Tag: meditation

The Open Center Offers Online Courses

Posted on by Tammy

Do you live in an urban area and want to know how to apply Feng Shui to your apartment? Are you curious about Chinese Medicine, and want to learn more about it?

Thanks to the NY-based Open Center new online courses, anyone around the world can log online and learn about these topics and more – and for a limited time the company is offering a 20-percent discount. Just enter the coupon code ONLINE20 when signing up between now and September 23, 2011.

Courses currently open for enrollment include:

— An Introduction to Chinese Medicine, taught by Drew DiVittorio — $135

— Integrative Self-Hypnosis: Easy Approaches for Change, taught by Melissa Tiers — $135

— Jumpstart Your Business Practice With Online Marketing: Authentic Marketing for Holistic Practitioners, taught by Robert Notter — $175

— Meditations on Sacred Geometry: Crafting the Poetry of Form, taught by Karl Lorenzen $135

— Urban Feng Shui, taught by R.D. Chin — $135

For more information, to view course videos and to sign up, visit http://learn.opencenter.org/.

 

Actor Jeff Bridges Finds Meditation “Very Effective”

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Actor Jeff Bridges practices meditation almost every day, finding the practice “very effective,” he told contactmusic.com.

“It’s good to block out external stimulus for a set amount of time, because, for one thing, it enhances the experience when you are stimulated by something. It brings dynamics to your life,” he explained.

Bridges was one of the first to use the isolation tank developed by physician and psychoanalyst, John C. Lilly. A lightless, soundproof tank, it allows people to float in salt water at skin temperature, and is often used for meditation, relaxation and in alternative medicine.

“He developed the isolation tank, and I was one of his subjects when he was experimenting with it,” Bridges said. “The idea was to explore what consciousness is when you take away all of the senses and you’re floating. You discover that you’re projecting a lot of energy from within you, but normally you can’t distinguish it.”

Meditation Mob Movement Hits 130 Cities

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Starting Thursday, August 25, and running to Sunday, August 28, thousands of people in more than 130 cities will meditate at government buildings and universities around the world, including Montreal, London, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Rome and Kenya, in a movement known as MedMob — or Meditation Mob.

MedMob began on January 30, 2011, when 60 people launched a meditation flash mob in Austin at the Texas State Capitol. By February, the Austin MedMob grew to 250 people and extended to seven other cities that hosted their own MedMobs. Now, eight months later, public meditations are planned for more than 130 cities.

“Our initial intention was to expose Austin to the power of meditation and invite people from all walks of life to join,” Patrick Kronfli, co-founder of MedMob said in a released statement. “It’s inspiring to see leaders around the world rise up to create the same experience, and it’s exciting to be part of a global movement committed to internal peace.”

On Thursday, August 25th at 5:30 pm, in Place Vauquelin next to Montreal’s City Hall, a large group of sitting meditators – open to anyone who would like to join — will sit to meditate with the intention of exuding an inner peace, strength, and happiness to brighten the day of every observer, according to Kronfli. The mediation is scheduled for an hour and will conclude with 10 minutes of a sound bath.

Research has shown that meditating in big groups creates an electro-magnetic wave that impacts the world around us. For more information, visit www.medmob.org.

Upcoming MedMob Dates:

September 21, 2011 – The International Day of Peace.

November 11, 2011 – 11/11/11 Unification Event

December 26, 2011 – 2011 Winter Solstice

Editor’s Advice: 10 Ideas on Self-Care

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By Tammy Mastroberte

Most of us are so busy with work, family, friends, and life in general, we sometimes forget to take time to nurture and love ourselves. Maybe we find ourselves getting angry easily, or frustrated with things around us that we can’t control. Or maybe we are moving non-stop from waking in the morning until our head hits the pillow at night.

We have to remember to take time out for ourselves. If we don’t, we won’t be as helpful to others. And no, it’s not selfish. It’s self-love! Here are some suggestions for you to practice self-care:

1. Take time every day to meditate, clear and recharge your mind – even if it’s only 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes before bed.

2. If you like to look through magazines, whether fashion, spiritual or hobby focused, cut out pictures or items of interest to you and put them in a “manifestation box,” or tape them to a poster board. Look at these before you meditate, or at times when you need a lift. Know that they are coming to you.

3. Put on an inspirational CD – whether a recorded talk from one of your favorite authors, or music that makes you feel good (see the Read, Watch, Listen section of our quarterly magazine for some great recommendations) and clean up the clutter around you. Come on … you know it’s there. We know it’s there. You will feel better when it’s gone!

4. Pamper yourself. Take a bath, treat your skin with your favorite oil or moisturizer, make
a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, and curl up with your favorite throw for a good movie … or a good book.

5. Plan a game night with friends to relax, laugh and share with others. You can pick a fun and interactive board game (or even a DVD interactive game). Better yet, create a monthly game night, and alternate homes each time.

6. Treat yourself to something out of the ordinary. Splurge on that favorite coffee drink. Book a one-hour massage. Buy a new candle to fragrance your home or office.

7. Grab your mp3 player and go for a walk outside in nature. It’s good for your mind and body, and if you bring a friend with you, you don’t need the music!

8. If you had a choice to spend an hour doing anything you wanted, what would you do? Work on a hobby? Talk to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while? Browse in a bookstore? Schedule an hour for yourself in your calendar right now to do whatever you pick.

9. Spend quality time with children — your own, your grandchildren, your niece, your
nephew, etc. Their innocence will always make you smile, and remember how simple life can really be.

10. Take a yoga class. It’s one of the best ways to take a time out and connect your mind and body.

These are just a few of the ways you can take time out and practice self-care.

What do you do to take care of you? I’d love to hear more of your suggestions!

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine

Editor’s Advice: 5 Ways to Start Your Day in a Positive Light

Posted on by Tammy

We asked our Facebook friends to share some of their morning
routines used to start the day in a positive way, and we got some great ideas – from welcoming in spirit guides to watch over us during the day to doing the five Tibetan rites. But find it’s hard enough to just get out the door on time!

I’m guilty of failing into that trap myself – I want to get up early and meditate, but when the alarm goes off, it’s just too tempting to hit the snooze button! However, I know when I do make the effort, it always pays off. So here are just a few things that can be easily incorporated into even the most busy lifestyle … and if you can manage to squeeze in 15 minutes of meditation, all the better!

— Begin with Gratitude. Take a couple of minutes after you wake up to lay in bed and make a mental list of five things you are grateful for that morning. Send gratitude and thanks to the people or situations involved, and if you are really running late, you can make the mental list while in the shower or while you’re getting dressed. It will put you into the mode of gratitude, and that is the best place to start attracting for the day!

— Start your day with inspiration. For five minutes, sit and read through a positive book or passage – short stories or books with quotes or passages per day work really well (or read through one of the free articles on our Web site!)

— Move the Body. Get your energy flowing with a few yoga poses or sun salutations to connect your mind, body and spirit, or as one of my favorite author’s and teachers, Sonia Choquette, recommends – turn on some music and just dance to ground your spirit in the body! Short on time? Dance while you’re brushing your teeth!

— Ask for Assistance. We have all heard the phrase, “ask and you shall receive,” but how many of us actually ask? Often we are so caught up in our everyday lives, problems and challenges, that while we are busy trying to solve them with our mind, we forget to call on the higher power of spirit. Before you get up from bed, take 60 seconds to picture yourself surrounded by white light, and ask your higher self, and whatever higher power you believe in, to protect you and assist you in all you face that day. And then trust that you will receive that assistance!

— Meditate or Practice Breathing Exercises. Ideally, most experts recommend we take at least 20 minutes out of our morning routine to quiet the mind through meditation, but if you are really in a crunch, even five minutes can be beneficial. And if meditation isn’t something you are comfortable with, try deep breathing exercises. You can read more on meditation in our free preview article “Finding the Right Meditation for You,” and on breathing exercises in the free preview article “The Power of Conscious Breathing.”

Here’s to starting the day of right – in a positive light!

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher and Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine