Okay, so you want to know how to meditate, but you are not quite sure where to start. You have probably heard the term meditation but wondered what it is really all about, or wondered what it would actually be like to meditate. In this how to meditate for beginners guide, the idea is to give you an introduction to what meditation is all about, and a simple but effective meditation technique that you can do every day.

Okay, so first of all, what is the purpose of meditation? It is all about quietening the mind and increasing awareness. By doing this, we can become more peaceful and happy in our lives. The meditation technique presented here is a simple breathing meditation.

Sit comfortably in a quiet place away from strong lights or any other strong stimulation. If it helps, you can put earplugs into your ears, if you need to block out some unwanted sounds.

Sitting comfortably with your eyes open, start to become aware of your breath. There is no need to try to control it. Just gently allow it to be, and observe its natural motion in and out.

As you become relaxed, start to gently close your eyes, and continue observing your breathing. Also begin to observe any thoughts that may or may not pass through your mind. Try not to get too involved in them. Treat them as if they were merely clouds floating through the sky of your mind.

As you become more and more relaxed, you may find yourself experiencing feelings that you have never experienced before. These may come in the form of a floaty feeling, or a feeling of inner spaciousness, or even a feeling of being completely bodiless. Or you may just find that your mind goes completely blank. Or you may not experience anything like this. You may even find that your mind feels like it is busier than it was before you started meditating. This is all fine, and it just means that you have increased your awareness of whatever is going on inside you. The key thing to remember is that there is no particular experience you should experience whilst meditating. All you need to do when meditating is to sit and be aware.

After you have spent a while meditating, start to gently open your eyes, and then become aware of the room around you again. Try to meditate at least once per day, ideally twice.

Reiki Chakra Balance refers to an act of healing or attainment of healthy physical and mental conditions through transmission of positive energy through the technique of Reiki in order to align or balance the energy centers in a man's body. The word chakra, having its roots in the ancient Sanskrit word 'chakram' of Hinduism meaning sphere, refers to the seven energy spheres or centers in a human body placed vertically from the crown of the head to the base of the spine.

Reiki Chakra balance can be said to be the art of balancing or aligning the energy flow from these energy meridians throughout one's body. The seven chakras of Base, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third eye and Crown of the Head receive and transmit the life force energy of man and any blockage or misdirection thereof results severely in physical as well as emotional ill health.

There exists various ways in which the chakras can be balanced namely meditation, acupuncture, sound therapy, etc but the most effective is the Reiki Chakra Balancing which involves Palm healing. In other words, the Reiki practitioner acts as a conduit who transmits positive energy from the infinite source of the cosmos, through his hands to the chakra positions of an individual.

Start with asking the healee to wear loose and comfortable clothing and lie down comfortably in a relaxed and calm state of mind. Thereafter the Reiki practitioner needs to practice some basic meditation techniques to attain the required mental state for Reiki Chakra Balancing. Remember that the healee needs to be comfortable and open for the entire process to work.

Common Reiki techniques involve looking/staring, blowing, touching, tapping stroking or placing the palms flatly against specific positions or diseased part of the healee's body. Most of the hand positions are around the head and neck area but they can also be on the front or back of the torso as well as knees and feet. Many a times the process starts with the healer scrutinizing the aura or the energy field emanated from the person to identify the diseased body parts.

Starting from energizing physically with the warmth of the practitioner's palms, to using Reiki symbols to provide heightened intervention in diseased spots, Reiki Chakra Balancing is performed in various levels. The healee senses a tingling sensation in the area targeted and mystical Reiki symbols are drawn and concentrated upon for transmitting energy and balancing the chakra where a serious injury or disease has occurred. One can also heal by placing his palms on the affected areas for varied lengths of time and this is known as localized treatment.

Thus, it can be seen from the discussion above that Reiki Chakra Balancing involves the use of hands or palms in particular to channelize energy to those chakras where it is required so as to improve the physical and emotional condition of the healee.

It can be concluded by saying that though Reiki Chakra Balancing is extensively used in healing and is most popular where a person is diseased or has a serious injury, it is always better to proactively go for Reiki chakra balancing for smooth energy flow in one's body for the ultimate physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing.

Understanding Chakra

The human body consists of 88,000 chakras, also referred to as continuously spinning or active energy points that act as portals to receive, interact and transmit life forces between an individual and his surroundings. Chakra is Hindu for spinning wheel. Of the bodys 88,000 energy points, seven are regarded to have major importance in the overall function of our being.

Although there is no common denominator between the ancient Hindu and Chinese cultures, they are very similar in their interpretation and explanation about the role of these energy points in our health and lives in general. Both the Hindus and the Chinese look at the bodys major energy points as playing important roles in our conscious and subconscious experiences. And that these seven energy points are the keys to a healthy and successful life.

The seven major energy points of our body are the root, navel, solar plexus, heart, throat, brow, and crown and they are located along the length of the spine. These energy points continuously receive and transmit life form energies resulting from their direct and indirect interaction with other elements and life forces of our environment and are believed to have a direct bearing on our physical, emotional and spiritual makeup.

The continuous contact of energy points with its host (our body) and the environment regardless of whether we are awake or not, gives them a special power over the our physical appearance and bodily functions, including our health and emotions. A malfunction of one of the seven major energy points results in our feeling ill and weak, both physically and mentally.

Since each of the major chakras corresponds to a particular endocrine gland in our body, any variance in their normal function or behavior directly affects our health as well.

Maintaining the Optimum Functions of our Chakras Using the foundations of the ancient Hindus and Chineses understanding and interpretation of the functions of our bodys energy points, especially the seven major ones, we can safely arrive at the conclusion that not all our illnesses are viral; some are very likely related to the malfunction of one or all of our chakras. Physical symptoms of illness may not be present or minimal at the very least, but our feelings of discontent, stress, excitement are signs that something is wrong with us either on the physical, spiritual or emotional levels.

Since not all of our illnesses may be physical, they can also be on the emotional level brought on by repressed incidents that brought us undue pain or disappointment during our lifetime to eating the wrong types of foods and being obese for example. Lack of self confidence and self esteem can also be considered an illness in the broadest term. Certainly, there is only one way to combat these illnesses and that is to remove their physical or emotional triggers from our system.

Advantages of Chakra Healing What most people are not aware of is that we have the resources to control and manipulate our energy points to our advantage. By knowing how to influence and manipulate the functions of our major chakras we can then control how they function so that we can achieve the benefits of balance and harmony, not only within us but with our surroundings as well.

There are a number of ways through which we can directly influence the functions of our bodys major chakras. From simple techniques such as aromatherapy, breathing exercises, physical fitness, or with the use of crystals and gemstones we can achieve balance and harmony.

For example, the practice of Yoga and directed meditation are but two of the commonly used healing methods to align and enhance our energy points in order for us to achieve total relaxation and concentration regardless of where we are. This is very helpful in relieving stress and enhances the bodys natural healing processes.

Another important factor to consider is that although our chakras can not be seen nor touched, they work on their own to support our body. We have to keep them healthy too.

The food we eat affects our health and our system. They also have an affect on the balance and harmony of our major chakras because there are foods that can help maintain the balance and functions of the bodys seven major chakras.

Root-type vegetables, protein-rich foods and spices nourish our root chakra. The sexual and creativity (sacral) chakra needs sweet fruits, nuts and cinnamon, vanilla, sesame and caraway seeds; the stomach/solar plexus chakra which is responsible for enhancing our self-confidence and self-love are can be nourished by eating breads, pastas, cereal, dairy products, yogurt and minty spices.

Green, leafy vegetables, plenty of liquid, fruit juices and green tea are beneficial for our heart and throat chakras.

By eating blueberries, grapes and drinking wine or grape juice, we help nourish our brow/third eye chakra which is responsible for making our third eye senses sharper and more attuned to our psychical abilities.

The last of the seven major energy points, the crown, does not need nourishment but requires fasting in order to be detoxified.

With these simple methods of influencing our bodys energy points (chakras), we are at the same time also influencing our physical wellness towards a more responsive way of life completely with our body and our environment. They are very simple ways but very effective at the same time in order for us to achieve a goal of physical and emotional wellness.

Chakras are the center of activity in a body - the center that produces the life force energy. The word Chakra means wheel, or disk, and it is referred to as a spinning sphere of energy.

There are six Chakras which are located along the spine and a seventh one above these, removed from the physical element of your body.

We think of these Chakras as being composed of energy; but it is very important to realize that the Chakras are closely related to and have influence over your physical body.

Having your Chakras in the proper alignment will also keep your physical, mental and spiritual health in good condition.

Muladhara

The Muladhara is the chakra of the lower body. It is the root chakra, or the base chakra. This chakra is related to security, to survival, and to instinct. Also, it is related to the potentiality of the basic human life. The center of this chakra is located between the anus and the genitals of a person.

This is the Chakra which corresponds to the adrenal glands in the physical body and produces the fight or flight response.

Swadhisthana

The Swadhisthana is the reproductive Chakra, also known as the sacral Chakra. This Chakra corresponds to the genitalia and controls sexuality and the creative urge.

This is the Chakra which controls the sex hormones as well. This Chakra also is responsible for mood swings, It's symbol is a six-petal lotus.

Manipura

The Manipura is the located in navel and is the solar plexus Chakra. This Chakra affects the transitory emotions between base and complex emotions. This Chakra controls energy flow, digestion and corresponds to the pancreas in the physical body.

The Manipura is important in converting food to energy. It's symbol is a ten petal lotus.

Anahata

The Anahata is the heart. It is responsible for complex emotions like love and also controls your equilibrium and overall well being. This Chakra corresponds to the thymus gland, located in the chest. It also corresponds to the immune system in the physical body.

This symbol of this Chakra is a twelve petal lotus

Vishuddha

The Vishudda is the throat. It is responsible for communication and growth.The symbol of this Chakra is a sixteen petal lotus.

The growth is a form of expression, so the Vishudda is in charge of expressions. Communication is a very important part of your every day life, and therefore this chakra is in charge of it.

Ajna

The Anja is your eyebrow or forehead. This Chakra is the third eye. Ajna is responsible for your ability to visaualize and is the Chakra related to light, time and awareness.

It is symbolized by a two petal lotus, and is in charge of regulating sleep and awakening. These are very important functions within the body, and therefore this chakra is very important.

Sahasrara

The Sahasrara is the final Chakra. This is the Chakra which is responsible for consciousness; it is connected to every other system in your body and is the most important element in consciousness. This Chakra corresponds to the pituitary gland in the physical body. The symbol of this Chakra is a thousand petal lotus.

When we speak about health and fitness yoga exercise workouts, we're referring to a modern-day edition of yoga exercise which have been adapted for that Western planet. Standard yoga exercise isn't just about physical fitness from the physique. Instead, the concentrate is on making a feeling of psychological well-being by means of bodily effectively becoming. Though standard yoga exercise is really spiritual, yoga exercise physical fitness workout routines are a lot more about preserving the entire body in form.

Even even though physical fitness yoga exercise routines are mainly in regards to the actual physical instead of psychological well-being, the two elements go hand in hand. After you start to obtain in form as a result of the strenuous but satisfying exercise of physical fitness yoga exercise workout routines, you'll unquestionably start to really feel excellent.

Following all, will not most of us really feel much better when we've shed a few of individuals additional weight, have a lot more endurance and also have much more power? In case you are searching into yoga exercise physical exercise, uncover out how conventional techniques are employed all through the plan. The very first measures commonly entail functioning in your breathing handle that is considered to become the root of imbalance.

In case you can't discover a class for health yoga exercise, you will discover quite a few DVDs as well as on the internet courses obtainable which are tailored to fit your requirements. Yoga exercise physical exercises for health and fitness consist of almost everything from excess fat reduction, versatility, endurance, and aerobics. Quite a few folks locate that there is often a gain to performing yoga exercise at house due to the fact it might be accomplished anytime and in the comfy setting.

Health and fitness yoga exercise workout routines don't should be performed each day time although they do must be performed frequently. Even though it can be just as soon as a week, the system will consistently be enhancing and acquiring a balance together with your feeling of self and tranquility. At very first, yoga exercise ought to be simple and enjoyable. The routines will construct up although often providing you outcomes.

Read more in Yoga Fitness Exercises 101 article.

The weight lifting exercise is very unique and different type of technique is used because of the dynamic movement by lifting the weight under a full squat and with the lightening speed, moving the weight overhead with a fast movement of legs and hips to generate a large amount of force upon a loaded barbell.

Weight lifters are not only strong but possess with a strong shoulder and hip flexibility. A proper gear gives a confidence. Sometime it boosts your energy and gives a high level of assurance to face the vigorous challenge of weight lifting.

Weight lifting exercise is not only necessary for getting the most benefit from your workout however; it will also reduce the chances of sustaining a serious accident while doing exercise. Weight lifting exercise is not an easy task that you can do by your own rather it require technique to lift weight to get effective result.

The opposite 5% of your workout routines can deal with single joint workouts (isolation exercises) such as bicep curls, tricep presses, calf presses, shoulder shrugs, shoulder lateral raises, pec flyes, and so forth, etc. However, these workouts are only accent exercises to do after the main focus has been the multi-joint drills. Train exhausting and intensely 3-4 days/week for 45-60 minutes per weight coaching workout. Maintain your workouts to not than 60 minutes as coaching too much past this point can set off excess catabolism. You need to stay anabolic, however you still want to coach your body onerous and intensely enough to trigger muscle growth.

It is better to start with strength development and the important thing is to learn the proper technique of weight lifting because without proper technique one can hurt themselves and cause serious damage. Once you got the technique then you can start with heavy weights.

These are mainstays of almost any efficient workout program -- caloric consumption can merely be adjusted whether or not your purpose is fat burning or gaining muscle mass. Eat clean with quality entire foods... REAL foods as a substitute of extremely processed over-hyped complement powders and bars. The quality of protein (and additional vitamin from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are finest assimilated by the body from real complete meals comparable to eggs, meats, dairy (ideally uncooked), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. as a substitute of from processed protein powders, chemical-laden bars, and meal replacements. Forget concerning the overvalued workouts within the muscle mags that only work for professional bodybuilders or individuals on steroids. Forget in regards to the over-hyped supplement "stacks" that pay the bills for almost each muscle mag...

As a substitute, make these tips in this article part of your lifestyle, and you may see muscle features and a leaner, ripped physique such as you've by no means seen before!

Anxiety truly can work as a positive reinforcement but most of the time; this can bring trouble into a person. The trouble come into the scene when there is an exaggerate anxiety, worry, and stress without any reason at all. People who suffer from this can find themselves always bothered by certain affairs in life-either it's because of money, health, family, or work. The problem here is that the anxiety is caused by unrealistic factor which should not be the case since there is no reason at all why to worry events that are not for real. Now for you to stop yourself from worrying this kind of problem, it is a must to orient yourself about the causes of anxiety.

Researches disclosed the undeniable fact that there's no single cause for anxiety which implies that there are plenty of factors that may basically play altogether to make a contribution to the issue. To get you thru all these causes of anxiety better, they were split into 3 groups which include the following :

Brain Biochemistry - It is the neurotransmitter that regulates the thoughts and feelings of people. But there are moments when problem may occur to the message carried by the brain which is why chemical imbalance happens. Among the primary neurotransmitters which can affect the feelings of a person are dopamine and serotonin. During times when there is an imbalance, it is likely that someone gets depressed and even anxious.

Genetics- it's correct that stress basically runs among family so one of the causes of anxiety is genetic.For that reason, if one of your folks member or relative suffered from nervousness then it is likely that you're going to get thru such stage too. This is noted that when youngsters grow in a family which is enclosed by anxiety and concern then such youngsters will try and copy the concerned feelings into their lives also.

Due to battle and Flight Reaction- During times of danger, someone will just have to do 2 things which include to battle or to escape. This same mechanism is also the one which creates the heart beat rate to extend as a way of the body to prepare itself to deadly situation.

Now that you know the causes of anxiety then it's going to be simple for you to find the option you may use to help your body fight the difficulty away.

You should be really honoured to own a quartz crystal skull. In all the excitement of getting the crystal don't forget to name it. Giving it a name is the first thing you should do. Think about the name in a calm and serene setting. Trust your instincts and you will know the right name when it appears in your thoughts.

Skulls are said to choose their own guardians - if you are reading this article, you have begun the magnetic attraction to your own crystal skull which is inviting you to be its new caretaker and to lead an abundant life.

As far as crystal skulls are concerned, the presence of impurities or imperfections makes it more powerful. Contrary to what many people believe, too much clarity in the crystal will only serve to diminish its energy considerably.

The crystals that are man made in the laboratories are usually incorporated with impurities to make it look more authentic. You have to be cautious when you look for a crystal skull as the original and the lab made ones look quite similar.

The crystal skulls are known to help you in increasing your responsiveness and also aid in concentration, thought process, regulation, relaying, transforming, accumulating and heightening your energy reserves.

When you first 'own' a clear crystal skull you should clear it. Some do this clearing by use of salt water, others with sunlight or moonlight. Some use sage and/or cedar on what is called a 'smudging' stick.

Dried up sage is folded in a cloth and wrapped around a stick. This is set on fire and let to smoulder. This is then smeared on the skull. But keeping in sunlight is the easiest and less messy way than the smudging technique!

Keeping a quartz crystal makes our lives more fruitful as it benefits us in many spheres. Clearing and keeping our chakras in line is one of the main functions of the crystal skull.

Ancient culture revered quartz crystal. It is still held in sacred esteem by many people who live in close connection with the nature and want financial freedom to continue doing that. However, it is also used by many business people who do not want to sit around with nature, well not unless it's on a safari holiday!

There are basically six properties in a crystal namely ability to form, store, concentrate, magnify, relay and change energy. All this is focussed on matter, thought, feelings and information. The main role of the crystal is synchronising and powering both physical as well as the psychic parts of our existence.

The quartz is often called 'ice of gods' by people in olden days due to its supernatural powers both in the physical as well as the metaphysical levels. It enables you to create abundance in your life.

Some of the prominent uses of the quartz skull are directing healing forces, moving on to various other dimensions, focussing and increasing psychic energy, transmutation, astral passage, communicating with spirits and deities, acquiring financial abundance and numerous other psychic enrichments.

Though spirituality is one of the important uses, I'm sure most of us will clearly be more interested in the abundance creation capacity of the skull! I for one use it mainly to make my business prosper!

Whatever way you see it, the quartz skull is definitely an attractive piece that you cannot ignore. There are chances of your becoming a crystal expert making your life wealthier and complete! So don't miss the opportunity of getting your own quartz skull!

Many of us think of our dreams as something which is largely beyond our control; they happen while we are asleep, after all and whether they are pleasant dreams or nightmares, we shrug and assume there is nothing to be done to direct the course of our dreams. However, it is entirely possible to have dream control thorough the technique known as lucid dreaming.

What exactly is lucid dreaming though? How can you start using dream control? Are there benefits associated with being able to sit in the directors chair for your dreams? In this article, well look at how dream control works and what it can do for you.

What Is Dream Control?

Dream control, which is the ability granted to us by the technique of lucid dreaming is having the knowledge that you are dreaming even while in the middle of a dream. While you are sound asleep, your mind can be aware of the fact that you are dreaming, letting you be in control of the events which transpire in your dreams.

People who suffer from nightmares frequently can find relief with dream control. Once they learn to use this powerful technique, they can banish their nightmares and get the restful sleep they need.

Common Methods of Inducing Lucid Dreaming

Binaural audio is a very effective method of inducing lucid dreaming. Binaural audio consists of two slightly different frequencies simultaneously; this brings about the necessary state of relaxation and the synchronization of the brain waves needed for lucid dreaming to occur; namely, REM sleep.

Prior to the advent of binaural audio technology, now available on CDs and DVDS, meditation and self hypnosis were used to bring about dream control. While these methods are indeed effective, it can take a considerable amount of time to become expert at these techniques.

Other than these methods, many others have been used by psychologists and sleep researchers. However the mind is trained to assert dream control, the object is the same; to enable the dreamer to realize that they are dreaming and to begin taking the reins of their dreams.

This kind of metal training begins, of course while we are still fully awake. The aim is to give yourself a cue; either an action or a word which when performed in your dream, will serve as your signal that you are dreaming; which lets you start exerting dream control.

You may be able to do this by simply telling yourself as you are falling asleep that in your dream, you will do or say something and then you will know that you are dreaming. Once you know that you are dreaming, lucid dreaming has begun.

This form of dream control is called mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (or MILD for short), a technique developed by researcher Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Once reminded, you are then in control of your dream. You can then decide what happens in your dream, with your imagination being the only limiting factor.

A dream diary can also help you to get started with lucid dreaming. Immediately after you wake up, write down each and every detail that you remember from your dreams. After doing this for a while, you'll train your mind to remember your dreams; this is the first step to dream control and soon you'll start having lucid dreams!

Tame monsters in your nightmares, 'visit' any location you wish, explore imagined worlds that you envision within your own mind, speak to anyone you like, and basically be free of all worldly constraints and limits. With dream control, all of this is possible, in essence, giving us the power to be the ruler of our own nightly fantasy worlds where we are in complete control of everything that transpires.

As with anything else, though there can be too much of a good thing. According to psychologists and other experts, dreaming is a way for our subconscious minds communicate important messages to us. So while lucid dreaming is indeed an incredible experience, you'll also want to have natural dreams; so remember to take some time off from lucid dreaming now and again.