Maria Duval - Dancing with the Squirrels

Dancing with the Squirrels
I was sitting in my chair going through a large cookbook that had belonged to my grandmother when the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came into the room. "Are you reading a cookbook?" she asked. Let me stop here and just start from the beginning. It all started several months ago when my wife and I tucked ourselves in for a nice evening sleep. I had just gotten to the point where I was ready to drift off into la-la-land when I felt a sharp pain in my right rib cage. Ever since God created Eve from one of Adam's ribs, wives have been poking men in this delicate part of his anatomy. "Did you hear that noise?" she whispered. My only sensation at the time was the pain in my right rib cage. I began to say something and then she shouted in my ear, "shhhhh. There it is again." When the buzzing in my ear subsided, I began to hear the sound that had alarmed her so. It was a faint scratching noise coming from the ceiling. Straining our ears, we could not determine what was making that noise. I suggested it was a snake and my wife hit me with her pillow. I am so glad the nightlight is on the stand on my side of the bed, far from her reach. The scratching continued all night long as well as the guessing as to the nature of the scratching. Our guessing ranged from my snake (which I only mentioned once for obvious reasons) to mice and then to termites. During the next few days, the scratching not only continued but also seemed to accelerate. By this time, it sounded like a dance party going on in our attic every evening. It was then that the ultimatum came to Yours Truly. "If you don't do something about that noise in the attic," my wife stated most emphatically, "I'm going to know the reason why." Ultimatums like this do not really make sense, at least to me. I could do several things about the noise in the attic. For one I could ignore it. However, if I ignore it I am quite sure my wife will not ignore me. After vigorous investigation on my part, I discovered the source of all that noise in the attic. We had been invaded by, of all things, squirrels. I made this discovery quite by accident. It was right after supper I was out in the backyard doing something and I noticed a squirrel running towards our house. I did not pay too much attention to it and then the squirrel ran up the wall of our house and disappeared under the eaves. Upon investigation, I discovered a small hole at that part of our house. When some people look at squirrels, they see a cute fluffy little critter. When I see a squirrel, I see a terrorist. Now that I knew what the noise in the attic was, I set about to deal with it. The first thing I did was patch up the hole allowing the squirrels access to my attic. With all the confidence of a husband who is basically insane, I reported to my wife that I had solved our noise "in the attic" problem. I love it when a plan comes together. That night I planned to have the first quiet night in about a month. As soon as we settled down the noise in the attic began. The next they I discovered the squirrels had dug out the hole and resumed their access to our attic. I fixed them by filling that hole with Brillo pads from the kitchen. They fixed me by digging out all those Brillo pads. Somebody told me squirrels hate mothballs and if I put mothballs in the attic, they would stay away. I did it and all night long the squirrels played marbles with those mothballs. Some people say squirrels are very smart. However, don't you believe it. They think every night is Saturday and they have a dance party every night. I must say I am not into dance. I have biblical feet when it comes to dancing. My left foot never knows what my right foot is doing. I have tried everything to deal with this squirrel in the attic problem. I tried reasoning with them. "Look here, squirrels," I reasoned, "squirrels live in trees not attics." They just sat there looking at me with their big fluffy tails flinching behind them. Then they scampered up the house wall and into the attic. I have also tried bribery. "Look here, squirrels," I bribed, "I will give you all the nuts you can eat if you leave my attic tonight." Then I put a cache of nuts way in the back of our property under some very nice trees. They took all of my nuts and ran up my house wall and back into the attic. Now, getting back to that cookbook. "Are you reading a cookbook?" my wife asked. "Yes," I said in a very calm manner, "I'm looking up grandmother's recipe for squirrel pot pie." I was reminded of a verse in the Bible. "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” James 3:5 (KJV). It is not the big things in life to give us the most trouble; rather it is the accumulation of all those small things.

James L. Snyder is an award winning author and popular columnist living with his wife, Martha, in Ocala, Florida and can be contacted at jamessnyder2@att.net.

Meditation: Meditation for Improving Concentration
I was reading an article in an American Medical Journal a few days ago that talked about how keeping your mind active and improving your concentration will help you as you get older. The focus of the study was looking at how people aged 70 plus could ensure their minds stay active by improving their concentration. There are simple meditations techniques that you can use to improve your concentration that if you practice regularly will ensure your mind will maintain is stature. There are two meditation techniques for improving concentration that are easy to use. The first technique is using the number meditation technique; the second technique is using the object visualization meditation technique. The Number Meditation Technique: The first step in this meditation process is to find a comfortable place to sit and close your eyes. The potential distractions are a big issue with this technique because you will be challenged by noise both internally and externally. With both of these techniques I recommend that you do NOT use meditation music. The next step in this meditation technique is to ensure that your back is straight, with good posture. Start by breathing slowly and lightly. As you are breathing on the exhaled breath visualize the number one in your mind. When you see the number then breathe in. Whilst you are focusing on the number one, breathe out and then visualize the number two. Continue breathing and visualizing each number till you reach one hundred. Once you reach one hundred then you may stop the meditation session. Here is the catch, you cannot continue to the next number until you only have focus to the previous number. If at any time during your visualization that your mind wanders or starts thinking about something else, you must stop the counting process and start from the number one again. The objective of using this technique is to help maintain your concentration and ensure that you maintain the focus on the numbers you are counting. You need to practice this technique till you are able count to one hundred without losing focus on the first go. Continue to practice this technique till you have mastered it. Once you have mastered this technique and have control over your focus, the next step is to use the object visualization technique. The Object Visualization Technique: The object visualization technique is designed to help you visualize an object. To start this technique, begin your meditation just as you would any other meditation session. The first step is visualizing a common object that you know like a flower, a car or a cup. You will find that when you first try the object visualization technique that using a simple object will make life easier to help maintain focus and concentration during the meditation session. During your meditation session you need to visualize the object by literally drawing it with your mind. Start with an outline, making sure it looks as beautiful as possible. Visualize its shape of the object, the color of the object, any pictures or colors on the object, the texture of the object such as whether it is smooth or rough. Whether there are any words on the object and then rotate the object on a 3D axis. As you are visualizing the object, test to see if the object has a distinct smell in your mind. Visualize that smell clearly in your mind. Now during the visualization meditation session, should at any point you lose focus and visualize on anything else. Simply stop the visualization process and start again by redrawing the object in your mind. Continue this process for a period of ten minutes each day, till you are able to visualize the object without distraction. You should continue using this technique till you can meditate up to twenty minutes a day using this meditation technique. The number meditation technique and object visualization meditation technique are designed to help program your mind to concentrate. The more you practice this mediation technique the better your concentration will become and the easier it will be to attain focus during your meditation sessions.

We have Meditation Music available to help you with your meditaiton. If you are suffering Asthma then check out our Buteyko Breathing Method training program. If you would like to read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill to learn how you can achieve greater success then you can get access to this book.

Four Simple Steps to Less Stress by Taking Yoga “Off the Mat”
It’s not hard to imagine Henry David Thoreau living in utter simplicity on his land at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Spending only $28.12 on a 10x15 square foot home and living a Spartan lifestyle, he went to the woods to live deliberately, learn life’s lessons and feel a sense of “having lived” when he died.

Nobody wants to go to the grave feeling as if life was wasted. We all want to live completely, fully. But for most of us, living like Thoreau is more of a fantasy. We’re busy earning a living, keeping family responsibilities and saving for retirement.

So here’s the question for those of us fully immersed in a typical 21st century day: rather than retreating to the woods, can we live deliberately, here and now, in the circumstances we currently find ourselves?

The answer is a conditional yes. Yes because the essentials, by definition, are always present. The most essential is your indivisible essence, the core of who you are. It’s impossible to be separated from it. The ‘yes’ is conditional, though, because we need more vigilance to stay focused on the essentials when our busy lives pull and push us off course.

Yoga cultivates that focused awareness to keep our minds here in the present moment. Rather than just a series of postures to open your hips, a yoga mindset can open your heart. By integrating principles of yoga into life on a daily basis, and not just in a weekly Hatha yoga class, a new world of opportunities can be found.

With the knowledge that this moment is inherently whole, relaxation appears. Just trust that where you are now has what you’re looking for. This is yoga. And with this definition, everything is yoga.

Taking Yoga “Off the Mat”

There’s a simple four-step process you can use to cultivate a yoga focus in everyday life. That process is called EASE, an acronym that stands for Experience, Awareness, Self-Reflection and Elect.

Step One: Experience

By watching your own experience closely, you can see the truth of the ever-changing nature of the world. During a in Hatha yoga class, the teacher instructs you to notice your feet connecting with the floor in Tadasana, or to see where your breath resides in Trikonasana. This same level of attention can be brought to everyday circumstances.
Try this exercise. While you are feeling angry, sad, happy or excited about the anticipation of something, notice the answers to these questions:

· What emotion is present?
· How is my breathing?
· What am I saying to myself?
· How am I behaving?
· What am I feeling in my body?
· What is my energy level?

The simple step of noticing your experience while it’s happening, or reflecting upon it later, can immediately illuminate where needless tension is being generated.

Step Two: Awareness

Awareness is the ability we have to broaden our perspective in a given moment. The interpretation of an event comes not from the experience itself, but from where attention is placed. Expanding awareness provides numerous choices for directing attention.
Notice yourself reading these words. What are you aware of? Now turn your attention to your big toe. Notice where it is and how it feels. Is it hot or cold? How does your sock feel against your toe? Can you feel your shoe pushing against it? Can you feel the contact with the adjoining toe?

A moment ago, you were probably oblivious to your big toe. The simple act of bringing your attention to it, however, has expanded your current experience to include these new sensations.

Ask yourself the question, “what else is there in this moment?” Then, relax. Soften your edges, let go of your grip on the rope slightly. Slow down. Step away from the problem.
Awareness holds infinite possibilities.

Step Three: Self-reflection

Self-reflection answers the question, “How do you want to be in this world?” We’re misled when continually asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Regardless of age, some of us still struggle with what we want to do for a living, which implicitly implies that some distant point in the future holds the key to our happiness. A much more present-oriented (and easier) question to answer is how we want to be, which of course could be lived in this very moment.

Answering the question of how we want to be focuses on the values we deem important. Do you want to be loving, courageous, compassionate, or adventurous? Pick one or two ways of being that resonate with you and then use your everyday life as the practice ground for bringing them to life.

Step Four: Elect

The last step of the EASE process is to elect or choose, in a given moment, to act consciously and in accordance with your values. Saying what we value is much easier than actually living it. Life is the testing ground for understanding at a very deep level what these values mean. What does it mean to be patient when your son comes home drunk? What does it mean to be loving when your boss is being demanding and arrogant? What does it mean to be courageous when the fear of rejection is paralyzing?
The practice of life gives us unlimited opportunities to explore the implications of our chosen values.

Life is messy. At times we feel lost, as if we’re wondering hopelessly through an impossible maze, stuck in a confining box. Life, though, is more like a labyrinth. We may feel disoriented, but there is only one path�"the one we are on. And the path leads to the center every time, without exception.

Adapted from the book Infinity in a Box: Using Yoga to Live with Ease (http://www.yogawithmegan.net/infinity.html ) by Megan McDonough. Megan helps you get clear in body, mind and spirit so you can get the results you want. Along with teaching yoga, she’s an award-winning writer, consultant and corporate trainer. She’s taught at the famed Kripalu Center, the largest site for yoga and holistic health in the United States and is on the faculty of the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Advanced Training. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog, or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Mindfulness Meditation: Creating A Life of Purpose and Harmony
I was just about to give up on my life when I was introduced to Eastern spiritual practices. I had studied everything that our Western world had to say about suffering and what to do about it. And the more I learned, the worse I felt. Out of desperation for a better way of life, I began a daily meditation practice. I studied and practiced a mindfulness practice called shamatha in which the attention is placed on the breath in a restful yet alert manner. This practice showed me very clearly what the problem was: ME! There was so much chaos and distraction taking place in my mind on a momentary basis that it made sense as to why I never felt right. The 'me' that I had come to know was indeed full of conflict, speed, and ambivalence. My thoughts constantly raced and pulled me in a million different directions. It was frankly appalling to see how frenzied my mind was. All of this mental chaos created a state of emotional inertia that kept me confined to a very narrow range of the the human emotional spectrum. Basically, I was so stuck in my head that I had lost contact with reality.
From a meditative perspective, everything in the universe is inherently empty. Our concepts and opinions are devoid of any inherent reality. We are convinced that we are real only because of the deluded nature of our own minds. We simply don't see things as they are. We see through the filters of our concepts and thoughts, which seem to be very convincing. If we buy into our mental projections of reality, we will suffer. Meditation is the practice of developing space around these constant projections. With regular practice, we become less and less convinced that we or anything else is inherently real and solid.
The irony here is that recognizing our own non-existence is the very basis of freedom, joy, and love. Our clunky, solid sense of self is what gets us in trouble. So, when I say that everything is empty, it may be tempting to see this as a negative statement. But even that is empty. When we flash on non-existence or emptiness, we see the ultimate potential in all things. Instead of being pinned down by our dualistic perceptions of good/bad, happy/sad, like/dislike, etc., we see that the universe is free from any kind of limitation whatsoever. This is the nature of genius and mysticism.
Have you ever lost yourself for a moment? Perhaps in your work, or playing with your kids, or watching an intense movie? That is like flashing on emptiness. You are free of your normal sense of who you are. There is no boundary between you and everything outside of you. In Buddhism, this is seen as the experience of Big Mind. It is a momentary flash on the infinite nature of reality from which we are inseparable. In mindfulness practice, this flash of awakening is deliberately maintained; everything that arises in the mind is simply a manifestation of universal energy. There is no 'I' in any thought or feeling. It is impersonal energy that arises and passes. When we taste this freedom from personalizing the constant arising of thought, it is like we can finally breathe and surrender to the beauty of life.
Regular meditation practice enables us to rest our awareness in this state of undistracted, empty stillness. Interestingly, this does not necessarily mean that the mind is quiet and obedient. We can still be thinking and have a recognition of this peace and openness. Over time, the mind does stop for periods of time. There is just absolute stillness. But as a beginner, the main point is to keep your awareness one-pointed on the present moment whether you are thinking or not. Don't try to stop your thoughts. Just stay focused on the moment and be still.
As your mind begins to become more expansive and present, your life will begin to open up in unforeseen ways. Old habits, fears, and harmful relationships will fade away. You will become genuinely invested in the ways that you can be of service to others. Why? Because the inside and the outside are no longer seen as separate. Instead of being preoccupied with this contracted version of 'I', the enormous energies of the universe call you out to offer your best to alleviate the suffering of others. This is the beginning of freedom. It is the beginning of living in spirit. Mindfulness practice is one the the vehicles that can take you there.

Kevin Doherty, L.Ac., MS is a licensed acupuncturist who has been practicing, studying, and teaching meditation since 1992. To learn more about Kevin and his approach to meditation, go to http://www.mindfulnesscd.net

What Do You Want?
What do you want? What do you want from life? Do you know that you can create whatever you want? If there is any part of you that doubts that, the first step is to clear that limiting belief out of your mind. It doesn't serve you anymore. The more open you are to receive, the more you will receive. Over the past few years we have seen this principle work for thousands of students. From lack to prosperity, from struggle to ease, from tension to peace, from ignorance to enlightenment, it's all up to you. It's a choice.

What you think you create and you create what you think. What do you focus your attention on? Are you clear as to what you really want? Are you focused on what you want to create, and are you excited about it? Or, are you focusing on what you don't have, what you don't want, or something that happened to you in the past? Your intentions are broadcasted into the world like a radio transmission and what you "put out" through your thoughts, words and actions you attract. Like a magnet you are drawing into your life whatever you need to learn and grow and evolve to realize your full potential.

The clearer you are as to what you want to manifest, the easier it is to manifest it. If you are not clear, the power is weak. If you do not have energy behind your intention your power to manifest is weak. If you are focusing on what you don't have or want, you create experiences that will teach you what you need to let go of in order to manifest what you want. To develop the power to manifest you need to be clear as to what you want, develop the inner strength to transmit your intention and develop the focus to move through any limiting beliefs and fears that have been keeping you from all the prosperity, happiness and peace you deserve.

The biggest hurdle for most people is moving from "yes, I know this already" to actually living it. They deny themselves the opportunities to manifest by staying stuck in some negative mental state and not taking the steps to create what they want. Are you living with all the prosperity, happiness and peace that you want? Are you enlightened, fulfilled, feeling bliss in this moment? If not, why not? What are you telling yourself right now? What is your mind doing with this message? In this moment an opportunity is presented to take the next step. All the resources you need are right here on this page. Come join our field of prosperity, happiness and peace. It begins by asking yourself this question: What do you want?

From the Heart,
Steven S. Sadleir

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!

Yoga, Union with the Ultimate
Absolute Being, Absolut Knowledge, Absolute Bliss ( Sat, Chit, Ananda), the eternal triad which is the Universe and we are, is the substratum of the entire Universe. This is the great secret which we must discover in our long evolutionary journey.

Now enhance your Being, Knowledge,Bliss, which are from time immemorial considered as Wisdom's frame of reference.

Through adding to your Sat (existence), developing your Chit (subsistence) and enjoying Ananda you will witness a spiritual evolution or realization in your mind. With practising yoga, one sees the Absolute Self everywhere through his eyes of wisdom. He will become absolutely impersonal. He will not have a bit of selfishness in him. His Id will be completely annihilated. And in times he will attain the Eternal Bliss of the Self

The word "Yoga" itself is derived from a Sanskrit word "Yuj", which means to unite. Union with Cosmic Intelligence is the Yogic objective.

What we sow, we reap and this Universal Law is known as the Law of Karma, the Grand Law of Causation. We have to understand that the miseries of life and the Negativity which we experience are all the inevitable clearing process of exhausting our Karma. We have to understand that despite our sufferings, mistakes and ignorance, the Divine Will is leading us, through every circumstance, towards the final Realization. This faith will give us equanimity.

Even in rags, I am a god
Fallen, I am divine
High I triumph when down trod
Live will I when slain !

It is natural that our faith may be assailed by some misfortunes which happen to us. We have to understand that Initiation is a process of intensive culture and accelerated evolution and the bad experiences which happen to us are merely wages.

What can all these trials and tribulations do to the Godhead within us, the Almighty Self, He who transcends Space, Time & Causality? Him the jail cannot confine nor the gallows end !

Let us follow the Four fold path of Yoga. They are…

Jnana Yoga Union via Wisdom The method by which the intellect is used to negate the bondage of material world.

Raja Yoga Union via Psychic Control The psychological approach focusing on concentration and meditation.

Karma Yoga Union via Action This is the path of eliminating the ego and attachments through selfless service.

Bhakthi Yoga Union via Love A way of union through conversion of the emotions to devotion.
Human mind has immaculate powers. And it differs from person to person. People can awake the hidden psychic and occult powers in them by understanding and realizing the power of their mind. The four-fold path of Yoga offers some unique ways to emancipate oneself from the material world using the divine intelligence.

The Intellectual Man can go for Jnana Yoga or Union via Wisdom

The Active Man can pursue Karma Yoga or the Union via Action

The Adventurous man can followe Raja Yoga or Union via Psychic Control

The Emotional Man can look for Bhakthi Yoga or the Union of Emotions

Practising any one of the four powerful and vigorous Yoga paths will take you beyond the five concentric sheaths to the Absolute Self, which is the cosmic power in individual bodies

While Raja and Jnana Yogas are more or less for the initiated, Bhakti & Karma Yogas are for the ordinary man. You can understand the basic principles of Yoga by reading some books on the science. An good beginner's book dealing with Self Development is Dr Ashok Selvaraja's 7 Golden Secrets to know your Higher Self. The characteristics of both the lower and the higher selves are highlighted and Cosmic Union becomes easy.

Article by G Kumar, astrologer, writer and programmer of www.eastrovedica.com He has 15 years research experience in Stock Market Astrology and in various other branches of Astrology. Recentlyhe was awarded a Certificate by the Planetary Gemologists Association as a Planetary Gem Advisor. Free Yoga tips at Blog http://fourfoldyoga.blogspot.com & lens at http://www.squidoo.com/fourfoldyoga