Mind Body Spirit 123

Michael Colucci asked:




Yoga is a group of ancient practices which were first developed in India. It is still popular in the country today, and is considered to be a spiritual exercise. Many Indians see it as a way of attaining enlightenment. Yoga is broken down into four primary categories, and these are Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga. However, these are only a few of the many variations of this exercise. Yoga has become popular in the West, and is well known because of its many postures.

While yoga is commonly seen as just being an exercise in the West, it is an important part of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. For those who are followers of these religions, yoga is not only seen as being an exercise, but is also a method that can be used to attain enlightenment. This practice has existed for thousands of years, and has been mentioned in a number of important Indian texts such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Contemporary yoga is comprised of a number of different principles, and many of these are taken from Indian religions.

The purpose of the postures is to keep the body healthy and fit. Practitioners will often chant, and may perform breathing techniques as well. Meditation plays an important role in yoga, and many western yoga establishments present the practice in a way that can help those who don’t practice Hinduism. Many people in the West are attracted to yoga because of its ability to relax both the body and the mind. In addition to this, it is a great way to stay physically fit. Many people who practice yoga view it as being a great way to improve their health or enhance the function of their minds.

The goal of some yoga practitioners is to achieve what is called samadhi. Samadhi is a complex mental state where a person can achieve ecstasy. The goals of those who practice yoga will vary based on their religion and background. Those who practice Hinduism believe that yoga is away of getting close to God. Buddhists believe that yoga can help individuals achieve a deeper level of wisdom. Western nations place an importance on individualism, so many people in the West will use yoga as a method for self improvement.

Yoga is a very ancient practice that places an emphasis on having full control over the body and the mind. Many people who use it believe that they will be able to gain insight into the underlying structure of reality. The Yogi is a person who will attain an state of enlightenment where their thoughts will cease, and they will achieve a type of union. Yoga is a very complex subject which can mean different things for different people. Even if one does not wish to attain enligtenment, this practice can allow them to enhance their own insight. Even though yoga has strong connections to Indian religions, it is not a religion itself. Even though the exact age of this practice is not known, it is estimated that it has existed for at least 6,000.

Bryan Appleton asked:




There are so many self-improvement programs and authors that it can be hard to know exactly which program or book might be right for you. Also, many people will read a book and be disappointed when their life remains the same afterwards.

What are some good guidelines when judging a program or a book?

Well, number one is its simplicity. There is no reason to buy a book that you cannot understand or to try a program whose strategies simply will not work in your everyday life. Simplicity is important so that you can start as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the sooner you will see improvement in yourself and you will most likely stay more motivated and continue with the program.

Second, it must actually work. There is no use implementing a strategy that is full of holes. Every year there are new fads that fade out over time. Real success programs and books provide information that will work this year and ten years from now. A really good program is worth the investment because it will benefit you for many, many years.

Third, it must be easily accessible to you. There is no use for a seminar to attend that is half-way around the country because you will have to wind up spending twice the amount after paying for a hotel and airfare. And let’s get real. Most people who are looking to improve their lives may not have the $ 1,000 or more that a seminar will cost.

Choose wisely.

Sarah Freeland asked:




Although yoga doesn’t require any specific apparel or accessories, many choose to buy clothing and other items made with with yoga specifically in mind. These include pants, tops and other clothing items. Here is a brief run-down of a few popular clothing items.

Yoga and capri pants

Capri yoga pants are designed for women. Not only are they comfortable, but they offer a supportive fit for better range of motion with your flexibility. They have wide waist bands for the extra reassurance. Straight or wide legged for individual preference, with a cut off just below the knees or the classic length. Capri’s are made with organic cotton for the comfort and spandex for that stretchy fit.

Men’s yoga pants and apparel

Generally, men are not going to care as much about high fashion as women do. Mostly what they are looking for is comfortable and when it comes to Yoga, preferably breathable fabrics as well.
When ever buying yoga clothing, keep in mind you want to be in your most relaxed state of mind. You’re not going to be carrying anything with you while practicing yoga poses, so you won’t need any pockets for any extra items. You also don’t want big bulky clothing articles hanging from you, interrupting your flow or getting in your way, try to stick with flexible fitted clothing like yoga pants or shorts and tank tops or short sleeves. There’s also a great line of mans jackets and outer wear.

Yoga shoes

The great thing about yoga is it doesn’t take any materials, only you’re will and concentration to do it. The point of yoga accessories is for more comfort and better relaxation.

Some people would say, “Wearing shoes disconnects you for the earth”. The good thing about wearing yoga shoes is one they are made specifically for doing yoga in and if your feet tend to get cold it’s an easy way to keep your self more comfortable. Some people just don’t like the thought of not having protection of their feet. They even have yoga socks. Ones to wear with the shoes and ones that have grips on the bottom to keep your feet from sliding along the floor.

Travel yoga mats

Traveling yoga mats are thin and light, making it easy to fold and pack in any luggage carrier, allowing you to practice at your own convenience, anytime. They are made smooth with a feel of soft cushion, durable foam and extra stickiness to avoid slipping, it’s also hand washable.

Spirit Lamb asked:


People keep telling me that I should meditate. So now I am new to this.
I bought a journal and wanna know what things I should reflect on. Any ideas and suggestions would help.

Sonia Gallagher asked:


Sites like http://www.mymeditationgarden.com have published about scientific studies showing that meditating on a regular basis makes you more efficient at work. Do you meditate? What do you think about this?

wildflowr asked:


Do you meditate on those who are hated? Does it bring you negativity? Or does it bring healing to both people? Do you start out small?

anonymous asked:


I meditate for 2 months and woke up in the hospital. I meditated into a coma.

Solace Swanson asked:




When starting out the the area of self development and growth, one of the most important and basic skills to learn is the skill to deal with issues in your life.

Many sources often overlook the process of how to change. The process is long and hard, and often you will lose motivation and forget your goals for self improvement. While you may yearn for instant gratification and instant change, the reality is that it just wont happen overnight. Habits take a long time to form and break; deeper psychological issues that a long time to resolve.

Often when people deal with their issues, they’re dealing with it in a LOGICAL manner. This doesn’t motivate you because motivation is EMOTIONAL. When you feel emotionally affected towards the issue, you will have the drive to resolve the emotions. This is the basis for my model of dealing with issues.

Without further ado, here it is: Dealing with issues, the 4 steps.

1. Figure out what the issue is.

This first point is ridiculously obvious, but incredibly important and oftentimes looked over. In many instances, we believe that we’re dealing with one problem when in reality we’re actually facing problems with a deeper inner issue.

For example, in the world of dating and relationships, the actual act of meeting members of the opposite sex can be quite daunting. The possibility of rejection, the fear that they will dislike you is present. No one likes to think that they are incompetent with the opposite sex, and this is the issue that may arise and challenge them if they approach and get rejected. So they sit at the back of the bar with their friends talking about how they’re ‘pimps’ and ‘could pick up anyone in this bar’ but ‘they don’t want to’ because ‘no one here is worth it’.

What is happening here is an avoidance of the real issue: they depend on other’s approval and reactions to feel good about themselves. An issue of low self esteem and low self confidence.

This issue would not be realised without some serious hard thinking and the ability to see things for what they really are. Your mind and ego will throw up a million different cognitions to throw you off the real issue because the truth hurts your sense of self.

This first point is ridiculously simple yet hard to realize.

2. Experience the issue.

This is different. I swear by this technique 100%.

When you figure out what the issue is, it’s going to try and hide. It’s going to throw up excuses as to why you have those cognitions. You’re going to want to avoid the issue. Yeah that’s right, you know what I’m talking about. This is the nerd realising that they suck with women but rationalising it as due to their studies or the fact that they “don’t have time”, then using that as a constant excuse not to GO OUT and MEET women. Or the woman who has emotional issues that affect her relationships but blames her relationship problems on her looks.

By experience the issue I mean to feel it fully. You KNOW it’s there, you aren’t going to avoid it. You just broke up with your partner? It feels crap. Don’t avoid having the feelings. You’re scared of chatting up that cutie? Don’t avoid the issue. Immerse yourself in the experience of feeling like that.

Only then do you have a solid base for your motivation to get the problem fixed.

3. Act on resolving the issue

After experiencing the feelings that you don’t want to feel, make a decision to ACT upon the issues. After all, just pointlessly making yourself feel bad is… pointless. So what did you do? Make a commitment to take steps forward in solve the issue. If you’re afraid that people will ‘reject’ you then approach people until you emotionally realise that ‘rejection’ by a stranger means nothing more than the fact that you approached them in the wrong way. If you’re avoiding exercise because of an underlying issue of laziness, get out there and exercise! Do you actually WANT to be unhealthy? How does being unhealthy feel?

Experiencing the issue should give you the MOTIVATION to ACT on the issue. If you don’t act, you’ll just stay the same. Do you really want to feel the way you felt when you were experiencing the issue? I doubt it.

4. Figure out your other issues

In self improvement, it is critical to remember that your problems will NEVER end and you will ALWAYS have issues to deal with. Reality is harsh.

If you’re serious about improving yourself, keeping this in mind will help you a lot. You will always have something to fix. Take a break once in a while, moderate how much you work on yourself, but never forget that you always have something to improve. Read “The way of the superior man” by David Deida. It gives a good description of this point.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith asked:




Do you have fears that limit your ability to move forward? Maybe this piece from history about Dragons may help you better understand those self limiting beliefs.

Centuries ago when maps were created by hand, cartographers (map makers) would leave an area near the edge of the parchment blank. Within this area, dragons would be drawn to separate the known world from the unknown. These etchings would serve as a warning about crossing into unknown territories.

Of course, human nature being what human nature is, early explorers do not view this just as a warning sign, but more of a prophecy which then created a self limiting belief keeping them from exploring further and discovering new lands and peoples. Dragons became real in their minds and they feared facing them.

Thank heavens there were always those ready to push the envelop or in this case the parchment and challenge the dragons. In fact some were so bold such as the Vikings that they actually carved dragons onto their mastheads. These adventuresome explorers had fears, but did not allow those fears to limit their opportunities.

We all have mental maps laced with dragons. These maps or better yet memories from our experiences guide us as we embrace each new day. How we choose to deal with these dragons of the mind is 100% within our control. As noted in the book God’s Little Devotional Bible, Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.

The quote from this book and the story truly resonated with me because how often do we allow those FUD moments – Fear Uncertainty and Doubts – drive our decision-making process and we potentially place our faith and beliefs in our own abilities and talents behind those fears instead of in front of them?

Within my executive coaching and consulting practice, I often use this acronym for Fear – False Evidence Appearing Real. When we allow fear to rule over our own talents (provided we know what those talents really are) we may have a tendency to look back at all the terrible things that may have happened to us instead of truly looking forward no matter what we see ahead of us.

For it is the present and the future where we actually reside not in the past. Our believe in who we are needs to come first:

Before the human fears of false evidence appearing real Before uncertainty and Before doubt

Of course with all the negative news and so many other people engaged in these negative self limiting beliefs it is a challenge to not let those dragons limit your potential, to keep you moving by taking that leap of faith in yourself. Henry Ford said it best: “Whether you think you can or you think you cannot, either way you are right.”

Terje Brooks asked:




Yoga, which originated from India more than five centuries ago, was essentially a school of thought leading to a spiritual discipline for its followers. Even though different branches of yoga evolved, the core teachings of these branches did not have much to do with physical exercise or development of the body. However, the 20th and 21st centuries saw a big transformation taking place with lots and lots of people seeking yoga as their means to better health and stress relief. This in turn resulted in the development of a new range of branches in modern yoga.

With yoga gaining popularity in the Western world, a new set of visions and experiments started emerging in order to help yoga reach more individuals and to find innovation in the practices. The yoga ball happens to be one of the products of this innovation. An inflated vinyl ball to support the yoga postures wouldn’t have likely been thought of by the ancient gurus; nevertheless, it was the need of the hour for yoga to be more innovative and accessible.

Until the path breaking movement of the renowned yoga guru BKS Iyengar, vinyasa (the fluid transition or the movement from one pose the next in a series) used to be considered more important than a perfect posture. But with Iyengar yoga growing out of Hatha Yoga, the emphasis was transformed from vinyasa flow to the perfection of postures.

In Iyengar yoga, a lot of props, such as yoga balls, are used in perfecting the postures. The teachers help their disciples attain the perfect postures using different prop models including the yoga balls, thus eliminating the need for undue or unbearable strains to improve the postures. These props are of tremendous help to the beginners, as well as for those who have health or strength problems.

Yoga aids like yoga balls can be of help in different levels ranging from helping someone keep one leg elevated for an extended period in a balancing pose or in perfecting the arch of the back. Yoga balls can also be used for sitting. Yoga balls are of help not only for the weak or the less balanced practitioners but also for the experts. Yoga balls help the experts stretch their boundaries to achieve even more difficult postures or to hold to their postures for longer periods.

Iyengar yoga may not have the cardiovascular benefits that can be had from the yoga types that follow the vinyasa flow principle, but it offers improved muscle strength and perfect postures. Yoga aids used in Iyengar yoga apart from yoga balls include straps for bound poses, bricks for support, and rollable blankets for back support. The blankets can be used for holding sitting poses also.