MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Applying The Principles Into Our Lives.

By Michelle Constance: BAppSc Grad Dip Psychology

Meditation

As humans, most of us live immersed in our daily lives, with little thought of who we truly are. Most of us have never realized our true self, the soul, or what the Buddha called Anatta. As a result, we believe we are these limited bodies. Over many years of conditioning in this material world, we begin to form an identity of ourselves based on our experiences and worldly knowledge. This limiting view of ourselves is not who we truly are, yet we can’t help but identify with the character that we have come to recognise as the self or the ego. As a result, we lose touch with our divinity and our true purpose.

Meditation has surged in popularity in recent years, from a mild interest to a mainstream trend expedited by therapists, scientists, teachers and celebrities. Most people however, have a lot of misconceptions about what meditation really is, and today we find many activities to calm the mind that have been called Meditation but are more like processesto help alleviate suffering. When you are saying affirmations or being guided through some imagery or hypnosis, you may feel better and more relaxed, but this is not meditation. Meditation is being regarded as a process in order to get some kind of outcome or result but rather Meditation is actually the outcome not the process.

The world’s greatest spiritual teachers throughout the ages, have shared the view that the deepest truth of our being is not to be found in any particular spiritual tradition, but can be found within the truth of each individual person. The essence of the ancient Vedic teachings and the Buddha, teaches us to reach for that which is beyond name and form, beyond thinking and beyond the material. So then, whilst the purpose of Mediation has many uses, it’s true purpose is not a meditation type in itself. All traditional techniques of meditation recognise that the object of focus, and even the process of monitoring, is just a means to train the mind, so that inner silence and deeper states of connectedness can be discovered. Eventually the process itself is left behind. The only thing left, is the true self or state of perfect “beingness” or oneness with creation. This end product is meditation, and it is known as the state of Samadhi. 

So then, the goal of meditation is to go beyond the mind and experience our essential nature—which is described in the Vedic Scriptures as “Sat, Chit, Ananda”- Eternity, Knowledge and Bliss. Satrefers to the true absolute being of pure awareness, and that which never changes. Chit refers to consciousness, knowledge, or being one with that which never changes. Anandais the experience of bliss which goes with fullness of life, consciousness, truth and connection to purpose.

Meditation has huge benefits but one that stands out is the increased flow of energy in the body, emotional release and the opening of the Heart Chakra. A deeper level of love is experienced. You begin to forgive yourself and others and release all feelings of guilt and victimization. This feeling of happiness for all situations, then develops the practice of gratitude. Higher levels of divinity within you are ignited and activated. You experience a very deep and innermost connection to source with a feeling of divine love, peace and joy.

The mind itself, is the biggest obstacle standing between ourselves and higher awareness. The mind is undisciplined and often out of control. So therefore learning to control it is vital. Throughout our lives we are taught how to move and behave in the outer world, but we are never taught how to be still and examine what is within us. We learn the art of inner guidance pure thought and control, through Meditation. The joy of meditation is immense and lasting. This is a truth supported by a long line of wise sages and teachers, both those who have renounced the world and attained truth, and those who continue living in the world yet remaining unaffected by it. 

Mindfulness

Translated from the Pali term “sati” mindfulness literally means “to remember” or “to bear in mind.” In Sanskrit it is known as “smriti ” which translates as, “That, which is remembered”.

Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist thought and theory. In the West, it was popularized in the 1970s by a professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which he launched at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. By the early 2000s, the concept of mindfulness had expanded in popularity.

Mindfulness is a developed practice of maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through the practice of meditation and other training. Mindfulness also involves acceptance of what “is.” This means that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them or trying to alter them in any way. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than turning our attention to past images and recordings of the mind, or future creations of the imagination. When we are able to accept a situation or a condition without resistance, we will find that it will be easier to manage and overcome.  

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, states that the opposite of forgetfulness is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the energy that helps us recognize the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives. He reminds us that our true home is not in the past, that our true home is not in the future, but is in the here and the now.

Live and Learn Services offers a groundbreaking Clear Mind Communication Masterclass never before offered in Perth Western Australia. This class will introduce you to the principles behind Meditation and Mindfulness in an extremely unique and masterful way. If you feel that you can’t meditate or that mindfulness is something that you could never hope to accomplish, then think again. This Masterclass will have you accessing mind states of a seasoned meditator within a few short hours. There is no reason you cannot experience the true connectedness mentioned above with some very simple drills from this class.

Benefits of the Clear Mind Communication Masterclass

• Excel in your personal and professional life.

• Gain the ability to pinpoint the obstacles that stop you from getting what you want.

• Know how to bring harmony into every situation in one’s life.

• Alleviate your stress at home, at work and in social situations.

• Learn the skills behind what true self-discipline is.

• Master the skills to confront problems head on.

• Newfound ability to handle difficult and challenging circumstances and conditions.

• Greater confidence and awareness.

• Dissolve negative and destructive mindsets.

• Greater Happiness in one’s life.

• Experience greater vitality and health.

• Improved intellectual capacity.

• Greater resilience to challenges.

• Increased balance and intimacy in personal relationships.

For more information contact me on the following website or look into enrolling in our Clear Mind Communication Masterclass.

www.liveandlearnservices.org

HOW TO BECOME MOTIVATED AND CONFIDENT

Facing Life On Life’s Terms

By Justus Kallhoff 

Education and Life Transformation Specialist 

To Face Life On Life’s Terms, One Must Be Willing And Able To Confront What Is.

The definition of Confront means to stand face to face, to face up to, to bring into the presence of, to face, meet or deal with a difficult situation or person.

Most problems are best solved by a direct approach to them. Some people have the idea that if they don’t look at their problems, the problems will just disappear. Nice idea, but completely unworkable because problems just have a tendency to pile up worse than ever, if unhandled.

Feelings of low self esteem and anxiety can inhibit your motivation and ability to feel confident in life.

We all know the feeling of what it is like to have doubt or anxiety whenever we are faced with a difficult situation. Surprisingly, we get to have these feeling, almost on a daily basis. Many of us choose to just go with the easiest path because we know we can do what we have done before. One interesting characteristic about the mind is that it will continually keep running back to what is familiar. It has a default setting. We choose to do what we know because it is the easy option. We may have been told, in the past, that it was the right thing to do, or we may have seen it displayed by people we trust. Whether it was your parents, friends, family or even familiar faces in the media. For instance, we may have grown up watching our parents drinking in an attempt to handle life challenges and stress, or we may have watched our loved ones overeat in an attempt to avoid painful emotions. We may have also discovered that it is easier to drop out of that course before we fail.

However, choosing to change the way we respond to circumstances in life, takes a great deal of courage and ability to face what is really happening. We need to ask ourselves whether the choices we have been emulating for so long, are actually the choices that will bring us the greatest personal happiness and success. We have to stop and ask ourselves whether that chocolate cake is really going to help me to avoid my feelings and is that next drink going to really give me the true confidence that I need to face my fears?

Does it make sense for us to continue doing those actions we know we can do because it is familiar? For most people, change is something that we fear because it might mean that we lose something we love, or we have this belief that if we change ourselves, everything around us will change. Like relationships you have with friends, family or even romantic partners. 

This is a fair belief…. Because it is true. As we change, so do the lives around us. I’m sure you have seen plenty of times when someone goes for that job they have always wanted or decides to eat healthier. It sparks inspiration in others. It is almost as if it finally grants someone the ability to do something they fear, because they have seen someone they trust, do it. 

Funny isn’t it? We have all these opportunities to change yet we wait and wait and wait to do it. Until someone we trust, does the same thing we have wanted to do for so long. Now that they have done it and they are successful in it, somehow you feel motivated, by some magical powers to attempt to succeed in something you once thought was impossible. 

Well the magical power you have observed is the ability to confront. You have watched someone successfully face up to the experience of what is, and in doing so, they have managed to create change in their lives. Now you want a piece of this and the desired outcome.

Your ability to confront comes from trust. Trusting that you have the ability to gain the best outcome for yourself no matter what. It is a win-win situation when you think about it. I mean, If you really do put in the effort to confront something and it doesn’t go the way you had visualized, or you didn’t hear the words you needed to hear, you now know exactly what it is that you need to do next time. Alternatively, you may have succeeded, and what once seemed to be impossible is now completely tangible and possible. 

So now that you have chosen to confront something or someone, you may recognize some familiar feelings of discomfort. These feelings are something we all know so well. An awkward silence after a disagreement and that neither parties have addressed.  Being hungry when you decide to go on that new diet. Being in a relationship with someone you love, but you know it isn’t right for you.  The pain you feel when exercising for the first time in forever. Or, it could be the compulsion to do something that you know is not in your best interest. 

This moment of discomfort is the pinnacle moment of growth and personal development and if learned to handle correctly, one will move forward to new and greater motivation and confidence in one self. 

Unfortunately, what patterns do we tend to repeat?  Remember that the mind will go back to what is familiar. We leave the conversation because its awkward. We reach for the nearest snack or cave on our diet, because it’s just not the right one. We continue with the relationship because we think that it will get easier or believe that the problem might just go away. We stop exercising because we can’t handle the pain or we drop out of that course that we always wanted to do. 

You don’t need me to tell you what happens when you do this. You are far too familiar with it. 

So, let me tell you what happens when you finally decide to change. When you finally decide that you are going to confront life on life’s terms.

Firstly, your whole perspective on life changes, how could it not? At first, you saw the task as impossible and now look at you. You are doing it. You have just achieved something incredible. You have pushed through the moments of discomfort and challenging mindset beliefs and now you have managed to succeed in something that seemed daunting at first.

What kind of things do you think run through your head in this moment of success? You start to say positive things to yourself, you question many things that you believe to be impossible, you begin to feel more motivated and confident in your abilities. Now you have done something that was difficult at first. Guess what? You can build upon that fundamental win that you had.  

Secondly, your life changes, as do the lives around you. You suddenly become an inspiration to others without even trying to inspire them. You get to watch others become inspired because of your display of courageous confronting of thoughts, feeling, actions and behaviours.

Thirdly, you do it again, and again, and again!

You have just had a major upgrade in your entire operating system, now it’s time to see what else you can do that once seemed difficult.

You see, when you’re in these moments of discomfort, of course it is easy to go with what you know, and it is okay to do that sometimes.  A question I ask my clients all the time is 

“If you died tomorrow would you be happy with what you have done today?”

Your next minute isn’t guaranteed. Live the life you want to live by confronting what will seem hard at first, but becomes easy when you have finished confronting.

Live and Learn Services offers a Clear Mind Communication Masterclass, whereby you get the opportunity to practice Mindful Drills that will give you the skills to successfully confront life on life’s terms.

After completing the Mindful Communication Drills in the Masterclass, a graduate walks away with skills that they can apply to all aspects of their lives:

Learning to confront life enables you to move forward with confidence.

BENEFITS OF LEARNING TO CONFRONT LIFE ON LIFE’S TERMS:

1. Excel in your personal and professional life.

2. Gain the ability to pinpoint the obstacles that stop you from getting what you want.

3. Know how to bring harmony into every situation in your life.

4. Alleviate your stress at home, at work and in social situations.

5. Learn what true self-discipline is.

6. Master the skills to confront problems head on.

7. Enhanced capacity to handle challenging circumstances.

8. Greater confidence and awareness.

9. Dissolve negative and destructive mindsets.

10. Greater Happiness in one’s life.

11. Experience greater vitality and health.

12. Improved intellectual capacity

For more information visit

www.liveandlearnservices.org