Maria Duval - How To Meditate With A Mantra

How To Meditate With A Mantra
These days whenever a politician repeats a promise over and over again commentators say that this promise has become a ?mantra? for that politician. For the journalists, the word ?mantra? means a meaningless phrase that is repeated endlessly. For yogis however, a mantra is a word or collection of words, which has the power of liberating a human being from all limitations.

How can the repetition of a word or a few words have the capacity to bring about such miraculous results? It is all based on a simple psychological principle, ?as you think, so you become.?

If you someone tells you ?You?re stupid,? that?s of course a bad insult and will hurt you. However if you start to think ?I am stupid,? and keep repeating this phrase over and over, then that is far worse. When someone tells you that you are stupid, then this is a negative outer-suggestion. When you start to think about it, then you are giving yourself, a negative auto-suggestion. If you keep thinking in a negative way, then your personal development will be harmed.

Meditation mantras have a positive meaning. They remind you that your true nature is something great: pure consciousness and boundless love. If you start to think about the best part of your being, you will begin to have more confidence in yourself and this will become apparent in your actions.

However, many people have read philosophical, spiritual or self-help books explaining these ideas, and yet they never realize these great truths in their everyday reality. It is not enough to just think about a good idea once, and then close the book. You need to think in a concentrated and systematic manner over a period of time in order to get results.

Meditation mantras have a special quality that helps in the task of concentrated, positive thinking: their very vibration has the capacity to concentrate and focus your mind. Some sounds, such as power drill breaking a pavement, can upset you greatly, while other sounds, like soothing music, can transport you to another world.

The syllables and words used in meditation mantras have been chosen according their sonic capacity, and they greatly aid the task of concentration and contemplation, as well as carrying a positive meaning.

In order to get the benefits from mantra meditation, you need to meditate regularly with a mantra that has a positive meaning and the capacity to help you concentrate. You need to do it on a regular basis, sitting silently two times a day for a period of 10 to 30 minutes.

It sounds easy, but the common experience of most people is that as you sit and try to think about one word or one phrase, your mind is quickly filled with many other thoughts; thoughts about work, financial problems, disputes with people and all kinds of other matters. When this happens, and it certainly will, then you have to bring your mind back to the mantra. Meditation is a process where you concentrate on the mantra and its meaning for as long as you can, and when you mind wanders, you bring it back.

Keep doing it, and you will attain an improved capacity to concentrate and deep inner peace.

It may still sound too good to be true, and some intellectuals scoff at the alleged power of a mantra. Once, a renowned Indian yogi came to America and delivered many lectures on this subject. In one of the lectures he was challenged by someone in the audience who said that it was not possible for a single word to deliver the results that the yogi promised. The yogi turned to the man, who was a distinguished professor and said ?You fool!?

The professor turned red, and began to shout at the yogi, who calmly watched the professor unwind.

The yogi then addressed the professor and said: ?Now can you understand the power of a single word? All I did was utter the word ?fool? and your behavior was changed in an instant!

Dada Vedaprajinananda has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for the past 35 years. He is the webmaster of the Ananda Marga meditation society?s website, and is the author of Start Meditation, Stop Smoking and Yoga Weight Loss Secrets

An Article On Perfectionism
What is Perfectionism? Perfectionism is defined as a meticulous drive to attain excellence. A perfectionist is one who has this characteristic.

'Perfectionism' is a most prevalent belief in our civilization. Notice that I used the word 'belief'.

Everywhere in this world of ours, perfectionism is regarded as good and desirable while imperfection is deem as bad or negative. Everybody wants everybody else to be perfect. Bosses want their employees to be flawless on the job. Parents want their kids to be the best. Perfectionists want their work and themselves to be perfect.

Since it is so strongly regarded as being positive, is Perfectionism really an absolute or universal value? In my opinion, it is not so.
To me, it is relative and is born of human conception. Perfection is an idea. It is an idea of a perceived ideal state of affair. However, things are the way they are. For every circumstances, the truth is what is at each instance. Perfection and imperfection are therefore merely attached values.

I am not suggesting that perfectionism is not good. I am suggesting that perhaps perfectionism can cast a controlling net over our expression of happiness. One can reach the required goal with or without being a perfectionist. To be a perfectionist, on the other hand, leave very little room for one to accept and love oneself unconditionally when a desired goal is not met. And when our desires are not met, we feel unhappy or cannot be fully satisfied. However, the truth is we only have each moment of the Present Moment to live in. By being perfectionist, our mind will be forever planning and thinking about the future or lamenting about what went wrong in the past. Because of these tendencies, many perfectionists are unable to feel satisfaction because in their perception they never seem to do things good enough to warrant that feeling of contentment.

From this, we can see a paradox of life. That is:

"How can one have perfect peace, self-love and joy when one is a perfectionist? "

Thank you for reading.

The author runs 2 sites: Dream Datum self help resources and Idea Cosmo.

Creating Positive Change -- There Is No Beginning Too Small
Have you ever had the feeling while reading a newspaper, listening to a lecture, or sitting around a dinner table talking with friends about current events, that “Something ought to be done about that”? Or perhaps you have felt appalled by an injustice of some sad event and thought, “What is to be done?” Some events, especially those at the global level, seem insurmountable -- poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation, for example. And even in our local communities, we seem beset with problems -- destructive behavior, a lack education in the arts, cruelty to animals -- that may make us feel upset. Such shock or sadness about the state of the world or even everyday problems signals our recognition that things can be otherwise. Differences can be made. Hope persists. Recognizing a problem and feeling that things can change is the beginning of change itself. If you have had this experience, you can be part of the change; you can dream and develop a vision and a plan of action. Gandhi wrote that “we must be the change we wish to see,” and I agree. He meant, I think, that we must embody the change itself, but I would add that we must dare to dream of change for the sake of the world. In this short article, I would like to share with you how I came to believe this idea. I hope the story will be helpful to you as you address issues that upset and concern you in your community and in the world. Briefly, here is what happened to me: Back in 1987, I began to dream of creating an organization that would help women around the world be strengthened and empowered. The idea became a passion, and I worked with others to put together The Global Fund for Women, which grew from the seed of an idea to a fully developed organization, now about twenty years old and the largest foundation in the world working to support the human rights of women. In other words, from a dream came the reality. In the course of developing The Global Fund for Women, I came to know that the way an organization does its work is more important than what it does. I also learned that there can be some definable steps toward effecting change. First you must dare to dream of positive change and then clarify that vision. Try to be as clear as possible about what you hope to do and why. As you dream of creating a program or an organization that will “change the world” at whatever level you may wish to work, people may suggest that you are being “unrealistically idealistic.” Never mind; that may be a good thing. Major change seldom occurs without seemingly “unrealistic” ideas. Your dream will act to galvanize others. My dream of getting money directly into the hands of grass-roots women around the world in respectful, trusting, and flexible ways inspired a good number of people. My experience urges you to let yourself dream and then clarify the vision. Very soon, however, our dreams must be turned into reality if we want to see real change. Here is a quote from the Baha’I writer, Abdu’l-Baha, which I like very much: “What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless. The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of their ideals and do not strive to put them into practice.” In other words, as you seek to make change, you need to take very specific actions to give reality to your dreams. I found that a good beginning is to meet with others, even two or three friends, and talk about your vision for change. Begin to write down your ideas. Decide to meet again to figure out how to proceed. Take on different responsibilities for the program or organization -- deciding when, how often, and where you will meet and what specific programs you will undertake. One or two of your friends will begin to think about writing a brochure or a statement of the vision and purpose of your enterprise. Another will begin to think of sources of money, including your own donations, if your activities are going to require funds (for publications, advertising, travel, or whatever). Begin as volunteers until you truly find that you need to hire people to run the project. Most important, be clear about your vision and purpose. If people say that your dream is too big or that it “can’t be done,” try not to be brought down by such negative thoughts. Instead, address the central issue that they raise and think positively about whether or how to address their criticisms; it may be necessary to avoid negative people for a while. Giving reality to a dream can be hard work, and one doesn’t want to be burdened with negativism. Make a note of constructive criticism for future reference; in the beginning, your ideas for change need to be nurtured. At this time of beginnings, think not only of what you want to do but the way you want to do it: what is the nature of the program or organization that you want to build? Do you want it to be an “idea factory”? If so, be sure to seek out people very different from yourself to ensure that they will bring in perspectives that you will not think of. Do you want it to be a calm and gentle place? If so, think of ways that your group can set in place processes that allow people to feel safe and calm. Are you working on issues of social justice? If so, make sure that your everyday practices in the group recognize and respect differences and that the day-to-day work practices are based on respect, trust, and compassion. The medium is the message: the way you do your work is more important than what you do. I suppose that these thoughts on the very beginning of change may seem very simple. They are. But they will get you started to create change. There is no beginning too small.

Based on the book Paradigm Found. (June 2006;$14.95US; 1-57731-533-2)Copyright © 2006 by Anne Firth Murray. Reprinted with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800/972-6657 ext. 52. Anne Firth Murray, the founding president of The Global Fund for Women, serves on the boards and advisory groups of several social change organizations and is a consulting professor at Stanford University. Her website is www.paradigmfound.org.

Does Positive Thinking Work?
Let's consider the antithesis to this question. Does negative thinking work?

Well, has there been a time when you have worried unduly about something? Maybe you were worried about an exam, a driving test, an interview. Chances are that your worst expectations came into fruition and even if you got the outcome you desired you recognised that you could have performed better had you not worried.

When we worry or have negative thoughts about something we are not allowing ourselves to think constructively about how to achieve what we want. We focus all our energy on the negative elements of a particular situation and what we put energy into grows.

Dr. Kathleen Hall writes in her book A Life in Balance,

"Affirmations are positive statements we tell ourselves. Our mind believes what we tell it. When you tell your brain positive information, you are feeding your brain extremely valuable food that heals your mind and body...When you tell yourself something over and over again, it gets recorded in your brain; then your mind and body believe it and you become what you have been telling yourself. A positive affirmation is a self-fulfilling prophecy."

This statement represents half of the picture because when we tell our brain, meaning our sub-conscious mind, negative information, when we repeatedly tell ourselves something which is negative it also gets recorded in the mind as if it were a true statement.

"A negative assertion is a self-fulfilling prophecy."

I was chatting to an acquaintance the other day. I could see she was tense and she was complaining of having headaches. I asked if she was worried about anything and she admitted that she was worried about a new job assignment. Now she wasn't worried about her ability to handle the assignment; she was worrying because she had this type of assignment before and didn't enjoy it. She was worrying herself sick and for no good reason.

"When you send your brain negative information, you are feeding your brain anti-nutrients that harm your mind and body."

Take getting a promotion at work. If we focus on why it's not possible to get the promotion and focus on our limitations then that's what we'll put our energy into. The presentation and or interview will roll around, we'll perform poorly, lose the opportunity and tell ourselves, "See, I knew I wasn't good enough!" "I knew I wouldn't get the promotion." We may even blame someone else �" "The boss doesn't like me." "Bob is more experienced than I. He was bound to get the position."

When we have these thoughts we give up our power to influence change in our lives. When we accept that we create our reality then we can choose our reality. We can become more aware players in this game called life.

So if negative thinking works then, by the Law of Polarity, the opposite must also true. As Larry King said in his introduction to a special edition of Larry King Live aired recently called The Power of Positive Thinking where he interviewed Bob Proctor, John Assaraf, Michael Beckwith, John DeMartini and JZ Knight,

"Positive thoughts can transform, can attract the good things you know you want."

However, holding on to positive thoughts is challenging. When we are born we are encoded with the genetic material of our parents and, it has been proven, with the genetic material of our ancestors �" that's a lot of hardwiring. We then grow up in an environment where the values of our parents and or guardians are also engrained into us whether it is 'information' that serves us in a negative or positive manner. Hence there is a lot of stuff to override. As Jack Canfield, puts it,

"We are a bundle of conditioned reflexes out of control."

We tend to put a lot of emotion into our negative thoughts compared to the emotion and energy we put into our positive thoughts. I can have a negative thought and if I don't invest too much emotion into it then I generally don't have to worry about it taking hold and manifesting itself. Unfortunately, we often invest a lot of energy and emotion into our negative thoughts and this simply serves to bring our worse fears into fruition even faster.

Conversely, when we say positive affirmations there can be an emotional detachment and a lack of consistency in saying them. Also, a lack of evidence in our visible world may cause our analytical conscious mind to filter and delete positive affirmations. Yet, if we are able to overcome this challenge and hold the thought in our mind of what we really want irrespective of our current circumstances then our outer world will eventually catch up with our inner world.

To demonstrate the power of positive thinking I'd like to go back to the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy. The men's Alpine skiing downhill race was won by 3 times French champion, Antoine Dénériaz. Dénériaz says,

"…since time that I said myself, "One day you will be World Champion, Olympic Champion…"

But Dénériaz was not expected to win. He had performed no better than sixth in a World Cup race this season. The commentators and many of the other competitors all talked about how tough the course was. The course also was getting progressively more demanding as the day wore on and more and more runs were completed.

Dénériaz was also the last of 30 seeded skiiers. None of this deterred Dénériaz. He knew he had a job to complete plus there was champagne waiting for him to drink.

You see Dénériaz had been applying the power of positive thinking to the extent he was so confident he was going to win and become Olympic Champion he bought champagne to celebrate beforehand!

Dénériaz skiied beautifully and won emphatically in a time of 1:48.80 stealing what had, until that point, looked like a sure gold medal, from Michael Walchhofer from Austria (1:49.52). Bruno Kernen of Switzerland was third with a time of 1:49.82.

The top US skier, Bode Miller, said in an interview afterwards,

"The way Dénériaz skied today, he was pretty much untouchable."

That positive thinking works can be proven scientifically. You, undoubtedly, will have heard of The Science of Getting Rich and The Science of Being Well. Positive thinking is "The Science of Getting What You Want".

Nickolove Lovemore is a Life & Success Coach and a Certified NLP Practitioner. Please visit http://www.SuccessAccessories.com for free ebook to fire up your positive thinking!

Think Positive to Improve Your Confidence and Your Entire Life
Self confidence is one’s ability to believe in one’s self. Those with a high self confidence are optimistic, assertive, and eager individuals ready to take on the world and conquer the goals. On the other hand, people with a low self confidence find themselves often distant and despondent, constantly questioning themselves and often passive or submissive. Self confidence is the key to success in academic pursuits, athletic activities, employment field, and private life, literally every aspect of one’s life. Individuals that entertain a high sense of self confidence usually go on to phenomenally succeed, whereas individuals with a low sense of self confidence tend to be brought down by their inner demons and fail.
The trap of low self confidence is extremely easy to fall into and very difficult to remove oneself from. That tiny voice in the back of the head that criticizes, questions, and insults can easily grow louder and louder the more you listen. Instead of the traditional angel on one shoulder, those with low self confidence would find the devil there more often than not. Instead of boosting themselves up by enjoying their accomplishments or congratulating themselves on a job well done, individuals with low self esteem find their shoulder devil is constantly picking and finding fault in the midst of triumph.
They key to maintaining a high self esteem is positive thinking. Individuals that think of themselves in a positive light are more likely to have a higher self confidence than those nay-sayers in the crowd. One way to remain positive and keep an upbeat aura is to surround oneself with positive people. Avoid individuals who criticize, nit pick, and put down. These negative individuals are a sinking ship and will only bring you down with them. People who surround themselves with positive people, find it easier to maintain a high sense of a self worth and banish that devil from their shoulder. If you find yourself in a situation where you must deal with individuals with a negative outlook, confront them on the matter.
If you find yourself surrounded by so-called friends who constantly make you feel poorly about yourself and lower your self confidence, it might be time to part ways. Remember, friends, family, and loved ones are supposed to make you feel good about yourself and have your best interest at heart. This is not always the case and friends by title alone can do more harm than most enemies. Furthermore, personal relationships can have the same if not worse affect on one’s self confidence level.
Always remember to think positive, believe in yourself and your ambitions and goals and you can achieve whatever you desire.
For a greater understanding of the power of your mind and your thoughts and this can affect your financial freedom, get a copy of the original classic by Napoleon Hill titled "Think and Grow Rich"

John is the owner of the website http://www.OriginalThinkAndGrowRich.com where you can get a FREE copy of Napoleon Hill's Book Think and Grow Rich. Head over now and claim you copy, free.

Engineer turns his life around with Roadmap to Riches, and will teach to do the same.
At 32, he was introduced to the world of MLM (Muti-level marketing). With the Multiple challenges have lead now 37-year-old William Blue to finding a fully automated marketing system that works like a charm. In 2002, the 15 year Robotic Engineer William Blue was introduced to the world of MLM. And as we know most MLM have you writing down list of everyone you know. One organization William worked for had him call everyone from his cell phone, as well as having him hang out at the gas station. WOW! I don’t know about you, but you have got to be pretty bold to hang out at the gas station. Or as William said “ Willing to do what ever it takes “. Well need less to say that particular company was shut down. All the time spent at weekly meetings and money spent was all for not. Thus this turned William off to any and all MLM opportunities. Well it has been a little over 5 years since William had looked at any type of Business, until now. In June of 2007 he was introduced to the world of Internet marketing, and direct sales. He really saw a way for him to retire and live the life he and his family have always dreamed of. He realized it was going to take a lot of hard work, consistency, and dedication to earn the type of income through this venture. According to William’s research the three main reasons for failure in the world of make money online in a home based business are the need to prospect, have the time, and closing the sale. Prospecting; This is relatively simple to do…remember this is from a guy that hung out at the gas station prospecting. However most people are not ready to do that so they end up buying leads from lead brokers for as much as $5 a lead. Well with the system William and his team have you will not need to pay for leads. William will show you how to get all the leads you need for FREE. Yes I said Free! Time; In the fast-paced world of today we find ourselves involved in all kinds of activities, from our careers, family duties, religious activities, entertainment, etc.. And seldom do we have the time for anything else, let alone a business of your own. William has found this to be true, as he lost one of his business projects due to his full-time job, family and friends. “ I would spend 50-70 hours a week at my job, it was as if my job was interfering with my life.” William explains. Sale; One of William‘s friends who has become a millionaire in the world of make money online with a home based business believes that “selling” is not a skill, but a art. The reality is that most of us do not like to sell, we don’t like to be pushy, and we don’t like rejection. That’s why the system William has in place will do the closing for you. His team is currently making 3-5 sales a day using this system. In June 2007 William came across an online program that is proving to be the answer to all his payers- Roadmap to Riches. This is the hottest thing on the internet. Personal Development is a $9 Billon dollar per year industry and growing at an unbelievable rate. This industry is Booming and positioning yourself to take advantage of a growing trend. Roadmap to Riches couldn’t have come at a better time. So you don’t think the Personal Development and Self-improvement Industry has a market big enough to earn a healthy six-figure income. Well we thought the same thing, so we did some research online on several different areas of self-improvement/personal development, and the results the came back were shocking. When we saw the numbers, we couldn’t believe our eyes. And this is why William has joined Roadmap to Riches. There are some companies selling courses, even seminars from as little as $1,000 all the way up to $20,000 or more, all because people are craving this kind of informational products on how to better themselves. These products are nothing like the products from, EDC, Perfect Wealth Formula, or Wealth Magnet. Many of these companies are selling out dated software that no one will ever use. We are not saying that Roadmap to Riches is for you, but with the personal development/ Self-improvement products and the system and the support William Blue has in place you owe it to your self to give him a call. William Blue can be contacted at 520-568-2369 and at http://www.retirewithblue.com/

William Blue a Robotic Engineer & Internet Marketer has joined forces with Marketing Master Rich Ramalho in a quest to teach Home Business seekers and Internet Newbies how to make real money online.