50 Reasons to Meditate

Relationship-building: from a student

1. increase self-awareness
2. stress reduction
3. increases serotonin
4. decreases cortisol levels
5. decreases heart rate
6. lowers respiration
7. increase red blood cell production
8. improves relationships 
9. feel better
10. be happier
11. feel calm
12. decrease blood pressure
13. lower hypertension
14. lower blood sugar
15. increase immunity
16. sleep more deeply
17. reduce anxiety
18. increase energy                                  Click the link below.
19. increase productivity                          Join me. Develop a Personal Mediation Practice.
20. develop your intuition
21. know how to handle situations that used to baffle you
22. enhances healing
23. improve performance (mental and physical)        

    

    Meditation reduces stress

24. heal faster
25. control weight
26. increase creativity
27. reduce aging
28. thinking more clearly
29. decrease anger and aggressiveness
30. promotes wellness and well being
31. helps with addictions
32. improves attitude
33. changes perspective
34. build confidence
35. ability to visualize more easily
36. feel more comfortable with who you are and your situation in life
37. increases ability to deal with all situations
38. reduces fear and overwhelm
39. requires no materials
40. once you learn how to mediate, it's free
41. reduce pain levels
42. increased focus
43. increased ability to concentrate
44. builds compassion for yourself and others
45. greater job satisfaction
46. relax more easily
47. feel a greater connection to the planet and the beings on the planet
48. transform your life
49. transform your body
50. transform your relationships

Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. Join me. Develop a Personal Mediation Practice. In 28 days I guarantee you will feel better and be on your way to achieving many of the benefits above.

How to Boost your Immunity: Meditation and other remedies

Aaron Meditating in Capital Reef

Meditation is a simple and lost cost (free) way to boost your immunity. In recent research studies, meditation was shown to lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone), increase antibodies (a large part of our immune response) and stimulate connections in the brain, which helps with our thinking process, creativity and our level of happiness. WOW! If you've wanted to know how to meditate or build a home practice, click here to register for my 28-days to a personal meditation practice. 

Some other ways to boost your immunity as change seasons are to take:

Turmeric Honey

• 1/4 c local, raw honey

• 1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 t ground turmeric

• 2 T raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg's with the Muther)

• pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Mix turmeric and black pepper in a mortal and pestle to create a fine powder. Then add in the honey, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Stir until smooth. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can use this in your tea (1-2 t) or take it straight from a spoon every day.

Immunity Tea Recipe 

• 1 part nettle

• 1 part astragalus

• 1 part licorice root

• 1 part echinacea

• 1/2 part ginger root

• 1/2 part ginseng powder

• 1/2 part peppermint leaf

Mix dried herbs and store in airtight container. Use 1 T mixed herbs per cup of boiling water. I like to boil water in a pot and place herbs in to steep. You can reuse the herbs 2-3 times.

Neti Pot- with 1/8 t sea salt (How to Neti)

Abhyanga self massage 

Oil ears- simmer 2 T olive oil with a pressed clove of garlic for 30 minutes. Place 2-3 drops in each ear as needed (after the mixture has cooled). 

Add a dash of horseradish, chili peppers or hot mustard to your food — all act as natural, temporary decongestants. 

Avoid foods that you’re slightly allergic to--some common ones--dairy, wheat, eggs.

There are many ways to naturally boost our immunity. I've listed just a few. Give some of them a try and let me know how it goes.

How to Fall Asleep: Mantra

Sleeping Like a Teenager

There are 2 things my main things my students ask, no beg, for help with. I'm going to talk about the first one today--sleep. In our busy, electronic age, it's getting harder and harder for people to unwind and sleep deeply for the required amount of time their bodies need. 

I've listed tips in a previous post, Trouble sleeping--look no further. Here I'd like to offer you another useful tool, mantra. Besides not using electronics before sleep, mantra with focused breathing has been the most effective tool for myself and many of my students.

I have used mantra for many years in my yoga, chanting and meditation practice. Traditionally, a mantra is a sound or phrase given to you by your teacher. You repeat it and feel the qualities of the sounds in your body; your mind is also able to focus on the sound alone. I like using Sanskrit mantras, but you can use any sound or word as long as it doesn't contain any negative connotation for you.

Mantra is also a useful tool for falling asleep or going back to sleep if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night.  When choosing a mantra for sleep, it's important that the sound not raise your energy, trigger emotion or cause you to think. I like using single syllables like, ॐ Om or short phrases such as सोहुं so hum--inhaling so exhaling hum; it's similar to saying, "I am." You might also choose a word in your native language that means Peace, Calm, or Tranquil. 

Repeat the word silently as you exhale over and over again. Don't give up too soon. Remember that it takes time for your body and mind to get used to a new practice.

For more on meditation, join me for, "28 days to Inner Peace-Develop a Home Practice: an online mediation course."

Happy ZZZZ...Let me know if it works for you!

One-pointed focus: Meditation

quiet space

"Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind." Patanjali

We are so busy that many of us cannot fathom stopping to "just do nothing." Yet, what we need most is peace and quiet to nourish our deepest selves. 

When did we move so far away from being into doing? I don't know. I spent a lot of time with my brothers and cousins outside, in nature, pretending, looking at stars and fireflies. Now there is fear attached to not being busy. Are we afraid of our potential?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” ~Marianne Williamson

I invite you to join me in 5 minutes of quieting your mind by focusing on your breath. If you like this, you might want more with my 28-day online meditation course and challenge to build a home practice, "Spark your Creative Genius."

Enjoy! I'd love to hear about your experience; any questions you have about meditation or more that you'd like to see.

How to Use Sankalpa Mudra

Anjali mudra

I first heard the word sankalpa when I was practicing yoga nidra (a deep meditation practice similar to sleep) in a group. The teacher told us to set an intention, make a commitment to change something, or a resolve.  The statement is set in present tense in the form of a positive affirmation. i.e. I move through life with joy and ease.

I may have heard the word prior to this, but I don't recall. It wasn't until many years later that I realized I had been setting a resolve in all my practices when I set my intention.

A mudra [a gesture or seal made with the body, i.e. anjali mudra (prayer hands)] can be used along with our resolve. 

Sankalpa mudra
www.arunachala-ramana.org

Using a mudra enhances our vow because energy stored in our body is released when the seal is placed.
 
Do you need to use mudra? No. Does it help? Absolutely. 

Why? In sankalpa mudra the left hand crosses the midline (heart energy center) and rests palm open (receptive mode) on the right thigh. The right hand goes over the left with the right palm facing down in a grounding mode.

When we bring our hands together with the palms facing one another, it connects both hemispheres of the brain. All aspects of us--body, mind and spirit hear the commitment and can work together to make our resolve happen.

When? We can use sankalpa mudra whenever we are making a commitment to bring something into our lives or to let some thing go. It's not to be used lightly on a whim or for every little thing we want.

Does it mean that everything we want will come to fruition? Not at all. The Universe is not Santa Claus and there are many things that come into play when we are manifesting and releasing--so much so that for centuries books have been written about it. People spend their lives attempting to manifest.

I typically use sankalpa mudra when doing a seated-meditation practice.

I will share a meditation practice with you next week so you can see where we use the sankalpa mudra. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or any information to add.