Self-Reinforcing Optimism: How to Engineer Serendipity

Source:http://www.finerminds.com/consciousness-awareness/self-reinforcing-optimism/

Marianne Williamson: Mental Alchemy and finding love for those who hurt you.

25 November 2014

How are you dear friends.  
       I am glad to be back after a short break.  
              All the very best !

Have you heard of Divine Compensation?

Watch this video in which Marianne Williamson shares her thoughts with Oprah Winfrey.

 Enjoy it !

=======================
In this video, Marianne shares her thoughts about forgiveness with Oprah, who reminisces over a past grudge, and what advice was given to her.
http://www.finerminds.com/happiness/marianne-williamson-on-forgiveness-and-mental-alchemy/

Om Namah Sivaya (I Salute The Divine Within You)

19 August 2014 by Carmen Burby

As I was reading a book I came across a beautiful passage by D H Lawrence, which filled me with joy, wonder and awe. I am quoting it here for you to read. I hope you enjoy it!

D H Lawrence wrote to a friend: 

 “We are having very beautiful weather, so hot and bright. I have never seen anything so beautiful as the gorse this year, and the blackthorn. The gorse blazes in sheets of yellow fire, and the blackthorn is like white smoke, filling the valley bed. Primroses and violets are full out, and the bluebells are just coming. It is very magnificent and royal. The sun is just sinking in a flood of gold. One would not be astonished to see the cherubim flashing their wings and coming towards us, from the West. All the time, one seems to be expecting an arrival from the beyond, from the heavenly world. The sense of something magnificent approaching, is so strong, it is a wonder one does not see visions in the heavens” 

Have a lovely day, dear friends

Om Namah Sivaya

 (I Salute The Divine Within You)

A Lesson In Humility

17 August 2014 - Image by Carmen Burby

A Lesson In Humility 

One of the most important understandings, we come to gain, through our physical journey, is the lesson of humility. The truth is that power can/will become corrupt in the absence of humility. As the famous spider-man dialogue goes – “With great power comes great responsibility”, and without a sense of humility we cannot stand true towards using our power responsibly. Life-energy is invincibly powerful owing to its ability for creation, it can create through “thought” and hence has the power to manifest anything – good as well as bad. We are simply the same life-energy, a stream of life-energy (or what I call “stream of consciousness”), like a river that outflows from an ocean – the ocean and the river are inherently the same thing, same properties, same attributes. In your physical perspective you may not “know” your power of creation and your invincibility as life-energy, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have it and in your non-physical perspective you do recognize this power much more easily. So, basically, through your experience of the physical journey you learn the lesson of humility, so that you can use this understanding to not become imbalanced in your power as a stream of life-energy. Earth provides a perfect environment to learn this lesson.

As you gain more and more understanding of your true nature, as life-energy, you also start becoming cognizant of your power. For example, as you deepen in the stability of your awareness you are no longer afraid of the mind, or the outside influence, this potentially can make you feel very invincible and free, and this gives you a sense of huge power – and this power can breed arrogance in a big way, or worse it can cause you to be insensitive or cold. I’ve seen this in my own personal experience as much as I’ve seen it in others who come to realize this inner power. For me, personally, the lesson of humility has been the hardest to learn, I’ve inherently been strongly rooted in arrogance since my childhood and hence the process of bringing humility within feels like a recoding of my genetics. The good part is that life does not cease teaching you a lesson until you learn it (called “fierce grace” in some teachings), so there comes a point where you finally let go towards allowing the “inner transformation” that’s being called for. When you are thick skinned you usually need a strong lesson, whether you like it or not.

If you get a feeling that you are being beaten up by life, there is a very strong chance that you are being taught a lesson in humility. A common attitude people develop when they are challenged this way is to develop the “warrior attitude” of trying to fight back from a place of anger/hate, with a strong resentment towards life – basically this only causes you to delay learning this lesson, and your struggles continue. It’s important to understand that arrogance is an imbalance in the dark nature, and “power” is also dark nature, and humility is the light nature that’s needed to balance it. Without humility, power will always take you into imbalance as is evident in the lives of some many powerful people who have tragic endings.

Teachings of humility have always been around

In all religions there are very evident teachings towards humility, and ironically the fanatics of religion usually miss this very core teaching.

- In Hindu religion there is the teaching of removing your foot-wear outside the temple and walking bare footed. The act of folding hands in prayer is a teaching in humility as is the act of prostrating before the deity. There are also many other traditions that indirectly ingrain the teaching of humility – touching the feet of elders and folding hands as a sign of greeting are some examples of it.

- In Islam, the way a prayer is conducted is by itself a strong directive towards humility. Here also there is the tradition of removing the foot wear, and even assisting in washing the feet of other people in the mosque, before the prayer.

- In Christianity people are asked to dress up formally for the Sunday mass. This formal dressing is like an act of respect or a humility towards the place of worship. There is also the tradition of saying grace before the meal, as a practice of humility (this tradition is also ingrained in many religions).

- The Chinese tradition of bowing down when you meet another person is a teaching in humility, also the traditional way of eating in silence as a sign of respect to the food.

You can find these teachings of humility in all religions, it’s just that a lack of understanding causes people to misinterpret these teachings as a directive towards “meekness”. Humility is not meekness, it’s a balance of power. You are not being asked to be fearful and meek, you are simply being taught a mindset of humility so that you don’t end up becoming arrogant.

In monasteries, the students are not imparted the core teachings until he/she has been seen to gain an understanding of humility. They are made to take care of mundane chores and be of service to the monastery, sometimes for years, before they are given the teachings. The reason is simple, when you come to “truth” there is bound to be freedom, and when you sense freedom there is bound to be power, and power has the ability to take you over in the absence of humility.

Isn’t life-energy already whole and thus humble?

Humility comes from “understanding”, it’s not a “nature”. We are all streams of life-energy and you can see the various imbalances that are exhibited by us. So, a stream of life-energy has to gain understanding of itself before it can come to a conscious balance, in the absence of this understanding it will always move into some imbalance or the other. Your journey as a stream of life-energy is towards this growth in understanding and the physical plane is the best place for learning these lessons. You can’t hope to learn as much in the non-physical plane mostly because in the non-physical you are not faced with “limitations” and hence there is very little scope for learning. You can sense this arrogance in some kids, they are still under the influence of their limitless nature that they knew of in their non-physical, and feel very peeved by the limitations they sense in their physical nature, inevitably they learn the lesson of humility even if it takes a few lifetimes.

You are not here to suffer, you are only here to grow in balance (through understanding) and the more you grow the less you suffer. Every suffering that you face has a seed of growth in it. Much as we hate suffering, it’s the most potent means to grow, as accurately pointed in the adage – “we grow more in times of failure than in times of success”. What is this growth towards? What’s the point of it? The point is always to bring you to an understanding of your power as well as the understanding of humility – these are inherently the only two lessons we are to learn consciously. If you see the posts on this blog, they are a mix of understanding your power (such as power of creation and awareness) and understanding surrender/allowing (which is a pointer towards humility). You can be rest assured that when you’ve learnt the intended lesson, and have allowed the intended inner growth, the perceived “negative” in your situation will automatically be erased – growth is thevalue of negativity.

The difference between being driven by joy/hatred/boredom/sexuality and being driven by love (Read the post “What are you driven by?”) lies mostly in this lesson of humility. When you are driven by fear you are “meek”, and this may come across as humility, but it’s not. There is a teaching by Jesus, where he says – “the kingdom of heaven belongs to the meek”, by meek he did not mean the “fearful”, he meant the beings who learn “humility” – this is true because in many of his other teaching he talked about being fearless and true to oneself (“Kingdom of heaven” was just his pointer towards a life of alignment, free of psychological suffering). In the absence of humility you can enjoy power but it will also instigate some form of imbalance, slowly but surely – only humility can bring a balance to power, hence it’s one of the most important lessons that’s required for any stream of life-energy.

Allowing the lesson of humility

From my own personal experience, I can understand how difficult it can be for someone who has an inherent inclination to “arrogance” to allow the understanding of humility. It feels like a loss of identity, a sense of deep defeat/failure, a strong feeling of vulnerability and helplessness – in fact, when-ever you get these feelings you can be sure that you are learning a lesson in humility. The mind has a feeling that arrogance is a positive deal and hence it constantly defends this attitude, in fact this arrogance gives you a sense of power and letting it go can feel highly counter-intuitive, and very much against the survival instinct. In fact, growing in understanding of life, and coming to inner stability, can also cause one to feel more arrogant even if it’s just a subconscious feeling – it’s very natural that power, or sense of freedom, breeds arrogance. This can make it even harder to allow the lesson of humility, because it feels like a regression or a backward step.

The only deal is that you won’t stop being given the lesson until you learn it – much as you would hope that life would just give you a break, it doesn’t. Sometimes, what feels like an achievement or a build-up of success or an experience of joy ends up being a setup to bring you the lesson of humility – what’s called the “high before the crash”. If you allow the intended growth you wouldn’t need to learn the same lesson again, but most of us are too hard-headed and hence there are a few repeat lessons until we finally learn. The lessons usually come from the things that you value the most – for example, if relationship is what is most important to you, your lessons will come from your experiences in a relationship, and if career is what’s most important to you, you lessons will come from the field of your career.

When you feel “helpless”, it’s the perfect opportunity to allow it in, using it as the energy that burns through your arrogance – just allow this feeling of helplessness, instead of trying to fight it with a stand of aggression. Depending on how strongly ingrained you are in arrogance, it can take a while before humility seeps in fully – it can be quite a painful process especially when we keep resisting this lesson. Every fiber in your being needs to learn the lesson of humility before the learning is done with. The reason why the physical plane is the best place to learn this lesson is because only this plane affords the “fear of uncertainty” (and other fears), and there is nothing as powerful as fear to create a sense of helplessness which, when allowed within, causes you to break through the rigid structures of arrogance, thus, bringing in humility.

Source:

http://www.calmdownmind.com/a-lesson-in-humility/

Turning Reality Into Poetry: The Importance of Eliciting Wonder and Awe

Awe: “An experience of such perceptual vastness you literally have to reconfigure your mental models of the world to assimilate it.”

How can we disrupt our daily mental programming, which has come attuned to overstimulation, so we can go from being numbly unaffected by the here and now, to becoming completely awestruck by life’s limitless magnificence?

In this 3-minute video, philosopher and contagiously enthusiastic filmmaker, Jason Silva, explains the importance of moving out of our comfort zone so we can experience awe and wonder in our daily lives.

http://www.finerminds.com/consciousness-awareness/turning-reality-into-poetry/

Dealing With Depression

Following the death of Robin Williams, we look at the symptoms of depression, how to recognise it in others and how it can be treated

The tragic death of Robin Williams, who is believed to have committed suicide, has put the issue of depression firmly in the spotlight, demonstrating that even those who appear to lead the most charmed lives can fall victim to the black dog of depression. The actor has always been open about his fight with the illness, recently telling an interviewer, "Do I get sad? Oh yeah. Does it hit me hard? Oh yeah." But what do we do when concerned about friends and loved ones who are struggling with these issues?

In the UK, one in four people will experience a mental health problem in the course of a year, and depression is the is the most common type, so it's worth brushing up on the warning signs and knowing how to approach people you're concerned about.

What is depression?

Depression, by its nature, is hard to diagnose. However, the World Health organisation describes depression as "a common mental disorder, characterised by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration." It's also a condition which is incredibly hard to describe and can be experienced in different ways. Sufferers often hide their condition from those around them.

Symptoms

Depression can strike at any time, and can affect anyone, and if you're concerned that a friend or loved one might be depressed, knowing the warning signs can be a big help. "Warning signs include not sleeping, loss of appetite, loss of enjoyment in activities that previously would have excited, irritability (particularly in men) negative thinking and thoughts which are dominated by hopelessness, worthlessness or guilt," explains Dr Paul McLaren, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital Hayes Grove.

The stigma associated with mental illness is diminishing but sadly, it still exists. It's important to remember that depression can affect anyone at any time of their lives, but knowing the risk factors can be useful. "Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors," explains Professor Katharine Barnard, a health psychologist based at the University of Southampton. "Women are more likely to suffer from depression than men, and a previous episode of depression increases your chances of developing it again. People with relatives with clinical depression are at greater risk themselves."

Depression or a bad mood?

One issue which can make the identification of depression tricky is the fact that the world has generally become a more stressful place to live in. News reports herald a constant reportage of death and destruction and, closer to home, the financial crisis has wreaked havoc for many of us. So how can we tell whether a friend is simply suffering from a bad case of the blues or potentially experiencing something more serious?

"One of the key questions to ask is about loss of enjoyment," says Dr Paul McLaren. "When we are depressed we lose the capacity to react to good things happening. This is the best way of distinguishing between depression and stress." If you're concerned about a friend's dark moods, try to remember when the situation started. "Watch out for prolonged symptoms lasting for two weeks or more and an inability to ‘snap out of it’ in a few days and resume usual mood," advises Professor Katharine Barnard. "People suffering from depression often feel sad, hopeless and disinterested in life in general."

How to approach the situation

When it comes to approaching a friend or relative you're concerned about, tread carefully. Telling them to "snap out of it" or joking that "life can't be that bad" is unlikely to help someone suffering from depression. "Be frank and open about your concerns," says Dr Paul McLaren. "Don't try to cheer them up or to jolly them along, as this can make someone who is depressed feel more alienated and rejected. Depression is not a life choice that we can switch on and off. It's a serious malfunctioning of the brain that usually requires treatment with a talking-based treatment or medication."

Treatment

The good news is that recent developments relating to the treatment of depression are yielding impressive results, with more sophisticated therapies and medication which doesn't have the side effects which were once common. "The main psychological treatment for depression is cognitive behaviour therapy and there is a strong evidence base for its effectiveness in mild to moderate depression," explains Dr Paul McLaren. "With moderate to severe depression medication is required. While there are a number of drugs available there is no wonder drug, and the newer drugs, while safer, are no more effective than older antidepressants."

Dr McLaren adds that there's continued research into other types of treatment, but a combined approach remains the most effective option. "A new physical treatment is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which is like ECT but uses a magnetic field to produce therapeutic changes, rather than the electric current which is used in ECT.  However while initial trials in this have been encouraging, its use has remained limited. The most effective treatment for moderate to severe depression is a combination of psychological and pharmacological treatment delivered in a timely manner."

Whether you're concerned about a friend or believe you may be suffering from depression yourself, there are plenty of organisations which can help, details of which are below:

• Mind -  The UK's largest mental health charity.
• Sane - Another large UK charity set up to help people suffering from mental health problems
• Rethink - A UK-based charity which deals with all type of mental health problems, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

http://wellbeing.uk.msn.com/mind-body/dealing-with-depression

Meet Yourself: A Practical Guide To Building Your Self-Esteem

No matter where you are in life, no matter what state your self-esteem is in, it’s completely possible for you to build it yourself, from the ground up. It may seem like an impossible feat, as many of us have tried so often to change, but here are some ideas and exercises for you to try. 

In this 9-minute TED talk, Niko Everett, founder of Girls for Change, shares a practical guide on how you can build your self-esteem, and help those around you.

Source: http://www.finerminds.com/happiness/how-to-build-your-self-esteem/

A 1982 Interview With George Harrison Of The Beatles

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare, Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare, Hare

A 1982 Interview with George Harrison

In the summer of 1969, before the dissolution of the most popular music group of all time, George Harrison produced a hit single, “ The Hare Krishna Mantra”, performed by George and the members of the London Radha-Krsna Temple.  Soon after rising to the Top 10 or Top 20 best-selling record charts throughout England, Europe, and parts of Asia, the Hare Krsna chant became a household word-especially in England, where the BBC had featured the Hare Krsna Chanters, as they were then called, four times on the country’s most popular television programme, Top of the Pops.

George Harrison was the impetus for the Beatles’ spiritual quest of the sixties, and up until his death in 2001, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare, Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare, Hare” continued to play a key role in his life.

In this conversation with his long-time personal friend Contemporary Vedic Library Series editor Mukunda Goswami (MG), taped at George’s home in England on September 4, 1982, George reveals some of the memorable experiences he had chanting Hare Krsna and describes in detail his deep realisations about the chanting.

He explains what factors led him to produce “The Hare Krishna Mantra” record, “My Sweet Lord”, and the LPs All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World – all of which were influenced to a great extent by the Hare Krsna chanting and philosophy. 

He speaks open and lovingly of his association with His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder – acarya of the Hare Krsna movement. 

George also speaks frankly about his personal philosophy regarding the Hare Krsna movement, music, yoga, reincarnation, karma, the soul, God and Christianity.  The conversation concludes with his fond remembrances of a visit to the birthplace of Lord Krsna in Vrndavana, India, home of the Hare Krsna mantra, and with George discussing some of his celebrity friends’ involvement with the mantra now heard and chanted around the world.

Below are excerpts of the interview by Mukunda Goswami (MG) and George Harrison (GH):

MG	Oftentimes you speak of yourself as a plainclothes devotee, a closet yogi or “closet Krsna” and millions of people all over the world have been introduced to the chanting by your songs.  But what about you?  How did you first come in contact with Krsna?
GH	Through my visits to India.  So by the time the Hare Krsna movement first came to England in 1969, John and I had already gotten a hold of Prabhupada’s first album, Krsna Consciousness.  We had played it a lot and liked it.  That was the first time I had ever heard the chanting of the maha-mantra.
MG	In your recent published autobiography, I, Me, Mine, you said your song “Awaiting on You All” is about Japa yoga, or chanting mantras on beads.  You explained that a mantra is “mystical energy encased in a sound structure”, and that “each mantra contains within its vibrations a certain power”.  But of all mantras, you stated that “the maha-mantra” (The Hare Krisna Mantra) has been prescribed as the easiest and surest way for attaining God realisation in this present age.  As a practitioner of Japa Yoga, what realisations have you experienced from chanting?
GH	Prabhupada told me once that we should just keep chanting all the time – or as much as possible.  Once you do that, you realise the benefit.  The response that comes from chanting is in the form of bliss, or spiritual happiness, which is a much higher taste that any happiness found here in the material world.  That is why I say that the more you do it, the more you do not want to stop, because it feels so nice and peaceful.
MG	What is about the mantra that brings about this feeling of peace and happiness?
GH	The word Hare is the word that calls upon the energy that is around the Lord.  If you say the mantra enough, you build up identification with God.  God is all happiness, all bliss, and by chanting His names we connect with him.  So it is really a process of actually having a realisation of God, which all becomes clear with the expanded state of consciousness that develops when you chant.
MG	Can you think of any incident where you felt God’s presence very strongly through chanting?
GH	Once I was on an airplane that was in an electric storm.  It was hit by lightening three times, and a Boeing 707 went over the top of us, missing us by inches.  I thought the back end of the plane had blown off.  I was on my way from Los Angeles to New York to organise the Bangladesh concert.  As soon as the plane began bouncing around I started chanting “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare, Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Hare, Hare”.  The whole thing went on for about an hour and a half or two hours, the plane dropping hundreds of feet and bouncing all over in the storm, all the lights out and all these explosions, and everybody terrified.  I ended up with my feet pressed against the seat in front, my seat belt as tight as it could be, gripping on the thing, and yelling Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Hare, Hare at the top of my voice.  I know for me, the difference between making it and not making it was actually chanting the mantra.  Peter Sellers also swore that chanting Krsna saved him from a plane crash.

Source:	Excerpts from the book “Chant and be Happy The Power of Meditation.  Based on the teachings of his Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
YouTube	<iframe width="640" height="390" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/D6miNc2Mse0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Practicing Heartfelt Forgiveness: The Hardest Virtue to Master?

8 July 2014

When someone says  they’re sorry, it’s often easy to accept their apology, but are you then able to truly forgive, or do their actions still linger like a dark shadow in the back of your mind?

For a quick and practical lesson on how to completely let go in order to move forward, watch this 1-minute video by inspirational speaker and spiritual teacher, Iyanla Vanzant, to be reminded of the power that comes from practicing true forgiveness.

http://www.finerminds.com/personal-growth/practicing-heartfelt-forgiveness/

What is Your Biggest Mistake? | Man on the Street

What Is Your Biggest Mistake?

“Mistakes may seem like obstacles to success, but they can propel us towards our ultimate goal if we choose to learn from them”                                                                              Carmen Burby

One of the participants in the video states that her biggest mistake is the fear of making mistakes!  Her observation fully resonates with me.  I have a perfectionist tendency and I thrive on excellence.  However, the perfectionist attitude I have is just a mask to cover my fear of making mistakes.  I believe, it stops me from getting out of my comfort zone when I spend a great deal of time perfecting something which is considered to be of a good standard - hence, constraining myself within my own perceived limits and not expanding to discover the unknown because of this irrational fear.

What Have You Learned From Your Mistakes?

I am fully aware of my perfectionist tendencies.  Previously this attitude was deeply embedded in me and literally ran on autopilot.  Now, I believe that mistakes are the only way to grow.  However, it took me a great deal of time to attain this level of awareness.  And it emerged slowly during a truly dark period in my life.  I fully embraced the realisation of “Awareness” from the start but its practical application is another matter.  I am still striving to fully apply it in my daily life – but I know I have the tool of “Awareness” which I now try to utilise in everything I do.   For example, today I was attempting some new yoga exercises, which I could not do very well at the beginning, but then I remembered and applied “Awareness” into my practice!  I stopped, stood tall, readjusted my posture and took deep breaths and concentrated on the task at hand and with the aid of “Awareness” my practice seemed to flow more easily and naturally.

Summary

In summary, what I learned from my biggest mistake was to cultivate awareness by harnessing the principles of "Mindfulness" and to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and move on.  Sometimes it is acceptable and constructive to make mistakes.  In taking action we may make mistakes but very often these mistakes can be corrected.

What Is Your Biggest Mistake?

What Have You Learned From Your Mistakes?

Source:	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOUUO5bgxKs.  Video by Katie Wise and Nicole Villela
Post:	Tune into the wisdom within published on 21.05.2014.  Accessible on http://www.energysprings.blogspot.com
Commentary:	By Carmen Burby

The Science Of Mantra And The Beatles

24 June 2014 by Carmen Burby

In the middle 1960’s George Harrison became fascinated and an admirer of Indian Culture and Mysticism, which he introduced to the rest of the Beatles’s group.  During the filming of “Help” in the Bahamas, they met with the founder of Sivananda Yoga, Swami Visnu-devananda, who gave each of them a signed copy of his book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga.

In 1967 The Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and they became captivated by this teachings of Transcendental Meditation.  On 24 August 1967 they were in the front row seats listening to The Maharishi’s lecture, which took place at the London Hilton.

George Harrison explained why he attended the lecture, “I got the tickets. I was actually after a mantra.  I had got to the point where I thought I would like to meditate; I read about it and I knew I needed a mantra – a password to get through to the other world.  And as we always seemed to do everything together, John and Paul came with me”  (George Harrison’s Anthology).

Ringo Star was unable to attend the lecture because his wife Maureen had given birth to their son Jason on 19 August 1967.

After the event the Beatles were granted a 90-minute private audience with The Maharishi.  He greatly impressed them with his philosophy.  The next day they all (including Ringo Star) travelled to Bangor in North Wales, UK to attend a Transcendental Meditation seminar.

The Beatles spent two nights in Bangor where a personal mantra was given to each of them by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

What is a Mantra?

Swami Visnu-Devananda says:  “A mantra is a mystical energy encased in a sound structure”.  The potency of the energy is liberated by continuous concentration and repetition.  Thus, its energy is released and takes form, and gradually over time becomes powerful within us.

Sound is made up of energetic vibrations.  To release the energy from the sound, we learn to repeat it with a specific rhythm.  When you start repeating a mantra it creates a specific thought pattern, which allows the energy to literally manifest itself.  When you repeat the name the form comes to mind.  Although you may not consciously know the form connected to a certain mantra, it still creates a specific thought pattern in the mind.  The thought pattern created by a mantra is positive, beneficial and calming.  Mantras are used to foster an alert mind.  It is said when we chant Mantras we are creating a cushion of protection around us.

How a Mantra is  created?

Every mantra is created from a combination of sounds derived from the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.  Sanskrit is the most ancient of human languages and is also known as Devanagri, which literally means “Language of the Gods”.  Sanskrit words are the actual sound manifestations we use when chanting. 

Can Mantras be translated?

Mantras can be translated, but these translations do not possess the same power as the original.  I believe this is the reason why at the Ashram we are encouraged to learn the Sanskrit words and use them while attending lectures or Satsang evenings.

Have the Mantras ever been written by someone?

No one has ever, as far as is known, sat down and written a Mantra as people write songs.  Mantras are energies, which have always existed in the universe and can neither be created nor destroyed.  The science of Mantra is exact and precise and it is important that they should be pronounced correctly.  The constant repetition of the Mantra is called Japa. 

Are there any mental benefits attributed to Mantras?

Japa or Mantra repetition will help the mind to steady itself.  This in turn, helps us into a meditative state.

Are there any physical benefits derived from Mantras?

On a physical level many benefits are derived from Japa or Mantra repetition.  Deep rest and relaxation are given to all the cells and organs of the body.  Toxins are removed and the nervous system is relaxed.  The lower emotions of lust, anger, greed, hatred and jealousy are destroyed and replaced with pure qualities, which protect us from our own mind.

The Beatles’ encounter with The Maharishi coincided with their realisation that LSD did not hold the answers they were hoping for.  They held a press conference to reveal their new passion for meditation and announced that hey had given up drugs. 

Did You Like The Chant?

What is your experience of Chanting? 

Please let me know by leaving your comments at the end of this page.

All the very best

On Namah Sivaya!

(I salute the divine within you!)

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This blog is based on the teachings of the Swami Sivananda as outlined in the Yoga Teachers’ Training Manual 2013 and Swami Visnu-devananda’s book “Meditation and Mantras” and articles from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison#Hinduism http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZGzGfn9efw

The 6 Phase Meditation – Guided Audio

NB:  This is the Guided Audio version of the Infographic that appeared in the preceding blog

To listen to the FREE guided audio of the 6 Phase Meditation, hit play on the video below, or download Omvana to get FREE access to this track on your mobile device anytime you need it.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7804370939756266585#editor/target=post;postID=7075438667886345483

The 6 Phase Meditation – Infographic

This infographic is based on the core meditation from the Envisioning Method, a daily practice designed by Mindvalley Founder, Vishen Lakhiani.

The 6 Phase Meditation is a distillation of hundreds of books on personal growth and is designed to create the most remarkable transformation in your state of being — in the shortest amount of time.

http://blog.mindvalleyacademy.com/meditation/6-phase-meditation-infographic

NB:  My next blog entry will be the Audio Guided version of this Infographic

The Power Of Compliments | The Science Of Love

I completely agree with Mike Bernstein and Matt Pitman who are the creators of this video when they say, “ A lot of us have trouble accepting compliments. We are worried that it will make us seem self-absorbed, or we just do not believe that what the person is saying is true. But studies shown that accepting compliments does not just help you, it also helps your relationship”.

A Quote by Nietzche

17 June 2014 - Image by Carmen Burby

" And Those Who Were Seen Dancing
     Were Thought To Be Insane By Those
        Who Could Not Hear The Music"         
                                                       Nietzche

" Aquellos Que Fueron Vistos Danzando 
      Fueron Considerados Dementes Por Aquellos 
          Que no Podian Escuchar La Musica"
                                                                                                                                 Nietzche

The Mad Ones: Making The Leap From Conformity To Freedom

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music” – Nietzsche

As human beings, is it possible to resolve the internal struggle of wanting to fully experience freedom and realize our full potential, while feeling the dull ache and pull of conformity?

If you’re tired of the rat race and societal pressures, and want something uplifting and goose-bump inducing, this is the video for you!


http://www.finerminds.com/happiness/making-the-leap-from-conformity-to-freedom/

Breathing: The Little Known Secret to Peace of Mind

“A few weeks ago shooting, cars exploding, screaming, death, that was your world. Now back home, no one knows what it is like over there so no one knows how to help you get back your normalcy. They label you a victim of the war. I am not a victim… but how do I get back my normalcy? For most of us it is booze and Ambien. It works for a brief period then it takes over your life. Until this study, I could not find [the] right help for me, BREATHING like a champ!” Those were the words of a 25 year old marine, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who partook in the research study I ran with Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whereas therapeutic and drug treatments had not helped many of the participants who volunteered for my study, a breathing practice – the intervention we used – did. One of the veterans in our study has since gone on to become an instructor so he can share the practices he learned with other veterans. “Thank you for giving me my life back,” he told us.

The Breath Is a Powerful Tool to Calm the Mind

We have an intuitive understanding that the breath can regulate our mind and emotions. Most of us have either told others or been told ourselves to “take a deep breath” when things got challenging. Most clinical psychologists use some kind of breathing practice with patients. However, because breathing happens automatically, many of us don’t give the breath as much attention as it deserves nor have we learned to harness its full potential to calm our minds.

One of the reasons why breathing can change how we feel is that emotions and breathing are closely connected. A revealing research study by Pierre Phillipot showed that different emotional states are associated with distinct respiration patterns. In Phillipot’s study, participants came in and were instructed to generate emotions like sadness, fear, anger and happiness to the best of their ability. While they were experiencing the emotions, Phillipot’s team requested participants to closely observe and report on their own respiration patterns. The research team found that each emotion was associated with a distinct pattern of breath. For example, when the participants felt anxious or afraid, they breathed more quickly and shallowly and when they felt happy, they breathed slowly and fully. Even more interesting was the follow-up study in which  the researchers invited in a different group of participants into their lab and instructed them to breathe in the patterns they had observed corresponded to emotions. The researchers literally told the participants how to breathe and then asked them how they felt. Lo and behold, the participants started to feel the emotions that corresponded to the breathing patterns!

This finding is revolutionary: We can change how we feel using our breath! Given the fact that it is so difficult to change one’s emotions using thoughts alone – try “talking yourself out of” intense anger or anxiety – , learning to use the breath becomes a very powerful tool. Since it is so difficult “talk” our way out of our feelings, we can learn to “breathe” our way through them.  After participating in a 6-day workshop, veterans who said they had felt “dead” since returning from Iraq said they felt alive again. 2 years later, they are spokespeople for the program, volunteering to encourage other veterans to learn to breathe again.

More Benefits of Learning Breathing Practices

Several studies suggest that controlled yogic breathing has immediate and positive effects on psychological well-being, as well as on physiological markers of well-being, such as blood pressure and heart rate. Within minutes you will feel better and place your body in a significantly healthier state. The long-term effects of a daily breathing practice are even more pronounced. By activating the part of our nervous system associated with “resting and digesting” (the parasympathetic nervous system), breathing practices may “train” the body to be calmer. For example, preliminary studies have found that regularly practicing breathing exercises lowers one’s level of cortisol — the “stress hormone.” Having lower levels of this hormone may be indicative of an overall calmer state of being, which may translate into less reactivity in the face of inevitable life stressors and less risk of heart disease. Although substantial studies of yogic breathing and the brain have yet to emerge, preliminary brain studies of meditation and the breath suggest that they activate brain areas involved in the control of the autonomic system, such as the insula. Control of the breath appears to activate brain regions that guide the parasympathetic, or “rest and digest,” processes of the body, perhaps thereby inducing its calming effects. Deep breathing has even been found to reduce pain.

A Breathing Practice to Try at Home: Alternate Nostril Breathing

This gentle pranayama is said to cool the mind and emotions. You may notice that, at any given time, one nostril is dominant (that is, air flows more smoothly through one nostril and only partially through the other). The dominant nostril alternates throughout the day. Preliminary research suggests that breathing through the right nostril oxygenates the left side of the brain, while breathing through the left nostril oxygenates the right side of the brain. One of the reasons alternate nostril breathing may induce its calming and balancing effects on the mind is that it gently allows for airflow through both nostrils.

To practice, place the index and middle finger of the right hand on the center of the eyebrow, and place the thumb on the right nostril, and the ring finger and pinky on the left nostril. The left hand rests on the lap, palm facing up. Take a deep breath in and, closing the right nostril with your thumb, breathe out through the left nostril. Then take a deep breath in through the left nostril, close the left nostril with your ring finger and pinky at the end of the inhale, and exhale through the right nostril. Take a deep breath in through the right nostril and, closing the right nostril with the thumb, exhale on the left side, and start over. Do this with your eyes closed for about five minutes. Notice the effects on your body and mind.

Want to Learn to Breathe Again?

The veterans I worked with learned the practices taught in the Project Welcome Home Troops workshop which teaches Sudarshan Kriya Yoga. The International Association for Human Values offers this program programs for veterans www.pwht.org)”>(www.pwht.org), in schools (http://www.youthempowermentseminar.org), and in prisons (http://www.prisonsmart.org/). This practice is also taught for the general population by the Art of Living Foundation, see artofliving.org. Elementary yogic breathing practices can also be learned in general yoga classes. Kundalini yoga classes, for example, place a particular emphasis on breathing practices.

http://www.emmaseppala.com/breathing-the-little-known-secret-to-peace-of-mind/#.U5bfRnJdVIE