Perspective Shift

Meditation is a truly rewarding and empowering experience that everyone should partake in on a daily basis. Guided meditations are always enjoyable, for the more advanced practitioners as well as for the newer ones. As you all know I do enjoy meditation music, so here are just a few meditations, guided and otherwise that I found on youtube awhile ago and were worthy enough to be saved to my favorites for future reference :) I figured if I enjoyed them you might too. Enjoy.

Now let's be real. Who would I be if I didn't try to throw some knoweldge in your face? >:) This first clip is somewhat very elementary but it is knowledge none the less and that has no price. It is a video essentially teaching you how to meditate in a basic sense. It has some good information contained in them and its at least worth a watch. I'd especially recommend it to beginners because I know how frustrating it can be when learning about meditation. The video will at least keep your attention... This video is only one part of a series that goes up to 9+ videos. So if you're interested just go to the publishers channel on YouTube and check them out. But here is the first part.

Part 1



This video is enjoyable. It is entitled "Angel Meditation" but it really has nothing to do with anything angelic besides the captivating colorful images. It has a really soothing feel to it and I enjoy it. It's no guided meditation but if you enjoy meditation music as much as I do then you will probably love this video.



This video... Excellent. I actually sat here trying to find it for you guys :P. For someone who knows about Mantras it's still enjoyable, for those virgin to it, it's an extremely good watch. Powerful. It's also recommended that you watch it for some posts coming up *hint hint wink wink nudge nudge*



These videos are all great, I have a lot more that I want to share with you but I don't want to leave it up to you to do research on a lot of what is gone over in the videos. So after I make a post about Mantras, etc... I'll be sure to link you guys to some other great videos I have enjoyed. Take Care Everyone!

Namaste

~Chris

Commonly in many parapsychological oriented communities, or that of general metaphysics, the use of meditation, breathing exercises, or long term sessions geared towards a single goal is used to in turn create the desired outcome. Be that outcome the progression of some say it "psychic" phenomena, or that of spiritual advancement. Whatever the outcome is, there is a simple, and I say this, simple concept that is often always overlooked.

In sifting through various websites I have found that not only is this topic addressed very little, it is also one of the most important things to address when dealing with matters of the brain, and thus the mind. This topic is clearly the thought of the brain, being that of a muscle, and like all muscles it needs to be exercised regularly to keep it healthy...


Why Does This Apply To Me?

Whatever your goal, or reason in reading this blog, it applies to you, as it applies to everyone. Just as intelligence is power, a powerful mind is of the utmost importance when doing anything within the metaphysical world of things. It improves concentration, memory, thought skills, intelligence, etc... Which is very much so important. This should be easily seen at this point in time, if it was not known before. Though this information may not come as a surprise to some of you, it is still neglected in most articles geared towards your advancement, and should be enacted to better yourself in all aspects of life.

The Brain

The Brain is a thinking organ, which works with its world and environment by interaction and perception. Our brains are able to effectively rewire itself and adapt, even in old age. Hence forth, with disease aside, the major cause for the decline in mental functioning in old age is due to a lack of exercise and new experiences to stimulate the brain. If the opposite, however, is applied, it can cause a new production of neurons. What this means, for the sake of simplicity, is that the more you work, challenge, and offer your brain diverse experiences, it makes it stronger, which has extremely positive long term effects.

I'm going to give you various exercises that should be practiced on a regular basis. These exercises will increase your sensitivity, concentration, memory, etc... Some of these exercises will seem familiar to a few of you, depending on your choice in reading material, others you have probably not been seen and seldom will. Either way I present them here only because I have/do personally use them and find them extremely useful.

Building Focus

Focus is a crucial component in everything you attempt to do when it comes to Psionics, Heremetics, or just general Meditation and every day life experiences. It is true that you can accomplish things without the most focus in the world, however, having a good amount of focus makes things go a lot smoother, and there are some instances whereby you cannot do without. Focus is also not like riding a bike, it takes constant attention and practice to build and maintain.

The following exercises come directly from the book Initiation Into Hermetics by Franz Bardon. They are very effective, henceforth why I am listing them here. They are well written and explained thoroughly, so there is little need for me to rewrite them in anyway, as I could do them no better justice.

The first step in acquiring a keen level of focus is to get a handle on the main distracting issue we all face, our own thoughts. Incoincidentally, it is also the first step of mental training offered in the book, so it is where we will start:

Thought Control: Discipline of Thoughts, & Subordination of Thoughts

Take a seat in a comfortable chair or lie down on a settee. Relax the whole
body, close your eyes and observe the train of your thoughts for five minutes,
trying to retain it. At first, you will find that there are rushing up to you thoughts concerning everyday affairs, professional worries, and the like. Take the behavior of a silent observer toward these trains of thoughts, freely and independently.

According to the mentality and the mental situation you happen to be in at the moment, this exercise will be more or less easy for you. The main point is not to forget yourself, not to lose the train of thoughts, but to pursue it attentively. Beware of falling asleep while doing this exercise. If you begin to feel tired, stop instantly and postpone the exercise to another time, when you intent not to give in to tiredness. The Indians sprinkle cold water on their faces or rub down the face and upper part of their bodies to remain brisk and not waste precious time. Some deep breathing before you begin will also prevent tiredness and sleepiness. As time goes on, each disciple will find out such little tricks by himself. This exercise of controlling thoughts
has to be undertaken in the morning and at night. It is to be extended each
day by one minute to allow the train of thoughts to be pursued and controlled
without the slightest digression for a time of 10 minutes at least after a
week's training.

This space of time is destined to the average man. If it should not suffice,
everyone can extend it according to his own apposition. In any event, it is
advisable to proceed very consciously, because it is of no use to hurry,
development being quite individual in men. On no account go further before the
preceding exercise is perfectly under control.

This is the first step for a reason. Without adequate thought control it proves to be very difficult in later exercises, such as meditation, which also happens to be the one subject I will probably stress above any other subjects in later posts. It is recommended that you do not move on until you meet the requirements he lists. Being hasty will get you no where and give you nothing more than wasted time and thus effort. I cannot stress enough the need for patience, rushing through is a serious waste of your own time and the only one you are cheating is yourself. Once this is completed and to an adequate level you are content with, Franz continues by saying:

"Up to now we have learned to control our thoughts. The next exercise will consist in not giving way in our mind to thoughts obtruding themselves in our mind, unwanted and obstinate. For instance, we must be able not to occupy ourselves any longer with the tasks and worries of our profession when we come home from work and return the family circle and privacy. All thoughts not belonging to our privacy must be set aside, and we ought to manage to become quite a different personality instantly. And just the other way around: in our job, all thoughts have to be concentrated in it exclusively, and we must not allow them to digress our wander home, to private affairs, or elsewhere. This has to be practiced time and again until it has developed into a habit. Above all, one ought to accustom oneself to achieve whatever one does with full consciousness, whether in professional work or in private, regardless whether the point is a big one or a trifle. This exercise should be kept for a lifetime, because it is sharpening the mind and strengthening the consciousness and the memory.

Having obtained a certain skill in this exercise, you may turn to the following one. The purpose will now be to hold onto a single thought or idea for a longer while, and to suppress any other thoughts associating and obtruding with force on the mind. Choose for this purpose any train of thoughts or ideation or a suitable presentation according to your personal taste. hold onto this presentation with all your strength. Vigorsoulsy refuse all the other thoughts that have nothing to do with the thoughts being exercised. At first you probably will succeed only for a few seconds, later on for minutes. You must manage to concentrate on one single thought and follow it for 10 minutes at least."

The exercise of keeping personal thoughts for personal time and professional thoughts only for when you are in a professional environment is one that everyone should take in and work at. Bringing unnecessary stress into the home is detrimental to any environment. However, in our current economic state, with jobs on the low, and the cost of living on such a high, such things are not always the primary concern as we all feel the need to go up and beyond that which we could feel content with previously.

This is one subject I grappled with and though it is not the end all be all, I advise that you at least consider it. I understand that at times taking work home is almost inevitable, and the stress along with that. Though it should be understood that the only person who has control over your emotions, is you, and making excuses for the way you handle those emotions gets you no where. As I've learned, the best way to not be stressed, is to not be stressed. This is a very effective exercise and practice, one that I still grapple with because we are all human. However if you work at it, I assure you that it will make you a lot more at ease and content, as well as making the home environment filled with a lot more joy.

Franz completes this section by saying:

"If you succeed in doing so, you will be fit for a new exercise. Let us then learn how to produce an absolute vacancy of mind. Lie down comfortable on a bed or sofa or sit in an armchair and relax your whole body. Close your eyes. Energetically dismiss any thought coming upon you. Nothing at all is allowed to happen in your mind; an absolute vacancy of mind must reign. Now hold on to this stage of vacancy without digressing or forgetting. At first, you will manage to do so for only a few seconds, but by practicing it more often you will surely succeed better at it. The purpose of the exercise will be attained if you succeed in remaining in this state for a full 10 minutes without losing your self-control or even falling asleep."

All of these exercises take time, and thus patience is a must. As I've stated before, rushing through will get you no where fast, but if you work at it diligently and often, you will be sure to see results. The above exercises are only the first of many listed in the book. I considered listing more in depth exercises presented within it, but I would rather you read through the book yourself for knowledge's sake. For the best results you should follow everything mentioned as it is mentioned, as in, take the time to do things as they should be done, and don't cheat yourself.

Relaxation by Distracting the Mind

Most find it easier to focus and concentrate on a subject when they are fully relaxed. It is often difficult, however, to relax fully when your mind is wandering about, which is more likely to happen when whatever task you are attempting to perform, be it driving to work or meditation, becomes that of habit and quite trivial. The more you do something the easier it becomes to do without constant focus and attention. The same reason why as young children we learn to ride a bike while focusing tentatively on not falling, and peddling. But as we grow accustomed to riding the bike, we are able to do so when eating, talking, thinking about other things, etc... Thus, clearing our heads becomes more important and harder with other tasks. Unlike the above exercises, the one I'm going to explain are fairly simple and can be done on any moments notice to clear your head and allow you to relax and concentrate.

Deep Breathing and Counting Backwards

It's no surprise that breathing deeply allows you to relax, but by counting backwards you are able to distract your usually active mind, with a task that is rarely performed. Start by taking in two deep breaths, on the third you begin with the number 10 (or 100, doesn't really matter) and begin counting backwards with every inhalation and exhalation. As in, inhale-10 exhale-9, etc...

Do this until you have made it to zero. For the more mathematically astute individuals this may not suffice, and so I would suggest starting from a larger number, such as 100 and counting backwards by 3's (inhale-100, exhale-97, inhale-94, etc...) or reciting your ABC's in reverse.

This is not a new exercise and has been around in different variations for a long time, mainly because it is an effective exercise and one that I have used often.

Concentration and Memory

Methods of developing concentration and memory are many, but there are none out there I know of to be more effective than the ones you can find entertainment out of. However, entertainingment is not always the answer, and so I will advise that you attempt a form of "Focal Meditation.," which is by no accounts the end all be all of anything, it is a good exercise for concentration purposes, but all the exercises mentioned above will help you in all aspects of concentration and memory. For those still interested, there is an article on Focal Meditation that can be found at the Veritas website. There is no use in me rewriting something that is already sitting around for your viewing pleasures. That article can be found Here.

As for other means of developing the two, here are a list of websites offering games that I find to be pretty entertaining, as well as challenging and should help you to develop your concentration and memory by challenging you:

Play With Your Mind

Intelligent Games

Web Sudoku

It should be made note of that the brain has a tendency to rewire itself, any new activity or ritual that is done in a different manor, perhaps taking a different route to work, or putting your pants on the opposite leg first, forces your brain into essentially "rewiring" to make way for different mechnisisms of solving problems and completing a task, giving you the ability to adapt and think on your feet, basically helping your problem solving skills, making you a more intelligent person.

*This post is one that I will try my best to continually edit, as opposed to making various posts about the same general thing.*

Take Care,

~Truth

Though I stress mindfulness meditation in this piece, it is in no way suggested as being the most effective form of meditation, but it is one that should be acknowledged and remembered, as it applies to most other meditation techniques, and can improve your state of living and gratefulness in life tremendously.

Meditation

Meditation is the delicate art in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and focused. There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about meditation floating around today; such misconceptions develop due to lack of knowledge and understanding. Meditation is a practiced art, and practice is exactly what is needed to become proficient at it.

There are numerous forms and methods of meditation that are practiced for various reasons. Though, the main and common goal of most meditations is to achieve a calm and collective state of mind, in which both the mind and body are relaxed, enabling you to achieve a higher state of concentration and focus. Many if not all meditations focus on the breath and breathing. Breathing has such a significant effect on our lives that when focused upon, and when performed properly, it alone can literally change your outlook on life.

The Power of Breathing

The Body

Correct breathing uses all parts of the lungs to utilize your maximal oxygen intake. This means taking slow, deep and rhythmical breaths. It’s important to be able to control the lengths of your inhalation, exhalation and pauses between breaths. Regulating the flow of breathing can boost energy levels while calming and making room for a more focused mind. The breath is the most vital part in any effective meditation. It is used to fuel our bodies with the most important nutrient to humans in existence, oxygen. It is also used to release the body of a highly detrimental element known as carbon dioxide. Despite the fact that we can live for days without food and water, we can only live a mere few minutes without the assistance of breathing. Breathing properly can allow you to live a much more calm and relaxed life.

However, what exactly does the Breath do for our bodies? Oxygen enables the cells of the body to release energy that is stored as high-energy chemical bonds in our food, and enables them to use that energy to do what cells do. Cells keep us alive. They keep our heart, brain, and kidneys working properly. Virtually every cell in the body needs oxygen in order to perform its role(s) efficiently in the body. Average human beings breathe roughly twelve to twenty times per minute.

Children breathe far faster than adults, taking in an average of thirty thousand breaths per day, and infants take about forty per minute. More times than not, people tend to take shallow and inferior breaths, substituting them for full complete breaths, which is a severe mistake when you take into account the importance the breath has as it pertains to our Lymph System.

The Lymph System

Activated by deep breathing, the lymph system or lymphatic vessels, in all mammals are a network of thin tubes that branch, like blood vessels, into tissues throughout the body. Lymphatic vessels carry lymph, a colorless, watery fluid originating from interstitial fluid. The lymphatic system transports infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes, which are involved in the removal of foreign matter and cell debris by phagocytes and is part of the body's immune system.

Blood, carrying nutrients and oxygen is pumped to the thin, porous capillaries from your heart through your arteries. When it arrives, the nutrients are diffused into a fluid around the cells called “lymph.” The cells take what they need, almost with intelligence, and then expel toxins. Dead cells, blood proteins and other toxic materials are removed by the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the way used to drain off large amounts of toxic materials and excess fluid that restricts the amount of oxygen that the cells are able to absorb, because of this; the body’s cells depend on the lymphatic system. The fluid then travels through the lymph nodes, at which point dead cells and other poisons are destroyed, with the exception of blood proteins. If the lymphatic system were shut down for twenty-four hours, you would die as a result of trapped blood proteins and excess fluid around the cells.
In taking deep breaths, the lymph that is collected through the body is drained into the blood through two ducts located at the base of the neck. Breathing is the driving force behind this action. If a deep breath is taken and you exhale deeply, you massage the thoracic duct upward into the neck so that the fluid flows abundantly.

This duct is empties the lymph into the veins, at which point it becomes a part of the blood plasma. Then, the lymph returns to the liver for motabilization and then the kidneys for filtering. The lymphatic system is twice the size of our other circulatory system. Part of staying healthy is keeping the lymphatic system open and flowing. Common knowledge suggests that the body is made up of mostly water. Part of this water resides in the bloodstream, whereas the majority of it is located in the lymphatic system, our cells are located in “a sea of lymph.”

The Mind

Emotions are a driving factor in daily life for most people, they tell us when we’re upset, happy, angry, irritated, scared, etc… When one experiences such an emotion, the effects on their bodies are often overlooked. If you sit, and observe how you are currently feeling, you will notice that your breathing pattern is following your emotional state.

This occurs because as your emotions change, your breathing changes. You notice that when you are angry, or scared, you’re breathing as well as your heart rate increase to enable you with the vital nutrients your body needs. When you are relaxed, your breathing is substantially different. It takes on a more subtle rhythm, deeper, and longer inhalations and exhalations.

However, just as the breath works alongside your emotions, so to can it have the same affect the other way around. If you are upset or stressed for a particular reason or no reason at all, taking time out to breath, taking slow, deep, and long breaths will dramatically alter your emotional state, leaving you with a calm and collective state of mind.

This simple understanding is highly effective as it applies to people going through stressful times in their lives, taking tests, or otherwise trying circumstances. Or it can aid you in simply maintaining a relaxed state of mind throughout the day. The breath has many profound affects on our lives both physically and mentally, and it is also a major catalyst into a deeper, more profound spiritual journey.

The Practice Behind the Experience: Mindfulness Meditation

The practice of Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation is one that has been going on for over 2500 years. The practice revolves around one striving to remain in a state of clear and nonjudgmental awareness about the world around them by actively becoming aware of ones thoughts, emotions and actions in the present moment. It is a spiritual path practiced by many that gradually eliminates the barriers of ones preconceived notions of reality, to make room for our full development of wisdom and compassion.

Though it is described as a “meditation,” the practice can be utilized by other means aside from the standard sitting/lotus position. It is an activity that can be done, learned, and practiced through daily living. By focusing on the breath the practitioner brings their focus onto the present moment, being fully immersed into the now. Through this, one fully experiences all aspects of their activity, both internally and externally.

Through daily activities such as walking, sitting, eating, laundry, washing a car, etc… one may experience and reap the tremendous benefits mindfulness has to offer. The practice is often used by hospitals and psychiatrists to reduce stress in patients.

Through the practice I’ve observed many things about both myself, and the world in which we live. I noticed that most people spend hours, days, months, and years, constantly waiting. Waiting for what? Mundane, profound, and often irrelevant changes, events, and situations in ones life to unfold. We wait for the bus, we wait to get off work, to get in shape and lose weight, to make money, and the majority of our lives are spent in waiting.

When one is not waiting, they spend their time reminiscing about the “good old days” when things were great. Or looking ahead to the future, with concern, anxiety, stress, fear, or even excitement and anticipation. In general, we spend so much of our time peering ahead, or behind, that waiting becomes our fundamental existence. We never live our life as it goes, we instead live it in remembrance of what was, or anticipating what will be. However, life exists only now, not then, not later, but now. So in order to fully grasp our lives, and take it in strides, we must forget our former views about life, we must learn to live our lives as it comes, live in the present, for, nothing exists outside the realm of the present.

Though, what is the present moment? In our generation, a technological and media driven society filled with buyers and sellers, people who live to work as opposed to working to live and a disturbing amount of violence being exposed to our youth from the earliest of ages, we seldom are able to stop, sit, and be. Many will notice that even now, in reading this, you have an almost non stop stream of mostly pointless ramblings in your own mind. What you’ve eaten or want to eat today, your current agenda, how many pages you have left to read, etc… This constant stream of noise that your mind creates seems to be never ending, and we seldom notice its existence at all. However, when we do observe this process, it has profound changes on both our lives, and the lives of people around us. In noticing it, you endow yourself with the power to control your life and mind, as opposed to it controlling you.

Some of you may ask what the big deal is with having a lot on ones mind. The big deal is that your mind, in making this noise, is preventing you from fully experiencing the current moment and as this happens your life passes you by. You have constant thoughts that at a moments notice that seemingly change your emotional state because you allow it to do so. You get anxious and stressed when you suddenly think of that next deadline at work or school, making your reaction to others far less gratifying on both your behalves. You get frustrated and sometimes don’t even know why; it’s just “one of those days.”

The fact of the matter is that it’s not just one of those days, it’s every day, and will continue to be every day until you gain control over your own mind. How you gain control, is through the awareness of the present moment. Through Mindfulness meditation one is endowed with the potential to begin a monumental spiritual journey.

Getting Started

Now that we have a fundamental foundation as to what Mindfulness is, and the changes in ones life that can occur through it, it’s time to get into actually learning how to apply it to your life. When one understands what Mindfulness is and are familiar with some very basic yet profound practices, it’s fairly simple how to apply it to your daily life.
Sitting Meditation

It is preferred that you sit in the traditional Lotus position for this meditation, or, sit/lay any way you feel comfortable, so long as your back remains erect and you don’t fall asleep during the meditation. If you do so happen to fall asleep, notice how you may arise with a deeper sense of renewal and relaxation than usual.

Sit down, and take a few moments to relax yourself. I would strongly advise that you stretch prior to meditation, as it ads to your relaxation so that your focus can be specifically on the task at hand. Start by taking deep breaths, slowly and completely whilst counting backward from ten to one. When you feel ready, proceed onto the meditation:

Begin by taking a long and deep breath, and as you do so, notice the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen. Shift your attention to your feet. Feel any tenseness that might have built over the day, and direct the breath to your feet, eliminating any and all tenseness. Move to your shins and calves; feel the flow of the breath as it resonates with warming energy, relaxing as it makes contact with your legs. Do this as long as necessary for you to feel comfortable, relaxed, and able to move on. Move up to your thighs, groin and lower back area. Relaxing as you go, feeling the tension just melt away as you breath, all the while, noticing and feeling the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen. Move up to your upper body, then to your head, noticing any and all sensations of unease or tension, and melting them away by directing the breath.

Shift your awareness to the air outside of the body. On the inhalation, follow this air flow from out side of the body, inside, and back out. Notice how this process makes you feel while continuing to breath and follow the air, whilst being aware of how your body feels, and the sensations the breathing creates within you.

While breathing, sit and notice your mind, the general chatter that may be going on, the constant stream of thoughts, emotions, and the affects they create within you. Do not get caught up with, or preoccupied with this incoming data, instead, sit and just watch this stream as if it were a movie. Notice how the thoughts come and go if you do not pursue them. If while in the process, you seem to get side tracked, or your mind comes off of the moment, simply become aware of the breath again.

Walking In Mindfulness

As you pursue normal daily activities, and find yourself walking in the store, around the house, or just walking for the sake of walking, observe your body and follow the breath. Become aware of each step you take and the surrounding environment as you walk. Feel the innermost sensations of your body, as you take each and every step, noticing the subtle changes your body goes through, and how your environment seems to almost open up around you.

Experience the sensations you may feel as you walk, noticing and being aware of each step you take. Watch your thoughts as they pass and remain in the moment, observing but not making yourself associated with everything you do, every reaction, every feeling. Remember to follow the breath again at any moment if you lose focus on the moment.

Take Care,

~Chris