The Global Conversation

Tag: yoga

  • Get rid of worry and hate

    “Worry is just about the worst form of mental activity there is—next to hate, which is deeply self-destructive.“ – Conversations With God,  Book 1.

    If you suffer from anxiety and worry, or if you ever feel hate, then you need yoga. Worry and hate will destroy you. Once you decide to be healthy and change your habits away from worry and hate, yoga can help you through difficult times.

    Doing yoga daily is a great practice, but even adding yoga once a week will benefit you. If you aren’t active, then yoga is a great place to start. Yoga will benefit you in many ways. Here are some of the benefits of doing yoga one time or for years and stop your self-destructive mental activities.

    Flexibility – you will gain added flexibility every time you do yoga. The more you practice, the more flexible you will become. Many people shy away from yoga because they claim they can’t do the poses. However it is called a yoga practice because it doesn’t matter if you are a first-timer or experienced yogi, there is always a next step in your pose and your whole practice. Even your thinking will become more flexible with time. You will be exposed to gentle, flexible, loving teachers whose way of thinking is contagious.

    Detoxification – you will detoxify your tissues by stretching, bending, compression, and releasing poses. There is no better way to detoxify than to do it naturally. Yoga will detoxify your mind as well – you will come into the practice feeling one way, and you will leave feeling completely different. Even hate will drain from your body during a yoga session.

    Stress Level – As you exercise and your attitude improves, your entire stress level will drop. Your tendency to worry will slowly disappear as you realize that living in the present is possible and worry cannot exist there.

    Growth and Progress – Your yoga practice grows and changes with you. You may just need the physical exertion now and the mental or meditation qualities later. You may need flexibility next week or balance when you are older and at risk of falling. Yoga is there to help you throughout your life.

    I challenge you to decide to reduce and eliminate the anxiety, worry, and hate from your life. Stop self-destructing and share your light with the world!

    (Beth Anderson is a certified Holistic Health Coach and founder of Holistic Health Hotspot in Evansville, Indiana. She is also the author of “The Holistic Diet: Achieve Your Ideal Weight, Be Happy and Healthy for Life.” Beth received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is a speaker and also presents workshops on health and nutrition topics. Beth offers in-person and phone consultations – contact her through Facebook or email for more information. You can find Beth on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HolisticHealthHotspot or email her at beth@holistichealthhotspot.com)

  • Bloom where you are planted

    I landed deep in the Earth, shivering in the dark, cold soil. Alone, I lay in stillness. Even though I found comfort in silence, hiding and suffering from the pressure of the tight bud, I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. I had to take the risk of breaking free from the shell, rising from the dirt and muck and moving forward toward the light. As I surfaced, plush, vibrant, fragrant petals in full bloom surrounded me. They were unlike my long, spiny ones. I didn’t look like them. I wanted to shrivel back down to the ground, but in one gust, the wind changed direction and I heard the Universe whisper, “You are a Daisy Among Roses. Don’t compare. Say thank you. And bloom where you are planted.”

    It is the same message I was reminded at the last yoga teacher training weekend in my home studio, Altamonte Springs Yoga, where our yoga teacher travels to each month for our training. I truly appreciate my yoga teacher, Rolf Gates, because I have a less flexible body yet I don’t feel intimidated in training. And it doesn’t help that I have been a runner for years and have refused to stretch for most of those. If I used the excuse that I was not flexible , I would have given up yoga years ago. But, instead, our teacher says we should bloom where we are planted on the mat. I don’t compare myself to the bendy, flexy girl next to me. I move into tree pose, raise my arms high and bloom where I am planted. I only compare myself to my own self yesterday. That’s the only thing that matters.

    As part of our training, we are learning The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. It’s an 8-fold path, a road map of life (and only one of eight limbs are the poses! And you thought that yoga was just about folding into full lotus!) The first two steps of the path are the five yamas and five niyamas. They are the core values of yoga that provide a recipe for living in the world with ease. Doesn’t that sound like a great plan? And then several of the other limbs of the yoga sutra are what many are familiar with – the asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing) and meditation.

    Of the niyamas, there is one principle, Santosha, or contentment which reminds me of blooming. It means to be at ease with things as they are now; neither relishing in the past or hoping for the future. It’s the ability to remain centered and stable no matter what is going on around us. To bloom where you are planted. It is being satisfied with what we are, where we are living, where we work, who our friends are, our income level and what level we are in society. We are grounded and happy wherever we are in whatever state of life. We bloom.

    I had to do that when I started yoga. There is no perfect pose. I had to accept where my body was in the pose at that moment. Relaxing into where I was in my pose and realizing what is perfect for me.

    We often live our lives with “if” and “when” conditions. If I had more money, I’d be happier. When I pay off all of my debt, that will make me happy. If my spouse was a better person, I’d be happier. When I lose those last ten pounds, life will be good. And then we arrive and it’s not better. It’s why lottery winners often file for bankruptcy and many who lose weight through gastric bypass are afflicted with other addictions. If you cannot be content now, you will not be content later. This is not to say that you cannot work to change things in your live and make them better, but the most important step is that we appreciate where we are today. Bloom. I can look around each morning and find many things that I am grateful for in my life. Right now. I have found peace with where I am. If your health is not the best or you are not in that satisfying job, you can still bloom where you are planted in that garden. Dig your roots deep within, bear the fruit of the Universe and share that radiance with others. Surround yourself with others who want to bloom. If you wait for the perfect conditions to bloom, they will never arise. It doesn’t mean that you are stuck where you are. It means that you can find the beauty in the moment. So whether you are planted in a garden, weeds or among the roses, bloom.

    Claire Johnson Head shot(Claire Denise Johnson combines Western and Eastern training as a physician and yoga instructor. She graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and trained in Vinyasa yoga under Rolf Gates. Her third passion behind her family is writing and blogs at her site www.daisyamongroses.com. Claire believes that all healing and finding one’s true self comes from within where the light begins. I appreciate the opportunity to share my writing with many around the world.)

    (If you would like to contribute an article you have authored to the Guest Column, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Please label the topic: “Guest Column.”)

  • Yoga in schools: helpful or harmful?

    The parents of two California grade school students have sued to block the teaching of yoga classes in their children’s physical education class, complaining it promotes eastern religions.  The action was filed by The National Center for Law & Policy, an Escondido, California-based nonprofit “legal defense organization” focusing on “protection and promotion of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, parental rights and other civil liberties.”

    NCLP attorney Dean R. Broyles filed the lawsuit against the Encinitas Union School District in San Diego County on behalf of plaintiffs Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock, claiming “The program is extremely divisive and has unfortunately led to the harassment, discrimination, bullying and segregation of children who, for good reasons, opt out of the program.”

    The integration of yoga into the physical education program has been highly effective in reducing hyperactivity and stress.  In schools around the nation who are implementing yoga into their health and wellness programs, they are seeing a marked decrease in the number of students who harm others and/or themselves and a reduction in aggressive behaviors which are commonly associated with violence and drug use.  The yoga classes, which incorporate breathing techniques to alleviate stress, promote relaxation, and increase body circulation, have been proven to increase students’ confidence and overall well-being.

    So with all these demonstrated obvious benefits, why would anyone resist such an advantageous program, one that has a proven track record in schools and communities around the world of noticeably enhancing lives in both a physical and emotional way?

    The complaint in this case is citing that the introduction of yoga in the school unlawfully promotes religious beliefs.  The lawsuit objects to eight-limbed tree posters they say are derived from Hindu beliefs, the “Namaste” greeting, and several of the yoga poses that they say represent the worship of Hindu deities.  The plaintiffs are not seeking monetary damages; they are asking for the removal of the program in its entirety from the school’s physical education program.

    In this particular situation, once again, deeply rooted fear-based religious beliefs (ironically, the very thing being protested against) are attempting to crowd out change, an example of inflexible belief systems clinging desperately and fearfully to an Old Cultural Story which embraces an idea that “THEIR way is THE way.”   Or it could be entirely possible that they have NO idea what “their” way even is and just simply believe that “another” way is arbitrarily wrong.

    But why do stories like this continue to exist where the fear that holds this Old Story together is so enmeshed in its antiquated concepts that it prevents those who hold it as true from being able to welcome change, even when such a change has been demonstrated to be beneficial and life-enhancing for so many people?

    Could it be possible that Old Cultural Stories continue to exist because the concepts held within them actually are best?

    If that is so, perhaps there is no place in schools for yoga, and our children should only move their bodies in largely approved and unmistakably pragmatic ways, such as doing jumping jacks or kicking a ball on the playground or, better yet, throwing balls at each other.  Perhaps unruly children who have not learned how to quiet their minds enough to sit in class and pay attention for any length of time should continue to be medicated with mind-numbing drugs and/or sent to the principal’s office repeatedly to be punished for “acting out” in class.  Perhaps children would be better off not knowing how to control their breathing and utilize it as a holistic tool with which to calm themselves in moments of anxiety or pressure.  Maybe, if we wait long enough, the dysfunctional system that we have in place will one day eventually demonstrate itself to be beneficial.  And in the meantime, we should just shelf all these crazy new alternatives that are currently available — and working — for our children.

    The way I see it, if we still did things in alignment with what they thought was “best” when I went to school years ago, our administrators today would be liberally spanking our children with a wooden paddle.  Fortunately, that belief system has changed.  And fortunately, for the students who attend the Encinitas Union School District, they have someone like Superintendent Timothy Baird who is standing behind the yoga program and will continue to offer it to their students because of its health benefits.

    What do you think?

    I say:  Bring on the yoga.

    (Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation.  She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team at www.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

  • I Hear Voices

    That’s right, I hear voices — four of them actually.  And tonight I recognized them and saw very clearly what was happening, and it started with a prayer.  I prayed while laying in savasana after an inspiring yoga class.  My prayer was a simple one, a typical one even.  I knew I had to get this blog up.  And I am somewhat of an inspirational writer.  What I mean by that is when something in my life inspires me, the thoughts come fast and furious.  When this happens, I need to get to the computer quickly or at the very least a pad and pen.

    This past week, I haven’t had the opportunity to let those things that I felt inspired to write about get written down or entered into the computer.  My busy life was stringing out my current blog past when it was time to change it and I needed some inspiration.  So I prayed.  I asked God in what I recognized was my voice, “God, please bring through me the words that those reading my blog this week are seeking to hear.”  I continued in my head with the invocation, although this one had a different voice, albeit it was still my voice. The inflection was not as strong and committed, and it stuttered a little.

    The prayer continued in this shaky voice, “Please, God, let this blog be of great service.”

    This is where it became interesting.  Another voice almost simultaneously, yet seemingly behind the shaky voice, a higher pitched, tense, and uneasy voice, was saying, “Let this be of great service to me as well.”

    Just as that voice started to say that, another voice came in and chimed, “You can’t ask for this to serve you!”  This voice was clearly different, as were all four of the voices, yet they were, strangely enough, all my voice.  It was very clear to me while this was happening ,that these were all my thoughts with my different data attached to them surrounding what each statement was.

    This noticing of my thoughts, and the voices attached to them, was fairly unique to me.  I have listened to the voices in my head many times and always wondered what was going on there.  I have been intrigued about how many different levels there are in my mind.  And that kicked off another whole set of thoughts and voices.

    The thought process fascinated me, especially with the level of clarity and awareness in which it occurred.  I quickly had the thought, “This is the blog!”  As soon as I made that decision, I had two simultaneous things going on in my head.

    The first was, “Don’t forget this!”  I began to repeat the topic over and over in my head so I would remember: “I hear voices, I hear voices…”  While repeating that mantra, my secondary thoughts were flying about, “How does this tie in to addiction?”  One voice said, “You can’t write about something like that.   What if it harms someone?”  While immediately another voice said, “Oh, my God, people who hear voices need to read this.  They need to know that maybe those voices are there to bring awareness to our thoughts.”  This very same voice said, “You must write this article.”

    And so that conversation took place in my head in a two-minute span while laying on a floor in a 105 degree room, soaking wet after a ninety-minute yoga class where every aspect of my being was pushed to the limits.  This incredible insight happened because I took time for myself.  I made time for me and only me to honor what God has given me, a beautiful mind capable of multi-layered thought, an incredible body that is able to do more than I ever give it credit for, and a soul in which to rely upon and seek wisdom, compassion, discipline, and insight from.

    You see, recovery is about always seeking greater insight into ourselves, the world around us, and to expand our consciousness of what we believe our Creator to be.  If I seek to remain open, and never declare anything to be the ultimate truth, that leaves me with the power to recreate myself and my world at any moment.  When you are in a state of mind that is seeking higher states of Divinity, there is no room for relapse.

    I understand that for some hearing voices is a sign of mental illness, and that should not be taken lightly, nor should it be made fun of.  What I am encouraging people to do here is take a concept and think deeply on it.  What I did only took two minutes and the feeling and inspiration was phenomenal.

    (Kevin McCormack is a Conversations with God Life Coach, a Spiritual helper on www.changingchange.net, and an Addictions recovery advisor.  You can visit his website for more information at www.Kevin-Spiritualmentor.com  To connect with Kevin, please email him at Kevin@theglobalconversation.com)

  • Soul of Healing Affirmations

    Chaos, noise, career demands, illness, violence, emotional pressures, and stress are all reminders to us.  They remind us of the importance of meditation in our lives, both physically and spiritually.  However, for many, meditating in what some might term the “typical way” does not come with ease and sometimes evolves into an experience of frustration and disappointment…and eventually giving up.

    You are not alone.

    For those of you who may be experiencing roadblocks in your meditation practice, or simply don’t have the slightest idea where to begin, I am here to share with you one of my very favorite CDs:  “Soul of Healing Affirmations” by Deepak Chopra.

    I purchased this CD a couple years ago because I was having trouble falling asleep.   I was searching for something to help relax my body and quiet my mind before going to bed, and this CD showed up in my life.

    Utilizing the powerful process of affirmations, accompanied by soul-centered music, the tranquil voice of Deepak Chopra gently moves you through an A to Z guided journey — what Deepak calls an “A-Z Guide to Programming the Software of the Soul”:

    Acceptance

    Bonding

    Compassion

    Divinity in Me

    Empowerment

    Fear

    Giving

    Higher Self

    Intention

    Judge not Today

    Kindness

    Love

    Mindfulness

    Nurturing

    Opposition

    Presence

    Question

    Relationship

    Self Referral

    Trust

    Understanding

    Vision

    Wisdom

    X Factor

    Yes to Life

    Zero

    The good news is meditation does not come in only one flavor.  It does not have to be done in a candlelit room, with your legs crossed, eyes closed, for hours on end.  We can meditate through mindfulness or noticing the moment, through prayer, in a walking or moving meditation such as yoga, through chanting, or in silence.

    As in all of life, there is no right or wrong way…only what works best for you.

    Whether you are new to meditation and looking for a tool to assist you, or perhaps you desire a unique and enjoyable way to relax, or maybe you are seeking to deepen your spiritual awareness, I highly recommend adding the “Soul of Healing Affirmations” by Deepak Chopra to your meditation and life experience.

    This CD can be purchased and downloaded on Amazon.com.

    (Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation.  She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team at www.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

    (If there is a book, movie, music CD, etc. that you would like to recommend to our worldwide audience, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Please label the topic: “Review”)

  • Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape!

    Perhaps one of the most important health choices I make these days is my Yoga practice. I was introduced to Yoga in my thirties by a friend; she went for 30 days and I went for 3 years. Within in a short period of time the benefits of Yoga transformed me and life has never been the same.

    Yoga, meaning “union,” has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, millions of Americans are enjoying its health benefits. Yoga can hardly be called a trend. Most yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also include some form of breathing technique, and I like classes that include meditation as well.

    Yoga classes are designed for energy and relaxation while teaching you how to move your body in new ways. The focus of Yoga is on honoring your body where it is today, moving toward your “edge” but not past it.  Each practice is new, so we meet our body again for the first time with each pose. The health benefits come from enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance, but this is only part of the gift of this powerful practice.  Yoga is about creating balance of body, mind, emotion, and spirit.

    The practice of Yoga, which for me is meditation, works remarkably well to achieve this harmony and helps the mind to work in sync with the body.  How often do we find conflicts in our mind that weigh heavily upon us?  The Yoga mat is one of the best places to leave this worry and stress behind.

    The meditative practice of yoga helps in achieving an emotional balance through detachment or what I like to call “dropping the rock”! Meditation creates the space to be here now; a place where you are not negatively affected by what’s going on around you. This, in turn, creates a remarkable calmness and a positive outlook, which has tremendous benefits on physical health. I leave my stress at the door, at least for an hour at a time, and I find with continued practice the leaving-it-all-behind benefits last longer and longer.

    Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice the brighter your flame. – B.K.S Iyengar

    Here are just some of the tangible benefits that can be achieved through yoga.

    Physical Benefits:

    Improved Digestion

    Weight loss

    Improved posture

    Increased flexibility & strength

    Optimal breathing

    Reduced headaches and upper body tension

    Reduction of symptoms from old illnesses and injuries

    Deeper sleep

    Mental Benefits:

    Increased ability to manage stress

    Improved focus and concentration

    Better memory

    More creativity

    Emotional Benefits:

    A sense of emotional freedom

    Increased enjoyment of life

    Increased freedom of expression

    More peace of mind

    More feelings of empathy & love

    Increased self-confidence

    Aids in grief recovery

    Spiritual Benefits:

    Connection with the purpose of life

    Experiencing more joy

    Brightness of spirit

    Increased optimism

    Increased creativity

    I think you will agree that the benefits of Yoga are many.

    With the popularity of Yoga now, most places have Yoga centers. Find one in your town and try it out. If you don’t have a studio near you, bring Yoga home in the form of a DVD.  Yoga truly is one the most powerful, profound technologies available today.  And with regular  practice, you can improve your life greatly at every level.  And with that said, I am off to do just that! – JR

    (J.R. Westen, D.D. is a Holistic Health & Spiritual Counselor who has worked and presented side-by-side with Neale Donald Walsch for over a decade. He is passionate about helping individuals move beyond their emotional and spiritual challenges, transforming breakdowns into breakthroughs. His coaching provides practical wisdom and guidance that can be immediately incorporated to shift one’s experience of life. As is true for most impactful teachers, J.R.’s own struggles and triumphs inspired him to find powerful ways of helping others. Sober since June 1, 1986, J.R.’s passion for helping individuals move through intense life challenges drove him to also specialize in Addiction and Grief Recovery. J.R. currently shares his gift of counseling & coaching with individuals from around the world through the Wellness Center, Simply Vibrant, located on Long Island N.Y.  In addition, he works with Escondido Sobering Services and serves on the Board of Directors for the Conversations with God Foundation. He can be contacted at JR@theglobalconversation.com, or to book an appointment, write support@simplyvibrant.com.)

  • Bring on the bliss

    For those of you yearning to hear the internal whispers of your soul amidst the noisy chatter of an unruly mind…for those of you longing to experience the calm bliss of simply “being” when your experience of life at this moment feels like a never-ending cycle of “doing”…perhaps the soothing voice and gentle rhythms of Snatam Kaur is something you would be willing to make a regular part of your day.

    The transcendent power and healing qualities of the devotional chants of Snatam Kaur have elevated it to become one of my most beloved choices in my musical collection.   Her songs combine a unique blend of ancient chants sung in Gurumukhi, the sacred language of the Sikhs, and English.

    Snatam Kaur (whose name means universal, nucleus, and friend to all) uses her music to bridge diverse cultures, faiths, and traditions, and to promote peace and inner strength.  When asked what her definition of ‘peace’ is, she replied, “I feel peace is defined in each person’s life in the moments of their greatest struggles and challenges. Peace is the ability to stay true to yourself, and in any situation find the light or find the way to grow and transform in that situation, while uplifting yourself and other people.”

    The purity and clarity of Snatam’s voice radiates and her soft spiritual chants touch your soul.  Her albums “Anand,” “Celebrate Peace,” and “Grace” are just a few of my personal favorites.  You will quickly realize that understanding the language in some of the songs is not a necessary element to having a profound experience of bliss and peace, that her music transcends the confines of any one particular language, and that her universal message of oneness is one that is deeply felt.

    The book When Everything Changes, Change Everything speaks to the importance of meditation, whether that be a sitting meditation, a walking meditation, or a “doing” meditation; that some form of meditation is “the single most important commitment of your entire life: a commitment to your soul, to be with your soul, to meet your soul, to hear and listen to and interact with your soul.” 

    If your attempts at meditation thus far have been unsuccessful, I invite you to consider incorporating the sacred mantras of Snatam Kaur as a gentle assistive tool to elevate your meditative experience to the next level.

    I close now with the lyrics to one of Snatam’s songs, “Long Time Sun,” an old Irish blessing which is currently sung by thousands worldwide as a parting prayer in Kundalini yoga classes:

    “May the Long Time Sun
    Shine upon you
    All love surround you
    And the pure light within you
    Guide your way on
    Guide your way on.    “

    You may read more about Snatam Kaur and purchase her music on her website:

    www.snatamkaur.com 

    (If there is a book, movie, music CD, etc. that you would like to recommend to our worldwide audience, please submit it to our Managing Editor, Lisa McCormack, for possible publication in this space. Not all submissions can be published, due to the number of submissions and sometimes because of other content considerations, but all are encouraged. Send submissions to Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com. Please label the topic: “Review”)