Maria Duval - Meditation Courses

Meditation Courses
If you are a beginner in meditation and you aren’t sure you are doing all you can accomplish, or you feel like there may be something distracting you, you will want to check your area to see if anyone offers meditation courses. By taking a course, you will have an experienced guide that can give you advice and track your progress. It’s possible that you will also be in a group that is learning the practice of meditation together. This is a good place to make friends and meet people you already have something in common with.

Where should you look to find meditation courses? If you live in a metropolitan area, you may be lucky enough to have a store nearby that sells specialty items that aid in meditation. These stores will likely have a pegboard for groups that meet to meditate together. There you will find any courses or information on instructors that are local to your area. If you don’t have a store that fits this description, try a health food store. Many people who practice meditation also try to live an all natural lifestyle, and they would frequently visit your local health food store as well.

If you don’t live in a high population center, you can still try an internet search for meditation courses. There may be someone who travels through your area on a regular basis and they stop to teach a group in your area. Or there may be a group already established in your hometown and you only have to call to join to them. Wherever you live, there are options available to you if you spend a little time looking for them.

You may also be able to find meditation courses on DVD or CD. These would include a group instructor giving you verbal directions while you are meditating to guide you to your fullest potential. The best courses would have a selection of lengths available, so that if you don’t have a full hour to devote to your meditation that day, you would be able to choose a shorter time, such as thirty minutes or even fifteen minutes.

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Meditations: The Use Of Sacred Phrases In Your Daily Meditations
There are many reasons for meditating, such as meditating for relaxation, stress relief or dealing with an issue. Sometimes you may even meditate for the fun of it because of the high you get coming off a meditation session. However, sometimes you may want to meditate for a purpose or to help reinforce something you want to achieve. If you are an elite athlete you may meditate each day to help you in your mental preparation by meditating on what you will do to win your race or if you are a basketball player you may meditate on shooting a 3 point shot. You can achieve these outcomes by using phrases during your meditation session. The objective of these phrases during a meditation session is to help reprogram your mind to achieve your objectives when your mind is in its most malleable state. The mind is most open to suggestion or reprogramming during a meditation session. The Buddhist Monk uses sacred meditation phrases during a meditation session to help them in overcoming their transgressions and ill thoughts they have during the day. They are provided these sacred phrases from the teachings of Buddha, their teachers and the Dalai Lama. Each Sacred Phrase contains an important lesson that is to be learnt. A sample sacred phrase by Buddha goes as �" Speak the truth, do not become angered and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the gods. Another sacred phrase that is useful in daily life �" The wise who control body, speech and mind are indeed the consummately controlled. The Buddhist religion and community are not the only religion that has sacred phrases that can be used during a meditation session. Some meditators who come from the Christian faith will use sacred phrases from the bible such as the Psalms or the Lords Prayer. Virtually every religion has sacred phrases you can use through your meditation sessions and most of these phrases are about trying to help you become a better person and to respect your fellow man. Many people ask me how I incorporate these sacred phrases into my meditation. Well I first begin by identifying the sacred phrase I want to start with. I will read it aloud and once I have decided what I want to get from the meditation session then that is when I will start. For example, I may want to meditate on how to deal with a person who is causing me grief or always seems to get me angry. I will find a sacred phrase that I can reflect on and use that phrase during my meditation. I start off by simply beginning my meditation session with simple breathing exercises that help clear my mind and to get me to a state in which I can begin using the sacred meditation phrases. During a 20 minute meditation session, I find that it generally takes about 5 to 8 minutes to get to the point that I am ready for the next stage in the meditation cycle of using the sacred phrase. Now that I am ready to begin the next stage, I start by reciting the sacred phrase in my mind. During the first recitation I will simply recite the sacred phrase without any reflection. On the second recitation of the sacred phrase I will begin paying close attention to the words in the sacred phrase and the meanings of the words. Over the next few recitations of those phrases I will begin to look at how I apply the meanings of the phrases to my everyday life. I continue this process till I am ready to finish off my meditation. The last stage of my meditation cycle involves making a conscious commitment to improving my life and to take on board the values and meanings of the sacred phrase. The core objective of using sacred phrases during your meditation sessions is to help you improve, you, as a person and the role that you will play on this earth. If we do not contemplate and reflect on these sacred phrases in this way then the phrases will be nothing more than pretty words and will not serve the purpose they were intended for.

Meditation Music is a great tool to help in your mediation session. Our Baroque Meditation music will help in meditating through the issues outlined in this article.

How Do We Control Unwanted Thoughts?
Most of us have the problem that, from time to time, we are troubled by the encroachment into our minds of thoughts that we really do not want. Getting rid of them, however, can be a protracted problem and we therefore need the help of Scripture to deal with them. Enlisting The Help Of Paul In 2 Corinthians 10:3 - 5 Paul says: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV) Anyone in a fight needs weapons of some sort. So in Ephesians 6. 14 - 18, Paul details some of the weapons we have available for warfare and most readers will be familiar with the belt of truth, with the breastplate of righteousness, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We are also told to take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one and the helmet of salvation plus the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We may be very familiar with these verses, but they will stand to be read anew, from our present, specific standpoint of dealing with thoughts. Applying The Lessons Our purpose is to take every thought captive. When a captive is taken in war, the individual is first recognised as a member of the opposing force. He is arrested, then he is first bound so that his movements are restricted. Then he is interrogated, and then imprisoned for the duration of the conflict. We need to proceed similarly. As soon as we recognise a foreign thought (in the sense of it not belonging to the spirituality of a disciple of Christ), we must arrest that thought, then confront it, and restrict its rights and freedom. We can do all this using the weapons and defensive equipment which Paul has detailed for us. First, Paul tells us that we have truth, likened to a belt round our waist, but still part of our weaponry. We need to ask, therefore, whether the thought is a truthful one? Even if it is truthful, there may be reasons why we do not wish to entertain it. If we cannot substantiate it as true, then it is certainly an enemy. Secondly, is it a righteous thought? Righteousness acts like a breastplate, defending us from that which would pierce us. In practice it means acting (and thinking!) always in ways of which God approves. Being righteous means being able to stand before the Father, being upright before him. Therefore we ask if this thought undermines that ability? If so, it is one which needs to be taken captive; we do that by deliberately refusing it permission to be active in our mind. How? We recognise that the promise of salvation has been won for us by Jesus Christ. What Jesus did on the cross and from the tomb is like a soldier’s helmet which protects his head. Our remembrance of salvation and our intention never to put it at risk, reinforces our determination against evil thoughts which are like deadly blows from the enemy rained down on our head. Faith is as a shield to use against that which is directed against us. Every illicit thought falls into that category. But a shield used to be used in very close cooperation with a soldier’s sword, which is why Paul likens the word of God to a sword. So the practicality of this is that we draw out an appropriate word from the arsenal of living words which God has given in Scripture. Just as a soldier might have various kinds of swords for dealing with different kinds of enemies and their defences, so we have a choice, but a far wider choice, of which sword to use. In other words, using the weapon of faith we call on God’s promises: ... wash me and I shall be whiter than snow... A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. (Psalm 52. 9, 11.) (New American Bible). If we cry out to God he will hear us, as the psalmist knew. In faith we can rely on his word that he will cleanse us. Some thoughts we find impossible to deal with, but there is nothing he cannot take captive, if we have the faith to expect him to do it. We should also be prepared to do our part: by refusing to allow these thoughts to have residence in our minds, by rejecting them every time we realise their presence, and by calling on the Lord each and every time we are under attack from them. Finally, we need to ask the other troops to come to our defence. A soldier in war who is slow to ask for reinforcements when he needs them is a dead soldier. When they need it, we should pray for our fellow Christians; when we need their prayers we should be quick to ask for them. All this might seem to be a lengthy process. But in practise, we are, or should be, or should be becoming, very quick to recognise every enemy thought. Some kinds of thoughts will be repeated, and are therefore easily identifiable. We need to find the right scriptures through which to call on God to defeat the enemy. Over time, as we grow in spiritual awareness, we shall recognise more thoughts and thought patterns as enemies, and we shall find God dealing with them, through our co-operation with his grace, in must the same manner.

AUTHOR: Anthony Keith Whitehead WEB SITE: http://www.christianword.co.uk This article is copyright but may be reproduced providing that all this information is included Over twenty-five years in Christian healing teaching writing ministries. Wide range of secular employments before being called by the Lord into full time independent ministry in 1987. With his wife Iris he has ministered both in the UK and USA. Has written several books on healing meditation and various aspects of spirituality. Formal qualifications include: B.A. M.Phil. Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies. Post Grad Cert. in Education.

Meditations: Meditating Before Going To Bed
The world to me seems to be speeding up everyday. We are working longer hours, we are busier than we have ever been before, the traffic is snarling more and more and our stress levels are going through the roof. The consequence to this is that more and more people are suffering insomnia and this can become dangerous and affect your ability to function effectively. One of the best tools to help you with both insomnia and stress is meditation and in particular, meditating before going to bed. I want to make a clear disclaimer at this point, if you are suffering severe insomnia or stress, please ensure that you get medical help because long term stress and insomnia can cause serious medical issues. However, I would encourage you to use Meditation in conjunction with the therapies a medical practitioner might prescribe as effective meditation will help. One of the core mistakes that people make with meditation and sleep is that they try to use meditation to actually go to sleep and this never works and in fact it can actually make it harder to get to sleep. The role of meditation before sleep is to slow your body and your mind down so that it gets to a point where it is easier for it to fall naturally asleep. There are many techniques that you can use to meditate including a seated meditation or a lying down meditation. I recommend people use the sitting method over the lying method because using the lying method so close to going to sleep you may tend to go to sleep rather than actually meditating. There is a clear difference between sleep and meditation. The core difference is that during meditation your mind needs to be clear but focused where as during sleep, you do not want to be focused you want nothing to be focused in your mind and you want your body and mind to get to that point where you shutdown. What I recommend is that if you are going to meditate prior to going to sleep then you need to use a basic meditation plan. The plan goes like this … 1. Your meditation session should take no more than 20 minutes 2. Your meditation session should start 40 minutes prior to going to bed 3. Your meditation technique during the session should use either the deep breathing Technique or basic number counting. 4. Do not drink alcohol, coffee, tea or any other caffeinated drink prior to sleep or you will affect the effectiveness of the meditation session. Two meditation techniques you should avoid 60 minutes prior to going to bed is the reflective meditation technique or the affirmation meditation technique. I have found from my own experience that if you use these techniques so close to going to bed you can start your mind focusing on either the affirmations or reflections post your meditation session. This means with only 20 minutes between when you finish your session and when you go to sleep, sometimes you will find that your thoughts continue on after the session and consequently can disrupt your sleep which is what you actually trying to avoid. One of the reasons I have recommended that you do not meditate and then goto bed, is that sometimes I find that the meditation will bring out various chemicals and stir up feelings in your body which could disrupt your ability to sleep and be leaving the period of 20 minutes between meditating and sleep free is enough to settle you down to get a good nights sleep. I should note that my colleagues and I use this technique because our jobs are often highly stressful and using this process at night after a heavy day so that we can get a quality nights sleep. When used effectively, meditation can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your sleep and the quality of your life. However, meditation is like a sport, the more practice you do, the more effective you become.

If you are looking for quality meditation music to help you with your meditation sessions then simply check out our website. Asthma is a terrible disease and using meditation with the Buteyko Breathing Method can help in treating your disease. If you want to learn the 13 secrets of how millionaires get and stay rich then I recommend reading - Think and Grow Rich

The Zohar
We have all heard of the term "God-Realization" and most would consider it an Eastern Concept, something sought after by Buddhists and Yogis alike, and it is, but few people realize that the Bible itself leads us to "God-Realization." To enter the Kingdom of Heaven is to realize, and have your awareness dwelling in, and with, the presence of God. Both Eastern and Western paths strive to feel the bliss of being in God's presence and envision a time where we will all live together in happiness and peace here on Earth. The Old Testament, the Torah, is written with metaphors and cryptic messages that have become clarified through the study of the Kabbalah; the primary text of which is called The Zohar, or Book of Splendor. The teachings of Kabbalah are said to trace back to Adam himself and carried on through the prophets to the present day. The first written texts, and a classic period of study of Kabbalah, began around the first century, with commentaries being added on through the ages. In this study of God and Man's nature and purpose, the Kabbalah clarifies that we are here to awaken our spiritual awareness and evolve our consciousness to full God-Realization and to bring this enlightened awareness into this world in order to invoke the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It makes very clear that enlightenment is the very goal and purpose to our existence, and the stories in the bible contain the messages that will enlighten us as to how God thinks and what we are here to do. Even more interesting is that this information has been keep secret for thousands of years and it has only just recently been printed, unabridged, in English and made available to the public. The reason, we are told, is that we have entered the age of the Messiah and individuals are going to start enlightening in preparation for it. We have entered the age of Prophesy and unlike any other time in the history of civilization we are being given an opportunity to enlighten and, in fact, we are being called to. The first century Jewish sect called the Essenes were the only sect known to perform baptisms, as John the Baptist and Christ did, and this sect were known to have had practiced Kabbalah. Christ is inviting us to realize his Divine presence right here on Earth and we are being invited to realize that the spirit that lies within us, is us. Those who have eyes let them see. The Kingdom of Heaven lies within. Amen. PS: I have so much more I want to share, come join in during our Satsang and free guided meditations teleconferenced each month. From the heart, Steven S. Sadleir "The more open you are to receive, the more you will receive."

Steven S. Sadleir is the Director of the Self Awareness Institute and is recognized as a Shaktipat Master in two lineages. He has developed powerful distance learning programs for people of all cultures and faiths, trained thousands of people from all over the world, and welcomes all of you who are ready for full Self-Realization. Visit http://www.SelfAwareness.com for FREE guided meditation mp3s and ebook!

A Nickel in the Road
A Nickel in the Road by Donna Doyon


Exercising is not one of my favorite pastimes but I know it's good for me. So every day I try to get outside and take a 2-mile walk. Most days I carry a small notebook and pen with me so that I can jot down the random brilliant thoughts that come to me as I stroll around the neighborhood.

A few weeks ago I was rounding a corner about half way through my walk and noticed a nickel in the road. I adjusted my gait so that I stepped on the shiny coin and kept walking.

Within a few steps I started thinking of my daughter who always stops to pick up loose change. She wouldn't have passed this one by. I was half tempted to turn around and go back for it, but I thought it would be embarrassing if someone happened to see me stooping down to pick up a nickel.

It didn't take long for me to transition my thoughts from that nickel to those small opportunities that have been in front of me that I've stepped on or passed by. How many have I overlooked because I thought they were insignificant? How many have I been too embarrassed to attempt? How many have I stepped on because I wanted to show the world they were unworthy of my attention?

Later that day I told my daughter about the nickel incident because it was continued to weigh on my mind. She didn't say, "Don't worry about it. It was only a nickel." She did say, "I would have picked it up. Did you know that one day at school I found over a dollar in change on the floor?"

She had taken advantage of seemingly small opportunities. But when added up, they became something worthwhile. In my daughter's case, she was able to buy a can of soda from the vending machine at school--something she wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

The next morning I paid attention as I walked that same stretch of road. I was determined to pick up that nickel if I saw it again. But alas, it was gone. Not surprising I guess. Someone else is usually willing to take advantage of the opportunities that others choose to pass by. Unfortunately by the time I decided to take advantage of it, the opportunity was no longer there.

Of course not every opportunity is one that I want to stop and pick up. Some merely resemble something that would help me achieve my goals in life, the way that bottle caps, from a distance, look a lot like coins. But some we recognize immediately as worthwhile yet we still choose to walk by them.

Since the day I walked past that nickel in the road, I've been more attuned to opportunities that surround me. I've been paying attention to my response to them. Instead of quickly discounting the ones that appear to be small payoffs, I'm looking at the bigger picture. What can a small opportunity add to what I already have going on? How can a small opportunity serve as the beginning of something bigger?

What a great life lesson! And it only cost me a nickel.

Copyright 2005. Donna Doyon, Activities Coordinator for Your Virtual Retreat is the author of GLOW: Renew Your Spirit & Release Your Inner Beauty. She offers information, inspiration and encouragement to people who want to say goodbye to self defeating attitudes and behaviors and hello to greater success, healthier relationships and more joyful living. Get inspired at her website: http://www.donnadoyon.com.

A Review Of Techniques In Managing Your Depression
Some people have a difficult time in managing their depression. Sometimes, their depression and fears can get best of them. As a result, here is a short list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their depression.

I was told by a counselor that one of the ways to manage depression is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your fearful or depressed, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense. For example, your afraid that if you do not get that job promotion then you will be stuck at your job forever. This depresses you, however your thinking in this situation is unrealistic. The fact of the matter is that there all are kinds of jobs available and just because you don?t get this job promotion doesn?t mean that you will never get one. In addition, people change jobs all the time, and you always have that option of going elsewhere if you are unhappy at your present location.

Some people get depressed and have a difficult time getting out of bed in the mornings. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. Doing something will get your mind off of the problem and give you confidence to do other things.

Sometimes, we can get depressed over a task that we will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you and your team have to play in the championship volleyball game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that your playing in front of a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

As a Layman and author of an anxiety book, I have done many interviews with various counselors in how to manage fear, anxiety and depression. The techniques that I have just covered are some basic ways to manage your depression, however your best bet is to get some help from a professional.

Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods?-a book that presents a overview of techniques in managing Fear. For more info go to: http://www.managingfear.com For free articles on managing fear please go to: http://www.managingfear.com

Increasing Brain Power
Everyone still wants to have an active mind when they are elderly and some parents even try to increase brain power in their children when they are still in the womb! Some child development experts believe that a fetus will grow into a more intelligent child if it hears Mozart being played. There is no scientific proof of this but it won't do any harm. There is an obsession amongst some parents to force feed knowledge to their children. This hot housing, as it's known, is done by showing flash cards to infants who can barely talk yet. It's a sad fact that we lose brain cells, as we get older. We start to notice it in little ways, such as going into a room and forgetting what we went in for. Remembering people's names and appointments can also be problematic. There are some products on the market that make claims to increase brain power. They usually involve some sort of memory activity. The medical establishment doesn't really know why some people's minds deteriorate at a faster rate than others but the consensus is that staying mentally active is very important. It shouldn't be left until we retire either. Those gray cells need a work out when we are middle aged. Activities such as doing the crossword, sudoku and other puzzle games are all helpful. Games like chess and backgammon can also help to increase brain power. The brain is like any other muscle. It will shrivel with lack of use. Set yourself challenges. Learn a new skill such as a new language. Children are on hand to teach complex computer games to the young at heart. Some people believe that diet is also an important factor and fish oil is recommended. A school in the UK recently conducted an experiment. They got permission from the parents to give fish oil tablets to the students. The teachers reported a remarkable improvement in the alertness and standard of work from those taking the tablets. That doesn't explain why fish have a three minute memory! The brain can't be expected to do its job if the body isn't receiving the sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. We are bound to be sluggish if we constantly fill ourselves with fast food. Exercise is important too if you want to increase brain power. Mind and body working together is the best way to keep the brain ticking.

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