of food and environmental toxins in your body, in the long run, the negative energy and information that these toxins release into your energy fields will pollute them so much that your energy fields won’t be able to function properly. Your energy fields play an important role for your health, because they are some of the major systems of your energy body that act like a communication network, allowing your mind, body, and cells to communicate and work more in unison. Your energy fields also contain information that is important for your evolution and survival.
To learn how to avoid food and environmental toxins, read this informative article titled Ten Neurotoxins You Should Avoid.
Source: Eversole, Finley. Energy Medicine Technologies: Ozone Healing, Microcrystals, Frequency Therapy, and the Future of Health. Inner Traditions. Rochester, Vermont, 2013.

Letting Go Of Ego

Your ego feeds your desire to be accepted, acknowledged, loved, and valued born out of your connections with others – society, family and culture. While connections with others is important, it is equally important to connect with the real you rather than a distorted picture that may have been formed by outside influences.
The ego is neither good nor bad. If we identify with the ego, we will be over-powered by the idea of “I” and “mine”, desires, cravings and aversions, and being restless busy with building up a worldly self-image or social status, and getting what we desire, and busy protecting the self-image that we built up for ourselves and protecting all the attachments, possessions and belongings, and be in fear and worry of losing what we think is “I” (that “built” on self-image, self-esteem, self-worth, accumulation of knowledge, wealth, health, relationships, achievements and etc…) If we know how to not identify with it, and just let it perform its necessary function for maintaining this life existence, we will be free and happy being “what we are”, and not trying to become somebody with certain image and qualities…
When your Ego shows up trying to make you doubtful, fearful or unsure about the choices you make, these ego friendly principles will clear the cobwebs, empower you and reveal your true self:

• Let go of your need to win. Ego loves to divide us up into winners and losers. The pursuit of winning is a surefire means to avoid conscious contact with intention. Why? Because ultimately, winning is impossible all of the time. Someone out there will be faster, luckier, younger, stronger, and smarter-and back you’ll go to feeling worthless and insignificant.
  

• Have a Vision - Create a vision to pursue your dreams. Without a vision for your dreams, it will be difficult to achieve them. You must have a clear vision of what success is to you in order to work towards it.
  

• Let go of your need to be right. Ego is the source of a lot of conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of making other people wrong. When you’re hostile, you’ve disconnected from the power of intention. The creative Spirit is kind, loving, and receptive; and free of anger, resentment, or bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your discussions and relationships is like saying to ego, I’m not a slave to you. I want to embrace kindness, and I reject your need to be right. In fact, I’m going to offer this person a chance to feel better by saying that she’s right, and thank her for pointing me in the direction of truth.
  

• Your reputation is not located in you. It resides in the minds of others. Therefore, you have no control over it at all. If you speak to 30 people, you will have 30 reputations. Connecting to intention means listening to your heart and conducting yourself based on what your inner voice tells you is your purpose here. If you’re overly concerned with how you’re going to be perceived by everyone, then you’ve disconnected yourself from intention and allowed the opinions of others to guide you. This is your ego at work. It’s an illusion that stands between you and the power of intention. There’s nothing you can’t do, unless you disconnect from the power source and become convinced that your purpose is to prove to others how masterful and superior you are and spend your energy attempting to win a giant reputation among other egos. Do what you do because your inner voice always connected to and grateful to your Source-so directs you. Stay on purpose, detach from outcome, and take responsibility for what does reside in you: your character. Leave your reputation for others to debate; it has nothing to do with you.
  

• Show courage– Courage is not the absence of fear. It is taking action despite fear. When faced with doubt and insecurities, resolve to be courageous and take the risk to do the thing that has you stuck in fear.
  

Read more at http://www.the-open-mind.com/letting-go-of-ego/#3JbVeqH6QxbQpyEH.99

How the Impossible Becomes Possible

 What was once believed to be an irreversible law of physics, the second law of thermodynamics, simply confused the impossible with the improbable.

Let there be light!

“Murphy’s law is often cited as a form of the second law of thermodynamics (the law of entropy) because both are predicting a tendency to a more disorganized state.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy’s_law

Entropy, Murphys law, is however only one side of the equation, just as matter is in a constant motion and appears to become more disorganized over time, there is also the seemingly impossible organization of what ‘was’ into the miracle of life.

The proof of this discovery? Life itself, the most improbable of probabilities.

The essence of life brings order and structure to that which breaks down.
Imagine a plant, that grows from a seed, structuring the chaos of the ingredients all around it, into breath, a brilliantly complex geometric puzzle of life.
You are that which is living, that which brings order to chaos. You are the majesty of the order of the universe.
Rejoice, YOU are the impossible, become possible, the improbable 1 in infinity, become YOU.
Let there be light.



Thank you Garret for this most profound peace of work.

Brain Wave States & How To Access Them

The brain produces four main types of brain wave which are shown by EEG readings. Each type of brain wave produces the listed effects at specific frequencies:
Beta Brain Waves (13-30 cycles per second). The fastest, representing the most intense state of alertness. The result of heightened mental activity. Maximum mind power. All five external senses, logical mind, memory from the five senses & logical thinking.
Alpha Brain Waves (8 to 12 cycles per second) This brain wave indicates a relaxed state of mind.. State of relaxed alertness, good for inspiration and learning facts fast. A meditative mind. In this state tap into internal “antenna” like qualities. Visions, powerful ideas, mindless creation of the incredible. Internal feeling & sensations.
Theta Brain Waves (4 to 8 cycles per second) Deep meditation. Deep inward thought. This is associated with life-like imagination. High state of mental concentration. A magical mind. Internal pictures / visualisation. Intuition, inner guidance. Access to unconscious material. Dreaming.
Delta Brain Waves (0.5 to 4 cycles per second) Deep dreamless sleep. Deep relaxation. State of oneness, whole body feeling. Pure being & will.
Studies have shown that learning in Alpha State enhances the performance of students. It also develops the interest of studies in students more than they have ever learned in tense environment. Frequent gaps of 2 to 3 minutes after every 30 minute study period relaxes their minds and the alpha state will prove its efficiency with great ease and fun. But learning is more than just absorbing information, so changing the state of mind to operate Beta, Alpha and Theta is most likely to produce the best learning, cognition and creativity, while also staying in a relaxed state.

Exercises to access the brain wave states

I have developed the exercises below to attain the separate specific brain waves which can then be added together as you desire. All four at once is quite an experience!
Beta brain wave — Become hyper aware of your 5 senses, notice what you can smell, the taste in your mouth, what your hands are touching, become acutely aware of what you hear and see. Having done this you will know that you are in beta due to the intense external input and the total lack of awareness of your body, feelings or sensations.
Alpha brain wave — Try the following exercise first with your eyes open & then repeat it with your eyes closed. Take a deep breath, hold it and notice the sensations as your heart beats three times, relax & breath out — repeat 3X. Breathe in and out slowly to a count of 4, as you do so notice how your body feels —relaxed & warm.
Theta brain wave — do this after the alpha brain wave exercise. Close your eyes and visualise a sacred cup where your heart is (or another object of your choice) hold this picture for several minutes. Breathe in and out slowly.
Delta brain waves — do this after the other exercises, become aware & notice a warm sensation in your heart, now this sensation flow down and then spread out until it fills all of your body — one sensation.

Using CDs to access the brainwave states and improve learning

There several companies who produce CDs for different states normally in combination or for specific purposes e.g. concentration, relaxation, creativity, “Einsteinian like thinking”, etc. These are useful to obtain the desired states when you need to do something but cannot get yourself in the desired state and also to train the brain and body so you can whenever you want to.
The slower the brain frequency the faster the learning. In theta learning can be 1 time and in alpha as much as 20 times to absorb information (see below).

Brain Waves and Age

The table below tells the patterns of brain wave activity across different ages and states of awareness with the number of repetitions required to learn new behaviour patterns.

Age	Brain wave	Cycles/sec.	Usual state for adults	No. of repetitions required for new behaviour
14+	Beta	14 - 21	Normal awake	Thousands
7 - 14	Alpha	7 - 14	Light sleep, meditation	21 (approx.)
4 - 7	Theta	4 - 7	Sleep, 'fight or flight'	1 or 2
0 - 4	Delta	0.5 - 4	Deep sleep	-

NB. the repetitions are for new behaviour not information but information is also absorbed quicker in lower brain wave patterns.
From birth to four, babies' brains operate in the delta state, with brain waves running below 4 cycles per second. In adults, this level of brain wave activity is experienced in the deepest levels of sleep.
From four to seven, children operate in theta state, with brain waves running between four and seven cycles per second. In adults, this level of brain wave activity is experienced during sleep and also during states of fear when the body goes into a 'fight or flight' response. This is a powerful level from which to initiate change. In this state, we only need one or two experiences of learning to change behaviour.
From the ages seven to fourteen, we live in the alpha state of seven to fourteen cycles per second. In adults, this is associated with light sleep, meditation, or eyes closed relaxation. At this level effective learning can take place after about 21 repetitions. Practice a new behaviour for 21 consecutive days and that behaviour becomes a habit. Research has shown that strong levels of physical healing can take place when the brain is at 10 cycles per second.
From puberty through adulthood the brain operates in the beta state, 14 - 21 cycles per second. This is experienced in the normal state of eyes open, awake and alert. In this state it may take many thousands of repetitions to learn a new behaviour. To create significant change in our lives at this level takes extensive deal of time and effort. (This section on age comes from www.nlplearningsystems.com )

Brain waves and health

Delta & Theta brain waves are very good for health in general and are normally obtained by sleep but for students or others who work too hard, accessing them at the same time as other brain waves is rejuvenating.
An excess of Delta usually indicates depression, either physical or emotional and sleep problems.
Many researchers have noted a discrepancy between the EEG of subjects with learning disabilities or ADD and normal subjects. Typically, the ADD subjects were characterized by brain activity on the slower end of the frequency spectrum "The most important characteristic is either an excessive amount of theta activity, a lack of beta activity or a combination of these" Lubar, J. F. (1985). EEG biofeedback and learning disabilities. Theory into Practice, 24(2), 106-111

Important Medical Warning

One manufacturer (Brain Sound Studio TM) recommends that the studio and therefore by inference the binaural sounds should not be used by pregnant women, those using a pacemaker, and those who have had or are prone to seizures or are epileptic.
Therefore I recommend that if you have a medical condition or are on medication please print this out and see a Medical Doctor to check if you are at risk before you use any binaural type music.

Specific Brain Frequencies

The information below shows the effects of specific frequencies within each brain wave frequency range:

Delta Brain Waves ( O.5 to 4Hz)

0.5 Hz - Relaxation, helps soothe headaches
0.5 - 1.5 Hz - Pain relief. Endorphin release
0.9 Hz - Euphoric feeling
1 Hz - Well being. Harmony and balance
2.5 Hz - Production of endogenous opiates (pain killers, reduce anxiety)
2.5 Hz - Relieves migraine pain. Produces endogenous opiates
3.4 Hz - Helps achieve restful sleep
3.5 Hz - Feeling of unity with everything. Whole being regeneration
3.9 Hz - Self renewal, enhanced inner awareness
4.0 Hz - Enkephalin release for reduced stress
4.0 Hz - Allows brain to produce enkaphalins, all natural pain killer
4.0 Hz - Full memory scanning. Releases enkephalins
4.0 Hz - Vital for memory and learning. Problem solving, object naming
1 - 3 Hz - Profound relaxation, restorative sleep. Tranquillity and peace

Theta Brain Waves ( 4 to 8 Hz)

4.5 Hz - Brings about Shamanic/Tibetan state of consciousness, Tibetan chants.
4.9 Hz - Induce relaxation and deeper sleep
4.9 Hz - Introspection. Relaxation, meditation
5 Hz - Reduces sleep required. Theta replaces need for extensive dreaming
5.35 Hz - Allows relaxing breathing, free and efficient
5.5 Hz - Inner guidance, intuition
6.5 Hz - Centre of Theta frequency. Activates creative frontal lobe
7.5 Hz - Activates creative thought for art, invention, music. Problem solving
7.5 Hz - Ease of overcoming troublesome issues
7.83 Hz - Schumann earth resonance. Grounding, meditative, Leaves you revitalized
3 - 8 Hz - Deep relaxation, meditation. Lucid dreaming
3 - 8 Hz - Increased memory, focus, creativity
4 - 7 Hz - Profound inner peace, emotional healing. Lowers mental fatigue
4 - 7 Hz - Deep meditation, near-sleep brainwaves.

Alpha brain waves ( 8 to 12Hz)

8- 10 Hz Super-learning new information, memorisation, not comprehension.
8.22 Hz - Associated with the mouth. Brings creativity
10 Hz - Enhanced serotonin release. Mood elevation, arousal, stimulant
10 Hz - Provides relief from lost sleep, improves general mood
10 Hz - Mood elevator. Used to dramatically reduce headaches
10 Hz - Clarity, subconscious correlation. Releases serotonin
11 Hz - Relaxed yet awake state
12 Hz - Centering, mental stability.
11 - 14 Hz - Increased focus and awareness
12 - 14 Hz - Learning frequency, good for absorbing information passively

Beta brain waves ( 13 to 30Hz)

14 Hz - Awakeness, alert. Concentration on tasks, Focusing, vitality.
16 Hz - Bottom of hearing range. Releases oxygen/calcium into cells
12 - 15 Hz - Relaxed focus, improved attentive abilities
13 - 27 Hz - Promotes focused attention toward external stimuli
13 - 30 Hz - Problem solving, conscious thinking
18-24 Hz — Euphoria, can result in headaches, anxiety.
NB. Frequencies in italics cover more than one brain wave frequency range.
The release of endorphins by the delta brainwave can also be achieved by meditation, runners high, breathing exercises, etc
In my opinion the brain waves and the specific frequencies could be used to help explain how many healing techniques work with more research, case studies and relation to other scientific disciplines.

Consciously Control Your Immune System With The Wim Hof Method

Wim Hof is a holder of 20 Guinness World Records for withstanding extreme temperatures.
He has climbed Everest and Kilimanjaro in only shorts and shoes, stayed comfortably in ice baths for hours, and run a marathon in the desert with no water. Wim is able to accomplish these feats with ease through the use of The Wim Hof Method – a breathing technique that allows you to control the autonomous systems of the body.
However, the most earthshaking effect of the Wim Hof method is the ability to consciously control the immune system to fight off any disease. By becoming more in tune with the body, Wim says you can rid yourself of even the most destructive diseases, including AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and cancer.

The Wim Hof Method

The Wim Hof Method is similar to Tummo (inner heat) Meditation and Pranayama (yogic breathing). Yet it is something else entirely. While Wim has studied yoga and meditation for many years, this technique primordially comes from what he terms ‘cold hard nature’. By subjecting himself to the bitter conditions of nature, he learned to withstand the extreme forces of cold, heat and fear.
The first part is a breathing exercise which can be likened to controlled hyperventilation.
The image will consist of rapid breathing that makes one languid, invigorates one, makes one high on oxygen. One mechanism of this practice is the complete oxygenation of your blood and cells.

Get Comfortable and Close Your Eyes

Sit in a meditation posture, whatever is most comfortable for you. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction. It is recommended to do this practice right after waking up since your stomach is still empty.

Warm Up

Inhale deeply. Really draw the breath in until you feel a slight pressure from inside your chest on your solar plexus. Hold this for a moment and then exhale completely. Push the air out as much as you can. Hold this for a moment. Repeat this warm up round 15 times.

30 Power Breaths

Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth in short but powerful bursts. The belly is pulled inward when you are breathing out and is pulled outward when you are breathing in. Keep a steady pace and use your midriff fully. Close your eyes and do this around 30 times or until you feel your body is saturated with oxygen. Symptoms could be light-headedness, tingling sensations in the body, electrical surges of energy.

Scan Your Body

During the 30 power breaths, delve into your body and become aware of it as possible. Trace your awareness up and down your body and use your intuition as to what parts lack energy and what parts are overflowing. Scan for any blockage between the two. Try to send energy/warmth to those blockages. Then release them deeper and deeper. Tremors, traumas and emotional releases can come up. It can be likened to kundalini rising. Feel the whole body fill up with warmth and love.
Feel the negativity burn away.
Often people report swirling colors and other visual imagery during this exercise. Once you encounter them, go into them, embrace them, merge with them. Get to know this inner world and how it correlates to the feeling of tension or blockages in your body.

The Hold

After the the 30 rapid succession of breath cycles, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using too much force. Then push all of the air out and hold for as long as you can. Draw the chin in a bit so as to prevent air from coming in again.
Really relax and open all energy channels in your body. Notice how all the oxygen is spreading around in your body. Hold the breath until you experience the gasp reflex on the top of your chest.

Recovery Breath

Inhale to full capacity. Feel your chest expanding. Release any tension in the solar plexus. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath once more. Drop the chin to the chest and hold this for around 15 seconds.
Notice that you can direct the energy with your awareness. Use this time to scan the body and see where there is no color, tension or blockages. Feel the edges of this tension, go into it, move the energy towards this black hole. Feel the constrictions burning away, the dark places fill with light. Relax the body deeper as you move further inward, let everything go. Your body knows better than you do. After 15 seconds you have completed the first round.
Start this practice with one or two rounds. Try to do it daily and add two more rounds in a few days. After you feel more comfortable with holding your breath you can start to add exercises and stretches. Work up to a minimum of 15 minutes or 6 rounds with exercises. You can do this practice for how long it pleases you.
If you feel dizziness or pain, get out of the posture and lie on your back. Breathe easily again and stop this practice session.
Reserve at least 5 minutes after this practice to relax and scan the body.

Summary

1. 30 times balloon blowing
2. Breathe in fully
3. Breath out fully and hold until gasp reflex
4. Inhale fully and hold for 10-15 seconds.
5. Repeat until finished
6. Take 5 minutes to relax and scan your body
   

Bonus Power-ups

• Add push-ups or yoga poses during the time you are holding your breath until you wait for the gasp reflex. Notice that you are stronger without air than you would normally be if you could breathe!
• Charge the energy up the spine by holding moola banda, contract the rectum & sex organ and pull the navel inward towards the spine.
• Stand up in squat position and do the balloon breath. Try to breathe away the burn. (get seated again the moment you continue the cycle, you don’t want to be standing and faint) See if you can get the energy overtake the pain. Don’t give up easily and see how far you can go if you have the willpower!
  

Cold Exposure

After the body scan of the previous exercise you are ready let your body embrace the cold. It is very important to try to relax as much as you can, really be with the cold, only then can your body process the signals and start thermogenesis.
As Wim says, “The cold is your warm friend!”

Cold Showers

If you are new to cold exposure, start with cold showers. Begin with your feet and then follow with your legs, your stomach, shoulders, neck and back and finally your head. An initial shock, shivering and hyperventilation is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold.
If you feel any strong physical uncomfortableness, like heavy shivering, numbness or pain, get your body warm again as soon as possible.
Once you are out of the shower, take a moment to do another slow body scan before you dry yourself.
Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time. There are little muscles around your veins that contract when they get into contact with the cold. After some time (only 1-2 weeks according to Wim) these become stronger, making your veins healthier and reducing the force that your heart has to use to pump blood around your body.
You can increase exposure over time. At one point the cold will feel just as comfortable as wearing your favorite pajamas and you can skip the warm shower completely. Notice how you feel amazing after a cold shower and sluggish after a warm one.

Ice Baths

After a few weeks of cold showers you can up the ante to an ice bath. Get 2-3 bags of ice at your local convenience store and put them in a half-full bath tub. Wait until around two thirds is melted or that the water has reached your designated temperature (10 / 12 °C (50 / 59 °F)). You can throw in a couple of handfuls of salt to speed up this process.
As with the cold showers, try to relax as much as you can. Start out with around 10 minutes and increase exposure over time. If you feel uncomfortable or in doubt, get out. After this exercise make sure you do another body scan.
It is normal to feel extra cold after a small period of time after the ice bath. This is called the after-drop. Take a hot glass of raw coca and keep your blood flowing by talking a walk.
You’ll feel amazing after!






Source: Karma Jello

7 Ways to Better Listen to Your Intuition

Have you ever been in a situation where your “gut feeling” told you one thing, but your rational mind said another? If you went with your brain rather than your intuition, there’s a good chance you ended up regretting your decision. Your intuition is the subconscious leader that many people fail to give proper respect to. But learning to listen to this internal compass could help you make better decisions and live a more fulfilling life.
“I define intuition as the subtle knowing without ever having any idea why you know it,” explains Sophy Burnham, bestselling author of The Art of Intuition, to The Huffington Post. “It’s different from thinking, it’s different from logic or analysis … It’s a knowing without knowing.”
It’s unconscious reasoning, the guidance that compels you to turn left when all signs may be pointing right. It’s often the whisper inside that can lead you to the best results possible, if you will just learn to let go and give it a chance.
Intuition is commonly associated with New Age mysticism or a metaphysical way of thinking, but it doesn’t have to be so. Our intuition was here long before anyone even gave a word to it, and it will be here long after other fad words expire.
“There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence, combined with solid research efforts, that suggests intuition is a critical aspect of how we humans interact with our environment and how, ultimately, we make many of our decisions,” said Ivy Estabrooke of the Office of Naval Research, who is investigating the power of intuition which has helped troops make important and quick decisions during combat.
Whether it’s deciding which job to take, which direction to turn when you’re lost, or how to handle a conflict in your family, intuition sometimes knows better than the rational mind. The problem is that many of us have buried that little voice so deeply within, we have a hard time hearing or feeling where it is guiding us.
The good news is that your intuition is still there, you merely have to learn to hear it again.
To better listen to your intuition, try:
1. Meditation: Spend time in silence, simply listening.
2. Commune with nature: Aim to get at least sometime outside every single day.
3. Creativity: Tap into your internal artist by drawing, writing, painting, or making music.
4. Learn to listen: In general, listen to friends, families, silence, and yourself.
5. Be body conscious: Learn to appreciate the little signs and signals from your body, when it tells you it’s tired, joyful, in need of love, or getting sick.
6. Let go: Warm up to the idea that you don’t have to control everything. Life is going to happen whether you overthink it or not. Relax.
7. Stay positive: A 2013 study in the journal Psychological Science found that being in a good mood boosted participant’s abilities to make intuitive calls in a word game. So smile!
Working on becoming more intuitive requires you to adopt healthier habits and a healthier mindset. These are things that are good for your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, no matter your end goal. And if cultivated regularly, they could lend themselves to better decision making and more happiness overall.
Credits: Elizabeth Renter, naturalsociety.com,

5 Ways To Raise Your Vibration Right Now

In spirituality, our “vibration” essentially refers to our energetic state.  Our dominant thoughts, our physical health, our emotions, and our beliefs all collectively contribute to the vibrational state of our energy field. The contribute to our “vibes” if you will.  When you can feel “vibes” coming from another person, you are literally tapping in to the energy field of that person.

Nobody wants to feel anything other than peace and happiness. There is a long list of things you can incorporate in your lifestyle that will raise your vibration over the course of time, and even immediately. Getting sunlight, loving yourself, eating a healthy diet, spending time with friends, and being out in nature are just some of the more obvious ways.
There are some things, however, that you can do right now regardless of where you are that will help raise your vibrational state. In other words, they will help cultivate more peace of mind, more happiness, more clarity, and more overall wellness immediately. Here are 5 things you can do right away to raise your vibration:

1) Meditation

We all knew this one would be on the list. And we all know about the overwhelming amount of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits that come with mediation. Yet for some reason, we all kind of resist meditation. I feel resistance arise sometimes before meditation or even during it, even though I know it is fundamental to my evolution. The key is to stop thinking of meditation as a task, or as something you have to do. You don’t have to prepare or do anything fancy.
Just sit right where you are, close your eyes, and just be. Take a break from your life situation. Drop all intention of going somewhere or needing to do anything, and give yourself full permission to completely relax, even if it’s just for 60 seconds. You can do this at the office when your boss isn’t looking, in the bathroom, during commercials on your favourite show, or whenever you would like. The key is to stay relaxed, yet alert without thinking. Just be, as the consciousness that you are. You will always notice an immediate shift in your energetic state, even if you only practice this for 30 seconds. Your body and mind begin to rest, and your brainwaves will actually alter as well. Meditation is not a chore! It’s a vacation. Treat yourself every now and then, and I promise you will see changes in your life.

2) Conscious Breathing

Take 3 conscious breaths right now. No for real. Do it. Take a deep inhale, and be there with the breath the entire way in, and be there with it on the way out. We give so much attention to the redundant thoughts in our heads and so little time to the breath which is constantly giving us life and sustaining our being. Every time you choose to stop what you are doing, turn your attention away from the compulsive thought stream and invest it into the flow of the breath, you are literally making the choice to evolve faster. Every time you take a deep breath, you are cultivating more peace, happiness, stillness, and clarity right away.



I challenge you to take as many conscious breaths as you can throughout the day. At least every 30 minutes, remind yourself to inhale deeply and be present with the flow of your breathing. You are literally taking in more Life Energy when you do this. You will notice that as you begin to get into the habit of doing this on a regular basis, and undercurrent of peace will begin to arise on its own. More energy, more spiritual awareness, right now. Take 3 more before you continue on to the next point.

3) Practice Gratitude

You are not starving to death somewhere. You have clean water to drink. You have a roof to sleep under. But on top of the endless list of things you could be grateful for, here is something to think about. You are on a massive rock whirling around a ball of fire at a speed of 108,000 kph.The sun itself is whizzing along the outskirts of the galactic arm at a rate of 792,000 km/h, and our Milky Way galaxy itself is moving at almost 1 million kph. Nobody knows what caused the universe, why it is here, why/how subjectivity or consciousness exists, or how life formed out of dead inert matter in the first place. I personally believe there is an Intelligence behind it all, but whatever your beliefs may be, here is the most amazing fact of all:
13.6 billion years of star formation and destruction, of chemical evolution, of biological evolution, of countless miraculous events that led to the formation of plants, moons, and ultimately to conscious beings took place so that YOU could experience this moment. Right now. The universe went through all of this so it could experience itself through your perspective. YOU are a geat miracle. Life is so amazing. Look outside. Here the birds. Feel the wind. You are on a planet in outer space, and nobody knows how or why anything exists at all. Take a look at your friends, your loved ones, and just sit with the internal realization that everything around you is literally a miracle. We so often forget how lucky we are to experience anything at all. Taking a moment to remember the preciousness of life is something that always brings your energetic state to a completely new level.

4) Laughter

“A day without laughter is a day wasted” Charlie Chaplin once said. There is nothing like a good laugh to improve your mood and raise your energetic state. Osho once said, “Life as such has to be taken as cosmic joke – and then suddenly you relax because there is nothing to be tense about. And in that very relaxation something starts changing in you.”
Watch your favourite comedian. Watch a funny movie. Tell a pun or two. Lightheartedness is the best way to approach almost all dilemmas in your life. When you are in a fight or an argument with someone, try to administer a little bit of humour to the situation. Once you can crack a smile out of them, the whole energy field of the room changes and you both realize from this new place of lightheartedness that your connection to each other as people is more important than anything. If you are in a negative circle of thinking, refer back to something that made you laugh in the past. It’s never worth it to not be at peace.

5) Understanding That Life Is Temporary

One of the most humbling realizations is that impermanence is an unchanging truth. You will never get to experience this moment every again. Everything around you will pass with time. The trees, the buildings, relationships, accomplishments. The only things that will remain are memories. Life is so so temporary. We all know how fast time seems to fly by. Whether you believe you have a soul or not, here is a truth that has literally changed the way I see life:
There will be a time in this life where you will be old and near passing. You will be reflecting on your past experiences, on how you spent your time, on all of the great times you had, and maybe even on how often you took life for granted. There will come a time in your life where you would give ANYTHING to be in this position right now. Alive, youthful, healthy. You would give your arm and a leg if you could just experience life as a 20 or 30 or 50-year-old again. Imagine yourself being on your deathbed and wishing you could go back for just 30 seconds to extract more experience from life and to fully appreciate how amazing it is. Consider this moment, right now, being your wish granted. What are you going to do with this moment?




It helps me personally to live with the realization that life is a fleeting experience. It helps cultivate grace, lightness, and love. The key to to raising your vibration won’t be found in a chakra chart or by clutching on to crystals. It lies within the way you choose to interact with this present moment. You can choose mediate, breathe deep, have a laugh, and realize that life is an absolute gift, or you can choose to allow your vibration to be determined by the world around you.
The power is in your hands! It always has been, and it always will be. The more we can own up to our power and improve our energetic state at will, the more peace we will have individually. The more peace we have individually, the more peace we have collectively. World peace literally starts with you and your energy field, and it doesn’t take any longer than 30 seconds sitting in a chair somewhere to completely uplift your vibration.

By Steven Bancarz

10 Ways A Spiritual Journey Might Change Your Life

10 Ways A Spiritual Journey Might Change Your Life

1. Jobs Can Sometimes Make You Forget The Beauty In Life

At the point where you walk outside and you don’t notice the sun is shining perfectly in the sky, you need a RESET. If we all had life the way we wanted it, we would have much less “jobs” and have much more inspired creation. This shift and transition can happen right now. What are you waiting for? Perhaps you don’t know what you want to create, perhaps you feel stuck or trapped. Getting out of your environment might be just what you need to make a transition into finding what gives you lasting happiness.

2. Life Just Got Stale

You know how sometimes if you eat something over and over again it gets really old.. especially if that food is just starches and fats with no nutrients at all? Perhaps it’s time to change that intake valve to something a little more free! No one wants a life more stale than a 1998 bag of Lay’s potato chips. Going on adventures make the heart feel fresh and new again.

3. It’ll Inspire You To Have Better Relationships with others

Going to travel around the world or even somewhere nearby often allow your mind to reset. When this happens, you can observe your relationships in a new way and come back to the table with a fresh outlook. Also – if you go somewhere WITH someone, that can be a tremendous way to grow together and strengthen your relationship, regardless of what that relationship is.

4. Redefines the Relationship You Have With Yourself

Everyone needs “Alone Time” sometimes, and so taking some time just to be with yourself can be a powerful meditation to be at peace without constantly engaging with those who don’t get you. Just remember not to pull away too far, for isolation from loved ones if stretched too far can leave stretch marks that take a long time to heal if not properly cared for.

5. Journeys Provide You New Prospectives For Your Education

Getting out into the world, you’ll find new people that resonate with your highest potential. When you are in your normal environment, its very much like being “inside the box”, in that it is not very often subject to change.  However our true potential for our life path is never found inside of any box, even if, figuratively speaking, we find a post card that points to our dreams, we will never reach that magical place from the comfort of our boxes. Most people inside the box want the education and careers the box promotes but once we allow our minds to expand, we can quickly find out where we want to place our energy.

6. You May Receive A Fresh Prospective On Your Priorities

Lets just be honest, life can be hard sometimes. Ok…. scratch that… life can be hard most of the time as we grow and become more responsible. However, just because we have a lot of responsibilities doesn’t mean we have them prioritised. Getting out of the old environment even for a little while allows your mind to shuffle and sort what is truly important to you and what needs to be done for the benefit of everyone and everything.

7. You’ll Become Better At Navigating Your Perception Of Drama

When things get dramatic, there is usually for a reason for it. Whether there is a problem between you and a loved one or a disagreement in the workplace – when things are in a panic it can become difficult to be on-point and do the right thing. Sometimes taking a step outside of the house for an afternoon of reflection can make all of the difference in the world. For me, I climb the tree in the front of the house and meditate for a while, engaging fully with the task at hand in order to come to a more complete understanding and resolution to the problem.

8. Gain Mental Clarity In Your Life

Is life looking dense, thick and sticky like walking through muck? Going on a Spiritual Journey will cut through the density like a knife through Wonder Bread. The more earthly experience you have, the more angles of reflection you have for making better decisions. By practicing mindfulness to all of these, we can “go with the flow” with a lot more care than the stuck-ness we face when we do not.

9. Overall Optimism will increase.

Yep, you guessed it! Trees, Rivers, Grass, Temples, Foreign Languages, and limited access to bathrooms seems to play a huge role in the increase of appreciation and an overall more positive outlook on the blessed life you have. A positive outlook on life can make all the difference in your creativity.

10. Spiritual Journeys Promote Mindfulness About Your Physical Health

Healthwise, a lot comes down to resource management when you are taking a real spiritual journey. Most of us will typically eat much healthier while on a journey of some sort or at least have a better sense of how to keep the body in a better state of holistic comfort.
So yeah, Go on a journey! Create something new for yourself, and create something new for your friends and family. You are a reflection of them after all, and any adjustments you make to your auric field will have an impact on them, whether you are aware of it or not.
Original by Christopher Taylor
Edited by Jordan Pearce

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

 

Evolving Minds

Many of us seem to think that being spiritual means we have to be religious. Just because you aren’t directly affiliated with a specific religion doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to be more spiritual. The whole concept of spiritual awareness isn’t all about connecting with a higher divine power, but also connecting with nature and yourself. Once you have established this connection, you will see life from a whole different perspective. People with a highly developed sense of spiritual awareness are often less prone to depression, addiction, manipulation, and control. In addition, they generally understand what it means to be truly happy.

Here are five techniques that can help you increase your spiritual awareness:

Technique #1: Learn to communicate to your soul

Your soul is an energy entity that holds part of your awareness and memories. Its energy is what animates your body. In other words, your physical body acts like a vehicle to house your soul, so that it can experience what it means to live in the material realm. For these reasons, your soul is your true identity. Your body isn’t your true identity, because it’s made of matter, which is made of atoms that are mostly empty space. The space that isn’t empty in atoms isn’t solid, but is actually made of energy. So, what does this mean? It means that matter and your body are more like illusions or projections. The only thing that is truly real is energy which is what your soul is made of.

To communicate to your soul, you need to first believe that you have one. Next, learn how to calm your mind so that you can hear the subtle voice and feeling inside you. A great way to calm your mind is to do breathing exercises. Meditation is also another great technique to strengthen your ability to communicate to your soul.

Technique #2: Get plenty of sleep

Create a schedule that makes it possible for you to get at least 6to 8 hours of sleep every night. Once you have created this schedule, try to stick to it. Not only will you find that getting lots of sleep every single night allows your body to recover from fatigue, but you are also making it easier for you to focus your thoughts. Staying in control of your thoughts is important for increasing your spiritual awareness, because your thought is the energy entity that constructs your reality.

Technique #3: Spend time with nature

The secrets of life are embedded in nature. If you want to increase your spiritual awareness so that
you can understand what life is, you need to study nature and learn how to live in harmony with it. As your connection to nature strengthens, your spiritual awareness will also increase. The reason for this is because when you become more aware of your natural environment, you start to see why things occur the way they do. This awareness can help you understand who you are and why you are here.

Technique #4: Stay positive and laugh often

Laughter is an important part of a healthy mind and body. When you laugh, you secrete a chemical that automatically boosts your mood and improves your physical health. After a good laugh, you will often find that your problems no longer seem so huge, causing you to have a positive attitude. The great thing about being a person who laughs a lot is that laughter is contagious. When you laugh, people around you will generally feel better, and pretty soon everyone will be happier and more spiritually connected.

Technique #5: Activate your pineal gland

The pineal gland is a powerful and mysterious small gland located in the center of your brain. This small gland is also referred to as the third, inner or mind’s eye. The pineal gland is believed to have mystical properties. Many spiritual teachers believe it has the ability to see the spiritual realm and is the “seat of the soul.” The pineal gland is the section in the head that anchors the soul to the rest of the body.

When the pineal gland is working properly, it becomes easier to communicate to your soul and spiritual realms. Have you ever had an experience when you are in the process of waking up and you saw your room with a 360-degree view, even when you slightly opened your eyes? This 360-degree view is the result of your pineal gland being activated.
Related: A Fluoride-Free Pineal Gland is More Important than Ever

Most adults’ pineal gland is somewhat inactive due to the lack of use and the ingestion of harmful chemicals that can calcify it. One of the most harmful synthetic chemicals to the pineal gland is sodium fluoride. This form of fluoride is a wast byproduct of the fertilizer industry. The natural version of fluoride is known as calcium fluoride, which is often found in ground water and soil in tiny amounts.

Sodium fluoride is common in conventional toothpaste. It is unhealthy for the pineal gland because when it is exposed to sodium fluoride for long periods of time, it can calcify the pineal gland. For more techniques on how to activate your pineal gland, read this article titled Calcified Pineal Gland: How to Decalcify It.

by PL Chang and Amber