Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Road to Stress Release Tip #77: Read Aloud

Think of someone you love and read your favorite romantic poem, or song, aloud. Reading aloud increases your attention spans and ability to focus on what is being read. When you are reading aloud, you may find that all of your energy is put into the task at hand without the temptation of distractions. You get so focused that you won’t even notice that you are strengthening your mental and verbal skills. It also affects positively on your emotions. You may even find yourself laughing as you do this for the first couple times and that is great, because laughter itself is healthy for you.

Monday, November 11, 2013

I think Therefore I Am: The Power of the Mind

A lot of people are confused about what the sentence “I think therefore I am” by Descartes really mean. Most people can explain what it actually means but more often than not, the explanation is lengthy and touches on other topics along the way. It is rare to find someone who can explain what it means in a straightforward manner.
This quote was from Rene Descartes and was published in a book about meditation. It mostly means that the mind plays the greatest role in everything that a person does and everything that he or she believes in. The mind is powerful and it can take over a human being’s inner self. It can take a person places and can enable a person do something or be whoever he or she wants to be.
Meditations on First Philosophy
This is a collection of books wherein Descartes went through different mind challenges. In the first book, he realized that what he used to believe in is unreal. This then causes him to doubt everything else that he believes in. This applies to most people. People are often confused on what they believe in so they mostly go with their instincts and their emotions. When asked why they think that what they believe in is the truth, they cannot offer any concrete explanation and evidence at all. It will all just boil down on people’s gut feel or information that came from a person that they trust.
On the second book, Descartes tries to convince himself that nothing in this world is real. This is something that most people feel whenever they are hurt or they had a traumatic experience. They are usually in denial. They choose to believe that nothing is real so that they can easily move on. Ignorance indeed is bliss and for specific periods of time, people tend to prefer having nothing instead of having to deal with pain.
Power of Mind
At the end, the power of mind still prevails. Descartes thought that he is still real, as well as everything else in this place. This also happens to people nowadays. In the end, they will realize that life goes on and they have to move on with it. There will be a lot of pains and suffering but moving on is the only way to get over such unpleasant experiences.
It is all about the power of mind. People will always turn to what their inner self is telling them and it is to get back on their feet and continue on their journey. They will soon realize that it is time to move on to a new beginning. The realization and the healing process will all depend upon the person’s personality and what or who controls their mind. Once a decision is reached and the mind sets into full gear towards healing and recovery, the person will be well on his or her way to a much better, much stronger person.

Presenting with Confidence with NLP

The application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming can be very helpful. People do not realize the importance and good effects of applying Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP in one’s life. They have not fully grasped the positive things it brings to a person especially those who are in business. Many businesses have not been doing well these days because of the negative economic climate. With more than a thousand of competitors offering the same product and services with the same quality and features, one has to have a special something that will make you stand out from the rest. If you are one of those businessmen or professionals who spend most of their working days meeting with potential clients and deliver presentations then it is very important that you deliver yourself well in order for them to choose you. One needs to remember that your audience is not encouraged with the words that are coming out of your mouth but simply by the way (action or manner) you are doing it. You have to be very confident inside and out and possess a kind of charisma that will surely charm potential customers.

Your body language says more than the words you are saying. Your actions affects the message that you want to convey to the person you are speaking with. There are four important things you need to do in order for you to successfully deliver your message to your audience which are to establish eye contact, develop a good pace, pause once in a while and have a good tone. Equipped with these four reminders, one will surely be able to present in front of a small or large group with beaming confidence.

Road to Stress Release Tip #75: Guided Meditations and Meditation Music

The guided meditations and meditation musicon CDcan calm your mind by soothing your emotions. It also creates a state of deep relaxation in your body. Regular use of the guided meditations helps you to live in a more relaxed way.You’ll notice that when you begin to feel stressed, you will be able to relax more easily than before. Guided meditation is otherwise known as a guided visualization. This method allows you to form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing by the voice of a guide. You can try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights and sounds. It helps you to gain a new perspective on stressful situations. It helps you to build skills to manage your stress.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Road to Stress Release Tip #74: Puzzled?

Stress is something everyone experiences in life. Solving a puzzle is one of the many methods of handling stress and keeping it under control. One of the best ways to address day-to-day stress is to play stress relief games like puzzle solving. It helps alleviate stress symptoms in a creative manner. It can relieve stress by keeping your mind focused on something and taking attention away from your stress. Games like puzzle solving help squeeze your stress away and help handle any kind of stress such as teenage stress, time management stress, college stress and so on in a creative manner. You can solve any puzzle like Sudoku, cross-word or other of your choice. It provides a great relaxation by enhancing your knowledge and skill.

Road to Stress Release Tip #73: Sweat it Out!

Sweat out tension with a good workout. Fitness is not just about your body but it is also about your mind and spirit. You can De-stress and get fit with a workout of 15-20 minutes. A workout that targets your ABS, arms, and legs makes you mentally and physically fit.  The slow movements during workout and breathing restore your calm. Exercise in almost any form always works as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins. It also helps you to distract you for some time from your worries.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Poetry and Meditation: For the Mind and for the Soul

Poetry can greatly increase a person’s meditation experience quality. There are a lot of things that a person can read, write, or think about before finally getting into the meditative state. These are all conducive to a mind-clearing moment wherein the person will search and establish a connection between a person’s body and his or her inner being. This will lead to a deeper state and stronger connection that will teach the meditation practitioner something that he or she will carry all through that person’s life.
Poetry for Meditation
Poetry is usually read quietly except for some strong statements that requires a particular intonation. This is very conducive to meditative atmosphere as it will lead people’s mind to something soothing and calming. Poetry is an efficient and pleasant usher to the threshold of a person’s inner being. As everybody listen for each breath, enunciation and pronunciation, every stress and every pause, they will be lulled into their own core and soon the poetry will be but a faint voice at the back of their heads, leading them deeper inside themselves.
Poetry and other Art Forms
Poetry and other form of arts may be directly related to meditation. With major similar characteristics such as freedom in terms of presentation and expression, the soothing, calming, and almost therapeutic effects of meditation and art, it is not hard to make both to work hand in hand for the benefit of the meditation practitioner. All of these are created by artists while they were listening to what their inner being is telling him or her. This is the part wherein it is most similar to meditation. In arts, the person is able to find the connection between the mind and the body and he or she draws up inspiration from what that person’s inner being says. The final outcome is a reflection of what the person’s inner being says at that particular moment.
Poetry for Meditation the right way
There are a lot of things to consider aside from the thought of the poem’s content in order to make it work by complimenting meditation. How it is read is an important thing to observe. It should be done quietly, the reading should be heartfelt, and it should be able to invoke on calm emotions and thoughts. Its element should be something that would invoke relaxation and healing of the person’s thoughts and emotions.
Nowadays, poetry is being used as accompaniment or an introduction to the actual meditation. This is to invoke thoughts and emotions that will take the person easier to his or her inner being. Aside from the physical aspects of breathing in accordance with an unheard rhythm and reciting poetry through a calming, soothing tone of voice, it all boils down to the thoughts. Poetry works in different ways with people and some meditative poetry may be beneficial for some practitioners but not for others. Meditation practitioners can try out different poetry until they find the perfect one for them.

Communication Excellence With NLP

In Neuro-linguistic programming, communication has a different meaning. In NLP, communication is a major matter that should be learned perfectly. There are a lot of secrets that must be known in order to reach a high level of excellent communication.
Euro Linguistic Programming started with the study of excellent communicators. How to be understood by someone even if he disagrees with you? The answer is rapport, a foundation brick of NLP, and the most important method in any communication. Rapport is the ability to get in someone else’s world, to make them believe that you understand them, that you have a strong common ligament. Rapport is the ability to observe each other’s point of view (not necessarily to accept it), to be on the same stage and to appreciate each other’s feelings. When people communicate in rapport they find it very easy to be understood and believe their concerns are blindly and highly regarded by the other person. Rapport means understanding what another is trying to say; not being necessarily agreed with what they said. And when you are in rapport something splendid happens. You and others feel listened to, and well heard.
We are all communicating most of the time, most non-verbally. Even our ingoing thoughts, in effect our internal communications are overwhelmingly passed on to others, through our status, body movements, breathing, facial expressions, gestures, and voice tone or eye movements. With NLP studies, communication has a different meaning and value. Communicating with excellence is not that simple.

Road to Stress Release Tip #72: Watch A Comedy

When you laugh, it doesn’t only lighten your mental tension but also induces physical changes in your body. Laughter improves your oxygen-rich air intake; it provides stimulation to your heart, lungs and muscles. Laughter also increases the endorphins secretion from your brain. An improved immune system is a long term benefit of laughter.  Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions. These reactions can impact your body by bringing more stress. It also leads to a weakening of your immunity. On the other hand, positive thoughts release chemicals that help fight stress and potentially more serious illnesses. Laughter also helps in making difficult situations much easier.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Road to Stress Release Tip #71: Hiking

Hiking reduces your stress quickly. Hiking is one of the most effective techniques for combating stress. Hiking can relieve stress through relaxation. Being around nature is enough to get relaxed. That helps in relieving stress. By hiking on a nature trail or in another natural place, you can easily disassociate with your stress. It helps you to focus on the wonder of reality around you. Hiking provides you the freedom to think without distraction.

Road to Stress Release Tip #70:Make Love, Not War

If Sex has been at the bottom of your list, bring it to the top and make a date with your partner, ensuring that both of you are content with those times, and let nothing get in the way. This will give you both something to look forward to and relieve some stress already. If a genuine emergency should arise on the day, it’s okay! You just need to reschedule and keep that date. And here are some benefits: Sex increases levels of endorphins, those moods-boosting chemicals in the brain, and it is one of the best total-body relaxers around. The reason behind the calming down effect is the hormone oxytocin, which is released during sex. Adopting a mindful and deliberate approach to sex can really elevate the benefits and increase the connection with your partner.


Road to Stress Release Tip #69: Light Some Scented Candles

Essence candles can create a soothing atmosphere. If you feel stressed, run yourself a hot bath, light some scented candles, switch off all your bathroom lights. Enjoy your hot bath and relax by the light of your scented candles. The aroma and light energy helps to take away your stress and provides you complete relaxation. However, aroma candles are more practical because they don’t produce much smoke. Ensure that you get quality candles that give off a scent that is safe enough to be smelled around the room.

Road to Stress Release Tip #67: Say a Little Prayer

Say a Little Prayer that makes you calmer and healthier. Prayer with faith provides moral support, a consistent element of happiness and good health. Regular prayers not only get support from their community, but they also provide support to others, and the altruistic activity promotes better health. Faith in prayer attaches meaning to events. It provides you hope which is the ultimate stress reducer. Hope is about the best thing you can do for your body. It takes you away from your worries for some time. The best way to pray is to focus on the solution that you want the prayer to achieve rather than on the problem.

Road to Stress Release Tip #66: For All The Chocolate Lovers

Eat small amounts of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate reduces stress and changes the metabolism of your body. It only takes about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day to trigger a reduction in stress hormone levels. It is best to consume dark chocolate in moderation to avoid extra calories. Be careful that you do not consume this too close to bedtime as Dark Chocolate also contains caffeine which can negatively affect your ability to sleep well.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Get Serious With Your Life, Get A Coach

Every team in any sport needs a coach. Most people nowadays are familiar with coaching in one case or another. Generally, you are familiar with coaching in sports. If you’ve been in professional interest or business, you’ve also probably heard of career, life or business coaching, but we mean by coaching, really?
There are many meanings of coaching; it could be the fact of giving advice on how doing something perfectly or a way to boost someone forward when life has beaten him deep down. With the troubles of life today and its fast rhythm, you may need a coach to help you go through all this. Coaches will many times give advice, a talk, do affectionate hand holding, or help someone to express their feelings, these things have to do with what coaching is really about. There are many ways in which a skilled coach can have a deep impact on your life. A skilled coach is able to watch and listen in a particular way. Your coach is able to ask you vigorous questions that will push you to look in places you usually don’t look and into aspects of your world that are deeply unknown or transparent to you.
A highly skilled coach, especially one who is trained in NLP, will work with you to identify and notice the specific beliefs holding you back and correct them. We all need someone to help us getting through everything. Are you going to say “no” for a help? Do yourself a favor and get a coach.

Does Meditation really help?

Does Meditation really help? Meditation Benefits explained
Everybody knows what meditation is. Although not many people know how it is done, they understand its basic principle. It is establishing a connection between the physical and the inner being of a person. However, there are some people who are skeptical about the effects of meditation. They feel like it is too simple to bring about a lot of positive changes and turn their lives around in a major way.
Meditation helps through Kindness
A lot of people feel that they are incapable of kindness. However, it is not true. Everybody is created with kindness inside them. All they need is to connect their physical being to their inner being and that seed of kindness planted inside them will soon grow and blossom. This kindness will be enough to touch other people’s lives. First, it will touch the person him or herself.
Usually, a person is his or her own worst enemy. They are usually so critical of themselves that kindness to others seems impossible. Through meditation, the person will be in touch with their true nature, who they really are. They will get to know their deepest dreams, their greatest fears, and their true self. Their kind and compassionate nature will be revealed and everybody including themselves will benefit from this discovery.
Of course, this change cannot be achieved overnight. The person will need to practice meditation until it becomes as natural to him or to her as that person’s breathing. Then, they will be able to live with it and invoke it in instances where kindness to self and to others is needed most.
Meditation helps through Relief
Many meditation practitioners tried meditating mainly because of their hope that it would help them relieve their stress. People get stressed over work, family, school, finances, love life, and a lot of other things that they needed an effective outlet for this stress and negative energies. Some people turn to drinking, to gambling, to drugs, to shopping, and a lot more other activities. However, more often than not, these activities cost too much and offer short-term solutions. This is just the opposite of meditation. Meditation is free. There are no contracts to be signed, no specific place to go to practice it, and there is no fee to pay once you know what to do. This also provides a lifetime solution for recurring problems. In the long run, once meditation becomes an integral part of a person’s life, such instances will be prevented and soon, the meditation practitioner will be free from stress. Practitioners will be able to find order in chaos, calmness in panic, stillness in movement, and quiet in noise.
Meditation helps through Healing
A lot of people are suffering from pains that are not physical. These usually involve some bad memories, painful experiences from the past, and pains caused by other people such as betrayal, disappointments, and rejections. Instead of going back to these dark places, meditation will help the person be healed from within. This will guarantee a much clearer mind, more available room for positive emotions, and better understanding of life.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Meditation for Stress Relief and Wellbeing

A lot of people who are practicing meditation do it mainly for stress-relief. Most people are stressed out because of their work or studies and problems with relationships may it be with family or a special someone. They turn to meditation to calm their nerves and soothe their feelings from the difficulties and the pain that they experience.
Even though nobody can ever be totally free from stress, meditation can relieve practitioners of the stress that they currently suffer from. They will also gradually discover how they can have the right point of view which in itself, will help to alleviate the stress and help them to handle stressful situations with a clear mind and a calm focus.
Here and Now
Most Meditation is done mainly by focusing one’s thoughts on the present moment and everything in it. While it is an effort to keep one’s mind in the present, it is best not to think about the future or past. Focusing purely on the now, is what helps to keep stress at bay. While meditation, you will find that you can enter a calmed state and there is nothing to possibly stress about. This is why if the one is able to focus on the here and now, they will be relieved of stress. When we are still, and present in the moment, the pain from the past is often forgotten and the fear of the future is not there.
Benefits
Along with stress-relief, there are a lot of related benefits from practicing meditation. These are mostly about stability and positivity.
·         Mental Health. A stable mental health is one of the primary benefits that people get from meditation. Their way of thinking, focus, and thoughts are functioning at its best. This benefit is ideal for people who want to improve how their mind functions.
·         Emotional Positivity. A meditation practitioner will definitely have a positive outlook in life. They will always see the brighter side of things which gives them a cheerful disposition. They will be quick to react positively in different things and situations. They will be inclined to appreciate even the small things in life. This keeps meditation practitioners away from depression and suicidal state.
·         Stress-proof. Although it cannot be achieved overnight, meditation practitioners will gradually develop into “stress-proof” people. They will not get stressed out easily. They will be more patient and diligent. These are beneficial for the practitioners themselves, their family, their friends, their co-workers, and the whole community.

Relaxation
Most people think of meditation as plain relaxation. Although there is more to meditation than relaxation, this reason is enough for some people. This means that they can put their feet up figuratively and do something that does not involve any stress, an activity that fights against stress nonetheless, and just feel any built up pressure from the day, slipping away from them.
In this time and age, a lot of people seem to be suffering from too much self-criticism and at times, self-hatred. Meditation does a lot of changes in a person’s inner being that leads the person to love him or herself. With continuous practice, the positive way of thinking that meditation brings will lead a person to know one’s self enough to love him or herself. This will lead to happiness and contentment.

Clearing Negative Emotions From Your Past

NLP refers to Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that covers the three most effective components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming.
We all ask every day how can we clear negative emotions from our past? The first step in being ready to accept all that you want in life, is to dissipate your negative emotions.  You have to clear your negative emotions as a first step in catching good things into your life. Negativity implicates the negative emotions you experience on a daily scale such as anger, frustration, dissatisfaction, fear and anxiety.  These emotions take you away from the good life you desire. We all have burden from our past, generally known as emotional baggage. The most popular and toxic forms of emotional baggage are fear, anger, hurt, sadness and guilt. The figure used is that these negative emotions are stocked in our unconscious minds and in our body as little black bags that stop the flow of energy and information through our neural network passages. They are literal blocks that stop you from getting what you wish.  Once you dissipate these negative emotions, you are able to see more clearly. You will know what you want and how to get it.
You can clear these negative emotions easily and quickly on daily basis and. When you feel better, you are actually going to attract great things into your life. The better you feel, the more the things you attract. Clearing negative emotions is a proof of your self-confidence and your strength. It is not that simple to just move forward. It requires many attitudes.

Clearing Negative Emotions From Your Past

NLP refers to Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that covers the three most effective components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming.
We all ask every day how can we clear negative emotions from our past? The first step in being ready to accept all that you want in life, is to dissipate your negative emotions.  You have to clear your negative emotions as a first step in catching good things into your life. Negativity implicates the negative emotions you experience on a daily scale such as anger, frustration, dissatisfaction, fear and anxiety.  These emotions take you away from the good life you desire. We all have burden from our past, generally known as emotional baggage. The most popular and toxic forms of emotional baggage are fear, anger, hurt, sadness and guilt. The figure used is that these negative emotions are stocked in our unconscious minds and in our body as little black bags that stop the flow of energy and information through our neural network passages. They are literal blocks that stop you from getting what you wish.  Once you dissipate these negative emotions, you are able to see more clearly. You will know what you want and how to get it.
You can clear these negative emotions easily and quickly on daily basis and. When you feel better, you are actually going to attract great things into your life. The better you feel, the more the things you attract. Clearing negative emotions is a proof of your self-confidence and your strength. It is not that simple to just move forward. It requires many attitudes.

Road to Stress Release Tip #65:Think Positive

Optimism always affects your quality of life. Optimism enables you to cope better with stressful situations along with reduce the effects of stress on your body. Positive thinking starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that passes on every second. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason but some may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information. When you think positively, you are likely an optimist. Having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations that reduce the harmful health effects of stress on your body.

Road to Stress Release Tip #64: Don’t Try To Control The Uncontrollable Things

Many things in life are beyond your control. Particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to other people.You can sometimes even cause yourselves more stress by attempting to control circumstances in your lives that are uncontrollable. Accept that some things are uncontrollable. Trying to control uncontrollable is a key cause of stress and unhappiness. Feeling not in control is the enemy of time management. Feeling not in control is one of the major causes of stress. Thus instead of trying to control everything, start reacting towards the situations in a constructive way as much as you can. This will definitely reduce your stress.

Road to Stress Release Tip #63: Paint A Color To Reduce Your Stress

Painting colors helps you to release your stress. Painting colors has proven to boost your mood. Colors have their own properties that affect on your mental state. Painting is an art and it draws your 100% attention. This makes you to forget about your worries and tensions when you start painting.

Road to Stress Release Tip #62: Avoid Activities You Have To Lie About

While this may seem obvious, the nagging guilt that ensues, often wears you down and makes you anxious about getting caught.Those who tell lies stress out constantly, they lose sleep, and they eat badly. This is because guilt has set in. Speaking truth eases your mind. Truth brings tranquility. Truth is a conduit of peace. When you speak the truth, you do not have to remember what you said because the story always remains the same irrespective of person, time and place

Road to Stress Release Tip #61: Prepare For Mishaps

This helps to reduce your stress level. This is a precautionary measure you can take for eliminating stress. Make an extra set of your house key and bury it in your yard; make a second set of your car key and tape it under your desk at your office. Both may allow you to reach home and get inside the house even if you misplace your keys. If you do have to use them, remember to pat yourself on the back for being well organized.

Road to Stress Release Tip #60: Stop And Smell The Roses

Flowers can help in reducing stress, fight against inflammation and depression, and induce sleep. Flowers can create feelings of happiness, creativity, compassion, and tranquility.  Flowers provide emotional and behavioral benefits along with their aesthetic and environmental benefits. Flowers can trigger happy emotions, a feeling of life satisfaction, and positive social behavior. A positive feeling created by flowers lasts for days.  Flowers also increase intimacy with family and friends. Flowers reduce your stress by enhancing serenity, inspiration, wellness, gratitude, love, and optimism in your life. You can even do a healing flower meditation.

Road to Stress Release Tip #59: Biking

Biking can be for all ages and abilities that can ride a bike. Everyone can benefit. Biking is an exhilarating thing that wheels away your stress and gives a new positive outlook about life. To use biking for stress relief take care of some important things such as, Be sure your bike is in safe condition, take a water bottle with you for a long ride, wear your safety equipment, ride with a partner, let someone know where you are going, and use the coordinated breathing and pedaling.

Road to Stress Release Tip #58: Play With Children

As a child, you have spent much of your time making up stories. Your inner child can keep the creativity alive while reducing stress, increasing wellness, and creating inner peace when you play with children. Playing is particularly important during stressful period. Playing with children is opening up to the idea that play is a state of mind. People, who stay sharp even after they grow old, are people who keep working and playing.

Road to Stress Release Tip #57: Volunteer Your Time To A Charity

You can also relieve yourself from the stresses of life by giving to others. When you help others it shifts your focus away from your problems. Giving your time to a charity brings about change in the community and a peace to you as well as to someone in need. The opportunities to volunteer to a charity are endless. You can find out the need of charities that can match your skills. Giving something (time, money, services) of yourself to others is a positive way to reduce stress. This is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself and others.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Road to Stress Release Tip #56: Make Things Happen

Looking forward to something provides calming perspective. Buy concert tickets, schedule a weekend getaway, or make an appointment for a massage. Instead of complaining about the present situations, try to bring changes in it. You need to take initiative to make things happen which you want. Your efforts to make things happen reduces your stress automatically.

Road to Stress Release Tip #55: Get Comfortable!

Wear comfortable, clean clothes that make you feel good about yourself.Many times the clothes you wear can have a direct impact on the way you feel, and can be overlooked because it is such a simple thing. When you notice that you feel hot which is leading to feelings of stress,then try your best to modify your wardrobe until you find a something comfortable to wear. It may be difficult if you have to wear specific things at your workplace but even then you can experiment with looser fitting collars and wear a comfy pair of shoes. It is all about keeping yourself comfortable, both mentally and physically.

Road to Stress Release Tip #54: Music To Your Ears!

Choose music that helps you to relax rather than music that gets you excited. Soft, relaxing music works a treat everytime you use it.All you need to do is assemble your favorite music so that you can play it any time when you feel stressed. Some people feel that dividing their music based on what they need works best during stress. You could organize your playlist like this: A stress buster list for at work when you still need to be alert, and a relaxing list of music when you come home.

Road to Stress Release Tip #53: Support Groups

A support group, which is run by a mental health professional, can play an important role in times of stress. A social support network is something you can develop when you are not under stress, providing the comfort of knowing that your friends are there if you need them. There are several benefits of participating in support groups such as:
·         Feeling of isolation gets reduced.
·         You can gain  a sense of empowerment and control
·         You can improve your coping skills and sense of adjustment
·         You can talk openly and honestly about your feelings
·         It reduces your stress, depression and anxiety
·         It helps in developing a clear understanding of what to expect from your situation
·         You can easily get practical advice or information about treatment options if you need any

Road to Stress Release Tip #52: Swim

Swimming is fun and releases stress immediately. As soon as you are in the water, it helps to loosen up the body and release tension from the mind. Swimming can also be like meditation as it includes a perfect rhythm, and requires concentration or focus as well as deep breaths.   Swimming increases your well-being and self-confidence by giving you a well-toned body.  The water contact improves your mood if you feel tired or stressed.

Road to Stress Release Tip #51: Play Mystery Giver

Doing Random Acts of Kindness is good for your psychological and physical health. Your immune systems enhances with the deed of kindness which helps in reducing stress. You do not have to limit your kindness to friends and family members.  You can extend kindness even to those whom you do not know and you could try doing it anonymously and just know that you have made a difference to someone. Your capacity for kindness has no limitations. In fact you can make kindness a habit, a positive habit that promotes your health and reduces stress. 

Road to Stress Release Tip #50: Book That Well Deserved Vacation

If it has been a long time since your last vacation, you must be feeling over-stretched. Book a relaxing vacation somewhere nice. Ensure that you have prepared properly for your vacation so that you do not have to take your mobile phone or laptop there. Just relax. Vacations can keep you Healthy. Vacations Promote your Overall Well being. Vacations help to Strengthen the Bonds in your family or relationship. Vacations Can Help With Your Job Performance. Vacations Relieve your Stress in Lasting Ways. Vacations Promote your Creativity. Taking regular vacations to recharge your batteries keep stress levels lower and can keep you healthy.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Moving Meditation: Moving with the Mind

Most types of meditation require a person to be still, and this is not the case for moving meditation. Moving meditation is done while moving slowly. While some people find relaxation more conducive to self-awareness, it would be difficult to do for people who seem to have overflowing energy. Some people use variations of movements. It all depends upon how a person can focus better.
Spiritual Path
Moving meditation regards the human mind as a powerful thing. It is something that can take people to different places, even to another dimension of awareness. It is something that humans can explore. At the same time, it is a powerful ally for people who want to explore life and everything in it and beyond. This can also be said about the spiritual dimension. The mind can lead us to discover a lot of things about our spirituality. While some practices believe that the human body is the mind’s enemy, Moving Meditation proves that it is not. It proves that the human body, in fact, can work harmoniously with the people’s minds towards their total well-being. To some people, sitting still may be the best way to calm their mind and emotions. However, to others, it is actually slow, rhythmic movements that calm them down.
How Do We Do Moving Meditation?
Some people may wonder how they can meditate if they are moving. There are specific things that they should understand and do in order to be successful in this endeavor.
·         Focus. Practitioners do not need to master the skill of having a totally clear mind. In Moving Meditation, they can simply focus on particular things. They can focus on the movement of their bodies, the contraction of their muscles, the sound that their body makes, the temperature in the room, the texture that they feel on their feet, the movement of their energy, the sounds that they hear, the rhythm of their heartbeats, a sensation, or emotion.
·         Awareness. Practitioners of Moving Meditation should be aware of their movements and all the different parts of their body. Instead of focusing on specific parts, the practitioner should be aware of his or her whole body. This makes the person notice the body parts that he or she has been neglecting. This activity will give them the perfect opportunity to make those parts feel special again and that they belong in that body. It is a perfect opportunity to make these body parts feel accepted and loved.
·         Go with the Flow. Give very little thought if any, on movements. Moving Meditation practitioners should just close their eyes and move to the music that only they can hear. It is time to let the body take control. The sense of freedom can be therapeutic. There is no need to worry about how a person looks and if his or her movements even make sense.
·         Slowly but Surely. It is recommended that practitioners move in slow pace. This will help them become aware of their body better and observe the movements inside their body. They will also notice different sensations. The slow movement will enable the practitioner to be mindful in this meditation, as it is not meant to be a mindless act. In saying this, the practitioner is simply using their mind as an observer without any attachments or identification to any thoughts.



NLP in practice

NLP is an approach to personal development, communication, and psychotherapy invented by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in California, USA in the 1970s.
NLP also includes fringe discourse analysis and practical guidelines for improved communication. For instance, one text confirms that when you use the word “but”, people will remember what you said thereafter. While you use the word “and”, people will remember what you said before and after. Neuro-linguistic programming was used and applied in psychotherapy. Early books about NLP had a psychotherapeutic concentration presented that the early models were psychotherapists. As a path to psychotherapy, NLP shares similar core hypothesis and foundations in joint with some contemporary brief and systemic practices, such as solution focused short therapy. Although the original core techniques of NLP were curative in orientation their generality enabled them to be utilised to other fields. These applications include sales, persuasion, negotiation, management training, sports, teaching, coaching, team building, and public speaking. Anthropologists and sociologists categorised NLP as quasi-religion that belongs to the new age. The quasi-religiosity of new age belief and habit, even to the range of “self-improvement” technique, was determined in a series of US court cases imparted by employees against their employers whom mandated corporate new age training.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is the science of modeling the patterns and modalities of human behavior. NLP scouts the inner workings of the human mind: how we develop our desire, how we think, targets and fears and how we motivate ourselves, give meaning to our experiences and make connections.

Road to Stress Release Tip #49: Take charge!

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, take charge and do what you can to make it better. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem will not occur again in the future. This involves changing the way you communicate and behave in your daily life.Some stressful situations can be managed by avoiding or altering them. You may avoid the stress of your kid’s messy room by keeping the door closed. You can miss traffic jam by altering the route you take to work. Always try to find out some alternative to reduce your stress in the present situation.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Road to Stress Release Tip #47: Always Look at the Upside

As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” While facing any kind of challenges, try to consider them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes. Experience is a teacher that teaches you the lessons you remember forever in your life. So instead of getting stressed because of your mistakes, learn from it and then simply move on.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Famous People who meditate: Celebrity State of Mind

Meditation is being practiced by many people. Meditation practitioners come from all walks of life, ages, genders, and educational attainment. Nowadays, a lot of celebrities are seeking sanctuary from their busy and crazy life through meditation.

Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth was influenced by her friends to try meditation. She decided to give it a try aiming for peace and contentment. She was intimidated by the practice, thinking that it is hard to do. However, she made it her New Year’s Resolution to learn how to do it.

Oprah Winfrey
The queen of talk may now be the queen of meditation too. The owner of Oprah Winfrey Network or OWN shared in the Dr. Oz Show that she is much better whenever she meditates. She does it every day to center her life and the rest follows.

Russell Brand
Katy Perry’s ex-husband is grateful for meditation for a lot of reasons. He counts it as the reason for the newfound stability in his life, for getting over his drug addiction, and for being happier than ever. He practices yoga and meditation every day. Katy Perry learned meditation when they were still together.

Tina Turner
The singer thanks meditation for giving her a clear mind in deciding to end her abusive marriage with her husband and the strength to stick to this decision and move on.

Miranda Kerr
Never a nervous wreck even when under so much pressure, the Aussie model is known to meditate right before strutting on the catwalk. Aside from the meditation, she also practices yoga and eats nothing but organic food.

Sheryl Crow
The cancer survivor thanks her 20-minute morning and evening meditations for teaching her how to go easy on herself since she is her own biggest critic. She admits that the physical and her inner self-awareness changed her life in a positive way.

Steven Seagal
The action star moved to Japan when he was a teenager. He studied acupuncture and martial arts. He was exposed then to the practice of meditation and has been a long-time practitioner of it.

Paul McCartney
The Beatles lived a crazy life back in their days. They were looking for something that would calm everything down and stabilise the status of their minds when they learned meditation. The group practiced meditation and Paul referred to it as a “lifelong gift”. He is just happy that more and more people are learning how to do it.

Clint Eastwood
The actor-director-producer-composer-politician has been practicing meditation for almost half a century now. Being in a stressful business, it is amazing when somebody successful is able to handle the fame and all the madness that being a public figure brings. Clint Eastwood is one of them and he thanks meditation for it.

Orlando Bloom
One of the few clean Hollywood celebrities of today, Orlando Bloom says that it takes a lot of effort to steer clear of the self-destructive path that always look inviting to celebrities like him. He thanks his daily meditation that he conveniently incorporates to his daily activities for keeping him grounded and for maintaining the balance in his life.

Road to Stress Release Tip #46: Just go with it!

Even though relieving stress is important,it is best not to stress about it. There would be no life without stress. It is not harmful having a bit of stress. In fact; it helps you to take action. You could take a quick holiday, even a half day or a day and go for an outing.  It is better to go where there are natural surroundings, such as a park, a hill, a Lake Etc. This certainly boosts up your health and well being. 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Deepak Chopra and Meditation: Food for the Mind and Soul

A review on Deepak Chopra and Meditation: Food for the Mind and Soul
New York, being one, if not the busiest place in the world, is home to people who are juggling multiple jobs to make
payments and people who are working twice as hard to fulfill their dreams. This is one of the main reasons why Deepak Chopra is much celebrated in this place as much as he is in a lot of other areas of the world.
The reason Deepak Chopra one of a kind is his capability to blend ancient beliefs and traditions for wellness practices with modern medicine. As some individuals may be skeptical about some practices that typically involve using the state of mind to reach specific physical, mental, and emotional condition, Deepak Chopra’s practices are backed up by physical evidences and scientific reasoning. This was done using his extensive background in internal medicine and endocrinology.

Deepak Chopra founded an institution meant to be an avenue wherein he shares his expertise to give back to the society. People are treated to an intellectual journey that leads to a clear view of deeper awareness. This state is achieved through meditation and it brings about numerous benefits for the practitioner.

Health and Well-being
One of the main advantages of Deepak Chopra’s meditation is achieving the best condition of a person’s health and well-being.
• Detoxification. Deepak Chopra helps eliminate the body of toxins from the food which they eat, unhealthy drinks, and the pollution in the surroundings.
• Spa Treatments. Deepak Chopra gives the people an excellent pampering experience that they deserve. This will lead to a well-rested body, rejuvenated and ready for more work.
• Yoga and Meditation. Deepak Chopra introduces the person to yoga and meditation. This will free the person’s mind from all worries, pain, and stress. Existing practitioners may be taken into a camp wherein they can deepen their knowledge and practice to achieve better mind and body balance. This will also enrich the positive energies in their body.
• Aryuveda. The person will also be introduced to Aryuveda and its benefits.
• Addiction. Deepak Chopra is known to offer effective anti-addiction programs. He provides a haven for those who are trying to get rid of their nicotine, sex, alcohol, gambling, and drug addiction.

Emotional Healing
A person’s negative emotion may prevent him or her from happiness and success. Deepak Chopra helps people overcome such emotions.
• Pain. Pain is one of the hardest negative emotions to let go. For this reason the person is taught how you can forget about the things that hurt them in the past in order to free bigger space in their heart so they will be able to accommodate happiness and a sense of fulfillment.
• Balance. Once a person is healed from negative emotions, he or she will be taught how to maintain balance in body, mind, and emotion.

Spiritual Growth
A person’s spirit is a thing that he or she must take good care of and enrich to achieve his or her goals in her life and have a good disposition in life.
• Higher Consciousness. The person will be taught practices on how to deepen their inner self awareness.
• Silence. The person is exposed to spiritual intimacy through perfect silence.
• Awakening. This is for practitioners who want to deepen their spiritual awareness.


Read more: http://www.meditationdirectories.com/article/deepak-chopra-and-meditation-food-for-the-mind-and-soul/

Road to Stress Release Tip #45: Sugar and Fats

Sugar and fats actually work to immediately lower the stress hormones circulating in the body. This is the reason you likely crave for sweets when you are feeling stressed. But in the long-term sugar affects negatively on your immune system. Sugar increases your chances of developing diseases. It is better if you can go for fresh fruit or fruit juices to get relief from stress. They energize you without any side effects. 

Friday, October 4, 2013

Review on Kirtan

Kirtan is participatory chanting which is a big part of Indian religious traditions. This is usually accompanied by different traditional musical instruments. Now it is a part of devotional yoga. This ancient practice has adapted to the changes in the society. Played as background for Kirtan are modern instruments that a lot of people can relate to easier.

LoveThis type of chanting is centered in love. Upon practice, people will see themselves in a completely different light. They'll be capable to love what they see. This method of loving one’s self will assist them learn how to love others. From this practice, a lot of positive things will happen. Kirtan is known to lead practitioners to God which is called in different names and is mostly viewed as the vast Ocean. God is said to be an endless truth and presence. This kind of activity is mainly related to Hinduism and was first introduced in India.

Get Together
Some practitioners meet up within a specific place wherein they can help each other have their own journey to meet and experience God through Kirtan. After the journey, they'll be a new person, ready to share what they experienced in order to help people experience and feel the same emotions.

Practitioners
Kirtan can be learned by anybody. There is no prior experience needed for those who want to take part in chanting as well as the process of meeting God. The process takes about a couple of hours of chanting in evenings while afternoon Kirtans take about three to four hours. Retreats usually last for a week. Kirtan may be learned by people of all nationality, age, and gender. Although mostly associated with Hinduism, it is open for everyone.

The Difference
Although some people compare Kirtan to meditation, what sets it apart is the elimination of the need to be quiet and focus on nothingness which intimidates many people. There isn't any expertise needed to practice Kirtan. The one thing which will guide practitioners into stillness and into another dimension of their awareness is the music. This will make the procedure effortless. All it takes is the stillness of mind and letting it to float to the direction of the music. The practitioner will never feel too pressured that they need to check whether they are doing it right.

Mantra
Practitioners will be taught on how to use proper mantras. These mantras will help them clear their mind of fears, pressures, and doubts in their everyday life. This will help them have a clear mind, better focus, and a positive disposition in life. This will also help in the improvement of the person’s relationships with other people as they become more cheerful.

The benefits of having deeper awareness of one’s self is endless. It is beneficial for the person himself or herself. It is also beneficial for their families and friends. It is beneficial for their classmates or co-workers. It is beneficial for the society. Clear-minded people tend to be more productive. In addition, they tend to spread happiness, inspiration, and peace.

Road to Stress Release Tip #44: Play games

Young children seldom get stressed. This is because they play, sing, dance and laugh. Playing games can divert your mind away from your stress. It gives you physical and mental exercise at the same time. Whenever possible play outdoor games. If it is not possible to play out-door, you can play indoor games like, chess, playing cards, billiards etc.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Is coaching here to stay? A Mind Opener

Coaching has a lot of benefits for individuals, groups, associations, and businesses. However, is coaching really here to stay? There are many of people that are investing on coaching. Some people may need coaching just for a specific period of time, some longer than the others, but there are also some who need coaching for an indefinite amount of time.

Coaching for the Individual
There are some people who need coaching when they are going through an important time of their life. It might be during their time of getting to know themselves better including their greatest dreams and darkest fears. It may be for making tough decisions and choices that will greatly affect the individual’s life. There's also some individuals who need coaching to assist them to get back to their feet after a traumatic and disheartening experience. These things occur to a lot of person in different parts of the globe. It is clearly one indication that coaching is here to stay.

• Coaching can help a person reach his or her objectives through constant motivation and facilitating different exercises and activities that will help develop the individual’s determination and perseverance. Many people need this. Many people need to develop and strengthen their self-confidence so there is a lot of room for coaching. Coaching will help people with their dreams and dreaming and desiring something is part of human nature.
• It also opens the individual’s mind to learning which may bring about a lot of opportunities for improvement and positive changes in the life of the individual. Human lives are continuous learning experiences and coaching continues with these experiences.
• Some individuals who experience persistent problems with work or studies are also helped through coaching. The individual works things out as the coach guides him or her, making suggestions and as a pair of eyes seeing the situation from an outsider’s perspective. Problems are major parts of a person’s life and there is rarely a person who does not have any problem at all. In fact, it is almost impossible. As long as there are problems in people’s life, coaching will be beneficial.
• Coaching helps the individual learn, gradually, how to stand on his or her own feet again. Slowly, they gain or regain strength and a clear view of all the events and activities around them. Before the coaching process ends, the individual is already able to take responsibility of all his or her decisions and his or her life.
• Coaching rubs off on many people. They begin to learn thinking like their coach and start to see things from another person’s perspective. Through close observation of his / her thoughts and emotions, they are able to take note of things that stimulates positive behavior and people who do not or work otherwise. Through the process, they'll learn how to solve their problems by themselves.
These benefits that people experience clearly shows how much coaching is appreciated and that it is here to stay.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Christian Meditation: Touching Spirits

Christian Meditation is the highest state on prayer wherein the practitioner clears his or her mind of worldly thoughts and concentrates on silence. This state enables the Holy Spirit to reach out and communicate with the practitioner. Christians do this regularly sometimes reaching to 6 hours each day. This is mostly done when they need an answer and help in making decisions. This is also done if the practitioner has a special request to God. This usually comes hand in hand when reading the Holy Scripture. In this type of meditation the practitioner usually focuses his or her thoughts on the word of God, on specific passages, or reflecting on these or some experiences that they had.

GoalThe primary objective of Christian Meditation is getting closer to God through reflection and prayer.
• Getting to know God. This is mainly done through reading the bible. However, the practice of Christian Meditation allows the practitioner to reflect on what he or she has read in order to get to know God even better.
• Improving Relationship with God. Christian Meditation brings practitioners to a state wherein God can easily talk to them. Along the way, they will be able to talk to God, tell Him how they feel, tell Him regarding their fears and aspirations in life. In turn, they will be able to feel God talking to them and guiding them in what to do. They will also be assured that the Holy Spirit is always with them and blessings await His faithful children.

Process
Although Christian Meditation mostly focuses on prayers, it also involves enriching different aspects of a Christian’s life.
• Knowing more about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ saved people from their sins. However, to achieve that, he had to come down from heaven and live as a human being. His life on earth is one of the most important things that Christians should know about, having Jesus Christ as one of the beliefs that sets Christianity apart from other religions.
• Gratefulness. Giving thanks is another purpose of the Christian Meditation. Christians have a lot to thank God for and every day, more reasons are added. They use Christian Meditation to let God know how grateful they are of all the blessings and guidance that they receive. The biggest reason for giving thanks to God is the fact that he sent His son to earth in order to save people from their sins.

Marks
There are three different characteristics that mark the difference of Christian Meditation from other types of Meditation.
• Bible-based. Christian Meditation is anchored on bible passages. The bible is God’s form of communication with humans. The Holy Scripture is regarded as the way to knowing God. It is also a guide for Christians’ way of living.
• God’s Love. Christian Meditation is done to adore God, feel His love, and share His love. God’s love is the center of this activity.
• Worship. Continuous revelation of God through the Holy Scripture and Christian Meditation makes Him more worthy to be praised. This activity then has another purpose which is to worship God.
Christian Meditation is unique. It is different from other types of meditation in a lot of ways.

Read more: http://www.meditationdirectories.com/article/christian-meditation-touching-spirits/