About Me
- Lillian-Juda Leonard-Beach
- I am a Blogger, web & graphic designer, girlfriend, student, model, nurses aid, night owl, friend of 420, activist, Catholic, Buddhist, yoga follower, survivalist, friend, daughter, Canadian, Atlantan, strawberry blonde spaz, with a kind heart.
Showing posts with label meditation monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meditation monday. Show all posts
Monday, July 5, 2010
Meditation Monday - Guided Heart Chakra Meditation
Week 4 - Heart Chakra Meditation and Cleansing
For those who are new to meditation (which I think most of my readers are), I am going to try and explain the best I can. If you ever have any questions or need help, please feel free to leave a comment with your email and I will try to get back to you asap.
Now, with that being said, we will now look into Chakra MeditationIf this is your first time stopping by Meditation Monday, I invite you to read Breathing Techniques, Week 1 - Root Chakra, Week 2 - Sacral Chakra, Week 3 - Solar Plexus Chakra
Generally, you look at the chakras from bottom to top. There are seven (7) main body chakras. (The rest are for the advanced category, and I don't even know them all) We are going to look at the first seven, then you should have enough knoledge to expand into the other five on your own.
For more info on all seven, click here.This week's entry:
This week is the Heart Chakra, also called the Anahata. It's located in the center of the chest. The 4 th chakra is responsible for emotional empowerment, and often has problems between distinguishing between love and hate. It is also linked with heart conditions, asthma, lung & breast cancers and many more.
Personality wise, someone with problem in this chakra may seem over emotionally developed or have a sensitive trigger when it comes to deals of the heart. People with over developed sense of Heart chakra may seem having too much love, not different from animal hoarders.
Let's get started:
- To restore proper energy circulation, reach your dominant hand and place it to the opposite shoulder, then place your non-dominant hand on the other shoulder. Hug yourself, stretching back and forth for about 1 min and 30 secs.
- Sit down, and relax your entire body.
- Now, sit in lotus posistion. (Often know as indian-style or cross-legged.)
- Place your hands, palm facing the sky, on your knees. (Hands should be just laid on your knees)
- Remember to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Take five deep, long, engaging breathes. See my post Breathing to relieve stress)
- Now click play! (The video runs about 3:30 mins)
Now that you've watched the video, do you feel any better?
When dealing with troubling the matters of the heart, it's best to sit back from the decision or environment for at least 2 hours, befor then coming back and letting your head or heart do the talking.
Meditation tip:
If your having really bad relationship problems, this is a great chakra to work on. BEWARE. The decisions you come to from meditation may be the best decisions, they almost never the ones we want to make.
Futher Reading: Heart Chakra Meditations Audio CD by Layne Redmond
If your looking to do some work with your heart strings, try out this CD. It's a good place to start. It will help you get the gist of what your trying to accomplish.
My Grade:
B+ It's a CD, so thepiratebay.org?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Meditation Monday - Guided Solar Plexus Chakra Meditation
Week 3 - Solar Plexus Chakra Meditation and Cleansing
For those who are new to meditation (which I think most of my readers are), I am going to try and explain the best I can. If you ever have any questions or need help, please feel free to leave a comment with your email and I will try to get back to you asap.
Now, with that being said, we will now look into Chakra MeditationIf this is your first time stopping by Meditation Monday, I invite you to read Breathing Techniques, Week 1 - Root Chakra, and Week 2 - Sacral Chakra.
Generally, you look at the chakras from bottom to top. There are seven (7) main body chakras. (The rest are for the advanced category, and I don't even know them all) We are going to look at the first seven, then you should have enough knoledge to expand into the other five on your own.
For more info on all seven, click here.This week's entry:
So far we have looked at the Root and Sacral Chakras. This week were going to study the Solar Plexus. The Solar Plexus is the third chakra and is also known as the Manipura. The Solar Plexus is located two inches below the breast bone, in the center, behind the stomach. This chakra is in connection with mental understanding of emotional life as well as holding the information of self-esteem and self-image.
From a personality perspective, people with an over active Solar Plexus can be very egotistical and have an urge to "one-up" people. Interestingly, people with a dysfunctional third chakra often have diabetes and/or a large amount of food allergies. This chakra is also involved with colitis and colon disease.
Let's get started:
- To start your meditation, stand and rotate your stomach in a circular motion, (not unlike belly-dancing motions).
- Relax your entire body (still standing).
- Now, sit in lotus posistion. (Often know as indian-style or cross-legged.)
- Place your hands, palm facing the sky, on your knees. (Hands should be just laid on your knees)
- Remember to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Take five deep, long, engaging breathes. See my post Breathing to relieve stress)
- Now click play! (The video runs about 4 mins, I strongly suggest completing the entire video for meditation.) I suggest this because of the Solar Plexus Chakra having a tendency to be easily effected by stimuli.
Now that you've watched the video, do you feel any better?
A cool thing with this chakra is you can meditate with your kids! Try doing the Twist or playing hula hoop, both are a great way to massage any stagnant energy within this area.
Meditation tip:
If you notice your child is having a hard time making friends, this might have something to do with it. Try engaging your child in your meditations if possible. It will both help you grown, and often can help with the (now common) ADHD/ADD child.
Futher Reading: Seven Spirals: A Chakra Sutra for Kids by Denna Haiber
I LOVE this book. It's a great way to get your kids meditating early. Not only that, but it provides a great Kid-like description of the chakras that helped me understand better.
My Grade:
A+ I love this book, kids love this book, why don't you love this book?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Meditation Monday *Late Edition* - Guided Sacral Chakra Meditation
Late Edition!
Ok so, I have decided to start a small linky on Mondays called, Meditation Monday. I know everyone has the kids running around now that's schools out so this will be a short, weekly post, followed by a video, and summed up with things to keep in mind or tips. Each post will be a daily way to relive stress and live better in under 15 mins.
Everyone is welcome to join the linky. The only thing I ask is you make a post about something to do with meditation, yoga, mental exercise, ect. And that you post the Meditation Monday button on the post. (code provided) No video is required for linky posts.
Now on to this week's Meditation Monday.
Week 2 - Sacral Chakra Meditation and Cleansing
For those who are new to meditation (which I think most of my readers are), I am going to try and explain the best I can. If you ever have any questions or need help, please feel free to leave a comment with your email and I will try to get back to you asap.
When practicing your daily meditation, it is important to be able to set aside your "here and now" life and your meditation life. Now, I know your thinking, Yeah, well you don't have kids lady. and I know it will sound very daunting, but it is a very important aspect of meditation, and often if you are successful in you endeavor to separate these two lives, your meditation will most likely be deeper and more helpful to you.If this is your first time stopping by Meditation Monday, I invite you to read Breathing Techniques and Week 1 - Root Chakra.
I am not saying, if you can't do it at all, don't do it. Really, if you can practice meditation at all, your doing better than a lot of people.
Now, with that being said, we will now look into Chakra Meditation
Generally, you look at the chakras from bottom to top. There are seven (7) main body chakras. (The rest are for the advanced category, and I don't even know them all) We are going to look at the first seven, then you should have enough knoledge to expand into the other five on your own.
For more info on all seven, click here.This week's entry:
Last week, we talked about the first chakra, call the Root. This week we will be discussing the 2nd chakra, the Sacral Chakra, also known as the Belly Chakra or Swadhisthana. The Sacral chakra is located two inches below the navel and is rooted to the back of the spine. This chakra is responsible for feelings of sexuality, creativity, intuition, and self-worth. It is also know for the drive of creativity and controlling patterns.
Like I mentioned in the post last week, when looking at it from a personality traits perspective, a person with an active sacral chakra may be very sexually driven or have a problem controlling themselves in general. I personally will atest to sacral chakra problems, I have colitis and the condition it self is often tied to this chakra in particular, due to being unable to control internal stress.
Now when I tell you to do these, your gonna look at me funny, but just do it:
- To get the initial energy flowing, stand up and rotate your pelvis back and forth, front to back, and rotate around in a circular motion, as fluid as possible for about 1 min.
- Relax your entire body (still standing).
- Now, sit in lotus posistion. (Often know as indian-style or cross-legged.)
- Place your hands, palm facing the sky, on your knees. (Hands should be just laid on your knees)
- Remember to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Take five deep, long, engaging breathes. See my post Breathing to relieve stress)
- Now click play! (The video runs about 7 mins, I strongly suggest completing the entire video for meditation.) I suggest this because of the Sacral Chakra having a tendency to be easily effected by stimuli.
Now that you've watched the video, do you feel any better?
Most people tend to ignore their chakras out of habit. This is a HORRIBLE practice! I should know. If you find yourself being really stressed out, and not being able to eat, or maybe even feeling nausea, this is a great way to help yourself out.
Meditation tip:
Ok, so I will say it, when meditating around this chakra you may, in fact, notice a stronger sexual drive. This is natural and perfectly ok reaction. This is also a GREAT exercise if you are looking to increase your sex drive naturally.
Futher Reading: The Chakra Bible by Patricia Mercier
Once again, I love easy reference books. If you enjoy them as well, you'll love this one. This is also a great guide to get started. It's very in depth and will help you with a more broad understanding.
My Grade:
B+ Great book for strongly interested individuals.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Meditation Monday - Guided Root Chakra Meditation
Ok so, I have decided to start a small linky on Mondays called, Meditation Monday. I know everyone has the kids running around now that's schools out so this will be a short, weekly post, followed by a video, and summed up with things to keep in mind or tips. Each post will be a daily way to relive stress and live better in under 15 mins.
Everyone is welcome to join the linky. The only thing I ask is you make a post about something to do with meditation, yoga, mental exercise, ect. And that you post the Meditation Monday button on the post. (code provided) No video is required for linky posts.
Now on to this week's Meditation Monday.
Week 2 - Root Chakra Meditation and Cleansing
For those who are new to meditation (which I think most of my readers are), I am going to try and explain the best I can. If you ever have any questions or need help, please feel free to leave a comment with your email and I will try to get back to you asap.
When practicing your daily meditation, it is important to be able to set aside your "here and now" life and your meditation life. Now, I know your thinking, Yeah, well you don't have kids lady. and I know it will sound very daunting, but it is a very important aspect of meditation, and often if you are successful in you endeavor to separate these two lives, your meditation will most likely be deeper and more helpful to you.
I am not saying, if you can't do it at all, don't do it. Really, if you can practice meditation at all, your doing better than a lot of people.
Now, with that being said, we will now look into Chakra Meditation
What is a Chakra?
Charkra - Chakras are energy centers. They function like receivers and transformers of the various forms of prana.
Prana - Prana is the life sustaining force which pervades all living organisms and the universe.
So... Chakras are energy centers of the body, whose purpose is to even out energy and life forces threw out the body. When you practice chakra meditation, what your really doing is taking all of the stagnant or stuck energy in these "centers" and pushing it threw, into different areas or chakras, creating a good energy field threw out the entire body.
Generally, you look at the chakras from bottom to top. There are seven (7) main body chakras. (The rest are for the advanced category, and I don't even know them all) We are going to look at the first seven, then you should have enough knoledge to expand into the other five on your own.
For more info on all seven, click here.
The first chakra is the Root. This is also know as the: First Chakra, and the Muladhara. The root chakra is located at the base of the spine at the tailbone in back, and the pubic bone in front. This chakra generally "holds" the information and human drive for safety and survival.
I've found a good way of thinking about chakras is to think of them as personality traits, almost. If a person has a very strong root chakra, they will most likely come off as being very grounded, as if they have a good idea of what's going on in the world around them. This might be because the root chakra is thought to be a connection between you and the ground or earth energy.
Now to get the energy flowing in this chakra, simply:
For more info on all seven, click here.
The first chakra is the Root. This is also know as the: First Chakra, and the Muladhara. The root chakra is located at the base of the spine at the tailbone in back, and the pubic bone in front. This chakra generally "holds" the information and human drive for safety and survival.
I've found a good way of thinking about chakras is to think of them as personality traits, almost. If a person has a very strong root chakra, they will most likely come off as being very grounded, as if they have a good idea of what's going on in the world around them. This might be because the root chakra is thought to be a connection between you and the ground or earth energy.
Now to get the energy flowing in this chakra, simply:
- Sit is lotus posistion. (Often know as indian-style or cross-legged.)
- Relax your entire body.
- Place your hands, palm facing the sky, on your knees. (Hands should be just laid on your knees)
- Remember to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Take five deep, long, engaging breathes. See my post Breathing to relieve stress)
- Now click play! She will explain more in the video. (First 2 mins are guided meditation, then 2 mins of relaxation music, followed up by beach noises. Total length is 5 mins and 45 sec.) I strongly suggest completing the entire video for meditation.
Now that you've watched the video, do you feel any better?
Chakra meditation is something you should always do for yourself. It is important to try and meditate as often as possible, especially with our hectic lives, but it's not something to stress about.
Meditation tip:
Many people like to use colored candles in chakra meditation. For this meditation look for a fire-engine red or mahogany colored candle.
Light the candle and sit it in front of you. While sitting in lotus position, stare at the candle, floating in and out to the image of the flame while breathing. If you would like to use a scented candle I would suggest cinnamon.
Futher Reading: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chakras by Betsy Rippentrop
Anyone who knows me and my bookshelf will tell you I am an idiots or dummies guide junkie. I think they are a wonderful start for people who are just generally confused on a subject. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chakras is no different. I bought this book for my boyfriend Jo, and he loves it.
It provides a wonderful explanation on how to get started in your chakra meditation journey.
My Grade:
A+++ Perfect for the meditation idiot in all of us.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Meditation Monday - Breathing, Relieve Stress and Lose Weight
Ok so, I have decided to start a small linky on Mondays called, Meditation Monday. I know everyone has the kids running around now that's schools out so this will be a short, weekly post, followed by a video, and summed up with things to keep in mind or tips. Each post will be a daily way to relive stress and live better in under 15 mins.
Everyone is welcome to join the linky. The only thing I ask is you make a post about something to do with meditation, yoga, mental exercise, ect. And that you post the Meditation Monday button on the post. (code provided) No video is required for linky posts.
Now on to this week's Meditation Monday.
Week 1 - Proper Breathing
Let's start off by asking the simple question of:
"How do you breathe?"Now you may think this is just a silly, non-important aspect of your life, but have you ever actually thought about it? Your body, your mood, your weight, everything about your body has to do with the way you breathe. If you have a chance, if you have a small child near you, watch them breathe. You will notice that most often they will breathe threw their bellies. This is called Belly-Back Breathing.
Belly-Back breathing is the way you should breathe at all times. Most adults breathe with their chest and rib cage. It'll be hard to remember in the beggining, but just keep a simple reminder on your desk, or a string around your finger. To remind you, breathe correctly.
Before we go any further, do you have:
- Pain under or on your breast bone, often where your bra under-wire sits?
- Are you hungry all the time?
- Are you upset without reason often?
- Do you have trouble sleeping?
- Do you have RLS?
- Do you have a hard time digesting food?
I will tell you right now, befor I started breathing correctly, I had EVERY SINGLE of the problems listed above. When I started breathing, all declined, and most went away entirely, and I lost around 5 lbs. within the first week or two. I'm not saying this will happen with you, but these are common ailment that can be from improper breathing.
Yeah, that's great lady, but show me the facts.
Correct breathing will:
- Promote healthy posture.
- Promote weight-loss and hunger control.
- Destress and help your body naturally relax.
- Promote faster metabolism.
- Help regulate your body's natural cycle or rythem (yes, you have one too.)
- Promote brain function.
- Promote healthy cell regeneration. (Stay healthier for longer.)
- Studies have shown, people who breathe better, live longer, less stressful lives.
- Helps all vital organs work better!
- Correct breathing naturally helps detox the blood.
Now, I have given you ten reasons, why aren't you doing it yet? You say you don't know how? Well, No Problem!
Take a look at this video.
Now that you've watched the video, will you breathe better?
Breathing is something that Western Culture has forgotten. We have forgotten to breathe, literally. And I will say, when I was approached I was like, yeah whatever. But I'm telling you from my own experience, do it, it works. Give it a week. All you have to do it remember to breathe. Not only that, but do this exercise for five (5) mins when you wake up, five (5) after lunch, and five (5) mins befor bed, and you will feel like a new person.
Meditation tip:
I know it's hard to remember things. It's OK!!! The first thing you need to learn about meditation is, it's part of your life, not your life entirely. If you forget, just say, "Hey, you forgot again, now breathe." Never be too hard on yourself. Meditation, in the beginning, will be something new, but every time you practice, you feel better. Most often instantly.
Just sit back. Relax, and BREATHE!
Good reading for daily life: Start Were You Are by Pema Chodron
I read this book fairly recently, and it's safe to say that it changed my life. It taught me, it was ok to be who I was, where I was, at that time. If you do get a chance, just read it. It's only about 150 pages +/-, and is a great bedtime read.
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