background preloader

A Layman’s Guide to Mindful Meditation

A Layman’s Guide to Mindful Meditation
“Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings.” ~ Rumi Here’s the thing: we all know we should meditate, right? Even conventional doctors are informing us about the huge benefits of meditation. When it comes down to it, meditation can be as simple, or as complex, as we want it to be. All of life is a moving meditation. So if our goal is to achieve presence with the vibration of the universe, and presence is about being in the moment and familiarizing ourselves with the current state of our mind-body-soul, then how do we actually do it? We do it by finding a sacred “place” to “perform” our meditation. The main purpose for resonating with this sacred vibration is to nix the overreach of the Ego. Here’s an interesting video by Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 Mindful Minutes Samadhi Related:  The Walk

Activating Your Pineal Gland Having trouble meditating, or remembering your dreams, or just feeling lost and disconnected from the Source? The problem may be a blocked (or calcified) pineal gland. The pineal gland, referred to as the Third Eye, the Eye of Horus or the Seat of the Soul, is a small pine cone shaped organ inside your brain that secretes hormones like melatonin, serotonin and DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), also known as the Spirit Molecule. Melatonin and serotonin are responsible for sleep or meditative states, and emotional states of well-being, bliss and euphoria. DMT effects range from time dilation, time travel, journeys to paranormal realms to encounters with spiritual beings from other dimensions. On the energy level, the pineal gland is the physical manifestation of the 6th Chakra – Ajna, associated with true mystic potential, perception of non-physical reality and spiritual wisdom. Because of its pine cone shape, the pineal gland is often symbolized by a pine cone. • Fluoride in toothpaste and in water

The Process of Meditation - How to Meditate As and when writing on the niche' of Spiritual Healing, or even during the workshops on Holistic Healing, one question that I have had to entertain more than any other is 'How to Meditate'? I generally answer, " You may practice meditation for an hour a day or one minute in an hour. The crux is to detach with the mortal world by all means How to Meditate Meditation may be brought about by many wonderful means of self-discipline, yet is has proved adherently comforting and enlightening so as to follow what ancient wisdom has preached. Let Meditation Enhance Your Awareness You do not need to become a barrier to worldly thoughts, but let them come and let them go. What Ancient Wisdom Conveys Meditation is regarded as 'Dhyana' in the ancient wisdom. Posture for Meditation While you may sit relaxed in any comfortable yoga asana (Pose) during the process, I would emphasize here that you need to keep your neck and backbone erect, so at to be able to connect efficiently with divinity. Related Posts:

True Health: How to Tap Into the Healing Abilities of Your Chakras This is a wonderful article detailing how the Chakra system works. It goes very well with the Emotional Guidance Scale Explained and Chakras, Endocrine Glands & Organs: Explained by Ra in the Law of One. Our Chakra system helps us understand how we relate to ourselves and our outer world experiences. - Justin Source - Waking Times The human energetic body, also referred to as the pranic sheath or astral body, is an intricate network of 72,000 nadis that facilitate the movement of prana, the vital energy of the human body. Tapping into the healing abilities of your chakras can be achieved through various means, such as changing your lifestyle and diet, establishing a meditation practice, taking time for personal exploration, and integrating physical practices such as yoga into your daily life. Root Chakra – Muladhara – I am Location: The base of the spine in the tailbone area. Purpose: Keeps you grounded and centered. Mantra: Lam Sacral Chakra – Swadhishtana – I feel Mantra: Vam Mantra: Ram

Tibetan Yoga meditation methods revealed - General Discussion Earlier I made a thread about Tibetan Monks abilities to use meditation to generate heat in their bodies, to melt snow around them, or to dry freezing wet sheets wrapped around their body until the sheets start steaming and become totally dry. This was an impressive demonstration. However, in those videos, no actual methods used by Tibetan monks were shown or disclosed. Documentary about Tibetan Yoga Masters- Here is a very good, detailed video, where a practice is shown that they call "Tru Khor" (spelling?). Here is a very interesting video! Tibetan monk explains what is happening in Tummo practice- The Tibetan method of Relaxation- Does anyone have any information on the westerner in the Tummo video?

The Spider Goddess & The Web She Weaves – Temple Illuminatus Esoteric Symbology of The Spider & The Web Part I. Spider in Mythology, & Folklore The symbol of Spider & the Web it Weaves features prominently in the mythology of various across the globe. Comparative analysis of myth across cultures often reveals deep truths about the nature of culture, reality and the self. The obvious question at hand concerns the prevalence of the Spider Goddess archetype across cultures. Before, we can answer that question let's briefly examine some of the mythological portraits of the Spider: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Part II. The spider web is an interesting mythological symbol considering the current scientific understanding of the universe as illustrated in quantum theory, string theory and general relativity. The Second Hermetic Principle of Correspondence states: This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. Therefore, there should be a web above, and a web below.

Dream Methods & Techniques There are as many ways of working (some would say “playing”!) with a dream as there are dreams and dreamers. Different methods allow us to approach the dream in different ways, thereby shedding light on facets of the dream that might not be available to us upon first glance. How Do I Interpret My Dreams? (Pam Ryan) First, a disclaimer of sorts: Rev. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. Dream Work & Play (Christine Boyer ) As I work with people in my dream practice, one of the most common things I hear is “I never dream!” Preparation: Once you’ve decided that you want to remember your dreams, be prepared to record them. Appreciation: Be delighted with whatever you remember. Recognition: Recognition comes when we share our dreams. Questioning Images and Creating Stories (Melanie Lahina) I have found that one of my recent effective ways of working on a dream was shared with me in my dream group. Dream Recall (Richard Wilkerson) It can be very frustrating trying to recall dreams.

Magic Mushrooms Expand Your Mind And Amplify Your Brain’s Dreaming Areas. Here’s How Psychedelic drugs alter consciousness in a profound and novel way that increases the breadth and fluency of cognition. However, until recently, we were unable to offer an explanation for how the brain was altered to account for these effects. In a new study, published in Human Brain Mapping, we scanned the brains of volunteers who had been injected with psilocybin – the chemical found in magic mushrooms which gives a psychedelic experience – and a control group who hadn’t, and discovered two key things: that psilocybin increased the amplitude (or “volume”) of activity in regions of the brain that are reliably activated during dream sleep and form part of the brain’s ancient emotion system; and that psychedelics facilitate a state of “expanded” consciousness – meaning that the breath of associations made by the brain and the ease by which they are visited is enhanced under the drugs. Ego and emotion This finding of a similar pattern to dream activity is intriguing. Building a picture

The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation The following text is based upon a talk given by Mr. S.N. Goenka in Berne, Switzerland. Everyone seeks peace and harmony, because this is what we lack in our lives. We ought to live at peace with ourselves, and at peace with others. In order to be relieved of our misery, we have to know the basic reason for it, the cause of the suffering. How do we start generating negativity? Now, one way to solve this problem is to arrange that nothing unwanted happens in life, that everything keeps on happening exactly as we desire. In India, as well as in other countries, wise saintly persons of the past studied this problem—the problem of human suffering—and found a solution: if something unwanted happens and you start to react by generating anger, fear or any negativity, then, as soon as possible, you should divert your attention to something else. This solution was helpful; it worked. A good solution; it avoids both extremes—suppression and expression. This presents a practical solution.

Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophy 1. The Meaning of the Term Zen The designation of this school of the Buddha-Way as Zen, which means sitting meditation, is derived from a transliteration of the Chinese word Chán. 2. There are basically two methods utilized in meditation practice in Zen Buddhism to assist the practitioner to reach the above-mentioned goals, together with a simple breathing exercise known as “observation of breath count” (sūsokukan); one is the kōan method and the other is called “just sitting” (shikan taza), a form of “single act samādhi.” According to Hakuin (1685–1768), who systematized kōans, there are formally seventeen hundred cases of kōans, and if sub-questions are added to them, a total number of cases comprising the system would be roughly three thousand. On the other hand, the Sōtō school, of which Dōgen (1200–54) is the founder, does not rely on an elaborate kōan system to learn to become a Zen person, but instead follows a method called “just sitting” (shikan taza). 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Qualia In philosophy, qualia (/ˈkwɑːliə/ or /ˈkweɪliə/; singular form: quale) are what some consider to be individual instances of subjective, conscious experience. The term "qualia" derives from the Latin neuter plural form (qualia) of the Latin adjective quālis (Latin pronunciation: [ˈkʷaːlɪs]) meaning "of what sort" or "of what kind"). Examples of qualia include the pain of a headache, the taste of wine, or the perceived redness of an evening sky. As qualitative characters of sensation, qualia stand in contrast to "propositional attitudes".[1] Daniel Dennett (b. 1942), American philosopher and cognitive scientist, regards qualia as "an unfamiliar term for something that could not be more familiar to each of us: the ways things seem to us".[2] Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961), the famous physicist, had this counter-materialist take: The sensation of color cannot be accounted for by the physicist's objective picture of light-waves. Definitions[edit] Arguments for the existence of qualia[edit] E. J.

Collective consciousness Is Consciousness Universal? For every inside there is an outside, and for every outside there is an inside; though they are different, they go together. —Alan Watts, Man, Nature, and the Nature of Man, 1991 I grew up in a devout and practicing Roman Catholic family with Purzel, a fearless and high-energy dachshund. He, as with all the other, much larger dogs that subsequently accompanied me through life, showed plenty of affection, curiosity, playfulness, aggression, anger, shame and fear. Yet my church teaches that whereas animals, as God's creatures, ought to be treated well, they do not possess an immortal soul. Only humans do. It was only later, at university, that I became acquainted with Buddhism and its emphasis on the universal nature of mind. As a natural scientist, I find a version of panpsychism modified for the 21st century to be the single most elegant and parsimonious explanation for the universe I find myself in. We Are All Nature's Children

How to Explain Complex Ideas (Like Tech) to Those Who Don’t Understand 5 Tips For Butchering Your Life...So You Can Finally Live Emancipating One’s Self Takes Patience, Grace and a Level of Brutality In Order to Hack Away at That Which Doesn’t Serve In Growth I had been a free-spirited artist who put my dreams, passions and convictions aside to adopt a life that I thought was necessary in order for me to ‘grow up’ and ground myself. You know…to live the American Dream. I became a wife to a safe man who took care of me financially, while taming me into ordinary. Then I woke up. 2013 was when I purposely and methodically butchered away my life, my Self, the heavy skin from 10 years of marital and personal discord, as well as sever the restraints of that which I had grown to know as my cage. I was left in pieces—hacked, chopped, bloody and raw. That was the most challenging and painful set of events in my entire life thus far. As the dust has begun to settle around broken debris of framework, I can now more clearly see the crystal blue sky and the seemingly infinite space around me. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Relephant Reads:

Related: