Qigong Standing Meditation

Here?s a wonderful ~ simple & powerful ~ Taoist meditation practice, which can be done either outside (in a beautiful natural setting is best!), or indoors. It?s similar in many ways to Buddhist Shamata sitting meditation practice, but ~ and hence the name! ~ you?re standing. (So, for one, it?s less likely that you?ll fall asleep ? J)

Begin by standing with your feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart. Take a couple of deep long breaths, saying ?aaah? (either out loud or to yourself) with the exhales. Let go of any tension you find in your shoulders, neck or face ~ simply let it ?melt? away, with the exhale ? as though that tension were a frozen river, being touched now by a warm sun, and flowing downward, like the gentle cascade of a waterfall, forming pools at your feet. Feel your energy, your awareness, settling into your feet & legs & hips & belly, connecting you strongly to the earth. Bend your knees just slightly ~ just enough to feel a softness at the backs of your knees.

Let your arms hang down next to your sides, so that your thumbs are gently touching your outer thighs (which means the backs of your hands will be facing forward). Separate and extend your fingers downward, so that they?re straight without being rigid, and so there?s space between each pair of fingers (as though you had webbed fingers). Now, float your hands directly forward, three or four inches, so they?re hovering now just in front of (but still to the sides) of your thighs. This should create a feeling of hollowness in your armpits. Let your elbows be bent just enough to create a feeling of softness in them.

Now choose a gazing point, eight or ten feet in front of you. Rest your eyes very softly on that point (or area). (The meditation Masters of the past have discovered that there?s a connection between the movement of our eyes, and the movement of thoughts in our mind ? So making the eyes still is a wonderful way to calm the mind.) Try to let that spot you?re looking at come into your eyes, instead of reaching out (with the energy of your eyes) to ?grab? it. In other words, let your eyes become receptive, instead of active ? Relax your jaw, so that there?s space between your upper & lower teeth, even though your lips are gently closed.

So now that you?re in the Qigong Standing Meditation position, stay here, for awhile. Once you?ve arranged yourself in this way, there?s nothing much to ?do.? Simply notice what?s it?s like being here, in this position.

If you?re new to the practice, hold the position for a couple of minutes. You can make small adjustments to it, as this feels necessary for your comfort, but the idea is to do as little moving around as possible. Once you?ve got the correct alignment of the pose, holding it in a fairly ?motionless? way will support internal movements of qi/life-force which will be very pleasant, and healing. As you continue this practice ~ over weeks or months or years ~ you?ll be able to hold the position for longer periods of time (30 minutes, a hour). But in the beginning, a couple minutes is wonderful!

Elizabeth Reninger holds Masters degrees in Sociology & Chinese Medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga ~ in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For more essays on yoga-related topics, please visit her website at http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabethreninger

Is Free Online Yoga Safe?

Yoga nowadays is very in demand especially the newest free online free yoga. Yoga practice and exercise can be learned in school.

There are a lot of yoga schools all over the world. Before, yoga was only applied and practice in India but now, looks like it has evolved. Almost all the people in the world know the word yoga although there are some who don?t have a clear picture of it. Yoga for the many people is an exercise and a means to concentrate with the mind and soul.

It is a great advantage that free online yoga was offered to the people. They say that the web is the easiest way to gain, search and acquire knowledge. Almost everything is learned from the web and it is no wonder why the people get hooked on it.

Free online yoga chooses no one in particular. Everyone is a candidate in learning yoga. All you need to do is to have your own computer and get hooked on to it.

If you want to learn from the basics, the net has the resources on how to learn it the easy way. As long as you know how to understand and read, you are capable of learning yoga.

It is an amazing breakthrough that yoga is taught in the web. Free online yoga saves you from going to a yoga class. It saves your time, money and effort. Plus, you can freely do it at home without any one looking at you if that is what you prefer.

If you want to have the free online yoga, there are some certain requirements that you need.

Now you will wonder if free online yoga is really advantageous. If it is, then why are all the people going to schools and bringing their mats on their backpack if they can acquire it at home.

To continue reading this article go now to Is Free Online Yoga Safe

To find out about yoga exercises visit our site at yoga exercises.

When We Were Kids

When I was a kid I used to be able to jump like that. When I was a kid I used to be able to tumble like that. How often have you heard these comments? Probably quiet often if you are a coach or trainer. I hear these comments daily. I find them comical, as they are usually lame excuses for laziness and fear. You were better at dong these things as a kid because you done them and you weren?t afraid. You were not embarrassed or worried about feeling stupid in front of others. Take my word having fun and playing games even as an adult will go along way in enhancing your physical as well as mental well-being.

Last week my four-year-old son and I ventured off for a hike in the jungle (wooded area behind our house). We were searching for The Secret Kid?s Place. While on our journey we had to conquer numerous obstacles. In our first encounter we had to climb up a huge tree to escape the tigers. It was a close call, but we made it. Moments later we had to crawl underneath a fence then over a fence as we ventured further into the jungle. We had to walk across a tree that had fallen across the creek. My son found this very exciting, as there were crocodiles waiting to eat us below. As our journey continued we had to overcome challenges such as volcanoes (which we had to jump) and lions, which we had to out run. After a treacherous battle we reached our ultimate destination The Secret Kid?s Place. Once we reached this exotic land we sit down and had our PB&J sandwiches. ?Yep we made it dad? my son replied. Then he said ?this was a perfect day; think so?. I agreed this was a perfect day.

You see kids have something most adults lack imagination and the need for physically challenging stimuli. As we know these are qualities that allow members of the MaxCondition Family to constantly challenge and design new movements and thought processes. It is sad to say but most parents lack the physical qualities needed to play with their kids in the manner mentioned above. In my opinion one of the key qualities in developing real fitness is stepping out of the box and not worrying about what everyone else is doing.

Copyright 2006 Jamie Hale

Jamie Hale is the owner of maxcondition.com, gym owner, writer, fitness and nutrition consultant. He is also a member of the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in recognition of his conditioning work with martial artists.

John of God Miracle Man Article

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE from around the world diagnosed as terminal or incurable by modern medicine travel thousands of miles each month, enduring long international flights and exhausting bus rides to Abadiania. A small town in the mountains of central Brazil. They come to see miracle healer, Joao Teixeira de Faria, the man the people of Brazil have affectionately titled, Joao de Deus or John of God.

Joao is a simple man of humble beginnings who devotes three days of every week to healing his fellow man without payment for his services.

As a young boy, Joao experienced blackout spells. On awakening he learned he had performed miraculous healings. Religious leaders, the medical field, the police and those in power threatened by Joaos abilities had him beaten, thrown in jail then cast out of town. This was a pattern that went on for years. Even with that, Joao still treated those who persecuted him when their own incurable illness arose. Joao frequently states, it is not me who cures, God is the healer, I am simply the vessel. Joao is known as an unconscious medium; he never recalls any of the healings he's performed.

Not everything can be explained scientifically or rationally as there are over 35 Healing Spirit Guides including King Solomon and Saint Ignatius that use Joao as their instrument, completely taking over his body and mind. Guided by these Spirits, Joao was told to buy a specific piece of land in Abadiania and build a healing sanctuary on it. Joao named it the Casa de Dom Inacio, after his Patron and Master Guide, Saint Ignatius.

Since he began 44 years ago, Joao has treated and healed millions of people. While incorporated by the Healing Spirits, Joao will see all who come to him without stopping to rest. The poor and the famous alike stand in line, up to thousands a day. They come to witness miracles and hope to receive one of their own. For example actress Shirley Maclaine who was told by Western Medicine she would never dance again. That was until Joao removed a tumor from her stomach.

Joao is acclaimed to be the most powerful spiritual medium of our time and the greatest healer since our beloved Jesus the Christ. From curing cancer, AIDS, tumors, heart conditions, addictions, helping the lame to walk and the blind to see, Joao treats every form of illness imaginable. Many people report powerful outcomes that can be measured; X-rays before and after for example. The proof is a room at the Casa filled with thousands of discarded crutches, leg braces and wheelchairs.

The two kinds of surgeries performed through Joao are visible and invisible. Visible surgeries are done with forceps, a scapel or knife. Patients experience minimal pain, bleeding or anxiety during surgery. There are no tranquilizers, pain medication or antibiotics used before, during or after surgery, and no case of infection has ever occurred throughout Joao's many years of work. Invisible surgery is performed while meditating in what is known as the Current room at the Casa. Healing Spirits energetically bring about miraculous corrections on mental, emotional, physical and spiritual levels. Healing can be immediate, others recover over time, and some may require additional visits.

Thousands of written testimonies and personal letters of gratitude fill the Casa office along with stacks of newspaper articles. Reports from clergymen, scientists and doctors worldwide support claims of Joao's work.

Joao de Deus and his Casa de Dom Inacio Healing Sanctuary give us the opportunity to witness and experience God's love and deepen our connection with him. A place where our hope turns into faith, and faith into certainty. For the thousands who travel to Joao each month from around the world, it is a spritual awakening, a spiritual transformation, and the beginning of the end to their illness, on many levels.

(C) 2006, Tony Garza

Tony Garza is a Spiritual Development Teacher and Casa Guide. Tony conducts escorted healing journeys for the ill, the called and those seeking a spiritual awakening to John of God in Brazil. Visit: http://www.JohnofGodMiracleMan.com

Natural Alternatives to Treat Acne

Acne can be caused in teenagers just from the hormonal aspect of being a teen and genetics (that stinks!)

Many products on the market just don't work. That?s because my son tried some of them. Here are some natural remedies you can try with your acne regimen or alone if you don?t have an acne regimen.

To clean your face:

You can use oatmeal and add water. Rub this on your face and let it sit for 15 minutes. Oatmeal is a natural astringent that dries the skin.

Rinse off with water. Get a spray bottle or dab your face with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar from the health food store has all the enzymes and minerals your face may need. Also the vinegar helps get your skin back to its natural pH. Don?t worry if it smells vinegary, it will soon fade.

Then if you want to, you can dab some hydrogen peroxide afterwards. By scratching pimples you can cause an infection so the hydrogen peroxide helps. You can use hydrogen peroxide for any pimples that appear open and can get infected.

And stop touching your hair and face during the day! Do this treatment at least 2 x a day.

Here are other treatments you can try.

You can wash your face with a soap like Aveeno. If you use Aveeno, use the pump brand as soap can sit around and start developing bacteria. You can use a cotton ball to clean the oil from the skin with a cooling astringent. You can buy an astringent or use the vinegar.

Using Neosporin - Dad a little Neosporin on pimples and blemishes. The antibiotic helps clear up acne.

Phillips' Milk of Magnesia. Using this as a facial mask helps dry up the excess oils from your face, and dabbing it on pimples to reduce redness and to speed up healing.

Using ReaLemon. Rub the ReaLemon lemon juice over blackheads before going to bed. In the morning, wash of the juice with cool water. Repeat this for several nights and you should see a big improvement in the skin. Also dab ReaLemon on any blemish a few times during the day when you have a chance.

When you break out in pimples, mix 1 tsp of Corn Starch with 1 tsp of ReaLemon lemon juice to make a paste. Apply to the affected areas and then let dry. This treatment eliminates the redness and helps pimples dry up faster.

Remember, always consult your doctor before using any of the above treatments.

Copyright 2005 Fern Kuhn, RN - Specializing in Diabetes

http://www.anxietydisordernews.info
http://www.diabetestestingcenter.com

You may reprint this article as long as you keep the links active

Energy Enhancement and Psychology

Here is an example of an interview I gave before our last course which we give both in Spain on the Costa Brava and in Rosario in Argentina.

I was meeting a nice girl of 28 this morning here at our center in Rosario. She is a Psychologist but has fallen out of love with Psychology because although it explains things intellectually it gives no TECHNIQUES apart from talking to change anything internally, particularly in herself. You can see how effective Psychology is by looking at Woody Allen.

I connected with her base chakra and her inner child showed me all her chakras and blockages one by one. A very interesting experience. First the Base chakra, one fear and security blockage which I removed very quickly. Then the second, a pain filled relationship blockage which I also removed. Then all the chakras solar plexus, heart etc, feeling the general dirtiness of the psychic body usually cleaned with The Grounding of Negative Energies but no major blockages.

Then the head, two blockages, one a person who had just died, very deep and negative. I removed the first blockage but the other one was more difficult and stayed with me, absorbed by my psychic body, for a day before I sent it on.

She felt the movement of energy blockages in the head and in the body as my mind and energy was working on her and told me that she normally got a lot of headaches. She was interested in my exposition of Energy Enhancement as all the while I was working on these blockages I was also talking to her.

Such openings show an educated psychic body, one with talent. Not everyone who comes to the Guru has similar experiences. Some also get more. She and I felt that with training she also might be able to help her clients in a similar way. So, she is coming back tomorrow to try out the process, to get her first Initiation in Energy Enhancement.

The first day Satchi taught me how to sit. By moving the position of my posture slightly I could feel the flow of energy from the center of the earth into the center of the universe. Satchi explained that what I was feeling was Kundalini Energy. If I followed it, he said, It would lead me to Enlightenment. From the testimonial of Energy Enhancement Student Carla, Jan 2004

Siva Samhit?, iii, 10-19: Now I shall tell you how easily to attain success in Yoga, by knowing which the Yogis never fail in the practice of Yoga. Only the knowledge imparted by a Competent Teacher through his lips is powerful and useful; otherwise it becomes fruitless, weak and very painful.

And this is why - by coming into the Buddhafield of Energy surrounding Energy Enhancement Satchidanand obtained through many years of meditation with many enlightened masters, you obtain Shaktipat- an infusion of energy to help you get into a permanent state of meditation.

Swami Satchidanand is Director of Energy Enhancement Synthesis of Light which teaches 28 ancient and effective techniques to enable you to achieve control of your mind, an enhanced IQ, control over all your negative emotions, anger, fear, depression on the path of the ultimate Samadhi and enlightenment itself.

Energy Enhancement techniques have catapulted people years in their meditational experience in weeks. Some 5 years, some jump 10 times further! It helps people worldwide reach further than they EVER thought possible, FASTER!!!

Director Satchidanand, is one of the leading teachers of Meditation.
He helps people worldwide reach further than they EVER thought possible, FASTER!!!

http://www.energyenhancement.org

Magnifying Mirror

I recently bought a magnifying mirror . . . a big, lighted magnifying mirror that makes it impossible for me to ignore all my face's imperfections. The unreasonable clerk who sold me the mirror wouldn?t let me return it. She said not liking what I saw in it wasn?t reason enough to get my money back.

Mirrors like this one should be illegal. It enlarges objects seven times their natural size. The thing is a health hazard. When I looked into it, I screamed in horror, then hyperventilated, passed out, and hit my head on the bathroom sink. I needed CPR to be resuscitated, and I think some of my brains might have been flushed down the toilet. I?m not sure I?ll ever recover from discovering that my cheeks have pleats. (gasp!) The whole nasty experience plunged me into a state of third-degree, age-related depression.

All this time, I?ve been living in that lovely la-la-land of denial. I had fooled myself into believing that I still looked twenty-nine. Mother Nature played a cruel joke on me. Time to wake up and smell the extra-strength age spot remover. Reality hit me right between my puffy, sagging eyelids. Ouch! That smarts.

My laugh lines are no laughing matter, now that they?re buried deep within my saggy cheeks. The only advantage is that I can finally say I have cleavage, even if it IS on my face. The black bags under my eyes are bigger than my feet. They?re helping to save the forests, though. I carry groceries in them, rather than using the paper sacks at the grocery store.

I look like a puckered pile of flab and wrinkles with whiskers. When my husband calls me ?pet,? it?s because my drooping jowls make me look like Cousin Delmont?s old coon dog Otis, and my flabby neck jiggles like a Tom turkey?s. My cheeks sag lower each day, like melting blobs of raspberry ripple ice cream. I?m afraid I?ll awake some morning to discover that my face has slid down around my waist.

The dermatologist made my day when he called the dark patches on my cheeks ?old age barnacles. I must look like a sunken ship. I asked him if plaster of paris might help, but instead he suggested that I have my face ?resurfaced.? So now I?m a well-traveled, worn out road? I must admit that my face does sort of look like a truck ran over it.

Wrinkles aren't the only revolting development that?s got me down. It?s bad enough that I?ve turned into grandma Moses, but I'm looking a lot like Grandpa Walton too. I've sprouted a beard and mustache, and my whole face is lower than it used to be. Yesterday, my husband called me ?floppy cheeks, and I don?t think he meant it as a term of endearment. I no longer count gravity among my friends. It?s pulling everything southward, and parts that once were perky are now in danger of being stepped on and often get road rash from dragging on the pavement.

I?ve placed my youth on the endangered species list. It?s evaporating faster than spit on a hot griddle. Instead of aging like a fine wine, I'm afraid I'm more like moldy cheese or curdled 2% milk. As my six-year-old grandson says, ?I?m not happy about this.?

You can understand why I appreciate the Bible verse in Proverbs 11, which says, A kind hearted woman will gain respect. I'm relieved, because I know I can't get by on my good looks. I hope people find my heart more pleasing to behold than the rest of me.

I don?t even know Grace, and I don?t want to grow old with her, but I?ve found at least two things for which old timers can be thankful:

1) For those who love and obey Him, God does not examine faults with a magnifying glass. If He did, it would be a sight even more grotesque than the one staring back at me from my mirror. Instead, God is willing to remove each soul's blemishes and forget them forever. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

2) Secondly, nobody is ever too old to be used by God. No matter what my age, or how many thousands of wrinkles and gray hairs I have, there is always something good I can do. God has plans for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11 says: ?I know the plans I have for you, ?declares the Lord, . . . to give you hope and a future.? We always have a place in God's scheme of things, even if one foot is in the rest home. We can't outgrow our usefulness and no one?s ever too old to have hopes and dreams or to accomplish some pretty nifty things with God's help. I heard of one hip grandma who rode a motorcycle on her ninetieth birthday. That sure beats staring at the wall from a rocking chair in a puddle of drool. God doesn't just use young and beautiful people.

In fact, I would guess that He can probably more often use older folks who have gained experience and learned the lessons that come only from making mistakes. How cool is it that He can work through anyone, wrinkles, age spots, and all? He'll use anybody, as long as they meet two requirements: A: they are willing, and B: they're still breathing.

That includes you. So open those wrinkled, baggy eyelids of yours and take a gander at the world around you. Forget your age. You will always be younger than someone somewhere. If you look, you'll see loads of things you can do. Get your pruney face and your varicose veins out there and get busy!

And by the way, if you have a magnifying mirror, toss it into the dumpster or give it to a young person. We have better things than wrinkles to focus on.

Marsha Jordan
Author of Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter
hugsandhope@gmail.com
www.hugsandhope.org


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