Explore Your Past – How to Learn From Memories.

Who you are today, your personality and your values, depends on the past events that shaped you. You can always find connections between a present thought or feeling and a past event, no matter how far away it might seem. Explanations for present events can be found by going through some memories, and this practice shows you how to do that. By trying this you will be able to reinterpret yourself, by learning not to judge your actions but to accept and understand them.

Begin by finding a comfortable position, in a chair or armchair. Have a piece of paper or notebook and a pen ready and put them besides you. Try to relax your body and your mind and breath rhythmically through your nose. When you have achieved a state of increased self-awareness go back in time and think of an unpleasant memory that has marked your entire life. You don’t have to find something dramatic – in childhood, for example, even the most insignificant looking remark may have a huge impact on your personality. Let’s say that, as a child, you broke a crystal vase that your mother held dear. She might have said: “You can’t do anything right!”. Of course, that was just an anger driven reaction on her part that disappeared after a short while but you, as a child, were deeply affected by it.

When you have selected your past event try to briefly write it down and finish with a phrase that summarizes your experience (e.g. “You can’t do anything right!”). Make sure your breathing is still rhythmical and relaxed and then think about a minimum of three things that you can learn from that past experience. Do not get stuck on the final phrase, but try to analyze your action in a non-judgmental manner. The main idea is to identify and assimilate the things that you could have improved. Don’t quickly dismiss your past problem by saying “it was a child’s mistake”. The goal here is to find out how any mistake can teach you to become better, instead of lowering your self-esteem and confidence.

When you have found a few positive remarks about the past experience try to write them down. Don’t force your mind to come up with the ideas; instead, try to let everything flow naturally. After you’re done writing make sure to read the statements a couple of times and remember their essence. Put the paper aside and get back to connecting with your breathing. Take a minute or two to focus solely on your breathing and then recall the positive ideas you jotted down on the piece of paper. As an example, in the case of the broken vase, you could write: “I have to concentrate more on my actions”. Repeat that thought in your mind and make sure it represents you completely. Do the same with all the other positive ideas you cam up with. Believing in them and repeating their essence enables you to make them part of who you are.

This exercise is especially useful when you are aware that you are about to go through a similar experience. You may not be in danger of breaking another vase, but you might be in the situation where something a friend holds dear will be in your hands, in your responsibility. If you feel stressed and fearful about that situation make sure you recall the positive aspects from your exercise. Repeat them in your mind before the event and your self-confidence will receive a well-deserved boost, allowing you to do your job free from any negative roots to the past.

A Few Steps For Fighting Depression.

One of the most destructive states for your mind and body is strongly represented by depression. It is a phenomenon that affects millions of people around the world, no matter what culture they belong to. The triggering elements of depression are infinite and they vary from case to case. Outside and inner factors often attack our mind and body together, making depression a profoundly negative aspect of our lives. Let’s have a look at some great tips to conquer the negative mood and get the most joy out of your daily routine.

1. Go outside.

A nice spring day, for example, can cheer even the saddest person. But staying out in the sun is beneficial for more than just poetic reasons. Sunlight has an important role in many chemical processes taking place in our body. Lack of sunshine triggers the release of melatonin, a hormone that gives a feeling of lethargy and tiredness. This hormone is only produced in the dark – this is why wintertime also brings more depression, as the sun is hidden and the nights are very long. All year round cloudy weather may have the same negative effects. If you live in such an area try to “get away” a few times a year and go to someplace where you can enjoy the sun. Finding reasons to go outside is easy: practice a sport, go fishing, try hiking, do some gardening.

2. Get involved.

An active life leaves very little room for depression. You tend to let negative feelings dominate your mood when you reach a point of constant and repetitive analysis of your problems. Involving yourself in several inspiring activities will greatly reduce the times when you feel sorry for yourself.

Maybe you are depressed because you failed to reach an important milestone in your journey towards a goal. Don’t get discouraged. Try to pursue that goal right away or, if it is completely compromised, find a different ideal to fight for.

3. Allow some time for relaxation.

Have some fun and relax your mind and your body. When negative thoughts start circling around you shift your focus to a pleasant element. It can be a person, a location, something around you or even a distant memory. Clear your head, by using this technique, of all the negative feelings and all your worries.

4. Balance your diet and take care of your fitness.

Try to lower the use of alcohol or caffeine from your diet. After the momentary boost is gone you will only feel worse and get addicted to wanting even more. Some good physical exercise will never do any harm - so try it. The fitter you are the more self-esteem you’ll experience and this will eventually lead to your happiness.

5. Socialize.

No matter how difficult it might seem to get out of the house and smile in the company of others, this is probably the most effective way of getting over depression. Socializing is essential for anyone of us and you should consider it a fun activity, not an obligation. Select some friends that have always made you feel better and reconnect with them.

Dare – even in your shy way!

If you are reading this article you probably are one of those persons who turn red up to their ears, loose their breath, remain speechless, have trembling knees etc under certain circumstances? I bet you think it is one of the worse things that can happen to a person. Guess what? Specialists disagree with you!

Let’s talk about shy persons for a minute. They are those people who go to the supermarket and are afraid even to talk with the sales person. They turn red before saying the first words and when they do they never say it load enough, so they have to repeat it. No matter how hard they try, it goes worse every time. The more they strive not to blush, the redder they become.

What about work? – You will probably ask. Well, indeed, shy people have to work as well. But they say shy persons never get bored, as they are always trying to observe the others and improve themselves. That is why it is widely accepted that timid persons know a lot of things about human character in general, although they normally don’t dare to get in contact with many persons. In spite of the fact that during teen age these persons had usually no social life, most of them grew up as great human resources manages or psychologists, precisely because being left outside the group, they could analyze the others better. Also they tend to choose careers that imply a lot of PR work, just because they need to prove themselves they can do it.

But there’s also another great thing about introverted people – they are, just like us all, curious and, since they normally have nobody to ask, they start reading books or research on the internet. How many good-looking, successful and extroverted people do you think still read nowadays? As a result, shy persons have all the opportunities in the world to get good positions, in almost any field. They are hard working, they can keep their mouth shut and they can be loyal.

Furthermore, timid persons have started to rejoice such good a fame lately that we, the daring should get some lessons. Did you know that they actually have more contact with the public than the rest of us normally do? That happens because shy people give others a feeling of serenity – they don’t seem capable of talking over somebody else’s private issues.

You would never guess, but they say very high hills were actually designed for shy women. They need to prove they can do it, and by it I mean absolutely anything. These kinds of persons are fighters, so if, by any chance, you are member of this group don’t be embarrassed! Your group mates are among the most motivated persons, since they have a well-established purpose they want to reach. For the rest of us, I would say that being a little shy, from time to time, could bring out some nice results!

The key word to your success is dare, you’ll see the rest of it comes along!

Create A Realistic Plan For Success.

Every one of us wants to be successful, but we often rely on luck and chance to achieve our goals. The best example in this case is someone who wants to get rich but only has one alternative: playing the Lotto. Of course, there are chances of becoming rich over night, but how likely is it that this will actually happen? Creating a realistic plan in order to achieve the desired results is vital in any case, no matter how high or low your hopes are.

The safest way to do this is by taking successive steps and gradually increasing your chances of reaching your ideal. Try to think of a metaphor and compare your desires with a professional swimming competition. The first thing you need to do, in order to have chances of winning the race, is to make sure you are not afraid of the water. Before you even consider entering the race you have to eliminate your fears. They are the ones holding you back, but be careful, some of your fears might save you from getting hurt or failing.

Once you are convinced that your goal is worth fighting for, you have to start the hardest stage in you plan: preparation. You cannot expect to win a professional swimming race when you don’t even know how to swim. Start with the basics and never skip any steps out of desire of reaching your goal faster. The experience and knowledge you are skipping will probably come back and hurt you later on. Prepare by taking gradually increasing steps. Swim half a lap first, and then move on to a full lap. Your skills will progress each time and you will soon beat your own lap records every time you enter the swimming pool. It might take days, weeks or years to prepare for the “race”, depending on what your goals are. The main thing is to enter the race feeling confident in your own success and having all the skills that would allow you to win.

Taking steps one at a time and keeping your plan realistic gives you two important benefits. The order and precision of a plan brings confidence. You don’t feel like you are re-engaging each new issue on a day-to-day basis. Organizing your strategy reduces the chances of making wrong moves or taking less efficient decisions. Secondly, having a sound plan has many psychological benefits and your subconscious mind worries less, giving you more energy to concentrate on what’s important. You are creating a pattern in your awareness that accepts success and integrates it in your plan. When both you conscious and your subconscious mind believe in your chances of reaching a goal you benefit from a power of concentration and focus that eliminate outside interference and let you follow the shortest path to success.

Even though chance may still play an important role in your quest to reach your ideal, having a realistic plan let’s you change the “unlikely” into “possible”.

Chinese techniques for your health and strength.

Chi Kung, Tai Chi or Tui Na massages are only few of the keys to self-trusting and to physical harmony. Using these techniques you can achieve many accomplishments without having to put yourself through great psychological or physical efforts, violent conflicts or aggression.

Be sure that, once you dominate the genuine laws of the universe, which you assimilate by the methods above, it will be impossible for someone to dominate you.

Chi Kung – the art of internal harmony

Chi Kung is a philosophical system at least 5000 old, which made it through the centuries and which became very popular at the beginning of this millennium. This art of the vital energy is the most advanced and complex method of improving health and longevity, by offering a feeling of harmony with yourself and with the surrounding world. The four main principles of this technique are: the mind, the eyes, the movement and the breathing.

The mind represents the intention, the eyes are considered the focusing of intention, the movement is the action of intention and the breathing is flood of intention. It obviously takes time and practice to understand profoundly their dynamics.

The benefits resulting from practicing Chi Kung can be divided into five categories:

• Cure of illnesses and improvement of the general health state
• Increase of vitality and development of your internal force
• Prolongation of youth
• Cultivation of the mind and intellectual capacities
• Spiritual progress

According to Chinese medicine, various diseases are the result of anger, sadness, joy, harmony and optimism deficit. All these factors, together with deficient nourishment, make Chiu – the vital energy – to diminish or to be present in only certain parts of your body. By practicing Chi Kung you can learn to be more conscious of what’s going on in your inner universe and to build yourself a defensive system against the disequilibrium, which affects your vital force.
The harmony of breathing and the agility obtained without efforts during the training sessions, confer a better concentration and a fast recovery from stress, tiredness, by inviting you to meditation.

Tai Chung Chuan – the wonder dance

You must have seen on TV that in China, very early in the morning, hundreds of people, in large groups or alone, perform apparently weird movements. This gymnastics, with waving movements, represents for them an ancestral inheritance. The eternity of the universe and the rhythm of its permanent changes have induced the idea that the human being can become immortal if he adapts to and follows this rhythm. This technique represents a putting into practice of the subtle side of the human being (spiritual evolution, mental control etc) and the physical side (muscles, articulation, bones etc).

Whenever you feel intellectually or physically tired, Tai Chi Chuan gives you the possibility to gain back, in only a few minutes, you strength and your harmony.

There are also other Chinese arts whose efficiency has been proven along the centuries, so don’t hesitate to attend Chinese seminars, in order to get more information, whenever you have the chance.

How To Avoid Those Holiday Pounds!

If you believe the old stories about much weight people put on during the holidays, you’re right—partially. In a recent study conducted by The National Institute of Health, the researchers discovered that, in reality, most people tend to only put on just slightly under one pound. But a person who is already overweight will average a whopping five pounds extra after the last horns have been blown.

But it’s not all good news for even those who put on the minimum because the study also shows that we all tend to keep the pounds put on. In other words, over ten years, those not-so-much pounds, could lead someone to being overweight.

So, what can we do in order to keep those extra pounds off? After all, our homes are usually filled with holiday pies, cakes and other goodies, and they can be pretty tempting—even for the most faithful of dieters!

Here’s a few tips to get you through the holidays.

Just A Nibble!

Have you ever noticed that when you start eating a rich dessert it tastes so good, but by the last bite, you’ve had enough? One way to keep the pounds down is just to enjoy a few bites that delicious cheesecake or chocolate fudge brownie. No one says that you have to completely deprive yourself of holiday treats—just limit how much you eat!

Enjoy the Company, Not The Brownies!

Many people think of holiday parties in terms of the foods that they’ll get to eat (or have to avoid) instead of the real reason for the celebration—the company and conversation. If you keep yourself busy chatting with friends, you’ll be less likely to invade the snack table.

Go Full

You’ve likely heard the grocery store trick; don’t go shopping when you’re hungry because you’ll only end up buying more. Well, the same can work for holiday parties! Eat a lot of raw vegetables, and other healthy foods that will stick with you during the party and you’ll be less tempted to binge on the bad stuff.

Drink Water

If you were to add up the calories that you’ve probably consumed in sodas, fruit punches and alcoholic beverages at parties, you would likely be amazed. You can gulp down hundreds of calories without even realizing it if you’re not careful! Instead of one of these high-calorie drinks, make it a habit to drink water—which in itself will help flush out extra water weight.

Create An Eating Schedule

It wouldn’t be fun—or realistic—to try and get through an entire party without at least sampling some of the treats. But instead of heading instantly to the food table and loading your plate—and then suffering the rest of the party because you want more—try spacing out your snacks for the entire time of the party. Plan on taking a nibble of something about every thirty minutes. Not only will it help you eat less, it will be a fun game that you can play with yourself!

Most importantly, remember that the holidays are meant for enjoyment. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and if you make a mistake, talk an extra long walk to work off those extra calories instead of beating yourself up over it!

Can we decide on our own destiny?

Fate, destiny, resignation – they all seem to be synonyms up to a certain point. But, what if your whole life you’ve been a fighter and simply refuse to surrender in a certain situation? Can we rebel against our own destiny? Can we truly decide the way that we are going to follow in life?

These are all questions with no definite or final answer, but nevertheless, everything related to this matter also depends on our determination, our strength to defeat the obstacles we meet before reaching the ultimate aspiration.

A lot of people, who have been remarkably good at doing something during their lives, including business, sports, science etc, confess that fate seemed to be against them at the beginning and even throughout their career. Most of them lived completely different lives before being successful and they are proud to remember those times. It was indeed hard, most of them say, but they wanted to get to the top badly; nothing could have held them back from getting where they wanted. They also admit that they never dared to dream they would be so famous or successful in the future.

All these facts make us wonder, whether an apparently pre-established destiny can be modified or completely changed, if we manage to prove we really want something and we are determined to go all the way to get it, no matter what. And if we indeed can change fate, to whom should we demonstrate what we’re capable of? Could there be a way to modify the data, which composes the famous book of life, just as easy as correcting something on a computer? And if that is true, how do we know that there wasn’t a mistake in the first place, and our determination does not do more than correct it?

Obviously, all that was presented before represents suppositions. Nevertheless, since there are different people who testify that their lives changed, this increases our confidence that we can do it too. If we can’t control our destiny, we can, at least, contribute to what’s happening to us during our existence.

Maybe, although we were supposed to have a less fortunate destiny, if we treat others the right way, if we are always honest and always mind the truth, somehow bad fate will go around us, showing us that we can make our own destiny.

On the other hand, we cannot help wondering what happens to a person who starts off with a wonderful destiny, but during his or her life commits a series of unpardonable mistakes. Will that destiny change?

Could it be true that we actually get the destiny we deserve? Persons who suffer tremendously for having lost somebody dear to them or persons born with a disease or a handicap, will answer no! There are a lot of innocent people in pain, so the theory that we get what we deserve is not always accurate. But what if we have to pay for the errors others committed? Would that make us think deeper before carrying out something we are not really proud of, fearing that some innocent human being will pay, in the future, for our present actions?

There is no doubt that opinions are split when it comes to such a subject. However, meditating on this kind of themes helps us understand ourselves better and, hopefully, gets us closer to appreciating our fate and destiny.

Can there be two careers under the same roof?

The common nowadays couple is often made of two career-oriented people. Nevertheless, due to the amount of time each of them has to dedicate to their profession, the risk of endangering the future of their relation is quite high.

But what if you find yourself in the middle of a wonderful relation and both of you have a wonderful career to follow? Is there anything you can do to prevent a disastrous break-up or to avoid competition?

Unfortunately, there is a certain category of persons who are so interested in their professional life, that they become absolutely rigid and inflexible, when it comes to a love relation. These persons, possessing great professional ambitions, have in common a series of qualities which make them so needed at work: they are always ready for competition, they have leadership qualities, but they can also follow rules and regulations. They live an exciting life and since they don’t have to compromise too much at work, they feel unable to negotiate things in a relation.

The way to make a love story work between two professionals is, without any doubt, respecting the other! We finally live in a world where both men and women are equal, so we should all respect the other one’s professional aspirations and share the responsibilities.

When you get involved with a professionally oriented person, try to understand that the job that person has is more than a regular one. It often involves working extra hours, bringing home work related materials that need to be read, traveling and participating in all sorts of events.

The greatest problem this kind of couples has to confront with is lack of time. That is why they have to keep in mind to try to make any second spent together a memorable one. Another key element is teamwork: all the responsibilities around the house must be shared, but also, each must be ready to solve something the other can’t do.

Here is some advice, regarding the rules that make a relationship work:

• Try to learn and to be the best when it comes to organizing and scheduling the things you need to do.

• At least once a week or once every two weeks plan a night out. It will help you remember that life is more than work and household responsibilities.

• Although you have very little time to do the things you want, keep in mind to dedicate some of it only to yourself.

• When you feel you can’t keep up with everything: taking care of the children, cooking, doing great at work, mowing the lawn, etc. ask for help: turn to your parents, hire somebody a few hours a week, at least from time to time.

• Keep in mind that communication is essential. Take advantage of every second you guys are together, in order to remind your partner how much she or he means to you.

• Try to get rid of stress in any other place than home: instead of arguing with everybody, go to the gym!

Adapt these suggestions to your own couple’s personality and you’re sure to make it work. Remember that the career should be a reason to be proud, so support your partner in any career movements that make him or her happy.

A safe place for your mind.

Emotions tend to dominate our actions and reactions, even though we like to claim otherwise. Society often sees emotions as a sign of weakness, so we got used to putting them aside and try to focus on the rational aspects more and more. But no matter how strict and logical you want to be, you will always be a human being, not a robot, and so you will always feel.

Positive emotions are a life long goal for many of us. What is more important, in the end: how much money you made during your life or how many times you laughed? However, people tend to put their positive emotions in the dark shadow of their negative feelings. This is one of the biggest problems we come across during our lives. There is no obvious way to ignore a negative experience and try to replace it with positive ones. It just doesn’t work that way.

As a child, if your goldfish dies, you would be extremely sad. Your parents will certainly buy you another goldfish, but the sorrow still takes a long time to go away. Things get even more serious with adults. A fight with your spouse the night before will affect your entire day. You will go to work angry, tired, with your mind wandering. Then you will go home with an even worse mood. On the way from work towards home you won’t be able to notice the sun shining and you won’t be tempted to stop at the supermarket and buy your favorite ice cream. All these because that one negative thought is contaminating the way you perceive the reality around you.

In this moment you will feel that finding a safe place to relax your mind would do wonders. And that place is relatively easy to find. It can be an actual location or an imaginary place. The best idea is to totally emerge yourself in it. Let’s say you have a problem on your mind and it just won’t go away. Go bowling! You don’t know how to bowl, you say? No problem, go out and try it! Get caught up in the game, think about those funny shoes, choose a favorite ball, invent new strategies to throw and so on. Your mind will suddenly jump from the negative thoughts that dominated your last hours or days and start processing a whole new kind of information.

A safe place can get many forms. It can be a song, a movie, even a person. The main thing is to allow yourself to get completely involved with this new activity. You might still get flashes of the problem every now and then – ignore them and get even more involved in what you are doing.

When the bowling game, the song, the movie or the conversation ends you will have a rather abrupt return to your problems. You will probably feel sad and want to go back to the safe place. Don’t do that. The safe place exists only as a helping hand, not as a solution to your problems. It is there to help you relax your mind, for a few minutes or hours. This is a vital stage in your solution to what is bothering you. You will return from your safe place with an increased energy level. You will feel better about yourself and gain more confidence that any issue can be resolved. This is how a small escape from a harsh reality can increase your fighting energy and allow you to solve even the most difficult problems.

Your own attitude makes the difference!

In life there is a huge variety of things that you can’t control, no matter what! Nevertheless, you should never let those things, regardless of how bad they are, defeat you. Remember that, no matter how bad the situation gets, you’re the one who decides how to react to it and how much it can affect you.

It is essential to always meditate on the positive aspects of any occurrence. In other words, try identifying the good parts in everything. Even though it might sound extremely hard or very foolish at the beginning, seeking the good aspects in the worst situation of all will help you exercise your way of thinking and, in no time, you’ll find yourself meditating in an incredibly constructive and positive manner.

The question is how to find the power to analyze everything in a good light, when things can’t get worse than they already are. The answer is to detach yourself from the facts. Remember that most things in this life are temporary and you have to move on, no matter what. Also, if you train yourself to smile a lot and be polite to the people around you, you might discover that, in fact, this actually represents an efficient medicine against bad thoughts and a healthy attitude towards life can sometimes play a crucial role.

Nevertheless, remember to seek out the lesson you should learn after a disgraceful occurrence. Have a learning attitude towards whatever happened and try to convince yourself that all is for your own interest – after all everything bad that happens to you can only make you wiser, stronger and contributes to your self-improvement, if you know how to turn the situation in your favor.

When there is an extremely difficult problem to solve and no solution seems to fit in, remember to change the perspective from which you’re analyzing the data. Getting awfully scared and not being able to think clearly, will definitely not lead you to resolving the issue. On the other hand, if you meditate and try to observe the situation form another perspective, which is, if not better, at least less harmful, you might soon identify a way to solve the problem.

If your worries are related to your future, strive to impose to yourself that you can reach the goal, no matter what! You have to have a winner’s attitude in order to defeat the problems. This is why, you also have to remember that, in a certain way, the others share the same attitude that you have for yourself. Consequently, if you’re nervous, afraid you might fail, unconvinced with your actions, etc. people around you will perceive you exactly as you perceive yourself. Not in vain do they say that what others think about ourselves, is in fact, the reflection of our actions, which is actually the reflection of our attitudes.

The good thing about attitudes is that one can change or educate them and it has been proven that a good attitude toward everything around us is more efficient than any other drug. It’s free and it can only produce good results, so have an open attitude about it!

Cure your fears of change.

Usually people are afraid of bad changes, things that affect their existence in a negative way. The question arising is how to cure our fears of change? The most important thing is to understand that life is always made from ups and downs and nobody can be in a permanent ascending trend, simply because that is impossible. Even the most envied stars experience the downs life has to offer, so nobody can avoid them.

However, the most important thing is not how to avoid changes, fears and bad experiences, but how to learn from them. It is crucial not to let problems overwhelm you, but to know how to use them in your favor.

There is no doubt that problems affect us, which is actually normal, due to the fact that we have feelings, but, nevertheless, every single hard moment of our lives should make us even stronger. That is why specialists suggest that you should always analyze and meditate on the worse situation you had to deal with, in the course of your life. Try to learn from your mistakes, because they will help you be prepared for the changes or less pleasant situations to come.

There are many ancient beliefs that consider that every single episode of our lives happens with a pre-determined reason. They also think that life, somehow prepares us for certain events to come, so if we focus enough attention on our previous experiences, we will understand many things from the present.

With all that, it is also true that the unexpected can happen anytime. However, you should keep in mind that a change in not always for the worse and consequently, you must never let go of a chance, because you are afraid to take the risk. Remember that, from time to time, something has to happen in order to free you from monotony, so you shouldn’t be surprised if, at a certain moment in time, instead of being afraid of change, you desire it with all your heart.

If you just don’t feel capable of realizing what a certain change in your life, actually means, here’s a list of tips that might help you get mobilized:

• Try to think only of the positive impacts that will result after the change. See how important they are and meditate upon how to multiply them, by adding some other good aspects, which need certain assistance.

• It is always good to picture somebody else in your situation, as picturing ourselves in a less desirable position, always looks more dramatic than it really is. If you realize that the other person can handle the change, you can be sure you’ll be able to handle it as well.

• Imagine the worse situation that can result after the change. Now try to find various solutions to it. Meditate on how much you can loose, if the worst happened, and how important those things are to you. If you find more than one reasonable solution, you are safe – the change can’t be stronger than you are!

Use meditation to lose weight.

As we all agree, the brain is the one in charge for most of our actions. Even though, not always the decisions our brains take are the smartest ones, fortunately we can educate them, according to our own desires and aspirations. One very important thing we can use our brains for is meditation, meaning to think profoundly at something in order to get it solved or to understand it.

If your issue has to do with loosing weight, be sure you can solve it by using this method. Keeping a diet is something everybody feels he knows how to do, but nevertheless, the advice not always works for everybody. That is why specialists strongly suggest you should find your own ways to lose weight efficiently and without major discontent. This does not mean you cannot pay attention or get inspired by other people’s experiences, but do not forget that, in what concerns your own person, you’re the one who knows better.

How do you start your own meditation plan? First of all, gather as much information regarding the manner in which other people solved the problem, including the information you disagree with – you can place that one on the not to do list. Where can you find the information? As soon as you start digging you’ll realize it’s everywhere: TV, magazines, internet, friend’s advice etc.

Next step, once you got all the material you need, is to take the time to analyze it, meditating as well, on how you can adapt it, in order to best fit your needs. Remember to be responsible when keeping a diet, as otherwise, your own health might be in danger, so never exaggerate!

Here are some tricks that always work, if you adapt them a little bit to your personality:

• Whenever you do something tough, for which you need determination, think about how to make it fun: cook weird foods, for example; try eating things you never tried before or do whatever makes you feel that keeping a diet is enjoyable. Let your brain help you a little bit and you’ll see how easy and fun things can turn out!

• Set a goal. It is important to know what you are fighting for, but, however, do no exaggerate. Meditate thoroughly on what the goal means to you, what changes it could bring to your life and if you set your goal too high or to low.

• Don’t forget that help is something we all need. Think which sort of help could serve you best: a doctor’s advice, a counseling group, a specialized magazine, talking to your friends, listening to your own intuition etc. Do not be afraid to make the choice you consider the best, because, remember, nobody knows you better than yourself.

• Remember to enjoy yourself. No matter how difficult something seems to be, always try to determine a way to find pleasant and enjoyable things about it! In order to enjoy yourself, you have to perform actions that make you have a good opinion about your own person. For example, reading a book, taking care of a pet or of a sick person, sharing with others your efforts, followed by the deserved accomplishments, etc. are all things that feed your inner spirit and make you feel good about yourself.

Once you got the answers to the questions you gathered in the first place, you can build the list with the things to do and the ones always to avoid. Remember that this list should be a mirror of yourself, the result of your own meditation, so never distrust it and be sure you’ll see the results!

Tips to follow when you’re feeling down.

Everybody has, from time to time, a period when he or she feels more tired than usually, and has a hard time concentrating. The important thing is to know how to react under such circumstances and to be able to maintain control and not fall into depression.

There are a lot of ways to deal with such situations, the most important thing being to remember that the unhappiness is only temporary and the sunshine will appear again shortly. According to the situation one has to face, there are some, so called tips that can help you gain back stability and control over your life. Here are some of them:

• If the situation permits it, nothing works better than a walk in the park – nature can do miracles when it comes to healing a tired human spirit! If you take your dog with you as well, you’ll see life at least 50% more beautiful.

• If you find yourself at the office and you feel you simply cannot go on with your work, take a moment only for yourself. Put an article or a work related material in from of you, in order not to look suspicious to your boss or colleagues, and… start dreaming. Imagine yourself on an island, lying in the quite sun of the afternoon, reading your favorite book. Before you know it you’ll start feeling better and you also got yourself a holiday to plan!

• If you are at home, you feel lonely and miserable and nobody notices it, prepare yourself a bath. Turn the lights off, play your favorite music, light some candles if you want, and try to relax. Don’t forget to hang a note to the door asking everybody to give you a break. The time you spend only with yourself is more than precious, is unique, because nobody understands you better than you do, so try to take advantage of it as well as you can.

• If your love mate just dumped you and you feel like everybody knows it, try to do something that involves getting in touch with new people. Go to parties, go to movies, take some friends out for a beer or go on a blind date – anything that helps you understand your universe in not strictly related to that person. In no time, you’ll discover that there are things you forgot you like and there are new ones you can’t wait to try!

However, whenever you’re down, don’t forget to analyze yourself and discover what brought you to that state of mind. During the meditation have in mind all the good things that you did for you and, especially for the others, and remember how proud you felt during those moments. Do not forget that only during the moments when we feel down we consider our strong and weak points, that is why, whether we like it or not, the sad moments are necessary and bring changes in everybody’s life.
That is why, specialists strongly recommend you to find the way to turn the situation in you favor and to identify the way to improve yourself. Also, keep in mind no to be afraid to let the others know how you feel and ask for advice.

How to find out what you want from life.

No matter how young or old you are, you must have gotten to a point in your life when you have to take a big decision, which will probably affect your entire existence. There is no doubt that there are certain moments in life when you feel helpless and disoriented and believe you could use a hand in order to figure out how to proceed with your life.

Those particular moments are the very moments when you should not depend on anybody’s advice, because, even if they gave it to you with the best intentions, in case anything goes wrong, you’re always going to blame those persons. That is why specialists strongly advise you, every time you find yourself at a crossroads, to always take the decisions by yourself. Obviously, the question arising is: how can we know how to take it and which is the best solution?

The answer is never going to be simple for some of us. However, there is a technique that can be of great help and employed regularly will have great results: it is called meditation and it has been used for centuries in certain rituals and by ancients civilizations. Even in old and famous books, like the Bible, for example, we are invited to meditate, to discover and fight the evil in us and by knowledge to gain control over our decisions and our lives.

How do we proceed when meditating? First of all, we need to be away from any source of distraction, because we can’t analyze our deepest feelings and thoughts and watch a movie at the same time. Secondly, we need to ask ourselves a series of questions that will help us to better determine who we really are. The questions should relate to everyday aspects:

• What do you like doing?
• What made you most proud of yourself during your entire life?
• What is it that you always wanted to do and you never found the time? (you can include here anything from visiting friends, to going to Antarctica, or seeing your dentist)
• What role does money play in your life?
• What is it more important for you, your family life or your career?
• How much do you depend on others?

If you are worried about a certain decision, let all the questions be related to that issue. If you’re just confused in general, when asking the questions, think about the common topics that one has to deal with during his life. Don’t forget to write down the answers. Try to concentrate and to be sincere; after all, nobody will judge you.

All these questions will help you determine exactly where you stand and what is it that you want form life. All you have to do is to get the right interpretation of your own replies. In order to do that, help yourself to a coup of tea or your favorite coffee and take the time to analyze them thoroughly. Mark with a red pen whatever you find pride worthy answers and with a black one the things that don’t make you proud.

Post the list somewhere where you can see it more than once a day, or post it in more than one place. You’ll notice that, step by step, even unwillingly, the black things on your list will start turning red. Don’t forget to renew the list when most of it has turned red! It is the best way to always be aware what your expectations from life are! Good luck!

Learn to make gifts!

Everybody agrees that it feels great to receive gifts! They don’t have to be expensive; they just have to be there! Gifts are a very good way to show how much we care for somebody. Obviously, it is not the price, but the manner in which we give them away, what really makes the difference!

Behind every good present there is a person who worked hard to make the best choice. The secret to buying the perfect gift is to think about the message you want to send out, when the receiver opens it. If you think about his or her hobbies, to his or her vacation plans etc. it means you really studied that person and you bought the present precisely for that occasion.

There is another kind of persons, who love to make presents, and who buy a lot of stuff without having a specific person in mind, waiting for a good occasion to surprise somebody. Those undetermined gifts can be thinks like: a nice watch, a pen, a scarf, an agenda, a CD etc. They always make nice presents and when you need to go to an unscheduled party, you don’t have to worry about what to purchase for the occasion. The right criteria for choosing the presents without a pre-determined sender are: choose useful things that people usually don’t buy for themselves and elect unisex presents, as you can’t be sure whether it is going to end up with a man or a woman.

Another thing about presents is how to wrap them. Wrapping might be one of the major issues about a successful present: although the inside might not be too interesting or too original, if the box is nice is will make a difference. Remember to be as creative as possible: if you can only give to somebody a keychain, put it in a bag full of his or her favorite candies and be sure it will indeed make a difference!

If you get ready to go shopping for Christmas presents or for other occasions when you need to make many gifts divide them into three categories; family, friends and formal gifts – for the people you don’t really care about, but still, on special occasions, you exchange gifts with. Once you divided the categories make a list with the persons who are going to receive the gifts, so that you know exactly how many persons there are and how much money you need to invest.

If you’re wondering what kind of present might be the most appropriate for a certain event, keep in mind that usually family members like to receive personal things (new toothbrush, socks, clothes etc.), friends always appreciate funny stuff, while people with whom you have a formal relation will constantly admire presents which demonstrate attention and good taste.

Also, when shopping for gifts keep in mind that it is important to pay attention to details, like what’s the profession of the persons about to receive a present, what colors does he or she usually wear and what size etc; be efficient – if you’re buying stuff for your work mates don’t hesitate to buy the same thing for more than one of them.

Now all you have to worry is … your budget, but don’t worry – the more you give away, the more you get!

Understand Your Own Perfectionism.

If you do 99% of one thing right but mess up the other 1% and this keeps you awake at night then you are a perfectionist! In more general terms, whenever you participate in an action and something, no matter how small, goes wrong, you will feel responsible for the negative element. There are several reasons why this happens and also a few tips on how to make your perfectionism work for you.

Society teaches us to “do our best” even from early on in out lives. In school we are expected to have high grades and do well in sports. The same pattern follows us through high school and college. We are constantly aware that people around us expect results… good results from us. We are trained to think that anything less then perfect is unacceptable and when something goes wrong we take the blame upon ourselves and aggravate it. Living up to our expectations is difficult and we often act with the fear of failing, of not being perfect.

Let’s see how these negative characteristics of perfectionism can be turned to fight in our corner. The first thing would be to let your emotions surface. Perfectionism doesn’t allow any mistakes or hesitations. However, people around you are just like yourself – not perfect. They will get closer to you if you show your real self than if you show them a perfect mask. Stumbling on a word, dropping a paper or forgetting a name won’t make you fail in the eyes of others. On the contrary, a human approach to things will always attract more supporters than a cold, robotic approach. You can always turn a small mistake into a good joke that will instantly break the ice between you and an audience, for example.

Surrender your quest for perfection for something that works even better: authenticity. You cannot fool everyone all the time and you cannot constantly play a role in your business and social life. Of course, a mistake should be acknowledged and you should try to correct it the next time an opportunity arises. Improving yourself by learning from your own mistakes is essential, but don’t fall into the extreme where no success is satisfactory. The ambition to get everything right lowers your possibilities of enjoying life itself. You can never achieve perfection, thus you will never be completely happy.

Another problem with perfectionism is that it is, in its essence, demoralizing. If you’re in a middle of an important presentation and one of your slides falls off, you will, as a perfectionist, get overwhelmed by an acute sentiment of failure. The rest of the presentation will degrade itself because you will no longer be able to concentrate, as the pressure you are putting on yourself is clouding your judgment. Let go of your emotions and accept the small incident. There are always ways to turn it into something positive. Make a little joke with your audience or ignore the problem completely and go on with your speech. An honest response to any of your personal mistakes will always be more valuable and appreciated than a perfectionist frustration that ruins your entire day.

Learn To Live Life The Fun Way.

Happy and sad moment alternate in our lives and the problem arises when we realize we have no or very little control over them. A 100% happy life is utopist, but there are ways to train yourself to react better to problems and difficulties. Let’s have a look at some of the most frequently used methods of cheering yourself up, no matter how big the problems might seem.

Try to surround yourself with cute things, like children or animals. You will be instantly “contaminated” with their joy and innocence and, at least temporarily, a huge weight will be lifted from your shoulders. Children are also great teachers, even though they don’t realize it. Take their example, for a moment, and enjoy every single thing life has to offer you, like kicking a ball, throwing stones in the water or savoring a candy bar.

It never hurts to offer yourself a reward every now and then. After a long day struggling with problems your mind and body need some time off. Do one of your favorite things: watch TV all evening without moving a muscle, take a long hot bath, play a computer game or go out and dance. Fun moments will remind you of how life should be and this will motivate you even more to do your best and solve all problems as fast as possible, so that you can go back to fully enjoying life.

Gather some courage and face whatever is worrying you. The worst idea is to lock yourself in and to start feeling sorry for yourself. Thinking about a problem for hours and hours will do you very little good. It’s time to take action and, even though it is hard, to take the first steps toward solving the difficulties. If you have a health problem, for example, and you are afraid to go to the doctor just wake up one morning and do it. Don’t think about it, don’t analyze, just go. Once you get to the doctor your mind will probably come up with a dozen good excuses to get you out of there – try to resist it. The sooner you solve your problems the less chances there are of letting them grow out of control.

Immerse yourself in a creative activity, such as painting or practicing a new sport. This will keep your mind away from worrying and you will win some well-deserved relaxation. Seeing your friends is also a good method of eliminating stress and worries. You can try to combine the two and get involved, together with some friends, in a new and exciting activity. Physical activities work like a charm as they also grab the full attention of your mind. A tennis or soccer match won’t give you enough time to start having negative thoughts, as you will be focused on the action. Activities that involve your mind – such as chess, for example – are also effective, as long as they are fun and the competition factor is low.

By following the general guidelines presented above you will reduce stress factors and allow your mind and body to recharge their energy and respond better to any distressful influences.

Discover and Control Your Dual Nature.

We often put a tag on ourselves, accepting only some parts of our personality. We accept a word like “independent” but don’ realize that sometimes we should say “selfish”. We might like to call ourselves “ambitious”, without realizing that we often act “stubborn”. Her is a practice that can give you more insight on who you are and enable you to respond to various situations in your life with a better understanding of your actions. It is also useful to experience this exercise while trying to see yourself in a non-restrictive manner.

1. First of all, write down three personal qualities you have which you feel good about. For example:

I am dedicated.
I am dependable.
I am good at heart.

2. Secondly, add an "alternative reality" to each one of the statements. This means that you should find examples when the opposite of the initial statement is also true. Here’s how it might look:

I am dedicated in a work related environment, but sometimes I can also be easily distracted from my task.

I am dependable and trustworthy when it comes to my work place, but I can also sometimes be less dependable with my friends.

I am good at heart, but sometimes I act selfishly and without regards for other people’s feelings.

3. At this point you should reverse the sentence topics, and even modify some words if you feel it helps. Starting with the negative aspects that accompany your personality will give you more insight and offer you a better perspective on these issues. Here is how it may look like after the transformation:

I am sometimes distracted from my work, but I am usually dedicated to my chores, especially in a business environment.

My friends may find me less dependable at times, but when it comes to work I am a person you can count on.

I sometimes ignore what other people wish, but I am good at heart most of the time.

Take a look at the last two lists (steps 2 and 3) and read them carefully for a few minutes. Don’t pay attention to the topic of the sentence but try to focus on the meanings your words expressed. Always keep in mind the purpose of this little exercise: “black” and “white” are rarely defining for a person. By identifying your duality you get a better chance of appreciating your actions and the responses they trigger.

You have also created a list of three qualities and three negative aspects that you believe characterize you. The first step in removing the negative characteristics was already taken – you identified them. Now it is time to put the exercise to practical use. Next time you find yourself in a situation where a choice has to be made or a decision to be taken, try to remember the exercise. Observe that particular situation from a dual point of view by acknowledging your positive features while also analyzing the attached negative parts.

Practice can lead to a natural integration of this exercise in your conscious and subconscious mind. After a while, you may not even need to make a conscious effort to analyze a situation from both perspectives and this process will come naturally. A much desired objectivity can appear between your positive and negative characteristics, and you can use it to make the right choices in most situations.

How To Effectively Recover After Childbirth.

The post-natal period is characterized by general and extended fatigue. The main factor leading to this stressful state is represented by sleep deprivation. Recovery after childbirth varies from women to woman, but most of them accuse fatigue weeks and some, even months after. More than half of women feel that they haven’t totally recovered their pre-natal energy after six weeks.

There are a few things you can do to improve the recovery stage and diminish its time. Sleep deprivation is hard to eliminate, as the child is most active during the night in their first few months. Constant interruption of the mother’s sleep leads to constant tiredness. The elevated hormone levels present after childbirth also contribute, in a negative way, to this problem, but, fortunately, they only last about a week after. On the bright side of things, it only takes a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep for the mother to recover.

Time management is also radically changed when a child is born. All the patterns and usual events now change top face the difficulties presented by addressing the child’s needs. A good plan is to try and anticipate all the potential problems before child delivery and build a network of friends and family that are willing to help you out. You will probably have to delegate most of your usual chores to other people, and you should also see this as something useful, not frustrating. Taking care of your child should become the number one priority – family and friends can address all other issues. The baby’s father should always be there to help out. He will undoubtedly accept most of your requests, realizing that the better you feel the better does the child feel.

Taking advantage of the support everyone is giving you shouldn’t be total. Leave one or two things that you should deal with each day. Solving even some small problems will help you keep your self-esteem levels high. Anticipate all the other issues that might come up. Be prepared with some clean diapers and plastic begs for the dirty diapers. Have snack ready besides your bed, in case your child wakes you up and you feel hungry. If the child’s bed is in a different room than your bedroom, make sure to have a comfortable chair next to the child’s bed.

It also helps to give yourself a break every now and then. Try to keep a room in the house tidy and clean, making it a good sanctuary to clear your head and relax your body. Long warm baths might seem like a luxury during these extenuating times, but try to use them to recharge your energy. A well balanced diet is necessary and vitamin and mineral supplements may be useful, at the doctor’s recommendation. You shouldn’t diet for the first three months after childbirth. Carbohydrates are used extensively during this time for various processes, and eliminating or reducing their intake will lead to aggravated fatigue and physical weakness. Don’t give up practicing at least one of your hobbies, as even small periods of time when you’re having fun will recharge your energy. If the weather is nice you should do your best to try and take short walks, as this will get you into good shape.

Time to quit smoking.

Love and cigarettes have many things in common. They say that a relation is very much like a cigarette: you have to put an end to it, before it hurts you. Also, if you look at somebody who quitted smoking recently and somebody who broke up not long time ago, you’ll see a lot of resemblances. The comparison between love and a cigarette is quite accurate, with the specification that a relation can be with the right person, and, in that case it can’t hurt you, but a cigarette, no matter how light it is, it’s always harmful!

When do people usually quit smoking? Unfortunately, they wait until one morning when they look in the mirror and notice how yellow their teeth are, how bad their skin looks and how awful they cough; in other words, much more later than they should. If you find yourself in the same situation or close to it, that means you’ve just become or you’re about to become conscious about the fact that you have a problem.

Once you realize what your problem is, you get down to business and try to solve it – obviously by quitting smoking. First week after quitting cigarettes is idealistic – you breathe easier, your hands don’t smell bad anymore and, since you’re so determined, you think you can break any records.

Nevertheless, you should also expect to go through a period when you feel capable of killing for a smoke. Lack of nicotine will also affect you physically, not only mentally. You’ll find yourself in great pain, in a bad mood, just as if you quitted taking drugs. When you go through precisely the period described above, keep away thoughts like: I’ll smoke only one more and then I’ll really quit – once you start smoking again, you suffered all that pain in vain. On the other hand, try not to:

• Start drinking, instead of smoking. It’s even worse.
• Keep any lights around or ashtrays – they will represent too much of a temptation.
• Encourage you friends to smoke next to you, just to show them how tough you are.

Keep in mind that there are thousands of people on this planet trying to quit smoking, so you are not alone. Try to get more information regarding the amount of evil cigarettes do to you. Watch TV, read magazines, go on line, or even try to get professional help, because once you did made your decision to quit smoking and you respected it for more than two weeks, it’s a pity to give up.

Many persons, and not only women, have confessed that they are afraid to gain considerable weight, when quitting smoking. Specialists have not denied this fear. They do admit that we have to use something in order to compensate for the cigarettes we don’t smoke anymore. Usually lack of cigarettes is compensated by candies, which served in great quantities will result into a lot of body fat; chewing gum, which actually stimulates our gastric juice and makes us hungry more often.

Nevertheless you have to assume all those risks and try to diminish the unpleasant effects by exercising a lot, because otherwise, the problems to deal with will be even more considerable than a few extra pounds.

Provide Your Body With The Right Combination Of Vitamins.

Vitamins play a crucial role in our body’s chemistry processes but many people neglect their importance and eventually end up getting ill or suffering because of their ignorance. We generally assume that we can take most or all of the needed vitamins and minerals strictly from our diet, but this is not always true and it is a process that is different from one person to another. Vitamins supplements come as an alternative to a highly balanced diet, which many of us just can’t keep to. There are a few basic things that we should know about how to ensure a good vitamin supply and reduce the chances of falling sick.

The first thing we should be aware of is that each of our bodies is unique – there are not two human beings exactly the same. Because of this it is hard to come up with a precise dosage of vitamins that you need on a daily basis. Vitamin intake is largely dependant on your diet. As many people already know, fruits and vegetables are the best source for the top vitamins that we need to live a healthy life. They provide good amounts of vitamins A, C, D and E (and several other) that rank highest on the importance scale.

When your body receives less vitamins than it needs you will experience several negative effects, manifested in different forms. Too little C vitamin, for example, will lower your defense mechanism against viral infections, while a lack of the A vitamin can lead to poorer eyesight. There are several factors that can cause a need for more vitamins. You may need to help your body out with vitamin supplements if you are eating irregularly or if your main diet is formed from fast food items or processed foods. Making physical efforts for long periods of time also puts more stress on your organism, which, in turn, will demand more resources in order to replenish your energy.

However, vitamin supplements should also be used cautiously, as they can lead to a vitamin overdose. Vitamins A and D, taken alone, may have serious side effects if they are not accompanied by other multi vitamin supplements. Some people respond negatively to higher doses of C and E vitamins. Calcium, an essential mineral for our bone system, needs to be accompanied by D vitamin. Otherwise, the body only keeps a small amount of Calcium and eliminates the rest. The D vitamin helps your body absorb Calcium better. Other mineral – vitamin combinations are especially effective, such as the B6 vitamin and Magnesium. Tandems such as the ones mentioned above work well together because each component balances the other by helping the body to make the most of their presence.

Insufficient vitamins may lead to a weakened immune system that is very permissive with viruses, highly increasing your chances of getting sick. Tiredness, apathy and low energy levels may also appear when your vitamin equilibrium has been altered.

Improve Your Holidays Through Yoga.

Even during holidays we are still attacked by outside stressful factors which can ruin a very promising vacation. Holiday stress is a rather antagonistic expression but it is real and it can cause serious upset. There are countless reasons to get angry during your holiday: poor services, bad weather, high prices, noisy tourists, annoying insects and the list can go on an on. Yoga offers several methods of reducing the effects of such negative elements in the form of meditation, sakshin, pratyahara and pranayama.

Meditation is also a recommended practice when holiday stress factors become active. Meditation helps you prepare for any potential stressful situations and is invaluable during and after these obstacles are gone. A detached state of consciousness that allows you to get a better understanding of the realities around you is referred to as sakshin. Pratyahara is a state of peace obtained by reducing to a minimum all outside interferences. The mind gets calm and relaxed, focusing towards the inside of your own body. By using pranayama you are able to calm yourself in almost any difficult situation by regulating your breathing and thus harmonizing the energies in your body.

Being prepared for any stress factors is vital for a successful holiday. Anticipating a potential problem doesn't mean worrying about it before hand. It means that when the problem does occur you should already have a good understanding of why it happened. You will always get much better results by addressing an issue with a clear and calm head, rather then acting on an impulse.

When a situation occurs try to "step out" of your body and see yourself in that particular setting. Objectivity is hard to reach, especially when it comes to your own self, but it helps to get a neutral perspective on things. Directing an action by the guidelines of an objective mind will prove more successful than jumping in head first into a situation. Concepts like "I couldn't help myself" should be constantly discouraged from your own vocabulary and thoughts. Take control of your inner self and you will have better control of what's outside your body in the surrounding world. You should first feel you body's reaction to an outside element and only react afterwards, when a clear judgment dictates what to do. Breathing techniques are of great help when it comes to relaxing an impulsive spirit and bringing calm to a particular event or situation.

You need to interrupt the actions of your subconscious mind before you are able to take control of a situation. Initial responses are hasty and often very hard to avoid, but it is essential that, through practice, you get a constant feeling of control over your reactions. The first reaction to a negative element can be either that of fighting back or that of fleeing. In any of the two cases a considerable amount of tensions fills you body, and it could be days or weeks before you manage to get over this unfortunate event. A calm and balanced response has chances of eliminating any sort of tension before it even gets a chance to start growing. Remember that most holidays are short and you can't afford to spend half of your stay in a negative mood. After all, you are there to try to recharge your energy, not to try to waste it on meaningless tensions.

Stop Smoking Through Self Hypnosis.

Many people find it impossible to stop smoking, no matter how much they tell themselves this is a negative habit to have. They often quit smoking, only to go back to it after a while. There are hundreds of drugs that claim to help you stop smoking – some are more effective, some have no effect whatsoever. However, an easier and healthier method is also available: quitting smoking through the use of self-hypnosis and mental concentration.

After a while smoking becomes a program that our mind continues to run. It is not your body requesting a cigarette - your mind is responsible for this process. By going straight to the source of this problem (your mind) you can obtain control over it. Otherwise, your attempts to quit smoking will only affect you on your conscious level, leaving the unconscious one free to reinitiate the desire to smoke. Most of the times, the initial strong will that determines the conscious mind to say STOP is going to fade away, allowing your “smoking program” to come back even stronger than before. You are creating a whirlwind you will have less and less chances of escaping with the passing of time. After a while (months or years, depending on the individual) smoking becomes part of your mental processes, on the same level as breathing, eating, sleeping.

There are other good reasons to stop smoking for good, as it’s not only your health getting damaged in the process. By repetitively quitting and returning to smoking you will become aware of your weakness and low will power. This can lead to other psychological issues, such as depression and a very low self-esteem. A person experiencing this will cause himself/herself even more problems, becoming insecure and unwilling to take on important projects due to fear of failure.

Self-hypnosis is a good solution to all these problems. Several methods of falling into a self imposed and controlled state of relaxation are available. They work by providing your mind with a safe and quite place, where you can recollect your thoughts and start working on the problem. Hypnosis works with suggestion and you will apply this to your smoking problem. Repetitive practices of self-hypnosis are needed but each time you will feel even more confident with your mental powers. Whenever your subconscious mind pushes you towards lighting a cigarette you can revert to self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis does not have immediate effects, but it is probably the best long term solution you can take. Many people will be skeptical about its effects and might quit after a few days. This is a process that requires you to start knowing yourself better, which many see as a hard journey. However, this method not only gradually reduces your desire to smoke, but also reprograms your subconscious mind to eliminate the desire to smoke forever. When practiced regularly for a few months, self-hypnosis techniques become efficient and beneficial to other aspects of your life. Positive changes don’t stop at smoking and extend to other aspects of your life, boosting your morale and self confidence and guiding you towards a healthier mental state, which, in turn, is reflected on your body’s health.

How To Lose Weight Using Yoga.

Yoga’s power to create a state of mental and physical well being may also be put to good use for taking off excess weight. Yoga promotes a healthy and balanced life style and when combined with a calorie burning program may show exceptional results. Practicing yoga will also increase your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an immediate results method. By following the rigors imposed by yoga you will gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and keep off any excessive weight. In addition to losing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors and an all round healthier way of living.

Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight. Improved local circulation is another direct effect of using yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further and you will see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.

Different back bands, combined with forward bends, are used to stimulate metabolism. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially useful is the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. For people who are significantly overweight some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. They should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until they are confident enough to go to more complex exercises.

Muscles can be strengthened by using standing poses, such as the warrior. A higher endurance and increased caloric output will also result from using standing poses. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.

A proper diet should also be followed to support the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all matters concerning your food and no excess should be made. Do not totally eliminate certain food items from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to an equilibrated and satisfactory diet.

A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss you also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a general feeling of well being and inner peace.

Yoga Therapy for Eating Disorders.

Over 10 million women and a million men are affected by different forms of eating disorders in the United States alone. Most of them are teens and the common illnesses are represented by anorexia and bulimia. The physical factors related to these illnesses have only been recently acknowledged as only mental factors were previously thought to be responsible for these conditions. Eating disorders are triggered by a complexity of factors including social, biological, psychological and behavioral items.

A calm and focused mind has a better chance of reducing the harmful effects of eating disorders. Yoga has been proven to reduce depression and recreate a state of balance and well being. Different yoga practices encourage heightened levels of self esteem and promote a positive view of your own body. This is a crucial factor in eating disorders and has been shown to significantly increase recuperation and healing. By eliminating self judgment, yoga establishes a strong connection between mind and body, allowing the two elements to work together in decreasing any negative effects. Anorexia affects your body’s energy levels and reduces the bone density, creating unwanted negative effects at a physical level. Regular yoga practice also increase the overall fitness level of the body, giving it a good chance of fighting against illnesses.

The yogic system identifies eating disorders as a problem related to the first chakra and different poses are used to balance it: crab, full wind, pigeon, locust, staff etc. Strengths and courage can be increased by using grounding postures such as mountain, goddess, standing squat and prayer squat. The postures reestablish the strong mind-body connections and help overcome most physical obstacles. Most back bending poses help reduce depression and forward bends usually calm the spirit and reduce the effects of anorexia.

As the mental component plays an important role in eating disorders, meditation can reduce harmful thoughts and feelings. An active, specifically targeted meditation practice will prove to be very effective. Less obvious results can also be obtain by using a general mediation technique. The yoga poses work best when the exterior elements are left aside and concentration focuses on inner aspects of yourself. Paying special attention to breathing and inner sensations will take you to a state of calmness and increased awareness. This new state will allow you to go further an explore new concepts that will enable you to achieve goals that proved problematic in the past.

Being aware of the problem and showing a constant and strong desire to change that is a great method to reduce the effects of bulimia and anorexia. An early adoption of yoga practices would make the patient more aware of the problem, thus contributing to an early cure. However, these yoga techniques are usually used in the recuperative stages of the illness. Most people suffering from anorexia or bulimia go through a strong denial stage, which aggravates their condition even more. As with all illnesses, yoga works best in the prevention stage of the problem, when the negative effects are still low and easier to eliminate.

How to Overcome Stage Fright.

You can turn your inherent stage fright into a feeling of balance and equilibrium that will allow you to speak in public and feel comfortable while doing it. Very few people manage to control their emotions to a high level and it takes them years of practice to do so. You don’t have to approach this issue from a radical point of view. Instead of suppressing your emotions you can try to use them in your advantage, to make them work for you instead of against you.

The most important thing, when you have a public speech, is to let your audience see the real you, not an image you are trying to project. Don’t try to go in front of them with a “fake” personality – they will sense it and react negatively. Don’t try to be more than you are as playing this role will be difficult and you will almost certainly overlook some details. People are a lot more willing to accept someone who is a bit insecure or clumsy rather than accepting a person who is obviously putting on a mask and trying to cover his real personality. Being you is easy – you are doing that every day!

Try to stop and think about your difficulties of speaking to a large audience. Examine them with curiosity, try to see your reactions in context. Don’t judge your reactions – observe them. You may find it hard to play the role of a detached observer, especially when it comes to your own person, but this is one of the best ways of discovering exactly where things start to go wrong.

Warm up your mind before a presentation, but don’t neglect your body. Every muscle of your body should be relaxed, your leg muscles should be up to the challenge of you standing up for a longer period of time. Even the slightest physical inconvenience will affect your communication, so try to step on stage with a perfect mental and physical condition.

Don’t forget to breathe. Rhythmical breaths bring a feeling of order and balance – exactly what you need before and while you hold your speech. Try to breathe deeply for about ten minutes, as this will bring precious oxygen to your brain, allowing it to function at maximum capacity.

Make contact with your audience. Try to see the scene as a place for dialogue, instead of monologue. Try to make eye contact with some audience members and adopt a relaxed posture. Smiling sincerely will always increase the chances of a good presentation. Remember that all those people in front of you are not there to judge you. They are there to receive the information you have so focus on the purpose of your speech rather than the public’s attitude towards you.

Turn your fear into a feeling of acceptance. Your fears come from the fact that you are worried that the audience will pass negative judgment on yourself or your presentation. Ignore this thought end step on stage with the belief that you are there to share information or experience and that you will be met with acceptance and interest. The more engaging the presentation, the better. Communicate with audience members and try to do this on a one on one level. By talking to a certain individual you personalize your performance, you make it become part of who you are. Keeping eye contact with your audience may be difficult and disturbing, but you should try to do it every now and then. Make a statement and then pause and glance at the public. Remember that non verbal communication claims a vital role in your presentation and the way it is perceived by others.

The Healing Powers of Yoga.

There are several medical conditions that can be improved by practicing yoga. It can be used to lessen the negative effects of infertility, lung disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, cancer, high blood pressure, and joint pain. The beneficial effects of yoga practices are well recognized not only by the yoga community but also by medical doctors.

One of the main elements that lead to an illness is stress. Being responsible for a huge number of sicknesses, this item, which we develop in our minds, can be reduced through a good usage of yoga techniques. Here are just some of the problems that are related to an over active stress response: depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, some types of diabetes mellitus, cardio-vascular disease, several autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, reproductive problems, and an aggravated suppression of the immune system.

The response of the sympathetic nervous system can trigger stress in our metabolism. The reaction to various outside stimuli is also known as the “fight or flight” response – the mind and body, faced with an endangering or disturbing element, prepare for one of the two options. Physically, this is manifested through an instantaneous heart rate increase, together with a high ascent of blood pressure. Breathing gets shallow and the muscles tense in anticipation to the following action. Internally, this response reduces the blood flow to internal organs and processes that are not essential in that particular moment (such as digestion and elimination) are shut down. This state of increased awareness and readiness is beneficial on a short term, preparing our body to react to the outside interventions and stimuli. Both in a “fight” and in a “flight” situation, the body is physically and mentally prepared to act. The problem arises when long-term exposure to similar stress takes place. This “fight or flight” response is only meant t