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Ginkgo Biloba — improves blood flow to the brain and acts as an antioxidant
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Amazing facts your don’t want to know about!
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What is Meditation? – A practice of gathering attention
What is meditation? There is a lot of confusion about this question in the world today, at least among the majority it seems. Some people view it as sitting quietly because that is what meditators appear to be doing, thus they think it is about relaxation. But to describe the external appearance of the practice is to miss 99.99% of it’s substance, which is the exact same thing we are doing with our understanding of reality.
The only true way to answer this question of what is meditation for yourself is through practice. But with that being said I will attempt to explore the true nature of meditation to heal any misconceptions so that you can practice with a better understanding of what you are doing when you close your eyes and appear as if you are sitting around doing nothing to all.
The truth of the matter is that you are doing far more with your life and with your time than those who are neglecting their inner world, the most beautiful and important part of themselves.
Meditation isn’t esoteric. That is the first misconception. It is a logical system designed to return us to our natural state of being. Through meditation we are returning to our state as masters of creation; children of the universe, eternal and infinite in every respect. It is amazing that we have forgotten such a powerful and essential part of our nature, and it is equally amazing that all it takes is a consistent daily practice of sitting quietly to return ourselves to such a powerful state.
As we practice this we train our attention, and gradually begin to experience who we really are, and the magnificence of the universe we exist in. As you progress your powers of attention will increase. This will naturally reduce the number of thoughts in your mind until eventually they shut off for extended periods so that you can experience what it means to just be; to simply exist as you are in your natural state of complete internal emptiness, yet energetic abundance.
As you empty yourself you are naturally beginning to identify with the universal mind (some call this consciousness God) which is your true nature. And as you let go of your individual identity over time, day by day, you begin to surrender to infinity and allow the energies of the universe – love, bliss, inspiration, passion, enthusiasm, kindness, understanding, gratitude, and receptivity – to naturally radiate from your being, transforming and healing you, your life, and the world.
Meditation isn’t esoteric, it just so happens that many of the experiences we have through the practice of meditation are esoteric simply because our rational mind cannot comprehend, explain, and define them, and because they don’t fit into the framework of our daily repertoire of experiences.
What is Meditation?
The main purpose of meditation is gathering attention. It is a process of gradually focusing all of our attention that is usually distracted and wandering aimlessly, and bringing it under our control. This is done through sheer willpower which eliminates distractions and keeps us seated, and concentration which keeps us focused on our silent awareness, and detached from our thoughts.
When we meditate we keep a slight tension in our consciousness, and it is this which we call attention. In the same way that a sprinter waiting for the gun to go off is neither relaxed, nor is he flexing, but in a relaxed and yet alert state of muscular tension. An elasticity like a jungle cat about to pounce: fluid, relaxed, and yet enormously powerful.
This is the quality of our minds when we meditate, and as that relaxed tension is practiced it grows stronger and more powerful because what that relaxed tension is is a vibration. You can feel it pulsing and oscillating within your awareness, for it is the very fiber of your being, the oscillating energy that is your existence.
That vibration is the very source of your being, and with meditation you can learn not only to sense and feel it, but also to cultivate it and increase it. The stronger your attention, the higher that vibration becomes until you are radiant and bright with energy.
By gathering our attention we increase our power in every way exponentially and perpetually because our powers of attention are infinite; for we are infinite beings of pure consciousness. When we gather our attention we increase our capabilities to channel the creative consciousness of the universe.
Think of creative consciousness as the light from the sun which gives life to the world, yet this light is infinite energy, invisible in the space all around us. Our attention is then like the aperture of a camera. When our powers of attention are small, it is like a small aperture which only lets a little light in. In terms of attention this means that we have very little energy and thus corresponding low energy emotions such as fear, anger, depression, hatred, and so on.
Strong powers of attention mean that we have a large aperture, therefore we can condense and channel large amounts of light energy from the universe not only into our bodies which manifests as ridiculous vitality, energy, focus, and enthusiasm (a magnificent combination), but also into our actions, creations, lives, and the world uplifting all those around us.
By gathering our attention and increasing the energy (level of consciousness) which we channel and maintain, we develop the ability to neutralize negative energy within us and in our world, making this practice of meditation not only essential for personal development, but the most important practice in order to heal, uplift, and transform the world.
If everyone had more control over their energy and had at their disposal the knowledge of meditation which empowers them to master and cultivate their own energy, the world would be a dramatically different place.
Ways of Gathering Attention
Gathering attention occurs only in meditation, but there are many forms of meditation. You can also do it through practices such as yoga, martial arts, or walking with deliberation. This is what is meant by Carlos Castaneda’s teacher, Don Juan, when he explains the concept of the right way of walking.
Basically the right way of walking is to walk deliberately with all of your attention on your body, concentrating on everything from the position of your fingers, to your form, to your feet, knees, thighs, head, and so on. By concentrating fully on the body, you give your posture every ounce of your available attention.
Because there are so many things going on, you become so entrenched in the awareness of your body that all of your attention is used up so that you do not even have any left to use on thoughts. It is an extremely effective, efficient, and simple method that all individuals can employ in order to learn how to shut off their internal dialog.
The benefits of doing this are innumerable, but a few of the more obvious ones are: peace, clarity, wholeheartedness, happiness, joy, bliss, increased feelings of love and connection with the Earth, the universe, and those around you, increased abilities, focus, health, well-being, and the list goes on, and as you can see they are not trivial.
It is this practice of gathering your att
ention with your body which also contributes to making yoga and tai chi such powerful practices for healing and spiritual evolution. This is also true for meditation. Whenever you sit down to meditate, focus all of your attention on your meditation posture, and learn how to perfect and maintain it. Eventually your thoughts will have no room to break through because you will be too focused, and your attention will become too powerful.
You would think that eventually we would get so comfortable sitting in this fashion (or walking, or doing yoga) that our attention would eventually have some free space, but that simply isn’t true!
Infinite Creative Consciousness
We live in a universe that is infinite creative consciousness. We are projections of that same conscious awareness as well, therefore we are infinite creative consciousness. Creation is time and space, time and space is energy, energy is consciousness, consciousness is awareness, and awareness is attention. Therefore we are infinite in all those respects. Infinite consciousness, infinite energy, and infinite attention.
The more attention that we gather by focusing it perpetually, the more attention that we cultivate, and the more attention that we access out of the infinite reservoirs of attention we have available to us. Thus as soon as we begin to gather our attention, the more we cultivate it which dramatically increases our level of personal mastery over mind, body, and spirit.
This is with the exception of inspiring intuitions and visions given to us directly from higher levels of consciousness which we connect to, for those thoughts are always welcome. In fact, those are the thoughts which we aspire to because “when we change our thoughts, we change our lives.”
When our attention becomes strong we increase our ability to wield the power of intention, the creative force of the universe. Our thoughts become like high energy lasers up to the point where everything that we see in our minds becomes reality. For when our minds are uncluttered and our thoughts are of an extraordinarily high vibration, there is no confusion on the universal end of what we desire to manifest.
Our attention is the most important part of our beings. Without it we could not do anything! We couldn’t think, speak, sleep, learn, act, or exist in any way. What are you doing in your life to harness, master, and cultivate your most precious asset? If meditation is gathering attention, then what is meditation but healing, personal power, spiritual evolution, and an increased ability to love?
What is meditation but the development of commitment, focus, intelligence, and self-discipline? What is meditation but the most important practice in existence? For all of these are the result of an increase in our level of energy which meditation has been proven to do.
Meditation is the practice of gathering attention, and it is the most direct way to connect to creative consciousness, and reclaim your power. Change your life today by learning how to meditate.
Written by Brandon West who is the creator of Project Global Awakening. A website dedicated to the research of a variety of scientific and spiritual disciplines, and applying that knowledge to help you live an inspired life and change the world.
This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.
What your body tells you about your emotional state
“This is no exaggeration: you were born to put death to death.” –Leonard Perlmutter
Bruce Lipton, a leading development biologist who believes that genes and DNA can be manipulated by our beliefs is not the only brilliant mind to propose such a mind-bending idea. In fact, he says that our DNA and cells do not control our health, our emotions do. Yogis have known for centuries that what we think and feel affects the physical body. It is one of the foundational components of almost any yogic path. Utilizing the teachings of our farthest reaching wisdom traditions and the newest biological advances, we can learn how to look at the body for signs of its deepest, darkest challenges.
THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT WAS A FAILURE
Scientists were hoping to map out more than 100,000 genes when studying the human genome, in order to find disease markers, and therefore prevent them, but only 25,000 genes were discovered, and ‘junk’ DNA is still a totally mystery to most scientists. Even more interesting is the fact that you can entirely remove the nucleus of a cell and its DNA and it will still function. Contrary to what was once believed, the cell’s nucleus is not its brain. If, however, you destroy the cell membrane, then the cell dies because it can no longer interact with other cells. Are our cells telling us something about how we interact with the world as a whole?
Through his passionate research, Bruce Lipton discovered that, “The cell membrane is a liquid crystal semi conductor with gates and channels.” He also said in Biology of Belief that,‘our cells are like programmable personal computers.” That means consciousness, namely our emotional state, can lead to some pretty profound changes in the body.
“The major crisis of the human race is not of raising our IQs, it is one of elevating our WILL quotients. We must will ourselves to happiness, and thereby experience true health.”
OUR PHYSICAL BODIES ALERT US TO EMOTIONAL STATES
Maybe it seems strange that we should look at our bodies for evidence of an emotion, after all, don’t we just feel something like anger, pain, frustration, fear, guilt, etc. when it happens? We don’t need to look at the body to understand an emotion, or do we? It’s not always that simple. Our emotions are intertwined with how we get our needs met from a very young age, so, if you weren’t ever allowed to be ‘angry’ even in situations where this would be a natural emotion, then instead of that anger being felt and expressed, and properly released, it becomes waylaid by the conscious mind. Instead, it is seen as ‘wrong’ and then pushed down into the subconscious mind so that you can ‘deal with it later.’
We can do this temporarily quite well, such as when we learn to hold our tongue when having a disagreement, and due to respect or love, or societal pressures, we choose to communicate our feelings at a later time, when they feel less charged. The problem is that when we push emotions down too long, the subconscious mind will start saying ‘hey, you’ve got some stuff to deal with down here.’
NEUROPEPTIDES LEAD THE GAME
Everytime you think a thought there is probably emotion attached to it. Perhaps it is positive, perhaps negative, but rarely, is it neutral. With every charged thought you think, miniscule neuropeptides, or chemical proteins trigger a specific physiological response to try to keep your overall system in homeostatis. Examples of neuropeptides are endorphins like the ones released when you have sex or go for a jog, and other hormones, like oxytocin, the natural ‘love’ drug, adrenaline, the natural drug of excitement and fear, cortisol, the hormone of stress, and so on. There are dozens of these neuropeptides being released at any given moment.
Whatever your most consistent emotional state is, then, that is also what chemical cocktail being released into your body, and thereby shapes your physical features. The more prolonged the emotional state is experienced, the more profound the changes can be visually
“Never get angry for anger poisons your system.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
ANGER CAUSES HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND HAPPINESS HELPS YOU LIVE LONGER
Scientists have now been able to measure emotions, including their physiological response on the body. For example, anger causes higher cholesterol levels and a faster resting heart rate. Prolonged sadness can cause depression, which leads to a depleted immune system. But how do we ‘wear’ these emotions on the physical body?
Emotions, like any other thought, have a vibrational frequency. Emotions of peace, love, excitement, serenity, joy and thankfulness are of a higher vibration and emotions of anger, fear, and sadness hold lower vibrations. Lipton’s work talks in depth about how emotions can even affect DNA.
Part of the reason that emotions affect us so significantly is because the heart emits a stronger electro-magnetic force than the brain, so even if you are intellectually editing yourself, your true emotions are still being broadcast throughout the bo
dy, and arguably, beyond it. The brain entrains with the heart, and not vice versa. The brain becomes coherent with the vibration of the heart. It may sound shocking but recent studies show that depression causes more heart disease than smoking! Depressed people even have stickier blood platelets, so they are more likely to ‘die of a broken heart.’
OBSERVING THE BODY FOR EMOTIONAL PATTERNS
As a rule, the left side of the body reflects what has happened to you and how you respond emotionally to your past. The right side of the body will often display what your emotions are about your future. The front side of the body is the emotional self you present to the world; obvious in your facial features, your posture, etc. Your back side will reflect emotions that you don’t want to deal with or expose to other people. Unexpressed or sublimated emotions will get ‘stuck’ in your back, shoulders, calves, etc. When too many negative emotions are stuffed away where you can’t see them, or feel them, they can cause the body to come out of balance.
Chinese medicine agrees that emotions can create stagnation in the energy of the body, leading to issues with the spleen, heart, kidneys, liver, bladder, gallbladder, etc. They usually categorize the emotions into seven distinct areas – grief, sorrow, worry, fear, joy, anger and fright. Following are some more general rules about how emotions display in the physical body:
Your head hurts, or your brow is often furrowed: This means you need to stop ignoring your intuition and trust what your ‘higher self’ is trying to tell you about a situation or person. Basically, you need to pay attention to your gut. A pain in the back of the head, instead of the forehead means you haven’t forgiven yourself for perceived faults or past mistakes.
Nearsightedness or Farsightedness: This means you have trouble ‘seeing things clearly.’ Farsighted folks often pine away for the future and nearsighted folks can’t seeing anything but the nose on their own faces. Seeing the here and now accurately is difficult for either person with sight issues. Meditation is one way to offload emotions that cause you to feel uncomfortable in the here and now.
Hearing Problems are similar – it may mean you are tuning out.
Our mouths are associated with our expression of sensuality. If you have lost your taste, it can literally mean you have disconnected from reality because it ‘leaves a bad taste in your mouth.’ This part of the body is also connected with the second chakra, or Swadhistana, which governs all the sexual organs. If you can’t experience pleasure without guilt or over-indulge in sexual gratification, it will also lead to pursed lips or an unattractive mouth.
Your neck and shoulders support the head, but are also the gateway between the head and heart – or the Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra) and Ajna Chakra (Pineal Gland Center). Issues with the throat, and neck, or tightness in the shoulders may mean you are having a hard time integrating mental acuity and tempering it with compassion. If you are overly intellectual, you may have shoulder and neck problems. This is the most narrow part of the body between the torso and head, and therefore, a place that easily gets congested energetically. Yoga poses like Matsyasana (Fish Pose) and Halasana (Plow Pose) can help to release blockages here, and the emotions that are stored without conscious awareness.
The Arms and Hands are how you reach out to others. Any stagnation of positive emotion regarding extending yourself to others can manifest as physical symptoms here.
An enclosed and protected heart often means you hunch over and have a constricted chest and lungs. If you have a hard time expressing love or accepting love from others, you will possibly have blockages in your chest, lungs and heart.
There are all kinds of physical issues that can appear based on the health of your spine. Since the spine literally supports your body, ailments regarding the spinal column often reflect feelings of non-support or lack of love. Pain in the mid-back is associated to deficiency in the stomach liver, gallbladder, adrenals, and reproductive organs. Issues with the lower back are connected to the hips, large intestine, immune system, bladder, and kidneys. Childhood trauma that hasn’t been dealt with properly often manifests in lower back problems.
There are literally dozens of other ways that your emotions show on your body, and as recent, paradigm-shifting evidence is showing, feeling happy, calm, and free are the best ways to change not only your health, but your physical appearance. Happiness is better even than plastic surgery, and certainly better than chemotherapy or pharmaceuticals at keeping you profoundly alive and healthy.
While we can’t nor should stuff our emotions down, including negative ones, we can learn to control them and shift our attention to positive feelings as often as possible to dramatically change our bodies – right down to our DNA.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christina Sarich is a musician, yogi, humanitarian and freelance writer who channels many hours of studying Lao Tzu, Paramahansa Yogananda, Rob Brezny, Miles Davis, and Tom Robbins into interesting tidbits to help you Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga.
Credits: ***WakingTimes, where this article was originally featured.
Additional References:
http://www.americanmed
itation.org
http://www.enlightenedfeelings.com/symptoms.html
http://www.brucelipton.com/media/article
This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.
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