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Monday, September 20, 2010

The Power and Money




The Power  -- Rhonda Byrne  Book just published
The book is available in all leading general bookstore of
Your city.
Or purchase your copy from  http://www.amazon.com   

Following is excerpt from the bestseller book of Rhonda
Byrne named “The Power”

The Power and Money

When you don't feel good about money, you repel it. It
will never stick to you. Even when you get some extra money
you hadn't figured on receiving, in no time at all you will find
that it has slipped through your fingers. Bigger bills come in,
things break down, and unforeseen circumstances of every
kind occur, all of which drains you of money and takes it right
out of your hands.

So what is it that makes money stick? Lovel Love is the
attracting force that brings money, and love is also the power
that makes money stick! It has nothing to do with whether
you are a good person or not. That aspect of you is beyond any
question whatsoever, because you are far more magnificent
than you realize.

You have to give love and feel good about money to bring
it to you and make it stick! Right now if you lack money, and
your credit card debt is increasing, you have no sticking power
and you are repelling money.

It doesn't matter what financial state you are in now. It
doesn't matter what financial state your business, your country,
or the world is in. There is no such thing as a hopeless
situation. There are people who lived during the Great
Depression who thrived because they knew the law of love
and attraction. They lived the law by imagining and feeling
everything they wanted, and they defied the circumstances
that surrounded them.

The force of love can break through every single obstacle
or situation. World problems are no obstacle for the force
 of love. The law of attraction operates with the same power
whether the times are up or down.
How to Change the way You Feel About Money
When you change the way you feel about money, the
amount of money in your life will change. The better you feel
about money, the more money you magnetize to yourself.
If you don't have much money, then receiving bills won't
make you feel good. But the moment you react negatively
to a big bill, you give bad feelings, and most surely you will
receive bigger bills. Whatever you give, you receive back. The
most important thing is that when you pay your bills, you find
a way, any way, to make yourself feel good. Never pay your bills
when you don't feel good, because you will just bring bigger
bills to you.

To change what you're feeling, you need to use your
imagination to turn your bills into something that makes
you feel better. You can imagine they' re not real ly bills at all
but instead you've decided to donate money to each company
or person out of the goodness of your heart, because of the
wonderful se rvice they provide.
Imagine your bills are checks you're receiving. Or use
grat itude and give thanks to the company who sent you the
bill, by thinking about how you've benefited from their se rvice
- for electricity or being able to live in a home. You can write
across the front of a bill when you pay it, "Thank you - paid."
If you don't have the money to pay the bill right away, write
across the front of it, 'Thank you for the money."The law of
attraction doesn't question whether what you imagine and feel
is real or not. It responds to what you give, period.

"You are rewarded not according to your work or
your time but according to the measure of your love."

When you receive your salary, be grateful for it so it
multiplies! Most people don't even feel good when they are
paid, because they're so worried about how to make their
salary last. They miss an incredible opportunity to give love
every time they're paid. When some money comes into your
hands, no matter how little it is, be gratefull Remember,
whatever you're grateful for multiplies. Gratitude is the
great multiplier!

Seize Every Opportunity to Play
Seize every moment that you are handling money to
make the money multiply by feeling good. Feel love when
you pay for anything! Feel love when you hand over money!
Feel love with all your heart by imagining how much your
money is helping the company and the staff who work for the
company. It will make you feel good about the money you're
giving instead of feeling bad because you have less money. The
difference between the two is the difference between having
plenty of money and struggling with money for the rest of
your life.
Here is a game you can play so you remember to feel good
about money each time you handle it. Imagine a dollar bill.
Imagine the front of the dollar bill as the positive side, which
represents plenty of money. Imagine the back of the dollar bill
as the negative side representing a lack of money. Each time
you handle money, deliberately Rip the bills so the front is
facing you. Put bills in your wallet with the front facing you.
When you hand over money, make sure the front is facing
upward. By doing this you are using money as your cue to
remember to feel good about plenty of money.
If you are using a credit card, then Rip the credit card to
the front where your name is, because the front of your credit
card is telling you that there is an abundance of money and it
has your name on it!

When you pay for anything, as you hand over your card
or money, imagine an abundance of money for the person you
are handing it to, and mean it. Whatever you give out, you
receive back!
Imagine that you are wealthy right now. Imagine that
you have all the money you need right now. How would you
live your life differently? Think about all the things you
would do. How would you feel? You would feel different and
because you would feel different, you would walk differently.
You would talk differently. You would hold your body in a
different way, and you would move differently. You would
react differently to everything. Your reaction to bills would
be different. Your reaction to people, circumstances, events,
and everything in life would be different. Because you would
feel different! You would be relaxed. You would have peace of
mind. You would feel happy. You would be easygoing about
everything. You would enjoy every day, without giving any
thought to tomorrow. That's the feeling you want to capture. r
That is the feeling of love for money, and that feeling is 1
magnetically sticky! 
"Capture the feeling associated with your realized
wish by assuming the feeling that would be yours
were you already in possession of the thing you desire,
and your wish will objectify itself"
Say Yes to Money  
Remember, any time you hear of another person receiving
more money or success, get excited, because it means you're
on that frequency' It is evidence that you're on a good
frequency, so be as excited as if it were happening to you,
because your reaction to the news is everything. If you react
with joy and excitement for the other person, you are saying
yes to more money and success for yourself. If you react by
feeling disappointed or envious that it's not happening to you,
your bad feelings are saying no to more money and success
for yourself. If you hear of a person winning the lottery, or
you hear of a company making record profits, be excited and
happy for them. The fact that you heard the news tells you
that you're on the same frequency, and your reaction of feeling
good feelings for those people says yes for you!
A few years ago, I reached an all-time low with money in
my life. I had several credit cards that I had charged up, my
apartment was mortgaged to the limit, and my company was
in debt for millions of dollars because I was making a film
called The Secret. I think my situation with money was about
as bad as anybody's can get. I wanted money to finish the film,
I knew the law of attraction, and I knew I had to feel good
about money to bring it to me. But it wasn't easy because
every single day I was confronted by the mounting debt, with
people calling for money, and had no idea how I would be able
to pay my staff's wages. So I took drastic action.
I walked to an ATM and drew out several hundred dollars
from my credit card account. I needed that money so badly
to pay bills and buy food, but I took the money in my hand,
walked down a busy street, and I gave the money away to
people on the street.
I put a $50 bill in my hand, and as I walked, I looked at
each person's face as they walked toward me, trying to decide
who to give the money to. I wanted to give money to every
single person, but I only had a certain amount. I let my heart
choose and I gave the money away to all kinds of people. It
was the first time in my life I had felt love for money. But
it wasn't the money itself that caused me to feel love, it was
giving the money to people that made me feel love for money.
It was a Friday, and afterward I had tears of joy all weekend
about how good it felt to give money.
On Monday afternoon something astounding happened:
my bank account received $25,000 through the most
incredible sequence of events. That $25,000 literally fell out
of the sky into my life and into my account. I had bought
some shares in a friend's company years earlier, and I had
forgotten about them because they had never increased in
value. But that Monday morning I received a phone call asking
me if I would sell my shares as they had skyrocketed in value,
and by Monday afternoon the money for the shares was in
my account.
 

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Guide to Good Health

The Power  -- Rhonda Byrne 
 Book just published
The book is available in all leading general bookstore of
Your city.
or you can purchase from  http://www.amazon.com/ 
Following is excerpt from the bestseller book of Rhonda
Byrne named “The Power”

Guide to health
The Power and Health

What you think in your heart is what you believe to be
true. Beliefs are simply repeated thoughts with strong feelings
attached to them like, "I catch colds easily," "I have a sensitive
stomach," "I find it hard to lose weight," "I'm allergic to that,"
"Coffee keeps me awake." All these are beliefs, not facts.
A belief is when you have made up your mind, the verdict
is in, you've najled the door shut and thrown away the key, and
there is no room for negotiation. But whatever you believe
and feel is true will be true for you, whether your beliefs help
you or harm you. Whatever beliefs you give out, the law of
attraction says you must receive back.

All cells in your body must work as a team, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, for their entire life. Their sole purpose is to maintain
the life and health in your body. You have around 100 trillion
cells in your body. That's 100,000,000,000,000 cells who
are working nonstop to give you life! All 100 trillion cells are
under your command, and you are commanding them and
instructing them with your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
Whatever you believe about your body, your cells believe
too. They don't question anything you think, feel, or believe.
In fact, they hear every thought, feeling, and belief you have.
If you think or say, "I always get jetlag when I travel,"
your cells receive "jetlag" as a command, and they must carry
out your instructions. Think and feel that you have a weight
problem, and your cells receive the order of a weight problem.
They must follow your instructions and keep your body in an
overweight condition. Be afraid you might catch an illness,
and your cells receive the message of the illness, and they
immediately get busy creating the symptoms of the illness.
Your cells' responding to your every command is simply the
law of attraction working inside your body.

What do you want? What would you love? Because that is
what you must give to your body. Your cells are your most loyal
subjects who serve you without question, and so whatever you
think, whatever you feel, becomes the law of your body. If you
want to feel as good as you did when you were a child, then
give your cells those commands: "I feel amazing today." "I have
so much energy." "I have perfect eyesight." "I can eat whatever
1 want and maintain my ideal weight." "I sleep like a baby
every night." You are the ruler of a kingdom, and whatever
you think and feel becomes the law of your kingdom - the law
within your body.


Scientists at the Institute of HeartMath in California have
shown that feeling love, gratitude, and appreciation in your
heart boosts your immune system; increases vital chemical
production; increases physical vitality and vigor; reduces
stress hormone levels, high blood pressure, anxiety, guilt, and
burnout; and improves glucose regulation in diabetics. Feelings
of love also create a higher degree of harmony in the rhythm
of your heart. HeartMath has shown that the magnetic field
of the heart is 5,000 times more powerful than the magnetic
field of the brain, and reaches out several feet from our body.
Other scientists are revolutionizing our understanding
of the affect of love on our health, through experiments with
water. What does water have to do with health? Your body
is made up of 70 percent water! The inside of your head is
80 percent water!
Researchers inJapan, Russia, Europe, and the Unjted
States have discovered that when water is exposed to positive
words and feelings such as love and gratitude, the energy level
of the water not only increases, but the structure of the water
changes, malcing it perfectly harmonious. The higher the
positive feeling, the more beautiful and harmonious the water
becomes. When water is exposed to negative emotions, such
as hate, the energy level of the water decreases, and chaotic
changes occur, negatively affecting the structure of the water.
If human emotions can change the structure of water, can
you imagine what your feelings are doing to the health of your
body? Your cells are made of mostly water! The center of every
cell is water, and each cell is completely surrounded by a layer
of water.
Can you imagine the impact of love and gratitude on your
body? Can you imagine the power of love and gratitude to
restore health? When you feel love, your love affects the water
of the 100 trillion cells in your body!

How to Use the Power of Love for Perfect Health

To receive the health you want and love, you must give
love! In the face of any sickness, give good feelings about
health, because only love brings perfect health. You cannot
give bad feelings about sickness and receive health. If you
hate or fear a disease, you will be giving out bad feelings,
and disease can never go away through bad feelings. When you
give thoughts and feelings of what you want, your cells receive
the full force of health. When you give negative thoughts and
feelings of what you don't want, the force of health to your
cells reduces! It doesn't matter if you feel bad about a subject
that has nothing to do with your health; when you feel bad,
you reduce the force of health to your body. But when you
feel love for anything - for a sunny day, new house, friend, or
promotion - your body receives the full force of health.
Gratitude is the great multiplier, so say thank you for your
health every single day. All the money in the world cannot buy
health, because it is a gift from life, and so more than anything
else, be grateful for your health! It's the best health insurance
you can ever take, because gratitude is the assurance of health!
Be grateful for your body instead of finding fault with it.
Every time you have a thought of something you don't like
about your body, remember that the water inside your body
is receiving your feelings. Instead say thank you with all your
heart for what you do like about your body, and ignore the
things you don't like.
"Love draws forth love. "

Before you eat food or drink water, look at what you're
about to eat or drink and feel love and gratitude. Make sure
your conversations are positive when you are sitting down
to a meal.
Blessing food gives love and gratitude for food. As you
bless food, you change the structure of the water in the
food and its effect on your body. Blessing water with love
and gratitude does the same thing. Your positive feelings of
love can change the structure of water in everything - so use
the power.
You can give love and gratitude and use their power while
receiving any medical treatment. If you can imagine being
well, you can feel being well, and if you can feel it, you can
receive it. To see your health improve, all you have to do is
give love more than 50 percent of the time. Just 51 percent
is the tipping point from sickness to health.
When having your eyesight checked or blood pressure
checked, or if you're having a general checkup, receiving
results from tests, or anything concerning your health, it is
very important that you are feeling good during it and while
receiving the results, in order to receive a good outcome. By
the law of attraction, the outcome of the checkup or tests
must match the frequency you're on, so to bring the good
outcome you want, you must be on the frequency to receive
it! Life does not happen the other way around. The outcome
of every situation in your life will always match your frequency
because that is the law of attraction! To get yourself onto a
good feeling frequency about a test, imagine the outcome you
want and feel that you have already received that outcome.
Every possible outcome can happen, but you must be on
a good feeling frequency to receive good outcomes.

"Possibilities and miracles mean the same thing.”

Imagine and feel having the health you want in your body.
If you want to restore your eyesight, give love for perfect
vision and imagine having it. Give love for perfect hearing and
imagine having it. Give love for the perfect weight, perfect
body, perfect health of an organ, and imagine having it, and
be utterly grateful for everything you do have! Your body wiU
change into whatever you want, but it can only do it through
feelings of love and gratitude.
When a young, fit woman was told she had a rare heart
disease, her life crumbled around her. She suddenly felt
weak and fragile. Her future - a normal, healthy life - had
disappeared with the prognosis. She was terrified of leaving
her two young daughters motherless. But this woman decided
she was going to do everything she could to heal her heart.
She refused to entertain any negative thoughts about her
heart. She placed her right hand on her heart every day and
imagined her strong, healthy heart. Every morning when she
woke, she gave the deepest thanks for her strong, healthy
heart. She imagined the cardiologists telling her that she was
cured. She did these things every day for four months, and
when her cardiologists checked her heart four months later,
they were dumbfounded. They checked and rechecked the old
tests against the new test, because the new test showed that
the woman's heart was perfectly strong and healthy.
This woman lived according to love's law of attraction.
She did not own the prognosis of a diseased heart in her mind,
but she gave love for a healthy heart, and she owned a healthy
heart instead. If you are facing any kind of illness, do your best
not to own it with your thoughts and words. Don't hate an
illness either, because that is giving negativity to it. Instead,
give love to health, own health, and make it yours.

"Keep your mind as much as you can from dwelling
on your ailment. Think of strength and power and
you will draw it to you. Think of health and you
get it."

Every moment you feel love for your health, the force of a..riI
love is eliminating any negativity in your body! If you find . -,- .
it difficult to feel good about your health, all that matters
is that you feel love for anything, so surround yourself with
everything you love, and use those things to feel as good as
you can. Use everything you can in the outside world so that
you feel love. Watch movies that make you laugh and feel
good, not movies that make you feel tense or sad. Listen to
music that makes you feel good. Get people to teLl you jokes
that make you laugh, or have them tell you funny stories about
their most embarrassing moments. You know the things you
love. You know your favorite things. You know what makes
you happy, so draw on them all and feel as good as you can.
Use the Creation Process. Use the Keys to Power. Remember
it only takes giving love and good feelings a minimum
of 51 percent of the time to reach the tipping point and
change everything!
If you want to help somebody who is ill, you can use
the Creation Process and imagine and feel full health being
restored to them. Although you cannot override what another
person is giving to the law of attraction, your power can help
them rise to a frequency where they can receive health.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Anapanasati Meditation – Key to Stress Relief – Part II



Anapanasati Meditation – Key to Stress Relief – Part II

For Part I clink the link below

Anapanasati meditation is the practice of mindful observance of one's breath. Breath awareness allows one to be anchored in the present moment and prevent thoughts about the past and future from rising. Thoughts about the past and future could generate happiness or sadness, desire or aversion, which is ultimtely the source of our suffering. The practice of anapanasati is a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by un-controlled thoughts. In practice, the practitioner is expected to ignore all thoughts that distract one from focus on the breath, simply observing as the thoughts rise and allowing them to dispassionately whither away. The practice of anapanasati will enable you to feel more in control of your life and train your mind not to generate unnecessary or distracting thoughts.

Begin by sitting in a simple chair, keeping your back erect if you can.  The more traditional postures are the lotus position, sitting on a pillow with each foot upon the opposite thigh, and variations such as the half lotus (one foot on the opposite thigh, the other out in front of the opposite knee).  This is difficult for many people.  Some people kneel, sitting back on their legs or on a pillow between their legs.  Many use a meditation bench:  kneel, then place a little bench beneath your behind.  But meditation is also done while standing, slowly walking, lying on the floor, or even in a recliner!
Traditionally, the hands are placed loosely, palms up, one on top of the other, and with the thumbs lightly touching.  This is called the cosmic mudra, one of a large number of symbolic hand positions.  You may prefer to lay them flat on your thighs, or any other way that you find comfortable.
Your head should be upright, but not rigid.  The eyes may be closed, or focussed on a spot on the ground a couple of feet ahead of you, or looking down at your hands.  If you find yourself getting sleepy, keep your eyes open!

The Four Steps

To help practitioners in developing this meditation, the commentators and meditation masters have indicated eight graduated steps in the practice. These eight steps will first be enumerated, and then they will be explained in relation to the actual meditative process.
The eight steps are named: counting (ganana); following (anubandhana); contact (phusana); fixing (thapana). These four cover the whole course of meditative development up to the attainment of tranquility of mind.

(i) Counting

Counting is intended for those who have never before practiced anapana sati. It is not necessary for those who have practiced meditation for a considerable period of time. However, as it is expedient to have a knowledge of this, counting should be understood in the following manner.
When the meditator sits down for meditation, he fixes his attention at the tip of his nose and consciously attends to the sequence of in-and-out breathing. He notes the breath as it enters, and notes the breath as it leaves, touching against the tip of the nose or the upper lip. At this time he begins to count these movements.
There are a few methods of counting. The easiest is explained thus: The first breath felt is counted as "one, one"; the second as "two, two"; the third as "three, three"; the fourth as "four, four"; the fifth as "five, five" and so on up to the tenth breath which is counted as "ten, ten." Then he returns to "one, one" and continues again up to "ten, ten." This is repeated over and over from one to ten.
The mere counting is not itself meditation, but the counting has become an essential aid to meditation. A person who has not practiced meditation before, finding it difficult to understand the nature of his mind, may think he is meditating while his mind runs helter skelter. Counting is an easy method to control the wandering mind.
If a person fixes his mind well on his meditation, he can maintain this counting correctly. If the mind flees in all directions, and he misses the count, he becomes confused and thus can realize that his mind has wandered about. If the mind has lost track of the count, the meditator should begin the counting over again. In this way he should start the counting again from the beginning, even if he has gone wrong a thousand times.
As the practice develops, there may come a time when the in-breathing and out breathing take a shorter course and it is not possible to count the same number many times. Then the meditator has to count quickly "one," "two," "three," etc. When he counts in this manner he can comprehend the difference between a long in-breath and out-breath and a short in-breath and out-breath.

(ii) Following

"Following" means following the breath with the mind. When the mind has been subdued by counting and is fixed on the in-breathing and out-breathing, the counting is stopped and replaced by mentally keeping track of the course of the breath. This is explained by the Buddha in this manner:
"When the meditator breathes in a long breath, he comprehends that he is breathing in a long breath; and when he is breathing out a long breath, he comprehends that he is breathing out a long breath."
Herein, one does not deliberately take a long in-breath or a long out-breath. One simply comprehends what actually takes place.
The Buddha has declared in the next passage that a meditator trains himself thinking: "I shall breathe in experiencing the whole body, and I shall breath out experiencing the whole body." Here, what is meant as "the whole body" is the entire cycle of breathing in and breathing out. The meditator should fix his attention so as to see the beginning, the middle and the end of each cycle of in-breathing and out-breathing. It is this practice that is called "experiencing the whole body."
The beginning, middle and end of the breath must be correctly understood. It is incorrect to consider the tip of the nose to be the beginning of the breath, the chest to be the middle, and the navel to be the end. If one attempts to trace the breath from the nose through the chest to the belly, or to follow it out from the belly through the chest to the nose, one's concentration will be disrupted and one's mind will become agitated. The beginning of the in-breath, properly understood, is the start of the inhalation, the middle is continued inhalation, and the end is the completion of the inhalation. Likewise, in regard to the out breath, the beginning is the start of the exhalation, the middle is the continued exhalation, and the end is the completion of the exhalation. To "experience the whole body" means to be aware of the entire cycle of each inhalation and exhalation, keeping the mind fixed at the spot around the nostrils or on the upper lip where the breath is felt entering and leaving the nose.
This work of contemplating the breath at the area around the nostrils, without following it inside and outside the body, is illustrated by the commentaries with the similes of the gatekeeper and the saw.
Just as a gatekeeper examines each person entering and leaving the city only as he passes through the gate, without following him inside or outside the city, so the meditator should be aware of each breath only as it passes through the nostrils, without following it inside or outside the body.
Just as a man sawing a log will keep his attention fixed on the spot where the teeth of the saw cut through the wood, without following the movement of the teeth back and forth, so the meditator should contemplate the breath as it swings back and forth around the nostrils, without letting his mindfulness be distracted by the breath's inward and outward passage through the body.
When a person meditates earnestly in this manner, seeing the entire process, a joyous thrill pervades his mind. And since the mind does not wander about, the whole body becomes calm and composed, cool and comfortable.

(iii) Contact and (iv) Fixing

These two aspects of the practice indicate the development of stronger concentration. When the mindfulness of breathing is maintained, the breathing becomes more and more subtle and tranquil. As a result the body becomes calm and ceases to feel fatigued. Bodily pain and numbness disappear, and the body begins to feel an exhilarating comfort, as if it were being fanned with a cool gentle breeze.

At that time, because of the tranquillity of the mind, the breathing becomes finer and finer until it seems that it has ceased. At times this condition lasts for many minutes. This is when breathing ceases to be felt. At this time some become alarmed thinking the breathing has ceased, but it is not so. The breathing exists but in a very delicate and subtle form. No matter how subtle the breathing becomes, one must still keep mindful of the contact of the breath in the area of the nostrils, without losing track of it. The mind then becomes free from the five hindrances — sensual desire, anger, drowsiness, restlessness and doubt. As a result one becomes calm and joyful.

Breathing meditation is a simple yet effective technique to relax one’s mind and body. In the long run, it will change your relationship with your thoughts, which can help you see the true nature of your mind through emotional regulation.

While you are meditating, you will learn to let go of distractions, which will also help in emotional regulation. Letting go of distractions also means that you are able to release certain patterns of thoughts that fuel negative feelings like, anger, anxiety, depression etc.
Breathing meditation is powerful and works at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. Let’s look at the physical and emotional benefits of breathing meditation:
Physical benefits
 Lowers the level of stress hormone
 Reduces heart rate, which in turn lowers blood pressure
 Increase oxygen flow to the lungs, which increases alertness
 Helps to treat headaches
Emotional benefits

 Reduces feelings of depression, anxiety and anger
 Enhances creativity
 Improves memory, learning ability and problem-solving skills

Breathing meditation is one of the basic steps for other types of meditation techniques.

The process of breathing meditation will increase the supply of oxygen in our lungs, which will make one feel more refreshed, energetic and alert within 10 minutes of the practice. Doing the right breathing method can help to cure infections like cough and colds.

With daily practice, one will experience a sense of inner peace. The mind will be cleared of cluttered thoughts and feel more spacious. Focusing on one’s breath can help to block out incessant flow of distracting thoughts to the mind and bring out a sense of contentment.
Although breathing meditation is the basis of many other meditation techniques, it is advisable to learn it first if you are a beginner, as it is simple yet effective. Once you have grasped the mechanics of breathing meditation, you will be able to practice the others at ease!

Anapanasati Meditation – Key to Stress Relief - Part I



Anapanasati Meditation – Key to Stress Relief - Part I

Modern life is creating stress and we all react the same way. We see the effects in our bodies, our pulses are increased, and we feel the tension in our muscles. The causes of stress in modern life emerge from the too many obligations we have to handle everyday to the modern way of negative thinking.
We have all experienced stress periods in our life. This is something normal. Indeed, in small levels stress can be constructive! When, however, is a problem?
Is this a period in your life that you have many outstanding obligations; Do you worry about the future? Do you experience problems at home or at work? Do you work a lot and you are not resting enough? Do you feel trapped in situations that you cannot change? If the answer is «yes», even for a single question, be careful because you may engage in the vicious cycle of stress, which weakens the immune system and is the cause of many psychological and physical disorders.

What causes stress in modern life?

Previously people lived a less intense live, following more closely their internal clock. In recent decades, however, the pace of life has accelerated dramatically and most of us experience our days as an emergency situation, which requires continuous action and no rest. And precisely because there is no time for rest and leisure, we move more and more away from ourselves and become more and more stressed. The main reasons that cause stress in modern life can are as follows:

Too many obligations
The chronic stress we are experiencing daily, like the stress caused by a bad marriage or a by a job that is too demanding, is causing health problems. It is clear and proven than when facing chronic stress, the autonomic nervous system is affected and thus causing stress. The stress in turns causes overwork, overwork causes exhaustion, exhaustion causes depletion, and depletion makes us collapse and also is the cause of various diseases. The first symptoms are relatively mild, chronic headaches and increased sensitivity to cold. As the stress cycle continues, health problems become increasingly serious in both physical and mental level. An estimated 90% of doctor visits are related to stress. Most of the common diseases are associated with a chronic form of the insomnia, depression, mental disorders, muscle pain, hair loss, diabetes, sexual dysfunction and cancer.

Negative thoughts
Sometimes the enemy is in our head. The way we talk to ourselves, although generally formed in childhood, it follows us throughout our lives and plays a significant role to all our experiences. If we are accustomed to think and speak negatively then this is a major source of stress. Fortunately, it is never too late to learn the power of positive thinking.

Poor skills to deal with conflicts
Conflicts with others are a part of life and we need to know how to properly handle them so that our relations become stronger and not a source of stress. And this does not mean that we must be aggressive towards others, or to let them treat us because we cannot say «no».

Pessimism
The pessimistic people see things worse than they are in reality and that prevents them from seeing the possible solutions and opportunities presented before them.

The taking of too many commitments
Everyone reacts differently to stress. Some withstand pressure more and others less. The taking of more responsibilities than someone can handle is a source of stress.
To reduce and manage stress, we need to make sure that our body and mind do not overtake more than they can withstand. This can be achieved by following a method of relaxation, known as Anapansati Meditation. What is happening in our bodies during meditation practice?
  • The type A waves of the body are synchronized.
  • It improves metabolism.
  • The brain is oxygenized better.
  • HDL (the «good» cholesterol) is increasing and LDL (the «bad») is reduced.
  • Endorphins are produced (hormones of «goodwill»).
  • Pressure falls to normal levels.

The details of Anapansati Meditation will be described in Part II of this article.
Contd to next ……….