Carlos Santana on Spirituality & Music

Posted on by Tammy

In a recent interview with Las Vegas Magazine, legendary musician and guitarist Carlos Santana talked music, life, inspiration and spirituality.

“Spirituality is something very tangible to give you assurance and a guarantee that the universe is abundant and at your service,” he says in the article. “But you have to learn how to access it.

“A lot of people today have mental paralysis: They’re arrogant, they don’t have trust, faith or belief in anything outside of, ‘the world is going to hell.’ They’re cynical, which is like cement in your brain.”

Santana explained how everything he does onstage is a reflection of his spirituality, and how perceiving life through this lens makes a difference.

“You cannot behave appropriately unless you perceive correctly,” he said in the article. “Then you are a beam of light and you will carry yourself differently. You are created in the image of God — love, only love. Say: ‘I am meaningful and significant and I can make a difference in the world.’”

La Cle Key Necklace

Posted on by Tammy

Using repurposed vintage keys, La Cle offers unique and one-of-a-kind necklaces that hold a message and serve as a reminder to live a conscious and positive life.

Created by Deanna Saracino, a mom and entrepreneur, she created the brand to give people the opportunity to “look good, feel good and do good.”

Keys can symbolize a number of things, from opportunities and freedom to secrets and knowledge, and La Cle is focused on helping others “live a more conscious life and embrace who they are,” according to the company.

Also, each color has its own meaning (look them up here) and customers can pick their color and design — we are partial to the Glitter Keys!

As the color of key fades away over time, Saracino believes it symbolizes the positive energy the wearer absorbed from the meaningful words each color holds. For example, Gold stands for worthy and valuable, and Orange is unstoppable and focused.

Plus, once the color is gone, the company asks customers to post a picture of their “naked key” with the hastag #NakedKey on social media, and the company will make a donation in honor of the person’s chosen charity.

For more information visit, www.shoplacle.com.

New York Giant Victor Cruz on Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post on the release of his Showtime documentary “I am Giant: Victor Cruz,” the New York Giant talked about an injury from last October, how he deals with stress, insecurity and more.

And one of the tools he relies on is meditation.

“I’ve really gotten into this form of meditation a friend of mine put me on to. It’s really been beneficial. It’s called mantra meditation,” said Cruz. “You’re given a mantra and you repeat that mantra in your head with your eyes closed for a duration of time. It allows you to clear your mind and answer those questions internally about how you’re feeling about different things you may be facing.

He continued: “It’ll surprise you, the things you think about in this state. I’ve thought about things from when I was 6, 7 years old. It helps me keep a level head and stay honest with myself and understand where I want to go in my life.”

He also shared how life’s ups and downs have taught him to “stay diligent” and “focused on the prize.”

“No matter what things you go through, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” Cruz told The Huffington Post. “You just have to continue to inspire yourself to reach that end. Of all the ups and downs I went though, I never lost faith in what I wanted to accomplish and achieve at every level. Every level, I had a set parameter of what I wanted to accomplish. I accomplished those things, but obviously the path wasn’t the easiest. The biggest thing is that I finished.”

What You Listen to Matters

Posted on by Tammy

The power of sound continues to astonish me. What we listen to can have an effect on our heart, blood pressure, blood flow, stress levels and our brain.

Did you know the Chinese character for medicine includes the character for music?

In ancient Greece, music was used to promote sleep, lower stress levels and ease pain. And Native Americans used both singing and changing in healing rituals. Scientific studies continue to discover the amazing benefits of the sounds we listen to and the effects on the body, specifically for healing.

In one study from Hong Kong, older volunteers who listened to relaxing music for 25 minutes a day for four weeks lowered their systolic pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 12 points and their diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 5 points, while a control group that didn’t listen to music had no change in blood pressure, according to the Harvard Medical Review.

And that is just one example.

So my question to you is, what are you listening to during the day and to unwind at night? Is it relaxing and energizing you at the right times? Is it healing or hurting you?

I have been thinking more about this lately on my own healing journey, and so I decided to share with you some of my favorites to help you on your own path!

Focus & Concentration

“Music for the Mozart Effect Volume 1: Strengthen the Mind” by Don Campbell
I discovered “The Mozart Effect” music years ago and have listened to it ever since. Created by author Don Campbell, who wrote the books on how music is medicine for the mind, body and soul, including “The Mozart Effect” and “The Mozart Effect for Children,” his CDs are filled with music from Mozart to target a desired effect on the body and mind. This one is used for intelligence and learning, and is great for studying, learning, reading or on your way to work. I often listen to this during the day while I am working, and find I can concentrate better and get more done!

Healing

“Grace and Gratitude,” by Olivia Newton-John
Ever since I interviewed her for Elevated Existence’s September 2009 cover story, I have had this CD on my playlist and I listen to it often and love it. It’s filled with spiritually focused and inspiring songs Newton-John wrote after her battle with cancer in order to help other people heal. It includes 10 songs featuring universally spiritual lyrics, alternating with 10 instrumental selections that relate to the different chakras and emotions in the body.

Songs include “Pearls on a Chain,” where she sings, “And if you look in my eyes, you will see we are souls alike, we are pearls on a chain,” and “Let Go, Let God,” with lyrics like “Let the signs remind you, we are passengers. Let the signs remind you to surrender.”

“Music for the Mozart Effect Volume 2: Heal the Body” by Don Campbell
Another great one by Don Campbell, and this one is specifically for healing the body. It can be listened to any time of day, and is especially relaxing to unwind at night. Be sure to look at all The Mozart Effect music because there are other volumes, and even those specifically for children!

“The Essential Snatam Kaur: Sacred Chants for Healing” by Snatam Kaur
This is another one I will listen to in the background during the day. Snatam Kaur’s voice is beautiful and soothing, and known by those who practice Kundalini yoga. It can be listened to during meditation and yoga as well. Kaur has a number of albums but this is a great collection for healing.

“The Soul of Healing Affirmation: A to Z Guide to Reprogramming the Soul,” by Deepak Chopra and Adam Plack
Set to soothing music, listen to Deepak Chopra as he repeats 26 affirmations (on topics from A to Z) to engage the body, mind and spirit toward balance, healing and rejuvenation. From A for Acceptance to Z for Zero. I love listening to this during the day while I’m working because I feel like I’m feeding my mind and soul and programming myself with positive affirmations at the same time.

Relax & Unwind

“Relax & Destress: Dr. Andrew Weil’s Music for Self-Healing,” by Dr. Andrew Weil and Joshua Leeds
This collection of classical music was scientifically selected and performed to reduce physical tension, calm anxiety and create inner calm. This is perfect for nighttime, but I also listen during the day (even while I work) when I find myself stressed out.

“The Very Best of Enya” by Enya
I adore all of Enya’s music and find it very relaxing. This one is a collection of 19 songs and there are so many of my favorites on it. Her voice literally soothes the soul in my opinion. P.S. she has a new album coming out November 27, 2015 called Dark Sky Island, so be on the lookout for that!

I hope you will try some of these selections, and let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you have any that you listen to and would like to share, comment on that below too because I’m always looking for new music!

Tammy Mastroberte is a three-time, award-winning writer, founder of Elevated Existence, and publisher and editorial director of the multi-award-winning Elevated Existence Magazine. She started the new age, spiritual and self-improvement publication at age 30 – eight years after the sudden death of her mother from a brain aneurysm only three days after Christmas in 1999. This tragedy led her down a synchronistic path to discover her purpose and the meaning behind many of the events in her life – including her mother’s death. She now shares her guidance, and the wisdom of today’s top authors and spiritual celebrities through Elevated Existence. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter: @ElevatedTammy on Instagram: elevatedtammy.

Washing Dishes Mindfully Can Ease Stress, Study Shows

Posted on by Tammy

There is a way to wash dishes and alleviate stress at the same time — and it’s doing the dishes mindfully.

Researchers from Florida State University studied 51 college students as they washed dishes, and more than half were given a dish washing passage written by author and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, which told them to bring mindfulness to the activity — really smelling the soap and sensing the water temperature.

“While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes,” the passage by Hanh said, according to Medical Daily. “At first glance, that might seem a little silly. Why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing is a wondrous reality. I’m being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves.”

The remainder of the control group being studied read a short message focused on the basics of getting things done, and the results showed those who read the Thich Nhat Hanh passage, and washing the dishes mindfully, reported a decrease in nervousness (by 27 percent) and an increase in mental inspiration (by 25 percent). More importantly, the control group noticed no benefits at all.

VIDEO: Conscious Creator – Create The Life You Desire App

Posted on by Tammy

If you knew that every moment was creating your future would you waste a second not creating? Conscious Creator is a tool to align with the power of the present moment to create the life you desire. Built with the busy person in mind Conscious Creator has a series of easy to use alarms, reminders, affirmations, recordings and challenges to help actualize your biggest life.

Affirmations – The affirmations tab is a place to create positive self affirming statements for the goals and desires in one’s life. Users can even set up reminders on their phone that will appear at intervals of their choosing.

Challenges – The challenges tab gets the user out of his or her comfort zone into another set of activities that rewires the brain for success. Each challenge is designed to get a person thinking, feeling and acting differently. Do a challenge a day or focus on one per week.

Facts – The facts tab gives even more evidence on the powerful law of attraction, as well as helpful tips on how to use each function of the app to bring about change in one’s life.

Record – Hearing one’s goals out loud is a very powerful way to bring about change in his or her life. The record tab can be used to record affirmations, goals and reminders, as well as listening to the two included meditations. Users can even use the recording tab to capture snippets of inspirational songs, and content discovered anywhere.

Alarms – With the alarms tab, users can choose their own soothing sounds, how often they want the alarm repeated, the date and time, as well as a short description. They can wake up to an inspirational sound and short mantra, remind themselves to complete a challenge or listen to a recording, or to remind themselves to say an affirmation out loud.

Guide – This offers a fun how to video, as well as direct link to the Conscious Creator website, and Facebook where more insiders tips and conscious activities are shared. It’s also a great place to connect with other users of Conscious Creator.

Watch the video below: