The Secret Universal Mind Meditation

After I read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I became hooked on how I could use the Law of Attraction to create a life filled with purpose and abundance. It’s not that I don’t have a good life already, but I have my desires and doubts just like anyone else. Who wouldn’t want a bigger bank account, better health, a luxurious car or house, loving relationships, or purposeful and meaningful work.

Sure, I’m grateful for everything I have, especially in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti. When I made my husband an omelet this morning and it fell apart, I got mad at myself. He told me to be grateful that we have this omelet. We could be living in Haiti and have nothing. He brought home the fact that I shouldn’t let the little stuff bug me because there are people who are much worse off.

I don’t doubt that I have everything I need, but do I have everything that I desire? No.  Underneath the polished exterior of my life, I have a desire to abandon legal secretarial work and become a yoga teacher. Plain and simple. And that desire becomes more profound as I near age 50. I’ve been a legal secretary for almost 30 years and I feel like I’m wasting away in a cubicle pushing paper, something I do more out of habit and force than out of love. I dream of a different work life and I know it’s possible. I just have to believe in the Law of Attraction to get me where I need to go.

So I decided that I needed to do something about working toward my calling, to see if the Law of Attraction could work for me. Reading The Secret wasn’t enough, but it got my curiosity peaking. I needed to study more, to put those teachings to work for me. So . . . I started with guided meditations.

Kelly Howell’s The Secret Universal Mind Meditation is one meditation CD that has had a profound impact on my life. This 60-minute CD is meant to listen to while falling asleep at night, and imparts the teachings of The Secret using soothing and effective brain wave therapy. Kelly starts out by saying “Close your eyes . . . and begin to breathe.” Her soothing words reverberate into your conscious and subconscious mind and subtly change your belief system so that you can make positive changes in your life.  Over time (she recommends listening to the CD every night for 6 weeks) you’ll begin to understand and accept The Secret as true, and everything you desire and want will begin to take shape in your life. And the good news is — you don’t have to stay awake to get the benefits of this powerful CD.

Don’t get me wrong. Your life won’t change miraculously just by listening to this CD, but it’ll help more than you know. You can read reviews from people on Amazon.com and find a disparate array of pros and cons. One thing I found with this CD is that I wake up more refreshed and more positive about my life. I’ve even woken up in the middle of the night with new ideas flowing through my brain. It’ll get you thinking about the power of the subconscious mind and that anything is possible if you just believe.

I listened to this CD for 6 weeks and became addicted to it. So much that I’ve also bought and listen to Kelly Howell’s The Secret to Attracting Wealth regularly. I’ll talk about that CD in another post, so stay tuned.

I highly recommend Kelly Howell’s The Secret Universal Mind Meditation CD to anyone who wants to change their life, but who isn’t afraid to work a little to realize their dreams.

Buy your copy of Kelly Howell’s The Secret Universal Mind Meditation by clicking here. Enjoy your new CD and make positive changes in your life, starting today!

Let me know what you thought by leaving your comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Taking Time to Relax

By: Lester Best

Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds.

Feeling stressed out, worn out by fatigue or just simply having a miserable day, the best thing to do is relax.

Watching television may be a form of relaxation for some, but is not a recommended method by experts. When we watch TV we are bombarded with commercials, ads, sounds and images. So how do we achieve relaxation? If there are thousands of ways we can get stressed, one of them is not meeting deadlines, there are also many ways we can relax.

In recent studies, experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress brings about ischemia that can lead to or cause a heart attack. Relaxation takes on added importance in light of this matter. Managing your anger and attitude is significant to heart health, and relaxation can help you manage stress.

One way of relaxation is transcendental meditation. Recent studies have also shown that this method might reduce artery blockage, which is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. People practice transcendental meditation by repeating uttering soothing sounds while meditating, this is to achieve total relaxation. The researchers found that practitioners of transcendental meditation significantly reduced the thickness of their arterial wall compared with those who didn’t practice transcendental meditation.

Another study on another method of relaxation, acupuncture, seems to reduce high blood pressure by initiating several body functions for the brain to release chemical compounds known as endorphins. Endorphin helps to relax muscles, ease panic, decrease pain, and reduce anxiety.

Yoga is also another method for relaxation and may also have similar effects like acupuncture. In another study, participants were subjected to several minutes of mental stress. Then they were subjected to various relaxation techniques, such as listening to nature sounds or classical music. Only those who did Yoga significantly reduced the time it took for their blood pressures to go back to normal. Yoga is a form of progressive relaxation.

Breathing is one of the easiest methods to relax. Breathing influences almost all aspects of us, it affects our mind, our moods and our body. Simply focus on your breathing, after some time you can feel its effects right away.

There are several breathing techniques that can help you reduce stress.

Another easy way to achieve relaxation is exercise. If you feel irritated a simple half-hour of exercise will often settle things down. Although exercise is a great way to lose weight, it does not show you how to manage stress appropriately. Exercise should also be used in conjunction with other exercise method.

One great way of relaxation is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the handling and touch of a professional therapist.

There are several types of massages that also give different levels of relaxation.

Another method of relaxation is Biofeedback. The usual biofeedback-training program includes a 10-hour sessions that is often spaced one week apart.

Hypnosis is one controversial relaxation technique. It is a good alternative for people who think that they have no idea what it feels like to be relaxed. It is also a good alternative for people with stress related health problems.

Drugs are extreme alternatives to relaxation. They are sometimes not safe and are not effective like the other relaxation methods. This method is only used by trained medical professionals on their patients.

These relaxation techniques are just some of the ways you can achieve relaxation. Another reason why we need to relax, aside from lowering blood pressure in people and decreasing the chances of a stroke or a heart attack, is because stress produces hormones that suppress the immune system, relaxation gives the immune system time to recover and in doing so function more efficiently.

Relaxation lowers the activities within the brains’ limbic system; this is the emotional center of our brain.

Furthermore, the brain has a periodic need for a more pronounced activity on the right-hemisphere. Relaxation is one way of achieving this.

Relaxation can really be of good use once a relaxation technique is regularly built into your lifestyle. Choose a technique that you believe you can do regularly.

Crowded train, calm mind

While I’m a part-time yoga teacher I also hold down a full-time job, and I travel by train to and from my job every day. This has it’s ups and downs, but mostly it saves gas and wear and tear on my car. I like to read on the train and most times I can, but lately our beloved transit authority decided to “make things better” by eliminating an essential car from the train I usually take. Seats are now precious, and I have to hustle to get one, or ease my way in and find a reasonable spot where I can hold on for dear life without losing my footing.  Anyway . . . I’m not one to get really aggravated over things like that because the train ride is only about 15 minutes before I can exit and breathe again. . . .so I accept it for what it is.

I had a particularly awful ride on the train two days ago, but my ability to remain calm in times of stress saved me.  I was waiting for the train in the hot summer sun before my long Labor Day weekend when alas, the train arrived pretty much on time — but with only ONE car! How could this be during the busiest time of the day when people are leaving work! Because I didn’t want to wait yet another 15 minutes for the next one (which may or may not be any better), I wiggled my way on to the train that was already overcrowded and stuffed with hot, sweaty bodies eagerly awaiting their trip home. I was stuck pinned to the wall near the door. Thankfully, it would make for a somewhat easy exit. I held my thick library book in the crook of my arm and reached out and supported myself somewhat unsteadily on the door as the train sped south. Stop after stop didn’t deter even more people from getting on, even though there was no room to stand. Luckily as people got on, others got off, but the situation never really got any better. Bodies pressed against each other and young girls were talking on their cell phones, cursing the situation and suffering from claustrophobia. There was a mother and a young boy with a stroller, no less, standing right next to me, and the poor kid was simply lost and could easily get trampled on.

But I remained calm, and even joked with some people instead of getting ruffled and mad. It is what it is. Over 4,000 complaints were lodged with the transit authority since they started this madness a couple of weeks ago so I hope that it’ll go back to the way it was, when seats were available and I could read in relative comfort. In the meantime, I accept it, and I’m grateful for the transportation and for the fact that my job pays for my train pass. While my mind remained calm, I looked forward to the one-mile walk I’d have when I finally released myself from train bondage, and to my yoga room where I could finally breathe again.

Discover the Benefits of Yoga Meditation Practice

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

What is more valuable to you – a trained body or a trained mind?  Most people would think about this for a second and decide that physical appearance, through training the body, is more important to them.  In Hatha Yoga, we can easily see the number of students who pursue physical mastery through asana practice.

Not everyone feels asana is the “Holy Grail” of Yoga, but physical prowess is still an attraction.  However, for one to pursue physical mastery over mental mastery, one must feel that his or her mental health is going along just fine.  If this were so, why are so many people experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, panic disorder, depression, and a variety of mental disorders?

Meditation may not be the solution to all the mental ailments humankind experiences, but it sure can help.  Many Western medical doctors recommend meditation as an adjunct therapy.  Many counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists, also recommend Yoga to stabilize the mind.

The most common reason why Yoga students want to learn meditation is to relax the mind when needed.  To relieve the mind and body of negative nervous energy is the result of a complete Hatha Yoga practice.  In other words: Physical exercises (asanas), alone, will not produce optimum results for holistic health.

Asanas will help purge negative energy from the body and mind, up to a limited point.  This is the reason why Maharishi Patanjali mentions eight limbs in the Yoga Sutras.  He mentions Yoga as a way of life and higher levels of concentrated meditation.  He does mention asana, but it is just one of the eight limbs.

The last four of the eight limbs – Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, are concerned with meditation and preparation for it.  Therefore, the value and benefits of daily practice, go much further than the skin’s surface.

What are the benefits of meditation?  Meditation is the most natural of today’s methods to bring the mind under control.  Prescribed drugs, alcohol, and illegal drugs are often used or abused, with the goal of relaxing the mind.  Based on the cost of chemical addictions, people will pay a high price, in many ways, to relax their minds.  Meditation does not have negative side effects.

In comparison to many forms of therapy, meditation is extremely cost effective.  An intermediate practitioner will have no difficulty practicing alone.  A few asanas and pranayama (Yogic breathing) techniques will aid to relax the body before a meditation sessions.  The end result is a focused and relaxed mind, which is prepared for daily tasks.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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What is Restorative Yoga?

When I found restorative yoga a few years ago I discovered the very best therapy for relieving stress. Whenever I have a particularly hard day or don’t feel like doing a regular yoga practice, I sink into a restorative yoga pose and just let everything go.  After lying in complete repose for ten or fifteen minutes, such as reclining bound angle pose (shown in photo), I seldom want to come out of it because I’m so deliciously absorbed in my own conscious relaxation that nothing else matters. Together with deep breathing and a sense of grounding, there’s no better antidote to healing both the body and the soul.

What is restorative yoga, anyway?

It’s a therapeutic style of yoga that uses props such as blankets, bolsters, pillows, blocks, sandbags, straps and eye pillows to create a nurturing and supportive environment for total relaxation.  Some people may find that restorative yoga takes too much time to set up, but the therapeutic benefits are enormous and it’s worth the effort, it really is. By using these various props, you can lie back effortlessly into poses that will soothe your nervous system, release tension, quiet the mind, and ease your body into a state of balance.

I invite you to discover the healing qualities of restorative yoga.  Read more about restorative yoga in this article by Yoga Journal.

Deep relaxation transported me to a place of bliss

I can’t adequately describe the feelings I had when I left a two-hour Deep Relaxation class yesterday at Avenues Yoga in Salt Lake City, except that I wanted to cry tears of relief as I was rolling up my mat.  I was able to let go of a lot of old baggage, and my body felt wonderful!

I had only learned about Avenues Yoga from Charlotte Bell, who recently started teaching a Monday evening restorative yoga class there.  The studio had just opened its doors this past May, and already it has eight instructors and a full schedule of classes, including restorative yoga, prenatal yoga, kids yoga, moving meditation, vinyasa, yoga for climbers, mat pilates, and others.  With one large studio graced with shiny wooden floors, soft track lighting, and tall windows overlooking a tree-lined street in the Avenues section of Salt Lake City, the atmosphere of Avenues Yoga is very soft, and environmentally inviting indeed.

Aside from attending a restorative yoga class there last Monday evening, Saturday’s Deep Relaxation workshop was my second encounter with the studio, and with owner Erin, whose quiet and sophisticated demeanor immediately made a positive impression on me.  Will I finally find a comfortable place in which to practice yoga? Yes, I think so. It seems to be a place that will draw me closer to my practice and to myself.

During the Deep Relaxation class, Erin led us with her gentle and beautiful voice through a combination of therapeutic movements, restorative poses, guided meditation and imagery, and a powerful but simple yoga nidra practice that released stress and nourished our bodies and our souls.

When class was over I couldn’t believe that two hours had passed.  I literally felt rooted to the earth, not wanting to move but to remain in that blissful state.  My heart was overflowing with grateful thanks for the opportunity to participate in such a simple yet profound relaxation experience.

I went home feeling like a new person.

Learning to meditate takes practice

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop called “Intro to Meditation” yesterday at The Yoga Center in Holladay, Utah.  Yes, it was set for the middle of a Saturday afternoon when I could have been working in my home office or outside in the yard shaping my hedges, but I needed to do something about my meditation practice (or lack of it) so I signed up for and dutifully participated. And I’m very happy I did.  I walked away with a new sense of purpose and an inspired plan for beginning my own personal meditation practice. And I learned things I never knew before.

Led by two young men named Robin and Scott who have been studying and practicing meditation for many years, the workshop ran for three hours and it not only offered three 15-minute segments of visualization and insight meditation practices, but it also offered 60 minutes of gentle yoga and movement to help us sit for long periods of time without pain.

I learned that there really isn’t an art to meditating. I also learned that it’s okay to let random thoughts enter our minds so long as we come back to the breath. The most important part of meditating is being present in the moment and being comfortable in our thoughts. Feelings of agitation, being fidgety, and even feeling sleepy can happen and they can affect the quality of our meditation practice.

Meditation takes practice.  Its a personal process that could take many years to master. I hope to be able to get to a place in my heart where I can meditate and feel really good afterward because that’s what it’s really all about. All I need to do is listen to my breath and pay attention to my heart and see what it’s really trying to tell me. I want to set intentions for my life and my livelihood and I know that meditation can get me to that place of deeper meaning.

Just sit.  Just be.  Just meditate.  Be in the moment, and feel the joy.

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Yoga and meditation bring out your inner truth

When people ask me why I do yoga, I tell them that it helps me to handle the stress that I experience in my day job. By far, that’s not the only reason, but it’s a big one, and until I can make a total shift from nine-to-five to yoga teacher/entrepreneur, yoga always plays a big role in that process, and it is definitely a catalyst for the welcome changes that are manifesting in my life.

Last night I was reading an article entitled “Help Wanted! If Unwelcome Changes at Work are Stressing You Out, Try Using Them as an Opportunity to Discover the Truth of Who You Really Are,” (Yoga Journal, May 2009), and I found myself relating to the experience of many who have, over the years, built their identities by what they do for a living. For those in high-powered, high-stress jobs, like lawyers or doctors, that’s what their lives are all about, and they know nothing else.  Then, a shock wave hits and they’re either laid off or are suddenly faced with a terminal illness and they have to come to grips with who and what they really are. And it’s really hard for some of those people to understand when they’ve been so conditioned to base their total identities on their occupations, their resumes, their accomplishments and yes, their failures. Their lives are mired in stress, and they don’t believe, or don’t want to believe, there’s any way out. Even the thought of taking a leisure vacation is out of the question.

The article features the story of litigation lawyer, Carol Urzi, who worked in a large San Francisco law firm. She was working 24/7 and managing 50 cases on her trial calendar. Needless to say, she centered her life around her work.  She “enjoyed the intensity, the feeling of triumph over difficulties, and the recognition from others for being the highest biller,” says Carol.  Then, she was suddenly laid off and, while she felt shocked and angry (how could this happen to me??) she embraced yoga and teamed up with a law clerk who had been practicing Zen Buddism meditation for many years.  She could never understand how this person always remained so centered, so quietly in control of his life amid the stress and chaos of the law firm they both worked at.

While recovering from her powerlessness and anger from being laid off, her yoga practice helped her to find new meaning in her life.  Ten years after being laid off, she has the flexibility to pursue studies and interests she was never able to focus on before when she worked around the clock.  She does pro bono legal work, is involved in local politics, and she even travels.  She has finally found her true self from yoga and meditation, and she no longer identifies herself with her work, but who she has become, inside, as a whole person.

We must all learn to bend with the ups and downs of life and expect that they will change at any moment. By cultivating a regular yoga and/or meditation practice, you will achieve patience and compassion for others and, at the same time, accept the uncertainties of life and learn how not to panic when a curve ball gets thrown at you. You will also feel calmer and be able to handle problems more effectively as they manifest in your life, be they job changes, relationships or health issues.

Yoga is a powerful remedy, and it has the power to change lives.

Finding time to meditate

If you’re anything like me, I find it difficult to cultivate a regular meditation practice, although that’s one of the things I want most for myself. I want to be able to sit for several minutes a day and just let gentle stillness overtake my mind, and I want nothing more than to feel the peace. I don’t have a problem practicing yoga, so why is meditating so hard? That’s a question that needs pondering, and I really need to get on the ball.  Being a yoga practitioner, one would think I would find it easy to meditate, but no, it’s been one of my most difficult personal journeys, but I’m not giving up yet.

I’ve tried so many times to rise before dawn and listen to Wayne Dyer’s “ah” and “om” meditation CD’s and although I feel much better afterwards, and I applaud myself for making the effort, I can’t seem to get into the habit or I opt for more sleep over pre-dawn stillness.  Finding the time to meditate always seems to make it to the bottom of the list, and I’m so disappointed in myself for putting more sleep before peace of mind, because I know it will make me a better person if I can only get into the rhythm.

I usually like to sit in brief stillness after my yoga practice in the evenings, but by then I feel like I’ve had my fill and I start thinking about what to cook for dinner than choosing to ease into the flow of my breath and just let go.  I even have a beautiful meditation cushion that my husband gave me as a Christmas gift so why in the world can’t I just do it? I know I can do it, I just have to discipline myself more. And I know it will change my life, once I get the hang of it.

I have a lot of goals ahead of me, and one of them is to start a regular meditation practice that I can commit to and make it my own.

Do you have trouble meditating? Do you have a regular meditation practice? We’d love to hear your comments.

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Smell the roses and just “be” in the moment

Do you ever stop what you’re doing to just be in the moment? In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Most of us need to be given permission to switch from the doing to the being mode, mostly because we have been conditioned since we were little to value doing over being.” This is a very powerful quote and one that we should ponder about fully.

Is your life so hectic and full of stuff to do that you can’t stop and smell the roses or let your body truly rest and relax? Do you ever set aside time just for you or are you always multi-tasking and catering to the needs of other people to the detriment of your own well-being? Women usually have a tendency to need to feel needed, and are always making sure that those around us are taken care of, even if they are fully capable of taking care of themselves. In the meantime, we forget that we need loving care, too. We must make the effort to just be in the moment instead of worrying about who’s going to drive the kids to soccer practice or whether dinner is on the table at the appointed time. It’s time to turn off the cell phone, take a walk in your yard or in a neighborhood park, squish your feet in the sand on a beach, sip a cappucino at a local cafe, curl up in front of a fire and read a good book, or take that yoga class you’ve been wanting to get to but seem to never have the time.

We have to stop rushing around every minute of the day and start living quality lives.  Make time for yoga, for meditation, for a bubble bath, for pruning your roses, or have lunch with an old friend. Don’t worry about the pile of laundry, the rain spots on your windows, or the dishes in the sink. Tomorrow will come in good time.

Yoga and the Law of Attraction

Not only am I a yogi at heart, but I am also a firm believer in the law of attraction, i.e. “The Secret.” For some time now, I have been applying its principles to my own life and have seen some pretty remarkable things happen to me that I never thought possible.  The Law has actually been around for a long, long time, and a lot of people don’t believe in it, or they don’t want to believe in it, but they should. There would be a lot more happier and fulfilled people in this world if they only applied the Law and the power of the Universe to their own lives.

My Yoga brought me to a happier place in my life because when I do yoga, I am blissfully happy, and it’s not only in that moment when I’m on the mat, but I’m also happier in my daily life because I actually live my yoga.  The Universe wants you to be happy, and it wants you to think happy thoughts and take positive action to make your life happier.  Yoga helps me to achieve those goals, and the Universe is there to support me. It doesn’t want you to sit around and wait for your golden key to arrive in the mail.  That may be why many people don’t believe in or don’t want to be bothered with the Law of Attraction, because it involves some work — in your thoughts and in your actions — to make your life better and for you to realize your fullest potential, whether it be in your relationships, in attracting wealth or your dream job, or in overcoming an illness.  And it takes time, but it’s truly worth it if you begin and follow through with the process.

Yoga is my reward for where I am in my life right now.  Through my practice on and off the mat, I am realizing my dreams and creating a large open space for my calling in life.  Teaching yoga is one of them.  Whether or not it’s the Universe at work or your own spacious mind creating your perfect life, your thoughts and your actions are all intertwined and interconnected with some magical spiritual connection called the Universe.  And it doesn’t hurt to interweave some yoga into your life as well!  Namaste!