Empowering Your Mind – Page 119 – Mindset, Motivation and Empowerment

Embrace The Changes From Personal Growth

May 6, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

When you grow up and mature, you no longer wear the types clothes that suited you as a teenager. They don’t fit the image of who you are now. The same can be true of friendships. Have you ever gone back to a school reunion, and not had anything in common with the good friends you had back then? This is normal. As you mature, grow and have more experiences, you change your view of life, your likes, values and opinions.

When this happens, you don’t try to go back and recapture the old way of doing things. It would be pointless, self-destructive and shortsighted. By moving forward, you’re fulfilling the natural impulse to grow and stretch. Your relationship to your old world changes irrevocably with growth. As the saying goes, “You can’t put the genie back into the bottle.”

The same thing happens when you jump up a level of spiritual, mental or emotional consciousness. For instance, when you realize that you deserve to take care of your health and well-being and begin to say “no” to unreasonable requests for your time, your perspective on everything else changes, too.

The same is true when you have some sort of spiritual peak experience or mental expansion. Your relationship to your inner self and the Universe alters. The way you used to connect to the Infinite changes.

It may seem like the door has closed to your contact with the Divine. It hasn’t. God hasn’t moved. You have. Your consciousness has expanded; therefore the way you used to relate to your inner landscape has also shifted. It’s not a bad thing, it can just seem disorienting.

When this happens, your way of experiencing life will probably also change. For instance, if you were originally logical and analytical, you may discover that you’ve become more intuitive. Before, you would reason out a project, now the answer might just pop into your mind. You may sense that a certain person isn’t being honest, whereas before, you would have taken them at face value. As a result of this unasked for change, you might belittle your new insights, and try to return to pure logic because it’s safer and more familiar.

The opposite can take place if you’ve always been intuitive and followed your heart. You may discover that your guidance comes to you now on a more conscious level. Instead of opportunities dropping into your lap, or synchronistically bumping into a person you wanted to see, you might have a conscious impulse of what to do or where to go. It’s now up to you to listen to the urge or ignore it. You could also need to make deliberate choices and follow guidance to their fulfillment, rather than just drifting with the tide.

You’re no longer operating out of an unconscious ability. Now you are more aware of what your insight is telling you. Because it’s much easier to operate unconsciously, you could doubt your guidance and try to dismiss it because it’s coming to you in a different fashion than it used to.

In both situations, if you try to backpedal into what worked before, you’re going to be frustrated. You can’t go back, unless you want to stall your progress. By opening to a greater awareness, you’ve expanded your mind to incorporate more of it. Consciousness includes intuition and reason, heart and head. When you increase your awareness, you’re beginning to balance them and the old responses will also change.

You can’t undo what’s been done, anymore than you can retreat to your teenaged self once you’ve grown up. The Universe is always moving forward, and you must move with it or be left behind. You’ve leaped out of your comfort zone into something that can more fully serve the more conscious you.

Affirmation

I am opening myself up to a greater experience of Life and the Universe. As I grow and expand, I embrace my new awareness and abilities. With confidence and trust, I allow my new relationship to myself and the Infinite unfold in a wonderful way. I balance my heart and mind, knowing that they both have a role in helping me expand into my highest potential.

Can you curse or manipulate another through thoughts or words?

April 28, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

Question: Can someone put a curse on another and manipulate them through the power of their thoughts or words?

Answer: Someone can only manipulate another through curses if the person being cursed believes it or is open to it. Someone who knows that they are Divinely protected cannot be harmed through any “magical” means. The power of thought and prayer pervades us all, and we’re all affected by this power. If it’s a negative thought from someone else, if we’re not solid in the belief of being protected, then it can influence us or our life.

I had a friend who had a former boyfriend who tried to manipulate her life through “psychic” means. At the time, this friend was learning not to let others take advantage of her. As she became stronger in saying “no” to others demeaning her, the former boyfriend’s influence became weaker and weaker. That’s what I meant by a person has to be open to it. She was open to being manipulated and belittled, so the former boyfriend’s thought was able to affect her. When she became stronger in her own worth, his thought no longer could harm her.

If someone says something with great emotion to a person he wishes to curse, the emotion will impress the subconscious mind of the person. Think of how it feels when someone says something nasty to you. Generally, you’ll feel bad. Words have power to hurt. But the stated curse can be reversed, because it’s all within the person’s own subconscious. It has very little to do with the person doing the cursing.

Grand Canyon Hike – A Metaphor For Success

April 26, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

Jeff and I visited the Grand Canyon again. This time, we hiked five of the eight-mile long Rim Trail. We’d already hiked the other three miles of it last November.

In November, there were a few patches of snow on the trail in the shade. That doesn’t sound bad, until you realize that the path is on the edge of the cliff. We were nervous traversing the snow and ice because if we’d slipped it would have been a long way down.

Jeff taking a photo from the Rim Trail, Grand Canyon — In the distance on the Rim Trail, Jeff is using a tripod to take a photograph.

This time, as we hiked on this narrow trail on the edge of a steep drop, I realized it was a good metaphor for keeping your vision on where you want to go. It’s a good thing to be aware of the dangers, so that you can avoid them. But if you focus on them, you’re all too likely to walk right into them.

For instance, we couldn’t look at the beauty of the Canyon and walk at the same time. We had to stop when we wanted to appreciate the view. It was too treacherous to look at the Canyon and keep moving.

When we walked, we had to keep our eyes on the path so we wouldn’t begin to drift towards the drop off, trip on a root, roll our boot on a rock, or lose our balance and fall off the cliff.

The same thing can be said of success. Be aware of the pitfalls so you know what to do to avoid them. Stop and assess them. Plan what to do to deal with them. But when you’re moving, keep your eye on your goal. Focus on it alone. If you don’t, you just may walk right off the cliff.

3 Tips To Get Back In The Flow

April 20, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

We’ve all had days where nothing seemed to go right. And the harder we tried to make things better, the worse they got. Unfortunately, by focusing on the negative, it just creates an atmosphere that draws more of it to you. The fear something will go wrong makes sure it will. Here are 3 tips to get out of that frame of mind and back on track.

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 2

April 20, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by K.P. Rajagopalan

Another very effective stress management method has been developed by Chinese Doctor Zhi Gang Sha, an MD in Western Medicine, presently practising traditional Chinese medicine in the USA & Canada.

Dr. Sha has been able to bring considerable & sustained relief to long-standing sufferers of migraine, asthma, back pain and even serious diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer. It is of interest to note that Dr. Sha has also worked as the personal physician of the Dy. Prime Minister of China. He calls his system of healing as “Power Healing” which is a combination of 4 techniques namely, Body Power, Soul Power, Sound Power and Mind Power which can be adapted for healing of any abnormal condition of the body, quickly and easily.

The procedure adopted for ‘stress management’ in the “Power Healing” system of therapy is based on the discovery/understanding that stress is any energy blockage in the head & removing the same will reduce your stress right away.

The following practice is a simple & effective one for reducing stress.

Body Power

Sit in a chair. Keep your back straight & don’t lean back against the chair. Use the One hand near, One hand far Body Power technique i.e. point your near hand at the crown chakra at the top of your head. This hand should be held about 4” to 7” above your head. Place your Far hand 15” to 20” away from your lower abdomen, with the palm facing your body. The near hand creates a high density field at the head, while the far hand creates a low density field at the lower abdomen. Energy will flow from high-density ( the head) to low-density ( the lower abdomen)
dissipating the energy blockages in the head and reducing stress. At the same time, your fundamental energy centres will be nourished and strengthened.

Soul Power

Say “hello” : Dear Soul, Mind & Body of my head, lower abdomen, near hand, far hand, ee-joe (one-nine) & the bright golden light, I love you. Please give me a healing to reduce my stress. Do a good job, Thank you, The combined Soul Power of your head, abdomen & hand combined with ‘ee–joe’ & the brightest golden light, can offer incredible healing to reduce your stress.

Sound Power

Chant the healing sounds of number one and nine in Chinese “ee” & “joe” respectively. ‘Ee’ stimulates cellular vibration in the head. ‘Joe’ stimulates cellular vibration in the lower abdomen. Chanting ee-joe repeatedly will move blocked energy from the head to the lower abdomen, reducing your stress.

Mind Power

Visualize the brightest golden light flowing from the head to the lower abdomen. The intention of your mind, coupled with the vibration of the cells in your brain & head, will move blocked energy from the head to the lower abdomen. Visualize and imagine yourself in perfect health & being completely calm and relaxed, full of inner joy and peace.

Do this practice for 3-5 minutes. Repeat several times a day as needed. You can use it to prevent stress as well as to reduce it.

The author is working as Deputy General Manager In-charge of the Unit office of Steel Authority of India Ltd, Bokaro Steel Plant (A Govt of India Enterprise) at Chennai, INDIA and can be contacted at Phone: 91-44-9444397294 / 9791071534 and at the e-mail ID: www.sundararajagopalan@yahoo.com.

Stress Management Through Relaxation & Chinese Power Healing Techniques, Part 1

April 19, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by K.P. Rajagopalan

The term ‘Stress’ when related to human physiology refers to the body’s responses to everything from viruses and cold effects to emotions such as fear and anger. Dr. Hans Selye, the foremost exponent of the effects of stress, has defined stress in the following manner i.e. stress is the body’s non-specific response to any demand placed on it, whether that demand is pleasant or not.

All of us have a stress “Savings A/c” deposited in our body as our life force. The object is to spend it wisely over the longest time span possible. The difference between our stress savings A/c and the normal bank A/c is that we cannot make any more deposits into the stress A/c. We can only make withdrawals.

The reason most people age at different rates is that our society is full of “big spenders” who over-react to harmless circumstances as if they were life or death matters. We see it everyday on our roads and on buses when we are on the way to work.

It is impossible to be truly creative when we are tense & nervous. When one is tense, he works at a greatly reduced level of efficiency. Some of body’s warning signs that stress is beginning to seriously affect us are:

(1) Intestinal Distress
(2) Insomnia
(3) Nail biting
(4) Memory lapse
(5) Hunger for sweets
(6) Frequent illness
(7) Rapid Pulse
(8) Persistent fatigue
(9) Irritability
(10) Lack of concentration
(11) Increased use of alcohol

The best way to overcome this state/situation is the practice of conscious relaxation techniques which lead to a condition of relaxed alertness i.e. the body going to a totally relaxed state but the mind remains alert-the ideal state for super accomplishment. The more often these exercises are repeated the more they will become a part of our habitual thinking. We shall begin to think habitually of relaxation, rather than pressure and strain.

Relaxation can be easily achieved by deep breathing followed by rolling the eyes upwards & counting backward from 50 to 1. By this process, there is a reduction in our brain wave frequency (as measured by EEG) and we reach the ‘alpha’ level where the brainwave frequency is 8-14 cycles/sec— found by research to be the most productive level for impacting the sub-conscious mind. We can deepen the relaxation by visualizing/imagining peaceful scenes like being in a garden or at the beach or watching humorous scenes or listening to humorous stories which make you laugh.

There are long relaxation techniques and short relaxation techniques.

If you lead a really hectic life, or if you are currently in a period of increased stress, the long relaxation procedures are recommended. However, most people can turn on their mental computer in a few seconds and do not need minutes to get into a state of physical and mental relaxation. For them, the short relaxation techniques work fine.

Three long Relaxation Techniques

1. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Relax your scalp. Relax your forehead. Relax your cheeks, mouth, neck, chest, back, thighs, legs, feet and toes. Take your time—-visualize each body part. Move each part, also mentally “talk” to it and ask it to relax.

2. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take 3 deep breaths, exhaling slowly after each breath. Now, count backward from 100 to 1. Mentally visualize each number before going onto the next.

3. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes & imagine you are in an elevator that is about to descend. It could be an elevator in a department store, in which case you can “hear” the automated voice recite “Seventh Floor, Women’s clothes etc.” When you reach the 1st floor, you are ready to begin programming your mental computer. Or the elevator can be in a mine shaft. See signs stating each 100 ft down. When you reach 2000 ft, you are ready to begin mental programming.

A short relaxation technique

1. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath & exhale slowly. Do this again. Do this a third time. Now, visualize several peaceful scenes you are familiar with. Enjoy each scene as if you were there being sure to recreate the colors you saw. You are now ready to program your mental computer.

Book Review – “Higher Creativity”

April 14, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

“Higher Creativity: Liberating the Unconscious for Breakthrough Insight”
by Willis Harman, Ph.D. and Howard Rheingold

This book describes the process of creativity. It gives an understanding of the different stages that a person’s mind goes through from the start of working through a problem to the end result of a solution.

The authors describe the conditions that are necessary to access creativity, as well as how the mind works through a challenge. They state that the subconscious is just waiting for you to tell it what to do, and it will follow your instructions.

In this book, there are many examples of people who have been able to foster creativity in their lives. The only thing preventing you from experiencing what the author’s call “breakthrough insight” is a disbelief in your own abilities in this area.

I believe this is true, not only for creativity, but for any area of life in which you need some direction or innovative idea. Doubt will short-circuit the connection to listen to and understand the inspiration you get.

This book helps to dispel those concerns, and gives a “toolkit” of ways to go about cultivating creativity in your life. If you have challenges in your business, personal, or creative life, the information contained in this book could give you the breakthrough you need.

7 Ways To Climb Out Of Your Slump

April 11, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

After a few unsuccessful plays, an athlete can sometimes get caught in a slump. They start performing far less than their potential. For instance, a basketball player wouldn’t be able to sink a ball even if he was standing over the net. By this time, he’s trying too hard and it interferes with his reflexes.

Yogi Berra said, “A full mind is an empty bat,” meaning that athletes who over think what they’ve been trained to do interrupt their muscle memory. They’re out of the groove and can’t get back into it.

Have you ever felt like that? Does it seem that everything is conspiring against you? After a few difficult or disappointing episodes, your thoughts spiral downwards and nothing works. Eventually, you can’t even hold onto a glass of water without spilling it. You might find yourself saying, “I knew it wasn’t going to work out,” “Nothing ever goes my way,” or “I always get the short end of the stick.”

You’re tying up all your energy in focusing on the problem and trying not to screw up. And since that’s where your attention is, you have more trouble. Just like an athlete mentioned above, you’re giving yourself negative feedback, and that instructs the subconscious to create more of the same.

Break that cycle and climb out of your frustration using the following tips:

1. Realize that difficulties will happen, no matter what. The challenge is not to overreact to them. That just gives them more energy and more attention. It becomes a negative spiral into a self-fulfilling prophecy of disaster. Your slump may simply be due to the natural cycle of peak performance alternating with a period of recovery and regeneration. So relax and let nature take its course.

2. Check your overall stress level. Your underlying attention may be taken up with some difficulty in your life. Your mind has a limit in how many things it can focus on. Try and go beyond these limits and everything starts to fall apart. Your mind may be distracted by your other issues. Do some stress reduction practices like meditation, self-hypnosis, exercise, and others.

3. Step away from the problem. Relax. Take a walk, go to a movie, have a picnic. Let your subconscious work on it without your conscious mind trying to interfere and control the process. By shifting your attention onto something more pleasurable, it allows your subconscious to begin finding solutions.

4. Do something, anything, that makes you feel successful. If you don’t have any money coming in, get a job pushing a broom just to have the feeling of financial flow. Find a way to feel like you’ve accomplished something.

5. Write about your concerns. Studies show that doing this can reduce the anxiety felt just before a test, a meeting or starting a project. Journaling can also help your mind process the information differently and solve problems.

6. Instead of being discouraged or defeated by a challenge, reframe it so you perceive it to be a pleasant experience. Change your attitude towards it to be something to accomplish, not dread. Viewing it from a different perspective will also bring much more creative energy to bear.

7. Write a list of what you’re grateful for as a way of changing your mood. Studies show that gratitude is one of the best ways to form a positive frame of mind. It increases optimism and instructs your mind to begin looking for the good.

Athletes form rituals and superstitions to help get them out the negative frame of mind created by a slump. Instead of using that hit and miss method, use the more productive strategies listed above. They’re more helpful in the long run. Once you’ve been able to detach from and break the negative feedback loop, you can get back into the flow.

Affirmation

All of Life is for me and works for my best interests. When I encounter obstacles and disappointments, I remember that everything is conspiring for my Highest Good. Success is my natural state, and it is always at the core of whatever happens. I change my perspective to view any difficulties as temporary challenges that will ultimately further my success and well-being.

Just Breathe to Relieve Your Stress

March 29, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Mike Gracen

Stress. You feel it in some way most days. Getting the kids to school on time. That deadline you have to meet or the “deal is off” at work. Your husband or wife just lost their job. Money is tight. Your house or car needs major repairs. Your parents are aging. You have a sick child. Your plane is late taking off. The airline lost your luggage and it contains all the hand outs for your presentation tomorrow, not to mention your “power” suit.

You get the picture, right? There are dozens of things that can shake us up and ruin our whole day everyday.

What can you do? Sit down. Relax. And breathe. That’s right, just breathe. Because if you don’t learn to do this, you might just learn how much damage stress causes in your life in terms of dis-ease and negativity.

How does breathing help stress, you ask? Slow, deep, focused breathing helps your body relax. Stress causes your body to react with a “fight or flight” response that raises your heart rate, quickens your breathing and puts your whole body “on alert.” Slow, deep breathing slows down your heart rate and relieves you of some of those intense feelings.

Next time you feel particularly stressed, try this:

First, get comfortable, whether it’s sitting in a chair or on the floor in a yoga position or lying down on a bed or outside on a blanket – the only thing that matters is that you relax.

Next, learn to breathe using your abdomen, not just your lungs and chest. Breathe in slowly through your nose, push your abdomen out, away from your spine for 5-6 seconds. Keep your shoulders relaxed.

Then exhale or breathe out through your mouth, pulling your stomach toward your spine, and squeezing all your air out.

Continue to breathe, not allowing any thoughts to enter your mind, other than the visualization of a peaceful place or imagining that you can feel each body part relax as you breathe. If a stressful thought enters your mind, push it away.

Deep, concentrated breathing is a simple and effective way to take your mind off whatever is stressing you at the time. Once you’re relaxed and your mind is clear, you can plan more permanent ways to relieve the situation that caused you stress in the first place.

If you or someone you know is experiencing the debilitating effects of chronic stress, I recommend ChooseNatural.com to find natural stress remedies, including natural asthma relief, that can help relieve your symptoms.

Abundant Reasons To Release Clutter In Storage

March 28, 2011 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Recently, Jeff and I worked to consolidate my two storage units into one. The unit I was cleaning out was created when I sold my mother’s house, the other one was inherited from my mother. I brought several boxes home, went through some of them, and have a small hill of items to be donated to Goodwill.

Organizers say eliminating clutter and outdated things helps to lighten the mental load and clear the mind. According to them, you take less time to look through the clutter for things you want. I did find several items that I’ve spent hours looking for in the house. I didn’t realize they were in boxes in storage.

A feng shui practitioner once told me that going through piles of stuff released stuck energy. She said this stagnant energy could create difficulty in life, obstruct advancement in your career, and block money flow. Releasing that energy creates more of a flow in your life.

In spiritual circles, it’s said that if you want more good in your life, go through your attic, basement and closets and eliminate what you don’t use anymore. By releasing possessions you no longer need or want, you create a vacuum to draw more of what you want to you.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad to have been able to eliminate one storage unit. I still have a lot to go through in the unit I still have. But one great advantage of doing this is that it will definitely be nice to have a smaller payment each month.