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Post by stef on Mar 19, 2006 13:30:10 GMT
Meditate on Patterns
Look for patterns in the objects around you - perhaps in the core of a halved apple, or in the creases in the palm of your hand. Focusing on the heart of the pattern, try to get a sense of the whole from its centre point. Do not attempt consciously to decode the possible meanings in the patterns before you, simply allow the shapes and colours of the whole to penetrate your unconscious. Sense that the image is both in front of you and inside your mind.
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Post by stef on Mar 20, 2006 16:59:12 GMT
Breathe Deeply
Central to Indian philosophy is a belief in prana, the life-force that we take into our bodies through breathing. When you need to relax, try to control your breath. Visualize air coming in through and out of your nostrils, and allow your abdomen to rise and fall in a gentle rhythm. Then, concentrate on the exhalation - make it as long and smooth as possible - and feel your body gradually relax as the tension is blown away.
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Post by stef on Mar 21, 2006 12:15:32 GMT
Trust Your Intuition
We frequently have intuitive feelings about situations, but more often than not we ignore our hunches and make decisions based on reason - usually to find that our innate sense was right all along. If you feel logic overruling your intuition, close your eyes and imagine the right course of action as a ball of light rising from your stomach and filling your mind with truth. Follow this truth, for it will always lead you along the right path.
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Post by stef on Mar 22, 2006 14:13:37 GMT
Discover Courage Within
How often do you feel that you follow the will of others because you fear the guilt that would come from non-cooperation? If we are insecure, we may allow other people to manipulate our actions by 'making' us feel guilty; but we feel still worse for failing to stand up for ourselves and neglecting to listen to our own inner voice. Build up your inner strength by listening to your intuitive conscience, and find within you the courage to resist external pressures.
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Post by stef on Mar 23, 2006 18:49:42 GMT
Find Balance
It can be difficult to create balance in our lives when there are so many factors to juggle: work and leisure, the needs of our partner, and the demands of our children. Each night, identify three achievable targets for the next day - say, a review meeting with your boss, uninterrupted dinner with your family, and some quiet time alone. Deal assertively with anything that seems to hamper your progress toward reaching your targets.
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Post by stef on Mar 24, 2006 18:31:13 GMT
Beauty Comes with Age
When we notice signs of aging in ourselves, we often feel distressed. To help you regard the passing of time in a more positive way, meditate on the cycle of the sun as a visual metaphor for the human lifespan: its pure light rises and traverses the heavens until it reaches full strength: then its rays gradually grow richer in tone as it sets majestically in a spectacular array of colour.
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Post by stef on Mar 25, 2006 20:06:26 GMT
Regain Perspective
The compass points in the four cardinal directions. By following any direction, circumnavigating the Earth, you will arrive at the center of the compass again. Imagine the different climates and landscapes that the world embraces - all existing simultaneously. Try to see your current circumstances from a global perspective: you may find that your anxieties recede, or at least become more manageable.
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Post by stef on Mar 26, 2006 16:28:33 GMT
Release Your Emotions
When we speak of our emotions, it is often as if they were being conjured into the open, in all their fury, and we feel them again as keenly as when they first engulfed us. To counter this, as you describe how you feel, imagine that the emotions belong to someone else - you are the listener as well as the speaker. How can each emotion be rationalized? Which emotions seem justified and which seem unreasonable? Set each emotion free: thee is no need for any of them to remain locked inside you. In doing so, liberate yourself.
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Post by stef on Mar 27, 2006 17:17:56 GMT
Break Free
We often inadvertently adhere to behavioral patterns which we ourselves have created. If we repeat the same behaviour, we get the same results. In order to make progress, we need to break out of the confines of our regular, restrictive actions. In this way we learn to make the changes that will set us free from our stress-inducing habits.
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Post by stef on Mar 28, 2006 9:20:45 GMT
Gain Strength from Your Wisdom
As the years settle on our heads like snow, we can acquire a wisdom that makes us philosophical about our loss of youthful vigour. Imagine yourself in a tower full of books. What are the titles of the books that summarize the wisdom you have acquired over the years? Visualize any illustrations they may contain. Absorb inner strength from this library of the heart.
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Post by stef on Mar 29, 2006 10:50:47 GMT
Find New Vision
A peacock's tail feathers are iridescent - seen from a certain angle the colours blaze and shimmer with beauty. Many other things in life reveal their qualities when perceived in the right way, but often familiarity makes this beauty difficult to see. Try to look at everything and everyone with fresh eyes, unclouded by habit: this way, you may discover untold riches.
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Post by stef on Mar 30, 2006 7:28:20 GMT
See Brightness in All Things
If our thoughts are dark and our view of life is bleak, our lives will be starved of richness and only the dark and the bleak will find us. Make a point of focusing your mind on positive thoughts, and learn to trust and love all that you have, and especially all that you are. In these ways the treasure chest of inner peace falls open and enlightenment comes within our grasp.
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Post by stef on Mar 31, 2006 7:24:23 GMT
Separate the Senses
Sensation is too often experienced as a kaleidoscope: ever-changing, each impression flashes elusively, and is rarely fully absorbed. Retrain your mind to heighten sensual awareness: spend today focusing on sight; tomorrow, taste; the next day, smell; and so on. In this way, begin to separate your sensual experiences and give each sense the appreciation it deserves.
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Post by stef on Apr 2, 2006 18:36:12 GMT
Appreciate Who You Are
The body is the vehicle of life, not its essence. We are no more defined by our physical appearance than a tree is defined by its trunk. Likewise, our experiences, which could be likened to the branches of a tree, might seem to shape us, but they do not. Only the root of our being - the inner self, which cannot be battered by circumstance nor laid open to the scrutiny of others - is the essence of who we are.
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Post by stef on Apr 3, 2006 23:28:16 GMT
Find Intervals of Peace
If issues in our lives remain unresolved, relaxation can seem beyond our grasp. Anxiety focuses not on the issues themselves, but on the fact that their outcome seems beyond our control. Bear in mind that if we are unable to exert control, these limbo periods are potentially times of freedom. Farmers, who might spend the summer harvesting from morning till night, replenish their energy levels during the winter. Identify and profit by the underlying patterns of natural relaxation in your life.
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