Meditation puts you in the alpha state

“Our rational mind is like a computer… The intuitive mind, on the other hand, seems to give access to an infinite supply of information. It appears to be able to tap into a deep storehouse of knowledge and wisdom…” Shakti Gawain Bestselling Author Of Creative Visualization

Meditation puts you in the alpha state.

The human brain operates in four different frequencies: beta, alpha, theta and delta.
We spend most of our time during the day in beta. When we slow down our brainwaves to 4 – 7 cycles per second, we move from beta state into alpha state and our capacity for relaxation, healing, creativity and intuition increases by leaps and bounds.

The more time we spend in alpha state, the more benefits we receive.

Alpha level helps us to relax and better deal with stressful situations. Alpha level helps improve our learning, memory and social interaction. For sufferers from anxiety, nervousness or depression, alpha brainwaves can help counteract the negative impact of these conditions.

Alpha brainwaves are also known to boost our immune system. The more we operate at alpha, the less we get sick. The main reason behind this is because being in alpha level relaxes and de-stresses. Stress has been scientifically proven to cause 90% of all illnesses as well as weaken our immune system.

Research has also shown that people who operate in the alpha state are more creative. This level of mind helps break out of logical and unoriginal thought patterns, making way for more creative thinking. This type of thinking is not only beneficial for artistic endeavors but also for problem solving.

Alpha brainwaves also increase the amount of serotonin that the brain produces. Serotonin is the chemical in the brain that stimulates happiness and joy. When a person is depressed, they have lower than normal serotonin levels. Many anti-depressant drugs are designed to release serotonin.

With all the benefits of alpha level, it’s no wonder that people who practice meditation are proven to be more healthy, happy and content.


STATE - BRAIN WAVE FREQUENCY - ASSOCIATED WITH

beta: 14 – 21 cycles per second (cps); - Waking State. Perception of Time and Space. The five senses.

alpha: 7 – 14 cps; - Light sleep, meditation, intuition. No Time & Space limitation.

theta: 4 – 7 cps; - Deeper Sleep, Meditation.

delta: 0 = 4 cps; - Deep Sleep. You are unconscious.

Experience FREEDOM........... meditate!

Benefits of Meditation

Research has scientifically proven that meditation is a safe and simple way to balance your physical, emotional, and mental state and its countless values have been known and practiced for thousands of years.

The Benefits of Meditation are endless:

· Slows down the aging process
· Releases stress from our bodies
· Creates a state of deep relaxation and general feeling of wellbeing
· Improves cardiovascular function
· Increases blood flow and slows the heart rate
· Allows the body to repair itself and prevent further damage
· Better Sleep
· Helps keep blood pressure normal
· Increases concentration and strengthens the mind
· Helps reduce heart disease
· Helps with weight loss
· Builds self confidence

· Increases serotonin which influences moods and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, headaches and insomnia.
· Helps one to quit smoking, drug or alcohol addiction
· Enhances energy
· Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate
· Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches
· Helps in post-operative healing
· Enhances the immune system
· Reduces emotional distress
· Reduces dependency on drugs and pharmaceuticals
· Improves performance
· Better able to "flow" with life
· Develops awareness of being in the moment

Helps to keep things in perspective and provides peace of mind

+ Live Well = Live Yoga

November News & Events

Your thoughts are your destiny

Your thoughts become words.

Your words become actions.


Your actions become habits.


Your habits become character.


Your character becomes your destiny.

"You reign over the Kingdom of five rivers"

“Each of us is a king who reigns over a very vast territory that has five rivers. The first river is our body, which we do not know well enough.
The second is the river of sensations. Each sensation is a drop of water in this river. There are pleasant sensations, others that are unpleasant and neutral sensations. To meditate is to sit down on the bank of the river of sensations and identify each sensation as it arises.
The third is the river of perceptions, which it is necessary to observe. You must look deeply into their nature in order to understand.
The fourth is the river mental formations, of which there are fifty one. And finally there is the river of consciousness.”

From TRUE LOVE by Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk and teacher.

Let's be a wave of change....

How often do we think or say: If only I have the power to change the world.....

As Oprah says: "It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it."

WHO ARE YOU?

WHO AM I?

Getting to know WHO YOU ARE is a journey. It is a journey of the opening heart and letting go of all that binds it. It’s a journey of getting to know yourself and learning how to tune into to yourself... And every journey to self discovery starts with meditation.

Thoughts to ponder

We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

How many of us will take up this challenge? And how many of us will pretend that it’s someone else’s responsibility?

Until one has loved an animal ......

"Until one has loved an animal,

part of their soul remains un-awakened."

from Luella

WHAT PETS TEACH US

"We often focus on what we can teach our pets and forget to look at what our pets can teach us.

******

Animals have certain characteristics which, if we embraced, would help us lead happier, more fulfilled and more spiritual lives.

Pets don't give up. If you throw a ball at them they will try to catch it every time. Even if they miss every single time, they will keep coming back for more.

More importantly, they don't give up on love. No matter how many times they are yelled at or rebuffed they keep coming back, expecting to be loved and cared for.

Pets remember a kindness and forget harsh words. They are extremely forgiving when necessary and will go to great lengths to be near a person who has taken care of them.

Pets know how to accept love.

They never ask whether they are worthy of it, but simply accept it as their due. And they give back love unconditionally, showing their joy in a human's presence with no restraints. Animals can teach us about our own capacity for love. Because they are so easy to love, they give us an opportunity to experience unconditional love and to understand how love radiates out and encompasses an ever-widening circle.

Pets know how to ask for what they want. If they are hungry, need to be petted, walked or played with, they will let you know. They are not embarrassed to accept help or to let people know how they can be of service.

Human beings sometimes feel that they are limited to expressing themselves only through language. Through interaction with a pet it becomes clear that communication goes way beyond words and that often wordless communication is much deeper and more meaningful than conversation. Communication with animals is not based on identifying with the other, since humans don't have the same emotions as their pets. Instead, humans strive to understand what it is like to be different. Compassion is based on seeing others for who they are, not for how they are like us.

Another lesson which can be learned from pets is how to live in the moment. People may spend a lot of time dwelling in the past or worrying about the future but animals know how to be present in the moment. If they are engaging in an enjoyable activity their entire focus is on that activity.

Pets are also one of many ways to connect with creation. The beauty of nature in all its forms gives us the opportunity to be in awe of the complex and wondrous world in which we live."

Greetings from Ivana, David and Riley.

Embraced by Love

***

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Norman Vincent Peale

On our first anniversary of Thursday meditation satsanghas:

The lotus is an Asian water lily. For millennia it has

been considered sacred due to it’s amazing ability

to grow and prosper from the bottom of the muddiest

ponds and lakes to flower above the surface.

Thus providing the paradigm through nature, to reach

to the heavens and aspire to greater things.

There are many reasons to mediate with a group. Here are just some:

- A meditation group is a great way to meet new people but it is also a great way to learn new meditation techniques.

- When meditating in a group you are all taking the meditation voyage together as well as on your own.

- For those new to meditation, a meditation group is a great way to start.

- If you have been meditating for some time, you appreciate group energy and the opportunity to share in a guided meditation.

- A meditation group offers emotional and psychological insights, a depth of awareness, inner peace and a profound and liberating sense of the Here and Now.

- A meditation group show us how to use the life-enhancing power of meditation to recapture the joy, peace, and meaning that is an inherent part of our soul's natural being.

Dear meditation partners, I believe that our first year of a group meditation has fulfilled all of the above intentions and more!
For me, personally, it has been an amazing time of experience, growth and insight.
Thank you, all!

LIVING IN THE PRESENT

Live In The Present Moment

Living in the present moment adds richness and awareness to our lives, yet we choose to live in the future or the past most of the time.
I invite you to examine your own moments and enrich them with awareness.
What to expect when you living in the magic of the present moment?
When you live in the present moment you live in the joy.
When you live in the present moment you drop worry.
When you live in the present moment you are grateful and appreciative.
When you live in the present moment you are peaceful and calm.
When you live in the present moment you lose all sense of time.
When you live in the present moment there is no conflict or fear.
When you live in the present moment nature becomes breath taking.
When you live in the present moment your intuition is your guide.
When you live in the present moment no task is too daunting.
When you live in the present moment your body awakens.
When you live in the present moment your heart is open.
When you live in the present moment your mind is quiet.
When you live in the present moment you are at your best.
Let's all start living in the present moment!

TRUTH: like a spring, it comes from within.

“Knowledge of the truth consists not in proclaiming it but in living it.”
THE RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA

“…pride and vanity is a moral sin which leads away from the truth.”
THE RINGING CEDARS OF RUSSIA

give joy

Every single day, no matter who you meet in the day - friends, family, work colleagues, strangers - give joy to them.

Give a smile or a compliment or kind words or kind actions, but give joy!

Do your best to make sure that every single person you meet has a better day because they saw you.

This might sound like it is not connected with you and your life, but believe me it is inseparably connected through cosmic law.

As you give joy to every person you meet, you bring joy to YOU.

The more you can give joy to others, the more you will bring the joy back to you.

- lessons from The Secret

You can do whatever you choose to...

It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.

Oprah Winfrey

Happy Spring: let's GROUND ourselves!

Let’s take a deep breath in - hold it- and let it out…

Grounding is the most important meditation technique you can learn. It is the foundation on which meditation is built. Everything is energy and grounding is an energy connector, similar to an electrical ground. It grounds the energy that is you to the energy that is planet Earth. Grounding is simple and powerful. You will discover that grounding creates a strong connection between you and your body, and you and the Earth. Grounding is essential to take control of your life.
Your grounding connection keeps you strong and in touch with your physical creations, including your body. If you are not grounded, you may feel spacey, out of touch, overly emotional, or afraid. Grounding gives you a strong presence in the physical world.
Grounding can also be used to release energy. You can let go of unwanted or excess energy down your grounding cord. Everything is energy, and you can release energy down your grounding cord to remove it from your body. This release mechanism is helpful when you meditate because you stimulate a great deal of energy that you will want to release, and grounding provides an easy avenue to let go of the unwanted energy.

OK – LET’S GET GROUNDED: sit in a chair with your spine as straight as possible, your hands and feet separate, and your feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. Be aware of the area near the base of your spine. An energy center is located here which deals with how you relate to the physical world.
ALLOW A FLOW of energy to move from this energy center, near the base of your spine, to the center of the Earth. Be sure that it is flowing from you all the way to the center of the Earth.
SIT IN THIS POSTURE, with your grounding cord flowing to the center of the Earth. Allow time for your body to adjust to being grounded. Pay attention to your body's reaction to being grounded so you know what is happening in your physical world.
BE STILL with your grounding cord for as long as you can. Practice grounding often to incorporate your grounding into your system.
BE GROUNDED at all times, and you will always have your firm foundation. Your breathing can help you relax and allow your grounding cord to flow.
HAPPY GROUNDING!