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3 Easy meditation techniques

I mentioned in a previous post about meditation (here), that meditation can be anything that teaches you how to better understand yourself and helps you transition your attention into the present moment with ease and calmness.

I want to share with you 3 easy meditation techniques. This includes mindfulness meditation, movement meditation, and my favorite, visualization meditation.

You don’t have to do all 3 but using any one of the 3 in your day to day routine will improve the quality of life and wellbeing.

I will explain each one and I will show you how to use these techniques for yourself. Start with 10 – 15 minutes and work your way up.

Let’s start with:

1. Visualization meditation – This technique is my favorite because it is powerful and simple enough for any beginner. By combining the power of the mind, imagination and meditation, we can really make a noticeable difference in our wellbeing and our lives.

We can use imagination and the power of our minds to create visualizations that help us maintain balance within ourselves and our lives.

First, you want to sit down somewhere comfortable, then cross your legs, sitting with your back straight.

Then put your hands together below your belly button, while your arms rest on your lap. Your right hand should be over your left hand with both thumbs touching.

After you have found your placement, close your eyes. Now, start to slowly breath in and out through your nose. Focus on your breathing and let your thoughts come to you without you resisting them. Good or bad, let your thoughts come to you.

All you want to do right now is focus on your breath.

Don’t force the breathing either. Just focus on how you breathe. Inhale slowly and calmly, until you can’t anymore, without it being forced.

And follow the same for the exhale, don’t force it.

Once you find yourself in a rhythm with your breathing, you will notice your breathing start to slow down and you will feel more calm.

Once you are comfortable with your breathing, start to focus more on your thoughts. Don’t resist any of your thoughts, let them come and let them go.

Once you feel in a calm state, this is when you want to start using the imagination to visualize a bright and warm light flowing in and out as you inhale and exhale.

This light is pure and unconditional love energy. As this energy flows out from your breathing, imagine it slowly start to surround you, making you feel protected, safe and healed.

As this energy surrounds you, it starts to radiate from all parts of your body. Imagine your cells, and all body parts emanating this kind and loving energy.

When you see and feel this bright and warm energy, your thoughts will become more positive and happy.

After a few minutes, take a mental note of how you feel now, than when you first started. The purpose of this practice is for you to empower yourself with the power of your mind.

When you are in your regular day and start to feel angry, sad, anxious or down, imagine this pure and loving energy, radiating from you. I like to think about it as a life hack.

2. Movement meditation – This technique is interesting because you don’t have to be sitting down for this. This technique works by being mindful about the present moment… as you go for a walk, as you do yoga, gardening or even gentle forms of dancing.

For the sake of this demonstration, I will use the example of going for a walk.

Next time you go for a walk, try being mindful of the present. Be mindful of how you are feeling, the pace at which you are walking, look at your surroundings, listen to the birds, feel the sun on your skin, look at the trees and animals.

Even being mindful of the colors you see, like colors on a car, and houses. If you are in the woods, look at the colors of the leaves, the trees, insects, and how the ground looks,

This technique is used for people who just want to get in tune with the life around them, and who prefer to find peace in action, rather then sitting.

3 .Mindfulness meditation – This type of meditation is the most commonly known and most commonly used. With this type of meditation, you concentrate on your breath while letting all of your thoughts and emotions flow freely.

By “freely“, I mean without judgement. Let all thoughts and emotions flow through your mind, while keeping your concentration on your breathing.

How to start: (try this for 5-10 min, then work your way up to 15-20 min after you feel comfortable enough)

First, find yourself a nice, quiet and comfortable place to sit with your back straight. Then, you want to close your eyes and start inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your nose.

Inhale without stressing your breathing, let it flow. When you exhale, do the same. Exhale without stressing the breath. Focus only on your breathing and find your rhythm.

Once you find your rhythm, you will notice that your breathing is getting slower and more calm.

When you reach this state of finding your rhythm, you want to use this moment to mindfully process your thoughts and emotions.

Let them flow freely, without judgement. Don’t label your thoughts just look at them while still keeping the rhythm of your breathing.

After you are done, analyze your experience. Ask yourself, “what thoughts and emotions changed the rhythm of my breathing”, “what can this be teaching me”.

This technique is used to understand yourself and to be mindful about your thoughts and emotions.

There are many meditation techniques out there. Use the ones that most resonate with you. Meditation as a whole is a beautiful experience and you should always see it as a learning experience.

If you don’t have anyone to teach you, feel free to contact me.

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To Manifest

What does it mean to manifest something?

The phrase “to manifest” has taken a little bit a magical vibe to it. So let’s take a look into where this word comes from.

The word manifest comes from the Latin word “manifestus” (also manufestus) and as a verb “manifestare”. This Latin word means, “evident, plain to see or to make visible”.

In modern times, it is defined as “to make clear or evident to the eye or the understanding”. (dictionary.com)

So in short, “to manifest something” we mean to make it visible, into our own reality. That’s looking at it straight forward and taking away it’s “magical” vibe.

Is it magic?

Magic and spirituality are often confused to be as something “not real”, but this is a misconception. Spirituality is all about getting to understand your “SELF” and finding your own path of understanding or purpose of life.

Both magic and spirituality follow nature, and use nature as a means to create or manifest a better way of living.

Now, when we hear the word “magic” many people think “hocus pocus” or stage magicians. This has given a bad reputation to many peoples beliefs.

Magic and spirituality go hand and hand. Like anything else in life, magic and spirituality can be used for good or for bad. One persons decisions should not affect the overall principals of any belief or practice.

I have met Wiccans, Pagans and spiritual teachers. Their practices or beliefs are not any less important than other major religions or belief systems. These are kind and loving individuals, with respect and love for nature and the world as a whole.

So how do you manifest?

Everything that I have spoken about on my blog posts so far, has been a combination of manifesting in general. From the conditioning of the mind, mindfulness, ego and enlightenment, self-love, law of attraction, even to the energy systems.

We have already been manifesting, even without us being aware of it. Now that we recognize this, we can take that attention and mindfully manifest.

Like anything else, this takes practice to understand. When we manifest, we make it visible to our reality. We can manifest pain, sadness, happiness or even physical things. But it is not hocus pocus, it is “attraction“.

When we manifest anything, it is something that is already there for us. We are now just calling to it and making it visible into our reality. As I have mentioned before, they key is to believe that you actually deserve what you are trying to manifest or attract into your life.

Something to keep in mind is that, you cannot manifest for someone else. We are all walking down different path, and while you can help someone along the way to understanding, only they have the power over their own reality.

Remember… ONE LOVE!

*Transfer Healing

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What are Chakras?

There is a world of subtle energy that revolves within and around us, also known as our vital life force. This subtle energy world that resides within us is called, the chakra system. The chakras are subtle energy centers within our body.

The word chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates to wheel. These spinning wheels of energy are responsible for managing the energy in specific parts of our body. This includes our organs and our nervous system.

These energy centers are categorized as minor and major chakra centers. You have likely heard of the 7 major chakras. Those 7 major centers are what govern the minor chakra centers and our overall energy balance of the body.

How to regain a healthy and balanced chakra system?

Stress, personal toxic traits, unhealthy patterns, and some of the foods we eat can affect our chakra system. If we have an unhealthy balance of energy, we can start to see detrimental effects to our health.

Teachers or Masters refer to this as “blocked chakras”. When we have blocked chakras in our body, we are more prone to illness because our chakra system is not functioning at the optimal level.

There are many ways you can regain harmony back into your energy centers. Simple ways can be to change up the foods you eat, become aware of our own unhealthy patterns and do things that cause little to no stress. The key is to be honest with yourself first.

Other ways to help regain a healthy and balanced chakra system, is to practice meditation, yoga, mindfulness or try getting in touch with someone in your area that is certified to do Reiki.

If you don`t have anyone to help you, reach out to a friend or search online for any help. There are many resources online and many people who are willing to help. Myself included!

What are the 7 major chakra centers?

The 7 major chakra centers are located along your spine and extend from the base of the spine, all the way up to the top of your head. Some people can see the colors of the chakras when they enter deep meditative states. They gain insight as to where they are located and how they look. These 7 major chakras are:

1.Sanskrit name Muludhara

First chakra or Root chakra (red in color) is located at the base of the spine. It is associated with survival and how grounded we are. An unbalanced root chakra can result in anxiety, fear or overall feeling of not being grounded.

2. Sanskrit name Svadhisthana

Second chakra or Sacral chakra (orange in color) is located below the navel. It is associated with our emotional, creative and sexual energies. An unbalanced sacral chakra can result in fear of change, lack of desires and how we connect with others.

3. Sanskrit name Manipura

Third chakra or Solar plexus chakra (yellow in color) is located in the upper abdomen. It is associated with our confidence and sense of purpose. An unbalanced solar plexus can result in low self esteem and self control issues.

4. Sanskrit name Anahata

Fourth chakra or Heart chakra (green in color) is located at the center of your chest. It is associated with unconditional love, compassion and the start of our spiritual understanding. An unbalanced heart chakra can result in lack of self love, lack of compassion for others, depression or loneliness.

5. Sanskrit name Vishuddha

Fifth chakra or Throat chakra (blue in color) is located at the center of the throat. It is associated with self expression and communication. An unbalanced throat chakra can result in shyness, lack of self expression, and struggle with understanding of others point of view.

6. Sanskrit name Ajna

Sixth chakra or Third eye chakra (purple in color) is located in the middle of the forehead. It is associated with vision, rationality, intuition and imagination. An unbalanced third eye chakra can result in lack of opened mindedness, limited imagination, less intuitive and being more dismissive.

7. Sanskrit name Sahasrara

Seventh chakra or Crown chakra (white/violet in color) is located at the top of the head. It is associated with higher consciousness, wisdom and spiritual growth. An unbalanced crown chakra can result in feelings of disconnection with the world and lack of spiritual understanding.

This information speaks in a general sense of how our energy centers work and how we can be affected.

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Point of attraction

What is point of attraction?

Those of you who are familiar with Abraham Hicks have more than likely heard of the phrase “point of attraction”.

Believe it or not, you attract to yourself all of your good and bad experiences. Your mindset, your thoughts and your emotions drive this.

The point of attraction is what’s going on behind the scenes of “The Law of Attraction“. At all times, you are attracting things to yourself. You might be aware of it or not.

This only has to do with yourself. If something outside of yourself makes you sad, angry, happy or whatever emotion it may be, that is only your interpretation of the experience.

So how does it work?

It is no secret that we are all made of energy. Everything is made up of atoms, therefore everything is energy and everything vibrates. Everything vibrates at different rates or frequencies. That is where the point of attraction comes in.

The point of attraction has to do with vibrations and what resonates with your current state of being. When you have a focused intent or emotion, you will tend to attract more of the same.

For example, when you start the day angry and you start experiencing more things that make you angry.

You might hear yourself say “of course this is happening today”.

Abraham Hicks calls this “The Vibrational Vortex“- The experiences that resonate or are attracted to you with your current point of attraction. Hence the word vibrational.

Our thoughts and intentions have to fall in alignment with the point of attraction we wish to have. In other words, create your own vibrational vortex by aligning your thoughts and intent. This way you will become the point of attraction you desire.

How can you make it work for yourself?

I can only show you the door or “give you the key”, so to speak. But you have to walk your own path when it comes to understanding it completely.

Take a moment and go as far back as you can into your memories. Look for a time of when you had magic in your eyes and unconditional love in your heart.

Ask yourself:

•What do I feel?

•What do I see?

•What are my emotions and how were my thoughts in these memories?

Take that magic and that unconditional love to create and drive your life in the present moment. Keep those intentions pure and trust yourself.

When you vibrate at the frequency of unconditional love, life becomes magical in its own way.

It is ok to be sad, or upset. Sometimes things do happen to us that are outside of our control but how we chose to react is what matters.

Personally, the best way to start and understand yourself better is to practice mindfulness.

The key is so never let those low level vibrations or low level emotions and thoughts stay for too long. Give power only to what helps you create and grow for the better.

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Depression or Despondency?

What is depression and despondency?

Mental health is a serious issue for many people nowadays. Especially for the younger generations… but this should be looked into deeper. Depression has taken over many lives and ruined many more.

First, I want to say that I am not a doctor or a psychologist or a mental health professional. What I share here is entirely my opinion and from my own personal experience…

We have all experienced a time in our lives that was emotionally overwhelming. A drastic change in our lives that sent us in a downward spiral of self destructive behavior.

I want to clarify or shed some light on this…. So let’s take a look at the words depression and despondency.

Depression – is a mental disorder in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way. (Merriam-Webster)

Despondency – is a state of being that is low in spirits; hopelessness. (Merriam-Webster)

Depression is a serious mental health disorder and if you already see a professional about this, then continue to see your health care professional.

Despondency on the other hand is why I made this post. Those of you who still have not been diagnosed with depression, please take a moment to further address your situation. Incase you are just simply despondent and not depressed.

Depression is a very strong word and shouldn’t be thrown around so loosely.

William Gibson once said – “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, surrounded by assholes.”

Sometimes it’s not necessarily our fault that we feel sad or down. Sometimes is just that we are surrounded by negativity. This negativity over a period of time will affect us for the worse.

So ask yourself, “How is my life being affected by this state of being?”, “Do I find myself able to be happy?”, “Who and what am I surrounded by?”

Am I depressed or despondent?

I believe it is very important to know the difference between the two. If you find yourself feeling despondent or depressed, then take a moment to understand your situation.

With depression, you simply can’t snap out of it whenever you want. It takes time and determination. Do some self-reflection and think about when was the first time you started to feel like this.

Childhood trauma, the lost of a loved one, heartbreaks, losing a job and unhealthy patterns all come together to form the heavy weight that will lead you into a downward spiral of self-destruction.

These things have an impact on us and if gone untreated, it will develop into something serious like depression. So how do you know if you have depression?

These are a few of the symptoms related to depression according to Mayoclinic.org:

•Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness.

•Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters.

•Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, like hobbies or sports.

•Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much.

•Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort.

•Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain.

•Anxiety, agitation or restlessness

Despondency on the other hand is just a state of being where you feel low in spirit. Meaning, loss of courage or loss of hope and despondency is not seen a mental disorder.

To feel despondent is normal. We all have bad days, we all have days where we feel sad or simply just overwhelmed with emotions. This is normal but you never want this to become a habit. Look for ways to become less despondent.

How can I overcome depression or despondency?

For starters, if you already see a mental health care professional and take medications, then speak about this to them.

Even if you suffer from depression, you can still overcome it. It will take time but the key here is your will-power.

If you already suffer from depression or believe that you are depressed or despondent, these are a few of the things you can do to try and overcome it:

1. Seek help or support – This should be the first thing you do. Seek help from someone you love or if you can, go see a mental health care professional. The important part is that you speak to someone about what is going on. There is always going to be someone who cares about you.

2. Take action -When you take action, you instill in your mind that you want to achieve something. This something should be happiness and personal growth. Take action into something that is the opposite of a despondent state.

3. Look for things that make you happy – This is pretty self-explanatory but this can be literally anything that makes you happy. Anything from music, hobbies, sports, talking to your loved ones or watching funny and great tv shows.

4. Gratitude – To practice gratitude is to be mindful of the things we can be grateful for. When we are genuinely grateful we experience joy and positivity.

5. Self-love – Practicing self-love is about growing with yourself, for your own happiness and self acceptance. It is a state of getting to know and appreciating your self-worth. Self-love is about loving, caring and understanding yourself.

6. Practice mindfulness – When you practice mindfulness, you become more aware of yourself and your environment. Like any other practice, the more you practice the better you become at it. Mindfulness is done to gain a deeper understanding of your mind and your emotions. Meditation is a form of mindfulness.

7. Affirmations – Affirmations are positive statements that we can tell ourselves, to better improve the quality of our mind and our lives. I am happy, I am worthy, I am confident and I am healthy are all affirmations. Start your day with some affirmations.

The purpose of these practices is to refocus your attention into personal growth and take your mind off of the despondent state. Gain control over your life and your emotions.

The important thing to remember is that you don’t need to rush into anything. Take it one step at a time. As long as you are trying is what really matters.

Don’t give up!

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7 Ways to show gratitude

Being grateful is one of the keys to happiness! Gratitude means to be thankful or to be appreciative. Showing gratitude for what you have even if it is less than what you expect or want, will make all the difference.

When we are genuinely grateful we experience joy and positivity. Not only do we experience this for ourselves but our friends and family are also affected by us. When we show or express gratitude, we also become an example to those around us. We can give, without having to expect anything in return.

A life without gratitude is not too great. Unhappiness is likely to follow along. We may not always get what we want but we should always appreciate what we have…

7 ways to show gratitude:

1.Being thoughtful of others

Being thoughtful of others shows understanding and compassion. We may not always know what the other person may be going through or why they may act the way they do. But being thoughtful can help the other person feel appreciated.

2. Saying “Thank You”

People in general do kind things all the time but not everyone says “thank you” in return. A simple “thank you” can make the biggest difference to the other person. It shows appreciation for even the smallest of acts.

3. Create a gratitude notebook

A gratitude notebook is a simple yet powerful way of realizing how much you can be grateful for. It works by writing down different things on why you are grateful. For example, “I am grateful for my home” and “I am grateful for my health“. This habit of writing in your gratitude notebook will have you thinking of even the smallest things you can have gratitude towards.

4. Do a random act of kindness for someone

A genuine act of kindness shows gratitude because it comes from the heart. Something as simple as holding the door for someone or randomly telling someone you know that you appreciate their friendship. This shows gratitude because it was a genuine act without expecting something in return.

5. Apologize when it is necessary

To apologize when necessary, will show compassion and appreciation because sometimes we too can make mistake. We can`t always be correct and sometimes it is ok to take a step back.

6. Check up on a friend or family

We live in a very fast paced world. We may not always have time for everything we want to do during our day but checking up on someone takes only a few minutes. It can completely turn that persons day around. It shows gratitude because it shows that you took some time out of your busy day to care about them.

7. Smile

I learned this one when I used to work in a McDonald`s. They always told us to smile and that “a smile is free”. A smile goes a long way. A genuine smile shows gratitude by expressing that you are acknowledging that other person. A smile can also express that you are kind and approachable.

Remember that gratitude should always be genuine. It should always come from your heart. Show gratitude because you want to and not because you have to.

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Affirmations

What are affirmations?

Affirmations are positive statements that we can tell ourselves, to better improve the quality of our mind and our lives. I am happy, I am worthy, I am confident and I am healthy are all affirmations.

Negative affirmations also exist and most of us have probably been using them without realizing it. Anything from I am sad, I can’t do this, I am lonely and pretty much anything negative you tell yourself, affirms that it will be what you get as a result.

Practicing affirmations is a way of thinking. It is a lot easier than you might think. You simply have to pay attentions to yourself. Be mindful of how you behave around people, how people make you feel, how many times throughout the day you are positive, and how many times throughout the day you think negatively.

Whenever you find yourself thinking negatively or doubting yourself, check yourself and turn those thoughts into positive affirmations.

Over a period of time, you will see a positive change in your life. Similar to the “law of attraction”, you have to be honest with yourself and believe that you deserve all those positive affirmations you tell yourself. Reality is a matter of perception.

There is a difference when you say “I want to be happy”, than from “I am happy”. When you say “I want”, you put out a future tense effect on that because you say you don’t currently have it. Now, when you say “I am”, you create a present tense affirmation that creates a more powerful effect on the mind because the present moment is always there. Our minds govern our reality and so whatever we believe is what we will get as a result.

How to practice affirmations?

First thing we should do is re-program our way of thinking. We need to refocus our attention. If you have doubt in yourself or think negatively about yourself, get rid of it.

Good or bad, our way of thinking has greatly influenced our reality. Everything from the people we have attracted around us, our behaviors and the quality of environment that surrounds us.

Practicing affirmations is simple, but you need consistency in order to build a pattern for yourself. The best way to start out is in the morning and the key here is for you to actually believe you deserve what ever affirmation you use. It must be credible.

Start with a simple affirmation like, “I am grateful for another day”. Then as the day goes on, catch yourself when ever you see you are thinking negatively. By night time, if you haven’t had any negative thoughts or negative situations throughout your day, be grateful once again for that.

If throughout the day you had negative thoughts or experiences, then ask yourself why it could of had happened and how could it had gone differently. The only things we have no control over is in how another person will react. If another person is negative or toxic, that is entirely on them and it has nothing to do with you. Your control is over yourself and your life.

Benefits and examples of affirmations

Apart from changing the way we think, affirmations help us improve the quality of our thinking and our lives.

We become more motivated, we learn to believe more in ourselves, we become more positive and we learn how to deal with what ever life throws at us.

You can always create your own affirmations. Think about how you feel when you use them. A few examples include:

• I believe in myself

• I love myself unconditionally

• I am worthy

• I am beautiful

• I am happy

• I am in control

• I wake up every morning full of love and light

These are a few examples but you can create your own after some practice. Affirmations should be fun, simple and uplifting. If you find yourself seeing it as “work” or a “chore”, then maybe you need to restart your approach.

Gratitude and honesty is what opens doors, and creates new paths…

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Simplicity

What is simplicity?

I like to think about simplicity as a form of mindfulness, allowing us to focus on one thing at a time. Simplicity is about reducing any of the excess…

Simplicity implies that we find the simplest way of doing something.

When we practice simplicity, it helps us to embrace the present moment. To embrace the present moment helps us see life for what it is and to appreciate more of what we have.

For most of us, our daily lives revolve around paying bills and random complications just arising out of nowhere. Things tend to get overwhelming and we end up focusing on our problems so much that we bring the upcoming issues of tomorrow into today.

More often then not, these problems in life can have us worry about the future and take us out of the present moment. We end up being so worried about what may happen tomorrow, that we neglect to appreciate what we have.

We all have problems in life and sometimes it can cloud our judgement in things, making it difficult for us to input simplicity into these problems.

Something simple we can do when complications arise, is to remember that our stress and fears over the future frequently end up being just us, overthinking everything.

Benefits of practicing simplicity

We may yearn for a more simple way to life and it exists in simplicity. When we bring simplicity into our lives, we will discover that numerous advantages emerge.

The effects of simplicity begins in the mind. When we practice simplicity, we start to reduce the clutter in the mind and also the clutter in our lives.

Simplicity can help us to slow things down. It helps us to ease our mind and take a step back from all the chaos or problems in our lives.

Sometimes we attempt to multitask, thinking that we can accomplish more by doing more at once. Finding the simple way to things and focusing on one thing at a time can help bring about a level of calmness, joy, and peace of mind.

That overwhelming feeling is no longer there because you start to learn to be in the present moment.

When we improve our lives with simplicity, we discover that we can accomplish more than when we have too many things going on at the same time. This in turn allows us to work more efficiently on anything we do.

While there is no specific way to practice simplicity, all that matters is that you find an improvement in well-being and an improvement in your everyday life. The great thing about simplicity is that there will never be anything complicated about it.

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Transfer Healing with happiness and kindness

When I say transfer healing in my blogs or in my social media, I mean to become a ripple of healing. This can be done by doing anything that comes from a place of unconditional love.

To become a ripple of healing, we just have to be ourselves without trying to force anything. This way when we interact with others, we can remain genuine in our actions.

Being a ripple of happiness and kindness can be a wellspring of trust and hope for many, even if we don’t know it. It creates new and positive possibilities, not only for ourselves but also for others.

Personally, the best way to transfer healing is by practicing self-love. When we heal ourselves, we also create a more amplified ripple of healing. We can also transfer healing by simply being kind, being happy, saying nice things, helping others when you can and just the general sense of doing good in the world.

The truth is that there is much negativity in our world, but the more healing we transfer, the more changes we will see. It really all starts with ourselves first.

This might sound a little cliché, but if you want to see a change in the world, you must first start with yourself. The most powerful thing we can do is to become an example for others.

Regardless of whether we feel that we don’t deserve kindness, another person can feel distinctively about us and our worth. Being kind and expressing happiness gives access to self-adoration. The more happiness and kindness we express, the more our general surroundings will turn into a significantly more wonderful place.

What if others are unkind?

Now and again some individuals may decide to be unkind to us. Sometimes these people can’t control themselves and might not realize the amount of hurt they could be transferring to us and to others. But even then, maybe we can be an example for them.

We should not react with the same energy they are coming at us with. If they are unkind, then a decent decision to avert the situation can be to simply separate ourselves from those surroundings.

Another option can be, to be thoughtful and be kind back to the individual who has decided to treat us savagely. You don’t have to be kind to the other person if you truly don’t want to but it is a powerful alternative we can attempt. When we transfer healing with happiness and kindness, we influence the people we interact with and the ripple continues on with the people they interact with.

The ripple goes on and on…

Generosity has a far reaching influence. The people we interact with can take this benevolence and transform it into something wonderful, even with the awful things that can be going on in their lives. Being kind and sharing our happiness takes nothing away from us and can show the best of us.

We might not realize the impacts of our generosity on others. It may be that somebody returns home with a more joyful heart, and in return they too ripple generosity to friends and family.

The happiness and kindness that emanates from us to others can assist them with improving their lives by giving them hope, by helping them through troublesome times, or by simply helping them smile.

Sometimes we might not even be aware of how far our ripples can go, but I guarantee that they will go far now and again. When we transfer healing, we can help others to carry on with an improved outlook on life.

We all have opportunities in our lives to be kind to other people or to say something empowering. But this should come from a genuine place. It should come from the kindness of your heart!

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Ego and Enlightenment

We have all heard of the word ego and enlightenment. How the “death of the ego” grants you enlightenment or just people saying they have achieved enlightenment.

I want to share my thoughts on this and maybe add some clarity, in a very non typical manner. First we must look at what ego and enlightenment means.

Ego is the Latin word for “I” and by definition ego means – The “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought. (Dictionary.com )

Enlightenment by definition means – The state of being enlightened. To be enlightened means to have full comprehension of the problems involved. (merriam-webster.com)

But I like to think of enlightenment as simply, a state of complete understanding of oneself.

When you have complete understanding of oneself, you understand your suffering and you understand why you desire the things you desire. In achieving such a state, you are also granted the insight to see the world for what it is because your judgement is not clouded by any bias beliefs or way of thinking.

Why can I speak about this?

I speak from personal experience. I have been practicing deep meditations since I was 13 years old. Now I am 26 at the time of writing this and when I was 22, I achieved this state of understanding but not while in meditation. I was just sitting on my chair, in my room.

However, I do not like to call it enlightenment because that term can be very misleading. What I experienced did not feel like what it was described to be. It did not feel like a blissful state. It felt pretty shitty, actually.

In that very moment of revelation, I experienced clarity like never before but at the same time I felt confused because I couldn’t describe it. Even now it is very difficult to put into words. Any person who has had this experience will say the same. If you meet someone that outright says “I am enlightened”, walk away.

I would describe the experience as “losing touch with reality”. My thoughts and everything I knew was scattered. I had to rebuild my way of thinking and how I understood myself. I had to pick up the pieces sort of speak.

For the first couple of days I had crazy headaches, I lacked motivation and I spent a lot of the time laying down just rebuilding my understanding of life and things that I understood in general.

So what is the deal with ego and enlightenment?

I am not your typical spiritual speaker. I will always tell you to look for your own truths and to seek your own understanding of “self”.

So many of us have heard about “the death of the ego”. Let me tell you that this is nonsense. Even after achieving “enlightenment” or complete understanding of oneself, you will totally and 100% have an ego.

The thing that changes here is perception. The perception of “oneself” will be redefined. Ego should not be seen as a bad thing. Ego is simply the self, defining itself. Some people are just egotistical and this is what gives ego a bad reputation.

What does it mean to be enlightened?

To be enlightened is to have found your own truths and your own revelations, that leads you into a state of complete understanding. This is not a one and done deal.

Enlightenment is a path. The path to enlightenment is never ending. It is about getting rid of the baggage and the illusions that we have obtained over the years. It is about learning for yourself and by yourself who you are and what is helping you achieve that.

You know when you are on the right path, when you have no resistance and there is no conflict towards your understanding of oneself.

Just because you are on the path of enlightenment does not mean that you won’t suffer anymore or that you will be permanently happy. It will grant you the understanding and insight into why you suffer and why you desire.

This is why it is described as a blissful state. Because now you gain the clarity needed to understand life and yourself as a whole. This took me a little while to understand, even after I had my experience.

Know that we all experience an ever so slightly different reality. So what works for you, might not work for someone else. Always trust the process and keep a genuine approach. Love unconditionally and transfer healing by becoming a ripple of love, positivity and understanding.

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Mental Stability

We all stress, we all worry and we all want peace of mind or just an overall mental stability. Mental health is just as important as your physical health. At times, even more important.

To have mental stability, is to have your thoughts in order and at ease. A true mental clarity that brings about a serene state of mind. This is a process like any other. It will take practice and much discipline but it does not have to be difficult.

We should be the masters of our thoughts and not the other way around. We become masters of our thoughts when we stop letting our thoughts influence our emotions and our actions.

How do we gain mental stability?

The key is to always be honest with yourself, always!

There is such a thing as individual patterns and traits we all have. We must become aware of this if we wish to obtain some level of mental stability. We are all unique individuals and only we can truly figure out these patterns for ourselves. We can have help in the process but being honest with yourself is what will ultimately grant you the insight.

Discard of bad company and things that drain your happiness. Talking with friends that care, doing things you love and practicing mindfulness can all help with gaining clarity about yourself.

Analyze your thoughts, which ones make you feel happy, sad, angry, envy, and which ones help you achieve self-love. Don’t fight the feelings, process them and understand why those thoughts are making you feel like that.

What could be preventing you from mental stability?

Stability in general is to have a balance. As we grow up, we get caught up in life and lose some of this balance. To regain the balance we need to understand what could be limiting us.

Our childhood plays a part in this, so does cultural constructs, religious constructs, social constructs and anything that limits your imagination. Imagination helps us go above and beyond with our creativity.

To summarize this, I call it “Conditioning of the mind“. Some of what we have learned over the years may not be necessary anymore. We must put some things aside and recreate a better way of thinking for ourselves.

When we relearn, we rewire our brains to think differently. Our thoughts come in slower because we are being more selective about how we react and think. When your thoughts are calmer you are also better able to process your emotions. This is when self discipline comes into play.

Think about relearning as having an ability. This ability grants you insight into yourself and grants you mental stability because you just rebuilt your own balance.

Rememwber to not rush through this process. Take your time!

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DIVE

“Dive is the title of a piece I wrote a couple of years ago. It is about fear being the cause of doubt and lack of self-love.“

There is such a thing as natural fear. The survival instinct fear we are all born with. This is for self preservation and is a natural instinct we all have. However, I will be talking about fear in a more general and emotional sense.

Why do we fear?

Most of us live in a constant state of fear and overthinking. We often overthink and overwhelm ourselves with things that might not even happen or be true. We fear to love, to be loved, we fear failure and we fear taking risks in life.

From my understanding, fear is based on doubt and lack of self-love. When you doubt yourself, your level of confidence diminishes. You keep yourself limited in what you can actually accomplish. We all make mistakes and that should be acceptable.

Lack of self-love also adds to fear. When we don’t appreciate what we have to offer or love who and what we are, we also keep ourselves limited to possibilities.

We may fear because we don’t want to fail or lose. We may fear to love unconditionally because if things just don’t work out, we feel heart broken. We may fear to be loved because we don’t want to give ourselves to someone and then lose that special connection.

This all goes back to doubt and self-love. Love yourself for all that you can offer and know that doubt is normal to experience but it should never control our lives.

So take a “Dive”

I am here to say, take a chance into something new and dive into it. Express yourself, love yourself and be confident in yourself. We are all special in our own way and someone will always love you for who you are.

It is ok to fail. You learn and keep on moving forward. If you succeed, it will be the greatest feeling! Take your time and know that there is no rush. All that matters is that you are trying and learning more about yourself.

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What is self-love?

Practicing self-love is about growing with yourself, for your own happiness and self acceptance. It is a state of getting to know and appreciating your self-worth. Self-love is about loving, caring and understanding yourself.

When we take care of our happiness and our well-being we also become an example to others. We feel better, we look better and we can interact with our surroundings much better. Our friends and family will see that too. Just like how they see when we are sad or not taking care of ourselves.

Remember that we all have flaws… but we also have much more to offer. When we practice self-love, we become mindful of our own emotions and thoughts. We learn what we can offer the world and what we deserve as individuals.

There will always be a time when someone will be rude or treat us in a way we know we do not deserve. That should never be a reason to doubt yourself or feel any less of yourself. Those people are going through their own battles and maybe they just cannot help but to act like that.

Why practice self-love?

When we practice self-love, we also grow mentally and spiritually because you gain insight into yourself. By learning and understanding yourself, you are better equipped to deal with what life can toss at us. You also gain the ability to share and transfer healing by being compassionate, and understanding of others.

In todays world, self-love is something very much misunderstood. It has nothing to do with being self-centered or not carrying about others. Your happiness is important too and it should be considered selfless. When you heal, those around you heal with you.

How to practice self-love?

There really is not right way to this either. What I have learned is that self-love can come from just about anything that helps you let go of unhappy thoughts and emotional suffering. You can practice by:

1.Forgive yourself – This one is big. Forgiving yourself for something you did in the past is the cause of much suffering but it does not have to be like that. Know and understand that at the time, you did what you thought was right. Accept that mistakes happen to even the best of us. Try not to be so hard on yourself.

2.Practicing mindfulness – Through mindfulness we become more in touch with ourselves, leading to understanding.

3.Rid yourself of unhealthy relationships – This may include a friendship or a relationship you have with your loved one. Sometimes it is hard to let go because we care too much but your unhappiness is not worth it. Work on the relationship if you can but if there is more pain and suffering than happiness, then maybe you should focus on your self-love.

4.Eat healthier – We don`t have to be on a diet but eating healthier will help our bodies feel good. Drink water and eat foods that will not have you feeling groggy right after. If you feel good, chances are that you will have a much better day.

5.Surround yourself with people who care and uplift you – Your circle of friends and family can affect us more than we might think. Even if we have only a few friends, it is better to have one real friend that cares and uplifts you. Rather than many friends who just simply do not motivate each other to do better in life or don`t treat you with respect.

6.Practice gratitude – By being grateful of what you have and what you have accomplished in life, you instantly feel the change in your mood. Focus on the good things and all that you love. Especially the small things in your life that you can be grateful for.

These are just a few of the ways you can start to practice self-love. The key is to simply be kind to yourself and appreciate your self-worth, with flaws and all. Love yourself for who you are!

“Practice makes perfect…”

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Healthy Alternatives

In these modern times, we are seeing more and more healthier alternatives. From healthy juice and cookies, to healthy toothpaste and deodorant. Whatever it may be you are interested in, you will find a healthy alternative to it.

Why switch to a Healthy Alternative?

Switching to a healthier lifestyle is not always easy, for most of us at least. It is hard to let go of things we love and what we have grown accustom to. But like many things, sometimes what we love is not always for the best. In the long run these unhealthy choices will have an impact on our health.

When you make the switch, you start to see real changes and fast.

No more groggy feeling after eating

Your skin looks better

Less health problems

Your digestive system becomes healthier

The overall health of your body feels the effect

Look for organic, non G.M.O (genetically modified organism), look for no preservatives and just make it a habit to look for the natural products. Your body will thank you!

There is truth behind, “You are what you eat”. This includes foods and the environment you are in. Unchecked, unhealthy thoughts lead to real physical changes in your body. So imagine what the foods you eat can do to you. Switch your soda for juice. If you just love caffeine, then try teas. I love green tea for its mild caffeine effect, all while also being a healthy beverage packed with antioxidants.

What about water?

Water should become your best friend. The quality of your best friend will ultimately define you as well. If you can avoid drinking tap water, you should. Tap water is not healthy water.

The healthiest choice is spring water. You want the PH to be at the neutral 7. Spring water is the best choice because it is natural and from the source. It is not purified and then added minerals. For example, my favorite is Fiji water. It will have the natural minerals and electrolytes we need for our body.

From water, to your toothpaste. Remember to always stick to the healthy alternatives. Your body will thank you!

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5 benefits of mindful breathing.

What is mindful breathing?

Mindful breathing is a technique used to focus your attention unto your breathing, to bring about calmness and focus to yourself.

Similar to meditation in how the breathing technique is applied. Although, you don`t have to be sitting for mindful breathing. But you can if you find it best. You can do it at work, while driving, while you take a walk, or while you are having a difficult conversation with someone.

How to do mindful breathing?

Simply, focus on your breathing and inhale through your nose until you feel comfortable enough to exhale. Don`t stress the inhale!

When you are ready to exhale, release your breath calmly through your mouth. Exhale until you feel comfortable enough to bring back an inhale through your nose.

Repeat this until you start to feel your breathing begin to calm and your heart rate begin to become more steady. Your breathing should become in tune with your thinking.

Do this all while paying attention to yourself and your surroundings. Take in the moment. The colors, the shapes, your thoughts and your feelings. Feel your breath and your heart rate as they begin to calm down and your breathing begins to become less heavy.

What are the benefits of mindful breathing?

Mindfulness comes in many different forms and styles. Mindful breathing is focused more on the breathing but it brings along some of the same benefits. Such as:

Reduced stress and anxiety

Decreased overall negative thoughts

Improved focus and attention

Improved creativity

Reduced blood pressure

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What is conditioning of the mind?

Over the years I have learned about different labels or titles on what conditioning is. All in all, conditioning is the “how and what” we have been taught to think. It is the collective information that has been passed down to us over the generations. Our collective way of thinking and collective way of feeling, all fall into this too. From our first show of love from our parents, to our silly pet peeves.

Think of conditioning as a collective “World Mind”. We are all unique individuals but we all fall upon this world mind.

All of our morals, cultural constructs, social constructs, the way you worry, the way you care and love, the way you hate, the very core of your thinking is a combination of this. Whether we are aware of it or not, understand that you cannot get rid of this. You can substitute the information with a better way of being or thinking, but this world mind will always be present.

I present this only as a means to make you aware of it, to get you to start thinking about it so that I can present you the good news… It is up to you to decide what things you could change about yourself to become a better version of who you were yesterday. No one can tell you otherwise. This is something you need to learn for yourself if you wish to evolve from our past and eroded way of thinking. We must become aware of what we have been taught and the information we have accumulated over the years.

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Why I chose a pen name!

I have always loved to write. But I have only ever written for myself. As time went on and I kept writing, I thought to myself that I would create a book. At first I thought I would create a guide to help people and bring awareness about ourselves and our world. Then I realized that if I took that approach, I would only become another one of the many who become “life gurus”. As amazing as that sounds, I rather leave that for those who are more passionate in that approach.

My thing has always been writing, so I looked more deeply and asked myself what else I could offer through my writing. What came to mind was, “I could write stories that help people”. So I started to practice making stories and what I realized is that I was mixing my “persona” with the stories and character being thought of. I was doing this involuntarily and when I became aware of that, it kind of startled me. It startled me because I was adding more of myself into the story, than I thought. Even if I was creating a character that I didn`t think resembled me.

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